the hibbard mayhem

ENT appt.

2012-01-17T12:31:00.002-05:00

This morning Kian had his ENT appt. We were hoping that tubes aren't necessary and they aren't! At least for now, the dr. doesn't think its necessary. He thinks Kian is a little tongue tied, but not enough to need to have it cut and he doesn't think it's whats causing Kian's lisps. All is all, GREAT report! For now, we will just keep treating Kian for ear infections as needed unless he gets more than 5 or 6 in a year. If that happens we will go back to Dr Westfall for tubes. Kian HATES anyone looking into his ears. In fact I always have to bear hug him and hold him still so the doctor can do that. That still happened today, but there weren't any tears, so for that I was very thankful! Thanks for praying!

10 months and counting!

2012-01-10T13:49:00.002-05:00

How is it possible that my little girl is 10 months old already! She seems to be growing up SO fast! She is just such a sweet little girl. Chad and I have noticed a couple of differences from her and the boys recently. 1. She cries when either of the boys cry. She does NOT like them being upset. 2. She gets scared about things that the boys never had a problem with. For example: she gets freaked out when a koosh ball touches her skin. She hates it! Also grass... hates that too.

I don't know how close she is to walking, but she cruises along the furniture pretty easily. She is very easy going (so far) and still doesn't like strangers a whole lot.

We are so thankful for you Mia Gracie Grace! We love you sweet girl!

Insanity

2012-01-09T11:23:00.002-05:00

Yeah, I know... 4 posts in one day, but I hadn't updated from Christmas!
Well, today I started a workout program called Insanity. It truly is insane! My friend Lisa and I have committed to doing this for 2 months at 6am. We measured and weighed our bodies and wrote everything down and we put a little wager on who will lose the most inches. I gained about 4-5 pounds over the holidays and need to get back to business. This exercise dvd series is extremely intense and although I probably won't be able to do much at first, it's a great challenge! My goal is to lose 20 pounds these next 2 months and to stay committed to this program. Every 2 weeks we take a fit test to see how we are improving and we also measure and weigh ourselves. I am excited and a little frightened about the next 2 months, but I know I can do it! I will keep the blog updated with any progress.

A few more pics of Christmas break

2012-01-09T11:15:00.004-05:00

One of Chad's dad's gifts to us was taking us to Splash Lagoon water park in Erie, PA for a couple of days. The kids had a BLAST going down the water slides and playing in the pools. These 2 pictures were taken right before we left to come home. Me and my girl and Chad and his boys!

Aiden and Kian slept in the same bed in Rochester and one night I went in to check on them and found them like this.

Grandpa and Grandma and the grandkids.

Courtney, Chad's mom and Chad. We were celebrating Aiden's birthday at Chuck E Cheese. We won a ridiculous amount of tickets there! We had a great time. Thanks Mom!

Christmas

2012-01-09T11:10:00.003-05:00

Here are a few pictures of our Christmas. We had a very busy but great Christmas as we had 4 Christmas', 2 birthday parties and a Christmas Eve party. We travelled to New York to spend time with Chad's family. We feel so blessed to have awesome family!

Happy birthday Aiden!

2012-01-09T11:02:00.002-05:00

It's hard for me to believe that Aiden turned 6 on January 4th! He seems so grown up now. His latest passion is football. He literally could talk about it all day long. He loves school and is reading pretty well now. He draws everyday (usually involves football or cars). For his birthday we took him to a place called Crazy Pinz, which is like Chuck e Cheese, but also has mini golf, bowling and bumper cars. We had a great time together! Aiden, we pray that God would soften your heart and that you would become a great leader and man of God someday. We love you so much!

Mia's 9 month checkup

2011-12-15T10:54:00.002-05:00

Mia went in today for her well child visit. She is still growing like a weed! She is 29 in long (90%), 20.3 lbs (72%) and her head is 78% for kids her age. Her eye is still giving her fits. She continues to get conjunctivis often. She also has a lot of drainage in her nose, throat, and eye. The doctor wants to see if any of this is caused by allergies. She put Mia on her 3rd eye ointment (the first 2 were drops) and wants Mia to take Singulair everyday until her 1 year checkup. If her eye doesn't clear up by the next month or so, I am supposed to take her to see an eye doctor who will evaluate her eye. She may need a procedure done to open her tear duct. I really don't want my daughter to have a shunt put it or anything so I am praying that this new ointment takes care of it. The other drops worked too, but she keeps getting reoccurring discharge, redness and swelling. Because none of the rest of us have gotten pinkeye from her, the dr think that it could be viral or allergies that is causing it. Mia also has a nasty diaper rash that she has had to weeks. I have tried some many things. The dr took one look and said that Mia has a yeast infection. I am thankful that Mia doesn't seem very uncomfortable from it. All in all she is very healthy! She is eating more and more table food and LOVES everything she has had so far.

On a side note, I weighed in today and haven't lost anymore weight this week. I am ok with that with having 6 Festival of Light performances and only exercising once and eating out lots this week. I need to try harder this week though! Here's to a great week!

Kian's echo

2011-12-15T10:37:00.002-05:00

At Mia's 9 mo checkup, I asked the doctor about the results to Kian's echocardiogram. She said that she would have someone call me today and that she was 99% sure the results were normal.

I came home and received a call from the nurse and it went something like this:
Nurse: "I don't know why no one has called you yet to tell you the results."
Me: "ok"
Nurse: "It says here that Kian has a patent foramen ovale vs a small secundum type atrial septal defect. It must not be bad because he would set up another appt with Kian if it was."
Me: "Can you spell that all out for me? What was it again?"

That was about it! I was very confused when I got off the phone. The nurse didn't know what everything meant and was just passing on the info, so I couldn't get any explanation from her. I went to the internet to try and figure it all out. Here's what I think it is: it's a small opening in the atrial septum of the heart which allows a small amount of blood to pass through from the left atrium to the right atrium. It may close spontaneously as Kian grows and should be monitored to see if it is. A few of the symptoms are: shortness of breath, fatigue, lack of growth, sweating. He doesn't have any of these except the sweating (which is this case he is half Hibbard, half Billman-enough said). The one site I said that usually these are repaired if it doesn't close on its own by the time he starts school to prevent lung problems that will develop from long time exposure to extra blood flow.
Kian's however, is small which is good, so I think it's all pretty normal. I will keep checking everytime we go to the doctor for anything and look for symptoms in Kian as well. I was just a little annoyed that they gave me all of these foreign words and gave no explanation except that the doctor didn't schedule another appointment with Kian! I am glad we know now what it is and we will continue to monitor him.

Update

2011-12-14T10:37:00.002-05:00

This is a picture of my good friend Jami and I during Festival of Lights. We also had to wear Santa dresses, but I never got a picture of that one. FOL was a huge success! Thanks so much for praying. 10 people made decisions for Christ! We have had a lot of positive feedback. God also gave me a lot of grace to remember all of my words while I was singing!

Monday night we were putting the boys to bed and we asked them what we should thank God for today. Aiden replied, "We should thank God that everyone tried their best at FOL." Kian replied, "I thank God that after FOL, I got a cookie." Chad and I immediately started laughing.

Last night I was coming home with the kids from one of Chad's basketball games and the trunk flew open while we were on the highway. I pulled over and the trunk latch was completely out. Thankfully I made it home safely. The car is at the mechanics right now. Apparently, it is completely rusted, so he is trying to weld the latch on. It reminded me of how I need to keep praying that God will provide a minivan for us. God has reminded me multiple times this week how He is the God that provides. I am trying to be patient and thankful for the car that God has for us right now.

Aiden is having a rough time right now. He is struggling with multiple things. Yesterday he had a complete breakdown on the way home from the game and cried for probably 45 min. Please pray that God works in this little boy's heart. I think he is close to understanding what a relationship with Christ means. We had a great conversation before the trunk flew open. He is specifically struggling with friends. He is so competitive and wants to be first. That doesn't bode well for making lots of friends. We are working with him to see that and reminding him to reach out to others and be a friend first. It's a hard lesson to learn! It really breaks my heart to see him hurt. I love him SO much.

Mia has her 9 month check up tomorrow. I think she is sick. Her nose is a draining so badly and she vomitted today and isn't really napping. Her countenance is still great though! I will try and post again tomorrow with another update of her checkup and also of my weigh in!

weigh in

2011-12-08T14:05:00.002-05:00

I haven't weighed in since a week before Thanksgiving, so I decided to bite the bullet and just do it. My weight watchers expired, so now I just have my trusty scale. I didn't think that I gained weight, but didn't necessarily think that I had lost either. I was SO nervous and was just hoping not to gain. Well, I lost 7 pounds since my last weigh in!!!! I was so excited! My weigh loss since starting is now 21 pounds! Now, realize that it was a different scale and I weighed myself in the morning (after breakfast) in comparison to in the evening like weight watchers. I also didn't have clothes on. Taking all of those into account, I probably lost around 4 pounds actually. Still...I was happy! Weighing myself once a week is so good for me, because even if I can't see the weight gain or loss in my clothes, it's a good motivator. I have 11 pounds to go to be where I was before I ever had kids. I would still like to lose another 15-20 though. Chad and I are having a contest to see who can lose the most weight before we leave for Christmas break. I think I am now winning! My goal for next week is 2 pounds.

siblings

2011-12-07T11:08:00.002-05:00

This was taken this morning in the bathtub. I am so thankful that my kids love each other and enjoy being together! When we brought Mia home, I was a little nervous about how Kian would respond to her. I knew Aiden would be a fantastic brother. Kian has surprised me. He loves his sister so much and is quite gentle with her. Aiden and Kian love to play together and also love to tackle (what brothers don't!). It is such a joy for me to see my kids interact with each other!

Family pics

2011-12-01T11:19:00.005-05:00

We had family pictures taken a few weeks ago. The kids didn't cooperate oh so much, but we still got a few that I really liked. Here are a couple of them. Enjoy!

Thanksgiving

2011-12-01T11:06:00.003-05:00

I know I am one week overdue with a post. Sorry. I ended up getting strep too and was very sick. I decided that I really shouldn't run the 4 mile race (seeing that the previous 2 weeks were hit or miss with exercise due to everyone's sickness and I was sick myself). I also didn't go to the weigh in because of having to go to the doctor's for Kian and Mia. However, I am happy to say that we currently are sick free in our house! So, I really don't know if I've lost any weight. I don't think I've gained or lost really (which based on the holidays, I am ok with that). My goal is to lose another 7 by the time we leave for Chad's family on the 24th.
Thanksgiving break was great! Chad's mom came to visit for about 6 days and we all had a great time. I went shopping on Black Friday and got most of our Christmas shopping done. I put up the tree on Friday as well. We truly had a great break.
However, now on to "real" life again. I am in a Christmas concert called Festival of Lights. It's a huge production and has 6 performances. It's 1 week from today and rehearsals are CRAZY! Chad has tons of basketball this week, so we are quite busy right now!
I just took Kian to the doctor today to recheck his ears to see if his ear infection was cleared up. It was, but she still heard the heart murmor so she wants us to get an echocardiogram just to be safe. Tomorrow we go in to the hospital to have it done. Please pray for Kian. He has to be very still while he has it done. If you know Kian, he doesn't like to sit still all that often! Thanks!

Weigh-in

2011-11-18T13:14:00.002-05:00

Last night was my Weight Watchers meeting. I lost 1.8 lbs this last week. So I've lost almost 15 lbs. My goal is another 10 by Christmas. Sometimes it's a little frustrating seeing how far I still need to go, by my focus needs to be the journey and making the right choices a little at a time. It just comes off SO SLOWLY! I know, I know, celebrate the loss, right?!
It was been another week of sickness in our household. I took Kian and Mia to the doctor yesterday. Kian had had a fever for 4 days and Mia's pinkeye wasn't going away even on medication. Well, Kian has strep throat, and ear infection, and the nurse practitioner heard a heart murmur too. Mia still has the pinkeye and also has an upper respiratory infection. Both now are on antibiotics as well as Mia is on a dfferent eyedrop. Maybe by Thanksgiving we will all be healthy again! I am really praying that Chad doesn't get it. He is already so busy with basketball and teaching.
Chad and I have to make a decision soon if he is going to continue his masters at the speed he has or if he should slow it down. It needs to be made soon, as he would have 2 classes during basketball season. He only has 4 classes left (I think) and I just want it done with! However, there are lots to consider: finances, time (being the busiest time of the year for us), etc. Please pray we make the right decision!
Anyways, Tuesday is going to be my next weigh-in, so Wedsnesday I will update!

new day, new beginnings

2011-11-14T11:17:00.003-05:00

I am thankful for new days and new beginnings. I just read my last post and I am so thankful that emotions pass, but God's faithfulness endures. To give a quick update, I went to the dentist on Thursday and he found that my roots were very inflamed, but there was no infection. So no root canal. YAY! He determined that my pain was being caused because my bite was off because my new crown was too high. He tried to numb me twice, but it didn't take. Instead of shaving that tooth down (which would have been ridiculously painful), he shaved my bottom teeth. Now when I bite down, it's not the first tooth I feel. Who new something so trivial could cause so much pain? Anyways, he thinks the pain will subside over the next couple of weeks and he wants me on a strict ibuprofen schedule. It has been feeling SO much better since then. Thanks for praying!

Aiden is fully healed from strep and it seems like we may (knock on wood) be healthy again in our household. He has his first loose tooth. It will be interesting to see how he responds to pulling out his loose teeth. What are teeth going for from the tooth fairy now-a-days? :) It's kinda hard sometimes for me to see my kids continue to grow up. Aiden is getting so tall and he now wears size 7 and size 1 shoes. My mom was right, time goes by faster the older I get!

Mia is quite the mover, although her crawl is quite unorthodox. It's hilarious to watch, but it gets her where she wants to go. She still doesn't have any teeth, but has started eating a little of "real" food. She loves cheerios!

Kian's vocabulary continues to improve which tends to make him even funnier. He can be quite the stinker, but he is one funny boy.

I took most of last week off from exercising because of my tooth, so today was my first day back to the gym at 6 am. I have not been very motivated this last week. Exercising really does keep me more motivated for the rest of the day. Why does it seem to be so hard to lose weight, but so wasy to put it on! Discipline in all areas of life can be so difficult, but I know it is well worth it. Thursday is my next weight watchers meeting, and I promise to post my results from it on Friday. Here's to being disciplined!

One of those days

2011-11-09T14:38:00.003-05:00

Today has been...oh just one of those days. One of those days you hope quickly passes, one of those days you pray for extra patience, one of those days you just try and keep your head above water. My head is currently above it, but barely. Where do I start....hmmmm.

Well, it started with Mia getting up at 5:00 for the first time and then Kian coming in at 6:00 saying he was soaked because he had wet himself. Not the start I was hoping for!

Aiden yesterday was diagnosed with strep throat which meant he had to stay home from school today as well to get the antibiotic in him for 24 hours before exposing him to kids. You would of never known that he was sick yesterday or today. In fact, I almost cancelled his appointment yesterday because he seemed fine. The doctor took one look and knew he had it. He only once said his throat was sore and that was the day before. Anyways, he is on the mend and seriously stir crazy.

I have been really struggling with pain in my tooth that the dentist just put a crown on a month ago. It is hurting so badly, that my tongue can't even touch it and forget about chewing anything. I am so frustrated and worn out by this pain. I am on an antibiotic to see if it's an infection, but I finally called the dentist's office and asked to be seen as soon as possible. I have a great dentist, but I have horrible teeth. I have been taking 2 extra strength tylenol and 4 ibuprofen every 4 hours for the past 3 days (which if you know me, you know I do NOT like taking pills unless it's necessary). Today the meds haven't touched the pain. Tomorrow afternoon I am going to Goshen to go see him.

All that to say, we have run out of food and I needed to get groceries, so I decided (stupidly) to go grocery shopping with all 3 kids since I will be gone all day tomorrow. I dropped lunch off to Chad and off we were to Krogers. I had tried to organize myself with a list and had all of my coupons ready, but Krogers is in the process of a major renovation, so everything is not where it used to be. Mind you, Aiden and Kian are completely stir crazy and Mia is now hungry because this trip is taking so stinking long. Mia is screaming in the cart, Aiden and Kian keep touching each just to bother the other and I am painfully walking every aisle trying to find what I need. I had a bottle with me so I gave that to Mia as we walked along. We finally made it to the checkout with my ridiculously full cart and the cashier asks me for my Kroger card (which is attached to my keys). I look in the diaper bag and my keys are gone. I had given them to Mia to play with when she was fussy and Aiden told me she dropped them in one of the aisles. SERIOUSLY? Could this trip get much worse??!! There are now people in line behind me and all of my stuff is on the counter and I go to start to look for them. Thankfully I found them about a minute later in an extra pocket in the diaper bag. I go back to the checkout all the while Aiden and Kian are basically trying to tackle each other in the cart. "just get out of here, just get out of here" was my thought process. I was praying that God would give me a large amount of patience.

We left, had lunch and now the boys are having quiet time in my bedroom and Mia is taking a nap. I really shouldn't say "quiet" time with Kian, who I just told to stop jumping on the bed. Bedtime is going to be early tonight!

All that to say, it's been a rough day and I am holding back the tears as I write this. Please pray for me to have patience with our kids especially since I am in a lot of pain. Please also pray for my mouth, it's hard to focus on much else right now. I go to the dentist tomorrow at 1:45. I have a feeling I will be getting a root canal, but we'll see. Thanks friends!

and it begins!

2011-11-08T09:49:00.003-05:00

Basketball season has officially started. Yesterday was Chad's first practice. I think it went pretty well overall. Life now becomes crazy for our family! I love basketball season though. I love Chad's players and love going to the basketball games with our kids. This year may be pretty difficult for us though. 1. We have a third child 2. Aiden is now in kindergarten and shouldn't consistently be out late 3. Chad's practices are around 3 hours this year which means seeing him less. I really pray that God allows Chad to have a fantastic season. He loves coaching.

This past weekend my mom, sister, and I went to Chicago. As usual, we had a BLAST. I love spending time with these women! We laughed so much and it was so refreshing. While I was gone, Chad had the 3 kids and Aiden got sick and was sick the entire time I was gone. I am taking him to the doctor today, since this is day 5 of being sick. His fever broke last night and he hasn't vomitted in a few days, so I am hoping he is on the mend. He acts like he is at least and has started to eat again. I still kept him out of school though and am taking him to the doctor just in case.

I am still in the process of trying to lose weight. I am down 13 lbs, but have recently been discouraged at how long it has taken me to lose the weight. I lost the pregnancy weight much quicker with the boys, but I guess I am years older with Mia. I have been exercising about 6 days a week and am trying to stick with the weight watchers program. I would love to lose another 15 by Christmas. I signed up for a 4 mile race on Thanksgiving morning. I figured that it would give me more motivation to exercise if i was training for something. I will try and keep you updated on any progress! Have a great week!

trick or treat!

2011-11-01T14:47:00.002-04:00

What a fun night of trick or treating! Chad's dad and stepmom were here to visit and were able to come with us too, which was a special treat for the kids. I normally buy the kids costumes after halloween for the next halloween. Well, this year, Aiden was Ironman, Kian was Dash from the Incredibles and Mia was a ladybug. They had a blast going from house to house. Aiden is a pro while Kian is still learning the "proper" way to trick or treat. It was fun to see the joy on their faces. Mia did great too. Chad likes to say that this was Mia's first time "contributing" to our family, by getting us lots of candy! It was a GREAT night!

Baby laughter

2011-10-20T14:11:00.005-04:00

I thought, "who doesn't like a video of a baby laughing?" seriously, is there a greater sound? I took this today of Mia laughing and thought you may enjoy it! Also the pictures above are of Mia in her new hat. It's so cute, isn't it! Can't believe that I found it at Sears!

blessed

2011-10-07T13:28:00.001-04:00

There are days I find it very easy to get overwhelmed by circumstances and forget how blessed I am. Well, today was one of those days where I just sat back and realized how extremely blessed I am. I have a husband who works so hard so that I can stay home with our kids. I have three beautiful kids who I absolutely am nuts about. I have a great home and have wonderful friends and family. Lastly, I have a wonderful God who has for some reason allowed all of my dreams to come true! Seriously, it doesn't get any better than that!
Today I was in task mode. Chad thinks I am often in this mode, however, it's not too often about cleaning! Today I got so much done around the house. I cleaned windows, vaccuumed, cleaned the ceiling fan, swiffered the walls (they were SO dusty!), washed and put away 2 loads of laundry, cleaned the kitchen, washed and put away all of the dishes, and sorted through the kids clothes for clothes they have outgrown. I have too admit, I am kinda proud of myself. This afternoon, I am listening to Pandora. If you have never been on pandora.com, you are missing out. You can put any type of genre or artist in and pandora will make you an entire radio station of just those types of songs. Anyway, I am listening to Michael Buble Christmas music, so all of the crooners basically. I am in heaven. I know, I know... it's only October (which is why I NEVER listen to it with Chad). Anyways, I was singing some of the Christmas songs and Mia was playing in her exersaucer and this was the look she was giving me:

Apparently, she enjoyed the concert! Blessed, blessed, blessed!

September update

2011-09-27T09:55:00.000-04:00

Life officially changes in our household because Mia is now doing an army crawl. Looks like the legos need to stay in the boys room! She is an active little girl. She definitely likes to be where the action is! She still is such a sweetheart and very content overall except in the sleeping department. I don't know what is going on but she does NOT nap well. I put her down 3 times a day for a nap and maybe one of them is over an hour and a half. Not only that, she is waking up in the wee hours of the morning too! I am not getting her up, but she is awake none the less. Frustrating for this mom! She had her 6 month checkup and is doing great. She is big for her age, which is just like her older brothers!
Aiden is enjoying kindergarten. He comes home and tells me everyone who got into trouble and what was for lunch, however when I ask him what he learned, it's always, "I don't know." Typical boy! This week is apple week for his class. Tonight he and I are making sugar cookies that are shaped like apples and we are going to decorate them and bring them in for the class. He is super excited. He was asked to sleep over at a friend's house for the first time. We knew the family, so decided to let him go after talking to him about it. Well, Aiden called us and asked for us to pick him up. In his words, "I was just really freaked out and wanted to come home." Immediately after we said yes, I regretted the decision anyways. Chad and I have decided that our kids won't be going to sleepovers at least until like middle school. First of all, 5 is young anyways, but we just feel like it's better to sleep in our own home. Our kids are welcome to go over to homes on playdates (if we know the family well). I didn't think that we would have to talk about this so early!
Kian is doing great. Not much new in his department. He still continues to make us laugh daily. He still loves playing with cars. He pretty much does this most of the day. In fact everywhere we go, he brings 2-3 matchbox cars with him. He continues to not eat much. I wonder if he eats fine, but am basing how much he eats on how much Aiden eats, cause that kid can put it away!
Chad and I are doing great. We both are giving plasma twice a week. We are saving for Christmas with it and then are saving for our 10 year anniversary next summer. Our hope is to get away for a week together (which we haven't done since our honeymoon).
I enrolled in weight watchers 2 weeks ago and have lost 7 pounds since! My goal is 3 more this week to hit 10 pounds in 3 weeks. It's going pretty well! Chad also has lost about 10 pounds in 3 weeks. It feels so good to be healthier! God has given us some cool opportunities the last few weeks and its been neat seeing God work! We are thankful for His love and provision in our lives!

6 months old already????

2011-09-13T09:00:00.000-04:00

On September 9th, my sweet girl turned 6 months old! Last night we went to the park, so I figured it might be a good time to take her picture. Mia had other ideas. She was way too interested in everything else that was going on!

We are so thankful for this little girl! I praise God for blessing us with her. It's hard to tell what her personality is going to be, but right now, she is very observant, happy, and easy going. She is super close to crawling. She gets up on all fours and rocks and ends up scooting backwards. She loves her cereal and is starting to eat green beans and carrots too.

Here are a couple of pictures from last night:

Daddy and Mia watching her brothers on the playground. She likes being held so she can see everything or she twists her body like this to make it happen.

Daddy was throwing her up in the air to get her to smile.

"Look Mom, I'm on all 4's!" . I have a feeling once she starts really moving, she's not going to stop!

She kept turning around trying to watch everything that was going on...who cares about the camera!

Happy 6 months Mia! We love you so very much!

summer and school

2011-08-26T16:38:00.001-04:00

I know it has been ridiculously too long since my last post, but we've sorta been busy. Summer went great. Chad got A's on all of his grad school classes and we had a great time visiting family. We spent a week with Chad's family and had a blast. We all went to a waterpark in Rochester called Seabreeze. Oh my goodness, the boys had SO much fun. Kian was tall enough to go down the body slides with one of us and wow, we must have gone down about 15 times. He loved it. I asked Aiden what his favorite thing of the whole summer was and his reply was, "Seabreeze". Kian said, " I liked the beach and the water." My boys love being in the water!

After visiting the east coast, we spent 4 days at home and then went to Goshen to visit all of my family. It was a little crazy with 7 little kids in my parents' house, but we had a great time. Aiden and Kian LOVE their cousins and can't WAIT to see them again. We all spent 3 days and 2 nights in Chicago, where Chad and I took the kids to Navy Pier. It was quite interesting taking a double stroller on public transit. Let's just say, I probably won't ever do that again. We went to the children's museum there and it was great. I wish we could spend more time with my family...we have such a good time together!

After we returned we had a week until school started. Crazy that my Aiden is in kindergarten and is gone ALL DAY! How did this happen??? He was very excited to start school and was even more pumped that I let him get a superhero backpack. :) After 3 days however, he was all ready saying how he wished he was still in pre-k. I think it's kind of a hard adjustment to be gone all day long now! He is doing great though. Chad has an even crazier schedule than last year, which if you knew what his schedule was last year, that's sayin' something. On Tuesdays he teaches 10 classes with only a 30 minute lunch break! He has a new appreciation for weekends! We are thankful though, for a great job at a great school.

Kian is I think enjoying having it a little quieter at home during the day. I try and make sure to get more cuddling time with him in the morning. I love that he still wants to cuddle. This past week we were a little concerned with how much he was going to the bathroom. Like, I mean, 15 times a day seems a little much and he was having accidents too (which he hasn't for months). We took him to the doctor and he doesn't have a UTI which is good, but if it continues for another week, the doctor want to draw blood to rule out diabetes. We are praying this doesn't happen, but we just have to wait and see. He has done better the last couple of days , but he still goes 10-15 times a day. I'm hoping his bladder is just stretching etc.

Mia is doing great. Weird that in a couple of weeks she will be half a year old! She is a delight! She is rolling and starting to scoot. She LOVES her brothers and is so content! One battle we are having right now is trying to figure out what to do about her pacifier. She loves it and sleeps with it. However, she wakes up and wants it in, so she is up a couple of times a night! All I have to do is put it back in and she falls right back asleep, but I hate having to get up! We aren't sure what to do... just wait til she outgrows this, or stop letting her have the pacifier and have several rough nights and days.

I am doing well. The weight loss is still a struggle. I am trying really hard, but don't see much progress. I have been getting up several days a week at 6 to run with a friend and then try on the other days to exercise too. Chad has told me to just stop weighing myself for a while and just be disciplined, so that is what I am doing. This is my first season for not coaching, but we have been so busy I have hardly noticed. I do miss the girls though! However, I know that this is where God has us right now.

Here are several pictures from our summer and school year.

My sister Shannon and her daughter Evie. Evie has one of the most beautiful smiles...she is a pill though!

The boys at the waterworks exhibit at the children's museum.

Kian and Evie hugging. They are buds.

All of the cousins (minus Mia who was sleeping in the stroller) waiting to get on the subway into downtown Chicago

Mia yesterday

Love her to death!

Mia started by her toy and then rolled under the bunk bed.

Aiden on his first day on kindergarten! We are so thankful he can go to a great Christian school where his teachers love God!

Happy Monday!

2011-06-27T09:09:00.001-04:00

The boys have had a great time using our slip and slide. Also a couple of new pics of Mia. Isn't she getting big? I can't believe how fast time goes!

Well, I didn't reach my 4 pound goal for the week. I did lose 2.5 pounds though. I exercised great, but only ate so-so. By Saturday I would like to try and lose 2 lbs. That's my new goal for this week!

grad school

2011-06-25T10:10:00.001-04:00

Chad is ALMOST finished with his class. He has one paper to go and he is DONE!! I am so proud of the work he has put in! His paper is due Wednesday, but he and I are going to Cedar Point for our anniversary on Tuesday and Wednesday. He wants to get it finished before then. I am SO excited to get away with Chad for a couple of days. We both LOVE roller coasters.

I went to the dentist for the first time in 2 years this week. Chad did too. He, however, has great teeth (no cavities, strong enamel). I think I got my dad's teeth. I need a crown (maybe 2) and have 3 cavities that need to be filled. It's so discouraging. The dentist told me that my teeth are very worn for how old I am. Now we have to come up with $1,000 (most likely) to pay for it all. I was telling Chad this week about how God has always provided for us. I guess this is just another time for us to trust him!

It's been a challenging month for us. However, I think God is teaching both of us so much through it. Chad did not get the AD job. God has really encouraged him through various people though. He has been such a trooper this month. I am so blessed to have him as my husband. I have grown to appreciate him even more through all of this.

Huge praise... Chad months ago told me that he was praying that God would supply a minivan for us to take to BBC. I told him that I didn't think it would even be a possibility and that my faith wasn't that strong. Well, 2 days a friend of ours called Chad and told him that there was no way our 5 could fit in our Malibu with also our luggage and he wants us to use their minivan for our entire time away. Talk about amazing! Yet another time that God has provided!!

I have done very well exercising this week. My friend Lisa and I have been getting up every morning to exercise. My eating has been decent, but there is still room for improvement. I stepped on the scale this morning and I had lost about 3 pounds for the week! My official weigh in is Monday, so it would be great if I don't gain any of that back!

week 1

2011-06-20T09:25:00.000-04:00

Today I had my first official weigh-in since going cyber. I lost 3 pounds! I tried to be conscious of my portions and I tried to stay away from sugar. I still ate sugar twice though. I didn't exercise as much as I wanted (only 3 times), but I was at my parents without Chad for most of the week. I am excited about the loss though! My goal for this next week is 4 pounds. I know it seems like a lot, but I KNOW I can do it! For those wondering, this is not going to become an obsession with me and I am not going to go too extreme. I just want to lose it the healthy way and become disciplined. It is amazing how much better I feel about myself just knowing that I am starting to make better choices. This morning I ran/walked with a friend for 3.5 miles. We hope to continue that. Our goal is to run 4 miles and be able to talk at the same time. I told her it would be about 6 months before I could do that! This morning we walked 2 1/2 min. and ran 1 1/2 min. I figured we can start it slowly and build up. Here's to another good week!
Chad took Aiden golfing yesterday and Aiden did great! He actually scored his first legit par ever! It was a par 3 over water and Aiden hit his 2nd shot on and then sunk a 20 foot putt for par! Aiden and Chad were so excited! I find it a little sad that my 5 year old is better than golf than me!

weight loss

2011-06-15T10:31:00.000-04:00

It has been so hard for me to lose my pregnancy weight! This baby weight has been by far the hardest. I think I need more accountability so I am reaching out to cyberworld. Every Monday I am going to post my goal weight to lose and hopefully by the end of the summer I will be close to where I want to be. This past Monday I made my goal a 3 pound loss for the week. I also not eating sugar, so I will also post how I am doing on that. Lastly, I will post how I am doing exercising. This whole thing is very daunting to me, but I KNOW I can do it! My overall goal is 40 by 32. I want to lose 40 pounds by the time I turn 32 (Oct.3). Here's to a good week!

new pics

2011-06-05T20:37:00.001-04:00

Thought you might enjoy some updated pics of the kids. This one was actually taken a couple of weeks ago. If Mia was smiling it would be perfect!

Taken today...my blue eyed girl!

you can see some of her curls in these 2 pics. I LOVE her curls.

Hanging with Mommy in dunkin donuts while daddy gave plasma.

grad school

2011-06-02T13:55:00.000-04:00

I know I am not blogging on a consistent basis, but we don't have the internet right now which means I have to go to a Wifi spot to use the internet not easy with 3 kids). Chad is in the midst of his first online course of the summer. Please pray for him! He is swamped with deadlines. It is hard for him right now, considering that our school year is not done yet. His first paper is due tomorrow by midnight. Let's just say he's not getting a whole lot of sleep this week (he came home at 3:00am this morning from working at school). Chad also has applied for the AD position at Lakewood. He had his first interview on Tuesday. He said it went well, so now we wait to see if he is going to the next step (which is another interview).
Sorry I haven't posted any pics of the kids. They are doing great. Mia is wonderful. She has started to laugh, it's SO cute. I found her ticklish spot. She is sleeping wonderfully. Her hair is starting to grow out and its quite curly. I LOVE it. Red little curls, could that be much cuter? Aiden is kinda sick right now, but otherwise he is good. His last day of school was last week, so now's he's home all day too. It's hard to believe that he will be in kindergarten all day next year!
Kian is FINALLY potty trained! Need I say how happy this makes me!!?? He is doing great! We are all looking forward to summer officially starting!

Crazy May

2011-05-19T12:31:00.000-04:00

I know right, 2 posts in one day??!! This is probably the craziest month we have had on our household. Chad started an online course this month that requires a TON of work and our internet is not working, so he has to go to school to work on it. He is busy quite a bit right now. He is also in charge of elementary field day this next Tuesday. It is a great day for the kids, but it takes a lot of work! He is playing in a basketball league on Thursday nights as well. He is giving plasma twice a week in Fort Wayne for a little extra money too! I know that this craziness isn't forever, so I just figure we need to just get through it right now!
Aiden is almost done with his first year of school. He has had a great time in school and has really flourished. He loves his friends and his teacher. He is already talking about going to school all day next year and is looking forward to eating lunch at school!
Kian and Mia are wonderful. Mia is smiling and cooing and is so much fun! She just had her 2 month checkup and she is 12 lbs, 1 oz (75%) and 24 in (92%). She is tall! We LOVE having her apart of our family!

Happy birthday Kian!

2011-05-19T12:10:00.001-04:00

I know this is super late, but better late than never! Kian turned 3 on May 6th. What joy this littel boy has brought to our family! I am so humbled that God allowed us to be his parents!

Kian is finally starting to potty train. If you know Kian, he is a strong willed little stinker. I wasn't sure if he would be potty trained by the time he went to school! He also loves playing with his big brother and toys. He is great at imagining and his favorite thing to eat is mac and cheese. My prayer is that this little man uses his leadership to lead people towards Christ. We love you Kian!

update

2011-04-25T10:20:00.001-04:00

My cousin Jessica came over to our house a couple of weeks ago and took our family pictures. We LOVE them. I only posted 3, but Jess really captured our kids personalities!

We have had a busy house the last few weeks. For the past 3 extended weekends, we have had out of town family visiting. We love having family visit, but at the same time, it is also nice to get back to our routine and get our house back. This past Easter weekend, our family went to the Fort Wayne zoo and then went to the playground. We are so thankful that after a very rainy week, the weather was perfect! We had a great time and Mia was perfect all day long!

Mia seems to be doing well. She has started sleeping up to 8 hours a night! This makes me VERY happy! She is cooing and smiling every day and she's just a sweetie. She physically is growing and her acid reflux is doing well.

Aiden and Kian are both doing great. Aiden is reading and writing and loving it. School is getting closer to being finished for the year, which ALL of us are looking forward to. Kian is going to be 3 in less than 2 weeks! Where has the time gone? He still refuses to potty train, but hopefully soon he will want to.

Chad is going to continue his graduate studies this summer. He is taking 2 courses online and he is taking 2 classes at BBC.

I am doing well. SO happy to not be pregnant anymore! One big change for me is that I will not be coaching volleyball anymore at Lakewood. We are just too busy and I need to focus my time on my family right now, especially with having Mia and Chad doing grad school. I have LOVED coaching though and I will miss my girls!

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter focusing on our Risen Savior!

dr's appt.

2011-04-02T14:26:00.000-04:00

Mia had her appointment with her pediatrician yesterday. She has grown to 10 lbs, 5oz which is great. The doctor wants her to have an EEG to rule out any possible issues with her brain. It will be this Thursday at a hospital in Fort Wayne. Hopefully this will be the last test given to her and the results will come back negative for anything abnormal. Meanwhile the boys have been great. They actually are playing better together than they ever have. I started praying about a month ago that the boys would start to get along better and play well together. It's amazing to me how God has answered! It makes me think about how many other things do I not take the time to pray about that God is just waiting for me to come to Him about! He delights in answering His children's prayers. Why do I think some things are not important enough to God to pray about? I am thankful I have a God who cares about EVERY part about me!!

update on Mia

2011-03-31T12:10:00.000-04:00

It has become harder and harder to blog because the time in each day seems shorter and shorter! Anyways, We have had a difficult week with Mia so I thought I should update on how she is doing.

On Monday night, Mia was sleeping in her swing and I went to wake her up to feed her. I put her on our ottoman to change her diaper. Immediately after putting her head down, she started to vomit. Chad quickly picked her up and I patted her back. I then noticed she wasn't breathing, her eyes had rolled back, her body was shaking, and her mouth was locked shut. I told Chad that I thought she was having a seizure. It seemed to last a long time, but in reality it was probably around 10 seconds. We woke up the boys and immediately went to the ER. Mia had a CAT scan, several x-rays and lots of bloodwork. Everything came back negative except for the bloodwork which seems to confirm a seizure occurred. It was cool how God made us calm and at peace.

The Dr. admitted Mia into the hospital Monday night for observation. She seemed to be doing much better Monday night. Mia has had problems with spitting up excessively and although she was continuing to spit up, her breathing was much better (it was labored after the seizure). Her pediatrician was scheduled to come see her Wednesday morning, but became sick herself, so Mia saw a new doctor. He believes that Mia has severe acid reflux and basically that the seizure was the way her body responded when she was choking. It's kinda hard to explain. He thinks she will outgrow it. He put her on Zantac and hopefully it will help the excess acid that is in her stomach. She came home Tuesday afternoon from the hospital. She has been on Zantac now for 3 days and although she continues to spit up, its not nearly as much. She also isn't screaming as much as she was. It has been very difficult for me to hear her scream and cry. When she gets like that, she is inconsolable. Knowing she is in pain and not being able to help in anyway, makes for a very emotional mama! She had hours where she would just scream, but it seems to be much less now. We are praying that this is the answer and that she does not have another seizure. We go tomorrow to her pedicatrician to evaluate if the Zantac is working and discuss having further tests such as a MRI etc to see if the seizure was caused by something else.

It's hard to believe that Mia is already over 3 weeks old! Where has the time gone?! She was measured in the hospital and she has already grown 3 inches! She is our little doll and overall has been a great baby. She sleeps great and our transition from 2 to 3 kids has been easier for us than 1 to 2 kids. With that said, it is crazy busy and I, by the end of the day, am exhausted. I am so thankful for my 3 kids. Each one is so different, but just as awesome!

One more thing, I am so thankful for the body of Christ and how supportive they have been for us. Whether it was praying, writing us a note of encouragement, visiting us in the hospital, bringing us food, or watching the boys, it was AWESOME and we are so extremely thankful for you!

mia grace hibbard

2011-03-12T13:14:00.001-05:00

Mia decided to grace us with her presence on Wednesday, March 9th at 11:27 am. We feel overwhelmingly blessed to have her apart of our family!

Our first family picture.

Our THREE kids!

Mia at home. She is a doll and we love her to pieces. However, a little more sleep would be appreciated!

could this finally be the day?

2011-03-07T04:56:00.000-05:00

It is just about 5 am and I have been up all of the night. I know that my body needs sleep, but excitement, nausea, and nerves have taken over. We are to be at the hospital at 6am to begin the induction. I am so excited at the thought of meeting my daughter, am nauseous because that's what I've been this pregnancy, and nervous that my body won't progress and the doctor will send me home. I have been praying alot tonight and know God is in control. However, I find it easier to believe that in my head than in my heart.
Last night was a rough night saying goodbye to the boys. My parents are watching them while we are in the hospital. Aiden was so emotional. He just sobbed with big alligator tears. I think he finally understands and knows that I will be in the hospital. I tried to remind him that he will have so much fun at his papa and nana's and that mommy will be out of the hospital soon and he will have a new sister. I asked him to help take care of Kian and that I loved him so much. Chad continued to remind me that it was a good thing to see Aiden cry. It means he will miss us and shows how much he loves us even though he doesn't show it all the time. I am also nervous for the transition for Kian. He's not used to not being the youngest. He still loves to cuddle and snuggle on the couch and I guess I am nervous he will feel left out or unimportant.
However, I am STOKED to meet Mia. I just can't wait to have her apart of our family. Please pray that everything goes well!

induction

2011-03-05T11:41:00.000-05:00

I finally see light at the end of the tunnel! The doctor has decided to let me be induced this Monday!!!! I am so excited to meet Mia. Please pray that the pitocin "takes" and I progress, or else he will send us home to try another day. I currently am 2 cm dilated and 50% effaced. He is hoping I go before that, but I am not optomistic. :) Please pray for a healthy baby girl!

Mia's Room

2011-02-14T09:09:00.000-05:00

I know I have been a terrible blogger as of late! Things have been going pretty well lately. Christmas was awesome and I should probably post pictures of that too. We are counting down the days until we get to meet baby Mia. We are so excited to have this little girl. Already she is such a blessing to us! Yesterday my mom and I finished her room. Here are some of the pictures.

Her crib. Mom sewed the whole bumper with 2 different fabrics. I love the little green polka dot tassles!

A good look at the valance. Mom made this also and also sewed some green ribbon to add something more to the fabric.

The other wall is like celery green.

Here is our huge light fixture. Chad describes it as "a snowflake collided with a disco ball." I love it. We got it from Ikea and it leaves little flower imprints on the wall when the light is on.

Mom made this art by stretching some fabric on a canvas.

A closeup of the crib

We are all so ready to meet Mia. Just a couple of weeks hopefully!

Christmas is here... almost!

2010-12-08T16:33:00.000-05:00

I love this time of year! We recently tried to take some pictures with the boys...not the easiest thing to get 2 boys looking and smiling at the camera at the same time! Here are a couple of the ones we took.

I had to edit Kian out because he wanted nothing to do with the camera.

LOVE this picture!

Merry Christmas!!

Salvation

2010-11-24T12:57:00.000-05:00

Today (and everyday), I am so thankful for my salvation. I am in awe of the number of times God remains faithful and continues to love me, even though I continually fail Him.

Chad

2010-11-23T10:16:00.000-05:00

Today, I am extremely thankful for Chad. 8 and 1/2 years ago we married and I guess I never knew how my life would change. Not only is he a wonderful father, he is the best husband I could ever ask for. Honestly, God has blessed me beyond words for giving me this gift. I love the fact that we have so much in common with each other and actually like doing the same things. It is interesting though how certain likes change based on who you marry. For example, I never watched golf before we got married, now I actually ENJOY watching it (well, I enjoy watching Phil Mickelson). I also now cheer for the Celtics (not as much as the Bulls), Giants (not as much as the Bears), and UNC mens basketball. I am so thankful I have a husband I thoroughly enjoy being with. He is a godly, loyal, trusting man and I love him so much!

Kian

2010-11-22T08:18:00.000-05:00

Today I am thankful for Kian. He makes us laugh everyday with his larger than life personality. He is very different than his brother, but I love that about him! He is not intimidated by anyone and isn't afraid to go up to anyone. He is extremely tunnel visioned. He also is our snuggler. Kian often is more content to play by himself than Aiden and loves running around and having fun. He adores his big brother, but at the same time is mischevious and loves to push Aiden's buttons. I love cuddling and singing with this little boy. He loves his family, but is a bit more of a momma's boy than Aiden. Chad and I often laugh at how often he ends up falling on the floor, but he doesn't cry and he picks himself right up. He has a few favorite phrases that he loves to use: 1. "Dat's what I'm talkin' about." (so cute with his little lisp) 2. "Why, mom?" (He's probably said this hundreds if not thousands of times).

A few of his favorite things:
1. His blanket. Not just his blanket, Kian is obsessed with tags, such as the tag on his blanket. He will say, "where's my tag" when going to bed and will hold his blanket by the tag as he falls asleep. He also hold the tags on the inside of his pants and sides of his shirt. I don't know why, that's just Kian.
2. Trains, cars, and trucks...typical boy stuff
3. French fries, however, he doesn't like other potato items.
4. Pasta... I think he's part Italian.
5. Taking showers. I think he would prefer to take a shower with me over taking a bath. He loves to stomp in the water.
6. His family. This was already stated but Kian loves being with his family.
7. Kian asks to go to the mall. I love it! Of course, he really wants the playland which is in the center of the mall, but still, I'll take it!

I am so thankful for this little boy. I love both of my boys to death. Here are a few pictures of Kian since birth.

6 months old.
8 months old

1 year. His personality really started to come out when he turned 1.

18 months or so.

2 years old!

2 and a 1/2

a couple of days ago. Once again, time flies!

Aiden

2010-11-21T14:51:00.000-05:00

Everyday this week I want to blog about someone I am thankful for. Today, it's Aiden. It's hard for me to believe that he is almost 5 years old! I am so thankful for this little boy. He has grown so much this year. He is polite, obedient, structured, and active. I could not ask for a better big brother. I'm not nearly as nervous to have another baby because I know he will be such a helper and will love this little girl with all his heart. He is close to reading and enjoys writing letter and numbers. He loves his family and is a bit of a daddy's boy.

A few of his favorite things:
1. He loves doing anything active. He loves punting the soccer ball, tackling with his brother and dad, riding his bike, and running. He actually golfs with Chad now too. Chad takes him to the golf course and he actually has had par putts on par 3's! It's kinda weird to think that my 4 year old is better than me at golf!
2. He loves playing games. His current favorite in Uno and Memory, but we got him the Game of Life for Christmas and I know he will love it. I think he would be obsessed with video games if we had an x-box or anything, so at this time, we don't have any of that.
3.He LOVES pasta. I think he would eat it for every meal if we let him.
4. He loves his teacher, Mrs. Rose and I think would run into the wall if she asked him to.
5. He loves singing.
6. He loves being with people.

He is such a joy to our family! Here are a few photos of him through the last 4 years:

This was a couple of days ago in our backyard.
Aiden was 3 1/2 here. I love his natural smile!

Just turned 3.

I think he is about a year and a half here. I loved those curls! He still has curly hair, but it's so thick now!

7-8 months old.

A week old

Time flies!

sickness

2010-11-15T12:49:00.000-05:00

When any of you were pregnant did you struggle with being sick? It seems as though I catch everything right now! I was not like that when I was pregnant with the boys. I have had a lingering cough for 5 weeks now! That has been a source of frustration as of late. Other than that, the pregnancy has been pretty typical to my other ones. She doesn't seem to move around near as much as her brothers did. I had an ultrasound about a week and a half ago and she is already 1 1/2 pounds! I have been asked already if it's about time for me to deliver. Not so much fun when I am only starting my 25th week! YIKES! I am trying not to worry about that. I get pretty big with my babies. Most people just think that if there's a pregnany lady around, they can say whatever they want and it won't affect me. I do think I've heard it all. I'm just trying to focus on the fact that Lord willing, there will be a healthy baby girl at the end to make it all worth it! We are trying to think of names for the baby. Right now our frontrunner is Eden and we'd probably call her Edie (or Edy). The only issue is it sounds a lot like Aiden. With Chad being a teacher he has some sort of association with lots of names. I may like a name, but if he has a bad student with that name, it's out.
Basketball has starting and Chad is enjoying coaching again. He looks to have a pretty skilled team this year and is very excited about the season. Aiden and Kian are doing great. Last week was quite rough in terms of behavior. We are really trying to crack down on discipline and be super consistent. As my mom says, "Deal with it now, before they become teenagers." When one child is struggling, it's one thing. When both are consistently struggling, it's a whole different thing! I was praying for a lot of patience last week! I can't wait to see how a little girl will change the dynamics of our family. Aiden especially is sooooo excited for this baby to come! He will be a great big brother. Kian is warming up to the idea too. He kisses my belly to kiss the baby, but still seems pretty clueless as to what's going on. I'm super excited needless to say!

chicago trip

2010-11-12T13:13:00.000-05:00

Once a year, my sister is able to come to Indiana for a few days (thanks Russ!). We try to go to Chicago for the weekend just the 3 of us. We had a great time! It's been forever it seems since we have gotten together and we generally laugh quite a bit when we are around each other. The picture above is Shannon and my mom (and I) in Panera right before going to Nordstrom's Rack. We spent Saturday going to the Schaumburg mall, Ikea, eating at Cheesecake factory, and watching a movie back in our hotel room. Sunday was spent in downtown, walking from store to store. I am so thankful for the time we were able to spend together and I am thankful for our husbands for allowing it to happen!

trick or treat!

2010-11-03T08:35:00.001-04:00

What a great night trick or treating was for our family! In Auburn, all of the stores in the downtown open up an hour or so earlier than trick or treating hours and the kids go from store to store getting candy. It was PACKED! Chad's mom had the opportunity to be with us. It was great weather and boys boys were stoked to get candy! Aiden was a Star Wars character and Kian was Captain Hook. Kian most of the night kept all of us laughing by the looks and one liners to said. He is hysterical. Aiden never stopped going. We probably walked over 4 miles and Aiden was ahead of us most of the time. He loved going up to houses and saying "trick or treat". Aiden also loved looking and commenting on everyone else's costumes. Kian ran up to each house too, but in the meantime, was in the stroller or on dad's shoulder. It was such a fun night!

One of Kian's looks. He LOVED the mini sword we got him and he tried to stab everything with it.
One of the boys favorite things to do: sword fighting. I'm still waiting for that trip to the ER.

Aiden's outfit. Such a good boy!

Our little Captain Hook. His costume was a hit with many of our neighbors.

This is what we had to stop Kian from doing most of the night. Stabbing cars, hitting houses, etc.

Aiden getting candy from one of the stores in town.

So funny.

About 2 weeks before Halloween, we decided to try our hand at carving pumpkins with the kids. Chad had actually never carved a pumpkin before. It was a messy, but fun process! The boys enjoyed pulling out the nasty inside of the pumpkin. Kian enjoyed it I think a little more than Aiden (Aid generally doesn't like to get all dirty). I guess I never realized that carving a pumpkin is hard work!! I also didn't realize that the pumpkins wouldn't last more than a week. By the next week our beautiful pumpkins were rotten and moldy! Oh well, it was a learning experience.

The end result! Happy trick or treating! (our other pumpkin was a cat, but I forgot to take a picture of that one!)

tender hearted

2010-10-22T13:53:00.000-04:00

Like I've written before, Aiden just loves school. Normally when I pick him up, he runs to me with a big smile on his face and gives me a hug. Today I knew something was wrong when he walked quietly with his head down. I talked to him asking him what was wrong. His teacher, Mrs Rose, saw us and motioned for us to come over. During school, one of Aiden's classmates celebrated her birthday by bringing in M&M's for the class. Mrs Rose told everyone to not open their packet until they were out in the playground. Well, Aiden didn't obey and opened it early. Mrs. Rose talked to him and his response was " I just really like candy." He felt bad and said he was sorry, but then was sad the rest of class. Mrs Rose told me that Aiden has such a tender heart that it was hard for him to get past it. Aiden and I then talked about it at the car and he just BURST into tears. I held him for a little while and as he sobbed he told me he felt so bad for disobeying Mrs Rose. His brokeness almost had me close to tears. I told him that he did make a bad decision and he shouldn't have disobeyed, but that it did not change the love that daddy and I have for him, or the love that Mrs Rose has for him. I asked him if he thought that God would forgive him for it. Aiden said yes. The next hardest thing he had to do though was tell his daddy what he did. Once again, he sobbed as he told Chad he disobeyed.
As much as I hate it when Aiden sins, I love that God has given this little boy such a tender heart. He is such a delight to Chad and I. Kian was next to Aiden in the car as he was crying. Kian asked Aiden what was wrong and then said he wanted to give Aiden a hug. Once again, I about cried as I watched my oldest crying in the arms of his 2 year old little brother. It was a sweet, sweet picture. Man do I love these 2 boys!
On a different note, Kian has been so funny recently with some of the comments he has said. A couple of days ago, as I was putting on my makeup, Kian wanted to know what I was doing, I told him. His reply was, "that's what I'm talkin' bout mommy." I started laughing. Later that day, Aiden was in a bad mood in the car and Kian looked at him and said, "what's wrong Aiden? Aiden, what's wrong? Talk to me Aiden! Talk to me! What wrong?" It was so precious!
Last night was our first sectional game for volleyball. We won in 5 games against Bethany. We play tomorrow Blackhawk and then ECA for the championship. Little nervous!
I have been pretty sick this week. I went to OB this morning and he gave me an antibiotic for my cough. The baby's heartbeat is great and I scheduled my ultrasound for 2 weeks from today! Please pray that I could sleep these next couple of days, I have hardly slept the last 4 nights due to the cold (and probably sectionals).

update

2010-10-13T09:30:00.000-04:00

Not a whole lot to say right now! Our volleyball season is about over. We start sectionals next week. We drew Bethany for our first round of sectionals. If we win that game, we will play Blackhawk and if we win that one, we will most likely face Elkhart for the sectional championship. We definitely have to play the 3 hardest teams in order to win, but to be perfectly honest, I love our draw! I want to beat the best to show we are the best. We have already played all three of these teams in the regular season and won, but as we know, sectional play is totally different! Elkhart has won the last 3 years, and anyone beating them would be an upset. I am excited for this next week! Our team has done a great job this year. We currently 25-3, which is the best record the school has ever had for volleyball. Tomorrow night is senior night. Our sectional game is next Thursday at 6 at Canterbury in Fort Wayne. Anyone is welcome to come!

Baby girl seems to be doing well! I am feeling decently well and go to the doctor in another week. Then I will schedule my official ultrasound to make sure the baby is growing well etc. I am looking forward to having a little more time to exercise. I basically haven't in weeks with volleyball etc.

The boys are doing pretty well. Both have colds, but are functioning fine with them. Kian for the last couple weeks has not been sleeping well and has been getting up several times a night. We have been having the boys share a room for the past week and now I am questioning that decision. Although, I put Kian in his own room for a couple of nights and he still slept poorly. He is going to bed fine, but is waking up wide awake in the middle of the night and not wanting to go back to sleep. That in return effects the way he behaves during the day. I am praying that maybe he is just going through a growth spurt or something. Aiden is writing his name and numbers and is loving school still. He is starting to really enjoy us reading to him as well and he pays attention too. I had the boys pictures taken at picture people. A couple turned out really well, as it's difficult to get them to smile at the same time!

Chad is busy as usual and is looking forward to the start of basketball. He has been getting up at 5:30 3 days a week for the last couple of months to help the basketball boys lift weights and shoot. I am so thankful for a hard working husband! He is such a huge help and blessing!

ultrasound

2010-10-05T13:02:00.000-04:00

October 2nd, we were unexpectedly able to get an ultrasound. With both Aiden and Kian, we were surprised by their gender. This time we decided to find out. I was a little nervous as the tech started the ultrasound. I was shocked to hear her say, "you are having a little girl!". I started to cry, not because I was I didn't want a boy. I was just so excited to be having a little girl! We feel so blessed that God is entrusting another little life to us and we can't wait to meet her! On the way home, Chad asked me if I wanted her to have red, curly hair. I told him that I really don't care. That's true, but I sorta would like the baby to have curly hair. :) As I walked through the baby girl section in babier r us, I felt like I was in a dream, but it was fun none the less! Chad and I have a few names that we are throwing back and forth, but feel free to leave your imput!

jogathon

2010-09-26T21:46:00.000-04:00

This past Friday, Aiden participated in his very first jogathon for Lakewood. All of the students try to raise money for the school and jog 20-30 min. There are lots of fun incentives for the kids to raise money and Aiden had a BLAST! The pre-k class ran 20 minutes. Aiden almost ran the entire time. I was SHOCKED. I could not believe how well he did. He ran 17 laps which was the equivilent to a little over 2 miles. Chad ran with him the entire time as well and we were just so proud of him! He was so excited. I was actually asking him to walk because I thought he was overdoing it, but he thought the whole purpose was to run, so well...he ran! After the running, the kids ate lunch with all parents and then there was a carnival in the gym. Aiden and Kian played lots of games, jumped in inflatables, and got their face painted. Aiden when we were on the way home, asked me how many days until the next jogathon, I told him, "um, 365". It was a great day.

Aiden's class ready to run!
Aiden and Chad running

Aiden running!

Right after the race, Aiden was so proud of himself! His face was so red and also very sweaty!

Aiden after gettin his face painted. Aiden chose to get a basketball. Kian on the otherhand wanted a green heart. I don't know why, he just did.

Kian sat there so well as she painted his face. By the way, his favorite color is green, but as for the heart... that's another story. He is so independent! It looked cute though!

the final product!

Update

2010-09-13T08:47:00.000-04:00

Another busy week down! My volleyball team has been having a great season so far. We are 15-1. We had a tournament this past Saturday and we won for the first time in school history. This is the third tournament that we have won this year! It's been an interesting season too. As you can imagine, having 18 very different teenage girls on the team bring lots of personality for sure! God is definitely teaching me alot through coaching them! We lost our first game this last Thursday to Bellmont High School. They are a 3A school that won the state championship 2 years ago. They were one of the best high school teams I have ever seen.
I am over 15 weeks pregnant now too! I was hoping to be over my nausea by this point, but apparently this baby had other thoughts. It hasn't been all day however, which helps. I am definitely showing already. Yikes! I guess that's normal, especially with baby #3. Aiden said at dinner yesterday, "Maybe the next baby...". Woah! I had to stop him right there. I told him that this will be the last baby for mommy and daddy unless God intervenes. He would love 5 more siblings if it were up to him! He and Kian are starting to argue more. It is over such stupid stuff too...like they were arguing in the car this morning over who saw the tractor in the field first. Really? I suppose I did that too when I was that age. Aiden is LOVING school. He is starting to write his numbers and some letters. He is really enjoying it all. Kian is...well, Kian! We laugh at his mischevious and adventurous spirit. Yesterday he tried to take one of Aiden's toys and it didn't work. I watched as he looked at one of his shoes on the floor, then looked at Aiden's head. I could see the wheels in his little brain turning. Kian picked up his shoe and threw it at Aiden, hitting him in the head, all the while with a smile on his face. I couldn't help but smile a little bit (Aiden was fine by the way). That's just Kian. He needs very consistent discipline, but he is such a fun kid! Here are a couple of recent pics.

Chad took this one yesterday. Not the greatest of me, but I love snuggling with my boys!

Yesterday for some reason, I felt like dressing the boys the same for church. They looked so cute I had to take a couple pictures.

Weird to think this is how old Aiden was when Kian was born!

Such a good boy! He told me this morning that he was not going to be mean to Kian again...that lasted about 15 min, but he generally is so kind hearted! When he woke up this morning, he told me, "mom, you're the best. God, You're the best. And daddy, he's the best and Kian's the best too." Thinking a little more, he said, "I'm also the best." So cute.

Well, we tried to get a good picture!

Kian was watching "Little Einsteins" on the computer. He was just sitting contently with his hands folded. I'm pretty sure he has my legs too. Look at those calves! :)

Mark Schultz

2010-09-02T12:50:00.000-04:00

There are a couple of Christian artists that I really enjoy. Not necessarily, their voices, but the words of the songs they sing and write are so rich with wisdom and truth. One of those artists for me is Mark Schultz. To me, he doesn't have the greatest voice, but his songs are so meaningful. Last night Chad and I looked up several of his songs on youtube and I literally balled through a few of them. Funny thing was I told Chad that I just needed a good cry a couple of weeks earlier. One of the songs was "He was walking her home". It is a great song about marriage and commitment. Another one was "I am". He writes such diverse lyrics, such as he writes a song in tribute to soldiers called "Letters from war" and one to her biological mother called "everything to me". If you have a chance to listen to them, I highly recommend them. I have been struggling with a situation and need much wisdom in how I effectively deal with it. I feel confused with the best course of action and am not sure what to do. Anyway, last night I really wanted to hear Mark's song, "He will carry me" and I couldn't find the one I was looking for. Today as I was driving the boys home, it played on the radio. I haven't heard this song on the radio for months. I thought it was so neat that God would allow it to be played at the exact time I needed it. It was such a reminder that God hasn't forgotten me and is there to "carry me". What a GREAT God we serve.

flowers

2010-08-30T14:17:00.000-04:00

This has been the first year that I have ever attempted gardening. I'm not very good at it yet, but some of the flowers have just done beautifully. My mom and I at the end of spring/ beginning of summer visited an amish farm and bought several geraniums for the house. They are beautiful. Shockingly, they survived us being gone for 5 weeks (some high school boys watered them when we were away). Anyway, I have actually enjoyed keeping the house pretty with flowers and plants and love that I can pick some of the roses for bouquets for the dining room table! The next thing that Chad and I desperately need to done is line the landscaping to keep out the weeds. Our weeds are terrible!! Hopefully by next summer, we can have this done. Here are some of the flowers from outside our house (taken this afternoon). One of the pots of geraniums.
One of the rose bushes in the front of our house.

Another pot of geraniums. These are worth the investment. Even though I have to buy them every year...it's well worth it for the beauty they bring!

I actually don't know what these are, but they are behind our house

Another rose bush on the side of our house.

doctor's appt

2010-08-27T14:11:00.000-04:00

Today Kian and I went to my dr's appt. I was a little nervous: 1. Kian was coming with me and I didn't know how he'd do sitting quietly in the chair. 2. For some reason, I was nervous something was wrong with the baby. Well, thankfully everything went great. The baby's heartrate is fast and consistent and Kian did great! I talked to the doctor about a few concerns (all of which are normal) and I'm excited that I'm almost done with the first trimester!
Aiden is still enjoying school. I talked to his teacher, Mrs. Rose, after school a couple of days ago. She gave me a great report. The biggest compliment she gave was that Aiden has such a heart for doing what's right. My heart swelled with pride. She told me she just loves him. She also said he is quite shy still. I didn't think he would be as shy as he is turning out to be. We are really trying to work with him on his people skills, trying to get him to ask people questions, talk when people talk to him, tell people hi, etc. I don't think enough people know how to talk and converse with people. People don't know how to ask other people questions anymore! Everything revolves around texting and e-mail. Not that I am saying those things are wrong, but I think people skills are highly important. The other thing his teacher said that we need to work on him with was how to hold his pencil. It's so weird when I think about him writing. It just seems so far away but he is already starting to write in preschool (at least trace). He learns a Bible verse every week. This weeks was Gen 1:1. He knows it pretty well.
The whole school is participating in a jogathon to raise money for the school. Aiden is supposed to try and raise as much as he can and jog laps. The rest of the day is a carnival. The more money he raises, the more free tickets he gets for the carnival.
Kian and I have had a great time together while Aiden's been at school. These next 6 months will be the last times for just him and I and I want to make sure I make the most out of it! He is such a joy. He loves to cuddle and look at I Spy books with me.
My volleyball team is off to a great start. We are 6-0 and have another tournament tomorrow.
Chad is doing well. He and I haven't had much time for the two of us recently and I am hoping we can get a date in soon!

Weekly events

2010-08-20T12:10:00.000-04:00

Why is it that my least favorite part of blogging is coming up with a title for the blog? I'm not at all creative! Anyways, Aiden is LOVING preschool. He today had a ladybug picnic with his class where he at a ladybug cookie and then watched a movie on bugs. He had a great time. We are trying to encourage him to learn his classmates' names. He has a great memory with everything else, but names he struggles with. His class had show and tell and Aiden brought in his Batman to show the class. I've realized that my time with Aiden has to be more purposeful. I don't have all day with him anymore. After preschool he takes a nap and then about an hour later, I have volleyball. It makes me cherish the time I have with him that much more.
Kian is currently sick. Last night we were in the car and Kian cried the whole ride home saying his mouth hurt. When we arrived home, I held him for a while in the kitchen and realized that "his mouth" was his stomach. I told Chad that I thought he might vomit and sure enough not 1 minute later, it was all over me and the kitchen floor. Of course this was about an hour after Kian had a bath too, so he and I went back in the bath. Kian fell asleep on me in the bath about 5 min later. Today he has a fever and isn't eating much. Hopefully it's just a bug. It was my first time though having a sick child and having to take another one to school.
Chad's first week has gone well so far. He is pretty busy this year as he is also teaching middle school PE. Friday's are a bit of a killer for him. The only break he gets is for lunch.
Volleyball is in full swing. We won our first match against a team we had never beaten, so that was exciting. Tomorrow is our first tournament. I'm enjoying the girls very much and having a great time with them. They truly are a great group of girls.
Tomorrow I start my 13th week of pregnancy (which mean I will be 12 weeks and 1 day along). I just want the first trimester over! I am looking forward to feeling better and having more energy.
Chad and I are starting to keep our eyes open for a minivan. We are hoping and praying that by the time this baby comes, we will be able to save up enough to get one. It will be a lot easier travelling in a minivan than our chevy malibu with 2 car seats and 1 booster seat. If you come by any great deals, please let us know!

first day of school

2010-08-18T10:01:00.001-04:00

Aiden had his first day of school today! He has been SO excited to go to school. This morning I had to wake him up because we got home so late from my volleyball game last night. Aiden's first comment to me this morning was, "I'd really like to sleep for a little bit longer." I thought, "and it begins. Waking up a child who doesn't want to get up." He confidently walked into his classroom, waved goodbye and that was it. Kian asked me on the way out, "Why does Aiden have to go to school?" I hugged him and told him that Aiden was old enough to go to school now. I went grocery shopping with just Kian and it was so quiet! I'm sure I will get used to not having him here, but I sorta miss him! I told him to try and remember everything he learned because I want to know everything. Here are a couple of pictures of this morning:Aiden loves his packpack.

Here he's waving goodbye to me. (sniff, sniff) I did get teary when I left. It's a little bittersweet.
His snack for the morning.

grad school update

2010-08-13T22:33:00.000-04:00

Thanks so much for those of you who are praying for Chad as he's trying to finish his grad school work. I know I haven't updated much, because not a whole lot has changed from the last post. Chad is almost finished though! He has one final project he is trying to get done. The deadline is Sunday. So if you could continue to pray until Sunday, we would really appreciate it!
The pregnancy is going as expected I guess. It's been a rough couple of weeks, but I just keep thinking...about 2 more weeks and I should start feeling better! I think I can, I think I can... The perk of being in my first trimester is that I've lost 4 pounds this past 2 weeks! Apparently I need to write a book called "The Pregnancy Diet". :) I have several friends who are pregnant that have it much worse the first trimester, so I am thankful for only having bad nausea.
One HUGE answer to prayer... Kian developed molluscum about a year and a half ago. It looks like warts all over his body. Aiden had it, but Kian's is MUCH worse. Aid was treated by a dermatologist and had them removed. Over summer, Kian's starting getting infected. I mean BAD. I went to another pediatrician in Rochester and she told me that we needed to go to Riley's Children Hospital to get them treated. By the way, if you know Kian, you know he HATES doctors. Literally, he screams almost the entire time for a routine visit. Going to a specialist who wanted to touch his "ouchies" (he had over 50), would be just horrible for him. We also were having lots of issues with the boys' insurance at the time and couldn't get him in to the dermatologist. Anyways, someone asked me if I was praying for Kian's molluscum. I started praying for its healing. Within 2 weeks, ALL of his spots are GONE! Praise God! He still has scars from all of them, which I think will eventually go away with time. I cannot tell you how thankful I am for this! God is SO GOOD! Regardless if He healed Kian, He would still be so good, but I am so thankful He chose to heal him!

craziness!

2010-08-06T16:46:00.000-04:00

What a crazy week! Volleyball started for me this week. Practice were from 8-12 everyday, which meant it was actually 7:30-12:30 for me. Practice went really well, however, it was a hard week for me. I really struggled sleeping this week. I think my mind was on volleyball a lot and how to best schedule practice, who to have on varsity etc. Being pregnant and coaching volleyball is definitely difficult too. My allergies have been bad and I've tried to not take much, I've also been pretty nauseous this week too. The hardest thing though is being very tired. I get home and all I want to do is sleep. Only problem is, that's when my job actually starts! I am finding it difficult to get housework, laundry, etc done. Chad also is extremely tired with trying to finish grad school assignments. He has had multiple 2am nights and can't really sleep in because he has to watch the boys. His deadlines are in 9 days, so pray for us these next 9 days! He is working so hard! I am not in anyway trying to complain, that is just our life right now. God is giving us what we need and we realize we just need to get through the next 2 weeks.
Kian yesterday gave himself a nice black eye from falling off the couch and hitting our floor lamp. Oh, did I mention that I was sitting next to him, was letting him sit on the arm of the couch and then wasn't fast enought to catch him? I didn't feel like a great mom after that one! Aiden is basically counting down the days until school starts. I asked him what he was looking forward to the most and his reply was, "writing my own name" and "playing on the playground". We went back to school shopping for the first time (I sorta have a lump in my throat writing that). He was most excited to buy his very own pair of scissors. He is such a boy! It's hard to believe that he is starting this journey and will be on it for about 17 years (if he continues with college). All moms tell me how quickly it goes and that is SO TRUE! Pretty soon he will be reading and playing sports (if he wants). I am so thankful for my little man and am excited to what this next chapter holds for him.

The Gospel, Politics, and the Poor

2010-07-28T20:36:00.000-04:00

When we were in Rochester, NY after grad school, we went to a new church. The pastor's name is David Whiting (I think). He was starting a series called, "the Gospel, Politics, and the Poor" (or something like that). Not only was he an EXCELLENT speaker, but he was so honest and intellegent. Chad and I were very challenged to see the poor around us and to help meet their physical needs as well as spiritual needs. Some stats that struck me: 25,000 people die every day of hunger or hunger related causes. 3 billion people have to survive on $2/day. To satisfy the world's sanitation and food problems would cost the US only $13 billion. Americans spend $12 billion on coffee each year. This year alone, Americans will spend over $11o billion on fast food. Does that just seem wrong to anyone else? It makes you think doesn't it?? Where can I help? What can I do? It would take so little to help SO many.
Today we all went to Target. As we left and were getting into a car, a man approached us. He said, "I promise I am not a begger or do drugs, but my car over here is almost out of gas and I have no money to put into it. Could you please help me put a couple of gallons in it? "
My heart broke for the man. Chad and I followed him to the gas station and we put gas in his beat up old car. As I was inside, Chad and he were talking. The man showed Chad his college diploma (he was very proud of it), but had recently been laid off of his job as a fork lifter.
After the man had profusely thanked us, he left. I sat thinking for quite some time. How often do I complain about my car or things that I have when God has given me EVERYTHING I NEED? Would I of even noticed this man had he not approached us? My mind quickly went to the sermon we heard in Rochester. So many around us are hurting! What can I do to help? Why is my first thought when someone asks me for money is "will they just spend it on alcohol or drugs?" Shame on me for not seeing the needy, the hurting, the poor. I pray that God opens my eyes to more people of this world and of Auburn. These people need our love...they need God's love.

pictures of the summer

2010-07-23T20:21:00.000-04:00

Here are a few picture of our summer travels. Enjoy! We went to the Philadelphia Zoo. The boys were a little tired by the end of the day! Aiden and Wyatt Morris are smiling above.

Their first roller coaster and based on how much they liked it, not their last!

Oh my goodness, my little boy is going to SCHOOL! How did I get that old?! Actually it's more like, how did HE get that old?

busy weekend!

2010-07-12T08:43:00.000-04:00

I guess that I haven't written in a little while so today is just going to be a summary of the week's event's. This last week Chad took a Philosophy of Coaching class. He was really looking forward to it. He loved the class and the professor. It was a great week!

Last Monday, Kian woke up with a fever. I knew he was sick, but didn't have a thermometer here to check his temp. I went to the athletic trainer and he had one to stick in Kian's ear. Kian's temp was about 104 and then proceeded to vomit about 4 times right on me. So there I am in BBC's gym holding my little boy with vomit all over me. It was not a fun experience. Kian wasn't responding and was very lethargic. It kinda freaked me out, even though I'm not really the freak out mom type. One of the professor's husband was an EMT, so he came over and checked Kian out. By the evening, Kian was much better and by Tuesday night, he was fine. However, I realized that I do NOT enjoy having the kids sick when I am not at home.

Wednesday, the boys and I went to some friends of ours in Delaware. Chris and Carrie Morris lived in Elkhart for a few years and we all graduated from BBC. So Aiden, Kian and I had a great time being with Carrie and her family and the Geshay family. My family grew up with the Geshay's and it was so neat to catch back up with them. It had a been years since I had seen them all. On Thursday, Carrie, her son Wyatt, and the 3 of us went to the Philly Zoo. Even though it was about 98 degreess, we had a great time! The boys loved all of the animals. Kian especially loved the turtles and Aiden liked all of the reptiles. I loved the gorillas personally. What a cool zoo!

That evening, we came home and spent the evening with Chad. Sunday all of us and Chad's mom went to Dorney Park. It is an amusement park and a water park in one. I don't know if Aiden and Kian have ever had more fun! There were little kiddie water slides and roller coasters. They had a fantastic time! We all did. Aiden is quite sunburned, but other than that, it was a great day.

The pregnancy so far has been quite good. I really haven't been very nauseous at all, although I have been very tired. I guess that is to be expected chasing 2 little boys around. Aiden the other day told Kian that I had a baby in my tummy and that therefore, he needs to be very careful around my tummy. He said that I am going to need more sleep because there is a baby growing in my tummy. He is so excited about this baby. He tells everyone and can't wait to meet his new sibling! Kian loves to kiss the "baby", but otherwise, doesn't really care. I know that this baby that God is giving us will have 2 great big brothers!

Baby #3!

2010-07-02T14:11:00.000-04:00

Baby #3 is on its way! We are so excited to be able to have another one. I was a little unsure if it would be difficult for me to get pregnant this time around because of my abdominal pain (which I believe is endometriosis). God apparently decided to bless us quickly with this baby! I bought some pregnancy tests at the dollar store and they kept saying negative. I told Chad that I really thought I was pregnant. I could just tell. I called my sister who knew we were trying and told her. Her advice was to get "more than a dollar pregnancy test" and try that one. I knew Chad would not be too happy about me spending the money to get ANOTHER test, so while he was at class I went to Target and actually took the test in Target's bathroom. It was positive! I was a bit in shock. I drove back to the dorm and couldn't wait to tell Chad! All that to say, regardless of how many tests Chad said I took (I believe he currently says 17). I only took about 5 until it said pregnant.
My tentative due date is March 5th. So far, I feel....pregnant! I guess that's a good thing. Nausea started this morning and I have felt quite tired, but otherwise, it's going well. We told Aiden and his reply was that he wanted a sister (not a big surprise). He is so excited to have another baby in the house. Kian could care less.
We are going to find out what the baby's gender is, which will be a first for us. We sold/gave away all of our baby clothes, so I would like prepare a little bit. Of course it would be fun to have a little girl; however, I would be just fine if God decided He wanted us to have 3 sons. What a busy household that would be! Yes, this is our last child (unless God shocked us), regardless of gender! We are so thankful for this little baby!

our wonderful watkins weekend!

2010-06-27T21:53:00.000-04:00

I have so much to blog about this weekend that I don't even kow where to start! Chad finished his first week at grad school Friday afternoon and we then left to go visit our good friends, Matt and Jessica Watkins, from Syracuse, NY. We had not seen them in 4 years and what a great weekend! Matt and Jess have 4 little kids: Katie Beth is 8, Korryn is 5, Quinn is almost 3, and Maddie is 4 1/2 months old. Throw in Aiden who is 4 1/2 and Kian who is 2, it was a lively bunch! We are so thankful for godly, encouraging friends! I love spending time with this couple, not only is their passion for God contagious, I love the fact that they will be open and honest with their feelings. I hate the run-around and they don't give any of that.
Aiden spent literally the entire time with Korryn. They were so darn cute together. Aiden kept forgetting her name and she replied, "just call me Peanut." (She's a tiny little thing and that's the nickname her daddy calls her) So precious, that little girl. Aiden forgot the next day as well and Korryn told Aiden again to just call her "Peanut". Aiden replied, "ok, then you can call me Chip." It was so funny. Seriously, chip?? Anyway, our boys had so much fun jumping on the trampoline, playing with the trains, going swimming, watching movies, and chasing after each other.
We spent several hours on Saturday frog-catching. Literally Matt and Chad caught 19 frogs. Matt needed frogs for a church picnic family frog race. We went to 2 ponds and it was hysterical. I so wish that I had a video recorder. Chad when he caught one would scream what sounded like a victory war cry. We laughed and laughed watching them.
It was just such a lovely weekend! There is such refreshment being with fellow believers and knowing that you can be honest about struggles and life and that they won't judge, but listen and love. Chad and I both felt humbled and encouraged by the few days that we had together. Thank You so much God for moments like this!

date night

2010-06-23T13:04:00.001-04:00

Generally when I talk about date night, it is in reference to Chad and I. Last night, however, Aiden and I went out on a date night. We went and saw Toy Story 3 and then went to Friendly's. We had such a good time and I am so glad that I did this with him! After the movie, Aiden commented, "that movie was beautiful mom." He is so stinking cute. It's hard for me to believe that my oldest is going to be in school. I look at past pictures and just think, "where did the time go??" I know he is ready socially to go to school, however, I have nagging doubts that Chad and I haven't prepared him well enough. I don't know if it's possible to prepare your child enough. I guess I have to completely hand him over to God and trust that God will protect him. I'm learning that is not an easy thing to do! I can't imagine having to take him to college!
We are having a great time here at BBC. This morning was spent playing golf, going to the game room and walking to the pond. After naps we are going to the local park that has sprinklers that the boys can run through. Continue to pray for Chad. He is swamped this work and also is quite tired. I'm trying to get out of the dorm as much as possible just to let him have a quiet environment to work in. I know he will get it done, I just think he is a little overwhelmed. This class is not extremely interesting to him either (it's called "Philosophy of Curriculum"). So if you think of it, pray for him!

oh what a morning!

2010-06-22T10:48:00.000-04:00

It has been a very eventful morning and not in the way I would of hoped! Chad got ready for classes this morning and we gave the boys showers. Chad left and I got in the shower. I got out of the shower and saw that Kian's shirt was soaking wet and he had the surface/glass cleaner in his hands. I asked him if he ate it and he said yes (not to mention it was dripping down his face). I also noticed his eyes were red. I called my parents and the poison control center. Meanwhile, Kian had gotten my car keys and was trying to put them in the electrical outlet. I took my keys, brought Kian back into the shower for 15 min to wash out his eyes and skin. I changed his clothes again, got myself ready and the boys breakfast. I cleaned up the toothpaste that Aiden spilled on the floor while trying to brush his own teeth. I then noticed that Kian was chewing on my computer battery. Ok, seriously??? I cannot leave this child alone for any amount of time right now. I am hoping for an uneventful afternoon!!
We made it to grad school fine and Chad is fully into his classes. The boys and I are trying to find other things to do so that Chad has lots of time to study. This week alone he has 700 pages of collateral reading to do and then he has textbook reading and assignments. So if you think of it, pray for him (and apparently the safety of our children!)

grad school

2010-06-17T15:12:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow we leave for grad school. Chad is getting his Masters in Physical Education and we found a summer program that he can take for 3 summers and then have his masters. We are excited, but I know he will be overwhelmed with all of the work. On the weekends, we are going to see various friends that we haven't seen in ages. It should be a lot of fun!
Chad is finishing basketball camp today. He has had a great week and has had a good time with his college coach and friends. His team has also started summer league and has been doing really well.
The boys and I had a good time house sitting and running my parent's garage sale. I am VERY glad to be home, although it's short lived! Kian did not enjoy my friend's pool and wouldn't go in it. I am hoping that will change in the future. Aiden, on the other hand, could not get enough of the water! I really need to get him swimming lessons. Since we are gone most of the summer, I can't get them at the community pool and YMCA is stinking expensive.
The boys are doing great. Kian is definitely showing his defiant streak and it always seems like it happens in public. He somehow knows that there is nothing I can do. He is a cute little stinker though! It's hard for me to believe that Aiden will be starting school this fall. He is super excited and I know he will love it!

update

2010-06-09T16:18:00.000-04:00

What a whirlwind of a week! I guess I should start back at Memorial Day weekend. We decided sort of spurt of the moment to go to my parent's for the weekend. We spent time going to open houses, graduation, and family. We came back and took our car to get fixed. The next Wednesday, we came back to Elkhart so my parents could watch the boys. Chad and I went away for a night for our anniversary. It's not until June 29th but because of grad school, there really was not other time for time for us. We came back and went home and went to semi-state for our girls softball program. They had such a great season! About half of the girls on my volleyball team are also on the softball team, so we enjoyed watching them play! This past Monday, my volleyball camp started. In the first session I have 12 girls (grades 4-6) and in the second sesssion I have 15 girls (grades 7-9). I am VERY pleased with the turnout. I also have most of my team helping at the camp. In the evenings, Chad had basketball practice and I have volleyball practice. Tomorrow is the last day of camp and I will be leaving immediately after camp for Elkhart where I am running my parent's garage sale this weekend. We are also house sitting for some friends of ours there. We had a great time at their house last summer and they asked us to do it again this summer! Chad starts his basketball camp Monday and then we leave for grad school next Friday! Crazy huh!!!
The boys are being great and I am so thankful that they handle going places so well! Kian hit a milestone this week. He is no longer in his crib! He has officially transitioned into his "big boy" bed! I was shocked at how easy he went from his crib to bed. I never once had to discipline him for getting out of bed. Our crib has been taken down and now we are in the process of trying to find a bunk bed for the boys. I am very excited that we don't have to bring our pack and play this summer for grad school!
Anyway, life has been hectic and crazy, but I am beginning to realize that that's our life! And I LOVE it!

opportunities

2010-05-27T20:58:00.000-04:00

I know, I know... 2 posts in one day?? Chad and I had an interesting opportunity tonight and I wanted to write about it before I forgot everything. Tonight at about 8:15 we had a knock at the door. Chad was out mowing the lawn and Kian and I were in the living room. I quickly became nervous seeing two young men at the door. I am quite cautious when it comes to opening doors to strangers. However, I opened the door and these two guys were from the University of Georgia going around talking to people about developing their children and preparing them for school etc. They wanted to come in and talk. I first got Chad and he met them on the driveway and then they came in to "chat". It was such a neat experience. First of all, these guys are actually trying to sell books for preschoolers and elementary kids. The books are awesome. Secondly, these guys travel (pay for all their expenses) around house to house, city to city, state to state basically trying to help pay for college. Throughout the conversation, we realized the guys (Leo and Matt) hadn't eaten all day and had hardly had a drink even. We were able to give them food and drink and just really encourage them. It was so neat. In talking we brought up God and Baptist Bible college. It was just so NEAT! I feel as though we listened to the Holy Spirit and even though nothing really happened spiritually, I don't know, I guess I feel as though we ministered to THEM. My heart is very full knowing we took advantage of an opportunity. I wish that I would listen more often! I pray that Leo and Matt would someday come to a saving knowledge of Christ and I hope that we were able to plant a seed tonight!

aidenisms

2010-05-27T13:39:00.000-04:00

Aiden seems to be growing up so fast! It's hard to believe that he will be going to preschool in the fall. He is such a fun boy and says some of the funniest things. Here is a sample of some of his more recent comments:
"Mommy, I am not longer a little baby, I am a big man."
"Nothing, that's just what he normally does." (Aiden talking to Grandma on the phone who is hearing Kian cry in the background and asks Aiden what is wrong with Kian)
" Mom, when I turn 5, will you give me 5 pennies?" (after I said "yes"), "seriously, I am so excited." I am hoping he won't quite understand the whole money concept for a while!
"I have been waiting and waiting and waiting and it will never turn 7:00!" (said at 6:54am, he cannot leave his bedroom until 7 in the morning)
"Mom, I DID IT! I wiped all by myself." Aiden yelled this enthusiastically at the place where Chad and I donate plasma after going #2.

There are so many more but I cannot think of them! He just keeps us laughing and on our toes! I love my Aiders!

field day

2010-05-26T14:07:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was Field Day for the elementary students at Lakewood. There was plenty of things to do leading up to the day. We decided to have 14 different events for the kids. K-2 went from 8-10:30 in the morning and 3-5th went in the afternoon. Chad and I filled up about 500 water balloons (with some help from some high schoolers) and 400 regular balloons, not to mention setting up each events, typing out groups, descriptions, schedules etc. After about 3 nights of 3 hours of sleep, I was spent! Chad did such a great job and the kids had a blast! It was fun watching them laugh and ran around and compete. The weather was perfect for it too. We are so thankful for the many parents, aides, and teachers who helped make it such a success!

God's protection

2010-05-17T22:46:00.001-04:00

Tonight I am thanking God for His protection over Kian this afternoon. We were at my parent's this weekend and today we went to ECA to visit some friends. In one of the classrooms there was a canister of lifesavers. Thinking nothing of it, I gave one of each of the boys. A couple of minutes later, Kian started making some sounds. My friend Beccah told me that he was choking. I grabbed him trying to hit his back to dislodge it. That didn't work and then my friend Tara told me to turn him upside down. That caused him to vomit, but the lifesaver stayed lodged in his throat. He was able to cough a little and was screaming when he had the air to do that. It seemed as though he was able to cry, but not take breaths in. Tara went out to the hallway and the school nurse happened to be walking by. She came in and tried to help. A minute or so later, Kian swallowed it and was fine. I am so thankful for many things: 1. Aiden was not aware anything was going on 2. We all stayed perfectly calm throughout the whole thing (I don't think it really hit me until tonight). 3. The school nurse (who teaches CPR and the heimlech) was walking by even though her office is on the other hallway. 4. I had gotten certified 2 weeks ago in adult and child CPR and heimlech. 5. Kian is totally fine. THANK YOU GOD!

Happy Birthday Kian!

2010-05-11T13:49:00.001-04:00

I know that this is a couple of days late, but "Happy Birthday Sweet Boy!!" Kian turned 2 on May 6th. He has been such an awesome addition to our family! When he smiles, he just melts you. He is my mischevious little guy who loves his big brother something fierce! He is talking non stop in sentences. His favorite activities are playing basketball and golf, snuggling with mommy on the couch, tackling his daddy and big brother, and running everywhere. Kian is almost 3 feet tall and weighs 29 pounds.
Kian, I love you so very much! You are so valuable to me and Daddy! We hope that someday you will grow up to be a confident, godly man who stands up for what's right. We pray that you will serve and love others with all of that spunk that God has given you! Happy birthday Kian!

weekly update

2010-05-04T12:14:00.001-04:00

It has been a very busy, emotional week for us and I for one am glad it is May! Nothing major really happened, it just was a hard month for me. This month looks to be very fun and fast! We have lots of different activities planned and family and friend outings to enjoy. Not only that, it also is the last month of school which means it will fly by.

It's hard to think that in 2 days, my baby is going to be 2! Where has time gone? I tried to have a couple of photo shoots with the boys this weekend so that we wouldn't spend money going somewhere to have their picture taken. However, I forgot that Kian hates staying in one place and smiling for the camera! It didn't turn out as well as I hoped.

This last week was filled with rain...oh so much rain! We actually had planned to go to the park and that was rained out, so instead, we went puddle jumping in our back yard. The boys had a blast...Aiden especially. All 4 of us went out in the pouring rain and splashed each other and it ended up being so fun.

Last night, we had friends from Elkhart over unexpectedly. It was nice to see them. After they left, we put the boys to bed and soon after Kian started crying (which he has been doing recently). We decided to let him cry it out. After a good 15 minutes, Chad went in and called me in. Kian had puked everywhere (emphasis on the every and the where). I felt so bad! Here I feel like I was being a good mom, by making him fall back asleep on his own and instead he was standing in his vomit. Nice, sigh... The next few hours were spent doing laundry and holding Kian since ALL of his blankets were dirty. Kian acted totally fine and wanted to get down and play. He also then woke up ready for the day at 6 this morning (no I did not let him get up). Needless to say, he had an early nap today!

I have been learning quite a bit recently. God has really taught me a lot and without going into a lot of it, I am SO thankful for Him! Much of it, I don't even know how to put into words, I just feel humbled that God loves me.

Here are some of the pictures of this week:
I would pay good money for my son to look at the camera when he smiles.

Playing in the rain. Kian and Chad mainly golfed while Aiden and I splashed each other.

Kian playing in the planter.

This shot was by accident. Kian didn't know that I was taking the picture.

such a sweetie! He is such a good boy!

golfing

2010-04-23T13:45:00.000-04:00

The boys favorite activity right now is golf. They are hilarious to watch. Aiden golfs left-handed (like Chad) and Kian golfs right-handed. Kian doesn't have any golf clubs and has to use Aiden's lefty clubs. I was shocked to see how well he can hit the ball using the opposite side of the club! Aiden is not allowed to use real golf ball anymore. He hits the ball too hard and will definitely break something! They love to go in the backyard with Chad and hit balls together...so fun! Chad secretly hopes maybe one of them will make golfing as a career. I could care less, but I AM happy that there are activities that all of them can do together that they all enjoy. Who knows if this will always be the case, but for now, it's great.

Laying on the couch together watching a movie. Such good buds.

Ready to play!

Kian just received in the mail yesterday golf clubs from Chad's mom for his 2nd birthday. He was so excited! I'll have to post a picture of the clubs, they are so nice!

You can sort of see it in this picture, but Aiden now opens his mouth everytime he hits the ball.

Thankful

2010-04-18T09:46:00.002-04:00

This morning, I am staying home with Aiden as he is still not feeling well. So this morning, I want to focus on all of the good stuff God has given me. Here is a small sample.
I am so thankful...
Aiden's fever has broken and that he is on the mend!
That I have hardworking husband who loves God and leads our family. Chad is the best father to our boys. I could not have asked for a better man!
For my incredible family, both immediate and extended. They are some really cool people!
God's Word never changes and that He loves me despite of myself.
For my house!! I thought we would never buy one, but God gave us so much more than we ever thought we would have! I am amazed at the way God provides!
For our new ministry here at Lakewood Park. There are wonderful people here and we are proud to be apart of this ministry. Chad is loving teaching PE. It is so nice to see him thrive!
For my 2 boys. I could write a whole lot about them, but all I'll say is I am very blessed to have these boys in my life!
For a godly heritage.
That I live in the USA. I love our country...even if I disagree with many of the choices being made for our country.
for salvation and the hope of more to come!!

sickness...again.

2010-04-17T21:39:00.000-04:00

Aiden is sick. He's had a fever for 2 days now of about 102 degrees. He has a terrible cough too. Today has been spent laying on the couch, drinking fluids, taking temperatures and medicine. It's very interesting how my kids handle being sick. With Aiden, we can tell instantly if he is sick, he shows it completely in his eyes. Unlucky for him because he won't be able to fake it when he goes to school! He also only wants to be held and watch movies. This is the one time I don't care if he watches movies all day. I just feel so bad for him!
It's hard sometimes to have my kids sick, not just because of them being sick, but also the fact that I have to change all of my plans. Selfish, I know. Today was not the best day to be sick because we had a ton to do. Chad is in a basketball league and today was his final tournament. He had 3 games and his team won the championship which he was just a little happy about! My parents also came to our house. Mom helped me with the landscaping and dad helped with odd jobs around the house. They are such servants and I am so thankful for them! Dad actually installed a new faucet in our master bath and I just love it! Mom and I went to Home Depot and bought several plants and then planted most of them. I think its gonna look great! Immediately after planting, I had a volleyball lesson and then open gym for volleyball. Wow, busy day for sure! Thankfully the boys were able to stay at home and just rest. Needless to say, I will not be going to church in the morning!
Monday, Kian and I have doctors appointments and I might make one for Aiden as well if he is still sick. Please pray for this appointment for me, as I have several questions that I am looking to get answers for. I am also hopeful that Kian is over his ear infection!
Hard to believe Kian is going to be 2 in a couple of weeks! Wow, time flies! We are so blessed to have this little one in our life! He is a blast! More to come about him when he turns 2...

Springtime!

2010-04-12T09:50:00.000-04:00

It's amazing how my countenance is able to change just from going outside and feeling the sunshine on my face. I love spring. It is becoming my favorite season. I love not having to wear winter coats, and seeing flowers grow, and everything else that comes with spring!
Since we bought the house at the end of September, we have yet to see what landscaping is going to need to be done. Well let me tell you, it's a lot! I have never been in charge of a yard and I think I will enjoy it someday, but right now, it seems pretty overwhelming! I mean, I am not educated on this AT ALL. I am just starting to learn what different plants are and I feel lost, lost, lost! I am looking for some low maintenance plants and flowers that aren't extremely boring (like evergreens). Anyone have any ideas?? I just bought 2 rhodendrum plants and need a couple of plants that will be in mostly shade. The next big project outside will be to make all of the mulch the same. We have about 4-5 different types of mulch, stone, bark and you name what else, around our house. I would like to take and switch some of it for stone. It's not my favorite, but I think it's pretty low maintenance. I also need to replace the plastic sheet under the mulch. I don't think it should take a whole lot of money, but it will take lots of hours!
The boys seem to be on the mend. I had 2 whole nights this week where no one woke up at night! It's been a while since that has happened! My knee also seems to be doing well. I have been able to run 5 miles since hurting it and my knee seems fine.
This weekend was filled with watching the Masters tournament. We were all so excited that Phil Mickelson won! Well, all of us but Aiden. Aiden was sitting on the ground with his head buried in a pillow and crying. Literally, he had tears streaming down his face. Why you ask? He wanted Tiger to win! Can we say dramatic? Aiden wasn't even watching most of it! I really think he could be a very good actor seeing that he already can make himself cry! He is something else!

Easter

2010-04-05T13:25:00.000-04:00

Happy Easter! We hope all of you were able to enjoy your weekend! Chad's mom was able to come and spend Easter with us. It was a beautiful weekend and we tried to spend as much time as we could outside, going to parks, etc.
Both of the boys seem to not being feeling well. On Friday both of them had pinkeye and Aiden had an infection on his leg. 2 prescriptions later, the only thing getting better was Aiden's leg. Kian has really been struggling recently with eating and just doesn't seem himself. I finally took him to the doctor this morning. His pinkeye has gotten worse and he needs to have new eye drops. He also has an ear infection and possibly even has pnemonia. Hopefully the antibiotics will help everything, if not, Kian has to have a chest x-ray. He also has terrible molluscum that has spread all over his body. I found out that if I want to get it treated, we have to see a dermatologist at Riley's in Indy. We aren't really sure what to do. Aiden's infection was caused by one leftover molluscum that we forgot to treat and it eventually got infected and Kian literally has maybe a hundred on his body. However, they don't bother him right now. Please pray that we make a wise decision. Kian HATES doctors too and screams even if the nurse is trying to hear him breathe.
Chad's mom is also quite sick and has had to delay going home. I feel very badly for her. I think she has the flu, so I am trying to take care of her also, which I am glad she is here and not by herself feeling this way.
Chad and I were able to run together since his mom was here and have really enjoyed that. However, last night I hurt my knee and am not sure if I can even run anymore. I am hoping that I didn't do major damage to it and that I just pulled something. Thinking about that makes me very frustrated. I have worked really hard to get to where I am and the idea of not being able to continue makes me sick to my stomach. I'm sure I am thinking too far ahead. I will try and rest it for a couple (maybe) days and then see how it is.
Even though I seem to have written lots of negative stuff, it really was a good weekend! The boys are acting fine and we all have positive attitudes! Just a slight bump in the road!
Church yesterday was GREAT! Pastor gave a powerful message and it was so needed in my life right now! I am so thankful for Christ and His love for me!

I am so blesssed to have all of these boys in my life!

Easter egg hunt. Kian had a blast and kept saying, "more candy, more candy!" everytime he found some more!

Aiden needed some help reaching one of the eggs.

Aiden got such a bad sunburn the day before while he was golfing with Chad. From now on I will keep sunscreen with me at all times! Both boys have such fair skin!

Chad's mom with the boys.

easter eggs

2010-03-30T13:23:00.000-04:00

Last night I thought it would be fun to color Easter eggs with the boys. I'm not quite sure what I was thinking since there was dye and eggs involved! All in all, the boys did quite well. Each of the boys had their own egg to decorate. I don't think I boiled the eggs long enough, but at least the boys had a good time!

Please pray for us as we try to explain the true meaning of Easter to Aiden. We are trying to explain it in a way he will understand, but I think it's still over his head. I keep praying that God will save my boys young. Aiden says he loves God and doesn't want to go to hell, but I know he doesn't understand what following Christ means. He is still so young yet that I can't expect him to understand much yet.

I personally really want to focus this Easter on Christ and His incredible gift. I love that my Savior is not dead, but is fully alive! One of my favorite songs right now is "Lead me to the Cross" by Hillsong United. Here are the lyrics:

"Savior I come

Quiet my soul, remember

Redemptions hill

Where Your blood was spilled

For my ransom

Everything I once held dear

I count it all as lost

Lead me to the cross

Where Your love poured out

Bring me to my knees

Lord I lay me down

Rid me of myself

I belong to You

Oh lead me, lead me to the cross

You were as I

Tempted and trialed

You are

The Word became flesh

Bore my sin and death

Now Your risen

Lead me the cross

Where Your love poured out

Bring me to my knees

Lord I lay me down

Rid me of myself

I belong to You

Lead me, lead me to the cross"

May this be my prayer this Easter season!

uh oh!

2010-03-23T10:00:00.000-04:00

We have begun to realize that when it's quiet in the house, Kian is up to no good. Multiple times we have found him playing in the toilet. Last night was the most recent. I walked in the bathroom and found Kian literally soaked in toilet water. He had the scrubber in his hand and had almost emptied all of the water out of the toilet. We have caught him with cleaning supplies, soap and shampoo (weirdly enough, he LOVES eating soap...so much for cleaning his mouth out when he says something bad), and many other things.
A couple of nights ago, Aiden starting yelling for us to come in the bedroom. Kian had opened my makeup case and was painting his face with my makeup. I had to take a couple of pictures before I stopped him. Here are the pics!

He looks so proud of himself for some reason!

Leo park

2010-03-17T14:09:00.000-04:00

What a gorgeous day! I love that the sun is shining and that the boys don't need to wear their winter coats! So today we decided to go to the park. We packed up peanut butter and jelly (well honey for Aiden) sandwiches and were off. I didn't know how Kian would do, but he did well! He did not like that his brother could do more things than him though. The park also had a basketball hoop which we made sure to go and shoot for a little while. It really was a fun time!

Aiden loves to hang upside down and swing himself.

Kian upset that who can't climb this yet.

Aiden at the basketball court. He now can shoot and make it with a youth size ball!

Lunchtime!

Thankfully I brought wipes and paper towels.

The last thing of the day. Aiden got on the swing and wanted Kian to sit on his lap while I pushed them.

Aiden held on tight! That is until he wanted to get down. I didn't get the picture of Kian falling off (I was trying to catch him).

They have fun together... most of the time.

Fire extinguisher

2010-03-12T18:13:00.000-05:00

The boys and I went to Kohls today and Aiden saw a fire extinguisher on the wall. He replied that he knew what those were. We talked about it and Aiden said, "Could we use that for the fire in hell?" I laughed and replied, "no Aiden, fire extinguishers can't put out that fire." I love the fact that he at least is thinking about spiritual things, even though he doesn't get it yet!

We are really working on whining with the boys. Both are struggling badly with this right now. It is something I struggle to tolerate (which means I am working on patience at the same time!). It seems to be so natural for them! Man, I hate sin! I am just sick of messing up and seeing the boys mess up. I am just praying that they become saved at an early age!

Yesterday was Aiden's screening for preschool. It went very well and the teacher thinks he won't have a problem being in the class. I am very excited for him, but still am feeling a little anxious about the fact that he will be gone. I will definitely miss him!

Do they ever stop growing up?

2010-03-11T13:02:00.001-05:00

Aiden today has his first meeting with his new preschool teacher. He is being screened to see what he knows, how he handles leaving me (I am the one who will struggle more I think) etc. He is soooo excited. He talks about it every day. It's hard sometimes to see your kids grow up. Mind you, as they get older, I love each stage more and more, but it's a little weird knowing Aiden will be with other people for hours at a time every stinkin day! It makes me wonder if we've prepared him enough for school. There are so many things I want him to "get" before he starts this new journey. I'm scared about all sorts of things, such as peer pressure, Aiden being a friend to everyone, kids being mean etc. I know that I just have to trust God with Aiden and pray for his protection and growth. It's just a weird feeling.

Aiden was measured and weighed the other day. He is 43 1/2 pounds (90%) and 42 inches tall (75%). He is huge! He is officially at the "annoy Kian" stage. He has never been one to try and annoy Kian, but I think that has changed. Aiden now will take a toy that he knows Kian wants and will hold it out to Kian and say, "do you want it Kian, huh?". Then he will pull it back in and play with it. Kian does not find this very humorous. At ALL. Overall, he is fantastic with Kian, but sibling rivalry has begun!

Kian is talking up a storm. He still prefers to scream to try and get what he wants, but we are working on that one! His newest phrase is "no way." I don't know why the child likes to say "no way" more than "yes", but that's Kian! He more uses it with Aiden. It's very cute when he says it. Thankfully he hasn't said it to us as a response to something we've asked him to do.

I am so thankful for the ability to stay hom with my boys and be able to see all of these things! I thank God for a husband who works hard to provide for us!

The boys found the pots and pans.

Kian thought it was a hat.

It's hard to see in this picture, but you can sort of see his cut from biting through his lip. It's all the way to the left of his lip (right in the shadow).

My Aiden! Such a happy go lucky little boy!

I LOVE these boys!

rough 24 hours

2010-03-08T09:08:00.000-05:00

Poor Kian. He's had a rough 24 hours! Chad and I took the boys to the mall on Saturday night. On our way out, Kian slipped and fell and bit all the way through his lip. It wasn't nearly as bad as when Aiden did it in October as only 2 teeth went through, but I think they will have matching scars! He is feeling pretty good I think, however, that night he woke up several times. Yesterday, we all took a long walk outside (what a beautiful day!), when we returned we left to get some groceries. Aiden accidently slammed Kian's fingers in the car door. It was awful! Thankfully he is using his fingers and they don't seem to be hurting him today.

sectionals

2010-03-03T09:12:00.000-05:00

Last night was sectionals for Lakewood. We ended up playing one of the best teams first, Blackhawk Christian. Our guys played pretty well, but just fell short. We are such a young team, in fact many times yesterday, we had 4 freshmen on the floor at the same time! As much as I wanted us to win, it will be nice to have a little more time now!

It's been an interesting week! Chad was sick much of this week with a head cold. He has really struggled to get healthy. He is finally starting to feel better. He of course has been moving in fast forward with basketball, which probably didn't help in getting him better (seeing that sleep was definitely lacking!).

Two days ago, the boys and I went to Walmart to develop some pictures and get some groceries. Aiden had to go potty, so off to the restroom we went. Later, when I was trying to pay for the pictures I realized that I didn't have my purse. I stayed calm until after looking in the bathroom, going to customer service, the photo lab and anywhere else I could think of. It was gone! I finally went back into the restroom and went into the stall and I found it behind the stall door. Thank God! I left and realized later, that all of my cash had been stolen. I normally do not carry cash, but needed some for various activities later. I was so disappointed! I called mom and she kept tellling me how much worse it could of been and she's right. None of my credit cards, information, camera, or checks were taken and I am SO thankful for that. It could of been a lot worse.

This week my volleyball team had a surprise baby shower for our assistant coach (and my friend), Jessica. We had a great time together. It was at our house which meant I was super busy getting ready for it! It was so fun watching her unwrap the gifts and spend time together! She is having a little boy at the beginning of May. I am hoping for May 6th which is Kian's birthday.

Chad and the boys built a tower of legos to the ceiling while I was out exercising. Chad took a picture of it. When I got home, Chad was sitting on the couch with a paper towel on his lip. He told me that he might need stitched. Apparently the lego tower fell and split Chad's lip open! He's fine, but seriously, this only happens to Chad!
The boys, once again, playing with all the diapers in the crib!

The boys and I went outside and built a snowman. Aiden put on the tiny head.

Here's our finished product!

Jess opening up her pack and play!

Most of our volleyball girls were able to come. They are such good girls!

weekend

2010-02-22T16:22:00.000-05:00

Today's picture of the boys. Kian looks so old in this picture!

This is what happens when I leave them alone in Kian's bedroom. 154 diapers all over the place! They love throwing the diapers at each other!

They thought it would be "fun" to throw them all in the crib.

Aiden playing in the snow. He LOVES playing in the snow.

Here are some of the more recent pictures of the boys.

I wish everyday was a weekend. However, not much would be accomplished if that were the case! This weekend we went to my parents and Chad and I were able to go out for Valentine's day. We had a gift card to Carrabba's which just happens to be my favorite place to eat. That worked out well! After eating, we walked in the mall (which was wonderful to be able to not have children and actually take escalators instead of elevators!) and then went to some friends of ours to play euchre. Ahh...it was delightful! We celebrated my mom's birthday on Sunday...sorta (it was very low key) and then we went home! Good times!

Boys are doing great. Kian has been struggling to eat, something he has struggled for for a while now. He makes me nervous. He just won't eat. He wants to be fully independent most of the time, which isn't always possible and then there's a power struggle and then he refuses to eat. I don't want him just snacking obviously. It is a constant battle in our house. Kian everyday is saying more words, however, still doesn't use them all that much. He would much rather whine.

Chad has 2 more games for his JV team and sectionals start a week from today for varsity. We found out last night that we play the one team that we really didn't want to play first... Fort Wayne Blackhawk. Oh well, to be the best, we'll have to beat the best!

We also are finally healthy it seems! I am however, pretty ready for sunshine! I guess I'll have to be patient for that one.

technical difficulties

2010-02-19T12:23:00.001-05:00

Our internet is out at home right now. I am currently at Mcdonalds taking advantage of free wifi! It has been an intersting couple of weeks at our house. The biggest "cool" thing that has happened is Chad got his braces off! His teeth look beautiful and it's truly amazing to see him without them! I am so happy that he finally doesn't have to worry his mouth anymore!

I have battled with a bit of sickness over the last couple of weeks. I have tried to stay really faithful with exercising and that hasn't been very easy. As of this morning, I currently have lost 17 pounds since January 1st. I have been doing my own version of weight watchers (so I don't have to pay the money) and have gotten into running (well if that's what you call what I do). It's feels really good though and I feel much healthier, even though I've been sick a lot. My goal is 20 more pounds before the end of May.

The boys are doing great. Kian this morning locked himself in our bedroom and I didn't have the key. Nice huh. I had to take off the doorknob to get him out. He of course was laughing on the other side. Kian continues to make us laugh, basically we either are laughing or he is getting disciplined! He is in his independent stage, wanting to do EVERYTHING by himself. Aiden is growing up so much. He now knows every letter and is starting to spell words by himself. He has really gotten into superheros recently. He asked me about a week ago if he was faster than superman. I said no. He then asked if God was faster than superman. I said yes. He then proceeded to ask if he was faster than God. I replied no and he incredulously looked at me and said, "REALLY??" Our life is definitely interesting!

before braces come off....

after braces are off!!!

memory

2010-01-21T13:20:00.000-05:00

I am amazed at the memory Aiden has. He constantly is telling me where things are at or how to get somewhere. Yesterday, Aiden and Chad were getting a sub from Subway. They had been there once three months ago. The last time they were there, there was a picture of a lost dog on the drive thru window. Last night Aiden said to Chad, "Daddy, where did the picture of the doggy go?" I can hardly remember what I wore yesterday, and certainly not something that happened 3 months ago! Aiden also told me as we were driving yesterday, "mommy, chinchillas can't swim." I said, "what?" and he repeated himself. I asked him where he got that information and he replied, "Diego" (which is a kids show on Nick). I really don't even know what a chinchilla is, much less if it can swim! He is so funny!

Kian is now saying "mommy" and saying "yes". However, he only says mommy right now basically when he says "no". So everything is now, "no mommy" hmmm. Not quite what I had intended! Kian only says "yes" when I make him, such as "kian, say yes mam". Kian will say, "ess, mum". It is so stinking cute! His favorite word to say is still, "basketball" which Chad really enjoys.

bargain shopping

2010-01-14T11:05:00.000-05:00

There are few things in this world I like doing more than bargain shopping. Yesterday I spent several hours doing this. I had so much fun! The boys and I went to Fort Wayne and started at Kohls and then ended at the mall. I had a couple of merchandise credits for Kohls and then also had an additional 30% off coupon. I saved a total of $330 and spent only $124! How cool is that! I bought Aiden a new winter coat, snow boots, pants, shirt, and pjs for next year. I bought Chad a new shirt and tie and warmup pants. Kian got a pair of pants for next year, and I got a new pair of sneakers, some towels, and some jewelry. It was a blast! I went to the mall and also was able to find a couple of great deals there. So much fun! I am so thankful! The boys were fantastic especially since they missed their naps. Kian fell asleep on the way home and I finally woke him up at 5:30. Needless to say, he didn't go to bed at his normal time!

Last night I went to church. This month I signed up for an exercise class with other ladies at the church. It's been a lot of fun. Last night was a little high, low aerobics, step aerobics, and weights. Good times! I am really enjoying exercising again. It makes me feel so much better about myself. I have enjoyed going to Fitzone for Women. It has been a nice getaway and just focus on getting fit. Hopefully it will produce results!

Birthday Pics

2010-01-11T09:57:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was a mix of emotions. It started with us going to church which was good. After lunch, my mom, friend Beccah, and I went to a funeral for my friend Shelly's 3 month old little boy. It was very hard to go to. It was a beautiful ceremony, but heart-wrenching at the same time. It has been hard to sleep the last couple of nights. My heart just breaks for her and I continue to pray that God would bring a peace that passes all understanding to her and her husband. Immediately after, we had Aiden's birthday party at my parent's. We had a great time celebrating with Aiden, although I admit it a little difficult to get into it at first.

I also included a few of the pictures when Aiden received his bike. A couple of days ago we took the boys and their bikes to the gym. They had a BLAST! Aiden finally was able to ride his new bike for awhile! Super fun!

Aiden when he is opening his new Playdoh.

Here's the new bike!
He was stoked!

At my parent's, Chad and Aiden blowing out the candles together!

Kian enjoyed his cupcake very much!

I LOVE this picture! They are growing up soooo fast! I can't believe my aunt got them both smile at the same time!

heavy heart

2010-01-07T14:11:00.000-05:00

Today I write this blog with a heavy heart. It seems as though so many people are hurting right now. Some good friends of the family have been struggling for several days with health. Steve, the dad, went to the hospital with a torn aorta and things have just snowballed from there. He is battling for his life right now in northwestern hospital in Chicago. It was so sudden and fast.

I also just found out about a good friend from high school who just lost her 3 month old son last night. My heart literally breaks for her. I am crying as I write this. She put Graham down for a nap and he never woke up. I don't understand God. Why? Why does God allow things like this to happen? I feel overwhelmed with sadness for these families but I KNOW God is in control and knows what He is doing. Please keep the Alberts and the Bogue-Carpenter families in your prayers! They really need it right now!

It makes me want to hug my kids a little tighter right now and realize life is precious and short.

Happy Birthday Aiden!

2010-01-04T08:43:00.001-05:00

a couple of days old
6 months

7-8 months

about a year and a half

Todays birthday picture!

Four years ago today, Chad and I were headed to the Overlook hospital in Summit, NJ for an induction. We were so nervous and excited to finally meet this little baby. We were sorta hoping for a boy but just really wanted a healthy baby. I remember the doctor coming in and telling me that she wanted to do a c-section because she thought the baby was too big for me to have. I asked her to let me try and at 9:50 pm Aiden Michael Hibbard was born! He was 9 lbs 7 oz. and extremely alert. Aiden was a fantastic baby and we very rarely heard him cry! We were soooo happy to finally have him here!

Fast forward 4 years! Hard to believe that he is already 4! Aiden is such a delight. Truely. We have been so blessed by this little guy! He brings us so much joy and laughter into our lives! He is still a very obedient boy and rarely needs to be disciplined. He is extremely polite and sweet. Aiden LOVES being a big brother and all around just enjoys life. He is usually not lacking for words to say and talks your ear off if you let him. We are so thankful God entrusted this life into our hands. Happy Birthday Aiders!

sickness

2010-01-03T13:21:00.000-05:00

We are finally all on the mend after each of us was hit with the stomach bug. I was the most recent. It was awful. Thankfully it only seems to last for 24 hours and we are all feeling better now!

School starts tomorrow and it is also Aiden's birthday! Not quite sure what we are going to do yet to make it special. If you have any ideas let me know!

Christmas and New Years!

2010-01-01T08:38:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year! We rang in the new year not quite the way I expected. When we were in New York, Kian got sick which then passed to Chad a couple of days ago which then passed to Aiden yesterday. He vomitted and had a fever. Today he seems much better. No fever and is drinking at least. By the time the ball dropped last night, I had fallen asleep and woke up just after it was done. Good riddance I am becoming my parents. I slept on the couch to make sure that I would hear Aiden if he needed me. Pretty exciting huh.

However, I am glad that it's 2010 and am excited to see what God has in store for us this year. 2009 was definitely a year of change for us. Finding a new job, buying a home, moving to a new town, Chad starting his Masters....all in all quite a busy year!

Christmas was great. We were basically saw everyone from Chad's family over vacation. I have a lack of pictures because my camera went dead when we arrived, not the greatest timing! The boys had a blast and both sets of grandparents were so generous to them (and us!) They were able to swim in the local YMCA, go to Chuck E Cheese, and spend lots of time with their grandparents. Now that we are home, yesterday consisted of cleaning out everything and putting all our stuff away. Today's project...putting away Christmas decorations! Here are a couple of pictures from over the break.

The boys loved playing basketball at Grandpa's house!
Kian leaning over Grandma (Chad's stepmom), as she opens the calendar we made for them on shutterfly.com.

Aiden opening up his helicopter.

My parent's tree right before opening gifts.

The boys about to open their stockings.

Aiden Michael Hibbard. I can't believe he will be 4 in 3 days!

Kian Noah: almost 20 months.

Christmas "morning".

My parents. They spent Christmas at my sister's house in Spokane Washington. The older they get, the more I want to around them. They are wonderful people!

and it begins!

2009-12-21T17:00:00.000-05:00

Christmas break officially starts for the boys and me in about 15 minutes! We are going to pick Chad up for practice and then Aiden, Kian and I are spending the night at my parents. Chad will come tomorrow night after his basketball game. Our Christmas will be the morning of the 23rd at my parents. We will leave for Rochester, NY on the 24th and spend time up there until the 30th! I am so excited about this holiday season! I am determined have a wonderful time focusing on our families and on Jesus Christ and am determined to make lots of memories. Aiden especially is so excited and his new favorite thing is playing in the snow (which we now have about 5 inches of). However, he is getting gloves for Christmas, so he doesn't have any right now which limits his time outside.

We hope all of you (the 2 or 3 that read this blog :) ) have a wonderful merry Christmas!

morning madness

2009-12-17T13:02:00.001-05:00

This morning we were all eating breakfast. Aiden finished and went to take a bath. Kian was still eating his scrambled eggs. As Aiden was in the bath and Kian was in his booster, I took advantage of the few minutes and starting unloading the dishwasher. Literally I had turned my back for maybe 30 seconds and turned back around to see DISASTER. Kian had taken his scrambled eggs and thrown them all across the room. Let me tell you this kid has an arm! There was scrambled eggs in the carpet! Of course I had to take pictures of it!

A close up of the damage!

I put the boys in the tub and started cleaning up, a couple of seconds later I heard lots of splashing (never a good sign). Kian had dumped buckets of water onto the floor. Yikes. At least I have a decent sense of humor. After cleaning the bathroom floor and washing the boys, I took to the kitchen and cleaned it up. I am finally done and am able to sit down for a couple of minutes. Kian is such a little stinker! Life is never dull with these two!

update

2009-12-16T13:52:00.000-05:00

All is well here in Auburn! We have had a great Christmas season (so far). It has been very neat to see Aiden really get into the Christmas spirit. This is the first year he has really enjoyed it and has asked so many questions regarding Christmas. He seems to be growing up so darn fast and I just want it all to slow down! Yesterday after he woke up from his nap, he asked me if we could just sit on the couch and share a blanket. It was so sweet! It is hard to believe that he is almost 4 years old. He is still a daddy's boy though. He is in love with his daddy. I could not be happier with that! Chad is a fantastic father and truely loves being with his boys.

The boys love going to Chad's basketball games. It's a bit stressful though. Watching 2 very active boys and at the same time trying to watch a basketball game can be a little difficult. Chad's team is quite young and has been hammered by injuries. All is all they are doing great, but there have been lots of challenges!

This last week I had the volleyball team over and we decorated sugar cookies and then made plates of various cookies for shut-ins and other various people. We had a great time delivering cookies and it was a very humbling time for me. These elderly women were gems. Not only were they godly woman, they had a way about them that made me want to stay and talk to them, as if I'd known them for years. I wanted to hear their stories of their lives and listen to their advice. They encouraged ME, even though we were trying to encourage them. They were leaving such a godly heritage. I was once again aware what a great family I have. I am so thankful for the legacy my parents have left for me and my children. I always want my kids to know ALL their grandparents and see them often and see how they live.

It's been a little hard for me not seeing all of my family this year. I miss all of the laughs and special memories of us all being together. Part of me is afraid that the relationships won't grow and we'll become distant. But then I realize that God has placed us all at different places and as much as I would like us to all live nearby, that isn't going to happen (at least not right now). It takes effort to keep relationships going; however, its an effort I want to give! Now that we have moved, it's hard to continually keep in touch with people...even though I want to. Life just sorta happens.

I have been in a very contemplative mood recently. I feel as though I am constantly evaluating myself. I have learned quite a bit and am working through lots of stuff. I am so thankful for a God who hears me when I'm feeling irritated and irrational and is patiently molding me into a better wife, mother, and child of God. I am definitely a slow learner and that really frustrates me! I want to "get it" quickly.

I am still struggling a little with not having much of a network of friends here. At times it's hard being a stay at home mom and not having women to get together with or someone to watch the boys if I want a haircut or have an appointment. Still we have much to be thankful and that's what I must choose to focus on.

Our Christmas will be quite busy. Tuesday after Chad's game we are going to my parents for Christmas and then Christmas Eve are leaving for Rochester, NY to spend Christmas with his family. We'll come back the 30th and then he has a basketball tournament on the 2nd and then we'll celebrate Chad and Aiden's birthday on the 3rd! We hope you all have a very merry Christmas!

18 month checkup

2009-12-08T12:17:00.001-05:00

Kian had his 18 month checkup today (yes he is 19 months though). The kid's head is huge! He is 93% in head circumference! He is 33 in. tall which is 60% and 25 and 1/2 lbs which is 39%. He hates the doctor. I mean HATES the doctor. He basically screams from the time the nurse comes in at the beginning until after the nurse gives him his shots at the end. He just doesn't like new people very much. I think it freaks him out. The doctor said this is normal for his age, but this "stage" has been going on for about a year! Kian also has meluscum (Aiden had it too). It is a viral infection that manifests itself on the skin. It can last for years and is very hard to get rid of. Aiden went through a long process to get rid of his and he still has some. Kian also has eczema and might have croup. All in all he is quite healthy. I think both of my boys just have sensitive skin.

Needless to say, with Kian crying a lot and Aiden not obeying well, it was a long appt! I am glad we are finished with it, but am very thankful for healthy kids!

oh man, I'm in trouble.

2009-12-07T12:48:00.000-05:00

Kian is now 19 months old. Crazy how time flies. He is quickly flying into terrible two! We are realizing the child has quite a temper. He is my little mischevious little booger! Yesterday Chad was sleeping on the couch and I was on the other couch. Chad had set down his soda can on the floor. Well, Kian picked it up and poured it all over Chad. Obviously, Chad woke up with quite a start and flung the blanket and jumped up. Soda was everywhere, on the computer, blanket, couch, carpet, Chad...everywhere!! We have about a 8-10 in. stain in the carpet. I have tried to scrub it with Resolve, but it is still bad. Any ideas of how to get it out? It was really very funny, but I would prefer no lasting damage!

Today I went to Walmart to print out Christmas cards. Both of the boys were struggling a little bit so I gave Kian my tinted lip gloss to hold on to, not thinking he would be able to unscrew it. I was wrong! I turned around after hearing Aiden say, "mom, Kian is red!" Kian had unscrewed it and literally painted his face with it. If I wasn't using the camera for the Christmas cards, I would of taken a picture. People in Walmart just stopped and stared. I told them, "it's lipstick." Then they proceeded to laugh. Yup, that's my Kian! This is a whole new ballgame for us! Aiden never did any of this! At least I will have lots of stories and memories!

I love Christmas!

2009-12-01T08:48:00.000-05:00

When decorating for Christmas, my sister gave me the idea of hanging ornaments from the boys room to get them excited about it too. I love it! This is Kian's room.

This is Aid's room.

Dining room table centerpiece. That's our new clock and light fixture too.

Our tree!

Seriously, it's my favorite holiday! Each year I can't wait to put up the Christmas decorations and listen to Christmas music. I love trying to find gifts my family would love and it's such a great time to focus on what Christ did for us. It's just....ahhh...delightful. Not to skip Thanksgiving... that's important too!

We had a great Thanksgiving! Chad's mom was visiting from NY and we spent the day at my Aunt Anne's. There were probably around 25 of us gathering around the food! It was quite relaxing and just nice to catch up with everyone. Chad and I have so much to be thankful for! Even though every year we have so much to be thankful for, this year seems even more so. At a time where the country is in a recession, our family was been blessed! We were able to purchase our first house, pay off Chad's braces, Chad took a new position at a new school, we have been very healthy, and so on. God has been so gracious to us!

The day after Thanksgiving, I decided to venture out on Black Friday to shop. I had a blast! Some places like Target I literally walked in, saw the lines, and walked out. However, the mall traffic wasn't too terrible and neither were the lines. I got some fantastic deals and am pretty much done with my shopping! The best thing about the whole thing was that I was able to do it by myself! I am usually with the boys when I am shopping and hence can't focus or spend time doing what I want. It was actually a relaxing day for me!

The boys are doing great! Aiden continues to grow like a weed. He has been wearing his size 4 levis for about 4 months now and they are almost too short for him now. Hard to imagine he's now almost in size 5! He just is getting huge! I can't believe that he will be 4 in January! I think he is quite ready to go to preschool. I know he will love it! Kian still won't say mommy. He says momma (but doesn't call me that). Any time I ask him to say mommy, he says daddy. Oh well, someday I will probably wish that he didn't know how to say mommy! He loves to get into everything (including the christmas tree) and is getting very good at playing by himself. Aiden did not accomplish this feat until about 6 months ago! Kian is still my lash out/temper child. Oh boy, he has a doosey! However, he also is such a cuddler and a joy. He is definitely all boy! Everyday they bring so much life to our family.