Pregnant Sadie and Girl's Night.

 As I know I've mentioned in the past, Sadie is very resistant to going to sleep. This is usually what her bed looks like when I go in to check on her and turn off her light. This was done with very little light, too, if you're wondering. The other night when my Mom was in town she went to check on her and told me to come up and bring my camera. Looking closer at her I realized what was so funny......

 Apparently Sadie is now expecting too....and not just 1, but 2 of her favorite stuffed animals! The next day I was at work and my Mom asked her about it. She put them back under her shirt then starting jumping around, saying that's how they come out. I wish.

 This weekend marks the annual guy's beach trip that Steven has planned for several years now, 8 maybe? (I posted about this trip last year in "boys will be boys...") Last year Jenn and Maegan came for a short visit during the beach trip so we decided to do it again this year. The more the kids multiply the more fun it is to get out of the house while our husbands are gone. This year 5 of us got together at my house on Friday afternoon with the kiddos, most of them spending the night (which meant 4 moms and 9 kids!). We had a total of 10 kids in the house, ages and 5 and younger. In a few years we might feel like the Duggars when we get together!

 We had three precious ones less than 6 months old and they were troopers, here they are on their baby mats, trying to survive the rest of the gang running around.

 Eli is quite outnumbered, as you can see. Evan (in the first baby picture) is only 4 months old but in a year or two will help balance out the girly-ness. He seems perfectly happy here, though!

Not sure where Sadie's clothes went (that was popular all weekend), but apparently it was time to chill out and read a book.

We had a great time together, thanks girls for being willing to pack up your families and bring them over! Sadie can't stop talking about her friends. Hopefully no one had any serious meltdowns and everyone got a good nap in Saturday. It was well worth it and I think we have us a tradition...

Single Parenting

Steven's work has been crazy the past few months, and we are both getting quite tired of it (especially me!). There is an end in sight, so he says, in the next month or two. Sitting here tonight by myself, after pretty much single parenting it all day, makes me so thankful that I don't do that all the time. It was one of the hardest things to do tonight getting Sadie to go to bed, I'm not sure how we created such a monster, maybe it's genetic, or maybe it's payback (that's my parent's vote I'm sure). She finally stopped asking to come down and watch one of her shows to "sometimes Daddy lets me watch American Idol with him....". Wrong night, babe. And the answer is still "No!". Eli, on the other hand, has started sleeping in a big boy bed and couldn't be better about it. No tears, no getting up until morning, it's amazing. Here's my guys, Eli is getting ready to watch his Daddy play indoor soccer. Now every time he sees a sporting event he says "Dough Daddy!" 

 In other news, we are trying to make sure our kids learn loyalty and how to handle disappointment, so we've turned them into Wolfpack fans. Sadie's first experience was a good one, however, since Steven took her to the NC State/Clemson game and they actually won! She was excited, but truly it had nothing to do with the victory and everything to do with meeting Mr. Wolf and holding one of the cheerleader's pom-poms. Being a cute 3 year old helps you get on the floor without tickets, apparently.

We love you Daddy, and are ready for you to slow down and spend more time with us again! In the meantime, I'm off to bed.

Contentment....and overdue pictures.

I am reading a book called "The Secret of Contentment" by Dr. Barcley, the pastor at my parent's church. It is a great book and has challenged me already to get a better life-perspective. I believe this is one of Satan's best tricks, to lure us into pity parties over what's not perfect in our lives, which leads to grumbling, bitterness, and the sin of discontent. Thankfully the Lord gave me a husband who lovingly corrects my attitude when the complaining flares up again. Look at these boys, they look pretty content! Eli had a blast his little buddies, the Hendley boys.

And here is an overdue pregnancy picture, one of the only ones I think I've taken this time. I'm good if I can remember which week I'm in, much less remember to chronicle the pregnancy with pictures. Poor little 3rd child. He's hard to ignore though, he's quite the mover and making me feel quite wimpy these days as I huff and puff up the stairs. We haven't been as good about going to the gym lately except for the mistake of trying "Boot Camp" last week. Probably too hard of a class when I'm not pregnant, my calf muscles felt like they were in a constant cramp for a week! Another short-lived item....my bangs. They lasted not quite 2 months and I've officially began growing them out again. I didn't mind the way they looked I just felt like I was in hair prison, when I lifted them up I felt freedom and just couldn't go back. Maybe when I'm 40 I'll finally find a hairstyle I like on myself.

In preparing for our whirlwind weekend last weekend I did some baking (we drove to SC on Friday for a family reunion on Saturday, then Steven and I drove 5 hours to Richmond, VA, for him to speak on Sunday). After the kids "helped me" make the chocolate cake, they willingly cleaned the bowl, too. Needless to say another quick load of laundry had to be done that morning. By the time I made a jello fruit salad, chocolate cake, and banana bread, packed and loaded the car, and cleaned up the house I was pooped. But it turned out to be a nice weekend. Steven's stress level has been maximum the past couple of weeks due to work stress so it was nice to get away from it all, especially for me!

My parents talked us into leaving the kids with them in SC which saved them about 7 hours of car time. A GREAT decision, I missed them but it was nice for Steven and I to have time together and the kids had a blast with my parents.
This little rascal learned how to climb out of the crib this weekend. It started with the pack-n-play while we were in SC, he apparently climbed out and went running through the house waking up his cousins....at 6:40am. Sorry Byron and Mandy! I'm not used to my kids being the early risers.

I thought for sure Eli wouldn't be able to get out of the crib at home, there is nothing to grip your feet on and the railing comes up to eye-level on him. However, this morning I heard him talking and was waiting to see if he would go back to sleep, until I heard the doorknob rattling. Sure enough, I opened his door and he was calmly standing on the other side. He's officially not my baby anymore! So sad. I dragged the extra mattress in at naptime and had to do a little threatening but.....amazingly....he fell asleep! We'll see how tonight goes.

In case you looked closely, please don't tell him he's sleeping on pink sheets. He looks pretty content to me. And, with the good Lord's help, I am too!

Goodnight, sleep tight!

Bedtime prayers

"Thank you God for our wonderful day, for Daddy's stress (that's just how she prays for everything), for me and Mommy and Eli, thank you God that God doesn't do anything wrong and that the snakes wont get us because they're on the ark, and the mean bears, thank you God for our families, Amen. "
There was more but of course I can't remember it all. It doesn't help that I worked last night and even though I had a relatively "good night" at work, we went to Charlotte and had a busy day so I am hitting a wall about now. Or maybe it's pregnancy brain. Thankfully with little kids their books are pretty easy to read so you can hide your exhaustion fairly well. It was a busy January, despite the yucky weather. Last weekend we had a great Harrell family get together which included 20 adults and 9 kids, 7 of those were 3 and under (from 5 original siblings!). It was a great time, it is fun to see families grow. If Steven's aunt BJ could have come with her family it would have been perfect attendance. As we were wrapping up the party Sadie was talking to one of Steven's aunts about her Daddy, she said he couldn't help us clean up much because he had to work hard, so he could make money to pay for preschool and skittles. A beginning level on economics, I guess you could say. Eli is hammin' it up, as well. He loves to sing "Jesus Loves Me" and even though you can only understand "Jesus" "Bible" and "strong" somehow it is obvious what he's singing. He definitely has a language, I'm not sure if Sadie or I understand him better. "Mon, Dadie" = "Come on, Sadie"...."deenk!" = "drink"...."ov u mommy" = "love you Mommy". And his all time favorite is when he is getting in trouble he immediately puts on a smile and waves and says "Hey Mommy". The name changes for whoever is fussing at him at the time, he thinks he's a smooth operator. Ok, enough about the kiddos, although they are kind of all consuming at this time in life. And pretty darn funny. Last one, then I'll close this disconnected post.....the other day Sadie and Eli were playing together and Sadie couldn't get Eli to stay still, I heard her say "Eli, I'm going to tie you up", in the very next breath she said "Mommy, can I have some tape?".
Hopefully I'll be able to collect my thoughts a little better next time, thanks for hanging in with me.
Sallie :)

It's a boy!

This is probably not news to most, but we had our ultrasound on Monday and found out that we are having another BOY!!! He appears to be healthy, too, which is the real blessing. Steven is pretty pumped about having another son, and I have to admit it will be fun to see Eli and little D grow up together, just 2 years apart. We are going to call him David, just haven't decided on the middle name yet. He's quite a mover, that's about all I know about him for now. I do hope my Mom is correct in her prediction that he will have curly blonde hair, but if I have another one with stick straight blonde hair or dark hair and a double crown I will love it too.
We broke the news to Sadie and she took it very well, she has mentioned several times about my tummy getting bigger and when I told her that the baby was going to grow and grow until it was time for him to be born she smiled really big and said "I can't wait!". As for Eli, I think he's in denial. Whenever I ask him where the baby is and try to point to my belly he just looks around the room and behind me like, "what, I don't see a baby!". He is talking more and more these days, trying to say more than is understood but nonetheless it is cute. He loves his books and gets very animated when we read the same ones over and over. Sadie is into her puzzles and pretending, as well as her all time favorite - bossing Eli around. She thinks she outsmarts us when she finds him an appealing toy only so she can play with the one he currently has. They are cute little buddies though, for the most part. I had sent her to her room the other day for a bad attitude then went upstairs because I couldn't find Eli. He had accompanied her to her room and when I stuck my head in the door he waved and said "Bye Mommy!" then shut the door in my face. I guess they're sticking together, for now.
I remember being pregnant with Eli but overwhelmed with love for Sadie and thinking "can I possibly love another child like I love this one?" Of course, I discovered that I can, and do, love Eli just as much as Sadie. So this pregnancy is exciting, when I actually take a breath and have time to think about it, because I don't wonder if I'll love David like I love the others. I know I will! And what a sweet blessing from the Lord. Praise HIM from whom all blessings flow! Goodnight all.

Last Minute Romantic Get-Away

No, I am not advertising a mountain cabin somewhere. The title actually describes my weekend! Well, sort of. I am working this weekend but when I got off work yesterday afternoon Steven and I drove to Raleigh. He was speaking at a church in Apex this morning so we decided to send the kids to Charlotte via his Mom and go by ourselves, since I had to work and drive back seperately today. It was a great decision. The kids are having a blast with cousins and grandparents (we are so thankful for parents who are willing and able to take care of our kids!). My sweet husband, who is by nature pretty tight, spoiled me last night. We got a cozy hotel room and went to the Melting Pot for dinner, which is probably my favorite restaurant. We don't go much since it is pretty pricey, but it's where we went the night we got engaged so it holds a special place....plus it's just incredible food. I love the atmosphere too, the booths are very private and the atmosphere is relaxed, something about cooking your own food, slowly, makes you enjoy it more. We had a great complimentary breakfast at the hotel this morning then headed off to church, getting out the door is a breeze when we are by ourselves. We enjoyed a nice lunch then I headed back to Pleasant Garden for a quick nap before work tonight. It was a sweet 24 hours and I am thankful for my husband. As he said from the pulpit this morning, we can't really conceive of God's ways, they are higher than ours. His main point was not about how the Lord sovereignly brought us together, which He did, but how He designed the plan of salvation, beginning with the birth a little baby in a manger. Nothing we could have ever come up with, but what an awesome thing it is. Thank you baby for a great date night! And everyone else....Merry Christmas!

Pregnant, painting, and shopping.

Well it's that time of year again. I'm pregnant! I'm pretty sure I have told most people in my life but since it is pretty monumental I think I should blog about it, too. It has been a pretty smooth pregnancy so far, I am one of the lucky ones that does NOT get morning sickness, and other than living for naptime (aka - snoozing on the couch during Dora) and bedtime, the first trimester goes pretty well for me. I am 15 weeks tomorrow so the energy is actually starting to pick up a little, which is good since I took on a new project after Thanksgiving....painting my dining room. I am obviously not an experienced painter since after I had primed the walls I realized I was using oil based paint, and I also didn't put down drop cloths. NOT SMART! Needless to say my floors have a little color in them now. After that the job went very well and I am pleased with the results (from the base molding up). Especially pleased to have it done. The house also got decorated in there sometime for Christmas, which I love. We have a new addition of a lighted deer in the front yard thanks to my mother-in-law (we can't pass the thing without Eli saying "Dee! Mawmaw!")  I love it.
Backtracking a little, we had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We drove to SC on Wednesday and spent Thanksgiving at my Grandma DuBose's house with my parents, my brother and his family, and one of my uncles and his family. My mom and I were so organized that we even had time for a brisk walk before lunch was served! The next day we saw most of the Nash side at a post-thanksgiving barbeque lunch. I have to say I cried many a tear as we drove away from the home that used to be my grandparent's, losing both Grandmas in one year makes me sad but also thankful for the years and years of memories I do have with them. It is fun to see my parents and in-laws making those same memories for my kids to cherish when they are grown.
Speaking of kids, mine are keeping me busy as usual. Sadie is very excited about the baby. I took her with me to an appointment the day before Thanksgiving and she was thrilled to get to hear the "new baby's heartbeep". Her vote is definitely for a girl and she informed us today that Eli wants a boy (not sure how she knows this, his vocabulary hasn't picked up that much in the past month). Even though he only has a few new words he has taken to singing quite a bit. No real words, but there is usually a tune and it is very loud. He gets that from his Daddy. I took them shopping with me today at Kohls, by myself, to knock out some Christmas shopping. I actually got quite a few things and was feeling a little smug about my accomplishments, with my kids in tow, when I went to crank up the car and realized I didn't have my cell phone. Thankfully, an honest person found it and left it for me at customer service, but I was nonetheless humbled by the experience and again reminded that shopping without kids is much preferable. On our way out of Sams today with my Mom we gave Sadie and Eli some change to put in the Salvation Army jar. I, again, was becoming slightly prideful at this wonderful teaching moment when a lady passed by and handed Sadie a bill to put in the jar. I was quickly reminded of my child's depravity when she looked at it and said "I think I'll keep this." Lesson learned.
It is a sweet time of year. Despite the commercialism and craziness I do love the decorations, the food and fellowship, and of course, and most importantly, the many reminders of the truth behind Christmas, the salvation that was started with the birth of Christ. I hope you are enjoying this time as well. It wont be another month before the next post....I promise. Goodnight!