Cousins AND BFFs

Boys can have BFFs, right?

What am I teaching my daughter?

Peyton grabbed a package of cupcake wrappers out of a grocery bag the other night and said she wanted cake. When I told her I had to cook the cake first, she proceeded to open the microwave and try to put the cupcake wrappers in. Oh boy...

Wordless Wednesday

Cousin Love

These pictures are a couple months old, but I LOVE them!

NOT Me Monday...

... Husband and Wife Style

While at the mall in Christiansburg, AKA the heart of Hokietown, I did NOT dare my husband to go into the exclusively Virginia Tech store and ask if they had any UVA stuff. When James agreed, I did NOT tell him no for fear that he would get punched in the face.

When I got a migraine yesterday, I did NOT go home and go straight to bed, leaving James with both grumpy kids. When I had been asleep for 3 hours, James did NOT come in with 2 crying kids and tell me to pick one.

I did NOT go to the movies with my dress inside out the other night and not even notice until the car ride home. I did NOT yell at James for not telling me!

At the movies, I did NOT laugh so hard that I cried.

James did NOT laugh so hard that he could not breathe. I love when he does that :)

By the way we saw the hys.ter.i.cal Grownups. Very mature.

Girlfriend Has Style

4th of July Pictures

Big Girl Ponytail!!

Nolan's Birth Story

Okay, here goes. Nolan was due on May 14. However, since I was having a repeat c-section, we scheduled a week early on May 7. I was so excited to not have to wait til 40 weeks. Let me tell you, it was a rough pregnancy. I never got sick when I was pregnant with Peyton. Nolan was a whole different story. I was nauseous a LOT, had high blood pressure, went to the doctor twice weekly from 30 weeks on, sometimes even 3 times a week, had a non stress test every week, had low fluid, and gained SIXTY pounds.

Well, Nolan decided he would not even make me wait til May 7. On May 2, I had just gone to bed and at 11:30PM, my water broke. James and I packed our bags and grabbed the carseat. We had nothing ready since I never expected to go early. We called my parents who came right over. We all then went to the hospital.

We got to the hospital around 12:15 AM. We stayed in triage awhile getting paperwork done. Then I went to the operating room by myself to get the spinal. That was the most nerve-racking time. I don't know why, but I nearly had a panic attack. They finally let James in and got started.

The surgery was rough. I got so sick. I threw up while being cut open. Everyone said I looked green. But then my little man was born! Nolan was born at 1:52AM He weighed 8 lb, 12oz, and was SO beautiful. He had a little trouble breathing at first and had to go on oxygen for a few minutes. He soon came around and got handed over to James. We both were instantly in love.

While I was being put back together, I got very sick again. I was shaking and throwing up. Let me tell you how much I loved the anesthesiologist. She was taking care of me almost as well as my own mom would. I finally got sewed back up and went off to recovery. There I got to hold Nolan. My parents and Peyton got to come in too. My parents went home with Peyton and James, Nolan, and myself headed down to our room.

Nolan has been such a joy to us. He truly has completed our family. He is such a sweet baby and is defintely a mama's boy. His favorite place is on my chest. Peyton loves Nolan so much, and I love to watch my kids together. Now, enjoy some pictures:

No More Paci!! (Almost)

About a month ago, we finally got rid of Peyton's paci, for the most part. She loved, loved, loved her paci, but it was time to go. At the mall one day, we asked Peyton to throw away her paci, not even thinking she would. But she walked right over to the trashcan and threw the paci in. She kept asking for it for awhile, but we just told her she was a big girl and threw it in the trash.

Peyton has mostly been paci free since then. She will take naps without it and will fall asleep without it. She still wakes up upset sometimes in the middle of the night, and we will give it to her. This past week, we had some setbacks. Peyton got sick with a bad virus and was so pitiful that we just let her have the paci sometimes. But now that she's feeling better, she's back to life without the paci. And we are so proud of her!

10 Reasons Why Pumping is Not Fun (In No Particular Order)

Guys may not want to read this... May be TMI for you



Don't get me wrong. I know how lucky I am and I am not complaining. I am sooo glad I am able to pump, and I'm glad it is so healthy for my baby, not to mention the fact that it is free (besides the $300 price of the pump). I also think it is an amazing gift that God gave to women. However, the act of pumping is definitely not at the top of my list of favorite things to do. Here's why:



1. It is BORING. Try sitting there for 20 minutes or more with nothing to look at but yourself.



2. You have to plan your day around when you will need to pump, do you need to bring your pump with you, what time do you have to be home by... And let's not even talk about leaking!



3. Let's be honest... it's not the most pleasant feeling in the world.



4. They say the bags they make now to hold your pump are "stylish." There is nothing stylish about that bag.



5. You pump so much, your pump starts talking to you. The sound my pump makes is, "Booty call, booty call, booty call." Haha!



6. Doing dishes, washing all your pumping parts takes FOREVER.



7. One word... mastitis.



8. If you travel anywhere, pumping in the car is a real pain.



9. If you wait a little too long between pumping, your boobs feel like rocks. I'll never know why anyone would want implants...



10. It's embarassing to do at work. At my work, we have a "lactation room." Translation: the locked handicapped bathroom. It is super embarassing to have people constantly ask what that room is, why you're going in there. The other day, I had a guy ask me if that was my office!



And for your enjoyment:






P.S. Peyton can't say pumping. She calls it "humping."

VBS

Lindsay and I were in charge of the babies at Vacation Bible School this year. We had sooo much fun just hanging out and taking care of the babies. It was very tiring, but I actually missed it when it was over. Lindsay and I fell in love with the sweetest little girl we had all week. She had open heart surgery as an infant, a stroke at 14 months, and is doing so well. She was so adorable and sweet, and is literally a miracle! She really made our week!

Nolan, Lindsay, and I

Lindsay and Aubrey

Lucas and Nolan

Peyton had a ton of fun too!

Wordless Wednesday

Strike a Pose...

Think they look alike??

We're Baaack!!!

Yes, it 's been a long time, but we're back and better than ever! A lot has happened since the last time we posted. For one, we had Nolan on May 3. 8 lbs 12 oz. And he is the cutest little thing ever! We love our Nolie!

Peyton turned 2 in April. She is oh so hilarious and such a blessing!

Peyton has adjusted so well to being a big sister... way better than we ever expected. She loves her baby brother!

Mommy is no longer a beached whale, for the most part anyway haha;)

We also have a new cousin Lucas. Lucas is only 6 weeks older than Nolan!