Friday, July 30, 2010

Going Stir Crazy

I don't know about you and your kids, but here at our house, we are going stir crazy! It's about a billion degrees outside and by the time it cools down enough for us to stand going out, it's almost bedtime. My girls are getting so bored and the boredom leads to fighting. So, yesterday I had had enough and called my friend Melissa and asked her if she wanted to meet up somewhere and let the kids get out for a while. We threw around a couple ideas (swimming, going to the movies, etc.) and then she mentioned bowling! That sounded perfect! We get out of the house, we stay cool and the kids get a little exercise in the process. I would have loved to have been able to bowl with them, but being 34 weeks pregnant, I thought I better just watch. They really did have a great time. We were gone about 2 1/2 hours or so and it was just enough to break up the monotony of the day. Plus, I got to sit and chat with my sweet friend, so it doesn't get much better than that!

What are some things you do to beat the heat and keep your kids entertained during the dog days of summer? I'm quickly running out of ideas! Too bad we don't have a nice in ground pool - now that would be perfect! :) Maybe someday!

Maddie and Baylor



Macie and Ireland



Snack Time



Enjoying the day out!



Friday, July 23, 2010

Maddie

Oh Maddie Cash! Just saying her name makes me smile and laugh. She's quite the little character. You know, when I was pregnant with her, I just assumed she'd be "just like Macie" - (read my previous post to see all about her!). Why I thought this, I have no clue. I mean, God creates us all in His image, but none of us are the same, so I should have known that she wouldn't be like her sister and really, how fun would that be anyway? We all need a little spice in our lives and that's just what Maddie is - a little SPICE!

Madison (Maddie) was born on February 20, 2006 and was 7 lb. and 20 3/4". She came into this world like a whirlwind and has been a little whirlwind ever since! HAHA! My doctor broke my water at 9:30 in the morning (I was dilated to a 4 at that point) and little miss was born at 10:23 a.m.! Yes, less than 1 hour and she was here. I'll never forget the look on my friend Sarah's face when she walked into the hospital room to see me (shortly after she was born) and I was sitting in the bed holding Maddie and Sarah looked at me almost as if she wanted to say "who's kid is that?"! (She had just called Mike when they broke my water to say that she was on her way to the hospital and was so sure she'd get there before Maddie's arrival!). It was pretty funny!

Maddie came home from the hospital and the first few days were just normal. She slept a lot, ate a lot and did all the other baby things! Then about a week in, she just cried all the time. ALL THE TIME! I wasn't sure what to think of this - because we all know that Macie didn't and I was sure that they'd be the same, remember!? I talked to a friend of mine and she said that I might want to talk to the pediatrician and have her check for acid reflux. I finally did ask about this when she was about a month old and after some simple tests, they did determine that she had reflux and put her on medicine. It took a couple weeks to really work, but once it took effect, she was much more content. Thank goodness.

She, like Macie, was a great sleeper. She slept through the night at 9 weeks old and would only wake up on occasion looking for her binky. Again, Baby Wise rocked it out for us in this area! Praise the Lord!

Around 8-9 months old the separation anxiety set in and I'm pretty sure that if you'd look it up in the dictionary that there'd be a little picture of Maddie right next to the definition! :) She cried EVERY Sunday. This went on for a short time - you know, about 2 years. It was fabulous. (Sense my sarcasm). We got to a point around 15 months old where she'd start crying as we got near the church and cried all the way inside to her classroom. Everyone knew that was "just Maddie" and was so good to deal with it. I was absolutely not one to sit and coddle her while she squalled - I was just like "Maddie, get in there and deal." Yes, very loving, I know. She always stopped crying shortly after we got out of sight, but there were MANY things that would set her off again - to name a few: Men and especially men with facial hair, clowns, change of any sort (a new teacher, a new classroom, etc.), those were just a few that came to mind. She even had a couple men at church that literally couldn't get within sight of her or she'd be a basket case. And it was always the nicest, most gentlest men, too. Poor guys, she probably gave them such a huge complex! HA! Thankfully around 2 1/2 that came to an end and she is great now. She loves her church, loves her little friends and has even made nice with the poor men that she tortured for those 2 years! :)

Maddie is just so funny. There are days I look at her and laugh cause she's as cute as a bug. She is a loving little girl. She will come up to me all throughout the day and say "mommy, I didn't get to kiss you much today!" I love it! She loves to sit by me and Mike and just hang out. She is so much like Mike in so many ways. She's hilarious - I mean so very funny, but most people never see that side of her. Out in public, she is shy and won't really act silly, but at home, she's constantly cracking us up - just like Mike! :) She has one of the cutest little laughs you've ever heard. Macie can crack her up and when she gets going, it makes all of us laugh. She has a little temper that flares up on occasion. I'll hear her giving Macie the business and will have to go back there and remind her that she is not the boss, regardless of what she thinks.

Here are some things she loves: Mommy, Daddy, Macie and Libby (her dog), eating - she's a great eater, popsicles, starbursts and suckers - but not the normal colors all other kids like - No, her favorites are the yellow, orange and green! Playing with her friends, going to preschool, playing on the computer, drawing, coloring, taping and cutting paper, wrapping things - I constantly have wrapping paper around the house that she's cut up and used to wrap someone a present, playing outside, talking on the phone to my sister or my mom and dad (you can't get her off the phone either), taking pictures with my camera.

She is a bundle of energy and about as sassy as they come. She brings so very much joy and laughter to our home. Maddie, we love you so, so much! You are such a blessing and we can't imagine what life would be like without you! We pray that one day you will accept Jesus as your savior and live the rest of your life for him. I'm so thankful that you are your own precious little self! When God created you and gave you to us was one of the best days of our lives! We love you so much!

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Macie

I thought I'd do a post on each one of my kids. They are both so special and so drastically different. God has truly blessed us with these sweet little girls and my daily prayer is that they both grow in their faith and live their lives to serve Him! This post is all about Macie - our first born!

Macie was born on March 20, 2003. She weighed 6 lbs. 14 oz. and was 20" long. She looked like a Cash from day 1 and that hasn't changed. I've had people tell me that she's Mike with pigtails - HA! She was by far the easiest baby, toddler and young child ever. She slept through the night at 7 weeks old and we NEVER looked back. I kid you not - NEVER! The child slept through terrible ear infections, fevers, viruses - you name it, she slept right through it. I don't remember her waking up in the middle of the night until she was around 3 or so because of a bad dream or something and even then, I would just walk her back to bed, give her a hug, shut the door and that was it. She napped really well, too. Dropped that morning nap around 15 months and moved to just 1 nap a day, which usually lasted 2-3 hours. (I owe my sister a huge shout-out for telling me to read "Baby Wise" when I was pregnant with her - she basically told me to read it and do what it says and I'll never regret it. I never did regret it.).

She has always been a personable kid and deals with change so well. She would go to or with anyone that would hold her. Sometimes this actually scared me cause there was a little part of me that wanted her to be a little more afraid of random weirdos in Walmart, but nope, she wasn't - she just smiled, waved or talked to them - ALL of them! She never had separation anxiety. We moved to a new town both when she was 10 months old and then again when she was 2 and she just acted like she'd been there forever. We took her to church and Sunday School and she'd march right in the class and never look back. (Wait till I get to Maddie's post - it's drastically different :)).

She is sweet, loving, funny, smart and friendly. She has done so well since starting school. We couldn't be more proud of the student that she is and is becoming. She's eager to learn and loves doing her best and making us proud. She asked Jesus into her heart last October and really for us, that was the best moment of her little life. Knowing that she understands what Jesus did for her on the cross at such a young age and wanting to live for Him is just awesome for a parent! We couldn't ask for a greater blessing!

Here are some things she loves: Family, her friends, her church, going to school, pizza with ranch, chips and dip, just about anything sweet that I'll give her, American Girl Dolls, the computer, her DS, pajamas, talking to her cousin on Skype, playing outside on her scooter, shooting hoops or playing golf with her daddy, strawberries, music and singing, reading, playing school and so much more.

Macie, you are a treasure to us! We love you so much - way more than you'll ever know or understand. We pray that you will grow into a Godly woman who loves the Lord and serves Him with all your heart! We are blessed to have you as our daughter!

We love you, Macie!

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Ready to Run

As my 3rd pregnancy is drawing to an end (or at least the finish line finally seems within sight), I'm starting to get excited about several things. First and foremost, having another child in our home to love and raise - that, of course, is the most exciting thing! But, after that, I gotta say I am really looking forward to running again! I grew to love running about a year and a half ago when some friends decided that we'd all start training for our first 5k. When I first started, I thought it was possibly the worst thing ever. I could barely go a 1/2 mile without stopping to walk and the thought of having to run for 3.2 miles straight seemed nearly impossible. But, it didn't take long before I worked myself up to a mile, then a mile and a half, then 2 and so on. Before I knew it, I was running the full 3 miles every time I went out.

Our first 5k was the Root Rocket Run in Fayetteville and it was HARD! There were so many hills and none of us were used to so many inclines. I think I finished around the 30 minute mark or so. While it was a difficult run, all of us finished and I was so proud of our accomplishment! We rewarded ourselves afterwards with IHOP! HA! Bacon, eggs, biscuits and gravy - breakfast of champs, right?!

We all continued running and signed up for another 5k last September here in Fort Smith. My goal was to beat my previous time and I did! I came in a little over 28 minutes! Mike ran that one with me and he did awesome, too! It was fun to run together (well, not really - he blew past me at the start line and I didn't see him until the end, but still, it was something we did together and it was so fun!).

Now, I'm ready to go again! I have been walking all throughout this pregnancy, but there's something about getting outside and working up a good sweat while running that just makes you feel good! I look forward to when the doctor clears me to resume all my "normal" activity and I can get out and start training again. It will be early fall and the weather will be perfect! I really can't wait!

So, bring on Mabrie and then bring on my tennis shoes!


Friday, July 16, 2010

Sprinkled With Love


On Tuesday of this week, our Sunday School class threw a sprinkle for Mabrie. A sprinkle is just a smaller version of the big church shower that we do for 1st babies. We usually have them at someone's home or at a restaurant as a way to celebrate baby #2, #3, and so on. This way, each child is celebrated, but on a smaller scale since after the first baby you really only need the basics.

Let me just say that they went ALL OUT! Everything from the decorations, food, desserts, and gifts were just awesome! My friend Sarah had it at her house and just planned every detail out perfectly. She's one of those girls that God has given the gift of creativity to and she uses it to bless other people all the time! She throws the cutest parties and makes some of the most adorable things you've ever seen! Three of my other friends, Melissa, Ginny and Ashley helped with all the planning and decorating - really all of these girls are just amazing when it comes to their creative talent! Melissa and Sarah spent an evening putting together the cutest scrapbook for Mabrie - I can hardly wait to add all sorts of pictures to it!

The dinner they made was a mexican feast! It was all so good - tacos and all the toppings, cheese dip, chips, etc.! Then for dessert they bought some adorable petit fours, had chocolate covered strawberries and fruit salad. YUM-O! All of it!

Mike and I are so blessed to have such great friends! We love all of you and appreciate all the time, money and hard work you put in to making this night so special! Each girl that came and helped us celebrate Mabrie's arrival - Thank you! You have no idea how much it meant to have each one of you there!

Now for some pics!

Cute Decorations





Me and Sarah


Melissa and Ashley (Hostesses)


All of my awesome friends!!

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Just one more thing to keep up with


I LOVE reading blogs! I have a recipe blog (that I've been terrible at updating), but thought that it would be fun to do a family blog as well. Hopefully I'll do better at updating this one! There's a lot going on in our home - I am nearing the end of my 3rd pregnancy and realizing that life is about to change in a lot of ways for us very soon. We couldn't be more excited to welcome our 3rd little girl! It took a while to come to the decision to have a 3rd baby, but after months of praying about it, both Mike and I decided that we wanted another child. They are a precious gift from God and we couldn't be more thankful that He chose and is blessing us with another baby. While starting over will be an adjustment, we also know that we have years and years to be "just us" and the years with having kids in the house will pass all too quickly and we'll wonder where the time went.

We are working on the nursery and getting things ready to go. Our SS class threw us the sweetest shower this week and we now have everything we need to welcome Mabrie to our home! We have been so blessed with an awesome church and wonderful friends! I'll post some pictures of the shower and everything else later! Time now to go get a snocone! HA! It's the perfect summertime treat! :)