Living Again!
I got to go to Bunko for the 1st time in months. It happened to be costume bunko so I borrowed a dress from Kristen and went as a Chinese geisha. Everyone looked so cute.
I even won a prize for best overall costume.








On Sunday, Kaleigh went to Maddie's Pinkalicious birthday party. It was such a cute theme for a little girl. They got to paint ceramic cupcakes and decorate real cupcakes, color, and eat snacks. Kaleigh was so funny because she was still picking at her snacks long after everyone else had finished.









Okay, so our family doesn't officially celebrate Halloween, but we did have a lot of activities. Thursday night Nathan and I took Kaleigh to a free festival in Benton. They had little carnival games, inflatables, free funnel cakes, and a concert by Sean Michel. We had a good time, but my night was made when I ran into the girl who does storytime at the Benton library. She didn't know what had become of us since I've been on bed rest, and was excited to hear about the babies, but I was excited to hear that she is pregnant with twins!

Friday, Kaleigh went to the nursing home for lunch to visit with GG and they also had a little carnival. Of course all the residents enjoyed seeing Kaleigh. GG looked so cute as Little Bo Peep with sheep all around her.

That evening we dressed up our two little pumpkins and took our little strawberry trick or treating around the neighborhood. Kaleigh was such a little diva riding in her wagon then walking a few feet to ring the doorbell and get some candy.

After that we went to GSFest where Kaleigh got to ride the train and go down the inflatable slide a few times. I would have liked to ride some rides but didn't feel like standing in the long lines. So funny as a parent that your idea of fun is just centered around whether your child is having a good time. Kaleigh had the most fun playing on the playground that she can play on any time! Go figure.

This was random, but on the way out we ran into these two friends, and I thought it was funny that we are all Shelley, Shelli, and Shelly so we had to take a picture.

Well, alot has happened since we posted on this blog. In case I've been really out of touch with you, we had our babies. Avery and Alexis came on October 1st. They came home from the hospital last Friday, October 17th. They are doing really well. The 15th also happened to be Kaleigh's birthday and we had a little party for her on Saturday. So, here are some pictures of the babies and Kaleigh at Playtime Pizza on her actual birthday with her "best friend Maddie" and then her luau party on Saturday.

Kaleigh, Kaleigh & more Kaleigh

Our friends Andy & Liz recently moved to Little Rock from Magnolia. Liz has been doing photography and recently got a new digital camera so she offered to do a photo shoot of Kaleigh. I know this is a lot of pictures, but there were over 300 so trust me, I definitely narrowed them down. It looked like they both had a lot of fun as well as Nana, who assisted. Thanks Liz! If you want some pictures of your kids, I can tell you how to get in touch with her.

This will be my "catch-up" blog... I'll break it up into several so be sure & scroll down to catch everything.

Kaleigh is having fun at VBS this week - they did such a great job of decorating for the kids!

Father's Day at the Traveler's Game

Random Pictures from fun events...

Trip to Missouri in May - We went to visit family. Nathan didn't get to come, but we had a good time and Kaleigh really enjoyed playing with her cousins.

Our newest baby pictures! We went into the Doctor's office today very scared b/c of some things that happened yesterday, but the babies looked great. They were measuring just right and the best news was that the Doctor said there was a membrane separating the babies, which would mean no worry over cord entanglement! We weren't too surprised since we've been praying for that specific thing. I'm 12 weeks now. Isn't it amazing how well formed they already are?

A Trip to the Zoo

Our church organized a trip to the zoo for preschoolers & a parent, and we had a really good time. The one animal that Kaleigh kept talking about wanting to see was the lion, but I think her favorite thing was feeding the fish. I have to say, she still wasn't super impressed with the animals and was more interested in eating the cheerios I smuggled in, but I know she had fun because she keeps talking about going back.

Quick Update...
I went to the Dr. yesterday and he didn't do much, but he was able to hear both heartbeats, so that was good. I'm just almost to 9 weeks and he wasn't sure about being able to hear them, but we did. I had gotten used to getting an ultrasound every time I go that it was a little weird not to, but I'll just have to wait. I'm not even going back for 4 more weeks (hopefully). Now I just have a couple of issues that I'm dealing with that will hopefully not be a problem, and my sickness which seems a little bit worse this week than what it was last week. I am really hoping that it will start to get better soon and maybe go away in the next 3- 5 weeks. They did get on to me at the dr. b/c I had last 1/2 pound since my last visit instead of gaining, but I've heard of much worse. I'm doing my best anyway.

And, Kaleigh is 2 1/2 today! She hasn't changed a whole lot since she turned 2, but here are a few new things:
1. She is potty trained. Yay! She actually has been for a while now, and even stays dry during her nap. She still wears a diaper at night. We just haven't worked on that yet.
2. She still talks all the time, just with an ever expanding vocabulary. Also, she picks up on everything and will repeat it later. A few things she's said "that makes me nervous", "I'm not feeling so good right now" and "oh my goodness".
3. She's finally learning a few of her colors. She knows yellow, white, and pink so far. I know this is not exactly impressive, but we do what we can.
4. Just seeing more and more of her personality, it is very obvious that she is a people person. She isn't necessarily going to be the most outgoing child, but after spending just a little time with someone, she will talk about them and get excited to see pictures of them and almost always remember people's names, as good or better than I can.

Well, I don't know how to title this blog or even where to start, so I will just relay things in the past months as they happened to us...
First, many of you know that Nathan and I have been wanting to get pregnant for a while now, and about 4 weeks ago I found out that it had happened. We were excited, of course and took 3 tests just to verify. Then, a couple weeks into it, I started feeling a little bit sick. It started on a Wednesday or Thursday and I noticed as each day went by that it got a little bit worse every day. By the next Tuesday I had called the Dr. and they prescribed some meds for me, which were not working. 4 different medicines and 3 days later I was vomiting, severely nauseous, not sleeping, and not eating. My mother-in-law had been kind to take Kaleigh off my hands most of that time b/c I don't think I could have taken care of her.
As those things go, I would feel a little bit better during the day but then it would hit hard at night. At 10:30 on Friday I told Nathan that I really needed to go in the ER, and he took me, but when I got there I felt better and went home. Mistake. Just the ride home was enough to get me feeling sick again and by 3:00 a.m. we headed back that way. They hooked me up to an IV, gave me some medicine, and many hours later I was finally able to sleep and feel a little better. They took me for an ultrasound and we got a BIG shock - TWINS!! That probably explains the excessive sickness.
We were admitted to a hospital room and I stayed until Sunday night and was able to eat a little before I left.
On Monday I called my Doctor who I had not seen yet, and they had me come in that day. They did an ultrasound and found that both the babies looked great but there is a complication. Instead of each baby being in its own amniotic sack, they are in one together. Later in the pregnancy as they move around, they could have cord entanglement, which is very dangerous. It was hard news to hear, but I do believe that God is in control and He chose to give us these babies and He will decide the outcome of this pregnancy.

Then, another issue had us back in the Dr's office on Wednesday, but everything seems to be okay now. I am feeling much better than I was - still nauseous but managing it. Friday my family came to town and we were finally able to tell them about the twins in person.
Sunday at church we sang a song and it just hit me so hard with the truth of it. Whether the uncertainty of this pregnancy is the trial God has for us, or if there is big heartache ahead, nothing is too much for God. Here is the song. It is called "He will carry you"

There is no problem too big God cannot solve it
There is no mountain too tall He cannot move it
There is not storm too dark God cannot calm it
There is no sorrow too deep He cannot soothe it.

If He carried the weight of the world upon His shoulders
I know, my brother that He will carry you
If He carried the weight of the world upon His shoulders
I know, my sister that He will carry you

It also made me think of our friend Jon who has been in the hospital and dealing with migranes for a while now. Its hard to see him going through the ordeal he has. So my friends, in the days to come if my outlook is not so good, remind me of this. I go to the Dr. Monday and I will keep updating frequently as we find out anything new.

Easter!

Since I'm sitting at home not feeling well, I decided it would be a good time to catch up on our blog a little bit. We went to see my parents over Easter weekend and had a good time. The weather was nice and Kaleigh had an interesting Easter Egg hunt in my parents' lovely front yard :) Friday before Easter, Nathan was off and we spent the day redoing a flower bed in the backyard. I'll post pics of that later. Here are some Easter pics:









Kaleigh got a Dora umbrella in her Easter basket. I knew she would like it b/c we went to visit my grandmother in December and she Loved playing with her umbrellas and talks about them all the time. When we asked her where the umbrella came from, she said "Grandmother's house!" Anyway, I knew she would like it but had no idea how much. She carries it around with her constantly and looks for rain every day so she can carry it outside with her.












She was pretty good at finding the eggs this year.

What we did this weekend:

Got married! Lots and lots of times. Our church had its Easter presentation, "The Kingdom", and Nathan and I contributed our little part of getting married. During the "wedding" Jesus turns the water into wine. Overall, it is an amazing production and extremely meaningful. The songs are beautiful and the set is something to see. We put in about 4 hours each night from Thursday to Sunday, but others put in much, much more time.

Also on Saturday, we decided to do a little spruce up of our front flower beds. Unfortunately, we forgot to take a before picture, but here is the after. We got a new weed border and the red mulch, and pulled lots of weeds, and planted one more little plant.

Snow Day! (or Morning, anyway)


Just when I'd given up on the possibility... Nathan woke me yesterday morning and told me that it had snowed and I didn't even believe him! Too many years of living with my brother...
Kaleigh had fun playing in it and eating it, and I brought some inside to make snow cream.



My mother-in-law, Patti, was inspired to write this poem.

March came in like a lamb,
It lasted 3 days.
The lion roared through
Blowin' snow for kid's plays.

On Sunday it's 60,
On Tuesday there's snow;
Arkansas weather is crazy,
That's one thing we know!

One day it's a coat,
The next, none at all.
Is it springtime or winter,
Summer or fall?

Our weather's a paradox.
Our seasons will lie.
Not Knowing what greets you
Upon openin' your eye.
-Patti Statton

We are so glad that the weather is getting better and Kaleigh can play outside again! On Saturday Nathan and I worked all day in the yard removing these leaves, and Kaleigh entertained herself for hours outside. We will be planting some gardens soon, and doing our 2nd attempt at growing grass in the backyard, and hopefully have some sort of play area for Kaleigh by the end of summer. We'll keep you updated on our progress. Now, I must go read about perennials that will look pretty year round and thrive in the shade with little upkeep.