New Each Morning

It's been a hard few weeks. Last week on Thursday Benji left to go hunting for a long weekend. It was his annual "man trip" with a few of his childhood friends.

Emery is a great child. We have the normal discipline issues, but on a whole she's a dream. She sleeps through the night, I just lay her down and she falls asleep on her own. She naps great still and she is pretty easy to take out to eat at restaurants.

All in all once she was born she found her place in our already established family, she didn't completely change the way we lived, if that makes since.

Anyway I say all that to make sure it's clear that It's not "hard" for me to be her mother. I love it, I can take her anywhere and I even get my pregnancy nap in while she's napping.

But it's exhausting, and long and draining when her daddy's gone!

Emery LOVES Benji so much. I mean so much that when he's not here she talks about him constantly. I think the reason she is this way is because he IS here so much. He is so involved with her and his work schedule allows him to be with her more than I ever imagined.

He takes her to MMO twice a week most of the time since it is at our church, he comes home almost every day for lunch with us (we purposely bought a home close to the church so that he could do this) So for that I am thankful.

Sunday night as soon as Benji walked in from his weekend away, I mean as he turned THE KEY in the door she started puking all over the couch.

All over. MY couch. My very light covered fabric couch.

He walked in the living room and she was still spewing.

Not a fun night. I did have to laugh at the timing though, haha, I simply said, "hey! perfect timing! Glad you're home!"


Needless to say the week ahead was not so fun. THEN Emery passed her bug onto me. The only thing worse than puking is puking while 24 weeks pregnant. It was a nightmare. Thankfully it looks like I'm in the clear now. Benji let me sleep in today and I'm feeling much better tonight.

It's funny that the same struggles seem to follow me. I have always had a hard time seeing past my immediate circumstances.

I'm a good dreamer, A good planner, but when I'm faced with difficult days I have a hard time remembering that the hard days, like all the other hard days before, will also pass.

So this post is to remind myself that thankfully, God's mercy is new each morning.

We are all feeling better, Benji's home for the weekend and tomorrow is a new day. :)

24 Weeks

Well we already take less pictures of the 2nd kid and he's not even out of the womb yet.

Honestly it's mainly because I'm fatter this go round so it's taken longer for me to really look pregnant, even though I'm bigger this time. And my camera memory card is full so we've resorted to using Benji's phone. It is SOOO convenient to be able to upload pics instantly off of his phone.

Any way, it's late, and I just got home from our GNO Thanksgiving dinner, we had a blast as usual. Hopefully by tomorrow there will be some pics to steal off of facebook so I'll have some to share.

Oh yeah! haha that is why there's whipped cream on the counter in the picture. :)

I was about to walk out the door for GNO and was taking it for my dessert dish.

Hot Air Balloon Guy

This is our friend David, he was at Angela's annual Halloween party.

Isn't this the best costume ever!?

W.W....Who's That Girl?

I tried to post this for wordless Wednesday...but I just couldn't do it with out SOME words.

I do not even know who that girl is, in the pictures that were taken only a few years ago. Before babies.

Yeah the one next to my husband.

Honestly, this is probably the hardest thing about being a mother for me.

I love the way I look when I'm pregnant. I feel pretty and whole and comfortable with a growing womb. My skin clears, my hair is thicker.

But once the baby comes out.

Well, you know.

I'll never be that girl in the pictures again. I wish I had known then what I know now. I would have loved and appreciated her more.

Halloween 10

Once again my friend Angela's Halloween party was the best party of the year.

Last year Emery and I only got to stop by for a few minutes because Benji had a party for the high schoolers at our house. THIS year I wanted to make sure we were able to attend because I wanted Emery to trick or treat for the first time. Angela has the perfect neighborhood for little ones.

We didn't get many pics of the actual trick or treating, because it was dark by then and we were having too much fun!

Emery had a blast, as well as the rest of the kiddos and of course the adults were having a pretty good time too. :)

Reason # 234 I Love Greenville

We aint never leavin this city!

I joke all the time (even though I'm kinda serious) that I prayed God would let us serve in a city with a Whole Foods and Starbucks.

Well he did!

I also found that Publix is a main grocery store in town, which I love as much as Whole Foods, for different reasons.

One reason I love Publix is because of their Apron Meals. They regularly sample full meals and always have a stand near by with recipe cards, telling you exactly what ingredients you need for a full meal.


These Apron Meals are super easy, quick and I've never tried one we didn't love.

BUT the reason for this post is to mention that this week Greenville opened it's first TRADER JOES!!!!!!
Hallelujer, Hallelujer!

Trader Joe's is a cross between Whole Foods and Aldi. If you can imagine.

The company is actually owned by Aldi, which isn't widely known I don't think....

Anyway, many items in the store are organic. They follow similar standards as Whole Foods such as no item has any artificial ingredients, colors or preservatives, no genetically modified ingredients, no MSG and no added trans fats. Basically this means I can shop without having to study every label!

Most of the items are Trader Joe's brand, which keeps the cost super low.

They also have super fun specialty items. I'm in love!

Good Glory, My Day

I've been sick since around Thursday. I have insane allergies that have been a thorn in my side all my life. I was even tested for Cystic Fibrosis when I was younger because I had so much snot!

I took 8 allergy shots a week up until the middle of high school. Anyway, you get it.

So now I manage my all this mess with Claritin D when I'm not pregnant and Zyrtec when I am knocked up.

This week I came down with some nasty funk. I've been up for the past three nights trying to cough this baby out.

I called my OBGYN nurse on call. She told me to sleep with a cough drop....sighhhh....

All my friends on facebook convinced me to see my primary Dr.

Since I've had Emery I've decided that the most convenient way for me to see a Dr. is to go to Doctors Care, the walk in clinics.

Yes I feel like I'm one step away from the Health Dept. Yes I use my hand sanitizer every five minutes there....BUT It's never taken me more than an hour to get in and out and they always, always fix me right up!

AND I can walk in on Saturday and Sunday! I love me some Dr's Care.

Most of the time I even see the same Dr. I had yet another sinus infection and ear infection. I think this makes #4 since we've been back in Greenville.

A steroid shot in the rear, antibiotic, prednizone pack and glorious life saving cough syrup made me feel like a new woman by that evening!

Praise the LORD I am so much better. Being pregnant, with a 2 1/2 year old running around, taking care of family business while trying to hold the baby in so he won't get coughed out is NO FUN!

I'm green as they come in many ways, but I want real drugs! No sleeping with cough drops in my mouth for me.

P.S. I really do love my OBGYN and the on call nurse there is a sweet heart. I'm sure if she really knew how sick I was she would have told me to go and see my primary Dr. There's a lot you miss in a few minute phone conversation. I also understand why they wouldn't want to see me themselves, I don't want sickies sitting next to me in the baby Dr. office, so I do agree with their policy for only seeing well patients.