Burchfield Blog

Im Back... from the dead

2012-01-16T08:25:00.003-06:00

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Have you ever felt like you were just surviving? Just getting by?
I hate to admit it, especially when I have so much to be grateful for! My sweet daughter and 2 precious boys.
But that has been going on. Oh yes, I am enjoying life as much as someone who gets 2 hours of sleep at night (at most) can get. It really can be quite debilitating. Sleep deprivation that is.

As a nursing mother, with Maddox, our last baby, I have perpetuated his need to get up and feel me beside him and comfort nurse all night. Of course he isn't hungry, and does not nurse for long, but would get upset just long enough for me to have to get up with him. I know not to bring him to bed, I never did with the others, but when you are so tired you cant think rational thoughts, this is what you do. See, I thought well at least I can rest a little when really even after he fell asleep I could not sleep due to his kicking or smelling milk and stirring all night. Then there goes another night of sleep.

a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Iy8LhXCOrAY/TxQ9lVhYUmI/AAAAAAAACCk/_hVeC-EjFmU/s1600/IMG_0041.JPG">
And... I love my pediatrician. Think he is the best doctor I have ever had the privilege of calling our doctor. But as anyone who has been in this particular place I was in knows, when someone recommends a book to a working mother who sleeps 2 hours at most it is not really advice that is taken.

After my husband was finally good enough to not only speak up about the change that needed to take place as well as put a foot down and say this is not healthy, I asked around. I read excerpts from a book I lived by with Hudson. (Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Dr. Weissbluth) My sister gave this to me. Although Hudson slept through the night on his own and napped really well. It just helped me to look for signs of a sleepy baby and teach him how to fall asleep on his own. I used these same techniques with Maddox and they didn't work. I was beyond frustrated and had resigned myself to have a baby who didn't sleep.
Listen this book is not just for babies who sleep well, it was designed to help anyone whatever the baby personality is, but I never had to read about difficult sleepers before so I would read over those chapters quickly reading only the interesting details.
When Dustin finally said, let make a game plan I got advice from other mothers (maybe even permission to let him cry) and I tried to take in what I could from written text. I didn't retain a lot, but apparently enough. The permission to hurt with the hope to benefit through it. The one thing I kept repeating to myself is that Maddox did not need to eat. He actually needed nothing.

The book said if they wake up happy in the morning that is all the reassurance you need. So now that Maddox was old enough it was time to let him cry. AHHHH
Cant even type the words much less do that on my own. We started laying him down after his nightly ritual, saying night night and shutting the door over Christmas break. (my husband and I are both teachers and have lots of time off over the holiday.)
I would let him cry one night but Dustin would not move fast enough on other nights and I would be running past him to get Maddox and hold him and soothe him and pretty soon Dustin's hard work would go out the window.
We tried again the second week of January but that was Dustin's first week back from Christmas break and he too would get tired and just let me do what seemed easiest at the time.
Well, this week we both decided to work together. At his urging, I was not to go into Maddox's' room at all during the night. When Maddox woke he would go in, change his diaper, and then put him back to bed without saying a word to him except night night. He is tough! I could not do that. But that is why God created Moms AND Dads!

Well on Friday night we laid him down at 7:30ish. Maddox got up once to eat at 9pm. Then we laid him down and he slept until 6am!
Was it a fluke? We did it again. Saturday night... no Maddox until 6:30 am again.
And then last night, laid him down after feeding him again at 9. Guess what!!!?!!
He woke up at 7:30 am!
I know letting them cry is hard. He was particularly difficult. There were times he would cry over 30 minutes. Longest 30+ minutes of my life. He would cry and gag and scream. It was so horrible. But I just kept repeating, he doesn't need anything! He has a clean diaper, a full tummy and is tired. What he needs is sleep.
I know some people think this is the cruelest form of punishment there is. Some people may judge and say I am selfish for wanting sleep.

But deep down, beyond my own hurting heart, I knew this was right. Maddox needed to learn how to put himself to sleep. I am doing him and the rest of my family a favor. It is making him healthier, me healthier, and everyone happier!
Once we started working together to be consisten it took just a few nights. Already its like a "cure."
When he is tired during the day we can go lay him down in his crib and he will go right to sleep without having to cry out. How crazy! I have to thank Dustin on this one.
Just wanted to share my story. I had to use an iPod with earphones to get through it. Really my husband did all the work. But I had to be on board for it to be a success.

missed QT with some great girls

2011-11-16T21:47:00.004-06:00

Psalm 90:12
12 Teach us to number our days,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom

Being a mom of three with a full time job is no easy feat. I feel pulled in so many directions some times. Dustin is constantly trying to get me to leave the kids to have adult time with him, and while I know this is so important I have such a hard time doing it.
I missed quality time with some pretty special girls who have committed to meeting for a bible study once a month.
You would think I could committ to that but it seems that it creeps up on me each time and fifty other things are in the balance.
How do I manage my time?
More importantly, is the time being managed in a way that would be pleasing to the Lord?
I was glad to stay home with my family tonight but I do miss those girls and probably could have used that too. But... I picked up Maddox late to find that his first tooth has popped through on the bottom, no wonder he has not slept in ages. He has been moody all night tonight and has wanted to be held most of the time because the tooth right beside it is coming through too.
Why am I so sad about it? I guess knowing he is my last baby and him getting teeth all signifies this will end sooner than I am ready for.
Five months is just too soon for my little guy to be all grown up.
Feeling overwhelmed tonight.
8`(

Help me remember...this is the important stuff
http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/honoring-god-with-your-time-greg-warren-sermon-on-giving-yourself-63145.asp

Buddy Walk and Hudson's Birthday

2011-10-23T16:58:00.005-05:00

October 15th was the Tarrant County Buddy Walk at UTA.
The buddy walk benefits Down Syndrome Awareness and inclusion. My nephew Rhett was born in January with Down's Syndrome. This year was the first year that he would assemble a team to walk and raise money for the cause.
I am so proud of my sister, she has done things she probably never dreamed of since having Rhett! She and her in-laws made some calls and talked to some pretty amazing people who helped them get a benefit together and raise over $40,000 for Rhett's team (Rhett's Roadies.) It has been amazing to see so many people who care about Rhett Mattie and Jerad come together to make some pretty incredible things happen.
WE have all learned a lot this year.
Rhett has been the best gift our family could receive and we are all thankful to know him and have him in our lives. This kid is destined to do a-mazing things!
In all the team raised over $50,000 for the Buddy Walk. This money promotes research and provides income to a local school for Down Syndrome people!
This was our first Buddy Walk to attend and the day could not have been more perfect. They have a carnival type set up for kids and that was perfect because it also happened to fall on Hudson's birthday. Hudson and my dad (Pop) both share a birthday on October 15th. The weather was perfect and the day was just a lot of fun in general. There were games, and little activities, bounce houses and more.

Here are just a few pictures of us getting ready to walk...

the boy cousins
Jack Todd Hudson Rhett and Maddox

birthday boys

Rhett

3 day weekend and sick babies

2011-10-09T18:04:00.005-05:00

Its Murphys law I am sure of it!
We have been looking forward to our 3 day weekend all week and then we get the call on Friday that Hudson threw up his breakfast as well as his lunch. ;P
We get him home but not before throwing up in the car. He throws up all night Friday night and Dustin makes a pallet and he and Hudson stay in the living room since I am still getting up to nurse Maddox at night.
Saturday morning, we take it easy, rain is falling and Hudson is running a low grade fever but slowly feeling better.
My neice Taylor turned 16 on Friday and I took Peyton to her grandma's where they have the party. We stay in Saturday night and look forward to a nice Sunday... when we get the call Sunday morning.
Peyton has thrown up and we need to go get her. :p
Dustin goes to get her and I begin to feel yucky. So, we called off our plans to go to the State Fair tomorrow and stick close to home to alleviate spreading this any further.
Body aches, chills, and nausea! Not the way I wanted to describe my weekend!
In the last couple of days we did take some fun pictures courtesy of pinterest ideas again!
Maddox turned 4 months on Saturday the 8th!

Hudson will be two on the 15th of October. Because we had a scheduled c-section we chose for him to share his birthday with my daddy. This year it will be extra because we will spend that morning at the Buddy Walk for Rhett as we walk to raise awareness for Down Syndrome.
I have been meaning to take some pictures to add to Hudson's online birthday invitations (yes I am a real busy girl and did not make invitations) Anyways with the rain coming down the lighting was perfect for some front porch pictures

So we are praying that we all feel well by Tuesday so that we can return to school then.

Home Projects

2011-09-23T20:28:00.003-05:00

Stay Tuned...

This is the first of many home projects this weekend. A teacher friend of mine has a business... SassyFrass Phrases on Facebook (Click the name to link up)
Anyhow, I finally got around to asking her to make me my phrase for the dining room and I LOVE IT!
The wall needs something else, just not sure what exactly yet.

Today's Pinterest Influence...

2011-09-12T17:47:00.005-05:00

I decided to use one of the hairstyles I pinned on Pinterest... the messy bun!
I got so many compliments today! They were probably thinking, "thank you for doing something different with your hair!!!" HA

How fun is that? I would show you from the front, but I have 24 kindergarteners all day and I looked at the pic from the front and decided nobody needed to see that mess. No, not the hair, the face. :P

3 months and my newest obsession

2011-09-10T23:22:00.008-05:00

Maddox was 3 months old on the 8th of September.
He is not the easy baby Hudson was, but I do feel badly admitting this. I will say I am ready for some sleep. He has lots of happy moments but just does not sleep as well and has a lot more fussy moments than Hudson ever had.
I am solely nursing and praying about starting cereal soon. Mainly because I am hoping that will help him to sleep a little longer. Right now he sleeps about two hours at a time at night. This means I am getting up a lot and now that school has started and my maternity leave is officially over, IM POOPED!
I have actually been somewhat under the weather for a couple of weeks and I know that it is lasting so long because I am in need of consecutive hours of sleep!
I already had to have a sub after the congestion in my chest got so bad it left me with no voice. Not good when you have 24 5-6 year olds and your job is to talk all day.
The picture above was an idea I snagged from pinterest. I like to do creative things and pinterest is a great way to come up with new and fun ideas for my home, parties, recipes etc.
If you arent on there yet, you've gotta check it out!
I was a late comer to the pinterest party. My friends have been talking about this for a while but I was busy with Maddox and have just recently made it my newest obsession. Seriously, love the things I find.

Here is my next fun little project...

I already have letter and number posters inside his closet doors that when opened up are great use of space but I want them to be a little more interactive, so here we go! I love this!
Its an oil drip pan from walmart... 12 bucks! what an easy idea!

Keep checking back, I am going to try to post more of my finds when I can do them myself!

Top 10s kids and hubby

2011-08-10T16:19:00.010-05:00

So serious
Smiley boy

I was just sitting here thinking about all of the little things that make me smile...
So I thought I would make a list
I can't rate these in order its just ten things that make me smile about my kids
-Peyton's wicked sense of humor and how we can laugh even though nobody else thinks its funny
-I love it that when we sit down for dinner Hudson reaches for our hands to pray
-I loves Maddox's smile all opened mouth and wrinkled up nose...THE BEST!
-I love Peyton's freckles. They are little angel kisses, we have always told her that.
-When I go to pick Hudson up from the nursery at church he yells "MOMMA!", and runs to hug me (Dustin and I actually fight over who will pick him up every Sunday because we both love this!) ;)
-I love that both my boys look at me like I am the love of thier life! (yes, I am aware this will change)
-I love that Peyton looks at me like I'm crazy, this puts me back in check after the boys gazing looks. :p
okay four more, lets see...
-being anywhere with all of my family spending time together, whether dressed to the nines or in some pj's. There just isnt anything better.
-I love how Peyton tries to combine forces with Dustin and they pick on me (secretly I love this, dont tell them!)
-my three sets of blue eyes! All different in their own way, but beautiful blue eyes.
-The best part of all of this is how they each love each other so deeply. IT is amazing to me to see my children connect. I hope they are close for the rest of thier lives!

Okay now my hubster's turn:
I love this pic!

-IS it wrong to tell you that my husband has a cute booty?
I guess I probably should not have led with that, oh well moving on
-I love the sweet msgs he texts me when he is out of town to tell me how much he misses me
-I love that he makes me laugh all the time
-Even though I am tall, he is still tall enough for me to rest my head on his chest for a really good squeeze
-I love that he is such a good daddy who loves our children soo much
-I love it that we still have so much to talk about
hmmm. narrowing this down to four more
-his love language is acts of service. He is so good at this, it shocks me how giving he can be of his time
(taken from the book The Five Love Languages)
-HE still likes to spend alone to with me and really values this.
-and ladies... he puts gas in my car everytime it gets low. He checks it often and then takes it to the station if it needs it. Seriously, this is something so little but so huge for me.
He definitely can make a girl swoon! :)

2 Months

2011-08-08T22:34:00.003-05:00

Maddox is 2 months old today
He's smiling
He's cooing
and... today Hudson got a belly laugh out of him just by talking to him. :)
He has been laughing in his sleep but never when he has been awake.

He loves his bath time

He weighs a whopping
14 lbs 3 oz
and he is 24 inches long
The doctor said his growth curve is not a curve yet, its a line going straight up. Ha. REally it is, I saw the data! He is growing faster than expected.
I could have told you that.
He is wearing 3-6 month clothing and has been for about a month
he wears a size 2 diaper
He does not sleep through the night and still has days and nights confused. How will this work when i start back to school next week?
He has only been nursing and I have not done even one formula bottle. That is good and bad. I am proud that I have been able to do that, but it makes it harder for me to ruin that streak if something happens and I have to supplement. I know that sounds so silly, it will just be harder.
We all love him so much. Peyton has gotten to be such a good little mother and I am thankful everyday for her and the help she gives!

I am going to take him to school this week as I work in my classroom just so I can nurse as I need to and my mom will watch Hudson. Enjoying my last few days of summer vaca.. aka maternity leave.

the official countdown is 7 days left.

CHAPELCREEK Building Update

2011-08-03T15:19:00.000-05:00

So... I asked for prayers regarding our journey as a family to find a new church in our area and shared with you that we have in fact found our new church home. It is exciting and I feel hungry for God's word and to be there each Sunday and worship with this group of people. I am blessed each time I walk into the building.
Peyton has really jumped in with both feet. She went to church camp with them and has been there each wednesday night worship with the youth. Two weeks ago they asked her to help lead worship when the youth minister and music minister went out of town. What an honor! I love that they have really opened their arms to her and found a place for her in this church.

Hudson goes to the child care center and still gets fussy everytime we drop him off. WE talk about it each Saturday night and Sunday morning and he talks about "chuch." He is always excited to go "play with the kids" until he gets there and of course he realizes we are leaving him for an hour or so. THis has been hard for Dustin and I had to fire him from this job of going with us to drop him off because he stays too long and makes it worse!! :) (Such a rookie!) He says that he never had to do this with Peyton and its all new to him.
Maddox stays with us right now, for one, because he has not had shots yet and is very suceptible to contagious colds flus etc and two because he is nursing and it is just easier to give him a bottle that I pumped. Okay, its also because I am not ready to let go! :) But he is very good and usually sleeps most of the service.
Dustin and I are in limbo. They do community groups and we would like to join one during the week but not while he is working out of town Monday through Friday. His last week in Killeen in next week so I am excited to get closer with people our own age in our church.
I am so impressed with everyone. It is a friendly, Godly group... from the pastor, praise and worship leader to the youth leaders! I love the word we are fed each Sunday and the way I see this church growing. Today I got an email with a list of prayer needs. I love how personal that is. And I have made a committment to pray.

Our pastor does video blogs often... here is a peek at some things that are going on.
(Click on the title of the blog to go to the website)

If you are looking for a new church and you live in the west side of Fort Worth (White Settlement area close to Lockeed) come visit! Its awesome and I am proud to be a part of the growth of this church!

Rhett

2011-07-27T10:31:00.006-05:00

Rhett came over yesterday while my sister Mattie did some hair at her house. Rhett is my nephew and cousin of course to Peyton Hudson and Maddox.
He is always such a happy baby and finally all the boys were awake at the same time and I was able to get some shots with my phone. They are a little crazy. Getting three boys under age 2 to all be perfect through the lens of a camera is pretty much impossible!

take 1

take 2

take 3

take 4

ha ha ha
oh well ;p

We are walking for Rhett's DS Awareness Event in Arlington on October 15th. Which also happens to be Hudson's and Pop's Birthdays. What a fun way to celebrate. We want lots of people walking for Rhett's team so if you want to support him through walking or by donation only check out his facebook page with all the important information by clicking on the link below:

Rhett's Roadies
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/event.php?eid=252361544789508
or
http://secure.ezeventsolutions.com/fr/tcbw/2011/RhettsRoadies

This is a family friendly event that has bounce houses face painting and more!

Stay tuned for a Texas Country Benefit Concert to benefit Rhett's walking team and the Down Syndrom Partnership of Tarrant County! We are so excited.

Hudson loves Rhett

I just love little boys

2011-07-25T13:10:00.005-05:00

Today we are watching a friend's little boy. Austin is the son of my friend Daniel from high school. He got in a bind this week and since I am home I told him I would watch him. I thought it might be nice for Hudson to have a play buddy.He is only a month younger than Hudson and they are having so much fun!
Even when they dont get along it is entertaining. I try to see if they can work it out before I intervene. Of course they only want the toy that the other is playing with. I am pretty sure Hudson has taught Austin to scream the word no. He just started that a few days ago and now I have two little boys running around the playroom screaming the word no! hehe its actually pretty cute
For the most part they have gotten along. They have thrown the football back and forth, played in the little toddler pool, slid down the tyke slide, and eaten popsicles... and its only 1 o'clock. Right now they are taking naps. Actually, everyone is except me. Maddox, Hudson, Austin, and even Peyton. :)
This has been so much fun. Little boys are so lovable.
Check it out:

SUYL Marriage Advice

2011-07-23T10:12:00.004-05:00

Today on Kelly's Korner she has a show us your life marriage advice for others to give their advice regarding this topic. (Click on blog title to go to this blog)
I also share her sentiment that I by no means have it ALL figured out. However, I DO feel like my experiences in our 6 year marriage might help others who are struggling now. If you have read previous blogs of mine you know I am a big believer in the fact that our lives have seasons. Its biblical therefore I believe it to be true.
"There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace."

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

I believe this is true for everything in our lives.SO ofcourse I believe this holds true for marriage. Currently my husband and I are going through a great time of love and peace. WE are very in tune with each other and each others emotions. Are we always like this? Definitely NOT! I am not ashamed of what we have been through. WE have gone through an intense period of mending and deciding to give up or throw away. Yes in only 6 years. But, I believe this had made us stronger.
The best advice I can give anyone in their own marriage is this:
Forgive as Christ forgave you
(Bear with each other and forgive whatever problems you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Colossians 3:13)
and...
Seek His will before your own
(33But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:33)
Is that too simple? No, God's intent for us to follow him is to be obedient even when we dont "feel" like it, sometimes that is very difficult to do.
So, if you can stop dwelling on the negative long enough to listen to God's will for your life it may surprise you. If you can be obedient to his will I believe he will add the salt to your life!

I can say this has been true for me thus far. There was a time I thought my marriage was going to end. I was so beside myself all I could do was pray and read my bible. God revealed to me to pray through this. Unaware of the outcome I did this. HE brought us through it. IT also brought me closer to the Lord. Hmm.... I love how he can always use anything for His good and His purpose. I dont believe it was His plan for us to be outside of his will for us. But I believe he drew us back in and that is so amazing.
I can honestly say I am happier having stuck things out instead of jumping ship. My husband is worth it. I thought that the day I married him and I KNOW that for sure now. I believe as our marriage grows my love grows deeper and I feel deeply and richly blessed to have Dustin as my partner in life. :)

More pictures of my sweet family

2011-07-16T12:42:00.005-05:00

sorry so many! it still isnt all of them but had hard time choosing. I am so in love and feel so blessed. (sigh)

"Children are a gift from God. They are his reward"
Psalm 127:3

Newborn pictures came in

2011-07-13T11:24:00.002-05:00

These are just the sneak peeks so not all of them yet...

July updates

2011-07-10T14:10:00.007-05:00

We spent Independence Day with Dustin's parents, sister, and niece in Granbury as always. This is Dustin's favorite holiday and we always spend it out there. Usually spending the day on the square (which we did, watching the town fireworks (which we did) and then popping off our own fireworks(which we did not this year)
Peyton has misplaced the hookup to the camera but I have some wonderful pictures to post of the Burchfield grandchildren. Even though Hudson made it very difficult to shoot. Peyton, Ariel, and Maddox were cuties.
My parents and Taylor joined us this year too which was a nice surprise.

Maddox turned 1 month old on the 8th of July. I always get panicky at one month. It is going too fast and pretty soon I am going to have to go back to work.
Obviously the Lord wants me working because it is just not doable for me to be home so I accept that and will be happy to serve in that capacity once I do get back. BUT... I am enjoying my time home with my big girl and my little boys.

1 month old

Dustin has been working in Killeen this past week and Peyton has been a BIG Help to me with the boys. Maddox went through a very difficult growth spurt when Dustin was gone, of course!

Peyton left for church camp today. We visited a church last week and feel like we have finally found our church home, so she left with them for camp today. She has already met some girls and is excited to be part of the youth and also to start school soon. Please be praying for her and for all of the kids while they are away.

Dustin will be gone again this week as well so it will be me and the boys. Thank goodness Maddox went through the growth spurt last week!

Hudson is adjusting to life as a big brother very well. He helps out a lot going and getting me things like diapers and wipes, or whatever. Then he claps after he hands me whatever it is I need. :) TOO CUTE!
He also loves to hold his hand since Maddox grabs his hand back. Hudson just thinks that is so cool.

Maddox is getting bigger every day! We ran into a couple at church who have a 5 week old and Maddox looked giant compared to that baby that is a week older than he. I have caught him trying to smile a time or two but not on a regular basis yet.
He is a BIG BOY! Bigger than Huddy was. He is getting chunkier every day which I love and he is wearing mostly 3-6 month clothing! WHOA BIG Boy, slow down.

Peyton is such a help to me, mostly keeping my little wild man off his little brother, so she really enjoys it when she gets to hang with Maddox. Its hard for others to bond with him since I am exclusively nursing him right now and have not started pumping at all yet. He is definitely a momma's boy right now.

The kids and I are tired of the heat, not because I dont love summer, for those that know me very well. Its is really due to the fact that Maddox is too little to be out in the pool or the heat this summer. WE have watched more movies than I care to.

To come:
I would love to have a date night with my hubby soon! So stay tuned for that, we have not followed through with out 12 dates in a year since Maddox has come. I'd say that is a pretty good trade off but I still value that time with him. We will hopefully get back on track next month.

more to come on our new church. We are really excited and hope to connect a little more and report back soon!

professional pictures were taken two weeks ago and I hope to get some of those up. Dont know that the family pics will be worth a darn since Hudson once again did not cooperate, but the kids got some decent ones with out Dustin and I.

School... not ready to talk about my journey back from maternity leave just yet. Pray for my heart not to break. :(

Check out some recent pics:

(I wish I had more of Peyton, but she wont ever let me take her picture anymore!)

Amateur Photography by... ME

2011-06-18T11:06:00.004-05:00

Baby Maddox -- 10 days old

Baby Maddox James Burchfield is here!

2011-06-16T14:43:00.006-05:00

Maddox was born at 1:02 Wednesday June 8th!
He was 7 lbs 15 oz and was 19 3/4 inches long
He has long fingers and toes and looks a lot like his Momma!

Sister Peyton was present at the hospital.

I got to dress everyone when Hudson was born. We had shirts made that said team Hudson, but this time Dustin asked if since the DAllas Mavericks Basketball Team was playing in the finals he wanted everyone to wear Mavs gear to the hospital!
IT must have brought them some good vibes because they are now he NBA Champs! We are excited about that.

Since we have been home Peyton has enjoyed holding a baby that is still and doesnt throw fits or run away when you try to hold him. (Unlike Hudson) :)

Hudson has run the gammet of emotions including awwe, love, amazement, and complete jealousy and disgust. :) Which we totally expected. He is so interested in the baby at times and other times could care less about his presence.

Maddox is a pretty easy baby and we feel blessed to have had such a calm brood!

Here are some pics from the last few days. I am so in love with my family. Each member is such a gift!

He's here!

Papparazzi

We are now a family of 5!

Big Sister Peyton with Maddox

Our Boys

Praying Hands

Pop Turner

G-Ma Turner

G-ma Burchfield and Cousin Ariel

Sweet Baby Boy

Mavs Gear at the hospital

What to bring to the hospital...

2011-05-26T06:16:00.002-05:00

-toiletries
-makeup
-brush
-ponytail holder if you have hair long enough to put in a ponytail
-pillow
-socks
-Boppy (especially if you are having a c-section) It is much more comfy to nurse baby with a pillow on the incision and holds baby up higher too

-I have 3 cameras, a little one for delivery room, my good camera for later, and my video camera! (Yes I go to extremes)
-going home outfit for me (consists of a loose fitting dress)
-nursing bra
-Hooter Hider or it's equivalent if you are nursing and have lots of guests coming in and out. It helps you like me who do not feel as comfortable showing all you got going on :)

-pillow and blanket (the hospital pillow are little air mattresses that pretty much deflate as soon as you lean on them)
-cell phone and email source to get details of birth out to friends family etc
-I am also bringing my Bible and a nursing book, there actually is down time at the hospital. I know I will have some serious uninterrupted quiet time to read my bible! How nice.

For Baby-
-Lots of small onesies, they will make a mess of them and you will have to change them often, especially boys, they like to pee while the diaper is off for some reason so bring lots of onesies
-a swaddling blankie and recieving blankies, again baby will make a mess of them!

-a few diapers and wipes for the day you are being released, simply because it takes longer than you can even imagine!
-newborn socks and beanie hats (even in the summer it is cold in the hospital)
-car seat

For family-
-lots of change for machines (snacks)
-or just some snacks :)
-cards or laptop for games (especially for older children)
-cigars for daddy , this is just a fun surprise for him!

Big Anks and Skinny Days Ahead!

2011-05-19T22:14:00.003-05:00

OVer the last two days my swelling has gotten crazy out of control. IT is not for the squemish. To be honest I am running out of ankle covering clothing. To make myself feel better tonight these are some images I have been focusing on....

Normal legs and feet...

these were in Mexico when huddy was about 6 months old! I can do it again, right?
Maybe I need to plan another trip to motivate me?

Officially 9 months pregnant!

2011-05-16T16:47:00.003-05:00

Welcome to your last month of pregnancy! By 36 weeks pregnant, you're definitely looking the part of a nearly full-term pregnant women (wide load, coming through), but are you walking the part? Do you have that telltale stride, the penguin waddle that many third-trimester moms-to-be seem to affect? The pregnant waddle is not in your imagination, it's in your connective tissue. Those persistent pregnancy hormones (when will they leave you alone?) cause the connective tissue in your body to soften and loosen. And that's particularly important now that you're nearing D-day (delivery day). Your baby — who's grown quite large by this point — needs to squeeze through your pelvic bones, so it's a good thing that they're more flexible now.
(Look at how squished he and I are!)

-From whattoexpect.com

I find this particularly funny as many have commented on my gate lately.
I actually had several teachers lovingly tell me I am huge today. HA!
That really does not bother me. I think every pound of pregnancy weight gain is just a fun part of it believe it or not. ITs is probably the only time I have such a healthy view of my body and weight! :)

I am 36 weeks this week and am so ready to POP! I am finding a little more comfort now though and realize the stress of moving really took a toll on my body. I am ready to meet Maddox, but would like to make it through the school year to be able to show my students parents all they have accomplished this year at our awards ceremony, 2 days before school is out. IT is one of the neatest and proudest days always.

We have taken all the baby "things" out like car seats, bouncy seats etc, and Hudson is enamored. He thinks they are just his size. He has never been one to sit and watch a tv program for even five minutes, yet ever since the bouncy seat has made its way back into our house he will sit and now watch an entire program. This amazes me. It also scares me as I picture him sitting on the baby. :0

I have packed a hospital bag for Maddox and started one for me, just in case. But it is hard to do mine because I wear my maternity pj's that I bought for the hospital all the time. My poor husband. :)

Dustin will be off for five days when I have Maddox and then will be working 5 days a week in Killeen. This is a little scary and we have not worked out all the details, but anyone willing to come spend a day helping me take care of my little chitlins is quite welcome! SERIOUSLY!
REcovery from a c-section will be interesting with my little Hudson and I definitely do not want all of that burden to be placed on my sweet helpful 13 year old! Miss Peyton does a lot already. (But may I say I am so blessed!)

Prayers Needed:
Dustin is still in search of a job, teaching or not. (he is getting discouraged and we are in need of some prayers and some ideas if you have any!)

Healthy Baby Maddox of course

Stress free end to mine and Peyton's school year

New church home- we have been visiting churches and have found some positives at all of them. Help us pray that we find exactly where God wants us!

We moved and it just keeps going...

2011-05-10T21:36:00.008-05:00

Belated Easter Picture of the family, (Maddox in utero!)

Yes, we did move April 30th and I am just now posting. That is what moving gets you... way behind!
MOVING:
Moving at 8and a half months pregnant proved to be no easy feat. WE boxed up the old house two weeks prior because Dustin was paid to do wood in the bedroom by the landlord. Yes, while we were in the home. OH my! NEVER AGAIN!
WE started moving April 30th that Saturday morning and by Saturday night I was crying (literally) and telling Dustin I thought I was in labor. No! I did not do any heavy lifting, but YES... I totally overworked myself. It is hard to watch everyone take over and move your posessions without a thought of guilt or care in the world. I just felt as though I could not sit idolly by. So, that SAturday night I was cramping all night long and having contractions and I just knew it was it. When I returned to work on Monday I could barely walk my back was so sore from bending.
Hudson has also had quite an adjustment. WE brought him over to our empty house and tried to show him around before we moved. Then we sent him to my little sisters while we moved and unpacked his whole room to have ready for him that first night so he could feel comfortable. That first night he walked in and had no problems going to bed in his crib. Everything looked the same.
WEll, Sunday morning he woke up, I took him out of his crib, he ran out of his room, and he pretty much lost it the rest of the day. he was confused and out of sorts. Our house is much bgger than the old one. It has two different hallways and that was confusing him, he panicked if we were not in the same room with him at all times. He hardly slept and when we would move a few more of his things in, he would scream and point to get them out of that room. It was so sad. :(

The following weekend of events:
Peyton turned 13 on May 6th!
Pictures to come, I have to get approval from her first. :) she and her guitar soon..
After unpacking all week we had a new item on the agenda to keep us busy. Of course this is a huge item, my daughter is a teenager! WE got her an acoustic guitar for her birthday. I hope I will get to post more of her musical talents soon! She is so excited. She had a dance that same night so we took her back up to the school and had to go pick her up which is a haul since we have moved.
THe big party is this weekend!
I woke up the next day to a crazy sore throat only to figure out that I had strep (the 3rd time in my life ever!) YUCK
Poor Peyt... no shopping, no fun, more laundry and unpacking.

Mother's Day:
I spent the day in bed trying to stay up long enough to watch a movie, whining and being totally annoying to my family. I eventually sent them out so I could sleep and they did not have to be around me. They tell me they were doing me a favor but I really think it went both ways. :)
Oh and they went to Mayfest and Peyton bought me a new cross to add to my wall (see below) for Mother's Day. She is such a sweet baby!

(so blessed to be their mom!) I really have the best kids!

Tonight:
After a crazy ordeal trying to get internet and one mix up after another with AT&T they finally showed up to hook us up and I am officially back online. I am finally connected to the world again.
WE also got to have my Mother's Day Dinner tonight. WE went to Olive Garden and had a great family dinner.
I am finally feeling better after several weeks of crazy hard work and this week, the big 13 celebration begins.
8 teenagers will be at my house for a slumber party.
Pray for me! :)

(36 weeks pregnant today! Yoga pants, NIIIICE) ha
Baby Maddox:
Doctor Allen has officially scheduled my c-section for WEdnesday, June 8th. ( We get out of school June 4th.) I am huge and uncomfortable. I cannot wait to see if he looks like Hudson and Peyton or himself. Who knows I might just have one brown eyed baby. I am getting excited. WE have the boys' room put together, Peytons room is coming along, and Dustins and mine is too.
NOw to figure out where to put my things back on walls and make this house our own.
I will brag and show the cross wall Dustin did to help destress me. (AWWE)
Check it out:

Its a work in progress but I have been collecting these crosses for a while now and never had hung them all up! HE did so great!

Staff Egg Hunt and More...

2011-04-21T20:34:00.003-05:00

My school had their annual staff egg hunt today. Hudson got to hunt for the first time. He thought the eggs were balls and he kept chunking them down the hallway.

Hudson dancing to "Have Patience"
Such a happy baby!

"Read me a story"

My Grown Up Girl

2011-04-12T22:08:00.003-05:00

Lots of posts this week.
I am beaming with pride tonight after watching Peyton sing in the talent show. I ran to get here straight from school, let her get ready at a teacher friend's house tonight so we could be close to the neighborhood, grabbed her dinner on the road, dropped her off for sound checks, met Dustin for dinner and got back there in time to get great seats. We waited as several kids performed. The more time that went on my nerves were getting the best of me I prayed and prayed for her to feel calmed and brave while I waited.
I literally felt sick.
Then finally she came on...
Holy cow! When did my daughter become this young lady? I really had to hold back tears for fear that once I started I would not be able to stop. Plus, I did not want to shake and mess up the camera.
Just take a look.

Confessions of an Imperfect Mom

2011-04-11T19:15:00.007-05:00

What brought on this post? My exhaustion? Perhaps.
Tonight I made chicken nuggets, boxed mac and cheese and canned green beans for dinner.
Maybe it was all the preservatives or processed food that just got to me?
Who knows, but I cant help but think about all the little funny imperfect working mom things I do.
Let me start off by saying, I know stay at home moms have a hard job, but I envy you ladies that have that job.
Do I love my job? Very much so. I even feel as though it is fulfilling my spiritual gift. But that doesnt mean I dont have guilt for not doing everything picturesque.
The dinner thing, well enough said with today's choice menu. Although my children DID clean their plates, as did my husband. :)
Anyways these are my confessions, lets see if you can identify. I would love to hear from you if so...
- Sometimes (NOT ALWAYS)dinner consists of a frozen concoction, fast food, or overly processed items such as the aforementioned.

- Hudson still wont take his milk cold, I heat it up, and yes, he is 18 months old

- As a pregnant momma, I enjoy caffeinated drinks such as coke and dr pepper

- sometimes when Hudson is grouchy I hold him while making dinner

- I let Peyton have cokes sometimes

- Sometimes I let the laundry pile up

- Every so often I am ready to put my baby down for bed to get a sit down break

I am sure there are so many more. But those are just a few. I cant help but think though how blessed I am with the life I have. I could wallow about the fact that I dont get to stay home, but God helps me to see the joy in the successes of my students and the love I feel for and from each of them.
I could try to kill myself with painstakingly perfect dinners and spend less time with my family, but God gives me permission to be imperfect and helps me to just be grateful that they all cleaned their plates. (Hey, at least they liked dinner.)
Peyton was never allowed cokes when she was younger and now when she is allowed them it is more of a novelty and she usually cannot finish one.
Laundry Shmaundry!
It is okay to admit that, YUP, sometimes my body is tired after a long day, but I can still cherish the time I do have with my children.
I am trying to teach my daughter to see the good in herself even when she is dissappointed that life is not perfect because she did not make the soccer team or whatever dissappointments life throws at her.
Today I caught myself saying it is okay to be dissappointed for a little while, but then ask yourself, where does God want me? Heck... ask him.
Our mission as a couple lately has been to just be more deliberately prayerful in our decision making and every day.
Amazingly our pastor talked about building your altar to do just that at home or where ever to fulfill your time with God.
There are so many ways I am not perfect. I just can't help but feel thankful that the Lord loves me just as I am. I hope my children will feel this love always. I pray that my students will know this love too.
I hope I can take my own advice when I do possess guilt for my imperfections.
As long as I am consistently asking the Lord what He wants from me and letting him guide me I know all will be good, not perfect but His will, which is just about as close as a person can get.
AS a mom it is so much easier to be diliberate about your thoughts and the things you want your children to know, but I hope God will remind me of these words some days too!

Romans 8:28
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

We are Moving!

2011-04-09T17:16:00.005-05:00

No house to buy just yet.
We are very ready to be out in the area without a whole lot of hope on the house front yet, but our big concern now is getting Peyton acclamated into the area into a church meeting friends that go to her school, so we are taking the plunge and moving before this baby comes. HAve I mentioned after 6 years we have COMPLETELY OUTGROWN our house! :)

(This is not ours, just found it funny!)

April 30th to be exact.
WE found a home near the area we want to be in that has that 4th bedroom and feel that being settled in between both sets of grandparents instead of right next to one might be easier for us.
The plan for this next school year is to have Hudson going to my mother in laws house. She has an abecca program preschool running in her home and now that Hudson is older we feel he needs that structure and socialization, but Maddox will be going to my mom's house for the first year once I go back to work in the fall.
This will be a lot of running, yes; but it just makes sense for us. The drive to my in-laws' house is not a fun one from where we currently live. So we are heading west.
WE are excited about what the next year holds and will continue to look for a house to purchase, but we do not want to rush into anything. So we will wait until God shows us exactly the house for us.
Pray for us during this time of transition. Especially Peyton. She is excited to go to school in the neighborhood she lives in. That will be a nice change for her since she is currently going to the school district I teach in. IT is hard for her socially to be so far from all of the school action and this will be a welcome change. With change comes feelings of insecurity and fear of the unknown. We are praying that we are doing the right thing in hopes of benefitting her.
Speaking of our sweet smart beautiful and talented daughter.... she has made it for the talent show. Her school hosted tryouts for the talent show this coming Tuesday night. Out of the many that tried out, 14 kids made it and she was one!
She will be singing "the only exception" by Paramore.
Keep an eye out for film on that!
I love to sing and I am excited that she shares that love. Her voice is so pretty and I cannot help but be proud!

Two things I would like to share...
First:we had a hard time locating an instrumental version to the song she wanted to sing, but after much research I found how to convert a youtube file into an MP3 and I wanted to share...
find the music that you want to convert in a youtube file (check it for clarity etc)
copy the web address or link for this particular song
then go to fetchmp3.com and simply paste the web address into the upload space
then save into your music files on your hard drive. It is eally easy and takes about 2 minutes tops!

Secondly:
wanted to share what I have been listening to non-stop lately
its Your Great Name
Natalie Grant has a cover that comes on the radio but I also like this version...

God is so good. I have so much to be thankful for. My third sweet baby is coming soon. I have two wonderful and healthy children at home. I have a husband that I love and does so much for me. Thank you Jesus!

Maddox James

2011-04-03T20:47:00.004-05:00

I am 30 weeks pregnant this week with Maddox James.
He is moving so much, especially very early in the morning beforeI should be getting up. I think he is going to be a big boy. I am uncomfortably big with him already. I am starting to eat less lately simply because I have no room.
He is my 3rd baby and I dont want him to feel any less special. I have journals and baby books for Peyton. An unfinished baby book for Hudson but lots of blogging to look back on as well as pictures.
My goal is to make sure he feels just as important in our family.
I really had a hard time thinking about having a baby when I was first pregnant with him. Hudson seemed so little and I could not imagine how much he would grow up over these last few months.
But I am excited for this little guy to arrive. His birthday should not come long after Peyton's 13th! Crazy to think, my first baby will be a teenager.
Anyways, here are some pictures of my pregnancy with Maddox.
There is one is my pj's one going out pic and one on my way to work!
Baby Maddox, I love you

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 30 Weeks
Size of baby: Maddox weighs around 3 pounds
Total Weight Gain/Loss: I dont count, its best that way, I dont want to obsess
Maternity Clothes: I mostly wear dresses, it is most comfortable not to have anything on my belly like pants or jeans
Gender: Boy! Maddox James Burchfield
Movement: HE is most active around... oh... all the time!
Sleep: I can't sleep. I can't get comfortable and I have to use the restroom all the time.
What I miss: No heartburn.
Cravings: I've lost my appetite lately - I think maybe my stomach has run out of room? But ice due to the lack of iron.
Symptoms: I'm 7 1/2 months pregnant - I'm huge, I waddle and I can barely move. I can't bend over or get comfortable in any position. When I laugh hard it feels like I am going to give birth.
Best Moment this week: Tlking about his arrival with Dustin and Peyton. Hudson just likes to pat my belly and blow raspberries on it. HA

2011-04-02T20:27:00.002-05:00

My sister and Rhett were on the news!!!
I recorded it on tivo but then recorded on my camera so I could share. AFter opening day for the Rangers Dustin just oh my gosh... there is Mattie and Rhett!
Check it out

Here is another one totally off subject but its my sweet boy this morning. Everyone else in the house was asleep except for he and I. Love that time with him on the weekends.

Praying and Looking for a New House

2011-03-25T20:16:00.003-05:00

I am teacher in Texas
Scary times for us right now. Many of my friends in other districts are unsure about what the next school year holds. My district was granted a motion to up the class sizes in K-2nd grades. And those of you that know me, know that my husband is taking odd jobs and getting different certifications to try and make himself more marketable in the teaching field.
It is scary to think about our future at times as teachers, really as a nation in monetary crisis.
On top of it all Dustin and I had been praying about a house and a big move to be closer to Granbury where my sweet mother in law watches Hudson.
Today I was blessed with a contract for another year. I cant help but feel blessed and thankful. Four years ago when I was searching for a permanent teaching position I interviewed and got many calls back only to find out somehow something fell through and I would not be offered the position or somehow I did not get the job. I was discouraged.
I look back and know that God placed me in my current position knowing what was ahead. HE is so taking care of me and my family. I feel blessed to work in a district that is growing and still needs to fill positions. Yes they are doing some shuffling, but I feel blessed to have a job in this case!
Today I officially signed my contract for next school year!
I will still be at the same school teaching kindergarten with a smaller group of ladies that I love.
That is HUGE!
AS for friends who dont know what their futures hold I cant help but think about the verse that says "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:34

It is true. You will be ultimately where you are supposed to be during this season of your life. Isnt that comforting to know that God is in control?

So, we march on, planning to trade a lease payment for a mortgage with the thought that we are only trading a bad investment for a good one and we plan to stay there to give Peyton a stable place to make her mark.
WE go tomorrow to look at houses and God willing hope to find something and move before this baby comes.
I hope that this will all work out but ask for prayers.

I am excited about this time in our lives. I am excited for Peyton as she will enter 8th grade!! Hudson who is about to be a big brother and learn to share his spotlight, and Baby Maddox who we are going to blessed with in a few months. (even though I look as though its is any day now, it isnt!)

I am excited for myself and my husband.

Praying for the perfect situation and God's will to be evident. Help us to listen to His voice.

This week...

2011-03-19T14:16:00.007-05:00

WE had Spring Break this week and went nowhere. It was not even a staycation, because we did not do a whole lot. Am I okay with this? Yes.
My legs have hardly swollen all week. We spent a lot going to Georgia a week prior to Spring Break.
Peyton of course stayed busy having friends over a few times, hanging out with her cousin, and going to a slumber party.
Dustin picked up construction jobs with his friend Chad and made some extra money, and Hudson and I stayed close to the house.
I did take he and Peyton shoppng for a little bit Friday and had lunch with a friend, but that is pretty much it. I feel happy about all of my blessings and feel full with everything going on in our lives.
We are looking to move out a little closer to my in-laws now that my MIL is watching Hudson, we are looking forward to the birth of a 3rd blessing, and I feel so richly blessed with husband and two other sweet children.
But, there are storms...

I said I would post some pics from our trip to Georgia.
We recently went for my brother's funeral.
It was beautiful.
I have never said that about a funeral ceremony, but it was. The music was amazing. Exactly what my brother wanted. The actual sermon was the sweetest sermon I had ever heard. The pastor spoke a lot of God's promise to come back and call his church to him, in the bible the church is referred to as the bride of Christ. He spoke of this time almost as a wedding and I thought it was so neat.
When we all went to the graveside service, it was short and sweet. The pastor said a few words and then ended his sermon much like a wedding ends.
HE said, "...by the power vested in me, I now move Todd Turner's church membership."
What an amazing picture for us, his family!
He is with his new church family... in Heaven, with Christ, and other family members, etc.
I loved that, of course I cried sweet tears. This has been an amazing new look at death for me. I know my brother accepted Christ and had a real relationship with the Lord. His faith was unshakeable when his cancer was announced and continued to afflict him. He continually prayed for healing and believed in God's ability to do just that. I dont think this was exactly what we first thought of when we prayed for this, but God DID answer Todd's prayers. I know we dont understand why he is gone so young, but I know that God's plans have already been revealed to my brother. I look forward to the day when He will make known to me the many mysteries of life.
Until then, I am enjoying my sweet family. It was great seeing my other brothers, neices, nephews, sisters in law, brothers in law. The list goes on. (I am blessed with a huge family)
There are 6 brothers and three of us sisters.
One of those brothers of course being Todd.
Last year I went through a lot and found lots of comfort in my relationship with God. My family was my rock and reminded me to seek the Lord when I felt helpless. My sisters prayed with me, my mother in law prayed with me, my brother Jimmie prayed with me and I felt God through their words of encouragement, not judegment. I appreciated that more than they can know.
My Mother in Law reminded me to get on my knees everytime I felt overwhelmed, which was a lot. But she was right!
I took comfort in that verse that promises God is close to the brokenhearted, and I know it is true.
In every season, I have a reason to sing and worship!
(Family)
Cousins Taylor, Brody, and my Peyton

Me, my sister Mindy, and my sister Mattie with my Hudson

Mindy with her boys Jack and Todd and my Hudson

Me with all 3 babies! (Maddox in my belly)

Family is such a blessing to me. Even though I will not see Todd for a while, I cant help but feel complete joy when I think about where he is and what heaven must be like.
I have a friend going through a lot right now. When I watch her grieve I cant help but want to praise God. That sounds weird right?
But I see God fulfilling his promise once again, "He is close to the brokenhearted"
I have to share a beautiful post she shared. What a wonderful testimony to be able to see God working when it would be easy to think of the negative.
If you want a blessing read this blog...
http://bufefamily.blogspot.com/2011/03/scars-and-bruises.html
I love that her title is Scars and Bruises. With Easter coming up I am of course reminded of the scars of Jesus. I am thankful for those scars in the same way.
I hope that all reading will know this same hope.
Hope in a future beyond this earth. Because of Christ, we will continue on.
Do I understand it all? No, but I cling to His promises, because in my own times of need he has never left me. He has been the miracle of comfort and hope when it did not seem as though I could have any!
What an amazing God we have!

So...
this is my prayer in the harvest
when favor and providence flow
I know I'm filled to be emptied again
the seed I recieved
I will sow!
(from the desert song by Hillsong)

26 weeks preggo

2011-03-12T22:05:00.005-06:00

So... I feel huge and uncomfortable.
I love pregnancy. It is miraculous and wonderful.
I fell blessed to have sweet Maddox growing inside me.
That being said, I feel like I look further along than I am.
My belly button is popped really far out, I feel squished inside and get indigestion every time I eat.
I have people that dont know me say to me, oh you are due any day now huh? I dont want to embarrass them and say no I have almost 3 months left, but I d ont want to lie. So, I just smile.
Hudson got to spend several days with my sister, Baby Rhett, and I in a hotel room. While he loved Rhett and was excited to be around him, he also got jealous at times and did things like throw objects at us to get our attention. Uhmmm, brat?! No just used to being the only baby.
Peyton is making plans for next year and is making her last schedule before high school. Oh my goodness, I dont think I want her to grow up anymore. We have so many milestones ahead with her that I just am not ready to think about. Namely the driving situation.
I will post a few pics from our trip to Georgia soon.
It was bittersweet as we celebrated my brother Todd's life, but it was a beautiful service and I have such a peace about it.
I miss him, and get teary still sometimes, but I know he is healed and that makes it all okay.
I am officially on Spring Break as of Friday. We spent our last day of school on a field trip to the fort worth zoo. IT was fun, but hard on me. The walking and standing really made me swell! YIKES
Check out my kindergarten team at the zoo. We had these cute shirts made for our trip.

But, here is the aftermath of the zoo (if you are squemish look away. :)HA
Gotta love Cankles!!

This morning I woke up still swollen and as the day progressed it has gotten this bad again. But, in other great news, we purchased a new washing machine after my old one went kapooey on us. So excited, I got caught up on laundry all day and it took less than half the usual time!
WE got a great deal because it had a dent on the back! WOO HOO. What is that saying one man's trash is another mans treasure! I certainly have enjoyed it a bunch already!

ITs a front loading samsung. We did lots of research. These have the best warranties and are suppose to be top of the line. WE feel so proud to not have paid top of the line prices though!

I am all over the place with this post but here was the point...
Baby's now the size of an eggplant!
Baby's soaking up your antibodies, getting his immune system ready for life outside the womb. Eyes are forming, and he'll soon be practicing the blink...perfect for batting those freshly grown lashes.

So there ya go! That is what is going on with our growing family!
Maddox James is ab out the size of an eggplant!
Gotta go put my feet up adn try not to swell any further.

Rejoicing in Heaven

2011-03-02T07:23:00.004-06:00

There is rejoicing in heaven as one angel came home last night. My sweet brother Todd went to be with the Lord and the many family members that went before him.
My Toddy gave his red hair to Peyton. This is who she gets this from. He was a handsome red headed Turner boy.
He came to live with us in Texas when I was really young and these are the memories he left me...
HE loved Journey (you know... the group, steve perry)and made my sister Mindy and me listen to them and love them!
(Dont stop believin)
HE had this "cool" red car that my dad bought him. It was the 80's and I was so little, but I loved him and looked up to him so much then.
Mindy and I loved to be around him and even when he didnt want us in there we would sneak into his room just to be near him. :)
WE loved our Toddy.
Growing up we remained close to him. I watched him start a family and become the kind of husband and father I knew I would want some day. He was so involved in all of Matt's sport events and had such a loving fatherly spirit.
We took trips to Georgia and I always loved to watch my dad interact with he and the other brothers. It always changed Dad. Made him sweeter. He loves them so much. They are older so I valued this time watching them and getting to know them.
We had many nights and days playing cards at Granny's dining room table. WE literally played for days and only stopped to eat.
The words I remember coming out of his mouth often are, "oh man!"
in his southern accent of course.
I also had the pleasure of watching him be a "poppa" or Granddad. Brody and Landon love their Poppa. He was not above spoiling them to the fullest. Even in the short time he had with them, he made it full!
In the last few years I watched him continually praise God and have faith that he would heal him and give him a new body and last night Todd's prayers were answered. HE is with the almighty Father. IT is hard to be sad knowing that he is in the presence of something so awesome we cant even fathom.
No eye has seen, no ear has heard what God has prepared for those who love him.
We will miss our sweet Todd but know he is right where he should be according to God's purpose.

Pray for my amazing sister in law Marlene, who has cared for him better than a nurse could, and his son, daughter in law, and grandchildren... Matt, Laura, Brody and Landon. I hope they can feel the comfort and peace of God as they say goodbye to my brother.

How's the Fam?

2011-02-22T19:29:00.006-06:00

I wanted to take a minute to put this in writing so that I dont forget.

Hudson is so funny right now...
-when I change his diaper right now he points to his peepee and says "There it is!"
-he points anything with a button at the tv as though it is a remote control.
-every night when we go to bed I ask him to pick out a book to read. He has tons of books that he loves to read but when its night night time he always picks the same book. "I love you through and through." It is a sweet book about how you are loved no matter how you act. The book talks about everything you love like hair eyes nose giggles cries. He acts it out, makes faces at it, points out the various body parts on himself and then kisses the little boy in the book and then kisses me. May I please tell you that no matter what happened that day, what a wonderful way to unwind. I love this time, and I think about Peyton at this age and how different and also how loved they both are.
It is amazing to me how different two little ones can be.

Peyton has her own milestones that I dont want to forget either. Our big phrase with her right now is, please take one headphone out of your ear or atleast tell us if you are going to put both in. :)
She is getting good about giving us warnings about her own social agenda because she is beginning to realize how busy we are. Thanks for noticing chick! ;)
Of course she is crazy busy the older she gets and I dont want to blink and this time with her in our home be gone. But I know it will pass too soon.
I love her too and I often wonder if she feels like our love is different because of the different stages of life our children are in. I tell her I love her, but of course she would never allow me to shower her the way I do Hudson with kisses hugs etc. Dont think I dont try sometimes though. I tell her she is my baby but she just rolls her eyes and tells me she is not a baby. But oh do I love that girl. Sometimes I just like to hold her hand when we drive in the silence of her listening to her head phones. HA

I feel so blessed to have been given two precious (what better word could their be?) children. THey are my little gifts from God and sometimes I have to remember, they are on loan and my job is soooo important. I hope I can be what God wants me to be for them and What they need from me.
I know one thing. I could not love them more. XOXO

THis weekend was beautiful even though two weeks ago we got 6 inches of snow. But hey, thats TExas for ya! WE decided to go feed the ducks Sunday afternoon as a family. So Dustin Peyton Hudson and I loaded up and picked up some bread to feed some ducks at a nearby park. Here are just of few of the hundreds of pics I took. Cant help it. I love my kids.

Hudson and Peyton (he is waving at the ducks)

Hudson doesnt want to leave so he laid down. :)

My babies

Hudson loves to brush

2011-02-06T12:20:00.002-06:00

Every night before we put Hudson to bed this is our ritual...
we feed him dinner
then he gets his much needed bath to remove his dinner
he gets a cup of warm milk (he wont take it cold, yes he is 15 months, he is still our sweet baby)
We save the tooth brush for last.
HE loooves to brush his teeth.
I tried to video him but of course this time he just wanted to play in the water

Stockshow 2011

2011-01-31T19:21:00.010-06:00

It was a rough week with Hudson. He has had a fever that has been up and down and got as high as 104. WE finally took him for a different opinion to find out he had his first ear infection. That is not bad considering he is 15 months old. Peyton had about 20 by his age.
He is feeling much better and we asked the doctor what she thought about taking him to the Fort Worth Stockshow, to which she replied, "No problem."
So we set off after a day of rest and Hudson was a delight. We took my niece Taylor as a companion for Peyton... and they had fun too!
I remember taking Peyton here when she was little and getting such a kick out of watching her take all the sights in...
We all got to do that with Hudson this weekend.

He got to go to a petting zoo

Slide down a Texas Sized slide

Ride on a tractor

Hang with Fam

and get kissed by a bull
(must have been ferdinand, he was soo sweet!)

all while...
Peyton and Taylor

rode the zipper

and rode tractors

20 weeks and so much more

2011-01-26T17:49:00.005-06:00

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 20 weeks
Size of baby: size of a cantelope
Total Weight Gain/Loss: hmm??? Not sure they say I lost but doesnt seem like that is the case.
Maternity Clothes: whateer is clean. Is that wrong to say?
Gender: boy! Maddox________ Burchfield No middle name yet
Movement: Elbow or foot or something in the belly all day today!
Sleep: down and out pretty much
What I miss: balance
Cravings: Macaroni Grill and baked potatoes
Symptoms: large belly?
Best Moment this week: Maddox got his first outfit, a Dallas Cowboy onsie. SO fun

In other news...
For those of you who have not yet heard my sister's baby Rhett Turner Gabbert was born on the 12th, ( I think)
He has been in the nicu but is progressing and we hope he will be home soon. He has already grown so much. He is two weeks old today and we got to go visit him yesterday.
Peyton got to hold him for the first time. He is getting so big and I just love this picture.

Dad holding his newest grandson. #12 for him.

some older pics (my beautiful sister and more of Baby Rhett)

Baby Rhett

2011-01-15T15:42:00.001-06:00

I'm an aunt again!

http://babyboyrhett.blogspot.com/

Its a.....

2011-01-10T09:35:00.002-06:00

BOY!
Baby Maddox Burchfield
no middle name yet
Check him out, he was being stubborn and wanted to have his back turned for the sonographer. Luckily he has been doing this 20 years and was able to get him to turn around. WE got a witness to how determined this little guy is when he turned back over after a short time. Not before we got a few good looks of his sweet profile though!

Boy or Girl?

2011-01-08T16:09:00.004-06:00

Monday is the big day. We find out the identity of this baby.
I go back and forth everyday with 100% certainty. One day I think its a boy because I feel very similar to how I felt with Hudson. The next day I think its a girl because my face is breaking out like crazy. Whatever the case is he/she is already loved. I am so excited to find out!
But first... I want to know what you think?

PollPub.com VoteBoy or Girl?

Of course this is not the main reason for the doctors to send us for sonogram. This is the big sonogram that checks out baby's health. Praying for healthy baby. CAnt help but think of these song lyrics so I wanted to add them to this post. They are based on Psalm 73:28

Lyrics underneath song

You are all
big and small
beautiful
and wonderful
to trust in grace through faith
but i'm asking to taste...

for dark is light to You
depths are height to You
far is near
but Lord, i need to hear from You

be near, oh God
be near, oh God of us
Your nearness is to us our good
be near, oh God
be near, oh God of us
Your nearness is to us our good, our good

Your fullness is mine
revelation divine
but, o, to taste
to know much more than a page
to feel Your embrace...

for dark is light to You
the depths are height to You
far is near, but Lord
i need to hear from You

be near, oh God
be near, oh God of us
Your nearness is to us our good
be near, oh God
be near, oh God of us
Your nearness is to us our good, our good

(psalms 73:28; 139)

WE ask for prayers for another healthy baby.

If our God is for us, what can stand against?

2011-01-02T18:53:00.001-06:00

Week 16

2010-12-31T13:34:00.003-06:00

Watch what you say... tiny bones forming in baby's ears mean the little one can now pick up your voice. Eyebrows, lashes and hair are starting to fill in, and taste buds are forming. And, if you're interested, an ultrasound might be able to determine gender.

I turned 16 weeks on WEdnesday.
We are having a sonogram to determine the health and sex of the baby very soon.
Baby#3 is very active and I feel him/her often. Cant wait to put an identity to this little person! Still feel great. I have been really valuing my time at home with the family. My holiday off has been a time of much needed rest, but its back to the grind on Monday.

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 16 weeks
Size of baby: size of an avocado
Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 4 lbs but it looks like sooo much more
Maternity Clothes: I wear maternity jeans and pants and lots of shirts that could go either way.
Gender: WE find out Jan 10th!
Movement: I've been feeling the baby a lot more lately, little taps but the thumps are getting stronger
Sleep: I'm sleeping pretty good!
What I miss: my face!!! Its really broken out with this baby! My skin has never been great but this is crazy I tell ya!
Cravings: Macaroni Grill and baked potatos
Symptoms: Forgetfulness- my head if it were not attached
and tiredness... but not a lot of that since I have been off for Christmas break
Best Moment this week: Thinking about Christmas next year with one more sweet baby!

Humble Beginnings

2010-12-22T19:30:00.003-06:00

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. And everyone went to his own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. HE went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were shepards living out in the field nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for ALL people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepards said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."
So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepards returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

When I read this I imagine what it must have been like out in that field as the great company of heavenly hosts appeared with the angel praising God! I imagine that praise would knock me on my knees. I also think about the shepards and how faithful they were. They became servants to God spreading the story of Jesus birth! THis is so much more important than the iPod I ruined by placing in a cupholder that was full of coke or the presents that I stress to get everyone, or the Santa picture I have captured with each of my children during their lifetimes. This is the reason we celebrate. I am so thankful that Jesus humbly came to Earth as a child to give us life eternal!
Praying that we could all share this story this season. Praying for those who have never heard this story that they would hear the word and understand the great miracle that took place!
Merry Christmas!

13 weeks

2010-12-09T19:44:00.004-06:00

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 13 Weeks
Size of baby: baby is almost 3 inches long (the size of a medium shrimp) and weighs nearly an ounce.
Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 4 lbs
Maternity Clothes: I wear maternity jeans and pants and badly need some winter apparel that is maternity.
Gender: hope to find out by the end of December
Movement:Its official, I have actually been feeling movement a bump or nudge here and there. Pretty light. This last two days I have been feeling baby roll
Sleep: been waking up at 4:30 am for no reason. On the dot ;(
What I miss: sushi
Symptoms: Mostly tiredness, a few Braxton Hicks
Best Moment this week: lots of people coming up and saying you have really popped this week. Baby is starting to really show.

I am going to write down all of the things my kindergartners say about my pregnancy. It is sooo funny.
I will share the latest. A little boy from another class said, "Mrs. B... I heard you were having another baby?" Yes, I am I replied.
How do they know that there is a baby in there? he asks
I tell him that the doctor takes a special camera and puts it on my belly and takes the baby's picture. That is how they know there is a baby. :)
"Mrs. B?... I know how to tell if its a boy or a girl."
I wince
"Boys have short hair like me and girls have long hair like her (as he points to a little girl sitting beside him.)"
Yep, that's right I say!

Other fun news...
There are 6 other teachers that are pregnant this year just as when I was pregnant with Hudson, although it is not the same 6.
There were 7 but a first grade teacher had her baby over Thanksgiving Break!

One of my students from last year saw me today and gave me a funny look. I said, Yep, I am having another baby!
She replied... "AGAIN?!" :)

My Sweet Brother Todd

2010-12-05T22:15:00.003-06:00

This summer playing cards in bed
from left to right: Jimmie Todd Jacob and Rusty
As many of you know, we have been asking you to keep my brother in your prayers for several years now as he battled cancer.
He has undergone the loss of a kidney, partial liver, and cancer has continued to steadily grow within his body.
I have watched a man whom I have always looked at as a wonderful father and husband grow in his faith through all of this and become close to God in a new way. We have rejoiced in Todd's good medical reports and grieved with him in the difficult ones.

The week before Thanksgiving he was experiencing pain in his back, He currently has a steel rod in place to help support him after cancer has depleted his vertebrae.
Doctors soon confirmed that he would need surgery to fix the rod that supports his body in his back and that the surgery would need to commence that Monday before Thanksgiving. So... we prayed and asked many of you to pray once again.
God has answered.
Doctors have decided not to continue with the surgery due to Todd's health. They are ready to allow God to call the shots.
This was hard news to say the least and I ask for continued prayer for Todd, his wife Marlene, and son daughter in law and two grandsons.
I know that God's plan is our great mystery. Todd has been such a testimony through all of this for many of our family members including our dad.
The unknown is scary, but I pray that Todd will rest on the peace of our Savior who has a purpose and a season to everything under heaven.
I love you Todd! When you arrive in our heaven though we cannot begin to know the day month or year, I know God will say well done, good and faithful servant!

2010-12-05T21:50:00.001-06:00

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

1st trimester down 2 to go!

2010-11-30T19:52:00.002-06:00

Today is the last official day of my first trimester. It has been a very easy pregnancy. I have hardly noticed feeling pregnant other than really bad skin right now :(
I copies the info layout from Kelly from Kelly's Korner Blog. I love the details!
Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 12 Weeks tomorrow
Size of baby: about the size of a lime
Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 4 lbs (I feel like it is much more)
Maternity Clothes: in between right now, but mostly maternity pants
Gender: will find out in a few more weeks
Names: Presley for a girl and Maddox for a boy
Movement: feeling little bubbles but not sure if that is the baby, dont think so yet.
Sleep: I'm sleeping pretty good!
What I miss: I missed taking nyquil a few weeks ago when I started getting sick
Cravings: baked potatos and jalapeno filled green olives
Symptoms: Mostly tiredness, a few Braxton Hicks
Best Moment this week: knowing I am a third of the way closer to meeting this new baby

2010-11-27T16:03:00.001-06:00

11 weeks pregnant with #3

2010-11-24T13:50:00.002-06:00

We had a sonogram today and could hear baby's heartbeat on the doppler. He/She looks like a little alien baby! :)
I have to admit... I have been nervous, almost overprotective of our Hudson since learning we were expecting again. IT was so different than with Peyton because so many years had passed since we had talked of a sibling for her. She was older and welcoming and was able to understand the whole idea of being a big sister and sharing our home. I have been feeling strange about this baby because Hudson is so little and does not understand and I worried that I could not have room to share his time and Peyton's time with a new baby. After seeing this baby on the sonogram this time it made it more personal and I know that I will love this baby just as much as my older two. I feel terrible that I ever doubted!
This baby was planned but after trying so long with Hudson we were surprised at the first month's positive test!
I am finally excited about bringing home a baby for not just Dustin and I to love but to have the best older sister and brother.
Check out what the books say about being 11 weeks pregnant:

Slightly more than two inches long now and weighing about a third of an ounce, your fetus is growing by leaps and bounds when you are 11 weeks pregnant. And so is his or her head, which is equal in length to the rest of the body (don't worry — all fetuses are top-heavy).

On the crown of that large head (and over the rest of the body), hair follicles are forming. Fingernail and toenail beds begin to develop this week and by next week, the nails themselves will start to grow (so don't forget to add a baby nail clipper to your to-buy list).

Your baby's body is straightening and his or her torso is lengthening (sounds like a yoga pose, doesn't it?). Other poses your baby can assume now: stretches, somersaults, and forward rolls. And while you can't tell this baby's gender by its cover yet, testes are developing if it's a boy and ovaries if it's a girl.

Baby#3 and more...

2010-11-06T11:09:00.005-05:00

Baby #3 has a heartbeat and looks like a healthy little chicken! Literally! This little one had little stubs for arms that looked like little chicken wings. Already precious! I was right on the doctor confirmed our due date is June 15th! WE get to have another sonogram the week of Thanksgiving so this baby should be bigger than a raspberry at that point. But for now... that's how big he is.

In other news... Peyton made all region choir! Out of 720 students that tried out 110 made it and she was one of the 110! Pretty impressive. I am so proud of her.
She has a Christmas program next month and you should come if you can. I heard them last week and it brought tears to my eyes. They are a beautiful choir! She is part of a varsity girls' choir at her school this year. It is a try out choir as well and they are all very talented! She is still doing very well at school making straight A's and is in all pre-ap classes. She is so smart and so talented. She is such a beautfiul young lady and I couldnt be more proud!

Hudson is walking. Unsteadily! Right now just taking 4 or five steps before sitting down. But we are proud!
After many tries of giving him whole milk he took his first cup of 100% milk with no formula mixed in. I am sighing a big relief sigh. I was beginning to think we would be serving formula at his highschool graduation. He was not interested in milk. I do have to heat it up for him to drink it. What?! Whats wrong with making my baby comfortable? Spoiled? NAH!

Peyton and Dustin are convinced this baby is a girl. I think it is another boy. I think Peyton wants it to be a girl because she gets to help me with the girl name. We have first names picked out already. Not ready to share yet though!
I feel great other than feeling tired and a little more picky about what I eat, I feel wonderful! THings I have always liked dont sound good lately. Dustin has been such a good sport though. He has been doting on me making dinner every night this week and treating me with kitten gloves. He is such a good husband!

Dustin has been subbing a lot and has found a school that has fallen in love with him! The biggest problem is that it is an elementary school. However, they have told him they are determined to help him find a teaching job! So that is huge.
He is still working construction with Chad and subbing. The construction of course pays really well when there is work but luckily he has the sub jobs when he is not working.
He says all the hugs are hard to get used to, since he has always worked high school! :)
Secretly I know he loves it!

I have the smallest class size I have ever had this year. I have 18 kids in my classroom. However it has been a tough year. Lots of personalities! So, learning how to "do school" has been a little slow going this time around. But I am not complaining. I have so much to be thankful for, including a job in the field that I went to college for.

A few more of Peyton Halloween night

2010-11-02T19:00:00.003-05:00

Peyton and her cousin TAylor got together to Trick or treat on Sunday. They got to walk the neighborhood without the accompaniment of an adult. Woo hoo for them. Of course we called them often and they came home around 8. I finished her costume that morning and couldnt wait for her to see it! I was pretty proud of my work!
Peyton the crayon and Taylor as Hello Kitty

Halloween

2010-10-31T14:09:00.005-05:00

Peyton being a sweet big sister!

My little indian riding bareback

ME and My cowboy (I was a saloon girl, look more like a brothel girl, hey... it was last minute)

the fam

Peyton the crayon (I made the kids' costumes!)

Daddy and Peyt

His Indian name is "Runs with Paci"
(Dustin's idea) :)

First doctor visit

2010-10-27T18:38:00.006-05:00

First doctors visit and busy as ever at work!

Today I rushed out of school after a crazy busy day of teaching, assessments, teacher meetings, programs, and even a little drama. ;P

I rushed into the doctors office to mounds of paperwork. How is it that I have to fill out paperwork after having Hudson a year ago? Oh well... so worth it. I had to take a pregnancy test again and I have to say I just love seeing that little pink line appear so quickly! I was right on. My due date is the 15th of June. I have to go back in a week for a sonogram and first looks at baby #3. Then not again for a while. Basically we did bloodwork today only so they can go over all of that along with a sono to make sure everything is going well. Dustin and I are both of the mind set that it is all in God's hands and that is why we are comfortable sharing our great news so soon. Dustin is always good about keeping me calm in this area reminding me that if I say I believe something I really have to let the rest go and trust in the Lord. (For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord. Plans to prosper and not harm you... Jeremiah 29:11)

So one thing I have already noticed with this pregnancy is how sore my abdomen seems to be and how I feel stretching and pulling already, so of course I asked my doc about that. Guess what he says???
Its from the c-section and that I really need to watch how much I lift this time due to scar tissue etc. Then they immediately ask how much Hudson weighs and if he is walking yet.
Uhmmm... hmm... well, he weighs between 25 and 30 pounds. I will know for sure on Friday exactly. And no, my little baby boy is not interested in walking. He has taken up to three steps and then stops himself and sits down to crawl. He is still a little uneasy about it.
All that said, they mention that I should try not to lift him and get help as much as possible. Oh my! Looks like Dustin and I have to get our little guy walking soon.
I feel great other than that. No nausea, just a bit more tired. I feel so good other than the c-section soreness and hope the easiness continues.
Most importantly praying for healthy baby!
What else is crazy?! We already have names. Peyton and I have decided on a girl name and Dustin has been very clear that he is set on the boy's name already.
I am looking forward to this pregnancy and just ask for continued prayers for our family.

Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.
Jeremiah 1:5

This Friday is our five year anniversary. I feel almost like its our wedding day again and am so excited to celebrate the life we have made as imperfect and God loving as it is. So thankful that I dont have to be perfect because I know Jesus was! I cant wait to tell you about our first date of the year this Friday!

Love to all!

2010-10-19T19:17:00.006-05:00

Week 6 of Pregnancy: Baby's Head Takes Shape
This week your baby's crown-to-rump measurement is anywhere from a fifth to a quarter of an inch, and growing — making it the size of a sweet pea (your little sweet pea!).

Yes, that's right! Peyton and Hudson are having a baby brother or sister. No trouble trying to conceive this time around. Guess it was just God's perfect timing. Due in June. While we realize it is early I have had trouble keeping such wonderful news a secret, so there you go. We are being blessed with another new little creation and could not be happier about it.

We hope you will rejoice with us and pray for this new life and our family as we expand!

Psalm 139:13-16
13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.

14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

16 your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

Hudson is 1!

2010-10-17T17:16:00.006-05:00

Hudson is One. He is standing on his own, cruising on furniture, sometimes even venturing to take a step or two before losing his confidence and sitting to crawl. He says, don't (which is "doh", like Homer Simpson), Mama, Dada, CC (Peyton), uh oh, Pop, Hi, and that is all I can think of right now. He mimicks any sound you make and he can tell you what a snake cow and monkey say. He thinks any bodily function sound is the greatest and tries to push those sounds out. (if you know what I mean)
HE sleeps through the night, has since he was 6 weeks old. HE loves to play ball, he throws it and can catch it sometimes. HE is a dancing machine and he adores music. Especially hard hitting beats. :) HA
I think about our eventful year and how God has blessed us through trials and in moments with little Hudson. I feel priveledged to be his mommy.
Hudson, you are my sweet little boy and just when I think I could not love you any deeper or stronger, another day comes and my love continues to grow. How is it possible? WE (your family) love you sooo much!

Sunday, birthday celebration

Sunday... check out the hair!

my birthday! 10/15/10

10/15/10 (love the belly)

Fall Fun

2010-10-11T21:53:00.008-05:00

I really do love this time of year. Yes, those of you tht know me I am a summer girl by nature, but in Texas it is always nice to have a little change after extreme heat for sooo long.
Its football season, state fair, family birthdays(Dustin's Dad Lynn's, My Dad's, hudson's and my mom's b-days!), and time to decorate the house with my "projects."
Oh and let's not forget our 5th wedding anniversary on the 29th!
As you can imagine this is a busy month!
And we havn't even thought about Halloween yet.
I am trying to get you caught up with pictures and a few scenes of our month so far.
Next week is Huddy's birthday and I also have some really exciting news. I cant wait to share pictures from our first date in couple of weeks as well. So stay tuned. Hudson is still not walking and Lord only knows when that will be. He is content just to crawl and cruise on furniture. Oh well.
The pictures dont do the house justice! It smells like pumpkin and spice around here these days, but until you come over for yourself, check out our pictures!

Some of my Fall Decor

I just added some fall colored fabric on my pumpkin scented candles

Lookie what I made! I just used fall colored fabric again to tie into little knots. I made this wreath and the garland below
Also, check out the floors Dustin Laid, they look so great. He did an awesome job!

My fun Garland

The State Fair!

Big Tex

Everything's Bigger in Texas

Our Guys

Us Girls

The babies

Its just us clowns

holding him up was hard enough, but then to try to get him to look at the camera, forget it

Getting together for Paw-Paw Lynn's B-day and Football

I love this one of the guys in their jerseys

Little Romo takes a nap!

the rest of the photos

2010-10-09T10:27:00.003-05:00

New Pictures to Post!

2010-10-07T21:46:00.001-05:00

Last year my sweet baby boy was born and my little girl was still a little girl. I cannot believe how much they have both changed. THese are some of the sneak peeks that our photographer sent us. We get the rest tomorrow. THey are beautiful!

12 Dates for ONE YEAR

2010-09-12T20:50:00.004-05:00

A few of my friends got this idea of a date a month with a twist from one of their mutual friends and I loved the idea. What is it they say? The best ideas are stolen! :)
Anyhow, the idea is to take 1 date a month. The twist is that you and your partner must plan 6 of those dates completely on your own. The idea is to come up with ideas that do not necessarily break the bank, but that require thought and ultimately make the other feel loved and thought of. So basically not your traditional dinner and a movie date, but a date with meaning that requires heart and lends time for bonding and soul sharing.
Our friends have all come up with their dates and then presented them to one another all at once. THey have revealed their dates in special ways, each one a little different. One of my friends revealed hers by making a scrap book of all the places she planned on taking him, another of my friends husbands got little props for each date and had her guess each date idea.
Dustin and I love the idea, believe it or not he is much better at this than I. He always has been.
The only issue that we had was the reveal. We thought it would be even better if we could not reveal the dates until the actual day of the date. Well, we have been planning for a few months and our first date is mine to plan, since I need to be better at this.
We have officially decided that our first date will be for our 5 year anniversary in October! I am so excited. I have a fun date planned and am excited to carry the plan out. Anyhow, be watching as I will post pictures once each date takes place! I am so excited for this to begin.

Dustin has been working so hard lately at being a helpmate. I feel like we are newly married. I feel so blessed to have my family. Blessed does not even begin to describe the feeling actually. AFter five years of ups and downs I feel more honored to have a marriage like mine. I look at my husband with more love now than even when we got married. I feel as though he appreciates me much the same. HE is doing such a good job of making me feel that way.
LAtely I feel like a newly wed!
Thank you my sweet husband for 5 years of a marriage that can be shaken but not torn down! Thank you Lord for your faithfulness and mercy in our lives. I love love love my husband!

Mexico 2010

My little athlete

2010-09-06T19:37:00.002-05:00

Hudson is a basketball player. What a smart little guy. Okay, I realize this does not quite yet take athletic ability, but give him time! HE is already big enough to play pee wee football. Now if we could just get him walking. Should be in the next few weeks and I will definitely post that once my little man gets brave enough to step out on his own.
ENjoy!

My Seventh Grader!

2010-08-30T19:58:00.001-05:00

Here she is on her first day of school last week.

She is beautiful beyond words. Soooo grown up. (tear)

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Our church

2010-08-19T20:08:00.005-05:00

A friend of mine from work was asking me to post some pictures from my wedding. She just got married a few months ago and she wanted to see everyone elses pictures. AS I was looking for old pictures to post on facebook, I came across so many pictures of my family and the important moments that have taken place at our church.
Peyton was baptised there
I got married there
Peyton went to Awanas and I taught awanas there
Hudson was dedicated there
and did you know that is where Dustin proposed to me?
I was teaching a kindergarten awana's class and he got Peyton out of her class early and they came to my room. I was confused and said, "what are y'all doing here?" He told me to come out and I replied "no, class will be over in just a minute." HE was acting strangely, so I obliged, opened the door and came out, with the door still open. He got on one knee in front of all of my kindergarteners and read me a poem that he wrote, then when he asked me to marry him. Peyton grabbed the ring out of her pocket and screamed, Momma! HE got you a ring!!!! :)

I love that my church has prayed me through some hard times in my life and prays for the sick and the needs of our family as well!
Thank you church, and brother Dennis, and all of you in specific roles that have been a part of my life! I am so thankful for you!

Check out photos below and then I under those I have the poem that he wrote me <3

Dustin's proposal poem

I cant play guitar and I cant sing a song
so I wrote some words on paper hoping they affect you just as strong
As I get into our life
I want you to know
How much I really love
because sometimes you dont think so
I knew how much I loved you from the day we met
and I knew my life would never be the same the day you left
so I prayed to God an unselfish prayer
your happiness at last
whether that meant me whether that meant no one
or somebody from your past
I then did the only thing that I knew to do
I turned to God to try to fix myself
and make someone worthy for you
But as I got closer to God I started to realize what was important all along
Get close to him
Stay close to him
and he will never lead me wrong
and then that one fateful day God brought you back to me
So I'll kneel down on one knee so you will finally see
That I love you so much Cyndee
I want you to marry me

(AWWE I heart him. What a little romatnic. Who knew? Right?!)

Lists

2010-08-07T18:26:00.002-05:00

Things I like about this time of year...
-new school year, yes I like school even though I love being home with my family, it is the promise of a new year and new students. I am like a kid when it comes to the first day of school. :)
-watching Peyton grow up and enter a new grade and a new era. 7th grade this year! CRAZY
-FOOTBALL!
-back to school shopping!
-spending the last few days appreciating time with my family
-final cook outs, swims etc
-our traditional outing to the Gaylord with some amazing teacher friends
-sunshine
-sleeping in (somewhat, or at least not having to get dressed when I first wake up)
-arranging my classroom and getting it ready for another year.

Wordless Wednesday--Todd Turner--praying for you!

2010-07-28T09:03:00.001-05:00

Oh dear! BLISS

2010-07-28T00:01:00.004-05:00

Do you know how much I love it when people ask me how many kids I have because usually the next question is... what are their ages?
When I say I have a 12 year old daughter and a 9 month old son they are usually flabbergasted. I love it.
I have one learning to walk, talk, eat, you know, the easy stuff.
Then my daughter is learning how to handle hormones, independence, and be a Godly woman. Oh DEAR!!!!
I wish I could blog just half of the things we have to talk about these days with her. But, she would kill me. She does not like me to put up pictures of her without her blessing, much less utter a word of her existence. That kills me sometimes. She wont let me take a picture these days because she says, no mom my hair is not done, or no mom I dont like this outfit. For the last 2 years I have wanted her to take more of an interest in her appearance and now that she has I wonder if too much of a good thing is not so great.
I love being a mom. I think it is one of the most important jobs on earth. God gave me these children and sometimes I am awwed at the hugeness of that.
Dustin doesnt know what to think about this growing up business Peyton has invested in. He seems a bit overwhelmed often. It is cute, he cannot stand it that she is becoming such a beautiful grown girl. HE liked it better when she was a cutie patooty.
Hudson and Daddy are such good buds these days. While Dustin was in San Antonio this weekend with his dad he called us a lot to tell us how much he loved us and missed being away from me and the kids. That is one way to make a girl swoon I tell ya. On Saturday night he called and Hudson was having a whiny moment. I put his Daddy on speaker phone and he just lit up. He knew exactly who it was on the other side of that phone and he got so excited. HE kept saying Dada dada dada. So... its official. He actually understands and says it. I still am unsure of whether or not he understands mama. He only says it when he cries. :( oh well, he sure does love me. HE is kissing all the time right now and that is great.
I have been picking up shifts at the restaurant to help keep us going and Peyton watched Huddy for a few hours today since Dustin is working with Chad all week. Anyways, I got home to two very happy kids. Peyton said, "Mom he just kissed me all day!" (insert gushing happy tears here) HE adores her so much. I love it.
WE are having a wonderful week! Just loving on my family and being thankful for all that I have. God is so good. HE is faithful.
I wish I had more pictures to post of Peyton she is quite the stunner these days... but as I said before, I dont have her approval on this post so, you will just have to know, she has grown about a foot this summer, thinned out, matured, and become just striking.
Here is Hudson, I dont yet need his permission to post pics so here ya go!

Oh my! What was I thinking?

Yet again, Why?

Happy boy

Kissing the baby in the mirror

Clowning around with Daddy (Sorry Peyt, its just this one!)

I love this song!

2010-07-25T15:18:00.001-05:00

"Don’t know how it is You looked at me
And saw the person that I could be
Awakening my heart
Breaking through the dark
Suddenly Your grace

(Chorus)
Like sunlight burning at midnight
Making my life something so
Beautiful, beautiful
Mercy reaching to save me
All that I need
You are so
Beautiful, beautiful

Now there’s a joy inside I can’t contain
But even perfect days can end in rain
And though it’s pouring down
I see You through the clouds
Shining on my face

(Chorus)

I have come undone
But I have just begun
Changing by Your grace

(Chorus)"

(Isnt God awesome that He can make my life beautiful even though I have made colossal mistakes? His grace is sufficient.)

School and More

2010-07-24T18:17:00.005-05:00

We (the kids and I) have been in my classroom all day beginning preparations for a new school year. I was offerred the position of Team Leader for our kindergarten teachers and it is a lot of responsibility. I feel really honored, excited, and a little BUSY! Okay... a lot busy, just the idea makes my head spin. But, in a good way. IT comes with a little pay stipend too, which is a nice little added bonus for us. ANyways, the kids as I said came with me today. We set up Hudson's port-a-crib for napping and Peyton and I worked in the room. Then when Hudson was up Peyton helped out some more by watching him. Dustin is spending the weekend with his dad and close family friends. They went to San Antonio for Cowboys' training camp. HE has been home a lot so this weekend will be good for everyone. :) Although I adore the time we are able to spend, I do have a lot of work to get done and he is somewhat distracting. HA! We got home a little after 3pm today. GOt a lot done in the room, but the kids were delirious! Check out the video of kids once we got home and pics of my classroom so far. I changed it up a bit. But still have the bees. Mrs. B has to have bees. :) (Plus I love yellow)

Hudson's Baby Dedication 7/18/2010

2010-07-18T15:22:00.003-05:00

Pardon the filming. :)

2010-07-12T16:18:00.002-05:00

Today at the Burchfield's...
I was talking to my friend Wendy today as she talked about the struggles of having 2 girls 3 and under. I was telling her about having a preteen and a new little one. Basically, there are struggles at every age, but these pictures do highlight on some positive things... For instance, one is a big mess, while the other one helps out! I am thankful for my children. Thank you Lord.
Continue to pray for our family and a job for Dustin. I know God will provide somehow.

The Busy Bee

2010-07-10T09:03:00.004-05:00

www.busybeezness.blogspot.com

Hi all..
Going to a baby shower or kids birthday?
Want a new fun t-shirt for a girl's weekend?
Need a new touch to a room in your house?
Check out my new site...
The Busy Bee

I am doing a giveaway right now to get new followers for my business.
The more friends you tell, the quicker I will do the drawing... so tell a friend, check it out yourseslf, become a follower, or post a comment on my website.
You can click on the title of this post for a direct link!

See u there!

July 4th, 2010

2010-07-06T17:26:00.005-05:00

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm,
then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of
slavery." Galatians 5:1

My Little Family

WE had a great fourth of July in Granbury Texas at the Burchfield's house.
WE went to the square to see all of the wonderful crafty goodies that they have out every year, when we came back to the in-laws' we had burgers dogs and potato salad ready for us. I love you for doing that by the way! Really appreciate all the work that went into our fun family day.
WE were joined by some good friends and more family...
Dustin's favorite holiday is the fourth. He loves to feel like a kid poppin fireworks and more.
THis was Hudson's first trip to see the fireworks and he was great, not scared at all, he was just in awe of the pretty lights.
Once we got back to the house yet again we began the yearly tradition of making our own show out in the country. The area that Dustin's folks live in gets less country every year and I fear that this will be the last year we will be able to do it from their big driveway, especially since we took a window out this year. OOPS!
I think we will look back and laugh, NOte to self... never buy the firecracker called utter chaos, whose job it is to go off in all different directions and then pop. At least the little ones were in bed sleeping.
Check out some of our photos...

My friend Haley and me

Me and Hudson (first 4th of July)

Taylor(my neice), me, and Peyton

Taylor Peyton and Haley's son Cameron

Dustin and his neice Ariel

Haley, Anthony, Dustin, and me

More Mexico and Some Georgia Updates...

2010-07-03T13:25:00.006-05:00

Mexico was greatness. I thought I would miss my kids so much that I would not be able to enjoy myself but that was not the case. I was definitely able to enjoy myself and Dustin! It was much needed time with one another. Now back to reality. I am back from Rome (Georgia, that is!)
Brother is a trooper. We spent several days in and around his bedside last week. He still has the blood clot in his lungs but they did release him from the hospital after his insistance! :) Every day is filled with something new, but there are many blessings in it all. His wife, my sister in law, Marlene is strong and their faith in God is even stronger. They need your continued prayers though.
I also got to see several of my brothers and spend a day with my sisters before they came back to Texas too. My brothers had not met Hudson yet so I was glad he was able to come. I did miss Peyton a lot though. I was definitely ready to come home and love both Peyton and Dustin.
This month...
of course we have Dustin's favorite holiday although it will be low key since we are a single income family right now.
Dustin will be taking some certification exams this month to make himself more marketable and continuing to apply for teaching positions. Please pray for us concerning this that God will provide and put him right where he needs to be.
Other exciting news... Hudson will be dedicated at our church on July 18th. This is just another miracle for my family. Thank you Lord for restoring what you built!
Please enjoy more of our Mexico trip and my last minute visit with my family in Georgia.
Tulum (Mayan Ruins)

headed to La Isla Mujeres

Wow!

swimming in underground caves

this freaked me out... I hate birds!

Nothing more unsettling than getting off the boat into Cozumel and being welcomed by cops with machine guns

good times at the hotel

toes in the sand

Nurse Shark, isnt the water clear?!

Dustin at Hammock Island, he loves the beach.

me at Hammock Island, I could definitely get used to this

At the airport, heading back to reality

me and brother Joey, we look tired

brother Richard and Baby Hudson

Huddy's first plane ride

Me, Hudson, and Landon (Heavy boys!)

Playing spades around Todd's bed (Jimmie, Todd, Jacob, and Rusty)

Hudson with cousins Jacob and love

Jimmie teaching Hudson how to play spades

THe boys... Landon, Brody, and Hudson

2010-06-22T12:55:00.002-05:00

I am waiting for my son to wake up from his nap so that I can rush to the airport to board a plane for Atlanta this evening.
I was going to just go for the weekend but my brother is back in the ER with complications so please be praying for him.
I wont be able to post much about our trip but I did want to get some pictures up. WE got back late last night. I flight from MExico into DFW was delayed an hour. I was so ready to see the kids and sleep in my own bed, which I have yet to do. WE stayed the night in Granbury at Dustin's parents house since we got in so late and did not want to make the drive back.
Hudson decided he would pick today to bust out and crawl. I was in the tub and I had some toys around him in the bathroom with me. He took a few crawl steps(whatever those are called) and then layed down! HE is getting so big, well then I ducked down in the bathtub to wash my face and he pulled himself up on the side of the tub to see me! Two BIG firsts in ONE day! Thank you Lord for saving that for me!
I did not want to let Peyton go when I saw her last night. WE all 4 slept in one big bed in Granbury last night. What a nice way to greet us home! :)

2010-06-20T13:40:00.002-05:00

Hola de riviera Maya Mexico. Hoy es el dia ultimo. Today is our last day. We have really enjoyed our time together reconnecting. I can't wait to post some pictures. I will b home for a few days before loading up and flying with Hudson to alanta to see my brother Todd. Peyton and Dustin have to stay behind because we can't afford for everyone to go this time.
So much to say pero no tiempo ahorra. Oops I keep wanting to type in Spanish. I can't wait to share all of our adventures. I also have a fun little video of Dustin dancing on a pole. I will leave it that. He makes me laugh so much!
Love to all. See you soon. Miss Peyton, we got u some good stuff!Miah!

Grown-Up Girl and Polka-dotted Prince

2010-06-12T14:52:00.007-05:00

Sounds like the title of a children's book or something. Right?!
Friday PEyton had her first real paying babysitting job, oh yes she has babysat a few children in the family, but never for money and usually along side me at my house even though she did all the work. Our CIT at my school has two boys. When I was on maternity leave she helped me out by taking PEyton to school every morning since she lives in my neighborhood. Her boys really got to know Peyton and really began to like her, it is pretty hard not to. ;)
Anyhow, she needed a babysitter to watch her boys while she went to the dentist, so of course I had to take a picture of my my grown-up girl on her first day with a real babysitting job. Here she is...

IT was only a 2 hour job and we were planning on going to the local waterpark afterward. I was at home busy doing laundry and getting ready for our trip to mexico. I laid Hudson down for his morning nap and couldnt help but notice his polka-dots. I love them. I hope that even though they are polka-dots they are not too de-masculinizing? IS that a word? You get the picture.
HEre he is my polka-dotted prince...

And lastly... here is one of many baskets of laundry as I get ready to take a trip with Dustin to Playa Del Carmen, MExico. WE leave Sunday!

Ahhh, summer is finally here!

2010-06-08T22:47:00.002-05:00

This summer holds endless possiblities.
Dustin and I are taking a much needed trip to reconnect without our 2 babies. I am feeling nervous to leave them and excited to go. I do think it will be good for us, but I worry about Peyton and Hudson. Maybe its me that I am more worried about. I will miss them a lot. :)
We have lots planned for our trip, a little bit of cliff diving, snorkling, shopping, and enjoying an all inclusive resort full of fun things to do as well.

Dustin is working really hard to find a teaching job again this summer. He is considering getting certified in some other areas to become a little more marketable. We are really needing some prayers in this area. Anyone that knows Dustin knows his gift is with middle school and high school aged kids and would be a great asset to a school.

Peyton is already dying to go all over the place this summer. She is so grown up and even though our summer began on Saturday and she has been swimming twice and had a friend over, its not enough. Oh how I remember those days. She is such a big help with Hudson though and I know this is just part of this particular time in her life. I love her and sometimes wish I could still pick her up and give her big hugs and kisses. Dustin has really noticed her lack of interest in spending time with us and he is starting to feel uncool. Its pretty funny.

Hudson has four teeth! This week he is actually teething his top two eye teeth, and oh my goodness, my poor baby. He is really feeling it. Still he is a happy baby all things considered. He turns 8 months old while we are in mexico and I just cannot believe it. It has gone by so quickly. WE notice that if he hears another baby yelling he will yell back, playfully, but loud! He meowed today after hearing a toy meow. He is army crawling right now and beginning to try to pull up. I thought he was not going to crawl at all like Peyton, he still gets around pretty well, but rolls and pulls himself,however, recently he has begun to get on his knees more often. Is it selfish that I hope he doesnt start while we're gone? :)

My prayer this summer is to continue to spend time in my bible and praying for my friends and family every day. We had begun to save for a house but recently had my car breakdown so apparently God has other plans for that as of now. We have gone through a lot in the last few months and could not have come through it with out faith. It is hard some days and others are bliss. But I know we will get through anything as long as we keep our focus on the Lord.

My brother Todd started chemo last week and is not feeling great, but he has hope in God that he can still be healed. I am doing my best to get out to see him if only for a brief amount of time. He is in Atlanta at a very impressive hospital known for their innovative cancer treatments so he is being cared for. Of course he has the extra hands of my momma taking care of him every day while his wife is working to maintain them. We love you Todd.

Oh... and my sister Mattie is preggo! Hudson will have yet another cousin by next January.

I have a little time off to spend with my family this summer and plan on taking advantage of it. That is definitely a perk about being a teacher. If I cant stay home all the time at least I get to be home with them in the summer and on all major holidays. I do miss my great teacher friends but I still see them, just not 5 days a week! :(

Other things...
I plan to get lots of scrapbooking done and I would really like to get my sewing machine out this summer to get crafty!

What are you doing this summer? I would love to know what you are hoping to get accomplished!
Come scrapbook with me this summer!

Show us your life- Inexpensive beauty products

2010-05-26T00:16:00.006-05:00

In no order of importance...

With Summer approaching this is my favorite scent for the season. It reminds me of swimming. I guess because I always moisturize my skin after with this lotion. Love it!

Johnsons Lavender Bedtime Baby Bath
I put this on a loofah and lather away. I love the smell, it is so relaxing and not too strong once you get out of the tub. I bought it for Hudson and then used it one day in the shower when I ran out of body wash. I'm hooked now!

Crest White Strips
Anytime I have a mjor function such as weddings or any special occasion I will usually use these for about a week, they really do work well for me. I should probably use them more often, but... they do make teeth a little sensitive.

neutrogena sunless tanning lotion
(yes I know this sounds cheesy but I love it and it doesn ot age me. Ofcourse, the smell is not my favorite so I usually put it on over a Saturday morning period when I have a veg day planned so that I can be home while I let it soak in. I usually do not shower for at least 4 hours after application.)

Readers and BIG UPS!

2010-05-25T23:06:00.004-05:00

So... our library at school is opening a couple of hours a week so that the community is able to check out books during the summer for their children. It is all volunteer driven and teachers help keep it running all summer. So worth it for this cause. Its only two hours out of my summer. Definitely doable.
Anyways, the librarian is advertising and asking the teachers to submit pics of their own children reading to add to the website. Of course I wanted my beautiful sweet children to take part in this, so I had them both get their favorite books and took their pictures.

I know parents are suppose to say this but for those of you who dont know already I have a very smart daughter, not just because I have to say this but because she really is a genius. My son is so smart too (I can already tell. HA!)
Anyways, she got her TAKS scores back 2 days ago and was not only commended but received perfect scores on reading and a 98 on the math portion. She was excited, even though she does this every year. But still,,, a mom's gotta brag. She is such a driven little girl. She loves school and the challenges and rewards of hard work (at school, not so much in housework)

6 month pics are in

2010-05-15T11:27:00.005-05:00

Baby names and Blogs

2010-05-09T17:43:00.004-05:00

I love reading other blogs of people with similar interests. One of the teachers I have the pleasure of working next door to turned me onto Kelly'sKorner (http://www.kellyskornerblog.com/2010/05/show-us-your-life-your-kids-or-future.html) and I love her. She is so adorable. She is a wonderful christian woman who talks about decorating, crafting, babies, and all the things that are right up my alley! I enjoy sneaking a peak into her life.
Anyways her recent request is for people to post their babies names present or future on their blogs.
As most of you know we have one boy and one girl so far...
My sweet girl is
Peyton Elizabeth
and I had loved the name Peyton since I was a little girl so that was an easy choice. I chose Elizabeth with it to make it a little more feminine.
Then there is our sweet new addition to the family
Hudson Grant
I love both names. God willing we may have one more sweet bundle some day to give a beautiful name to. Dont start talking, you that know me... Not any time soon! :)

We are working on our family and the struggles we have faced in the past, but the love we each have for one another makes each day a little easier. I feel very blessed to have my life inspite of trials we each face. I know there is a purpose in it all.
I cant share our girl and boy names for future baby #3 because we like to keep those for ourselves. you will just have to wait. But please dont hold your breath because it is not something we are planning anytime soon.

Peyton is 12...and Huddy is 6 months!

2010-05-08T23:37:00.004-05:00

How is it possible that I have a 12 year old? That is what I catch myself saying a lot lately. Is it denial about my own age or was a little too young to be having babies? Maybe a little of both...nevertheless, she is 12. Time has flown. Having Hudson reminds me of just how much Peyton and I have been through. It was always she and I against the world. Of course I have always tried to lean on the Lord through it all. I probably would not have come out on this side of some of those stresses with such a positive outlook without the Lord in my life. This year has been a year of major growth for her. She has matured and is turning into dare I say, a young lady?
It is crazy how much she is changing. I look back to just 6 months ago when Hudson was born and am amazed at how much change has taken place since those pictures.
I am so blessed to have such a precious little girl that happens to not be so little anymore.
Anyways...Here are some pictures of the family dinner at Frescos (her choice), Mexican Food, a girl after my own heart! :)
Isn't she beautiful?

Oh yeah, Hudson just had his 6 month pictures taken.
He is sitting up now, babbling but mostly just Dada, grabbing, jumping when standing up, eating fruits veggies cereal and rice husk snacks, reaching for me ;), and giving hugs and kisses. Such a fun age!
I was just sent a little sneak peek of his pics for now but thought I would share...

Busy Weekend

2010-04-19T22:26:00.006-05:00

One of my fellow kinder teachers is getting married this summer in Missouri and her in-laws threw her a big shin-dig in Texas to celebrate. I got to have some fun time with all my girlies without any talk of school, (well... almost) :)
Congrats Marissa!

Then Sunday Dustin's Uncle Lonnie turned 52 and we of course went to Mama's Pizza to celebrate. Forget eating healthy this weekend, gotta get back in the gym this week!
Check out our sweet family pictures from Lonnies B-day celebration. Happy Birthday big guy! Hope you felt special on your day.

Hudson is 6 months and change is brewing at work...

2010-04-16T20:48:00.006-05:00

Dun dun dun... (those of you who teach with me know that is what I think of everytime I see elipses now that we have taught that all week. :)
Anyways, Hudson is 6 months old this week. He got two teeth before he turned 6 months old and the doctor says the top two should make their way out pretty soon as well. THat kind of makes me sad. He is going to look so big. :(
He got his shots Thursday at his 6 month appointment and I was up and down all night with him.
He is sitting up but for very short time periods, he is rolling over, jumping when supported standing, and adoring his sister. (AWWE)
In fact Peyton was at the doctor Thursday too because I got a call from her school saying she was running fever. Well turns out she has tonsilitis, but her feer has been pretty high so she has been home. Well Dustin was home with her Thursday but Friday she went to my mom's. My mom said Hudson went about his normal routine until he realized sister was there and then she could not get him to lay down or do anything. I love how much he loves her. It is so special!
I will get some pictures up of his teeth soon, but until then this one from two weekends ago will have to do.

Well, for those of you who know me I have worked with the most amazing group of women ever in the last two years. Not only are they wonderful to work with but they are my dear friends. They each have their own strengths and I know what a rare find it has been to work with women who support and encourage one another as we do. WE really love each other.
As I near the end of this school year, in some ways I dont want it to end. Three of our team members this year have decided to take a break from kindergarten. They have decided a change might be good. WE interviewed the last candidate to fill their positions today and it was so surreal. I will miss this group so much. I am praying for them in their new roles and am glad we will still be at the same school. I am also praying that God would bring the perfect people to our new group and continue to provide a valuable support system in my job. My job is tough, even though I do love my kids, these ladies are the smile in my day. I will miss my sweet kindergarten friends and know that we will stay in contact because they are forever my friends.

Happy Easter

2010-04-03T18:45:00.003-05:00

BIG boy! 5 1/2 months old already! He cut his first tooth yesterday, but its barely out of the gums so you cant see it in the picture. You can certainly feel it. It is razor sharp! :)

Palm Sunday

2010-03-29T17:40:00.003-05:00

"After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to
Jerusalem. As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill
called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples,
saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and as you
enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has
ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks
you, 'Why are you untying it?' tell him, 'The Lord needs
it.' "Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he
had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked
them, "Why are you untying the colt?" They replied, "The Lord
needs it.

"They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and
put Jesus on it. As he went along, people spread their cloaks
on the road. When he came near the place where the road goes
down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began
joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they
had seen: "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the
Lord!" "Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" Some of the
Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your
disciples!" "I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the
stones will cry out." Luke 19:28-40

Yesterday we took the Lord's Supper at church and it just took me to a place in my mind that I desire to be always. Which is an awe-inspired heart for Christ.

When I was a child, even after I accepted Christ into my heart, my sister Mindy and I would sit in the pew and take the Lord's supper. I have memories of trying to crunch and drink quietly. I have memories of the reverence the adults showed around us, and I have memories of she and I trying our hardest not to giggle too loudly at the quietness of it all. I distinctly have many memories of she and I snorting and laughing because we were expected to be quiet. This happened many times.

Not now...I think about how Christ offered up the bread and said this is my body, broken for you, take it. Oh my... how do I accept something so priceless? I am so imperfect. I constantly battle between my own flesh and listening to what God would have me do or not do.
We are so unworthy to take of his broken body with which he willingly endured an excruciating death. We are so unworthy to take the grace which his shed blood allowed us to receive. I dont take it lightly. God's love is like no love I have ever been a recipient or even a giver of outside of Him.
Easter is probably my favorite holiday. I think it is because it reminds me to stop for a moment and give thanks for a grace I cannot even fully understand. It humbles me and allows me to be swallowed up in the extreme love God extends me every day.

Mark 16:4 And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.

He is alive!

My prayer is that anyone who reads this will be struck with the love that I felt Sunday afternoon and forget the wordly pains and struggles you are going through now. We each have a story, though none bigger than His. Many of you know my own trials. My family has been under attack, my brother just underwent his 3rd cancer surgery in 3 years. In all things I will try my best to give thanks regardless.

"Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed." 1 Peter 4:12-13

Thank You Lord

2010-02-26T19:48:00.002-06:00

I have so much to be thankful for. Life is not perfect sometimes. Actually most of the time. I dont know what the future holds for me, not that we ever do, but I am sure that the Lord has plans of prosperity and hope. His word tells me and promises me this.
Peyton was my little blessing.
Then... I married my husband who is helping me understand the true meaning of unconditional love.
My husband blessed me with a new little life to care for and bring us joy.
I have been blessed with wonderful health.
My children have been blessed with healthy bodies also. (not to mention smiles that can light up the darkest of rooms)
I have been given an unshakeable faith.
I work with amazing ladies that will pray with and for me at any time.
I have so many members of my family that are praying for me and my family all the time.
I am blessed to say I have a mother in law that I love more than words.
I have parents that would do anything for me and my family.
My sisters are my rocks.
My prayers are answered every day.
The Lord always provides for me. Not always in the way I imagine but that is because His plans are beyond my comprehension.

"Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength."
Nehemiah 8:9

Romans 12:9-16

2010-02-10T18:25:00.000-06:00

"Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is
good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one
another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep
your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope,
patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's
people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who
persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who
rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one
another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with
people of low position. Do not be conceited."

GQ Baby

2010-01-31T08:55:00.003-06:00

oh my gosh. I couldnt stop taking pictures this morning as I got him dressed for church. He looks like a real lady's man!

Prayer

2010-01-23T21:57:00.002-06:00

For those of you who have been fervently praying for my family since December, I just want to thank you. I do feel your prayers and hope you will continue. We are going through so much right now and even though I have not shared what exactly, I know you will pray God's will for us regardless. I appreciate your allowing me to be private as we go through this difficult time and praying us through this. I feel blessed for friends and family like you.
You can specifically pray for obedience, desire for righteousness, and strength. Love to all
Cyndee

3 months old

2010-01-17T23:07:00.004-06:00

Hard to believe Hudson is already 3 months old. It is flying by and I am trying my best to take it all in. I am very sleep depriverd these days but he is soo worth it. He loves the Mickey Mouse cartoon on the Disney channel and coos extra loud when it is on. He also loves big sister and follows her all around the room with his eyes! I love my sweet babies.
Hudson loves to be rocked and I love to rock him! He loves church, but only because he likes to look at the people and flirt with them in the pews behind us. ;) ( I have not put him in the nursery yet, I think he is too young to be around all the germs still)
I am so thankful for my sweet baby boy. Check him out!

he looks annoyed with all the picture taking in this last one! :)

Memories of Us

2010-01-16T21:18:00.004-06:00

My husband loved this song when it first came out. It happened to come out right when we got married and it was the first song we danced to as a married couple. Dustin always said the lyrics reminded him of exactly how he felt about me then. :) So precious. I cherish those words still.

I love this

2010-01-02T15:20:00.000-06:00

Lyrics | Warren Barfield lyrics - Love Is Not A Fight lyrics

Love is not a place
To come and go as we please
It's a house we enter in
Then commit to never leave

So lock the door behind you
Throw away the key
We'll work it out together
Let it bring us to our knees

Chorus:
Love is a shelter in a raging storm
Love is peace in the middle of a war
And if we try to leave, may God send angels to guard the door
No, love is not a fight but it's something worth fighting for

To some, love is a word
That they can fall into
But when they're falling out
Keeping that word is hard to do

Chorus:
Love is a shelter in a raging storm
Love is peace in the middle of a war
And if we try to leave, may God send angels to guard the door
No, love is not a fight but it's something worth fighting for

Love will come to save us
If we'll only call
He will ask nothing from us
But demand we give our all

Chorus:
Love is a shelter in a raging storm
Love is peace in the middle of a war
And if we try to leave, may God send angels to guard the door
No, love is not a fight but it's something worth fighting for

I will fight for you
Would you fight for me?
It's worth fighting for

The End of My Maternity Leave

2010-01-02T11:14:00.002-06:00

There is so much going on right now. My focus will shift on Monday when I have to return to my job after 12 weeks home with my sweet son! I have had lots of ups and downs as many of you know. I am literally on my knees a lot these days and I know that in God's word he tells us in Matthew that whatever we come to the Lord believing will be done. I take solace in that as I think about what this year holds for my family. Please continue to pray for us. We all need that. THe bible also tells us that where two people come together in agreement it shall also be done. For where two or three are gathered in His name, He is there also. I am believing in God's promises in the New Year. God has a plan for each of us. I hope we can all learn to ask for wisdom in seeking his true will for our lives. That is my prayer for everyone!
Here are some pictures from my time at home:

Psalm 34:18 (New International Version)

2009-12-31T17:54:00.001-06:00

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

I know you are reading...

2009-12-28T18:16:00.004-06:00

Yes, you know who you are. I am praying for God's will in your life! :)
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
May you hear him whispering in your ear and choose the right course.

2 Corinthians 12:7-10

2009-12-27T09:48:00.000-06:00

(New International Version)

7To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Christmas Joys

2009-12-26T10:08:00.002-06:00

Wonderful Truths

2009-12-23T23:16:00.004-06:00

(Taken from One Year Book of Devotions; by Stuart Briscoe)

All from the teachings of Psalm 119:1-24

Open my eyes to the wonderful truths in your law.
Psalm 119:18

Closed eyes and sightless eyes have something in common: neither can see beauty. The beauty is there for the seeing but with no eyes beholding it the beauty shines unappreciated, like a diamond in the desert sand.
Hearts have eyes. Windows letting in the light of life. But if the eyes of the heart are closed, truth shines on, unobserved. The heart is darkened, the mind is confused, desires are twisted, and wrong decisions are made. The difference between right and wrong becomes blurred and indistinct until right seems wrong and wrong seems right. Eventually the very existence of objective truth is questioned and the person stumbles into a subjective morass of sensuality and sin. Meanwhile, truth shines on unabated--and unappreciated.
Any man, young or old, who is concerned that his life is heading downhill, his principles compromised and his morality eroded, at least has the eyes of his heart opened partially. But he needs to ask the Lord to open his eyes fully to the "wonderful truths" found in God's word-- truths that have shown brightly through the centuries. pointing unerringly to who God is, who we are, what he expects, what we have done, what God has done about it, what we should do, and how we should live as a result. These are wonderful truths! Once a man's eyes are opened to the truth of God's word, the man thus begins to percieve vistas of truth formerly undreamed of--mysteries previously hidden , insights formerly imagined. He discovers answers to questions he never thought to ask, and he questions opinions never previously examined. More wonderful truths!
These truths are carefully hidden in the heart and are pondered. As a result, the mind becomes educated in God's principles and promises, the emotions are stimulated to wholesome delight and Godly desire, and the will is moved to make decisions that consistently reflect the divine principles. Thus might a man live life to the full.

Happy is the man who has eyes wide open to discern, desire, and do God's will.

Thank you Lord for showing me where my imperfections lie.

Romans 8:28-39

2009-12-23T19:43:00.001-06:00

Romans 8:28-39

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among any brethren; and whom He predestined, these He also called; and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, "For Thy sake we are being put to death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered." But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

2 month checkup

2009-12-15T15:40:00.005-06:00

Here is Chubs napping today after his visit and shots. Look at those thighs!

I couldnt resist taking his picture in his rudolph slippers and hat complete with antlers.

Baby Hudson had his two month check up today. Doc says he is growing like crazy and is pleased with how happy he is. He just cooed and smiled at the doctor today while he looked him over. He is such a happy boy. Hudson is becoming so aware of everything around him that he has begun the torturous struggle to stay awake. He is just so afraid he might miss something... So, it is officially time to take the port-a-crib with bassinet drop in out of my room and have him sleep in his room. These last two months have just flown by. I love babies, they are such a joy. No matter what else in the world is going on, looking at his sweet face makes me happy and thankful. He has grown four inches in length, and he weighs a whopping 12 lbs 13oz. Can you believe he is almost 13 pounds?! I certainly can everytime I carry his little carrier. Whew is he a work out.
He loves his bath right now. He takes after his mom, just loves the water. He can be crying and I can sit him in the bath and he will just stop immediately, open his eyes and smile. I swear he is going to be a swimmer.
Funny little story about me...
I love to swim. I am like a kid when it comes to the water. As soon as the weather is remotely warm it is my excuse to get outside and jump in a pool somewhere. I never grow tired of it. Anyway, when Dustin and I dated I was living with my parents and going to school. We both waited tables and went to school so we had crazy hours. After work was the only time I knew Peyton was in bed and I did not have to worry about being away from her, so we would try to spend time together then. Dustin would always ask, what do you want to go do? I would always reply, "Let's go swimming at your apartments." I am sure he enjoyed that because for one, he got me in a swimsuit AND he did not have to pay for anything. IF you asked the question what did we do the most when we were dating honestly, we swam.;)
I see Hudson loving the water too. I think Dustin thinks Peyton and I are crazy sometimes when that is still our reply after he asks us what we would like to do. The good thing is, next summer he will be out-numbered 3 to 1. Sorry babe, we're going swimming.

The Motions Lyrics by Matthew West

2009-12-10T21:01:00.001-06:00

This might hurt, it's not safe
But I know that I've gotta make a change
I don't care if I break,
At least I'll be feeling something
'Cause just okay is not enough
Help me fight through the nothingness of life

I don't wanna go through the motions
I don't wanna go one more day
without Your all consuming passion inside of me
I don't wanna spend my whole life asking,
"What if I had given everything,
instead of going through the motions?"

No regrets, not this time
I'm gonna let my heart defeat my mind
Let Your love make me whole
I think I'm finally feeling something
'Cause just okay is not enough
Help me fight through the nothingness of this life

'Cause I don't wanna go through the motions
I don't wanna go one more day
without Your all consuming passion inside of me
I don't wanna spend my whole life asking,
"What if I had given everything,
instead of going through the motions?"

take me all the way (take me all the way)
take me all the way ('cause I don't wanna go through the motions)
take me all the way (I know I'm finally feeling something real)
take me all the way

I don't wanna go through the motions
I don't wanna go one more day
without Your all consuming passion inside of me
I don't wanna spend my whole life asking,
"What if I had given everything,
instead of going through the motions?"

I don't wanna go through the motions
I don't wanna go one more day
without Your all consuming passion inside of me
I don't wanna spend my whole life asking,
"What if I had given everything,
instead of going through the motions?"

take me all the way (take me all the way)
take me all the way (I don't wanna go, I don't wanna go)
take me all the way (through the motions)
take me all the way

I don't wanna go through the motions