Life Lately

I came to my blog to do a post about the books I've been reading. One of my goals for 2018 is to read more books! But then, I got here, and realized that I hadn't blogged in about 4 years.

OOPS.

It is so crazy how this blog was such a part of my weekly life, and it definitely helped me through some hard times. And then I neglected it for 4 years.

So maybe now I have another goal for 2018: Blog more! Nobody may read this anymore..but I sure do love looking back at my memories!

So, even though obviously I have a lot of catching up to do, I am just going to start out simple: An update on our life lately!

As most of you know (from following me on the facebook) we moved to Fort Worth in August! I will have to blog about our journey to moving in another post, because it is a miraculous, "only God" story that needs to be told! But for now, let's just start with: We moved here 5 months ago, and things are going really well so far! We moved here because Casey is now the Preschool/Children's minister for Wedgwood Baptist Church. His job is going really well, and it has been such a tremendous blessing for him to be able to focus on just one area of ministry, rather than doing about 5 jobs at once (which he was doing at our church in Temple, by the time we left.) He loves his job, and we love our church, and it has been a tremendous blessing.

I interviewed for jobs in July, but really felt like God was telling me that I needed to stay home to help get the family settled. After all, we didn't move until the Saturday before school started! So, I have been staying very busy getting us settled. We moved into a fixer upper, and we have been renovating it room by room. I have been figuring out what we wanted to do from a design standpoint, whereas Casey has been more of the doer. I guess you could say I have been the JoJo to his Chip Gaines. We now have most of everything unpacked, and really the only work we have left on the inside is the girls' bedrooms (for now). We will then begin the process of saving for massive work that needs to be done on the exterior (new windows, new paint job, new fence) and then eventually the bathrooms! It has been fun at times, and stressful at others (broken appliances, raccoons in the attic, etc.)



Kailey Rose is now 10 years old. TEN ACTUAL YEARS old! It is so crazy to me that she could possibly be that old. She is in 4th grade, and is doing very well in school. She is our rule-follower, so she stays on top of getting her homework done, without much prodding from me. She catches on to things quickly, and does a really great job in her classes. We have definitely been dealing with some pre-teen emotions with her for quite some time. Sometimes it seems like they have tapered off a bit...but she definitely keeps us on our toes with the drama! Her most significant decision within the last year, is that she was baptized on January 1, 2017.



Makenna Grace is 7 1/2 years old. She is our free spirit! She is in 2nd grade, and has recently been tested for GT. She is our out-of-the-box thinker. She says the craziest, most insightful things! She is also our risk-taker, and our squirrel! Even though she is super smart..she will just not sit still and do her homework! I have to stay on top of her, almost like prodding cattle, to get her work done! She is still our most loving sweet girl also, always willing to give hugs to anyone that needs them! Makenna's most significant moment this past fall was that she asked Jesus to be her Savior, and she was baptized on November 19, 2017.



Hartlee Ruth just turned 4 years old this past Sunday. I mean, where does the actual time go?? It is crazy. She is definitely a mix of both of her big "sissies". She has Makenna's spunk and Kailey's drama! She is definitely spoiled (my fault) and HATES to sleep. I mean hates it. We had a good year, before we moved here, where she didn't wake us up during the night, but ever since we moved here, she wakes us up once per night. It is exhausting. However..she is such a blessing to us, and we are so thankful for her, even if we don't get to sleep.

That catches you up on the basics of how we have been doing lately. Soon I will do a post on our journey to Fort Worth, and maybe even a couple renovation posts! Who knows? Maybe 2018 will be the revival of this ole blog!

Our Summer, Thus Far

It seems like during this week of the summer, I always feel the need to finally blog a little summer recap. Part of this is because I think this is the time of the summer where all the teachers be like "school is a comin", and this is also traditionally the time of the summer where I'm officially over Casey being gone all the time.

Exhibit A (2012)
Exhibit B (2013)

It is hilarious to me that the dates on those posts are July 20, July 21, and today is July 25 and I'm feeling the urge to post.

Anyways, here is what we have been up to!

We have had a much more low-key summer. If you recall from last year, we were gone all.summer.long, so this summer I wanted it to be pretty much the exact opposite of that, and it has been, at least for me and the girls!

June 8-14: Casey went to youth camp in Glorieta. I stayed home with all 3 girls. By myself. While some might say this was crazy of me to attempt...oh what am I kidding, it was crazy! But, that was one of our best weeks of summer. I had a daily schedule of activities for us, and even though it was crazy, it was nice to spend quality time with my babies, after being away from them during the school year. :)

June 16-20: This week was VBS week. Just like last year, the girls had a total blast! We most definitely had the whole late night thing again (including Casey staying out to almost midnight every day afterwards with the youthies), and got waaaaaayyyy off schedule, but each year they get older and handle it better. Plus, Hartlee is still so young, that she was able to fall asleep and nap during VBS, and then was able to go to bed when we got home as well. It was a great week for all! (I also had 3 days of teacher workshops this week, which are always very helpful, but also waaaaaayyyy too close to school getting out!)

June 9-19: Swimming Lessons! This was Kailey's second year of lessons, and Makenna's first. Both girls did fine..We need to work on Kailey putting her face in the water! That girl just wants to hold her nose and swim at the same time!



June 28-July 2: Kailey and Makenna went to spend some time with Gran and Papa. They had a great time picking blueberries, making jelly, and all sorts of fun things. Casey, Hartlee, and I enjoyed going out on some quiet dates while they were gone.

July 2-5: Yogi Bear! We took our annual trip with Casey's family to the Yogi Bear Jellystone Park in Burleson, TX. We had a great week playing at the water park, making some yogi crafts, meeting some yogi bear characters, and spending time with family. This was our one "vacay" of the summer, and it was a great length both in the time we stayed there, and how far it was from our house! (1 1/2 hours).



July 6-10: Casey left for a Mission Trip at Mission Arlington, and we went to spend a few days in Kingwood with my mom. (My dad was out of town, and Emily was working and had her own mission stuff after work each night). It was a great time just swimming, and seeing a few friends here and there (including my former youth minister's wife, and her daughter, and grandson).



July 21-25: That brings us to this week. This week Casey had Uncivil War, which is a competition between 4 area churches, where they play fun games. Sooo he has been out til anywhere from 10:30-12:00 each night (hence the mommy is tired of daddy being gone feelings I am having). The girls have enjoyed going to watch each night. It is always fun!

We have a few weeks of summer left, and Casey only has one more "trip", which is to Six Flags on Monday. We are thinking of letting Kailey go with him for the first time! Eek! She is getting too old! The girls are also going to spend a few days with my parents, in August, for "Grammy camp".

We have had other random bits of fun too, like going to the library, playing at the splash pad, skate night with church, and our all time fave: dressing up like cows for free Chick-Fil-A!



Besides our trips and such, our sweet Hartlee has really been growing this summer as well! She turned 6 months old this past Monday, and cut 1 tooth on Wednesday, and 1 tooth on Thursday! Plus she started solids this week (I am making my own baby food this time! So fun, and cheap!)and is devouring them, like a champ! Now, if we can just get her to sleep consistently through the night we will be on a roll!

Life with Kailey Rose

When I began this blog, 6 years ago, it was titled (and still is on the link) "Life with Kailey Rose". Oh how I love her so, but let me tell you, Life with Kailey Rose, as been far from "Rosy" this week.

Home girl is struggling.

As am I.

I think so many times I (without necessarily meaning to) act like I have it all together. At least in the social media world. People who see me in public can probably tell by my disheveled appearance, that this stay at home mom with 3 kids business, is kicking me in the booty! At the core of my distress this week, is my strong-willed Kailey Rose.

I honestly really feel like I don't really know what to do with her. (Did I say that out loud? Like..where other people can see it??)

She has gotten quite the sassy mouth on her. We have had more than one fit this week, where she has spewed some of the most hateful, horrible things at me. I have tried many consequences with her, and nothing seems to make one bit of difference. I have had such a bad time this week with her, on top of Hartlee's constant fussiness (teething), on top of Makenna's 4 year old typical testing-the-waters-disobedience, on top of: it's the end of the summer and we haven't had our daddy home much to help us. All of these things have caused me to doubt my effectiveness as a mommy. It has been quite disheartening.

Oh the devil has had quite the fun with me this week in my thought life. I would say the low points were:

"Maybe the reason we can't afford for me to be a stay at home mom full time, is because I am really awful at it"

"Maybe the reason we lost Brittyn, is because God knew I couldn't handle 3 children, and He finally just caved and gave us Hartlee because he could see how much I wanted her"

I decided to blog about this for a couple of reasons. One, is probably in the hopes that I am not the only one who feels like a horrible mother during phases such as these, and maybe my willingness to admit these struggles will help you! Another is probably in the hopes that someone can help me, or at the very least pray for me.

And for Kailey. Home girl needs some Jesus up in her heart. :)

It is so hard to be vulnerable, and write this post. But, sometimes I just need for people to see how I really feel, instead of my social media, filtered pictures that make it seem like everything is 100% perfect, 100% of the time.

Ch Ch Ch Changes!

I am not good with change.

There are SO many changes happening at my school and in my school district for the upcoming school year. It has me all worried and anxious and sad and you name it. My principal is leaving, and several of my "teacher friends", and 2 instructional coaches, and the list goes on. The last time I felt this insecure about my job is 3 years ago when I was forced to move to a new campus. I was terrified. I didn't want to leave my "teacher friends" from my old campus, and I was just not sure about my new principal, and I just didn't know what to do.

But then...

God really showed me how much more He knows about my needs than I think I know! I have NEVER worked at a better campus, under a better principal, in my career. It really has been like a family. I attribute that feeling mainly to my principal (who is leaving) but honestly I think a big reason why it feels like family, is because we have a rough group of students. They put us through.the.ringer on a daily basis. (Well not all of them...but a portion of them that make us feel like it is all of them!) Withou the support of each other, we wouldn't be able to face our jobs some days!

So, I think that is why I am having such trouble with the changes. I felt so secure with these people that I worked with, and now a bunch of them are being ripped away from me. So now, I will have to get used to new administrators, and find new "teacher friends" all while dealing with a new group of students. It is just hard.

But,

If there is one thing I know, it is that God is Sovereign. He knows what is best for me. He knew it was best for me to change campuses 3 years ago, and He knows I am supposed to be there amidst all of these changes. Just like I could never have imagined loving a school more than I love my school....He knows these changes are what I need.

I just have to trust Him.

Hartlee Ruth Williams

So, when you have 3 kids, blogging doesn't happen very frequently! Now that baby girl is 5 weeks old, I figured I would attempt to take a few minutes to blog about her arrival!

Hartlee Ruth was born on January 21st at 9:57am. She weighed 7lbs 12.5 oz and was 19 3/4 inches long. For those that like to compare:

Kailey was 9lbs and 20 inches
Makenna was 7lbs 12 oz and 19 1/4 inches

So she is almost identical to Makenna in size. However, she is almost identical to Kailey's newborn pictures.



(If we are being honest about it, the 3 of them are carbon copies of one another. It is amazing! The top picture is Makenna, the middle picture is Kailey, and the bottom picture is Hartlee)

The c-section went wonderfully, even though it seemed to take forever! I am so thankful though, because this was probably the best one of the 3. I was awake (I was asleep for Kailey's) and I didn't get sick! (I got sick after Makenna's). The recovery has been waaaaaay better as well, but I will spare you the details. :)

Adjusting to 3 children is taking some time. It is hard being outnumbered! Makenna has had issues not being the baby anymore. She has been very sneaky and weepy....but that is getting better too.

I took Hartlee to the doctor today, because she was having some discomfort during feedings. The doctor thinks she has acid reflux, so she will be starting on some medicine today to hopefully give her some relief! And hopefully, this will mean she won't be as fussy, so we can put her down more, which will make it easier to take care of the other 2 children! That is my wish at least!

The girls have been a great help with Hartlee so far. They love her to pieces and want to hold her and give her kisses all the time. She is a blessing to have! Here are some of her newborn pictures that we had made by Amy Odom Photography.

37 weeks

So much for me updating once a month....

37 weeks pregnant! I am so thankful to be here. Out of my 3 full term pregnancies, this one has definitely been the most difficult. I am ready for this baby to get here, to hopefully get rid of some of the ailments I have been facing!

Total Weight Gain: 29 pounds (Right now I am sitting at the weight that I finished my pregnancies with both Kailey and Makenna, and I started this pregnancy 20 pounds heavier. So I feel pretty good about that!)

Movement: We are in the "Oh I think that is her foot!" stage, where my belly moves and rolls and she is flipping around. This is my favorite part!

Sleep: What is sleep? If I am not getting up to use the bathroom, I am waking up because I can't breathe out of my swollen nose, or I am guzzling a gallon of ice water because my mouth is dry because my nose is non-functional, or my sciatic nerves and shoulders are hurting because I am sleeping on one side for too long.

What I miss: Sleep. Being able to breathe.

Cravings: Mostly just sweets.

Symptoms: I've already complained about most of them in the "sleep" category, but the worst symptom is the Kidney stones. I had a couple of kidney stones the beginning of November, and then I have one that flares up every now and then, randomly. Last night I was up all night because of the pain. It is really not fun! I am hoping this is only pregnancy related and not something new for me to get to deal with in real life!

Best moment this week: Getting her laundry clean, and her room ready for her to come home!

Prayer Request: Please just pray for my kidney stones to stay away. They really hurt! You can also pray for my anxiety as we approach the C-section. I have all of these concerns and worries that I am not looking forward to experiencing again! I am scheduled for January 21st. So 2 weeks1 Yay!

The Name Game: For those of you who have been following on Facebook, here are the letters so far:

R
E
T
A

And the new letter for this week is;
L!

20 weeks!

Yay, we made it half way! I am super thankful we have made it so far in this pregnancy, without any complications! Here is my 20 week update, and also a prayer request at the bottom.

How far along: 20 weeks

Size of baby: According to the ultrasound on Friday, baby is 12 oz. According to baby center, the baby is the size of a banana.

Maternity Clothes: Definitely. Most shirts still fit around the belly, but it is just easier to go full maternity clothes at this point.

Gender: It's a GIRL! Surprise, Surprise! :)



Total Weight Gain: 7 pounds.

Movement: Each day I feel some thumping, usually in the evenings during the week, and at various times on the weekend.

Sleep: I sleep ok, except that I have to get up a minimum of 4 times per night to go to the bathroom. So, that stinks.

What I miss: Sleep. And drinking diet coke whenever I want. :)

Cravings: Cake.

Symptoms: Peeing every 30 minutes, being really tired, some indigestion, and some ligament pain when I sneeze.

Best moment this week: Finding out that SHE is HEALTHY and a she! :)

Prayer Request: Ok, so it obviously was really wonderful to find out that she is healthy. The only problem is, that Brittyn was healthy too. But, sometime between finding out she was healthy, and my 23 week appointment, she passed away. So obviously, I am having to fight off the anxiety BIG time at this point, because we are in that exact stage of pregnancy where we lost Brittyn last year. Please pray for me, that I won't worry constantly. And please pray for the baby, that she stays healthy and growing and alive. Much appreciated!