2009....20/20 style

We don't often get to look at our future and have a clear picture of what will happen but somehow, we get to see our past with 20/20 vision. Things that we could have done differently or maybe how evident God was with us. This past Sunday we were able to take a look at the life of our church throughout 2009. So Joe and I came home and took a look back at our 2009. What an amazing year it was for us. We had some pretty challenging times. I know it was in January when I was admitted to the hospital (9 weeks pregnant) with an inflamed and enlarged gall bladder, not able to eat or drink for a couple of days. God brought us through it. When our Pastor at church preached about being obedient to God. It spoke so clearly to Joe that he was finally baptized after 20 years of being a Christian. Joe was asked to be a Deacon and was ordained. We had our third child, our precious Maggie Grace. We were able to dedicate her on the same day that Granny (her namesake) Wilburn went home to be with the Lord just three years earlier, we were asked to be co-Sunday school teachers, the boys have basically accepted Christ, they were accepted into the Christian School that we prayed about for so long and so many other blessings. I am not one to ever talk about our accomplishments or to be boastful about things but it has been an exceptional year for our family and God deserves all the glory, honor and praises! I have often wondered why he has chosen to bless me beyond measure. Who am I? I am not a Biblical scholar, I was not raised in an active/praying Christian home (although my parents are Christians!) I didn't go to a Christian school. I am so thankful for the life that God has given to me. We don't live in a fancy home full of rooms and furniture, we don't drive luxury cars that cost a fortune to get an oil change, we don't own numerous houses or buildings, we don't drink elaborate wine at night (we don't drink at all for that matter!) We live in a home that is perfect for us in this season of our life. We drive cars that are perfect for us in this season of our life. But most importantly we praise our God for this season of our life. Joe and I have come so far this year. Please join me in prayer as we prepare for the upcoming year. So many are in difficult times and I pray that they will allow God to see them through it. I remind myself, If God can bring you to it, He can definitely bring you through it. I pray for all of my family and friends. May God continue all of His blessings and may you all see his miraculous works. God bless you all.

Happy Anniversary

Joe and I just celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary. My goodness, I cannot believe that 9 years have already come and gone. If you would have told me on our wedding day that we would be even happier than we were then, closer to Christ and have twin boys and a baby girl I probably would have laughed and said "that sounds nice, but I don't think so!" We have been so blessed over the years. I remember the day I told Joe how I felt about him. It was a Thursday night, I was spending the night with a sweet friend, Jennifer and I told her that I really liked Joe. I had just come to terms with it and she thought it was a perfect time to call and tell him. So I did! I even got up enough courage to ask him out only for him to turn me down. The next day we all went to the movies after work to see "American Pie" and Joe and I flirted and when he took me and Jennifer back to her house we ended with a good night kiss. That Monday I told Joe that I had just broken up with my boyfriend and he asked where that left us. That was the beginning of a wonderful marriage. On Christmas Day of 1999 Joe asked me to marry him ( I of course said YES!) Then on November 18, 2000 we became husband and wife. For our anniversary this year Joe put together a surprise evening. We stayed at the Georgian Terrace in one of their luxury suites, had a delicious fondue dinner at the Melting Pot and ended our night with front row seats at the Fox to see the Radio City Music Hall's Rockettes. It was such a wonderful night. If you know my husband, you know that this is so out of character for him but he knows exactly what to do to make me smile. It's amazing how much our love for one another has grown over the years. I've learned throughout the past couple of years that there are people out there that will try and tear down a marriage by betraying their spouse and I'm so thankful that Joe and I keep Christ at the center of our marriage. I have such a huge passion for marriage. I do not believe in divorce. I believe in being faithful and honest at all times and I'm grateful to share those same values with my wonderful husband. So to my honey, I love you so much. Thank you for giving me the greatest years of my life!

I'm an American!

It's been a while since my last blog. My how the time flies by when you're having fun. That's exactly what our family has been having too. A few weeks ago my sweet boys came running upstairs. They were both very excited. Ethan looked at me and with a big grin upon his face he said "Mommy! Me and Bryce are going to heaven!" I assumed he was imagining a trip to heaven. I definitely didn't think he was serious. So I said "Really? When?" And to my surprise his response wasn't what I thought it would be. He informed me that he was in fact very serious. He said that he and Bryce had just asked Jesus into their hearts. I guess because Joe and I were both 9 when we asked Jesus into our hearts I automatically assumed that they were too young. However, after carefully speaking with them and asking them some pretty tough questions. Even meeting with our Pastor at our church, we came to the realization that our little boys are in fact going to heaven. They understand exactly what it means. They understand what it truly means to call yourself a Christian. I could not be more proud of my sweet boys. The day we met with our Pastor we came home and individually asked the boys if they were a Christian. Bryce answered with a proud yes. We made sure he could tell us what it means to be a Christian. Then Ethan came to us. We asked him the exact same question. We said "Ethan, are you a Christian?" And with his big blue eyes he said (very serious) "NO!" Of course I'm shocked. What on earth? We just met with our Pastor, we went over everything, he explained it to us. He told us how we could become a Christian and yet he's not? HUH? So I asked him why not. His response: "Because I'm an American!" I couldn't help but smile. I explained him that when we become saved, we call ourselves Christians. I got the typical "oh" and we moved on. Now they're asking if their grandparents are saved and if their little friends are saved. I pray for my boys that they grow up to be men of God. I pray nightly for their future wives, that they are growing up in Christian homes with values. God has blessed us with His children to call ours but only for a short time. I'm learning that time flies by quickly and to cherish every moment of it.

Joe was ordained

I am so proud of my husband! Just a few weeks ago he received a phone call informing him that he was nominated to be a deacon at our church. It's a funny story too...we along with our best friends were joking that each man would nominate the other. Simply joking! Then we get the phone call. Joe had thought at first that Chad took him seriously and even called to confirm, however, it wasn't Chad! So just a few days passed and Chad got a phone call informing him that he had also been nominated. Coincidence? NOPE! It's a God thing! So, Joe prayed over the decision. He had just told me that he wanted to become more active in our church. It didn't take much prayer before he felt the Lord's calling. On October 11, 2009, Joe (and Chad) were both ordained! It was, by far, the most overwhelming experience. They had something called "Laying on the hands" and that is where all the ordained deacons and ministers come and pray for the newly ordained. To hear these men come and pray over my husband (there were a total of 5 men being ordained and who knows how many praying!) My tears flowed like the Nile river! I am SO PROUD of my husband and to see where he has allowed God to lead him. It is truly an honor to be his wife! Joe does so much for so many. He's always had such an amazing heart, even when he's had every right to be bitter, he's been kind. And to put up with me, well that says a lot! It's very humbling to know that the church looked highly upon Joe as well as myself (as I had to be with him during the interview, whew!) We had our family and some pretty awesome friends there to support Joe on this very special night.

Update..finally!

Life with a newborn has been fun and hectic. School is in good and strong now and the boys are LOVING it. They've already learned numerous Bible verses, their vowels, small math problems, songs, poems, and are learning how to read using phonics and are writing their letters in the upstairs, downstairs, basement form. The school uses the ABEKA curriculum which I love! By the time they're in the 8th grade they will have the same education as a graduating 12th grader. They had their first field trip to the zoo and loved riding on the bus more than anything. I am still just so thankful that God made a way for them at Creekside. I as well as them just love their teacher. I admire her for handling 14 five year olds all day by herself. While we are on the boys, they just love their little sister. They are so wonderful with her. When she cries they go up to her and ask her what is wrong and that they are the big brother and they're there to help her. Speaking of the "little sister." Maggie is doing just great. She's getting bigger everyday. We took her to her one month check up and she has gained 3 pounds. I just love playing dress up with her. She's just so beautiful. She is already a daddy's girl. As soon as Joe comes home from work, her eyes get so big and she's looking all over until she finds him and then she just grins. She definitely has her daddy wrapped around her little finger. Oh, and about Joe...this Sunday, Joe is being ordained as a deacon at our church. We got the phone call just a few weeks ago and was informed that he was nominated. Joe said this is the most humbling thing for him. Not only does he get to serve God but he gets to do it with our best friends (Chad and Sarah, of course just men are deacons.) It's a three year term and one I know he will enjoy. Just to see where we were 6 years ago. We were good people. We went to church on Sunday mornings and that was it. There was no Bible Study or personal devotion time. Ever since I came close to losing my life during labor we decided to give all we have to God because He gave it all for us! Our lives are blessed everyday and all though we may not understand God's blessing at the time we give Him all the praise. So that's our life in a short nutshell. I hope to have more time to update again soon.

She's here!

It's been a hectic last few weeks but I am pleased to announce that on August 17, 2009 at 5:01PM I gave birth to Miss Maggie Grace Wilburn. She weighed 6 pounds 11 ounces and was 20 inches long. She's absolutely beautiful! Our journey began on Thursday, August 13. I had a scheduled doctors appointment and was having contractions all day. Nothing serious, maybe 10-12 minutes apart. I told the doctor of this and he examined me. Everything was fine and closed but he made the comment to call him Monday morning. He was on call and said he wanted to hear how my weekend went. It was as if he knew something. He said depending on my weekend he might go ahead and induce me since he was on call. So, Friday came and my contractions were coming every 5-6 minutes. So Joe and I made our way to DeKalb Medical and they examined me and I had dilated to 1 and the contractions were still continuous. So the on-call doctor had me walk around for an hour in hopes that I would dilate more. Well, no luck! So I went back home. Then on Saturday I began having contractions every 2-3 minutes apart so back to DeKalb we went. This time they examined me and I was 2 centimeters dilated. Wooo hooo! So the new on-call doctor admitted me. They took me out of triage to an actual labor and delivery room. Got the iv in and got me all hooked up. I was ready to go. This time, my contractions stopped! The on-call doctor made a visit to my room and said she didn't feel comfortable with giving me pitocin to induce labor since she isn't my primary doctor. So we went back home. Then on Sunday, Joe and I went out to eat with his family to celebrate August birthdays. We enjoyed our day and I enjoyed having spontaneous contractions rather than steady ones. On Monday morning I called my doctor just as he ordered. He was quite upset that they even sent me home and told me to get up to DeKalb that we were going to have a baby today! So that's exactly what we did. I checked in at 9:00am. They monitored me for a couple of hours and finally at 12:00PM my doctor came in, asked why they hadn't started pitocin yet and ordered them to do it immediately. I got my blood work back and thankfully my blood was thick enough to enjoy an epidural. The contractions began coming and I was feeling great! The nurses came in and said that the pitocin could have been making Maggie's heart rate drop during contractions and wanted to monitor me more closely. Then the doctor came in. He broke my water and put an internal monitor on her head to make sure the pitocin wasn't making her heart drop. Thankfully it wasn't. She was perfectly fine and as they kept saying "happy!" The next thing I remember is this horrible shooting pain in my back. A pain that came every 3-4 minutes and was quite intense. They gave me an IV drug called Demerol but that didn't work! I was begging for the epidural but the nurses said I had to finish one complete bag of fluids, a bag that was already going and still extremely full. I went from 4 centimeters to 5 in less than 30 minutes. The doctor came in and said to call the anthistesiologist for the epidural. The nurses informed the doctor that hospital protocol is that you must have a bag of fluids before the epidural. My doctor informed the nurses that he knew what protocol was and that HE was THE doctor and he wanted my pain to go away. Thank you Dr. Arshad! So about 5-10 minutes later my best friend, Mr. Epidural, walked through the door. A couple of hours later they examined me and I was ready to go. We had to wait just a few minutes on my doctor as he was delivering another baby. When he came in, they took apart the bed and I pushed twice and out she came. She is the most beautiful little girl I've ever seen. As soon as she cried we heard the boys outside the room giggling. They were so excited to meet their new sister. Once they got me together, Joe went out and got the boys and we were able to share our first family moment together. It was a moment that I will never forget. Of course, it lasted maybe 3 minutes but the greatest 3 minutes. Then the flood gates opened. My mom, dad, Joe's mom and dad, Sarah and Debbie all made their way in to see our little princess. I cannot tell you how much it meant to have friends and family surround us with love and support. I am blessed to have these people in my life! It's been busy around the house but things are starting to get to normal. The boys come in and check the cradle every morning before school to make sure their sister is ok. They enjoy hugging her and loving on her but have made it quite clear that they will not change any poopy diapers. What a journey we are on and how thankful I am to have God leading our way.

And we're off!

This past Monday the boys started their first day of Kindergarten. What a momentous occasion in their little lives. I was quite worried about my little Ethan. The Friday before his little nerves truly got the best of him and as soon as we got to the school for their "mini day" he got sick and had an upset tummy for the remainder of the weekend. We managed to get through it fine but on Monday morning he began complaining of a tummy ache. He used the bathroom and felt much better. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same thing for myself. I was so worried about my babies (who have informed me that they're big boys, not babies!) Joe and I made the 15-20 minute drive to Creekside Christian Academy, parked the car and walked our "big boys" into their classroom. Both boys went in with huge smiles on their faces and began talking with their teacher. No hugs or kisses for mommy and daddy just a reassuring smile that they were fine. Joe and I walked away both in tears. I find myself tearing up right now. I just think back to the day they were born. A day that I didn't even get to enjoy completely due to my illness as well as theirs. A day that I didn't even get to hold them. And now, here they are, 5 1/2 years later, perfectly healthy boys and starting Kindergarten. Where has the time gone? I am so proud of my boys. They are so smart, well behaved and have manners better than most teenagers/adults. It's been very quiet around the house but I've managed to get things in order and have them stay that way. As this week has come to an end, the boys are really enjoying school and they just love their teacher. I am so thankful that God allowed the doors at Creekside to open and accept our boys into the school.

On another note things are taking off in the Wilburn household. I have 3 due dates. August 30, 31 and September 2. We're now going on the August 31 due date. However, due to my blood clotting disorder, my wonderful doctor has agreed to induce me on August 25 at 8:00am in the morning. I am so excited. I am a planner and this to me is great news! Not to mention I didn't want to take the chance of having an on call doctor deliver me. My doctor knows all of my history and was the one to diagnose me with Factor V Leiden. I asked him if I could go into labor on a night when he is on call and he said that sounded like a wonderful idea. I'm nervous about the whole inducing process but looking forward to (hopefully) enjoying an epidural this time. We had two doctor appointments yesterday. The first being at my high risk specialist where they did an ultrasound and took measurements. The first set of measurements they took, she said that Maggie looked to be very small. As in the 9th percentile small. She started telling us that we would have to come in once a week for measurements to confirm that she is growing the way she should. Then I asked her if the measurements could be wrong so she got a better angle of her head and jumped to the 30th percentile. She's weighing in at 5 pounds 15 ounces so almost 6 pounds (and their measurements are almost exact!) They say the baby usually gains a 1/2 a pound a week so by the 25th she could be weighing close to 7 pounds. For most that probably sounds average or small but for me, it scares me! Ethan was 4 pounds and Bryce was 5 so adding 2 pounds is a big difference to me! I know that God is good and He never gives us more than we can handle so I'm not worried. The nursery is just about complete. I've had two wonderful showers given by three of the greatest ladies in my life and I have two more this weekend. I'm not sure why so many people feel the need to want to throw us a shower but there will never be enough words to thank them. Joe and I had nothing! NADA! We have been so blessed. Maggie's nursery is near complete thanks to the thoughtfulness of others. So that's really about it. I will do my best to keep everyone updated on the arrival of Maggie Grace. Please keep us in your prayers. They are greatly appreciated.

Yippee

Last night we had orientation for the boys new school. Bryce was beyond excited whereas Ethan was a little hesitant. We get there and have an assembly where every couple minutes Bryce asked how much longer until he got to meet his teacher. We had already prepared the boys that they probably weren't going to be in the same class with each other. Something I was more worried about than anyone. I had requested them to be in the same class only this year due to all the changes in our lives that was taking place. They are changing schools and adding hours to their days. They are getting new Sunday School teachers, new Children's Choir teachers, Preschool Praise is starting up after a summer break and lets definitely not forget a new baby sister! I think that's so much for them to deal with at such a young age, however, I know my boys well enough to know that they can adapt to any change. Still for me, this was hard. As we walked with our friends to the first of four classrooms we noticed quickly that they weren't going to be in the same class with their dear friend Emily. A huge disappointment to both of our families but we continued down the hallway. We came to the second room where several friends were together but not our boys. We came to the third classroom and still...neither one of the boys were listed. At this point I'm almost in tears due to excitement. We approached the final classroom and the last two names on the list was Bryce Wilburn and Ethan Wilburn! PRAISE GOD! Our boys are together again. We met their new teacher and she seems extraordinary. She has a wonderful, bubbly personality and has a child in the same age so as a parent, she can relate to the other parents. I am so thankful for the gifts God has blessed us with. Here we were just a few short weeks ago, on a waiting list not even knowing if our boys would get in to this amazing school and now. God is so good.

34 weeks and counting

Wow, I wished I could say that time has flown by this pregnancy but finding out at 3 weeks only makes for a very long pregnancy. Adding on all the complications I've had and it adds even more time but it's coming to an end. I had a small scare the other day. I have a blood clotting disorder called Factor Five Leiden or Leiden Factor Five and basically when I have any added hormones in my body I am more susceptible to blood clots. During my pregnancy with the boys I developed a DVT and nearly lost my life and not too long ago a 23 year old woman lost her life to a blood clot just weeks after giving birth to her son so as you can see this is a very serious thing. I've been taking a blood thinner pretty much the entire pregnancy which drastically reduces my chances, however, it's still a possibility (and a very scary one at that.) With that being said I've been having a good amount of pain in my right leg (a classic symptom of a DVT) and thought it would be best to call my doctor. My doctor said he didn't think it was a DVT but to put both of our minds at ease to come in and be examined. So, thankfully I have an awesome husband, Joe came home and together we went to the doctor. He did a quick exam and praise God, no clot...just a very low baby girl sitting on not one but TWO nerves! She is so low that she is literally sitting on a nerve that goes down my right leg and she's also on my sciatic nerve causing lower back pain. Although it's extremely uncomfortable, I would much rather have heard this than a blood clot. I have another appointment next week and it's been suggested by one of the ladies that works in the office to ask for a scheduled induction. Only due to my previous history and of course my Factor Five Leiden. Please keep us in your prayers as sleep is becoming a thing of the past and the discomfort level is at an all time high. Joe is still recovering from his surgery so we look like two peas in a pod when we go out (he in his cast and me and my belly.) We joke all the time. He'll say try wearing a 5 pound boot all the time and I'll say try adding a 20 pound belly. Even through it all, we still give God all the Glory. We know that a child is a blessing and the end result is worth it all.

7-8 weeks of healing and blessings!

So it's been over a week since Joe had his toe surgery and all is well. I was quite surprised to see that he had little to no pain. What a blessing it has been. His toes are all a nice shade of purple, blue, green and brown but the bones are healing very nicely and Joe is no longer in any pain. Praise God! The doctor told us that Joe still has about 7 weeks of healing to do. Speaking of the doctor, he is so funny. He is Indian but has a more Southern American accent than many of our friends. Joe asked him if he would make the metal detectors go off in the airports due to the screws in his toe. The doctor said no and Joe made a disappointment groan. The doctor said that Joe wouldn't want that, it would get so old and then said that Joe would be in the "Osama Bin Ladin line with him at the airport." He said he gets questioned all the time and told us a story of how he was on the phone with his brother in law and he told him to be safe as he traveled back home. The lady in security immediately pulled him out of line and for the next 3 hours interrogated him and his wife. They asked him if he was Arabic and he said no he was Indian. They asked what he did for a living and he said a podiatrist, what his wife did and why she was currently out of work and he said since 9/11 it was hard for someone in IT to find a job. The doctor was getting aggravated at the questions and told the person interrogating him to ask him some "real" questions (again, this man speaks English better than I do! And with a southern accent!) His wife looked at him and in Indian she told him to stop being rude or he would go to jail, which made the interrogation go even longer because she didn't say it in English. Now you really had to be there because it was so much funnier in person but it made me realize how paranoid we can be at times. Here is a man born and raised in Georgia, attended UGA and all because he showed concern for a relative was questioned for 3 hours. Now don't get me wrong, I am SO thankful for the safety precautions they are taking but come on now....I just had to share, I thought it was hilarious as he told it.

I had an appointment this past Tuesday at my high risk specialist. They do an ultrasound each and every visit so it's always so much fun to go there and see how much Maggie has grown. She is a very active little girl, constantly moving around in my belly and today was no exception. The ultrasound tech had a difficult time getting her to be still so she could do measurements. She did get pretty good measurements though. Then of course she tried to get the modeling shots as I call them but Maggie wouldn't cooperate. She had her little hand in front of her face. The lady wiggled the monitor on my belly trying and hoping that she would move her little hand but instead she brought her foot up to her face. So, needless to say, we got a nice shot of her foot. Other than that, all is well. She's measuring 3 pounds and 10 ounces. We cannot wait to see her and see what she looks like. Ethan and Bryce both have dark blond hair, blue eyes and beautiful long eyelashes. Joe and I joke all the time that she's going to have dark brown hair, hazel eyes and short stubby eyelashes. At one of the first ultrasound visits where we could get a great shot of her profile she really had Ethan's profile but at the last profile view she had more of Bryce's profile. No matter what or who she looks like we will love her. We already do. So I have just a little less than 8 weeks before my due date. I cannot wait. I'm ready right now but I know that she isn't.

Another update

My oh my, how time is flying by. Things have been quite busy around the Wilburn household but then again, when are things not busy? We went yesterday to Creekside for our "interview/meeting" (we're still a little confused). The lady explained to us what the expectations were for the boys to start kindergarten there and I'm so thankful to say that they don't have much to work on! We got a tour of the school and the boys were ready to start right then and there. They're so excited and so are we to be able to have our boys in a Christian school. I am definitely NOT opposed to public schools but I'm just not very fond of the elementary school that our boys would go to. Joe has been trying to take things easy as he is preparing for foot surgery tomorrow. Joe was born with a rather large big toe and when he was 3 or 4 dropped a cO2 tank on it probably causing some damage. Well now he is dealing with the same injury as Atlanta Braves Chipper Jones. He basically has a bunion on his bone. They're going to have to go in, reconstruct the bone, put in some screws and who knows what else? He'll be on strict bed rest for 3 days and then will be allowed to add limited walking each day. The whole recovery time takes about 8 weeks. As for me? Well this past Friday we made the wonderful drive to DeKalb Medical Labor and Delivery. I had 9 contractions in an hour. Thankfully all is well and the contractions stopped on their own. Whew! We are not ready for Maggie right at this moment. My sweet friend Debbie just hosted a wonderful baby shower for me from the Dwarf House wives and other Chick-fil-A friends (family too.) Joe and I are so blessed to be apart of such an amazing group. We just love everything about CFA. Right now, I am taking things easy as well. I definitely do not want to trigger any more contractions. Thankfully I am 31 weeks and only have 9 more to go. As I think about my own pregnancy though, last week I found out that three of my friends had miscarriages. I've heard of literally 25 friends being pregnant and I know that a miscarriage is always possible but my heart aches for my friends. Three precious ladies, all with precious children already, excited about having another child. I just cannot imagine what they must be going through. Please pray for my friends. I would rather not name their names just for their privacy. The wonderful thing is they know that God has a reason for everything He does and they still give Him praise during this time. What wonderful examples they are to all of us. So I guess that's all that's new in the Wilburns way of life.

Slapped in the face

Tonight we had our annual Celebrate Freedom concert at our church. I always enjoy this program so much because we get to honor our country, sing praises to God, and remember those who have fought, are fighting or who have lost their lives for our country. It's just a wonderful event. I was really excited because the boys had made it home from Florida just in time to go with us. We made it to our pew with our flags and sat down. A few minutes passed and a woman with two children (probably 9 and 10 maybe???) came and sat behind us. The program had not yet started and I was already annoyed. I got hit in the back several times as the lady was bending over (?I dunno, don't ask?) and I could feel the girls kicking the pew. The next thing I heard is the girl taking her mini flag and scratching the hymnal book. At this point I'm just disgusted (great attitude, right?) and I'm thinking to myself that my boys are behaving much better than these girls. Then the orchestra pounds the drum so loud that one of the girls shouted "OH MY GOODNESS! (take out one of the O's and the ness!) and that was it for me. Joe could tell I was frustrated and told me to focus on why we were there. It was quite difficult for me as I could hear them talking rather loudly behind me, kicking the pew that I was sitting in, waving their flags and hitting me in the head. But what finally hit me the hardest was the big slap that God was preparing for me. As a Baptist church, we sang our songs and passed around the offering plate and I heard the girls ask their mom or whoever she was "What is that?" I realized that these were not normal church going children. These girls had no clue as to why people were putting money or envelopes in a plate. However, when their mother proceeded to tell them what it was, BOTH girls asked if they could give money. The mom opened her purse and made it happen. The funny thing is, this morning Joe gave our Sunday School lesson and it was about GRACE and giving grace. Now we talked particularly about grace within our marriage and children but grace doesn't stop there. I should have been more graceful in my actions and not allowed something like this to bother me so much. It's not the girls fault that they were behaving this way. Thankfully I serve a loving and forgiving God, that gives me grace everyday of my life. I needed that slap in the face to remind me that as a Christian, we are to love everyone and to show everyone how a Christian should act...in love. I'm so thankful that God gave me this reminder and even more thankful that He showed me in the moment of my disobedience to Him. With that being said, it was another wonderful performance by our amazing Choir and Orchestra. I was really looking forward to being apart of this years show, however, Maggie isn't making things easy....but all worth it.

What is in your belly?

This past week was VBS week at our church. I say it all the time but I love our church. VBS week (although tiring) is such a fun week. This year (and last) I helped my best friend Sarah with the K4 and Kindergarten music. We had approximately 150 children just in our classes (all classes combined!) Each class was different from the next but what wasn't different was the question that many asked me.."What do you have in your belly?" I guess I just assumed that it was obvious that I have a baby in my belly but to so many of these children they didn't know that. So I, being me, had to have a little fun. The first time I was asked the question I told the little boy that I had a basketball in my belly. Of course, other children laughed and said "No it's not! It's a baby!" and that was pretty much it. Well I got the exact same question over and over again throughout the week. I told one little girl that I swallowed too many watermelon seeds and had a watermelon growing and she just looked at me and said "that's nasty! That's just too nasty!" It absolutely amazes me how blunt children are. It's adorable (at times). I also had many children asking me if I was going to have the baby there at church. The children were just too funny. I cant believe another year of VBS has come and gone already. I believe we had around 650 kids to attend. I hope to find out on Sunday how many accepted Christ into their hearts. That's is the ultimate goal after all!

God is GOOD ALL THE TIME and all the time GOD IS GOOD!

I posted a blog earlier today about patience with the upcoming news of our boys getting accepted into Creekside Christian Academy and literally right after I hit the post button my phone rang and it was CCA. I paused for a brief second and just said "Lord, this is You. I will accept whatever your plan for our family is." and proceeded to answer the phone. The lady on the other end asked if this was the Wilburn family and I of course said yes. She informed me that our boys were taken off the waiting list today and would be accepted into their K5 program for the upcoming school year. I literally began crying. This has been such a blessing to our family and an answer to prayers. But most importantly it's what God wants for our children! I am so excited to have my boys enrolled in this school. For them to be able to start off their elementary years and hopefully graduate from there is so exciting for us as a family. Thank you all for your support and mostly your prayers. God is good all the time and all the time God is good!

Teaching us patience.

We have a number of things going on in our lives right now and it always amazes me how impatient we can become. God has a funny way of slowing us down, reminding us that it's His time that is right not ours. I am a procrastinator. My motto should be "If it wasn't for the last minute I would never get anything done." This is definitely one of my faults and all though I am able to recognize this fault I have very difficult time changing it. So with that being said, I usually have to run out of the house in a dash, usually forgetting something, trying to get the boys in the car as quickly as possible and hurry along my way. I'm usually slowed down by red lights or traffic, especially if headed to Henry County, or the phone will ring and I cannot let the answering machine pick it up, I have to know what is going on. Well currently Joe and I are both learning the true meaning of patience. Not just waiting things out, but honestly giving it to God to take care of and knowing that His will is so much better than our own. I mentioned in a previous blog that we have the boys on a waiting list at Creekside Christian Academy. They called last week and said that we should know something by the end of this week. Well today is Thursday and I have had the phone by my side at all times. Joe messaged me earlier on my Blackberry and asked if I had heard anything. We were reminded that yesterday while in the car we heard the song "While I'm Waiting" by John Waller. The song says "I'm waiting on you Lord and I'm hopeful.......but patiently I will wait." We heard this song 3 times in the span of maybe 2 hours. Sometimes we don't always hear what God is trying to tell us but sometimes we do. So while we are waiting....we will be patient, peaceful. We will move ahead bold and confident, taking every step in obedience. We will serve Him, we will worship, we will not fade. God is good all the time and all the time God is good!

Ethan lost a tooth!

My sweet Ethan lost his very first tooth the other day!!! I could not believe it! I wasn't expecting this to happen for at least another year but to my surprise it happened just a few days ago! He was coming up the stairs to tell me something and I heard him fall. He came into our bedroom sort of crying, more of a whining than anything and was holding his belly. I asked him what happened and he strained to get the words out. He was fine, just had the wind knocked out of him. But as he was "crying" I noticed that his front tooth was pushed back. I asked him if he had hit his mouth on one of the stairs and he said no. I asked if his tooth or mouth hurt and of course he said no. So, I, tell him to open wide and proceeded to see if his tooth was knocked out or actually loose. It was loose!!! I told him (in my very high, hyper voice) that he had a loose tooth. He grabbed his mouth, ran into their bathroom and slammed the door. I immediately followed to see if he was OK and I could tell that he was embarrassed and scared. I explained to him that he would get a new, bigger tooth that would hopefully never fall out and he eventually came around. I explained to him that he would get a visit from the tooth fairy that night and that, of course, made all things better. Well Bryce heard all the commotion and came up stairs and to my surprise once again, Bryce was upset that he didn't have a loose tooth. So, I explained to Bryce that he would but just not right now. So I asked Ethan if I could "dry" his tooth off with a rag but the tooth wouldn't budge. I of course didn't think it was ready to come out. Then I noticed that as he wiggled his loose tooth you could literally see the hole underneath. So this time I "dried" the tooth off with toilet tissue and it came right out! No blood and thankfully no screams. Ethan was so excited to show his friends and tell all of our family members. I think he is just the cutest thing with his missing tooth.

The "Presidents"

The boys had their "graduation" ceremony yesterday at the school and each little K4 member came down dressed as one of our former presidents. They were absolutely adorable! Ethan and Bryce were the Bush's. I got a big kick out of this because when Ethan was a baby there was a contest that you could enter them in. The contest was which celebrity does your baby look like and I told Joe then that Ethan looked like a mini George W. Bush. Just too funny! Well Bryce was George Bush Sr. and his line of the skit was "Hi! I'm George H. Bush and there is NO BROCCOLI ALLOWED IN MY WHITE HOUSE!" If you remember correctly, George Bush Sr. was the first president to actually not allow a food in the white house. Well Ethan was George W. Bush and his little line was "Hi! I'm George W. Bush and I was the first president to have twins in the white house." He had twin baby dolls in his hand that he DID NOT like to carry. Up until the point where he had to show the dolls he kept them hidden behind his back. Bryce did have a sign that read NO BROCCOLI ALLOWED! The skit was so adorable!



I'm still shocked by this being their last day of school. Joe and I both cried yesterday watching our boys. We are so proud of them. I've had so many mixed emotions the past few days. I'm so excited for my boys and so proud of them. They were the kids that were timid of meeting new friends and now it comes easy for them. I am sad that this year has come to an end. Mrs. Brenda has been the greatest teacher for my boys. She's caring and compassionate. She's had a rough year with 11 kids and yet she still has a smile on her face every time I see her. I'm nervous about them starting Kindergarten (hopefully at a new school) and yet scared that they will not get in. I'm anxious to see them with their baby sister. I want my children to know that they are loved and how proud their mommy and daddy are of them. Maybe it's my hormones getting all out of whack.

Just an update...

How quickly things change! The boys are finishing up their last week of preschool. I cannot believe they will be starting Kindergarten next year. Joe and I met with their teacher, Mrs. Brenda, today to review their evaluations. She had nothing but good comments to say about both of the boys. She showed us how different they are in their learning skills but still both very bright. There are a few things we are going to work on this summer such as learning to read and tying their shoes (and for Ethan, buttoning his pants.) She said they are completely ready for kindergarten. I am going to truly miss Mrs. Brenda! She has made the boys first year of school the greatest! We have been so blessed to have had her this year and are truly going to miss her next year. With this being said we are currently on a waiting list at Creekside Christian Academy. We have decided that the public Elementary school our boys would go to is just not what we would personally want for our boys at this time and have felt led to send them to Creekside! Please join us as we pray that they will be accepted.
We also had another ultrasound today of Maggie. The last ultrasound we had we were unable to "confirm" she is definitely a girl. This for me has been almost a form of torture. We were told the first time that we were having a boy and a girl with Ethan and Bryce and of course that was not the case (and thankfully we found out in time.) So, ever since they announced we were having a girl, I've still wondered....could this be wrong? Well, it's definitely not wrong. She is a very healthy, active and growing little princess. She weighs a whopping pound and 11 ounces. I cannot tell you how much fun I've had shopping for a little girl. Boys are very easy which is nice but girls are just so....cute and frilly!
We've also been getting things done around our house. We finished painting Maggie's room (which was the boys nursery and then their "big boy" room.) We also just had our bathroom remodeled thanks to my wonderful parents. We put in brand new tile, new toilet, new sink, Wayne's coating and of course, fresh paint. The boys are in their former playroom and did NOT want us to paint their room (I did just about a year ago!) Their room is 4 different colors and they LOVE it. It's a slow process but things are finally coming together. I'm hoping to be able to post some pictures soon...first I have to figure out how.

Do Good to Please God

This past Sunday in our Bible Study class we talked about doing good things to please God and not to please others. In so many circumstances in our lives we look for praises or even rewards but at what cost? We should do things to please God, not to boast our ego or to be praised by someone else. Not so others know what we did but so that God knows what we did. Our reward is in Heaven.
Matthew, Chapter 6 verses 1-4 read: "Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly."
This just got me thinking...am I doing things for the praises of others or to please God? I think about a sweet friend of mine who loves doing things for others. I was talking with her on the phone after some discouraging news and I remember what she told me "I don't care who gets the recognition I just want to make them happy. That's what matters most!" That showed me that she didn't need praises for doing something good, that didn't matter to her. I've never heard her boast about her or her husbands accomplishments, I've never heard either one of them brag about the things they have been blessed with. Instead, I hear how much better they think they can be as Christians and how hearing others make them feel somewhat inferior. I believe if you have to "shout" to others about your Christianity and all the charitable deeds you do in your life then you're not being pleasing to God.
I was asked a couple of weeks ago to allow God to really examine my life and our Bible Study lesson was a true testament to the examination God is doing. I don't want to do "good deeds" to please others. The "reward" they give me is incomparable to the reward that is waiting for me in heaven.

Love at first sight

I've often taken surveys asking "Do you believe in love at first sight?" and the answer to this question has changed over the past few years. When it was just Joe and I, my answer was NO WAY, NO HOW!! There (in my own personal opinion) was absolutely NO WAY I could ever look at someone and know that I was in love with them instantly, to me, that was what lust was. I still feel that way about a man and a woman but like I said...My answer to this question has changed. The very first time I saw Ethan and Bryce on the ultrasound monitor I feel in love, obviously a very different kind of love from what Joe and I share but love all the same. And now, here I am again, love at first sight, when we saw our precious Maggie Grace. What amazes me the most though is how Ethan and Bryce reacted to the site of seeing their growing baby sister. It was truly love at first sight. Ever since they saw Maggie on the ultrasound monitor they constantly come to my belly and kiss it, say hello to Maggie and tell her they love her, all of which was on their own doing. I cannot help but thank of my Father, my God in Heaven. He sent His Son to die for us, because He loved us at first sight. A sight that was seen by Him before He created us. Oh what a love and oh what a sacrifice. Maybe for some, it takes being a parent before you are able to realize what love at first sight is but I've learned it's there.

Unanswered Prayers

Last night at Choir Rehearsal, our Choir Director told us to think about unanswered prayers. I cannot tell you how many times I have personally thought about unanswered prayers. It's funny to me because as he was sharing a story, I thought about how petty some of my unanswered prayers have been...that is until he shared a similar story. I can remember countless "boyfriends" with which things were not going the "right" way and remember crying and praying to Jesus that He would just make all things better and for our "relationship" not to end and 9 times out of 10 I was the one to end the relationship. As I sit here and think about those nights I cant help but thank God for not answering my prayers because He ultimately did. I remember one of my first prayers when I realized I was falling "crazy" over Joe. I asked Jesus to just give me peace. I had a boyfriend and Joe had plenty of girls that would date him. Joe and I were friends. He was the one I went to for advice and to listen to me. And then one night, sitting at the good ole' Forest Park Dwarf House I realized that this guy who had been literally my best friend had just stolen my heart. I needed peace. Peace to end things with one guy and start something with a guy that had been just my friend for so long. I tell people all the time that God has a funny sense of humor. It wasn't even two weeks after Joe and I began dating that he told me he loved me. He said it first! My heart melted and I knew right then and there that God had given me much more. Joe and I had arguments while we were dating, we still do (it's called a happy marriage!) but instead of asking God to make things better I ask God to guide me in the direction that is best for me. I have given my entire life to Christ and have allowed Him to lead me. I am so thankful for the unanswered prayers in my life because it has made me who I am today. And I am a very happy, very blessed, very loved wife to an amazing man who still to this day is my best friend and knows more about me than I know about myself. I am the mother to twin boys, that have followed in their daddy's footsteps and stolen my heart and soon the mother to a little girl. I have some pretty awesome friends and the most amazing church family. If you would have told me as a 16/17 year old in high school that this is where my life would end up, I'm not sure I would have believed you.

My Angels

My boys began their baseball career last year at Salem Baptist Church. It's such a wonderful CHRISTIAN organization where they teach that winning is NOT everything but having fun IS! The boys love it and so do mom and dad. Well their coach, Coach Billy, started giving out game balls this year. Each game is different depending on how many balls there are to give out AND depending on how many excellent players we had. Well last night the boys had a makeup game from a game that got rained out. The game didn't start until 7PM and let me tell you, we had 11 tired boys in the dugout (poor dugout mom, but thank goodness it wasn't me!) I was so proud of my boys. They go out there each game with determination on their little faces and as soon as the ball heads towards the bat they close their little eyes and swing, something we're working on. So as the game ended, Coach Billy called all the little Angels (our team name) to the fence to announce the recipiant of the game ball for the night. He said that one little boy never got out and actually outran a throw to first base. Tried to get someone out at 2nd base and hit the ball. Was in the "ready" position all night. Then he gave the game ball to Bryce. The point of me writing this isn't to brag about my B-Man but to tell you how much confidence Coach Billy just gave to him. Bryce was smiling from ear to ear. He came home and took his gameball with him to the bathroom while he took his bath and then took his game ball to bed. This morning he had the show and tell bag at school and he was allowed to take 3 items. He took my ultrasound pictures of his baby sister, Maggie, a cell phone and of course...his game ball. His teacher asked him what he loved the most and he kissed his ball and said "my game ball!" He told me that he was so proud of himself for doing a good job and for giving it his all. And the sweetest thing, we told Ethan that he would get a gameball one day and he said that "it was ok, Bryce won it this time for doing good! I'm proud of him too!" I'm so proud of both of my boys.

Married life

So, I like most wives believe that I have the most amazing husband in the world. Every morning and I mean EVERY morning he wakes up with the boys and lets me sleep. He gets the boys ready for school, fixes their breakfast and packs their lunch then sends them to me so I can do their hair (with Joe not having hair, he has no clue in this area). Then if I want I am able to go back to sleep. During the first trimester of my pregnancy I was absolutely miserable and he did it all. He helps so much around the house and with the boys. I know I am truly blessed to have such a wonderful man to call my husband and the father of my children. But as I reflect on my marriage (which isn't perfect by any means) I am reminded of other marriages...marriages that have failed due to adultery, abuse and financial reasons. I know many couples that have gone through difficult times in their marriage, some of which worked through their problems and others that just called it quits. When I said my vows, I truly meant till death do we part. Joe and I was able to attend a beautiful wedding this past weekend. My friend Laura married an amazing man, Jarred. This is not Laura's first marriage. She was married to another amazing man, Shawn, but sadly Shawn was taken home to be with the Lord after a very serious motorcycle accident. To see my friend, who is just a couple years younger than I am go through this was so difficult for me. It really reminded me to cherish every day with the ones I love, especially my husband. Laura met Jarred a while later and like I said, was married to him this past weekend. But I think of Laura and how much her first vows meant to her and what an example she led throughout their marriage. She knows first hand what the words "till death do we part" truly mean. I am so happy for her and Jarred. However, I think of other marriages. The ones where "things just didn't work out so we ended it." I mean I understand if abuse and adultery is involved but to end a marriage over differences....I'm just not sure. I don't believe in divorce unless it's because of adultery or abuse (physical, mental or emotional.) I remember hearing someone say "My first husband I want to look like this but my second husband I want to look like that." She was already preparing herself for a failed marriage. HOW? Joe was not the man I ever imagined myself with. He was my best friend. He was the guy that I told things to and would give me advice and that was it...until I realized that he was EVERYTHING I ever wanted and so much more. I am so blessed and so thankful to have Joe. He amazes me everyday. He promised me when we first got engaged that he would always take care of me and he has never went back on his word. I cannot imagine my life without him. To sit here and think of all the people we know that are in the midst of divorce. Joe and I are not another statistic. I hope that we all realize how serious wedding vows are. I know people who have gone through the worst circumstances possible and are more in love now than ever before and those people truly amaze me. When they had every right and every reason to let go, they stuck it out and gave it their all. I'm not sure why I wanted to write about all this but it's just been weighing so heavily on my heart the past couple of weeks. My ultimate goal in life is to become a Christian marriage therapist. I want to help people better their marriage rather than end it. I have such a passion for marriage and keeping God's commands for us.

Happy "late" Easter

What a great Easter Sunday it was. We've really tried to emphasize that Easter isn't about the Easter Bunny but about the EMPTY TOMB! We do, of course, have the Easter Baskets from the Easter Bunny but it's a gift. I help teach 4-5 year old Children's Choir at church and the main director has been teaching all the kids a wonderful song. The words are this: This is where they laid Him, the stone was rolled in tight. His friends were very sad when they walked home that night. But on Easter morning the stone was rolled away. The Angel said "HE IS ALIVE! Oh happy Easter Day!" Hallelujah, Hallelujah Jesus is ALIVE!" It has little hand gestures that go with it. To watch my boys sing it brings tears to my eyes. They looked at me after learning the song and asked if Jesus is alive, why is He in Heaven? I told them that Jesus lives in our hearts when we ask Him to come in. My boys are asking so many questions lately. I know that right now they're not ready to accept Christ into their hearts but I cannot wait for the day that they do.
Our sermon on Sunday was so wonderful. And of course, the choir got to sing some pretty awesome songs. My favorite was "The end of the beginning" sang by one of my friends, Holly. She is so talented and so passionate that she touches our hearts every time she sings. During the second service at church, she had everyone on their feet midway through the song. To see how much our church loves Christ literally brings tears to my eyes. You can feel His presence. You can feel His love. Then to follow it up with some good ole' preaching' just tops the cake. I love our church. I love my Savior. I love what He has done in my life. Life isn't always easy but He promises us that He will always be with us. What an AWESOME GOD I SERVE!

How does the baby get out?

I've said before how inquisitive my boys are. Well I was watching "Deliver Me, Home Edition" the other day and they were showing a cesarean delivery. Bryce was quite amused at the site of this baby coming out of this ladies stomach. Once the baby was out he asked why it was "dirty." I am the kind of mother that tries to tell my children the truth in a respectful manner. If it's something that I think they're too young to understand I will usually respond with a generic answer. Such as this...the other day the boys asked me where babies come from. I don't think they are at an age to understand the concept of a man and woman being "as one" so I simply said that a man and a woman pray together and ask Jesus for a baby and if Jesus wants it to happen he will put the baby in the mommy's tummy. End of story all questions answered. Well after watching the "Deliver Me" Bryce had a few more questions for me. He does that. He will think about what he has just seen, give it time to process and ask all the questions he feels need to be answered. So he asked me if the doctor was going to cut my belly open to get the baby out. I told him the truth. I told him that the doctor might have to but I might have to push it out. This was not enough. "What will you push it out of?" Now, my boys know the obvious differences between a male and female...they know that females do not have "peepee's" as we call them. So I used that. I told him that when Jesus is ready for the baby to come out mommy would push it out of my place where their peepee is. If this is too much for some of you I do apologize. He looked at me as if he was about to throw up and said "EWWW! That's enough!" No more questions. Now Ethan on the other hand is convinced that Maggie is going to be born on a Tuesday or Thursday (one of the days they are not in school) and that we are going to take the baby to their school to show their teacher and then leave. He is having a real hard time understanding that he will be in Kindergarten and attending school everyday when the baby arrives. He's going to be disappointed. At least he got the baby sister he wanted.

It's a girl!

This day could not have taken any longer to arrive. I made the appointment with my high risk specialist over 6 weeks ago. I knew then that it would take a while. They made my appointment for 10:15am however when I arrived they informed me that my appointment was actually 11am. We arrived at 10:05. Oh the torture! Finally at 11:30ish they called my name. So back went me, Joe and our little boys. The boys were so excited. They nurse began the normal routine for my ultrasound. She of course started at the head first and made her way down. She even skipped over the "special" area and went straight to the feet. FINALLY, she said ok, looks like you're having a GIRL! I couldn't believe it. Now, we were told around this same time when I was pregnant with the boys that one was a boy and one was a girl. I asked my nurse if she was pretty certain because I would hate to go out and register for things when it was actually another boy. She confirmed it again. The doctor came in and he also confirmed it. We have decided to name our sweet little girl after Joe's grandmother, Maggie. One because we love the name but mostly because Granny was such an amazing woman. Right after we had the boys she would call me almost everyday with almost the exact conversation...Granny would say..."I always wanted twins. I used to dress Larry (Joe's dad) and Billy (Joe's uncle) up like they were twins." She would call to see if I needed anything and just to see how we were all doing. She became pretty sick so the phone calls were few and far between but we were able to spend one weekend out of the month with her. Joe's parents took turns with the other brother's and sister's letting Granny come to their house to keep a better eye on her. She had this rolling walker that had a seat on it and she would let the boys sit on that seat while she pushed it. It's so comforting when the boys tell us they remember that. Sadly, Granny passed away on December 13, 2006. So in honor and memory of her we wanted to name our little girl Maggie. So our daughter's name will be Maggie Grace Wilburn.

Too many boys!

We are hopefully going to find out what we are having on Thursday. I was telling the boys that we were going to get a picture of the baby and hopefully find out if they would be having a baby sister or another brother. Bryce just looked at me and said "It better be a baby sister because there are already too many boys in our house now. If it's not a baby sister we are just going to have to ask Jesus to give us girl next time." I told him that this was it that mommy and daddy would not have anymore babies and he informed me that mommy and daddy doesn't make that decision, Jesus does. With both of my boys wanting a baby sister I sure hope they are not disappointed if they have a baby brother. I guess we'll all just have to wait until Thursday to find out.

Dates and Alabama ambulances

Today when I picked up the boys from school the first thing they asked me before they even got in the car was if they could go to the park, of course putting me right on the spot in front of their teacher. So I did what any mother would do, I said.."We'll see." So they got all buckled up and I asked them how their day was. I got the usual response...It was good, so and so wasn't there, so and so had to sit in time out, etc. But this time they were very eager to end the conversation. When we got home, Bryce asked again if they could go to the park. When I asked him why he wanted to go to the park so bad he told me that he had arranged a date with another girl in their class. They had planned to meet at our local park at 4:00PM. Sadly, my boys did make it to the park but their "date" never showed. They of course were not disappointed. They simply said, "well mommy, we tried our best!" It was so precious. I am so thankful that they have made such wonderful friends in their class.


Ethan and Bryce are extremely obsessed with any sort of rescue vehicle. May it be a fire truck, ambulance, police car, police helicopter, or H.E.R.O unit, they just love them. They even like the tow trucks with lights on them. Everyday after school they beg me to take them to the Fire station so they can see all the fire trucks and ambulances. They even want to grow up to be paramedics. Today, coming home from t-ball practice we saw a H.E.R.O unit and Bryce immediately said "Look Mommy! It's an Alabama ambulance!" I told him it was a H.E.R.O unit and asked him why he thought it was an Alabama ambulance and he said because it was yellow and short. My boys are little Georgia boys!

What do you say?

My boys are quite inquisitive. They want to know what every sign on the road means. What words like adequately and dilerbertly, etc. means. They want to know telephone numbers (which they memorize) and how to spell things. I love this I truly do but when the questions become difficult I sometimes freeze up. They of course asked the wonderful question "where do babies come from" when we explained to them that mommy has a baby in her tummy. That was easy..."God gives them to us." That was enough for them. Well last night after leaving baseball practice we passed a small cemetery. The questions began..."What is that place with all the big rocks?" "Well" I said. "It's called a cemetery." "What is that?" "Ummm, it's where, well, you know how mommy said people die? That's where there bodies go." "But I thought they went to Heaven to be with Jesus." "They do, but they don't take their old bodies with them. Jesus gives us new bodies when we go to Heaven." "Well do dead people still have to go to the doctor after they die? Because they still could get sick." "No, they don't go. They don't have to go." "What about in Heaven? Do people still go to the hospital there?" "No, they don't have to." "Why?" "Because when we die, we will never get sick or hurt again. What would you boys like for dinner?" It ended there. There are just some times when I wished I had an easy button for when I get questions like these.

Allergic Reactions

With the budding flowers and trees and Spring right around the corner, I have noticed that it's starting to affect my allergies. It's also affecting the boys. They of course do not quite understand that the outside world is causing quite an ordeal. They do, however, understand what it means to be allergic to certain things. For them it's cats and dogs. They know what happens to them if they touch them. With that being said, last night I could tell their allergies were pretty bothersome. So out came the children's Zyrtec. Bryce took him after numerous questions..."what kind is it? Does it taste bad? Have I had it before? Can I get my juice first? Is it the clear king?" Ethan on the other hand looked at me with his big blue puppy dog eyes and very seriously said "Is it nasty because you know mommy, I'm allergic to nasty stuff!" I explained to him that Bryce had already taken his like a big boy and it was now his turn to take his. He then said "I'm allergic to everything Bryce likes." I did everything I could to keep a straight face. Kids will say anything to avoid taking medicines. It reminds me of myself when I was a little girl. At least they're not hiding the chewable Tylenol in the couch yet. Oh I have so much to look forward to.

First time for everything

So, I've thought long and hard about starting a blog. I really enjoy reading what others have to say and tell about their families so...why not. It's also a great way for me to keep all my friends updated on my family and of course, they new addition that is growing away in my tummy. As of this past Monday, I am 15 weeks. It's been quite a journey. The decision alone to try for a third child took over a year. For the first few weeks I longed to have that pregnant "feeling." I was all ready for what morning sickness had to bring. Little did I know it would last all day long. I'm not usually the one that will call to have the doctor prescribe something but this time was a little different. Then when I was about 9 weeks I began experiencing some of the most painful pains I've ever had. I gave birth to twins without any medication and the pain that I felt was a lot worse than any pain during childbirth. Joe took me to DeKalb medical (which is where I will deliver) and they sent me to the ER. Several hours later I was going home still with pain but no explanation of why. That all happened on a Friday night. Joe was leaving Sunday morning to go on the annual Dwarf House retreat. This year it was in Hilton Head, SC. So Sunday after he left I had to call my parents to take me back to the hospital while Joe's parents watched our boys. This time they kept me in their 23 hour holding room only to send me home once again with no explanation of why I was in such horrible pain. I went home Monday night and on Tuesday I had a follow up appointment with my OB/GYN and while in his office the pain was so intense I couldn't sit down or stand up so he sent me back to the hospital except this time it was for a minimum of an overnight stay. They finally were able to figure out that my gall bladder was inflamed and enlarged. So after some meds things were better and they sent me home. Since then things have been ok. Not great by any means, but definitely ok. I'm finally out of my morning sickness "stage" and can hopefully now begin enjoying what just a few months will bring. We will find out what we're having on the 26th of this month. They boys are really hoping for a baby sister. I hope they're not to bummed if it's another brother.