Sweetie Pie Bakery Felt Cake GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

This blog has some REALLY COOL stuff! I first discovered when looking for Bo Peep and her Sheep for the girls for Halloween. Shabby Apple has lots of cool stuff and I could get in a lot of trouble easily with her stuff. Check it out...it's way fun!! I'm trying to win a felt cake to add to my playroom!!


Sweetie Pie Bakery Felt Cake GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Wow...so I think my blog is a reflection of my life with 2 kids. I agree with all of those mommies who told me that there is A BIGGGG difference between 1 kid and 2...yes there is!!! I did want to take some time to update on our summer and post some pics of the kiddos! We went to Panama City Beach, FL last week. It was a WONDERFUL trip and the girls did almost perfect. We enjoyed time with grandparents and great grandparents and the beach was BEAUTIFUL!! We are taking Kate to Schlitterbahn this weekend with Aunt Kristi, Uncle Jerrod and Cohen. Kate says that Cohen is her "best friend" and they are like 2 peas in a pod. It should be a fun day! Josh starts law school in just 3 weeks and I am hoping the Lord will just provide for our already CRAZY lives during the next 3 years. We've enjoyed his last 4 months at home between being employed and starting school and we are all very spoiled by daddy being around so much. It will be a big change for us, but no doubt where God has us! Elle is 6 months old today and is sitting up (some) and beginning to almost roll over. She is so precious and it just the best baby we could have ever asked for. Kate loves being a big sister still and is turning into such a girly girl. She LOVES dress up and shoes and beads. She talks constantly about nothing but we love all the funny things she says.

Ok...pictures later...they aren't loading because they are too big and I have to resize, resave and reupload...no time for that now!

Giving Back...

Our church, Lakepointe, here in Rockwall is celebrating it's 30th anniversary this weekend. Its crazy that a church that started out with only 8 families has grown into thousands and thousands of people. They have organized several mission projects for the church members to get involved in throughout the weekend in celebration of the big event. Our ABF (sunday school class) participated in a food drive. The goal is to get 30,000lbs. of food together to donate to the local food pantry. We went door to door and asked people to donate a few items. It was a hot morning, but very productive. We tried to be intentional about explaining to Kate that not everyone has food at home and we have to help others and share with people who need food. I think she got it, because she got really excited each time someone would hand us a few cans. We enjoyed the opportunity to teach Kate about helping others and serving God at the same time. Here are a few pictures...

Oh...the BIG GOOSE EGG on Kate's forhead was from when she fell out of the stroller (OUCH!!) and the red cart in the back of the truck was our contribution...YAY for the "Canton Cart!!"

New Hobby...

So I am thinking about taking up photography. I witness so many precious moments throughout the day with my girls and I would love to be able to capture it all on more than just a point and shoot type of camera. I am looking into purchasing a nicer digital camera. Anybody have any suggestions? Does anyone know where to look for advice on this topic or follow any photographers?

Let me know if you have any info. that might help me out!

My friend Whitnee called at 11pm last night asking for prayer for Baby Lydia. Whitnee is a good friend of mine from Seminary and she had her first baby last Thursday via c-section. They have determined that she was born with a virus in her spinal fluid that caused her to stop breathing just after she was born. Whitnee was recovering at Baylor and they moved her baby to Cooks NICU. She has been in a whirlwind of emotion as she is overcoming the surgery, emotionally overwhelmed by Lydia's condition, and having to be sepearated for a few days inbetween. She has since been released and able to interact with Lydia some. She was told yesterday that once this virus passes Lydia should be ok, but might have a learning delay. They were in high spirits until last night when the hospital called to tell them that she had taken a turn for the worse and was struggling to breathe again. They had taken off the respirator, but were forced to put her back on and were concerned about her brain swelling. They suggested that Whitnee and her husband come back to the hospital due to the brain swelling and the fear that she may not make it through the night if that continued. I have not heard from her today to see what has happened, but I wanted to ask you all to continue to be in prayer with Josh and me for Whitnee and John and Baby Lydia. I know God is mighty, please pray for Baby Lydia’s health to be restored if it is His will, and for the Mills family. Also, hold you sweet baby even closer tonight and praise the Lord for the miracle of a healthy child.

Little Mama...

Kate is totally into her baby sister. Sometimes she thinks she is Elle's mommy too. It's sweet when she runs to give her a passy when she's crying or pats her and says "it's ok baby, it's ok baby..." over and over until Elle stops crying. I've see some jealousy, but for the most part Kate really LOVES her sister and tells people that Elle is her baby when they ask. Here are some sweet sister pics...

When she's not being Elle's mommy, Kate likes to mommy her baby dolls as well. She tucks them into bed, puts them in time out, and I even caught her nursing one the other day. I had to grab my camera and start clicking as soon as I saw her sit down with my boppy and her baby...I knew where this was going. She is too fun!!!

My Productive Day...

Thoughts from today...

After a fun morning of snuggling on the couch to watch Mickey, reading about our ABC's, playing dollhouse, and too many trips to the potty to even count I put Kate down for her nap at noon. The house is so quiet. I love this time of the day because I finally get to hold Elle without interruption from big sister. As I lay with my sweet baby, my mind begins to race with all the "to-do's" of the day. This is the list that I usually try to get done while Kate is sleeping. My list looks like this:

A sink full of dishes
A dryer full of clothes
A backseat full of cheerios that Kate dumped out 3 days ago
Clothes to hang up piled on my dresser
Trash to collect and take out before trash day
Pictures to upload and blog about
Bills to pay
Kate's toy room looks like a tornado hit it

But the longer I lay there, the more I realize how sweet these moments of holding Elle are. I realize that my baby feels so good agains my chest and I just don't want to move and give up this sweet time together. The dishes, clothes, cheerios, trash, blogging, bills, and toys will all be there for years to come, but my little Elle won't always be in this phase. I decide that the "to-do's" can wait and spend the majority of Kate's nap just enjoying my Elle...and I feel like it was one of the most productive days I've had in a while!

Update

WOW...it's been almost a month since my last post! That just shows how busy and sleep deprived I've been over the past 5 weeks! Elle will officially be 6 weeks old on Thursday (in 2 days) and she is doing great. She is growing and growing which means eating and eating! She had been doing EXCELLENT at only waking up once during the night for the past 10 days or so and then last night we were up at 11pm, 1am, 3am and 5am. Tuesdays are my 12 hour work days so I'm feeling a little buzzed on coffee at the moment, and I hope this caffeine high doesn't crash anytime soon! So here are a few fun things going on in our lives:

1. Josh has been awarded a GREAT scholarship to SMU Law School (almost 2/3) and he will hear back about other scholarships in April!!

2. Kate has started to show some signs of jealousy with an occasional pinch or push on baby Elle. I can't say that I blame her...it would be hard to go from being the one and only to sharing that spot. I would like to pinch or push people sometimes too...isn't that normal to some degree?!?

3. I am back working 15 hours a week. One of my stay at home mom friends keeps Elle on Tuesdays and Kate is still doing MDO! I enjoy being back at work and using the other side of my brain! Mommy world is a blast, but it's nice to do something different during the week!

4. I am beginning to feel a little more "normal." It takes a few weeks after a c-section to "get back up on your feet" and I think I'm getting there!

5. I started Weight Watchers on Sat. There is a meeting at 7am right by my house and I figured since I'm already up, I might as well go! I have about 30lbs. to lose but I realize it took 9 months to gain and may not come off for 9 more months!

6. My good friend Joce (my spiritual mentor from when I was a teenager) came and stayed with us for 3 days to help with the girls! She is WONDERFUL x 10 and I loved having her here to help! Kate LOVES her and keeps asking when she's coming back! What a blessing!

7. Kate keeps asking to sit on the potty! This is exciting but takes a lot of work and committment that I'm not sure I'm up for at this point in my life. I feel like I need to follow her lead on this so on Monday she work "big girl undies" all morning and used the potty. We put a diaper on for her nap and today she is wearing panties over her diaper (which was a compromise to avoid a melt down this am). Needless to say, I think we are beginning to potty train. I tried to do this before Elle came, but of coarse, we waited until Mommy had a 5 week old and is exhausted to decide it was time. Figures!

So that's our latest! I will try to get pictures up of Kate and Elle soon! I just love having 2 girls and I keep looking at their latest pictures and thinking about how sweet this sister bond will be for them one day, but that's material for a whole different post!

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Elle Pics and Law School...

Here are a few more pictures of our sweet little Elle. She is growing so much and last week at the dr. she was almost back to her birth weight of 7.1. She loves to snuggle and be close and just seems to sleep all the time. This is SUCH an enjoyable stage and I just love to hold her all day long when I get the chance. I am learning that being a mom of 2 is VERY different than just one, and I feel very blesses to have my two beautiful girls everyday!

Another VERY EXCITING thing in our lives is that Josh was officially accepted to SMU's Dedman School of Law. Only a select group get into the early admission group and he was one of them. He has applied for scholarships but will not hear back until later this month for one and in April for the other. I am so proud of him and we look forward to him going back to school in August as a full time law student.

Needless to say, we have a lot excitement in the Pearson home and feel so blessed to see how the Lord continues to provide for our future! Now if only He could multiply those 2 hour intervals of sleep I am getting to feel more like 8!

Elle is HERE!!

Wow...what an amazing past couple of days. Elle Suzanne was born at 9:25 am on Thursday morning and weighted 7 lbs. 1oz. She was 19.5 inches long and is absolutely precious. I was so excited to discover her red/strawberry blondish hair. My heart has totally stretched in ways that I never imagined and I am completely amazed at how in love I am with both of my sweet little girls. My heart is just so full! We are tired and recovering, but I wanted to get a few pictures up to show you Elle and big sister Kate.

13 Hours...

Wow...just 13 more hours until we get to see our sweet little Elle. I'm so excited and so nervious all at the same time. It feels like Christmas again! My friend Courtney and I went and got Pedi's today and mexican food. We both got pink toes in honor of Elle. Then I had to go for my pre-op where they make you sign every piece of paper you can imagine that basically lets the hospital off the hook if you die for some strange reason.

I can't wait to hear that sweet little cry and hold our beautiful new baby girl for the first time. I just want kiss her all over and I WILL...so soon!!

Say a little prayer tomorrow at at 7:30...that's what time we go into the OR and she should be here by 8am. I don't think I am going to be able to sleep tonight...

2 More Days...

So I guess we are as ready as we can get. The house "to-do's" are done, the last minute things are purchased, and now it's just getting through the next 2 days of anticipation! Josh and I went out Friday night for our 7th Anniversary...our real anniversary is Jan. 26th, but we knew that day/night would not work for a date night. We ate at Terilli's off of Greenville and then went to Al Bernauts for dessert. We had a wonderful time and appreciated my mom watching Kate. It was nice to go out and enjoy eachother before life as we know it gets a little more hectic.

So as promised...here are some belly pics and a few pictures of Elle's nursery. My mother-in-law and sister-in-law helped me make all of the bedding/curtains and Josh did a FANTASTIC job of painting. He is such a good daddy!!

Honest Scrap

My friend, Jennifer Watkins (Kohl), whom I've known since 2nd grade tagged me for a game called Honest Scrap. I figured this was a good way to pass time while Kate is napping and it is FREEZING outside...what better thing to do than blog?!? Really I can think of about 100 other things I could be doing, but blogging is a wonderful way to procrastinate when you have "real" stuff you need to be doing!

Here are the rules: you have to list 10 random things about yourself that are true and then tag 7 other people to do the same. So onto the game:

1. I eat one thing at a time on my plate...like all my beans, then all my potatoes, then all my meat, unless I'm having Mexican food (like to combine my rice and beans). I usually eat my meats last and veggies first. I also don't drink anything until I'm done with my plate, unless the food is just really spicy.

2. I LOVE Kate's Monday nap time because I lay on the sofa and watch my tivo'ed Desperate Housewives from the night before...such a fun little treat for me every Monday!

3. I am constantly adding, multiplying, and dividing numbers. My good friend Lauren (from DTS) used to make fun of me because I constantly had math problems along the edges of my notes from class. I also remember numbers really well...I have most of our account numbers memorized without even making an effort to do so...they just stick with me.

4. I HATE terminix. I have had many an argument with them over the phone for double charging me over and over. I can't even see a Terminix commercial on tv without feeling hate towards them. NEVER use them...they are not a good company to work with AT ALL!!

5. I am a news Junky...I LOVE to watch the news and read up on the latest events online. From the Today show at 7am to the 10:00 news...I'm totally going to be one of those old people who just watches the news in my rocking chair all day.

6. I love to clean out my ears, Josh's ears, Kate's ears and whoever else will let me. I even used to check our dog/cat's ears to see if they needed cleaning.

7. I am addicted to coffee in the am. I can't function without it and will go to great lengths to get it. I feel pretty agitated when it's not made correctly (too weak) and will do whatever it takes to get a good cup EVERY morning. When I'm not prego I ALWAYS have 2 cups.

8. I love to watch the Food Network. I want Paula Dean to come cook for me one day!

9. I'm excited about not being pregnant for the next 3-4 years so that I can "get my body back." Not that I'll ever have my high school/college body after having 2 kids, but I just want to be able to work out and not feel like it's all in vain because I'm just going to get pregnant again! I will miss eating whatever, whenever...but the trade off and better self confidence will be worth it!

10. I got a tattoo on my hip while living in Australia during college. I was there for 3 months on a mission trip and called home to ask permission after the deed was already done. My mom said "no" but it was too late! Most of my friends are SHOCKED if they accidentally see it, but I didn't get it for everyone to see...that's why I chose my hip and not my arms or legs. I figured that wouldn't look good for job interviews or for my profession later on in life.

So there you have it...my Honest Scraps! I now tag:

Courtney Warren
Amy Tyner
Katie Brittain
Jami Smith
Lauren Smith
Tracy Howard
Allison McNeely

Alrighty...get going!!!

6 more days...

So last night it hit me...Kate is not going to be my only baby in a week. I've known this as a literal fact, but the emotional impact of it was really hard to take in. For the past 2 years she has been our baby girl and everything we do rotates around what is best for her. I can't imagine her having to share that pedistool with anyone else, but maybe it's time she did. She gets so much of my undivided attention and I'm afraid that she will start to feel like #2 when Elle gets here. Josh was super supportive of my crying, snotty (i have a real snot problem when I start crying...I can put away almost an entire box of Kleenex), meltdown that I had last night, and talked about ways we can be sure to show Kate that she is still our top priority, but that Elle is too. Have I said what a wonderful man he is...he really is the best husband in the world!

I have heard my friends talk about the fear of not being able to love your second like your first and I am now experienceing that for myself. I know that when she gets here I'll be so completely in love with her (that's how we felt with Kate), but it's hard RIGHT now because I can't wrap my mind around how I will love 2 the same.



I guess I'm having fear and anxiety at this point. I think it's normal, I think it means the reality of all of this is finally setting in for the first time, and I know that the Lord is faithful and will get me through this.



The countdown continues...

7 More Days...

We are officially going in to have Baby Elle on Thursday, January 22, at 7:30am. It is SO NICE to have a date and be able to count down until the big day. It's very different from when we had Kate because we had NO IDEA we would end up in the OR with a c-section. Going in for a scheduled c-section is a little bit scary, but I know I'll be just fine! Its good that I know what to expect and what the actually surgery/recovery is like.

I will get belly pics up soon, Allena...but I'm not putting how much weight I've gained like you did! Two weeks ago at our sonogram she was measuring 7lbs. and he said she can gain .5-1 pound per week. I am thinking this baby is going to be big because she takes up SO MUCH room inside my belly. I really can feel her wrapped around all the way to my hip bones (I guess those are still in there somewhere), and sometimes beyond. I keep wondering if shes going to make it into my back before next week.

Ok...off to do some more cleaning...I only have 7 more days to knock out my "to-do" list around the house!

Final Count Down

Wow...I haven't blogged in quite a while...I guess that just represents how busy things have been and how tired I've felt during my down time. I am 37 weeks and 2 days pregnant today! My doctor has decided to move up my c-section to NEXT WEEK...either Thursday or Friday. I'm trying to take it in that this is my last full week before life gets really crazy again!

Things I'm being intentional about this week:

Spending lots of time with Kate...just that fun one-on-one mommy/Kate time that we are both so spoiled with...she's so fun and makes my days so bright!

Soaking in what it feels like to be pregnant, or at least the positives of being pregnant. I'm not one that LOVES pregnancy, but even I can appreciate the miracle of having those tiny elbows and feet rolling around inside of me. I won't feel this again for a long time, and maybe not ever again, so I want to be sure I don't take it for granted.

Spending quality time with my wonderful hubby and going on dates. I remember that after Kate was born we were both so worn out that our marriage sort of went back burner for about 8 weeks. We are normally great communicators, but with rotating shifts around the baby's schedule we were on opposite schedules for several weeks. We know that we just have to give ourselves some grace those first 8-10 weeks and be secure in our marriage, knowing that this difficult season will pass, and we will spend quality couple time together again one day!

Appreciating a full night's sleep. My sleep may not be perfect right now, seeing as how I can't get comfortable and my legs go numb, but at least I'm not up every 2-3 hours for a hour at the time. I am going to soak up the night of 6-8 hours of deep sleep that I get right now!

Lastly, I am taking FULL ADVANTAGE of this nesting feeling! I know I won't be this motivated to clean out all the junk drawers, organize all the piles in the office, and sort through my t-shirt drawers once Elle arrives! I am in a place right now where cleaning out stuff feels exciting and I almost can't help myself...this is SO not the normal me. I plan to use this "gift" to the fullest over the next 2 weeks...after all, she can't possibly come into a home with junky drawers and piles of old magazines, right?!?

So we're in the home stretch...I can see the light at the end, and I'm really excited about holding my sweet baby girl in less than 2 weeks! It's going to be SO DIFFERENT having 2, but I'm looking forward to the weeks ahead!

New Lessons

Wow...it's been an entire MONTH since my last post, I guess things are pretty busy around the Pearson home! I wanted to take a minute to list a few reflections from the past 31 weeks of pregnancy.

• The first trimester is EXHAUSTING and even more so when you are a pregnant mommy who stays home most days with an active 18-24 month old. What happen to the days of napping in the afternoon or sleeping in? Will those days ever happen again?
• My maternity clothes from only 2 years ago are so "last year" at this point. I feel super untrendy, but don't care enough to spend the money on a new maternity wardrobe. I don't plan on being prego again in the next 2 years so even if I did get clothes, they would be out of style by the time I get ready for baby #3.
• The second trimester "high" was great because I felt like I could do any and everything. With this pregnancy I did LOTS of sewing and feel good about most of my projects. Lots of my home "to-do" items have been taken care of.
• Kate has finally started pointing at my tummy and saying "Baby Elle!" She even hugged and kissed my tummy last week when I was holding her...and I didn't even tell her to do that. She is going to be a sweet big sister. She also pointed to Josh's tummy and said "Baby Jesus!" Needless to say he has purchased a workout machine to put in the garage...
• My belly is getting so LARGE that I feel like I can't breathe, it's hard to sleep, I can't sit Kate on my lap to tie her shoes, and when I pick Kate up to give her a hug, her feet stick strait out from my belly.
• Baby Elle is much rougher than Kate...she kicks HARD and much more often. Wonder what that will mean?
• This third trimester has been noticeably more tiring. I wear out easily and feel like I need to sit and get a glass of water a few times a day. Also my brain has gone to mush and I can't remember ANYTHING or concentrate for very long. I'm having a hard time even making small decisions. I heard on the radio that your brain shrinks during pregnancy and doesn't go back to normal for 12 after birth...I can testify to that! I feel it!

So there ya have it! I am ready for my sweet baby to get here soon. I can't wait to hold her and see what she looks like. It will be fun to see Kate interact with her and to watch them grow up as good friends (I hope). I am thankful for a healthy pregnancy, but I am honestly ready to not be pregnant anymore. Only 9 more weeks to go!!!

Pics from Fall

So here are some pictures from the Pumpkin Patch at the Dallas Arboretum, the Belton Pumpkin patch, and our church's fall festival. We trick-or-treated with a group of friends...but mommy forgot her camera. Kate loves fall and yells "PUMPKIN" everytime we drive past our Rockwall Pumpkin Patch. She was "Little Red Riding Hood" but refused to keep the hood on, so she just looked like a german waitress for the most part. She doesn't really know who Little Red Riding Hood is, but it as one of the cutest costumes in the $15 section at Target, so this practicle mommy decided to go with it!! Her dress said "2T" but it lied...it was much smaller, but we made due as to avoid spending anymore money on this crazy holiday. Enjoy our fall pictures...

This was fall festival at our church...she loved the pony ride the best!

Here she is at the Belton Pumpkin Patch where she painted a pumpkin and played in the hay with her cousins Carter, Garrett, and Gavin!

Love this face...these are from the arboretum. We went there with Cousin Cohen and fam!

Hope your fall season was as blessed as ours. I am excited about moving into Thanksgiving and all the yummo food that comes with it!! This pregnant girl takes full advantage of the "eat for two" mentality!!

LSAT Scores are in...

After a LONG wait of about 4 weeks and then a LONG day on Friday as we awaited the posting of the scores, they are FINALLY in!! Josh took it this summer and scored a 165 out of 180 which put him in the 92% nationwide. That means that only 8% of people did better than him. Not bad, not bad. But, my competitive hubby couldn't sit with that and immediately registered to take it again this fall with confidence that he could do the same or better, given a second chance.

Well, he was RIGHT...he did much BETTER! Friday night he found out that he scored a 170 out of 180 and is now in the top 98% nationwide. That means that only 2% of applicants did better than him which puts him in a great position (we hope) for scholarship opportunities. I am so proud of him and all of his hard work! I know that this is just the beginning of his law school journey, but I'm looking forward to what's ahead. He will get his application into SMU along with all the papers he has to write, and will hear back in January about acceptance. They accept about 20% of applicants (so 80%) get turned down...ouch! He is also applying for scholarships at the school and privately funded opportunities as well and will know something by February on those. He turns 30 in Feb. so we keep joking that a full ride to SMU would be a GREAT birthday gift to celebrate the big 3-0!

Way to go Babe! You are so amazing and I am so proud of you and your hard work!

Kate...

Haven't posted very many pictures of Kate here lately so here a few to show you what she's been up to...besides being the CUTEST TODDLER EVER!! This is Kate at her Gymnastics Class every Thursday night...she started this about a month ago! Her daddy takes her since since mommy works on those nights! She LOVES it and she now jumps off of EVERYTHING and is constantly trying to do forward rolls....I see a little cheerleader in our future!!

This was Kate's first day of school or MDO. She was at a preschool until she was old enough for me to move her to MDO. Now I get to take her to work with me and go see her if I have a break! She LOVES it and her teachers call her the "head of the class." In the second pic she is playing "ashes, ashes we all fall down" with her lunch and backpack...she's got quite the imagination!

Just a cute Picture...

Kate playing with her friend Judah at the playground...they are in the same MDO class and Judah's mommy is one of my good friends! I love the slide picture!

Helping Daddy Cook....

Kisses for Prego Mommy...I love my baby girl SO MUCH!!

CRAZY bathtub hair...

Fun at Amazing Jakes in Plano...

So there's a little bit about Kate...sorry for the delay on getting pictures up!! I'll try to do better!