Blessed Beyond Belief

Sarah Grace is here.....

2009-02-03T09:34:00.000-08:00

Our little angel has finally arrived. Sarah Grace was born on Monday January 26th at 9:46 a.m. She weighed 7 lbs 1 oz and was 20 inches long. We are all doing great, just trying to adjust to having another little one in the house. She is really a wonderful baby. I am nowhere near as exhausted as I thought I would be. Kenzie is a wonderful big sister and I know have a new found love for my AMAZING husband. I don't know where I would be without him. God has truly blessed our family in more ways than I can count. More pictures to come soon!!

Sarah Grace with her daddy

Sarah Grace with mommy

Sarah Grace with her proud big sister Kenzie

how much longer?!?

2009-01-19T07:38:00.000-08:00

I am so ready to have a sweet little girl to hold and love. I feel as though I have been pregnant for 19 months, not 9. I wonder what makes this pregnancy seem to go by so slow. I feel as though the days are just slowly, slowly passing by. I don't know if it is the fact that I am staying at home and not as busy as usual, or the fact that I am just really anxious to see her. I have 19 days to go....a lot of my friends who have had babies recently came about 5-15 days early. Pray I am one of those mommies. The doctor has said she is ready...head down and everything. We are ready for sure. Everything packed, and if it's not packed it's on the last minute list for Steve. We have Nana, Twin and Grandma lined up to watch Miss Mackenzie. If anybody knows of any "old wives tales" that work please let me know. Will keep everyone updated!!

36 weeks and counting..............

2009-01-16T18:54:00.000-08:00

Here are a few shots of Sarah Grace's room...we are now 36 weeks, 3 days and counting. I am very ready to have our sweet Sarah Grace here and start working on getting this baby weight off. Anybody up for a workout partner?

the feeding spot

where all the stinky stuff happens

Her sleepy spot..thank goodness for Pottery Barn clearance

36 weeks and 2 days....not much longer

Update on Brandy

2009-01-16T18:53:00.000-08:00

Brandy is home now...they were able to stop the contractions..thank goodness. She returns to the doctor on Monday to see if she can return to work. Thank you to all who were praying for her.

Please Pray

2009-01-14T06:48:00.000-08:00

Please pray for my friend Brandy. She is expecting her second child on March 5th. They put her in the hospital last week for kidney stones. They finally put a stint (spell check) in yesterday. Since putting the stint in she has been having contractions. Her contractions are 1 minute apart. Her water has not broken and she is not dilated. She is only 32 weeks and as all you mommies know it is best to keep baby in the womb as long as possible. Pray that God will give her comfort and that the doctors can stop the contractions. I will keep everyone updated. Thank you!

Getting things done...

2009-01-12T06:06:00.001-08:00

We have had a lot going on lately...getting ready for Sarah Grace to be here, Great Grandma's 100th Birthday party, Doctor's appointments and all the other day to day stuff that needs to be done. Oh the joys of laundry and dishes and cleaning and ironing. Oh how I dread ironing. I have been trying to get some organizing done around here lately. I never realized how much we have accumulated with Kenzie and wanted to make room for the many things we will accumulate with Sarah Grace. So my wonderful hubby got me the organizer I wanted from Target when it went on sale a few weeks ok. I LOVE IT...let me say that again I LOVE IT. It holds so much stuff and doesn't make the dining room look junkie.

Now hopefully I can keep it that way, we have the playroom downstairs, but it is so nice to be able to have some toys up here without having to drag things up and down the stairs. I have also cleaned and organized Kenzie's closet.

We went this past weekend to North Carolina to celebrate my Great Grandmother's 100th Birthday. Imagine.....100 years. I only hope that I am as lucky as her. She is always in such good spirits and has a wonderful outlook on life. She still is able to move around by herself and take care of herself. She really is an inspiration to all. We are so blessed to be able to have 5 generations in our family. It has been a tradition since Kenzie was born to do a 5 generations picture.

On the Sarah Grace front everything is looking good, my blood pressure has gone back down...Praise the Lord. I am however still gaining too much weight..I know haha...too much. I should have only gained 1 lb. at my last appointment and I gained 4...what can I say...I'M STARVING. I feel like I can never get enough food. The doctor does want to do one more ultrasound to check Sarah Grace's growth, I go this Friday at 8:15. Say a little prayer that she is on target and we can let her make her entrance on her own. I was induced with Kenzie, so I would love to be able to actually go into labor on my own with Sarah Grace. I know God has it planned out to perfection...so we shall see what he has in store for us. I need to get Twin to take some more belly pics, so I will be sure to post more later this week. Till then...........

Much needed update!

2008-12-09T08:58:00.000-08:00

So as you all can see the belly is growing, or shall I say Sarah Grace is growing, yes thats right...another girl. We are so excited to welcome our new little miracle. It seems like it has been forever since I've posted. A lot has happened. Our sweet K* celebrated her 3rd Birthday...HAPPY BIRTHDAY K*!!! See a family birthday pic below. Halloween and Thanksgiving have come and gone and our family is very much in the Christmas Spirit. K* is very excited about Christmas this year. We put up our tree yesterday and K* was a huge help. We have visited Santa, K* asked for a babydoll with clothes, she has been a very good girl, so I am sure Santa will bring her what she asked for. We have been able to attend lots of fun Birthday parties for K*'s friends too. Grandma has beend own to visit quite a few times and we have enjoyed spending time with her. We have almost finished SG's room and are very ready for her to get here. Only 9 weeks to go. It's hard to believe I am going to be a mommy to 2 beautiful little girls. I am very excited, but also a little anxious and scared. Not the same as I was with K*, labor is no big deal. I am worried about what happens after we get home and Hubs and I get into the groove of caring for 2. Making sure K* doesn't feel left out and that SG gets the attention she needs. Lots of other worries too, but God is continuing to calm and prepare me for the adventures ahead. Sorry to cut so short, but time to get lunch ready for Hubs and K*. More to come soon!!!

Family Update

2008-09-03T18:20:00.001-07:00

Wow, it seems like it has been forever since my last post. There have been quite a few changes. I have gone back to work full time. It was a tough decision, but the best choice for our family at this time. It was VERY hard to leave K*, but she loves her new "school", and I LOVE my new job. We have been doing some updates around the house(new shutters, new front door, and we finally cut down the tree in the front yard that I detested so much). Baby Bookie(as K* calls it) is doing just fine. The all day sickness is gone and I am starting to get my energy back. We find out on September 10th if K* will have a little brother or a little sister. I think she is fine with either, but there is no telling with her, she changes her mind daily...haha. We very much enjoyed the summer, but we are very ready for fall to be here. Fall is my favorite season by far, I love decorating the house and the smell of all my yummy fall candles and of course apple pie(when I get the chance to make it). We are in the process of planning K*'s 3rd Birthday Party, it's so hard to believe our sweet littlte angel will be 3 on October 21st. They grown up so fast, it seems like just yesterday she was born. Sometimes I wish I could just freeze time and keep her just the way she is. I am SUPER tired and ready for bed so I will post some more pics when I give the baby update.....till next week!!

Car Washing and Flower Watering

2008-07-13T17:32:00.000-07:00

K* washing daddy's car..what a big helper

K* and daddy car washing
K* loves to help water the flowers
I hope that everyone is having a wonderful summer!!!!!!!!!

Interview....

2008-07-13T17:28:00.000-07:00

I have a second interview for a new job this week, and hopefully a first interview for another job. I would really really really like to have the second job. It would be a GREAT opportunity for our family and they are ok with the fact that baby is on the way. Which means I will still have a job after baby is born :) Please pray that if it is in God's plan that a job opportunity will come up soon.

Our family is growing

2008-07-09T18:04:00.000-07:00

Yes...it says PREGNANT...YEAH...finally. We found out the first of June and told family and close friends the middle of June, we have now decided to leak it to the public. The doctor has given us an estimated due date of February 9. Which yea means I will not have to be pregnant in the summer again, which also means ughh....I will have to get different maternity clothes for a different season. I have been quite sick, not just in the morning, but all day. Thankfully I was not sick at all with K* so this has been an adjustment. Other than that all is well and we are very excited to welcome a new member to our family. What an AMAZING God we have, thank you for such a blessing.

SUCCESS.....Go K*!!!

2008-06-02T07:24:00.000-07:00

Whats been going on with us.......

K* and daddy looking at Joy the Elephant
K* on the carousel in Charlotte
Family pic at the zoo
Mommy and K* playing dress up

So many changes have been happening at our house. I am now staying home with K* and keeping 2 other little girls as well. I am very happy to say that K* is now OFFICIALLY POTTY TRAINED!!!! Yeah!!! I have to say that the 4 days of potty training were a true test of my patience, but we made it through and now K* is a "Big Girl". No more diapers...yeah...now we just have to get rid of the box we have that I didn't get to use...ha ha!! Even though the potty training was pretty rough, it was also a wonderful opportunity for K* and I to spend some quality time together. I was pretty much her shadow for 4 days straight...we did everything together...it was really nice. I really am blessed to have such a sweet little girl. A couple of weeks ago hubs and I decided to take K* to the zoo, the last time she went she was almost 2, so it had been a while. She had tons of fun and we really enjoyed the family time out of the house. The weather keeps getting warmer and warmer, Hubs is off work this Friday so I think we might get K*'s baby pool out and have a little pool party on the deck. On the baby front...we are still trying. I know that everything is in God's perfect timing, but I am getting kinda down, I really didn't think it would be that hard for us to conceive. Please continue to pray for us as we try to expand our family.

DUCKS...DUCKS....and more DUCKS

2008-05-13T12:00:00.000-07:00

I feel like I can never get caught up with pictures, I take so many and then it seems like it takes me forever to get them uploaded. So the first weekend in May was the annual Reedy River Ducky Derby, we decided to make the trip. We had intentions of going downtown to the Saturday open Market, which opened on May 2. We were in luck the derby was the same day. K* and I picked nana up around 9 and headed downtown. We went to the market first, I got a reed diffuser for for the bathroom (clean cotton scented) some tomatoes and some cajun roasted peanuts for my grandpa. We dropped everything off at the car then went down to the river. K* adopted a duck for the race, and we took some pictures in front of the big rubber ducky. They had tons of children's activities, some were a little too old for K*, but some were just perfect. K* made a yellow visor to keep the sun out of her eyes. We played with puppets and jumped in the moon bounce. We watched them release the duckies to start the race(this was K*'s favorite part), we had to head home before it was over, K* needed a nap and it looked like it was going to rain. Another fun saturday, I will get all the other pics uploaded, more Shannon family fun to share later.

The releasing of the duckies!!
Me and K* with the BIG ducky!
K* in her visor with Nana
Random shot of K* "cooking" (notice the oven mit...haha)

New Projects

2008-05-01T07:23:00.001-07:00

I bought a large pack of blank cards to use as thank you notes, decided to add a little something to them so we decided to take a picture of K* saying thank you....pics of the thank you cards themselves to come later....

Our new hairbow holder, the other one wasn't big enough to hold all of K*'s bows..

We are on a budget this year, but I wanted to be able to do something for Mother's Day that Nana and Grandma would enjoy. K* and I decided on a picture frame. I already had the paint and glue gun at home and a few of the embellishments, so all we had to buy was the $1.99 frame and I spent another $3 on embellishments. So about $3.50 a piece...YEA!!, and I know that they will both cherish them.

On another note, we are still trying for another baby, hopefully some good news to come next week...

March of Dimes

2008-04-28T17:31:00.000-07:00

Family Pic..just having fun
March of Dimes Walk
K* with her flower
K* and Daddy
Giving Mommie moochies

Another busy week and weekend to report..A little slow at the beginning of the week, thank goodness. I had a wonderful dinner on Thursday night with some friends from Mops. I worked half a day on Friday then went to Sav-Mor, Aldi and Walmart to get groceries. (milk at Aldi is dirt cheap, well at least compared to Walmart and Bilo). Friday night me, Hubs and K* went to eat at Logans then drove around and looked at houses. Saturday we got up early and went and picked up nana for the March of Dimes walk. My good friend Krissy works for Spinx, so we walked with the Spinx team. I am very proud to say we walked the whole 6 miles with K* and Abigail in tow. It was my workout for the month....haha. Needless to say we rested the rest of the day Saturday. Sunday morning we went to church, another wonderful sermon by Pastor Carter out of Genesis 12 and how Abraham listened to God and obeyed what he said. Nana made us a wonderful lunch then we headed home to wash clothes and get ready for Monday. Lots of fun stuff this week too, Silpada party on Tuesday night, B-day shopping for DS on Wednesday, Mops Meeting on Thusday, DS's birthday dinner on Friday night, downtown market on Saturday morning, church on Sunday. Then next week is BIRTHDAY week.....yeah!!!

oops...

2008-04-20T18:15:00.000-07:00

I almost forgot, check out the Gosselin's website www.sixgosselins.com , they truly are a remarkable family, who loves the Lord.

Wow..I'm tired

2008-04-20T17:49:00.000-07:00

I honestly think I could fall asleep right now, as I type. We have had a VERY CRAZY weekend, well it started Thursday. I got off work at 5:30 and hurried home to change and out to RBC to have the volunteers meeting to prep for Jon and Kate. K* hung out with Grandma cause daddy was in Columbia with some clients. Finally got home Thursday night around 9:30, ate an apple with some peanut butter then off to bed. Dropped K* off at Nana's on Friday morning then off to work. Was very lucky to be able to leave work at 1:30 on Friday instead of 2. Headed home to change clothes then up to RBC to set up for the 1st night of Jon and Kate Plus 8. I must say they were WONDERFUL and such an inspiration. We have K*, and DS every other weekend and are hoping for a third, and I get kinda overwhelmed just thinking about it. And here Jon and Kate are with 8..yes 8. We were so humbled and grateful to have them take time away from their precious family to come and share their testimony with us. What a wonderful testimony it was , it is so refreshing to see a family who has their plate COMPLETELY full (Their TLC show, speaking engagements, writing their book, taking care of their 8 children, working and still managing to develop a wonderful marriage) and continues to put all their faith in the Lord. They rely fully on Him to get their family through, for he is always in control. Thank you Jon and Kate. Saturday morning off to help Tiffany get shower stuff ready. Saturday night back to the last Jon and Kate show. Off to church on Sunday then straight to set up for Tiffany's shower at 2. Then finally at 5:30 home again with the family. Hubs went out to pick up pizza while K* and I went for some much needed mother daughter time. We took a walk around the neighborhood, we counted 4 squirrels, 3 cats, a whole lot of birds and 1 bunny rabbit. I am so happy it is finally getting warmer outside, can't wait for all the fun stuff K* and I get to do this summer. So now off to bed I go for some much needed rest. A verse to think about, it is Kate Gosselin's life verse, and I have been studying it over and over and over this weekend. It has been a wonderful reminder that we must trust in Him for everything, whether it is a life changing decision or an everyday decision. He knows what is best for us, and will lead us where he wants us to go, how comforting.

"Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in ALL your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths."

Proverbs 3:5-6

A Fun Filled Family Weekend

2008-04-13T11:18:00.000-07:00

Well we have had a fun filled weekend for sure. We made our regular Friday night trip to Stevi B's for pizza and games, then down a few doors to check out all the animals at the pet store. Saturday, K* and I went with Nana to the Southern Kids Fest at the Carolina First Center. K* has been on a Dora kick lately, so we were very excited to be able to see Dora and Diego. K* won some fun prizes and we got some free gifts. After the Kids Fest we headed to Little Ceasers for a wonderful $5 Hot N Ready. Then off to nap time...how nice. Then me and K* went shopping. We got some new pj's and a new pair of Crocs. Daddy had a very nice day playing golf with some friends, he surprised us with McDonalds for dinner. We went to church this morning, Pastor Carter did a wonderful sermon out of Genesis Chapter 4 (Cain and Abel). Then Nana took us all out to lunch at Don Pablos. K* loves chips and dip. And now I am happy to say K* and I are about to lay down for a much needed nap. What a fun family weekend, can't wait to see whats in store for next weekend...till then.... Oh by the way check out this really cool site, great kids clothes, they were at the Southern Kids Fest. http://www.bumbleboutique.com/ Some of their stuff is kinda expensive, but we got K* a really cute bathing suit and cover up for $17.

The First

2008-04-10T17:14:00.000-07:00

The first offical blog....here goes.....tons of new stuff going on now. To start, Hubs and I are trying for another baby(I know...exciting..I'm so happy I could dance on the rooftops). I will also be leaving work in May to stay home with Kenzie..could it get any better?? Well it just might...we have a few other changes going on in our family......more news to come later. Kenzie is growing, faster than I would like, it seems like just the other day, she was born. Kinda sad if you think about it, our little angel is turning into her own little person.. She has such a wonderful personality though. She is such a happy, easy going child......here are some recent pics....