Presley's 2! Part 3: The Gifts, the Food, and the Fam!

Presley's birthday was a hit! She loved every minute of it...especially opening up the gifts! Presley loves to play dress up. She has a whole trunk full of dress up clothes that she has accumulated over the past few months. It is so funny to me that I have a daughter who loves to dress up because I don't ever remember playing dress up....well, not in the same way that my daughter does. My friends and I would dress up in my mom's dresses and her high heel shoes when we were younger, but I don't ever remember having tutus or other dress up clothes.Presley got lots of gifts and dress up items. Her sweet Aunt Elizabeth got her clip on earrings and a princess crown to wear for her birthday. She loved it! Nana Burda got Presley a beautiful princess outfit...complete with rose petals in the lining of the tutu. Presley wants to wear it everyday! She runs around the house in it yelling, "pretty princess, pretty princess." She also got lots of Dora stuff, puzzles, books, and bubbles.

Presley's Pretty Princess Dress ;-)Grandpa Axtell got Presley her much loved purple tricycle. ;-)

Jean and Corbin were so nice to make Presley's cupcakes for her birthday...I think they were a hit ;-)

We just had the most fantastic time during Presley's party and we are so thankful for the sweet family that surrounds us.

Presley's 2! Part 2: Fun in the Sun!

Fun in the Sun!

Joey had the great idea of getting a baby pool for the little kids and a slip-n-slide for the big kids during Presley's birthday party. It ended up being a life savor and great fun....especially for Joey ;-) who loved getting the kids wet! The weather ended up being very cooperative and the rain held off until after the party...thank goodness!

It is complete chaos when these 3 boys get together....lol. Grant and Mac are only a few days apart and they just love each other....and they are ALL boy!
Corbin, Savannah, and Ellie getting ready for the slip-n-slide

Corbin and Ellie in action!

Reid in action!
Joey in action...ha!
Our little fish out of water ;-)

Presley's 2: "An Eggs-tra Special Celebration"

The Invitation:

Presley's birthday was on Thursday, April 21st. We decided to have an "eggs-tra special celebration" over Easter weekend to celebrate her special day. It was such a great time and completely exhausting! Again, we decided to just keep it within the family and invite all of the cousins. Joey's parent's house had the most perfect set up for the kind of party we were planning on. We are so very blessed to have such a wonderful Nana and Popo....especially ones that cook such yummy food!!! ;o) Presley didn't nap and she was a little overwhelmed with all of the excitement, but she still had lots of fun. I think all of the kids had an absolute blast! I know we did! ;o) lol....

The Egg Hunt:
The big kids set out on their hunt

Someone's been practicing ;o)

Presley and precious Mac

Found one!!!

All Went Well

Everything went well yesterday during my follow-up D & C. I didn't have any problems with low blood pressure under anesthesia and I came out of it quickly. The "mass" did not end up being leftover tissue after all, but rather a fibroid. She was able to remove it and send it off for testing...which is mandated by law. Anyhow, I am feeling much better physically but am having a hard time emotionally. I know that the majority of fibroids are non-cancerous, but there are some things that are concerning to me....of course, I got online and now the devil is doing a number on me. Every one of you who knows me is probably thinking the same thing Joey is.... lol. uggg....

Today is Presley's 2nd birthday and Joey and I are feeling extremely blessed to have her in our life considering our circumstances. We are truly feeling overwhelmed with love. She is such an angel and we are consumed with great joy and hope as we look at her daily. She is our precious girl! We are so looking forward to this weekend and celebrating her birthday! It is going to be an "eggs-tra special celebration" as we celebrate her birthday Easter style this year! We love you Presley Victoria! ;-)

Another Update...

I will be having another D & C Wednesday morning at 7 am to remove the remaining tissue and blood clot from my last miscarriage/d & c. My dr is also going to use a camera to get a better look at the cyst on my ovary and the polyp in my uterus. Please pray that my body responds well to the anesthesia...last time I had very low blood pressure during and after the procedure. Also pray that this is an easy fix and nothing more than leftover tissue.

On Tuesday, April 26th we are meeting with a perinatologist for pre-conceptual counseling. My dr has also been talking with a infertility specialist that will also be meeting with us at some point and time. She said today that if having another child is something Joey and I really want then she is more than willing to work with us....she also said that she thinks she can make that happen for us again.

Right now, we are just focusing on the next few days. We will be waiting awhile before thinking about conceiving again. We (or I) just need a few moments to breath and allow things to slow down a bit.

A Crumbling Tower

Thanks to those of you who are walking with me through the dramas of life. Yesterday, I doubled over in pain after MOPS. I immediately called my doctor who got me in right away for a sonogram. They found a mass in my uterus and a cyst on my ovary. I was not a happy camper.... let's just say that I had some words with God. There were several things mentioned as to what this "mass" might be, but today my doctor called and said that most likely it is left over tissue from my last pregnancy that has grown and multiplied. This, of course, is very rare but it can happen. Well, let me just say that the words "very rare" mean absolutely nothing to me. Very rare things have been happening to me and my family since I can remember so nothing is too rare for me...except meat! Anyways, after a few days of blood work and another detailed sonogram on Monday we will know more as to what is going on.

Last Sunday we went to Gateway Church in Southlake because their former assistant pastor, Brady Boyd, was going to be speaking. In 2007, he was called to pastor New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado. You may remember hearing about this church on the news. 100 days after Pastor Boyd had been at this church a 24 year old gunman came into their church with the intent on killing as many Christians as he could. He killed two teenage girls and their father in the parking lot of the church before entering the church and opening fire in the foyer. He then proceeded to head down the children's wing of the church where he was stopped by a very brave security guard. The 24 year old man ended up taking his own life before the police could get there.

The entire time I was listening to Pastor Boyd I was thinking to myself, "man, I wish so and so were here to hear this." I came up with lots of names that I thought, in my mind, should be sitting right where I was sitting and hearing the words that I was hearing. Well, it was very apparent to me yesterday that the "so and so's" in my life were not meant to be there, but I was! I'm sure God was thinking to himself, "how about you let me determine who goes where and hears what...while you just sit and listen."

Pastor Boyd asked several questions that have really stuck with me these past few days. He asked, "How do you feel about God when He doesn't live up to your expectations? Do you continue to trust Him when your questions go unanswered? Do you continue to worship Him? It's during the difficult times in your life that continuing to trust Him and worship Him becomes a choice rather than an automatic response."

It's easy for me to trust God when I have a glimpse into what His purpose is. For instance, when I developed a blind spot in my eye I was not upset, but rather relieved that I didn't lose all of my sight. Knowing that God protected my sight gave me great peace of mind and insight into His protection over me. I also have the mindset that things could always be worse. I have several friends and family who are dealing with much more difficult situations than I am, but I felt like this situation that I was thrown into yesterday just set me off. It's kind of like when you watch your child build a tower of blocks. It's always the last tiny block that they put on the top that makes the whole tower come tumbling down....that's kind of what I felt like. Today, I have a little better perspective. This mass inside me is not necessarily a hardship, but rather a nuisance. A nuisance that sent the stack of pain crumbling down around me....a nuisance that I really don't feel like dealing with!

God has definitely put several friends in my path these past 2 days that have given me perspective and insight into what is important and where my focus should be. I am so grateful for those of you who have showered me with prayers....you are a true blessing!

Meaningful Easter Activity

12 Days of Easter

I saw this on another blog...well, many blogs. I thought it was such a great activity for celebrating the true meaning of Easter. It's an activity that uses the tradition of colored eggs to illustrate the resurrection story to kids. This activity would be way over Presley's head, of course, but a great idea for those little ones who are a little older and beginning to understand the meaning of Easter.

*12 colored eggs numbered 1-12

In each egg you will need the following item:

Egg #1- small donkey (or horse, they won't know the difference:) (coloring page here)
Egg #2- palm branch (make this by using green cardstock) (coloring page here)
Egg #3- small piece of terry cloth (coloring page here)
Egg #4- small piece of bread or cracker (coloring page here)
Egg #5- praying hands (or use a small flower to represent the garden) (coloring page here )
Egg #6- 3 pennies or coins (coloring page here )
Egg #7- a rose thorn (coloring page here)
Egg #8- a small wooden cross (you can make this with twigs and hot glue) (coloring page here)
Egg #9- nails (coloring page here)
Egg#10- a piece of paper towel or gauze sprayed with a little perfume (coloring page here)
Egg#11- small rock (coloring page here)
Egg#12- empty (coloring page here )

To tell the story, you can use a combination of the NIV Bible, and a children's Easter story book. You may also want to create a "picture story" book using the Easter printables( found next to each egg description above) using a brad folder. Starting on Wednesday, April 13 (12 days before Easter) open the first egg, talk about that part of the story, color the page, and add it to the folder book.

What You're Sayin' These Days...

"peek-a-boo I see you" is still your favorite game ;o)

Presley, you are really starting to talk a lot more. You repeat EVERYTHING you hear. You love to sing and have picked up on different parts to several songs. Your favorite songs are Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Old McDonald had a Farm, and Elmo's World...although, you pronounce it Elmo's Girl. ;o) There are several songs that you know off the radio. You love it when daddy plays the song, Galileo. You also love it when we play the song, The Words I Would Say by Sidewalk Prophets...I think it's probably the perfect song for you and I just LOVE the words. ;o) Here are a few of the phrases that you are sayin' these days....

"Oh Snap!" hmmmm...I wonder where you heard that one?? The other day we were outside playing in your water table and when we came inside you realized that your shirt was all wet. You looked at me and said, "Oh snap, my shirts wet!"

You also know exactly what you want All.of.the.time. You say...
I want____...I want milk, I want applejuice, I want more cheerios, I want pretty hair, I want pretty toes, I want to go outside, I want to play outside, I want to take a bath, I want to go bye bye, I want a cookie,I want to read a book, I want theese one, I want a sandwich, I want piano pwease, I want tom cat pwease (a game on the iPhone) Uggg!

Where you going...you usually say this to the dogs. ;-)

Hey guys!

Come on guys, lets go!...again, you usually say this to the dogs or when you walk into the living room after room time.

Thats gross, it stinky, poopy diaper, poo-poo in the potty

I need to take a bath...you keep your daddy and me on schedule :-) After dinner you always tell us you need to take a bath

Want to take a walk? go see the cat?...you love to take walks with your daddy after work. You always visit the cat that lives down the street from us.

Daddys at work, daddys at home

I love books..you said this to the Librarian when she asked you if you loved books. You actually looked at her and said, "I love books."

Thank you mommy

Oh no! it broken

I wanna brush teeth

Come here, Sit Jester....good boy ;o) I love it when she tells the dogs what to do!

Hey buddy

Hi people...you say this when we walk into a grocery store

And after visiting your Aunt Sara's house you actually say the word, "yes" now ;-) Thank you Aunt Sara and cousin Reid for introducing the word, YES! into my daughter's vocabulary!

Bye Bye, see you later

Clip Holder

I have been a clip makin fool lately! A girl can never have too many clips...right? Well, I found myself throwing these tiny little clips off to the side and then forgetting where I put them. So, I decided to make a cute little clip holder to hang in Presley's bathroom. Today, after Gymboree, I ran to Michaels where I found a little butterfly for 69 cents and 2 rolls of pink ribbon on sale for $1. I found a big orange bow in my box of ribbon from when I used to make bows for little Miss Presley girl. I was going to use a hot glue gun to stick it all together, but I ended up using fabric glue and it worked great! If any of you ladies have friends who have a girl or who are about to have a girl then these are really quick and easy to make...and cheap!

What Do You Do When You're Almost 2!

Play Outside

Find your sense of humor
Learn your letters...and hope your mom puts her teacher box away!
Learn your colors...and hope your mom puts her teacher box away!
Discover the world around you
Help take care of the plants
Visit the library with friends
Read your MOST favorite book, In the Tall, Tall Grass, in your daddy's new car ;o)

Test your independenceEnjoy dressing up, wearing earrings, and having pretty toes!

Update

Some of you have been asking about an update concerning all of the blood work I had done a few weeks ago. I got a call from my dr today that said everything came back normal...I do not have any blood clotting disorders. I get the feeling that my dr does not like things to go "unanswered." She likes to have answers for everything. Anyhow, she has decided to send me to a Perinatologist for pre-conceptual counseling because of my miscarriages, ovarian pregnancy, and the ocular occlusion in my retina. In my mind, I think that the blood clot in my eye was just caused by the prometrium (progesterone) that I was on. One of the very rare side effects of being on prometrium is blood clots in the eye....to me, that explains it. However, I think that Dr. Flower's is concerned that the hormonal changes that comes with pregnancy is causing my body to create blood clots, but there is no testing for that. I understand her concern and I guess I have some concern as well, but isn't that the case with every woman who becomes pregnant...pregnancy increases the chances of having blood clots. Right? So, for now we will wait until we talk to the Perinatologist and weigh the risks of pregnancy....which in my mind, are about the same as any other woman. ;o) She wants me to stay on my baby aspirin because my eye (and my body) has responded very well to it and women often use it when trying to conceive.

Creative Clippies

My step-mom, Jean, introduced me to the blog... Jone's Design Company I absolutely love this blog and only wish I was half as creative as she is! I love this blog because she often posts tutorials that show you step-by-step how to accomplish her craftiness. Last week, while sitting around, I decided to pull up one of her crafty ideas from a few months ago and give it a try. ;-) I made these cute little hair clips for little miss Presley girl. If you have a girl then you know the amount of money you can end up spending on little hair clips, bands, bows, and flowers. Most of the time I end up putting the clips and bows back on the shelf because I always end up thinking to myself, "I could totally make that...and for next to nothin!" So, I was quite excited when I actually had a few minutes to sit down and make my girl some clips...not too bad for a first time run! ;o)

heartbroken.....

"The Lord is faithful to all His promises and loving toward all he has made." Psalm. 145:13

Sitting here with a heavy heart. I am so heartbroken for my step-sister, Daphne, and her husband. Their sweet daughter, Marlowe Katherine LaMontagne was born at 9:45 last night and departed on wings of angels early this morning from a genetic disorder, Trisomy 18, that they discovered only days ago. I am just completely broken for them and my heart hurts for them and their entire family. I can't even begin to wrap my mind or heart around what they are going through.....just trusting in a sovereign God because there's no other way to comprehend it otherwise. Daphne and Robb were able to spend the evening with their sweet baby girl and the family was able to love on baby Marlowe. She was beautiful and absolutely perfect and has already touched the lives of everyone surrounding her. Please keep them and their sweet family, Ellie, Savannah, and Mac in your prayers.

"Faithfulness is believing the reality of a Sovereign God...basing your faith on who He is rather than what He does." -Beth Moore