The Transition

We have officially transitioned from baby to full toddler!! Yesterday morning, yesterday afternoon, and at 4 am this morning Jack climbed out of his bed on his own, and the mattress was lowered ALL THE WAY! If you know me and my husband we are not tall, Jack isn't either, so it was pure determination that got him out of that crib.  Now what to do?? I'm contemplating a crib tent, matress on the floor, or either just getting the big boy bed.  The girls were in beds at this point, but for some reason with him I wanted to keep him contained a little longer...ha!!

I was watching just how much he is changing the other day.  He is staying more focused on tasks and playing.  His vocabulary is growing day by day and he will say anything we ask him to.

He is still into just about EVERYTHING!! I have to keep my eyes on him 24/7!!

We had a great time the other afternoon playing in the leaves and doing boy things like playing with sticks! 

All his boy energy cracks me up and wears me out all at the same time.  I have to savor how God has formed and made him, how He has carefully designed him to serve His ultimate purpose.  It's up to me and Ken to foster that!

My prayer that that the Lord will use the way He made Jack to:

1. Bring him to the knowledge of HIS saving grace though Jesus.

2. Love other people through which he could share the love of Jesus with them.

3. Make disciples of ALL Nations!

Having kids is a huge responsibility for parents, not just that we would raise them to be good, decent human beings, but it must go further than that.  Is this where parents drop the ball?? It's our responsibility to disciple our own children.

"Since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light."  Colossians 1:9-12

Meet the Teacher...Round 2!

My two youngest babies had meet the teacher today!! I am so excited that they will be back at the same preschool that we have been going to since Molly Cate was 19 months old! (The exact age Jack will be when he starts!)  Their school is precious and I'm so thankful that all three kiddos have now

Caroline was first! She was excited to have the same teachers Molly Cate had and was excited to be in the "cat" class!! She was a little unsure about all the picture taking.

She did ask me on the way to please tell her teachers that she did not want to write her letters today.  I saw in her folder that she successfully wrote the letters in her name...hopefully with out any complaints to the teacher!?

When I asked her how it was when I picked her up (she was only there an hour), she told me GREAT!! She said that they went outside and snuck up on a deer, Mrs. Williams and Mrs. Bailey were able to pet the deer first then all the kids got to.  I seriously doubt this happened.  Caroline tends to make up tall tales and embellishes a little.  I like her wild imagination!!

Jack was next.  He seemed to be excited about playing, and was ok with being there.  I guess because Caroline and I both got to stay and play in the room with him for a while.  He was pretty much all smiles, and I pray it stays this way next week when I really do leave him (for only 1 day).

I'm sure these two will also have a great, fun filled pre-school year!! I'm very thankful that all three kiddos have loving, Christian teachers!! 

One Leg In and One Leg Out

A season has now passed...and it's on to a new one in our house.  Pre-school life is officially over for Molly Cate.  When she came home Wednesday with her little scrapbook and end of the year picture video from 5T I just wanted to cry my eyes out.  
I did cry. 
I cried because it is an end to a season of my motherhood with her.  Yes, I know I still have two little kiddos and one who has no clue what preschool even is, but I now have one leg in "school-life" and one leg in "pre-school life".  The school life part is what will make things feel different and I have a feeling that it will make time feel like its going even faster.  
Here she is on her very first day of preschool...

October 2007

And this morning on her very last day of preschool...

May 2012

Some of you out there may think I'm being a little over dramatic, but I just can not wrap my brain around how fast it's gone by! Now, I sound like the old lady at the grocery store telling you "how fast time flies"..."enjoy those babies"...."take it all in"....There is a reason people say that.  Because it's the truth!!

We started the morning off with a little "Good-Bye Preschool" breakfast. 

 (Thank you Pinterest!)

Molly Cate and Mrs. Adams

Molly Cate and Mrs. Bell

Can you see the joy on her face?? She LOVES her teachers!!

This is the sweet little scrapbook that MC came home with Wednesday along with her Dr. Seuss book that I am getting all of her teachers to sign (preschool-12th grade) as a gift for high school graduation.  The first two notes already made me cry....again!

(again...thank you Pinterest!)

I couldn't leave my other preschooler out...she got the same treatment this morning...she is one of the reasons I do still have one leg in preschool life! HA! She also came home with a precious scrapbook as well.

Goodbye Preschool (for now) breakfast!

Last day of 3E class!

Caroline and Mrs. O'Connell!

Caroline and Mrs. Pentecost!

This girl LOVES her teachers too!!!

After dinner we had yet another sweet treat...this time to celebrate the new beginnings that will come this fall! I will have 2 Preschoolers and One Kindergartener!! WOW!!

Some promises that I'm clinging to as we encounter this new season....

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."  

Jeremiah 29:11  

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."  

Proverbs 3:5-6

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”  

Joshua 1:9

Time marches on...

 I marvel at God's handiwork to see how a sweet baby boy can go from this....

to this....

in one short year! Well....almost.  Baby boy blue is one week away from turning one and I can hardly believe it! 

Although he is starting to enter the wiggly ones, he will still let me hold him.  He even gives sweet hugs and lays on my shoulder, which of course I eat up!! 

Way back when I found out he was a boy, I could hardly believe it.  We were a "girl" family and now we had a boy! Jack has been a super sweet little boy that laughs and seems to never have a bad day.  He is always joyful and tends to go with the flow.  

Thank you Lord for the sweet blessing of this little guy!

Too fast...

That is how most of our days go by.  It was just Saturday, then all of a sudden it is Wednesday afternoon! Since Jack has been born our days have all been like this.  I wake up and before I know it it is bedtime. I look around and most days the only things I have accomplished are fullfilling the basic needs of my kids...and that is perfectly fine with me!

Blogging has taken a backseat....a way back seat. There are friends and family out there who have been asking where my post have been? Well, I've been staring at him...(and changing his diapers!)

Just the other day this big sister was a baby sister...now look at her! She will be three next week and it makes me want to cry to think about that!

...and this big big sister, well I can not even believe that five years ago I was getting so close to becoming a mom for the first time.  I'm holding on to her being four right up until that last second!

I'm soaking in today, because before I know it little Jack will be one!  Thanks you Lord for these blessings!

Just add milk...

and watch him grow...

Well, he did also have some sleep, many diaper changes and lots of love these past four weeks.  Four weeks? Really? So hard to believe how fast a few weeks can speed by. I know before long I will be doing a one year post, so I'm trying as hard as I can to breathe in every moment!

Baby boy blue is up to a whopping 8 lbs and 13 oz today, and to me that is big considering about three weeks ago he had dropped down to 6 lbs.  He is really starting to focus in on who is holding him and getting into a "routine", which is making our days (and nights) a little more predictable.

I'm still learning how to manage a household with three kiddos, but everyday has been better than the day before.  I love this little family God has put together and seeing these three kiddos of ours together, well....I just love it.

Jack's official, "I'm one month old today picture!"

The Newborn Life

I've decided that newborns have it made.  They have absolutely no worries unless they are dirty or hungry (or their 2 and 4 year old sisters are in their personal space)!  They sleep when they want, eat when they want and pretty much get held and loved on by everyone.  I was so worried I would spoil MC if I held her too much, I was less worried with Caro, and now with Jack I have a hard time putting him down....can you blame me??....

Thanks to my mom being here I have had a lot of time to snuggle extra with him and soak in this newborn goodness.  Seriously...I love newborns...no matter how much he wakes me up at night!  Overall, he is a super good baby.  He usually only cries when I change his diaper, and its not really his fault but mine.  I'm still learning this whole boy changing routine!

 The sisters are majorly in love and want to help with anything from burping to getting diapers!  Their favorite...holding rights!  I think they are going to be great big sisters to their little brother.



Love at First Sight!

Introducing John Cooper, "Jack"

January 31, 2011

12:03 pm

6 lbs, 7oz

19 1/2 inches

Babies are a funny thing.  You know you are going to love them, you know that they will be yours, but there is something about actually SEEING them for the first time! Oh how God makes so much room for them in your heart with an unconditional love that is so unexplainable!

Our son has captured all of our hearts.  Everyday has been new and different and fun.  We can only pray for wondrous things to unfold in his life.

The girls are literally over the moon in love with him! They are so sweet and loving towards him.  I could watch them talk and hold him for hours.  It is so sweet to see a motherly instinct already in them.  We praise the Lord for one of the sweetest blessings ever...the gift of a child!

Grand Entrance!

"He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end."

Ecclesiastes 3:11

Every baby has their own story of how God brings them into this world.  Every baby is different and every pregnancy is different.  Baby Jack is teaching me that in these last days! After having two children already you would think I would know when it was "time" to go to the hospital.  After two trips to labor and delivery and one to the office today because of contractions, you would think this was my first baby and I just had no clue what labor was.  After going in to the office today with contractions 2 to 3 to 4 minutes apart my doctor assured me this was all normal for a third pregnancy and to "hang in there"! This is a little hard to do when there are so many factors to when and if I should go to the hospital or not. 

1.  We have two kids to make arrangements for.

2.  The winter weather has proved to be Jack's favorite time to start things in motion!

3.  We are following all the "rules" about when the right time to go in is.

The main thing is that I know that God is in control He has this baby's life planned, he knows the date and time and all the wonderful things that will take place in this little guy's life.  I have to be patient! I have to know that His timing is perfect!

As I wait I have been looking over a few old pictures tonight of the girls when they made their "GRAND ENTRANCE".  These pictures make me want to cry and clap and sing at the same time! How beautiful life is! I'm so excited to meet our newest member very soon!

Molly Cate:

Caroline:



And one more sweet picture I found....

Warning: Snow may cause Labor!

We live in the south, and although we don't get much snow we have a few days that look like this....

The girls were thrilled beyond measure to wake up and see all the snow on Monday morning, about 6-8 inches!! Being 36 weeks, means I had absolutely no business playing out in the snow....and even if I were not pregnant... honestly it is not my favorite thing! I am a south Mississippi girl, and snow is just not something that I have been around too much! I think it is nice to see a few times, but then that is it! All I really did was tromp through it for a few pictures and supervise the building of "Frostette"!

 The play set in the winter is much more fun covered in snow!

Making a few snow angels!

 Working on Frostette!

The finished product!

After all the playing was said and done we all thawed out and played inside.  While the girls played I cleaned out dresser drawers, organized toys, did laundry, and cleaned up some things here and there.  I guess all of that activity is what sent me here in the wee hours this morning....

Needless to say, I had made no progress after 8+ hours of contractions.  I thought I might be holding my baby today after our little field trip, but God's timing is not our timing. At 2 am we were back in the car headed home to wait it out! Looking back on the past day and a half I think about the memory verse I'm working on right now...

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
   neither are your ways my ways,”
    declares the LORD.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
   so are my ways higher than your ways
   and my thoughts than your thoughts.
As the rain and the snow
   come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
   without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
   so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
   It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
   and achieve the purpose for which I sent it."

Isaiah 55:8-11