Daddy and I moved to the bunk bed and couch....this is why :)
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Month of Thanks-Day 21
Monday-
So thankful that Laney Beth's school let's out the WHOLE week of Thanksgiving!! It was soooo nice to sleep in a little later and not have to leave at all! I SO wish that I never had to send any of my babies to school! I miss them when they're gone!
Also, thankful for 3.99 pizza night at a local pizza place! Uncle D was over and we all enjoyed it! Nice to have a night off from cooking and we had leftover pizza for lunch the next day! Double score!
Monday, November 21, 2011
Month of Thanks- Day 20
Sunday-
Brandon had plans for us to go to Huntsville or Pettigrew to hunt but somehow he didn't hear his alarm clock (a normal thing for him). I can't say that I was disappointed!! It was so nice to wake up and not have to rush anywhere...or so I thought!
We had just finished our muffins and Laney came in begging about going to church. We have been struggling so much lately about where to go and where we belong. It's been horrible not going anywhere. I can definitley tell a difference in every area of our lives when we miss church.
We've been thinking about trying out a new church that someone told us about for quite sometime but with my surgery and other happenings, we hadn't been able to. I felt horrible when Laney begged to go so we decided we'd go!! The RUSH begins!!
Thankfully, this church didn't start until 10:30 so we had time to get ready! Getting five people ready in one hour was no small feat, but we made it! We even made it a few minutes early ;)
Talk about a welcoming! They all talked and loved on our kids and were so helpful to show us where to go and what to do. It felt like home being there. We REALLY enjoyed it! Cade even stayed almost the whole time in nursery which he has never done before! They brought him to me during the altar call so I thought he did pretty good.
They were having a Mexican Thanksgiving Feast that night and so many people asked us to come. Unfortunately, Brandon had his mind set on going hunting that evening so we didn't go. The girls were so upset that we weren't going, so I'm gonna say they loved going to that church too! They have talked nonstop about the Christmas play where they are gonna be angels :) So sweet!
That evening we all drove to Huntsville and we did a "drive-thru" at the Coger Farm. We do this several times a year, ever year. Some of my favorite memories are driving through looking for deer on the farm. We dropped Daddy off at his hunting spot and the kids and I went to Wal-Mart to look around.
A few months ago, Cade saw this Mickey at the store and played with it FOREVER!! He is so cute! He loves that thing and did not want to let it go last night!!
Then we went to the new Dollar General (I was not too impressed) and drove around town the rest of the time looking at everything. I have to admit I got sad a few times thinking about how we used to live there, the memories, etc.
Finally, Daddy called us back and we did a drive through again as it was getting dark! We saw several deer and Daddy shot at one but missed. It was WAY to dark anyways! I don't know how he could see anything!
Here are a few pics of us hunting at the Coger Farm a few years back. Cade wasn't even born yet (I don't think-if he was he was a baby). The girls look so little! We always have the best time there!
SO thankful for sweet, loving children who love going to church and learning more about God and how much they LOVE Jesus and for lazy fun days at the Coger Farm!
Brandon had plans for us to go to Huntsville or Pettigrew to hunt but somehow he didn't hear his alarm clock (a normal thing for him). I can't say that I was disappointed!! It was so nice to wake up and not have to rush anywhere...or so I thought!
We had just finished our muffins and Laney came in begging about going to church. We have been struggling so much lately about where to go and where we belong. It's been horrible not going anywhere. I can definitley tell a difference in every area of our lives when we miss church.
We've been thinking about trying out a new church that someone told us about for quite sometime but with my surgery and other happenings, we hadn't been able to. I felt horrible when Laney begged to go so we decided we'd go!! The RUSH begins!!
Thankfully, this church didn't start until 10:30 so we had time to get ready! Getting five people ready in one hour was no small feat, but we made it! We even made it a few minutes early ;)
Talk about a welcoming! They all talked and loved on our kids and were so helpful to show us where to go and what to do. It felt like home being there. We REALLY enjoyed it! Cade even stayed almost the whole time in nursery which he has never done before! They brought him to me during the altar call so I thought he did pretty good.
They were having a Mexican Thanksgiving Feast that night and so many people asked us to come. Unfortunately, Brandon had his mind set on going hunting that evening so we didn't go. The girls were so upset that we weren't going, so I'm gonna say they loved going to that church too! They have talked nonstop about the Christmas play where they are gonna be angels :) So sweet!
That evening we all drove to Huntsville and we did a "drive-thru" at the Coger Farm. We do this several times a year, ever year. Some of my favorite memories are driving through looking for deer on the farm. We dropped Daddy off at his hunting spot and the kids and I went to Wal-Mart to look around.
A few months ago, Cade saw this Mickey at the store and played with it FOREVER!! He is so cute! He loves that thing and did not want to let it go last night!!
Then we went to the new Dollar General (I was not too impressed) and drove around town the rest of the time looking at everything. I have to admit I got sad a few times thinking about how we used to live there, the memories, etc.
Finally, Daddy called us back and we did a drive through again as it was getting dark! We saw several deer and Daddy shot at one but missed. It was WAY to dark anyways! I don't know how he could see anything!
Here are a few pics of us hunting at the Coger Farm a few years back. Cade wasn't even born yet (I don't think-if he was he was a baby). The girls look so little! We always have the best time there!
(Sadie looked at this pic and wanted to know why SHE didn't get to get in the picture! ha She thought she was Cade here :) They do look alike!)
SO thankful for sweet, loving children who love going to church and learning more about God and how much they LOVE Jesus and for lazy fun days at the Coger Farm!
Month of Thanks- Day 19
Saturday-
Today was a laid back kind of day but still busy. Brandon had to work (like he usually does on Saturdays) so the kids and I spent the morning straightening up and catching up on laundry and then we all 4 had to have showers and get all dressed up for my cousin Shane and Tracy's wedding (pics to come later)..
The wedding was fun and we stayed a long time at the reception and then I also stayed after to help clean up since I had promised my Aunt that I would help :)
The kids ate mostly chocolate and mints but I guess their little tummies got full enough because they fell asleep on the way home and we put them right to bed!
I worked a little that night on a custom canvas order for YouNique Creations and went to bed! I was so exhauted!
So on Saturday I was thankful that no one reads this blog because I got behind once again and didn't post a thing!! ha
Today was a laid back kind of day but still busy. Brandon had to work (like he usually does on Saturdays) so the kids and I spent the morning straightening up and catching up on laundry and then we all 4 had to have showers and get all dressed up for my cousin Shane and Tracy's wedding (pics to come later)..
The wedding was fun and we stayed a long time at the reception and then I also stayed after to help clean up since I had promised my Aunt that I would help :)
The kids ate mostly chocolate and mints but I guess their little tummies got full enough because they fell asleep on the way home and we put them right to bed!
I worked a little that night on a custom canvas order for YouNique Creations and went to bed! I was so exhauted!
So on Saturday I was thankful that no one reads this blog because I got behind once again and didn't post a thing!! ha
Friday, November 18, 2011
Month of Thanks- Day 18
Well last night something VERY exciting happened in the Stein Family!! Laney Beth lost her first tooth ever!!! It has been a little loose for a long time but on Wednesday night she came running in my office to show me that it was just barely hanging there. She wiggled and pulled but it didn't come out that night. We were kind of worried she'd swallow it in her sleep!
We sent her to school on Thursday and Brandon asked her not to try to get it out because he wanted to be there when it happened :) So sweet! I texted her teacher about half way through the day to ask her to send me a picture if she happened to lose it at school. She said it was still there hangin' by a thread!
It worked out great because we had the World Prematurity Day Party that night so my family was all together. Daddy finally talked Laney in to letting him put a string around it and letting her wiggle it. So she sat in his lap while he put the purple string (cause purple is the world preemie day color, ya know!) and he finally got it wrapped around it and told her to look up and when she did he pulled a little and it popped right out! SO funny! She was beyond excited!!
She put her tooth in a baggie with a string and wrote "Leave me $100 or else." Uncle Dustin may have helped her with what to say ;)
Nana and Pepaw gave her a dollar
And Uncle Jeff and Aunt Holly gave her some quarter!
She could not wait to get home and put it under her pillow!
Mommy and Daddy were a little sad that their first baby is getting so sad! It seems like just yesterday that we were WAITING on that sweet little tooth to pop out of her gums! :(
We heard the tooth fairy had a bit of a hard time putting a letter and some money under her pillow because she kept moving. Little fairy's heart was about to thump out of her chest. Wink. ;)
She got in to our bed sometime during the night so when it was time to wake up her eyes flew open and she took off running to her bed to find her surprises under her pillow!
I have a video of everything she found and all that happened and as soon as I figure out how to transfer it from my phone to this blog, I will post it :) She found a chocolate bar, some cash, and EVEN a letter from the tooth fairy! Of course, there was some glitter sprinkled on everything. Such a fun time! So proud of you Laney Beth!
Today I am thankful for sweet memories and even sweeter kids!
We sent her to school on Thursday and Brandon asked her not to try to get it out because he wanted to be there when it happened :) So sweet! I texted her teacher about half way through the day to ask her to send me a picture if she happened to lose it at school. She said it was still there hangin' by a thread!
It worked out great because we had the World Prematurity Day Party that night so my family was all together. Daddy finally talked Laney in to letting him put a string around it and letting her wiggle it. So she sat in his lap while he put the purple string (cause purple is the world preemie day color, ya know!) and he finally got it wrapped around it and told her to look up and when she did he pulled a little and it popped right out! SO funny! She was beyond excited!!
She put her tooth in a baggie with a string and wrote "Leave me $100 or else." Uncle Dustin may have helped her with what to say ;)
Nana and Pepaw gave her a dollar
And Uncle Jeff and Aunt Holly gave her some quarter!
She could not wait to get home and put it under her pillow!
Mommy and Daddy were a little sad that their first baby is getting so sad! It seems like just yesterday that we were WAITING on that sweet little tooth to pop out of her gums! :(
We heard the tooth fairy had a bit of a hard time putting a letter and some money under her pillow because she kept moving. Little fairy's heart was about to thump out of her chest. Wink. ;)
She got in to our bed sometime during the night so when it was time to wake up her eyes flew open and she took off running to her bed to find her surprises under her pillow!
I have a video of everything she found and all that happened and as soon as I figure out how to transfer it from my phone to this blog, I will post it :) She found a chocolate bar, some cash, and EVEN a letter from the tooth fairy! Of course, there was some glitter sprinkled on everything. Such a fun time! So proud of you Laney Beth!
Today I am thankful for sweet memories and even sweeter kids!
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Month of Thanks- Day 17
Gonna try to write this post without crying...not sure I can!!
Today is the 1st ever World Prematurity Day! So today I am thankful for our very own little preemie because without her we wouldn't have a reason to celebrate this day! Purple is the color for World Preemie day so we all wore purple! Sadie called it "Emry's Day.." So sweet!
I remember my sister coming over after her routine ultrasound and showing me how the baby's growth was "off" just a little but the Doctor felt like it was normal and she would just be a small baby like her big sister, Alli.
Of course, in my mind that twinge of fear entered. As a big sister, you always feel the need to protect your younger brother and sister and when things are out of your hands, it makes you feel helpless! When my sister lost her first baby back in 2007, it was the absolute hardest thing I had ever went through. I couldn't protect her, take it away, or make it better. I felt once again hopeless when I heard that this baby may be small.
This is the moment I became a big sister and gained the role as protector and best friend :)
Fast forward to March...Holly felt like something was wrong and they ended up monitoring her a while at Willow Creek. The only thing I can remember (and I'm already bawling..so much for not crying) is hearing the Doctor say "IF she survives, she will have no quality of life. At all." It felt like someone had punched me in the gut. I stood there watching my sister. So much hurt in her face but she was so strong. I had to leave the room and cry. It was horrible. How would we tell the kids? How could we go through this again? And what could I do to shield my sister from heartache again?
They went home that night to pack because they were being sent to UAMS in Little Rock to be monitored and discuss options. No hope. No maybe things will be ok. Nothing.
We had been planning a trip to Disney and South Carolina for 4 or 5 months so we were debating on whether to go on with our trip or not. The kids were SO disappointed at the possibility of not going and we were going to lose some money from our deposits on hotels plus the doctors were telling us that they were going to do EVERYTHING they could to keep Emry in her Momma's belly as long as they could and they didn't expect to have to take her for at least another week. So we decided to go on with our vacation.
Tuesday, March 21st, we were at Disney World's Magic Kingdom for the first time ever, having the time of our life! That place is seriously magical! Somewhere between riding the race cars at Tommorowland Speedway,
getting a popsicle
and going in to see a 3-D movie at the PhilharMagic Orchestra,
I get a phone call from my Dad. I missed the call. He left a message that I still have saved on my phone. He said "Jamie, call me back ok?" and he sounded so sad. I'm crying again...I called him back and he said that they were taking Holly back, Emry's cord was backflowing and that they were taking her NOW! Talk about feeling like a bad sister. Here I was miles and miles and MILES away from my family and my sister was facing the scariest day of her life and I am not there. Brandon and the kids and I stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, hundreds of people pushing past us, and held each others hands and cried and prayed harder than we had ever prayed before. I told Holly the other day that if there was a movie about Emry and it showed that part, that it would be us standing there and people just flying by in a crazy blur. It was seriously crazy! From that moment on, I couldn't concentrate. I sat down on a bench while Brandon and the girls rode Dumbo. I cried, I prayed, and I hoped everything would be ok.
Just as we were fixing to get on another ride, the Haunted Mansion of all places,
my Dad called again and said "She's here! She's breathing on her own and doing just fine!" A moment I will never forget!!! She weighed only 1 lb 3 ounces and was perfect! We made it through the ride and sat down on another bench and PRAISED God for his miracle!! The doctor said the next 48 hours would be critical but she was doing ok. I remember Brandon telling some people that sat down next to us about what had just happened. I'm sure they thought we were crazy, but we didn't care! We just wanted everyone to know how GREAT God was!!
That night as we were watching fireworks over Cinderella's castle, I just stood in awe. Thinking about Emry, how big God is and how grateful I was that she was born alive and breathing on her own. So many tears ran down my face as I was taping this video! HAPPY BIRTHDAY EMRY!!
On the way home from vacation we stopped by Little Rock to meet our newest niece. I was not prepared for how tiny she would be!!! I had seen pictures of her, yes, but it in NO way depicted just how tiny she really was! She looked a lot bigger on my phone! I just stood there for a few minutes, with tears in my eyes, and I had this lump in my throat and seriously could not find the words to talk. It was AMAZING to be staring at a real, live, miracle! Of course, we had to bring her a Minnie doll and hat that Uncle B had embroidered her name for her. They even added her birth date since she had been born the day we were there. Such a special time!
She had a few scary moments throughout her stay at UAMS but honestly this girl was a trooper! One nurse called her a ROCK STAR :) She amazed the doctors, nurses and anyone that heard about her. They had never had one her size that did as well as she did!
The day she came home was one of the greatest days of my life! We were all so excited! We made her signs and celebrated. My kids had never gotten to meet her because they weren't allowed in her room in the NICU. So needless to say, they were stoked that day as well! They LOOOOVE their Memmy!
Today, Miss Emry is still doing great. She is such a sweetie! Last week, I even got to rock her and put her to sleep without hearing her cry! :) The girl used to love having her booty patted and I would have to stand with her but she just cozied up in my arms last week and let me put her to sleep. Sweetness! I love to talk to her. Her blue eyes light up and sparkle so pretty! She has started laughing and Laney and Sadie love to make her giggle! Aunt Mamie (me) calls her chunky cheeks even though she is not at all big but I love to call her that because she is so much bigger than she was and she laughs when I call her that. I just love that girl!
So today, I am thankful that Emry is here, alive, breathing, thriving and showing the World that miracles do in fact happen!! I love you "Memmy" and I am so grateful for you!!
**I blogged for my sister on her blog for a long time if any of you ever want to read Emry's amazing story....if you haven't already read it!
Today is the 1st ever World Prematurity Day! So today I am thankful for our very own little preemie because without her we wouldn't have a reason to celebrate this day! Purple is the color for World Preemie day so we all wore purple! Sadie called it "Emry's Day.." So sweet!
I remember my sister coming over after her routine ultrasound and showing me how the baby's growth was "off" just a little but the Doctor felt like it was normal and she would just be a small baby like her big sister, Alli.
Of course, in my mind that twinge of fear entered. As a big sister, you always feel the need to protect your younger brother and sister and when things are out of your hands, it makes you feel helpless! When my sister lost her first baby back in 2007, it was the absolute hardest thing I had ever went through. I couldn't protect her, take it away, or make it better. I felt once again hopeless when I heard that this baby may be small.
This is the moment I became a big sister and gained the role as protector and best friend :)
Fast forward to March...Holly felt like something was wrong and they ended up monitoring her a while at Willow Creek. The only thing I can remember (and I'm already bawling..so much for not crying) is hearing the Doctor say "IF she survives, she will have no quality of life. At all." It felt like someone had punched me in the gut. I stood there watching my sister. So much hurt in her face but she was so strong. I had to leave the room and cry. It was horrible. How would we tell the kids? How could we go through this again? And what could I do to shield my sister from heartache again?
They went home that night to pack because they were being sent to UAMS in Little Rock to be monitored and discuss options. No hope. No maybe things will be ok. Nothing.
We had been planning a trip to Disney and South Carolina for 4 or 5 months so we were debating on whether to go on with our trip or not. The kids were SO disappointed at the possibility of not going and we were going to lose some money from our deposits on hotels plus the doctors were telling us that they were going to do EVERYTHING they could to keep Emry in her Momma's belly as long as they could and they didn't expect to have to take her for at least another week. So we decided to go on with our vacation.
Tuesday, March 21st, we were at Disney World's Magic Kingdom for the first time ever, having the time of our life! That place is seriously magical! Somewhere between riding the race cars at Tommorowland Speedway,
getting a popsicle
I get a phone call from my Dad. I missed the call. He left a message that I still have saved on my phone. He said "Jamie, call me back ok?" and he sounded so sad. I'm crying again...I called him back and he said that they were taking Holly back, Emry's cord was backflowing and that they were taking her NOW! Talk about feeling like a bad sister. Here I was miles and miles and MILES away from my family and my sister was facing the scariest day of her life and I am not there. Brandon and the kids and I stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, hundreds of people pushing past us, and held each others hands and cried and prayed harder than we had ever prayed before. I told Holly the other day that if there was a movie about Emry and it showed that part, that it would be us standing there and people just flying by in a crazy blur. It was seriously crazy! From that moment on, I couldn't concentrate. I sat down on a bench while Brandon and the girls rode Dumbo. I cried, I prayed, and I hoped everything would be ok.
Just as we were fixing to get on another ride, the Haunted Mansion of all places,
That night as we were watching fireworks over Cinderella's castle, I just stood in awe. Thinking about Emry, how big God is and how grateful I was that she was born alive and breathing on her own. So many tears ran down my face as I was taping this video! HAPPY BIRTHDAY EMRY!!
On the way home from vacation we stopped by Little Rock to meet our newest niece. I was not prepared for how tiny she would be!!! I had seen pictures of her, yes, but it in NO way depicted just how tiny she really was! She looked a lot bigger on my phone! I just stood there for a few minutes, with tears in my eyes, and I had this lump in my throat and seriously could not find the words to talk. It was AMAZING to be staring at a real, live, miracle! Of course, we had to bring her a Minnie doll and hat that Uncle B had embroidered her name for her. They even added her birth date since she had been born the day we were there. Such a special time!
The day she came home was one of the greatest days of my life! We were all so excited! We made her signs and celebrated. My kids had never gotten to meet her because they weren't allowed in her room in the NICU. So needless to say, they were stoked that day as well! They LOOOOVE their Memmy!
Today, Miss Emry is still doing great. She is such a sweetie! Last week, I even got to rock her and put her to sleep without hearing her cry! :) The girl used to love having her booty patted and I would have to stand with her but she just cozied up in my arms last week and let me put her to sleep. Sweetness! I love to talk to her. Her blue eyes light up and sparkle so pretty! She has started laughing and Laney and Sadie love to make her giggle! Aunt Mamie (me) calls her chunky cheeks even though she is not at all big but I love to call her that because she is so much bigger than she was and she laughs when I call her that. I just love that girl!
So today, I am thankful that Emry is here, alive, breathing, thriving and showing the World that miracles do in fact happen!! I love you "Memmy" and I am so grateful for you!!
**I blogged for my sister on her blog for a long time if any of you ever want to read Emry's amazing story....if you haven't already read it!
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