How do we Cope?

We are to our final days before baby Kyla arrives and it is beginning to hit Sean and I pretty hard. We're both wondering how we are going to adjust to this huge change that is about to happen and our emotions are rising. We know that families add new members every day but for some reason we feel alone in the matter. We have made Kinsleigh our everything in so many ways and find ourselves struggling with the question "How are we ever going to love someone else as much as we do her?" I know the honest answer is that it's going to be way easier than we think. When Kyla is born we are going to get to witness another true beauty and miracle that God has knit together inside of me. But that is so hard to see right now. Not to mention the fact that Kinsleigh has no idea how much her world is about to change. And she's not old enough to understand the true deep rooted love she holds in our hearts. I wish we could fast forward several years, give her all the reassurance she needs that she can easily understand, then we can flash back to present time and all that reassurance is held in her and she wouldn't have a worry in the world. We cherish everything about that sweet little girl. I think you would agree when all it took to bring a tear to Sean's eye this morning was to see her twirling around in her sunglasses in the mirror saying how beautiful she was. And she knows how beautiful she is because we have made it a point to reinforce that in her every day. Especially her Daddy. Anytime I put her in an outfit, the first thing she wants to do is "Go show Daddy!" Because she KNOWS without a doubt he's going to gasp and say, "Wow! You look so beautiful!" It's crazy how girls crave that desire to be noticed in a beautiful way at such a young age. So here we go again...another little girl to cherish and tell her each and every day that she is more loved and more beautiful than words could ever express.

Do we both have the energy, strength and love to do all this? I sure hope so, but when in doubt, I know our God is going to pull us through and make it happen.

The "Big Sister" gift

I'm in a predicament friends and I need some help or I guess I should say, ideas. As most of you already know, the arrival of baby sister Kyla is getting very near and we still have some things to do to become prepared. Finish up the bedroom, pull down some essentials from the attic, blah blah blah but also equally important is Kinsleigh's special big sister gift. Most people do something special for the older sibling so that they get a "gift" of some sort from the new baby to make them feel extra special and loved by the new bundle of joy. Most suggestions are to do a baby doll so that Kinsleigh can have her own baby to take care of just like mommy. My only problem with that is that Kinsleigh is not that into baby dolls so I highly doubt that would be extremely special to her or that she would care. She does already have a couple baby dolls that she plays with every once in a while so if the new baby does prompt her to like them, awesome. Then she can practice with the ones she's already got I guess. I just don't want to go out and spend the money on something she is going to toss in the corner. Others have said just to get her something that she really loves no matter what it is. Even others have said to do a "Build a Bear" but then I don't really feel it is coming from the baby sister if she goes and makes it herself. I just want to have something fun to give her in the hospital when she comes to meet her little sister for the first time and I don't know what!!! Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I need all the creative minds working together that I can get.

This is a new kind of doll that is out called a "Lalaloopsy." that I've thought could possibly work because Kinsleigh likes fun things like that and she isn't necessarily a baby doll. (And she just has the cutest little button eyes). You also can buy different outfits for her so she could practice changing clothes which is something that Kinsleigh is just starting to get into . Cute? Not Cute? Please share!!!

A Giving Heart

This week, our church provided hundreds of items to a North Tulsa ministry that we support (CARA) in order that they can provide food to the hungry during this horrible snow storm we've been having. Anyone in the community can come pick up whatever they need. Many of the children in this rough area rely on school lunches to provide their main source of nutrition. With not being in school for so long, many have gone a whole week now with barely anything substantial to eat. One of our pastors' wives had a heart to reach out to these kids/families and got this idea going. Our church family was able to bring in all this food on Sunday morning on a last minute notice. How cool is that?! I love to see people of God's kingdom who want to serve others at any expense. This is a situation that I wouldn't have even thought about through the storm. Is there any way else you can help out? There are many folks out there that need us. Shelter, clothes, food. And we're just sitting in our cozy warm homes with our pantries stocked full with food enjoying time with our family. Reach out!

Snow Days are for Fun Days

I have officially not left my house in 3 1/2 days. And it looks like it's going to go on even longer! But on the flip side, I have enjoyed taking advantage of these days to spend some quality time with the fam. With baby numero dos on the way, I especially needed all this extra time with my girl! Here is a peek into our last few days together...

Day 1...painting, watching the snow fall down, and dance party with Daddy. Not to mention we did play doh for an hour and a half!!!




Day 2..Making crafts, (not sure of this face but she is displaying them for you).

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And then...yummy snow ice cream after dinner!!! It was a big hit. [Note to self: there are 250 grams of sugar in 1 can of sweetened condensed milk!!!] Woah!





We're still working on Day 3 so who knows what else is in store!