301 posts

Yes. It’s 4:30 am as I write this. I woke up to go to the bathroom and could not fall back asleep. Partly because I started thinking about the leftover chocolate covered Oreos that are in the kitchen left over from my shower. I’m completely resisting the urge to eat them right now because, well… wow. But then I got hungry and I couldn’t fall back to sleep. So I thought I’d blog to distract myself, but I’ll probably end up getting a glass of milk before I head back to bed, all while the Oreo’s are looking at and taunting me.

Yikes. Anyways.

This is my 301st post on this blog! Can you believe it? When I started my very first post ever, I didn’t think I’d have THIS much to talk about and say. Or that I have awesome readers like you following me! It’s been an amazing journey on this blog, and I like to remember that every time I reach another 100 posts. What a journey it’s been so far. I honestly think I was a completely different person in a lot of ways when I started this blog. This past year and a half has held A LOT of changes for us and I’ve changed and have grown a lot. The lessons I’ve learned have been unparallel to any other in my life, and I can’t say enough how grateful I am for the changes that have occurred for us.

I just ate a chocolate covered Oreo. Wow, it was totally worth it. Why did I agree to bring those home again?? Oh well. My strict diet starts in a few weeks once the baby’s born so I better enjoy it now, right?

ANYWAYS.

I’m happier than I’ve been in a long time (not just because I had a chocolate covered Oreo!) and wouldn’t have ever considered myself unhappy. But we are at a really, really great place right now. Sure, sometimes stuff is still hard. It’s life. It’s not ALL roses all the time. But I’m really thankful for things. I’m really appreciative of what I do have and grateful that God has directed our steps to here. And that He’s continuing to direct them further in our lives.

I’ve really learned who my true friends are. A few of my best friends threw me the most amazing baby shower yesterday (pictures coming soon!!) and while ALL the people I would consider true friends weren’t able to make it, so many of them did. And I literally took a second, looked around and was thankful for the friends that God’s placed in my life. It was such an amazing afternoon- I can’t wait to share all about it with you!

We’re like, moments away from having another baby. Another little boy, which has always thrilled me to no end. I’ve always seen myself a mom to all boys. And while if we have girls in the future I’ll be thrilled, if we don’t I won’t be surprised either! I can’t wait to meet Rider and to hold and snuggle and love him. I can’t imagine loving him as much as I love Cruz, but I obviously know he has an entirely separate place in my heart with more than enough love to share. And these past few days, I’ve really been able to see myself get REALLY excited for his arrival. Because up until now, I’ve been pretty nervous about having two boys so close in age. I know it will be great when they’re older, but I’m just thinking about what that is going to look like right now. Yikes. I see craziness in my future. But I’m so excited and feel so blessed that God would even give us another child. What an honor.

So life is good. I never thought we’d be here, up in Scottsdale, at SBC, two kids, in an apartment and loving every second. But that’s where we are. It’s completely amazing how you’re life can change in 301 posts. I’m so glad I started blogging. I’ve recorded some of the best and some of the worst days of my life here on this blog. And it’s given me an outlet, a new outlook, and sparked more creativity in me than I’ve had in years. Thank you for reading and following my journey. Here’s to another 301 posts!

Now I’m going back to bed before I’m forced by Rider to eat anymore chocolate covered Oreo’s, which by the way, are simply to die for. Wow.

this post might be TMI

I had my 33 week doctor’s visit for my pregnancy, which might I add, is rapidly coming to an end. Which is crazy to me. I’ve got less than six weeks left!

Unfortunately, I have reached the MOST UNCOMFORTABLE STAGE of pregnancy. I am SO much more uncomfortable than I ever remember being with Cruz. I remember being really large and feeling like there was no space left for him. I actually don’t feel huge yet, but I am in quite a large amount of pain pretty non-stop all day long. I was talking to a girlfriend of mine, and she told me that she has it too and that it’s probably Symphysis Pubic Dysfunction.

‘It’s WHAT?‘,  I’m thinking. EW!

Oh ya. ‘Symphysis Pubic Dysfunction or SPD, is one of those weird pregnancy conditions that sounds bizarre and well, kind of is. It means the ligaments that normally keep your pelvic bone aligned become too relaxed and stretchy. This, in turn, can make the pelvic joint — aka the symphysis pubis — unstable, causing some pretty strange sensations and sometimes pain.’ (WhattoExpect.com)

Sometimes pain? SOMETIMES PAIN? How about all the time, all day long, I can’t even roll over in the middle of the night because all my joints feel like they are going to fall apart. And it’s not an exaggeration.

So I asked my doctor about it and sure enough, that’s what it is. Rider is completely healthy and happy. He’s head down and has dropped a little so she said that that might be what’s causing the pain. She has to be right because it only really started this week, and I do feel like he’s not sitting as high up as he has been the whole time. So I asked her why- WHY!- does this need to happen?? And she basically said that the culprit behind SPD is a hormone called relaxin. Its supposed to make your ligaments stretchy so your baby can ease his or her way into the world. But sometimes relaxin can make your ligaments too loose too soon (way before baby is ready to come out), and that causes instability (and unfortunately, pain) in the pelvic joint.

Awesome.

And then she says, “Ya, unfortunately it is possible that the pain will get worse with each pregnancy that you have.”

Awesome. That is awesome. Yesterday I told Jay that if the pain is supposed to get worse, we might just be done! HA! Because this is joint pain that isn’t occasional. It doesn’t only happen when I sit down or stand up or lie down or bend over. IT’S ALL DAY LONG. The best way to describe it is that it feels like two things. I’ll let you decide which one is better. It either feels like 1). I’ve been riding a bike for 8 weeks straight or 2). Like someone punched me in the crotch no less than 5 or 6 times. And let’s be honest, it actually feels like BOTH of those things at the same time, most of the time.

Is that TMI? Oh well. I have no shame.

Needless to say, it is painful and the 1 Tylenol that I am allowed to take every four hours isn’t helping as you can imagine. I’ve been getting into the pool a lot, because that actually does help. And I’m trying to ignore the pain that feels like my joints just might explode at any given moment. The good news is that I haven’t had as many migraines lately, knock on wood. But I’m not sure what I’d rather have, migraines or constant joint pain?

Regardless, I have a healthy baby in there. Every pregnant woman is allowed to complain, right? Even still, I haven’t lost sight of the fact that I AM extremely lucky, it could be way worse, and I’d do this all over again to meet his little healthy face in a heartbeat. Which brings me to the inevitable, we are most likely not done having kids.

Even though any other potential children in our future are only figments of our imagination at this point, because let’s face it, I’m not even done making this one yet!

national cheesecake day

There is actually a whole day devoted to cheesecake. Did you know this? I did not. But now I am sharing it with you!

Today, July 30th, 2010, Cheesecake Factory is celebrating this National Cheesecake Day and you can get any slice at half price! I actually went there last night because they were having any slice for $1.50, which is an amazing deal! I tried their new Reese’s Pieces Peanutbutter Chocolate Cake Cheesecake, which was slightly to die for. It was incredibly rich, so I only ate about 1/4 of it but I brought the rest home.

Mmmm. I’m going to eat some more of it right now.

I really suck at finding good deals on stuff. I’m not a coupon clipper or a thrifty person. I SO wish I was. Usually when I hear about deals like this, I just don’t take advantage of them. I’m not sure why, either! I’m just not good at being thrifty! But when this pregnant lady hears about half off cheesecake, I’m all over it! Honestly, I’m trying to get better about being more thrifty. So when I hear of other amazing deals- not just dessert related- I’ll try to make sure I pass them along.

That being said, go out with a few girlfriends today and celebrate National Cheesecake Day! It’s an excuse to eat some fabulous dessert at HALF OFF.

migraines

This has been the biggest pain in my side this pregnancy. Migraines. Yes, I have fallen victim to horrible headaches and migraines that aren’t really getting worse but they aren’t getting any better. And yes, I am under a doctors care and have been watched for preclampsia, diabetes etc etc etc. I am perfectly heathy and Rider is doing awesome. At my last ultrasound my doctor literally said that he can’t BE any healthier than he is. And that my pregnancy is going flawlessly.

Except for these darn headaches.

She told me that headaches and migraines can either get worse or better for women who had them prior to pregnancy. Prior to pregnancy, I MAYBE had two migraines a year. Maybe. But it’s definitely escalated to about 1-2 a week. The same thing happened when I was pregnant with Cruz and they disappeared after he was born. It wasn’t as intense with Cruz, but I still had them.

So I’ve been told I can’t travel. Driving long distances is out of the question for me because I loose my vision for a little bit before the onset of the migraine. If the headaches get to the point to where I can’t function or I can’t get rid of them with basic hydration and Tylenol, I need to call my doctor or go to the ER. So far I can get rid of them and I can somewhat function with them. Lately, they’ve been coming on in the middle of the night, which is good and bad. It’s good because it’s dark and quiet and I don’t have to worry about Cruz since he’s asleep. It’s bad because it interrupts my sleep a little bit.

So it’s pretty awful. But, it could be way worse. My doctor told me to rest, take it easy as much as possible and when it could be a sign of something serious. For now, it’s nothing serious that she’s worried about, which I’m grateful for. I just need to get through the next 8 weeks or so dealing with these headaches and a toddler.

It could always be worse. So I’m considering myself lucky that this is the worst of it for now. And praying it stays that way!

So there’s the update. In case you were wondering.

feeling good

Gosh I turned a corner in this pregnancy! And it was about time! I have always felt pretty good and I am blessed with healthy pregnancies. More importantly, I’m blessed with healthy babies. My doctor has told me multiple times that things couldn’t be healthier with him and for that I am eternally grateful.

But I’ve had this looming fear and struggle with my body image this pregnancy. I gained so much weight during my pregnancy with Cruz, that the thought of that happening again is slightly terrifying. Even though I’m trying to relax about it, enjoy it and just take what comes. Even still, I’ve felt pretty frumpy this time and having a hard time finding clothes that fit since I’m apparently carrying Rider pretty high.

BUT!

Jason surprised me for my birthday and took me on a shopping spree for clothes that actually fit the right way and clothes that I could feel pretty in! What a guy, huh?? So we went to dinner and then we went to several stores and I was just allowed to splurge basically! To top it off, EVERYTHING I tried on felt good on and it FIT for the most part. So I had a very successful shopping trip, leaving with two pairs of pants and no less than ten tops to go with. Then, he let me get all new makeup! Gosh. I came home that night just feeling, well… pretty! For the first time in a long time I actually felt pretty! Jason is the greatest person to go shopping with because his style is fantastic and he’s honest. Plus, who doesn’t want their stylish husband helping pick out clothes for you and then telling you that you look good in the things you’re trying on? It was a really fun night and we had a great time together. So now I get up in the mornings excited to get dressed and do my makeup and I haven’t felt like that in a while, if we’re being honest here.

THEN.

I went to my doctor’s appointment this morning. I’m now going every two weeks, which is freaky to me because that means that we are only weeks away from meeting my second born child. 8 weeks to be exact. Whoa. We go through the whole process of the appointment and I dared to ask her how much weight I’ve gained through the entire pregnancy. The past couple appointments I haven’t kept track so I wanted to know what the tally is at now that I’m eight weeks away. And she told me that I’ve only gained 27 lbs so far and she doesn’t see me going over 35! Music to my ears because I gained 54 lbs with Cruz. I am aware I still could gain a lot more in the next 8 weeks and that’s ok, if that’s what needs to happen. But to hear that I’m almost 31 weeks pregnant and under 30 lbs was exciting to me for sure! So needless to say, I’m feeling great right now. New clothes, new makeup, positive numbers on the scale. And for the first time in a long time, I actually FEEL pretty.

AND.

Last night we had a great photo shoot with an adorable family. Before we met up with them to photograph them, Jason, Cruz and I went about an hour early and he snapped some belly pictures of me. And we did a few family shots too. It was really a great time and the first time in a LONG time that I actually wanted to be photographed. I wanted to leave a little sneak peek here of one of my favorite pictures that he took. There are so many cute ones and I’ll definitely be sharing them once we edit them.

So I just had to post all this because so much of pregnancy (for the pregnant person) is left feeling huge and hot and sweaty and frumpy and uncomfortable. It’s completely refreshing to have a few days where you just feel amazing and pretty and not so fat. I’m enjoying these few days of feeling good because who knows what next week will bring in the self esteem department.

ikea goodness!

We have less than 10 weeks until Rider arrives. After I repeated this out loud to Jason no less than eighteen times in a row, I immediately made a list of things we needed for both boys rooms. I haven’t started their rooms yet partly because we’ve been so busy and partly because I think I’ve been in denial about the fact that this is actually happening. I sort of feel like I’m going to be pregnant forever and I keep forgetting that September actually is going to happen and Rider IS going to come out. And when he does, I need to be prepared! Even though, I feel a lot more prepared in a lot of ways than I was with Cruz. So that’s good I guess!

So we wanted to start on Cruz’s big boy room first since most of the furniture that was in his room is going to be handed down to Rider. Except for his crib- I’m really not feeling confident that Cruz is ready to transition to a big boy bed quite yet and I’m not sure he’ll be ready in 10 weeks. I really don’t want to rip all his furniture out of his room AND add a new brother to the mix all at the same time. That seems like an overload of transition to me, so we are going to take it slow and I’m not going to rush him out of his crib. So we are going to get Rider a crib that turns into a toddler bed and do a bed switch when Cruz is ready to be in a big boy bed. But I’m really not going to push him into it.

That said, we still wanted to spruce up his nursery into more of a big boy room. I’ve been going back and forth on things I love for each boys rooms and when it comes down to it, I just don’t have time to be crafty and paint every object by hand that is going to go into each of their rooms. Seriously. If you saw what my days looked like, what time I go to bed and what time I get up just to get everything accomplished, you’d understand what I mean. So although I’d love to go to garage sales and hand paint all their furniture, I just don’t have any time for that. So when I thought about what I wanted for both boys rooms, the only thing I keep coming back to is COLOR. Lots and lots of COLOR. Kids rooms, in my opinion, should be colorful, full of imagination and play, and a place that they can mess up and be kids in. I LOVE Ikea for this reason. Their kids stuff is just so playful, colorful and inexpensive. Plus, whenever we take Cruz into Ikea, he LOVES running around the children’s area. It’s the perfect room decor for him and (and Rider too I’ve decided) and will take him from nursery to big boy room effortlessly.

So we loaded up and spent an evening at Ikea and found a bunch of stuff that I am just thrilled over! I am slightly obsessed with his room and even better, he loves it too! I still have a few things left to do, but this was a definite good start. I love walking into his room and seeing the amount of color that lives there. He loves playing in there now and it really feels like a little kid lives there. Not a baby.

I will not cry. I will not cry.

We got him a new dresser (not pictured; Rider is getting Cruz’s old dresser which was actually mine when I was a kid) and a book case from Ikea. The bookcase is SUPER fun. I loved it so much that we got Rider the same one but his is orange. Cruz’s is this green color and all of his toys, stuffed animals and books fit onto it perfectly. It has this pattern all over it:

If you know my child at all, you will already know that he loves lights, lamps, fans and basically anything that has a running motor. He is ALL boy and loves switches, turning things on and off and figuring out how they work. Especially lights. We constantly have to tell him not to touch our lamps in our house because he just wants to turn them off and on all day long. So, we saw that Ikea had fun wall lights in the kids section and we thought it might be a good idea to get him a light that he CAN turn off and on to his little hearts content. And let me tell you- it worked! He is obsessed with this fun little bug light that we hung on the wall! It’s the first thing he wants to play with whenever he wakes up and it actually has helped him to be less distracted with all the other lamps in the house. HA!

I was able to start Rider’s room somewhat. We got the bookshelf that we haven’t assembled yet. But it’s the same as Cruz’s only orange. I’m organizing his changing table with a lot of colorful bins that I got from Ikea and I got hampers for both boys that match but are different colors. We need to get a crib for him next along with bedding, bumpers curtains etc. Needless to say, our next Ikea trip will be to complete Rider’s room for sure.

So it’s a start! Getting all this done has really made me even more excited than I was to be having boys. I’m obsessed with this playful approach that I’m going for. I want my kids to have rooms that they can play in and be boys and brothers in. A place where it’s ok if something breaks and if they throw up on the floor. Because they will, this I know! And the fact that it didn’t take long for me to decorate and it didn’t cost an arm and a leg is priceless for me at this stage in our lives. I’m just loving these boys and having a blast getting ready for Rider. I can’t believe I’m due in less than 10 weeks.

I’m trying to talk Jay into painting before Rider comes. I really want both boys ceilings painted a certain way. I’m pretty sure Jay would rather die than do that, but we’ll see what happens!

rider’s ultrasound

It’s pretty crazy, the technology we have. The fact that we are actually able to see our babies while their in our tummy’s is pretty incredible, let alone being able to see them in 3-D! It kinda blows me away every time. Although the 3-D ultrasounds can make each baby look slightly “alienish”, I love it just the same.

We had our 30 week ultrasound of our little Rider man yesterday and at my doctor’s office, if they can get a good shot of him in 3-D they do it as part of the routine ultrasound. I love that about this place. So the ultrasound tech did all the measurements and told us all about what is going on with him. Cruz came with us and kept saying ‘Ri! Ri!’ while pointing to the screen. Pretty darn cute. When she was done getting measurements, she flipped into 3-D mode. At first, she told us that his hand was in front of his face, as was the imbecile cord. She said that she could try to move the baby around a little bit to get him to move the hand, but the cord could be pretty hard to move since it’s so long. But she poked and prodded a little bit and Rider actually did cooperate! We weren’t able to move the cord completely out of the way, but enough to see his little face for the first time.

And we were COMPLETEY SHOCKED at how much he looked like Cruz did when he was in my tummy!! I mean, why were we shocked?? They ARE brothers after all! And who knows what he’ll actually look like once he’s here, but these ultrasound shots are pretty stinkin close. They appear to have the same nose and little chin. The pictures aren’t totally clear still though. The ‘stuff’ that’s in the way is fluid and remaining imbecile cord, so don’t be alarmed. But he at least let us peek at him a little bit, even if it wasn’t as good of a shot as I was hoping for. I was happy just to see him at all! I can’t wait to pinch his little cheeks!

I was just beaming all day yesterday! I just loved seeing his little sweet face and I can’t wait to hold him in a few (11 and counting) weeks or so. My doctor came in and told me that he’s measuring right on schedule and that I’m making it look easy with how healthy and happy he is. She’s happy with my weight gain (thank God) and I’m currently waiting on the glucose test results. So everything is happy and healthy for now! I praise Jesus everyday for the fact that so far he’s given us two happy, healthy, very cute little boys.

I’m not sure my heart can take it. I’m pretty sure it will explode with love on Rider’s birth day. And I can’t wait.

icecream

Unfortunately, I’ve had a pretty big sweet tooth this pregnancy. Ok, that’s something that was the same in both pregnancies except with Cruz I just wanted chocolate waxy donuts and root beer Frosty Floats from Wendy’s.

All. Day. Long.

This time around, it’s been a little more subtle, thank God. I have been craving dark chocolate, which I’ve kept under control. And that’s really the only sweet I’ve craved. Until now.

We moved up to Scottsdale and discovered a little place called Cherry On Top. It’s a self serve frozen yogurt place and there’s places like it all over the valley. And I am obsessed with it. I try to just load up the fruit on the yogurt, as to make myself feel somewhat better, but it’s hard! I’ve been craving peanut butter and chocolate like no other.

Man, the cravings suck.

But Cherry On Top is SO amazing and a definite favorite of mine these days! Even though I really try not to go as often as I want. Because that would be every night if it was up to me and I am trying to make sure that I can fit into my bathing suit so I can play with Cruz.

But I definitely indulge in this little treat once a week!

body image

I had another emotional day yesterday. I’m having more and more emotional days as this pregnancy progresses. When I was pregnant with Cruz, I was pretty emotional and irrational from the beginning of my pregnancy. This time around, I’ve never felt more like myself- until lately. And this time around there’s only a few things that make me super emotional, unlike my pregnancy with Cruz in which I could cry at just about anything. And I did. Yikes.

So yesterday, it became completely apparent that I’m going to HAVE to get a bathing suit for the season. I got away with it last time I was pregnant because I just didn’t go swimming. It was as simple as that. I walked malls, I walked neighborhoods, I walked on treadmills as my forms of exercise. Getting into a bathing suit was never an option, I just didn’t do it. I had no desire to swim.

This year, I still don’t really have much of a desire to get into a bathing suit. I mean, what girl really does?? But now that it’s getting hot, I’m realizing that I have a toddler who NEEDS to be outside and who can’t be cooped up all day long. The splash pad is an awesome alternative (see below) but it can’t be the only option. He loves being in the water, once he’s comfortable with it. The times we’ve taken him in the pool he’s just loved it- on his terms of course. But he really enjoys the cool down and it’s great for him. Obviously, he can’t swim yet. We definitely need to get him in swim lessons. But regardless if he knows how to swim or not, at his age I need to be in the water with him, eyes on him the whole time, and attending to him the whole time.

This, my friends, requires a bathing suit. In case you were wondering.

I understand that pregnancy and everything that comes along with it is a beautiful thing. The whole process that is happening is amazing, miraculous, and only happens a few times in a women’s life if we’re lucky. Trust me, I’m trying to take in the entire process every time I’m pregnant and enjoy it. I try not to stress too much about weight gain and just enjoy the whole thing. It’s only going to happen 2 or maybe 3 times to me in my lifetime and I don’t want to look back and wish that I hadn’t relaxed a little more.

But.

I am also a woman. A woman who has body image issues just like every other woman in the world. Do I want to see my body stretch in ways it never has? Do I like knowing that things aren’t going to ever be the same again? That I’m not ever going to have my old body back? NO. Do I struggle with it from time to time? YES. I struggle with it when I’m not pregnant, are you kidding? Who doesn’t?

So today I finally caved and had to go to Target and purchase a bathing suit that I felt comfortable in in public. Cruz and I keep getting invited to go to the pool with other mom’s and friends and I just HAVE to feel comfortable in public so I can play with Cruz in the water. The last thing I would want is for him to miss out on getting into the water because I was too insecure to just put a bathing suit on and play with him.

Needless to say, I was in tears before we even got to Target.

It’s easy to remember WHY you’re body is changing. I mean, I’m growing a human being! I understand the process and I would do it a thousand times over if it gives me little gems like Cruz each time. I mean, seriously. It’s completely worth it. But as a woman and as a human, I keep having moments throughout my pregnancy where I just am completely insecure with what is happening. I hate how other pregnant moms compare each other to one another. I hate how you hope everything will go back to where it was, but in truth your body will not ever be completely the same. But most of all, I hate how Satan takes this beautiful process and somehow makes me feel bad about how I’m starting to look. Making me feel insecure about my body when really this process has nothing to do with me, and everything to do with getting Rider here safely.

And most of the time, I’m good with that and understand that I’m going to gain weight, get stretched out and have another beautiful son. So bring on the stretch marks! But even still, I am human. And it’s so hard not to get caught up in looks and weight gain and media. And it’s something I’ve really struggled with the past couple days.

Especially having to face getting into a bathing suit almost everyday.

*Sigh*

I actually ended up finding a bathing suit at Target that worked out for me! So I left a happy camper and actually DO feel comfortable in the pool with him. What a relief. And every day, I just try to remind myself that I am taking care of myself the way I need to. I am gaining the weight I need to. And I’m trying not to get caught up in comparing myself to others during this time in my life. It’s so hard not to feel like you’re a giant blob when your pregnant. And it’s hard for me not to get down on myself about it. I’m just being honest.

But I am trying to just focus on playing with Cruz in the water. I did find something I’m comfortable being outside in. And I’m trying to truly enjoy this pregnancy all the while enjoying these last few months of it being just Cruz and myself. Because it’s going to fly by and I’ll be able to get back into shape before I know it.

** This is a picture of Cruz swimming last year! How crazy that this was a year ago!!

** Um, ok and a couple more for a bonus because, wow how cute is he??

a-ok!

I made it to my doctor’s appointment yesterday, thanks to a very good friend (Tanya) who totally drove me out there despite the fact that my car was getting tires replaced.

Two tires replaced, to be exact. Car trouble SUCKS.

Thank you SO much Tanya for taking your morning to drive me out there. I was going to cancel the appointment, but she insisted that she take me and I’m super grateful! Plus, it was fun to hang out!

I’m happy to be able to say that everything is more than fine! My doctor isn’t worried about my blurred vision at all simply because it’s followed by NO other side effects. My blood pressure was perfect, all samples came back more than good, and the baby’s heartbeat was impeccable- and a joy to hear again, obviously! She told me that if any other symptoms DO appear, I need to call them back or go to the ER. But I really don’t think I have anything to worry about. The blurry vision and headaches is something that has happened to me a couple times a year for pretty much all my adult life. For some reason it just happens more to me each time I’m pregnant.

I’m glad I got it checked out, regardless. We are healthy, happy and in good shape!

And Baby Rider is active more than ever. A constant reminder that my children are full of energy and life!

Thanks so much for the prayers!