Crazy Week!

It has been a crazy and exhausting week! Sunday afternoon my phone rang. It was a number I didn't recognize. I almost didn't answer because I figured it was someone calling Luke. I decided I should go ahead and answer it. Luke's mom was on the line. She was frantically screaming that she need to talk to Luke. I didn't ask questions. I just said, "Ok" and ran as quickly as I could down the stairs and into the garage. She was screaming and crying into the phone. I was afraid that Kyle had taken a turn for the worse or that something had happened to Luke's grandpa. He was driving to Joplin that day to visit Kyle. I will never forget the terror in her voice. I knew something very bad had happened. By the time I got to the garage I was crying and I told Luke, "It's your mom, something is wrong." She told him that she, Jim, Jimmy and Heather were out to eat on Range Line Road in Joplin and there was a tornado. She was talking to him during the tornado. He asked if everyone was OK and told her he was coming to get them. As he hung up she said, "Oh God, there is another one!" Luke grabbed a few things, kissed us goodbye and drove two hours through severe storms to get to them. I talked to him most of the way. Once he got there he couldn't believe his eyes. He said it looked like a bomb went off. He saw injured people, deceased people and total devastation everywhere he went. Cell phones weren't working there, so I had to call him over and over before I could finally get through. He knew that his mom and Heather went to the hospital to see if Kyle was OK. Jim and Jimmy were supposed to be near Wal Mart. He had to park the suburban and run almost a mile to get there. Once he got there he couldn't find them. He couldn't reach them, so I called and called and finally got through to his Grandpa. His Grandpa paid some teenager $25 to give them a ride to the hospital because Robin's car was totaled. After speaking with Jim I tried to relay the information to Luke, but I couldn't get through. So, I had my dad send him a text message and it went through! We had some nasty storms here, so the girls and I went to my mom and dad's house. Luke finally made it to the hospital! Heather had started having contractions. They gave her a shot to stop them and let her go. Jim, Jimmy and Heather rode home with Luke. Robin stayed at the hospital with Kyle. On their way home they went through one storm after another. He dropped them off at their houses. They live in Sulphur Springs...which was under a tornado warning most of the night.

Jim told us that they heard the sirens and tried going into WalMart, but they wouldn't let them in. They tried going to Pizza Hut, but they wouldn't let them in either. They decided to go to CiCi's Pizza across the street. They rode the storm out there. When they walked outside they could see that WalMart was badly damaged and Pizza Hut was leveled. Praise God they weren't in there! It is a miracle that they walked out of that building without a scratch! I am so thankful that they were all safe and that Luke made it there and back safely. We have had a lot of severe weather this week. I am thankful that all of my family and friends have remained safe. I am also thankful for the volunteers, firefighters, search and rescue members, policemen, ect. that risk their lives to help people during these times. My cousin Stephanie's husband is on the Washington County Search and Rescue. He packed his things the night of the tornado and drove to Joplin to help. He also helped with the tornado in the River Valley. I am very thankful for people like him! Please remember all of the tornado victims in your prayers.

Update on Kyle:

Kyle was moved Monday to another hospital in Joplin. Thank God he was at Freeman Hospital and not St. John's! St. John's was badly damaged during the tornado. They took him off of the breathing machine today and said he was doing OK without it. His family is trying to get him transferred to Arkansas, but will have to come up with the money to have him transferred. They are going to have a benefit yard sale for him. Hopefully it will be enough to bring him back to Arkansas! I have had a lot of people ask about him and pray for him. We appreciate it!

HOT DEAL!

Someone Luke works with sent him this awesome deal. We couldn't pass it up!

WalMart has this teeter totter online for $37.88!

ToysRUs has this teeter totter online for $279.99!

Amazon has this teeter totter online for $338.95!

(the model number matches)

I don't know if this is a great deal or a typo, but I bought 2 of them!

I used free site to store shipping and paid $82.77 after tax.

I am hoping I can hold out and give it to the girls for Christmas. They will love it!

No Sew Doll Diaper

My Meme made the girls some doll clothes and they LOVE to dress up their baby dolls. They have some baby doll diapers, but the sticky strips don't last long. Kimber even tried to use some of Kanyon's diapers. So, I decided that I wanted to make them some cloth doll diapers. I had a hard time finding a no sew diaper tutorial online. I finally found one lastnight, but made a few modifications. It is super simple and only takes a few minutes.

Supplies:

Felt Sheet- .20 cents at Wal Mart/ .25 cents at Hobby Lobby

Velcro- I used the sticky backed circles. $2.97 at WalMart for 20 sets.

Fabric Pencil- I used a sharpie

Baby Doll

Small bowl or plate

Scissors

• Fold your felt sheet in half.

• Lay your baby on the felt and cut the top (open ends) to fit the baby.

• Use a bowl or plate to trace leg holes.

• Cut leg holes. Trim the top strip.Try the diaper on the baby.Apply the velcro to the top strip and the bottom strip.

• Trim the top strip

You are done!

Update on Kyle.

(Kyle is in the blue plaid shirt)

Kyle has a lot of bruising and bleeding on his lungs. He has an infection and is running a 103 temp. Luke went to visit him tonight and said that he was shaking his head and even smiling a little. When Luke and his Grandpa said they were leaving Kyle shook his head no. He has feeling in his hands, but still doesn't have any feeling in his legs. Please continue to pray for Kyle, Luke and their family.

So Blessed!

My fabulous friends Fran and Beth threw me the most wonderful baby shower yesterday. They went above and beyond to make my shower special. It was perfect! It was one of the funnest showers ever. THANK YOU! I also want to say THANK YOU to all of my wonderful family and friends who came to the shower and brought us gifts. We were overwhelmed by all of the stuff we got. I am so glad that each and every one of you were able to make it! We are so blessed to have you all in our lives.

We are 5 weeks (hopefully 4) away from meeting Kanyon. I can't wait to see his sweet little face!

THANK YOU!

Love,

Update.

Kyle's internal bleeding has stopped. He is going into surgery at 11 to try to fix the broken bones in his neck. The doctors said it could take 4-6 hours. Please say a prayer that the surgery is a success!

Prayer Request.

Luke's brother Kyle was in a bad car accident this morning. He left his house at around 4 a.m. and was found sometime after 7 a.m. He was air lifted to Joplin. We don't have a lot of details. We know that his neck/back is broken and he doesn't have feeling below his chest. They are talking about doing surgery. Please say a prayer for Kyle and his family.

What NOT To Say To A Pregnant Woman...

"When are you going to have that baby?" - When the baby decides to come out.

"Oh, are you pregnant?"- I often tell people "NO" just to get a reaction.

"Are you having twins?"

"You must be due any day now!"

"You look like you are going to pop!"

"This makes how many?"- As many as I want.

"Are you competing with the Duggars?"- I can see how 3 is close to 19....

"I am so glad you are having a boy this time, they are so much fun." - And, girls are SO boring?

"I bet you are glad you are having a boy so you can quit trying."- FINALLY! I thought we were going to have to have a few dozen girls to get that boy!

"Boys are so much easier than girls."

"You are going to love having a boy!" - Yes! I am going to love my boy just as much as my girls.

"You have some dark circles under your eyes, are you sleeping?" - Have you ever been pregnant?

These are just a few of the comments I have received during my three pregnancies. I am sure I am forgetting some.Some of the comments aren't too bad if you know the person saying them. I have had complete strangers say some of these things! I have also had strangers touch my belly.

I have some thoughts on the "Boys are so much easier than girls" comment. I have a lot of experience with kids. I worked at the high school and worked at the elementary school. I have taken many, many classes. Boys are not easier than girls. Boys aren't cheaper than girls. Boys don't get dirtier than girls. Girls aren't more dramatic. I have seen little girls AND little boys that behave very badly. And, I have seen some girls AND boys that were a delight to be around. I have seen some kids from great families that were total brats. And, I have seen some amazing kids rise above their terrible home life. Kids are kids. They are determined by personality and parenting. Terrible twos are terrible twos and teenagers are teenagers. I know that if I worry about one kid more than another it is going to be because of their personality, not their gender. I pray every single day for the wisdom, courage, and patience to teach my children to be hard working, responsible, honest adults. I am going to do the best I can with all of my children. The rest is up to God. End Rant.

So, if you find yourself in the presence of a preggo here are a few things you SHOULD say instead of the comments above:

"You are all belly, you look great!"

"Congrats!"

"You look adorable!"

"What a blessing!"

I am 34 weeks this week!

(as Kimber would say)

"Peace out hosey"

Happy Mother's Day!

We had a busy weekend. We worked at the farm on Saturday and Saturday night we had a surprise retirement party for Meme. She was very surprised and very appreciative. She has worked hard her whole life. She deserved a celebration! Sunday we went back to the farm to work some more. I have great memories of working at the farm when I was little and am so happy that my children are making memories there too. How blessed are we that they get to spend so much time with their grandparents and great grandparents!?

I am so thankful for my Mom. She helps us unconditionally. She is one of the hardest working people I know. She always puts herself last, so Charity and I got her a gift certificate for a mani/pedi. I hope she enjoys it!

I am so blessed to be Kinnison and Kimber's Mom. They are sweet, funny, kind, compassionate, helpful, loving, smart little girls. I honestly can't remember what life was like before them, but I think it must have sucked. Every day is not rainbows and unicorns around here, but every day I thank God for making me their momma. They have filled my life with so much joy. Luke didn't get me anything for Mother's Day. I lie. He got me a camo chair that said "Bone Collector" in neon orange on the back. I told him to return it. It was seriously the most uncomfortable chair ever. I am too cheap (so is he) to keep something I don't like just to be nice. And, what on earth made him think that was a good gift idea? Anyway, he got me nothing for Mother's Day. I wanted some wildflowers...and didn't even get those. Yesterday I wanted to have a pity party for myself. Then I remembered how hard Luke works so I can stay at home. And, staying at home with my kids is the greatest gift this momma could ask for! I am thankful for everything he does for me on a daily basis, but next year I better get something good!

We only have 6 weeks (or less) until we get to meet Kanyon. We are doing an ultrasound on June 2nd to see how big Kanyon is and to determine how early we need to induce. I cannot wait to meet him!

We didn't do anything spectacular for Mother's Day, but we spent the weekend together as a family and enjoyed some beautiful weather! I couldn't ask for anything more!

First T-Ball Game!

Kinnison had her first T-Ball game on Tuesday. It started raining after the first inning and we had to cut it short. Luke is her coach. He has worked really hard at it and you can tell by the way the girls played. I am very proud of Kinnison, Luke and the whole team. They played great! We have another game tonight. Hopefully the weather will cooperate!

Kimber thinks she is on the team, so I ordered her a shirt to match her big sis.

Here is a 33 week belly picture.

Thursday the girls had a Mother's Day Breakfast at MDO. They made me some wonderful gifts and we got to eat donuts for breakfast! They are so special!