May 12, 2011
April 29, 2011
New Pics 4/29/11
Story time!!
These are the days :)
Rollin' over!!
Brooks and his buddy Mike!
C-L-E-M-S-O-N...T-I-G-E-RRRR-S...Fight Tigers, Fight Tigers, Fight Fight Fight!
Brooks' birthday morning!!
Livi's MMO class @ their Easter egg hunt!
Brooks as Harry Potter!
Livi loves holding Landon :)
Landon had a blast meeting Mema!!
Landon LOVED on Grandmama all weekend :)
Sweet Brooks and Gramps :)
My color-coordinated kiddos :)
The "bigs"
Family shot @ Easter in Ashburn :)
Livi and her "bruvvers" :)
March 24, 2011
March 11, 2011
New Study
I'm participating in a new Bible study on the power of a woman's words. It's amazing how they can build people up or tear them down. It sounds pretty obvious, but in reality, we don't take our words as seriously as we should. Since starting 2 weeks ago, I've found myself taking a closer look at the things I say to my family and friends. It's amazing how many times I've had to adjust my thoughts and edit my words before speaking them. I'll have more to write as we go along (and as I have a minute to spare?!).
Try to think of a way you could encourage someone with your words. God created the entire unniverse with just words - - He made us in His image, giving us the ability to speak and communicate - - how can you use those gifts to benefit His kingdom today?
Try to think of a way you could encourage someone with your words. God created the entire unniverse with just words - - He made us in His image, giving us the ability to speak and communicate - - how can you use those gifts to benefit His kingdom today?
March 9, 2011
Before You Go To The Movies!...
Matt and I made a vow several years ago that we would not see any more R rated movies...and we haven't missed a thing! The Bible says that "what goes in comes out" (paraphrased of course:) and I'm a firm believer in that very concept. Why would I want to spend money to inject foul language, sexual images, and violence into my mind? Before we see a movie, rented or at the theater, we always check www.pluggedin.com While their reviews can sometimes border on dramatic and ultra-conservative (a handful of times we've seen a movie they warned of and saw very little to be concerned about), for the most part they hit the nail on the head and have saved us a lot of money and even more regret. Even when you think a movie SEEMS safe, just check it out before you go/rent. It's worth it! :)
February 3, 2011
Too Early
Well, it's now 6:53 am and I've been up for about an hour. Landon got up earlier than usual to nurse and is now cooing happily in his crib. Cute, right? However, as he may decide he's bored and start crying any minute, I decided to stay awake and use my time wisely.
Matt and I have been working with Livi on the concept of forgiveness. She's learning to forgive Brooks when he throws things at her, Landon when he cries and takes mommy's attention, Matt when he accidentally steps on her (she's is under his feet from the minute he walks in the door in the afternoons!), and me when I do just about anything she doesn't like :) I've been teaching her 1 John 1:9 where it says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness". So if she gets the forgiveness part, and how hard it can be, my goal is to have her understand how God does it so effortlessly and without end. If she tells Him what she did wrong and asks to be forgiven, it's done! It's over with. There's no record of wrongs. He won't hold it against her. And in the same way, she shouldn't hold it against another person when they do her wrong. (she's the world's BEST when it comes to, "remember when you...") She'll hold you accountable for something til the day you die! It's been neat to see her little mind working on the ideas of confession and forgiveness. (The confession part definitely needs some work, as she now knows that telling the truth often times gets her in trouble! Wasn't she just babbling and sucking on her toes yesterday? How are we already getting into truth/lies and confession/forgiveness?)
ANYWAYS, here are a few recent pics :)
Matt and I have been working with Livi on the concept of forgiveness. She's learning to forgive Brooks when he throws things at her, Landon when he cries and takes mommy's attention, Matt when he accidentally steps on her (she's is under his feet from the minute he walks in the door in the afternoons!), and me when I do just about anything she doesn't like :) I've been teaching her 1 John 1:9 where it says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness". So if she gets the forgiveness part, and how hard it can be, my goal is to have her understand how God does it so effortlessly and without end. If she tells Him what she did wrong and asks to be forgiven, it's done! It's over with. There's no record of wrongs. He won't hold it against her. And in the same way, she shouldn't hold it against another person when they do her wrong. (she's the world's BEST when it comes to, "remember when you...") She'll hold you accountable for something til the day you die! It's been neat to see her little mind working on the ideas of confession and forgiveness. (The confession part definitely needs some work, as she now knows that telling the truth often times gets her in trouble! Wasn't she just babbling and sucking on her toes yesterday? How are we already getting into truth/lies and confession/forgiveness?)
ANYWAYS, here are a few recent pics :)
November 29, 2010
...And Baby Makes 5!!!! :)
I'm going to attempt to remember all the details surrounding our most recent experience of bringing a baby into the world...
Saturday, November 13, 2010
We took Livi to the zoo the weekend prior to Brooks' birth, so we thought we'd give it a try this time, too! We had a great day looking at all the animals and watching Brooks run around like a little wild man! We shared some hot french fries and a slushy BEFORE going to the petting zoo :) That night, I ate some jalapeno poppers with cream cheese! I wanted to see if maybe the combo of the zoo and something spicy to eat would bring sweet Butterbean to me sooner!
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Woke up kinda bummed because there were no contractions. Obviously the zoo and spicy poppers had not done the trick :( At church, we asked our SS class to pray for us in the weeks ahead, as we had a tough decision to make. We weren't 100% sure we wanted a c-section for this Butterbean, but I was a little apprehensive about trying a VBAC. There were risks with both, but at least the c-section would be scheduled and not willy-nilly! We went to a friend's birthday party and then to Bible study, where we again asked friends to pray for us and this decision.
Monday, November 15, 2010
7:30 am - My feet hit the floor. Was that a contraction? No. I don't think so. So I got the kids up, fed 'em breakfast (skipped breakfast myself), and started getting ready to go to Target. Was that another contraction? Can't be, can it? I called a neighbor (THANK YOU CORY!) to hang out with the kids while I went in to see my doc and make sure. Around 9:45am we confirmed that, indeed, they were contractions (and strong ones at that!:) I was already 4cm and 70%. We decided to go to the hospital for some monitoring. I figured they'd send us home in an hour or so once they realized my contractions weren't leading anywhere, just like any other normal Braxton Hicks. While Matt was frantically packing the car, I was hugging Livi and Brooks and watching cartoons. He couldn't understand why I was so calm, but I just didn't believe this was it! By 11:00am I was hooked up to a machine at the hospital. The nurse couldn't believe I was "rating" my contractions a 4 out of 10 on the pain scale, as they were off the chart...literally...but kinda few and far between. Matt and I watched some Sports Center, talked, prayed, texted, talked, I slept a little between contractions...but then they started getting more intense and we realized we weren't going home today! Around 12:30 pm I was another cm dilated and moving downstairs to the labor/delivery wing! By 2:00 pm my IV was pumping, antibiotics were flowing (Group B +), and I was just waiting (patiently) on my epidural (Got it around 2:30pm!! Whew!!) At 3:20 pm my water broke on it's own and by 4:28 pm I informed Matt (rather calmly) that he needed to get the nurse b/c it was time! :) Our nurse came in and realized that she needed the doctor, as in, RIGHT NOW! Dr. Levin was pulled from another labor/delivery room to help us. 10 minutes and 4 contractions/pushes later...Matt gleefully announced, "Holly, IT'S A BOY!" 4:38 pm - Landon Tate Warren made his wonderful entrance in to the world. He had a head full of dark hair! We thought he looked just like Livi and Brooks. He cried for a few seconds, but stopped immediately when put on my chest. There he was! Looking at me, face to face! The big beautiful eyes I'd been dying to see for so long! 8 lbs even, 20 inches even! I couldn't even describe the instant joy he brought to my life. It's like nothing else. Immediate love. Unconditional.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
We took Livi to the zoo the weekend prior to Brooks' birth, so we thought we'd give it a try this time, too! We had a great day looking at all the animals and watching Brooks run around like a little wild man! We shared some hot french fries and a slushy BEFORE going to the petting zoo :) That night, I ate some jalapeno poppers with cream cheese! I wanted to see if maybe the combo of the zoo and something spicy to eat would bring sweet Butterbean to me sooner!
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Woke up kinda bummed because there were no contractions. Obviously the zoo and spicy poppers had not done the trick :( At church, we asked our SS class to pray for us in the weeks ahead, as we had a tough decision to make. We weren't 100% sure we wanted a c-section for this Butterbean, but I was a little apprehensive about trying a VBAC. There were risks with both, but at least the c-section would be scheduled and not willy-nilly! We went to a friend's birthday party and then to Bible study, where we again asked friends to pray for us and this decision.
Monday, November 15, 2010
7:30 am - My feet hit the floor. Was that a contraction? No. I don't think so. So I got the kids up, fed 'em breakfast (skipped breakfast myself), and started getting ready to go to Target. Was that another contraction? Can't be, can it? I called a neighbor (THANK YOU CORY!) to hang out with the kids while I went in to see my doc and make sure. Around 9:45am we confirmed that, indeed, they were contractions (and strong ones at that!:) I was already 4cm and 70%. We decided to go to the hospital for some monitoring. I figured they'd send us home in an hour or so once they realized my contractions weren't leading anywhere, just like any other normal Braxton Hicks. While Matt was frantically packing the car, I was hugging Livi and Brooks and watching cartoons. He couldn't understand why I was so calm, but I just didn't believe this was it! By 11:00am I was hooked up to a machine at the hospital. The nurse couldn't believe I was "rating" my contractions a 4 out of 10 on the pain scale, as they were off the chart...literally...but kinda few and far between. Matt and I watched some Sports Center, talked, prayed, texted, talked, I slept a little between contractions...but then they started getting more intense and we realized we weren't going home today! Around 12:30 pm I was another cm dilated and moving downstairs to the labor/delivery wing! By 2:00 pm my IV was pumping, antibiotics were flowing (Group B +), and I was just waiting (patiently) on my epidural (Got it around 2:30pm!! Whew!!) At 3:20 pm my water broke on it's own and by 4:28 pm I informed Matt (rather calmly) that he needed to get the nurse b/c it was time! :) Our nurse came in and realized that she needed the doctor, as in, RIGHT NOW! Dr. Levin was pulled from another labor/delivery room to help us. 10 minutes and 4 contractions/pushes later...Matt gleefully announced, "Holly, IT'S A BOY!" 4:38 pm - Landon Tate Warren made his wonderful entrance in to the world. He had a head full of dark hair! We thought he looked just like Livi and Brooks. He cried for a few seconds, but stopped immediately when put on my chest. There he was! Looking at me, face to face! The big beautiful eyes I'd been dying to see for so long! 8 lbs even, 20 inches even! I couldn't even describe the instant joy he brought to my life. It's like nothing else. Immediate love. Unconditional.
Kisses for her new little "bruvver"
What a precious face!
I just wanna squeeze him!
Cute rolls, wrinkles and a snarled lip! :)
It's amazing how God uses prayer. We prayed for months about a c-section vs. a VBAC. I worried about it from time to time, but nothing like the weeks leading up to our due date. I didn't feel 100% about either direction. We asked so many people to pray with us, that we would do the right thing. I knew I really wanted God to choose the due date, but I also knew I didn't want a crazy, whirlwind delivery like with Livi. In the end, I think it's so amazing that God took every ounce of worry and removed it from my life. He took control and said, "Today's the day. No more wondering." He saved me from the stress. He took the decision out of my hands and made it His own. Thank You Lord for the wonderful blessing of Your guidance! Your love is so overwhelming, so complete, so undeserved! Thank You for Landon's life and your hand in it! Thank You for his health and his future! I pray he comes to know You at an early age and can be a witness to everyone around him. I pray he'll surround himself with friends who also love You, but will reach out to those who may not know You. I pray he'll marry the Godly woman you have set in place for him and that he'll be the leader of that household in every Biblical way you've described in Your Word. I pray his life will be a blessing to You!
November 9, 2010
Livi's Chilly Birthday!
With the rest of the week looking great, how could we have known we'd fall victim to a cold snap on the day of Livi's party?! We considered changing the location from the park to our house, but in the end it all worked out! Praise the Lord the sun came out and the kids had a blast! The star of the party had to have been the cake...I had NO idea it would cause such a stir! Thanks Publix! :) Livi had a great time with family and friends! Thanks to all who came! Here are some pics (and 1 from Halloween!)
Our lil' skunk and sailor girl :)
"Welcome to my castle!" - - Livi's new playhouse! :)
Lots of help with blowing out the candles!
Publix icing is good to the last lick!
Our lil' princess!! Happy 3rd birthday, Sweet Pea! :)
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