Carpenter the Adorable

This is my cute little boy before we were about to walk out the door to go to church on Sunday! Yes, that is a mo-hawk! I don't know if mo-hawk's are allowed at Southern Baptist churches(J/K), but he looked adorable! I got a deal on ebay on his madras jacket! I love dressing boys!

Words

Do you ever feel like your words hit a brick wall and come sliding down to the ground in defeat? Oh, how I would like to elaborate on this subject but are unable to do so. From fear of words that I would be unable to take back. That posting my frustrations would be a crack in reality.


Sorry guys! I am in a spot today!

Happy Anniversary Jonathan!

Today is our 7th wedding anniversary! These 7 years have flown by! I love you so very much! Thank you for your dedication to the Lord! This has shown in our marriage and the rearing of our children!

February 24, 2001!

Sorry for the picture quality! I had to take a picture of a picture on our wall! We were married in the stone ages and don't have our wedding on a disk!

We got married on the 24th because everyone on my side of the family was married on the 24th of the month! Why break a tradition? Actually I was the first one to notice it!
It is also my great grandmother, Iris Flynn's 90th birthday!

A Night Out With Friends!

Yes, you just read that right! Jon and I were able to go out with friends! Suzanne watched Marley, who was in quarantine from the strep throat. My mom and sis, Taylor, watched the three little one's!

We all met at the Westin Grill for supper! There were 8 of us, Aaron and Autumn Dyer, Nathaniel and Alina Perry, and Travis Spain and Melissa Gault! I have thoroughly loved getting to know everyone. When you are raised in a small town like, Fountain Inn, you have known everyone from childhood. I have gotten to know everybody from the past 10 years! They all are wonderful people! And all of the guys are in Jon's small prayer group! We'll we all had a wonderful supper and headed of to the Civic Center in FI for the concert!

The concert was really good. The opening act was a group called Chasen(sp?)! To my surprise they were pretty good. The have a hit on the radio called "Crazy Beautiful!" I don't really know about that I listen to talk radio(1330 am) everyday! Edwin McCain came on next, he was awesome. Loved having all woodwind instruments! He didn't play "Solitude" or "Let Them in Peter" but it was still a great night! Jonathan thought Edwin was hilarious! You know what was the best part, it only took us 2 minutes to get home! That was soo great! I love being able to go to events in town!

Aaron and Autumn Dyer! They are the only other couple that has kids yet! They have a beautiful boy and girl! Aaron is the "old man" of the group! Autumn is one of the sweetest people you will ever meet! They have a wonderful family.

Nathaniel and Alina Perry. Nathaniel met Alina on a mission trip(delivering joy boxes) to the Ukraine! She was the english translator for the group. Her father is the minister that they worked with! I think it was pretty much love at first sight! They had to go through being seperated by distant countrys. They had a beautiful wedding in the Ukraine! Nathaniel is Autumn's big brother!

Travis Spain and Melissa Gault. Travis and Melissa were raised in FI! They have been dating for a few months! They are the cutest couple! Travis is a funny guy who likes click pins(inside joke) and Melissa is just a beautiful person on the inside and out!

Jonathan took a picture of the stuff in his teeth! Yum!

Travis enjoying his dessert!

Jonathan enjoying his dessert! Look in the background of Aaron walking with a purpose!

Travis and Melissa at the concert!

Nate and Alina!

Melissa, Alina, and Nate! Nate throwing up the peace sign!

Autumn, Aaron, Travis, Melissa, Alina, and Nathaniel

The two of us!

Pretty Autumn. Serious Aaron! Travis again with the faces!

Edwin McCain! I didn't recognize him when he first came on stage! He had to cut his long hair! Edwin said there was some gender confusion between his two young sons! His wife was known as "pretty momma" and he was known as "ugly momma!"



Edwin McCain, "I'll Be"
I have two more video's, but they are sideways and I don't know how to fix it!

Thursday 13 Baby Quiz Answers!

Sorry for the delay, Pop-Pop had said he posted some answers but they never showed up on the blog. So I was waiting on his answers! Thank you for answering the quiz, even Jonathan was confused about some of the answers!

Please answer the questions with:
a. marley
b. carpenter
c. sadie
d. rowan

1. Who had to stay in the NICU for 24 days?
That was b. carpenter. Carpenter was 5 weeks early and had to stay in the NICU for 24 days til he was feeding regularly. You would never guess he had any problems by how much he eats now!

2. Who had the hiccups when they were being born?
That was a. marley. Marley had the hiccups when she was being born. All the doctors, nurses, and my mom just stopped and started laughing because they had never seen this before. At the time I didn't think this was funny. Marley was not all the way out, and I didn't want to stop! I wanted to hurry up and have this baby!

3. Who was almost delivered by a nurse? Hint there are two babies!
b. carpenter and d. rowan. The nurses were really about to catch Carpenter! And they told me to stop pushing with Rowan because the doctor was not there yet! It is hard to stop pushing when your body is really pulling you to do so. It was closer than I would like it to be. But the nurses are very capable of having a successful delivery, they do alot of the work anyways!

4. Who was our smallest baby?
b. carpenter. Carpenter was our tiniest baby at 4 lbs. and 8 oz. He was just so little! I still keep his little preemie onesie in his clothing drawer to remind me how small he was!

5. Who was our largest baby?
c. sadie. Sadie was 6lbs. and 12 oz. Rowan came in a close second with 6lbs. and 10 oz.
6. Who was I not one day sick with?
a. marley. I think God knew that I was really young and was very kind to me. I was never a day sick with Marley. Marley was a very good baby. She slept through the night early and potty trained real easily. I was so sick with everyone else. I went in to be induced with Sadie and I threw up that morning. All I could think was this sickness would be gone in a little bit.

7. Who did I have gestational diabetes with?
d. rowan. I was totally shocked I had GD at all. I could tell something was different this pregnancy, I was always tired! But getting GD was a very good thing for me, it got me off my addiction to mountain dew. Yes, you may know that I am a square. But Mountain Dew was my fix! I have not had a sip since being diagnosed! The nurses and doctors were surprised that I had GD, but that is why they said they tested everyone. Even the smallest little person could get it! The GD diet was awesome! It really made sense and I was very healthy! I need to go back to it! But I am breastfeeding and eating us out of home!

8. Who was delivered by Dr. Bailey? The other 3 were delivered by the same doc. Extra points if anyone knows the name of the other doc. Sorry the grandparents may be the only one who knows that extra one!
c. sadie was deliver by Dr. Bailey! He was the youngest doctor at the practice. Dr. Demosthenes deliver everyone else. I couldn't believe it. There are doctors in the practice. But my favorite doctor, Dr. Chasedunn-Roark didn't deliver any of my babies.

9. Which baby caused Jonathan to pass out?
a. marley. Jonathan almost passed out during Marley's ultrasound! And he almost passed out during her delivery. But he made it through! He got braver with each delivery! No chord cutting from him! Jonathan says that is what the doctors are paid for!

10. Which baby had acid reflux and a milk allergy?
c. sadie. Sadie's acid reflux was horrible! Projectile vomiting everywhere. I would always have to bring her a change of clothes and myself! I still breastfed Sadie I just avoided milk products. Did you know that hot dogs have milk in them?

11. Which baby did I pump for a year with?
b. carpenter. Carpenter was given a feeding tube and was a bottle feeder. This was so the doctors int he NICU could monitor how much he was eating! My favorite moment in the NICU, was at the end of Carpenter's stay in the hospital. When you are in the NICU, you have to wear gloves and a gown. We'll I got to try to breastfeed Carpenter. I got to feel his bare skin on my bare skin! It was wonderful, heavenly. When you have to always feel your baby through a barrier, it was so magically being able to touch him! Did the breastfeeding go well? No, he was used to the bottle! Disappointment! But I wanted to do my best for him. By this time you have met with the geneticist and are worried about everything that could go wrong. So I continue to pump to give him the best that God has made!

12. Which two babies were induced?
c. sadie and d. rowan. I was kind of upset that they did not get to pick their birthdays! But Jon said it was better this way because we had a ton of kids and it would be easier for our family to plan on when to help.

13. Which baby was the cutest!?!
All of the above! I love Marley's cute freckles on her nose! I love Carpenter's skin(he has the dark skin tone from the mexican side) and his wrinkly hands! I love Sadie's eyes. She has the biggest eyes and the longest lashes. And the cutest lips! I love Rowans crooked smile! Also I love smelling the top of his head, I just suck in that wonderful baby smell! Yum!

And the winner is......Kelly Towery Watson! I can't believe you beat my mom! She was actually there for every birth!

Playing Ball!

It is time again for me to sign Marley up for softball. And I can't wait! Even though my dad was a coach, I am scared to catch a softball flying at me! I think it is a great skill everyone needs to learn, playing ball. At the same time, Carpenter loves playing ball. He can hit that ball of the tee so well. He has this natural swing. Someone suggested to me that I should put him in the miracle league. Thoughts in my head were filled with disappointment that anyone would suggest that. I want him to play ball in the Fountain Inn Rec Department, just like Marley does. I want "normal!" I was hurt! I knew Miracle Leagues are wonderful things, but I always hoped he would play in a regular league. But then I got to thinking about it, what is Carpenter going to do when the ball is hit directly at him, will he be able to move fast enough to get out the way? Reality struck it's hard blow. He is not ready for a regular league. Then sadness hit. Will Carpenter care that he is in the miracle league? No! He just loves playing ball. My hopes are that he will be able to learn the basics in the miracle league and then move to our local rec league. That is my goal! Is it attainable, yes? Will it happen? We will see! I set high standards for Carpenter, as well as my other children! So I will give you updates on the journey of playing ball!

pictures from meme's

Taylor and Sadie pose

Patty Cake

Sadie's pretty nails that Taylor painted

Brothers

The Crew

Rowan, my cutie!

Pirate boy and Nail girl

Cheese!

Meme and Rowan

Mothers

Mothers! As I have walked into the Meyer Center(they are re-doing the entrance now), I would always wondered about this certain mother, what she was like, how her child was doing, what were her hopes and dreams? We always ran into eachother at the door entrance and I would always try to hold the door open for her and her child. Her child is in a walker. Something just connects me to her, she doesn't even know my name! Our usual talk is "Hey, let me get the door for you!" And that is how it ends! I look at her face sometimes and see a tired person, and I wonder do my eyes look tired like that also! Having a child with a disability some people just fear. I have found that therapist and doctors have become commonplace to me now. And I don't feel that we are extraordinary. But I looked at this woman and felt like I want to get to know her and do something for her. She seems real quiet, and when two shy people meet there is not much conversation going on. We'll the other day I had to take Rowan to the pediatric urologists. Low and behold, there was that mom. I got up enough courage, and ask how she was, did her child go to school today, and so on? And I could see the joy and happiness in her face. I was worrying it was being burnt out. The doctor there was saying that this was the most patient woman she has ever met. I was able to see into her life. I am not trying to sound disrespectful. It is just I don't know how some moms do it. Like those who are in the hospital with their child all day. Most of all seeing her, even though I don't know her, gives me strength. A "Way to go, mom!" feeling!


I have been wanting to write more stuff that I feel deep in my heart. But who wants to let that out? Sometimes you can be worried about your true feelings being exposed! So I have some heartfelt things I would like to post, I just need to find the time to do so!

Happy Belated Birthday Aunt Amy

Sorry Amy, I meant to do this on your special day! But Jon has deleted all of my photos(which I am very upset about)! We hope you had a wonderful birthday! The big '28'!

Amy and I(and Rowan in belly)

Bailey, Amy, and Marley

Heritage Park

Today we went to Heritage Park. It is a massive juggling act of defense. Jonathan calls it man to man. That is what we used to could do, when it was just two little ones. Now Jon and I take watch over one child and take turns holding Rowan! Jon had Sadie and Rowan. I had Carpenter and the camera. It was soo funny, Jon and I would just keeping passing eachother as each child ran their seperate ways. What is going to happen when Rowan is running around? The kids enjoyed the park! Carpenter ran around the whole park saying "Hi!" to everyone. Everyone would say "Hey" back as he was busy greeting someone else at the park! We put the babies to bed and Marley and I watched the Bratz(the real girls) movie! I thought it was a little racy for Marley's age! This is a long slide show, so sit back and relax!

Happy Birthday Kelly Marie Towery Watson!

I just wanted to wish my best friend Kelly a Happy Birthday! Kelly has been there through middle school, high school, been at the births of all four of my children! Kelly you mean so very much to me! After we found out that Carpenter had DS(t-21) she rushed to the hospital to be with me! When I saw her I just started crying! I could let it all out with her and she was there for me even though she was going through some rough times also. And when she came to the hospital when Rowan was born, she was so sweet to be there. Rowan's heart rate was dropping, and I had to keep switching sides to lay on because they thought his chord could be around his neck. Anyway, she came over and just held my hand. She didn't say anything, she didn't have to, I knew she loved me and this baby. Kelly holding my hand was such a beautiful moment for me, it helped me to calm down, and spend time in prayer. I love you Kelly! Thank you for being such a wonderful blessing in my life!

Kelly, Caroline, and myself(and Sadie in the belly)

Kelly, Rowan, and I

Zoo fun
Sorry, Jon moved all of my pics somewhere! So this was all I could find!

Meyer Center @ Pavilion

After Marley's birthday party on Sunday afternoon, the next day we were back at the Pavilion for a field trip with the Meyer Center! I thought the kids would enjoy it since they were dying to get out on the ice at Marley's party but were unable too! Carpenter had a wonderful time in the pile of snow, on the sled, and running with the walker! Sadie cried the whole time! I felt bad, here I come with 3 children, and the teachers had to help me! They are the sweetest teachers! I want to be apart of his class but I have full arms to help with! Sadie had to have her pacy and be held. Which was not possible because I was holding a sleeping Rowan! I let Carpenter ride home from the field trip on the school bus! He loved it! I was worried! I followed the bus all the way back to the Meyer Center! They must of thought I was crazy! I was only worried about the other drivers! Here are some pictures of our morning at the Pavilion!

Ice Skating Party

Here are some pics from the party. I think everyone had a good time and there were no major spills on the ice. But everyone's feet were hurting after skating! I hope everyone had a great time! Thank's everybody for coming out to celebrate the births of our daughter's Marley and Sadie!