Birth Control Challenged

My baby girl Kadyn is 3 years old now!!! I can't believe it! She actually turned 3 on May 3rd and I'm just now writing a blog about it. Oh well...better late than never right?

Kadyn is our little comedian of the family! Everyday she makes us laugh over something she either did or said. She LOVES life....but hates animals, no seriously... HATES them :) Kadyn LOVES to worship! That's her favorite thing to do is dance before the Lord! She tells me, "mommy I want to wuship". How can I deny that??? I just love this little girl! I really can't imagine what this family would be like without her. She is absolutely adorable!!! However, she still sucks her thumb when she is sleepy or needs to be comforted for some reason. I guess for now it's ok but sometime soon it's gotta stop. Hopefully she won't be 16 and still sucking her thumb. Ha! Her best friend is "Korby" aka. Korbin Shull. They are inseparable. Super cute! I feel bitter/sweet about this 3rd birthday for her. The getting older thing is very hard for me, especially with her. I absolutely love the 2 year old stage, call me crazy I know, but it's true! That stage is full of new discoveries and new adventures. They have this zeal for life that is exciting and new. The world is their oyster! Seeing their face light up when they discover something new, well...there's just nothing like it! Can you tell I love it?? HAHA! So Kadyn getting older is kind of sad, however, it's awesome all at the same time cause it means she's that much closer to walking into the call of God for her life! I can't believe I get to be apart of that!

We had such a fun birthday party for her. Anyone who knows me knows that party planning is not my specialty and I'm seriously not good at it so when a party that I PLAN goes well, I am very proud of myself :)

We all went to Boomerangs in Hurst (it's a bounce house place and a perfect place for a party). So we met there, let the kids jump for a bit then headed to Chick-fi-la for lunch, cupcakes and presents! It was perfect! Thank you to everyone who came and made the day so special for Kadyn! She had a BLAST!

......Cabo San Lucas,Mexico....possibly the most heavenly places on the face of the planet! Nathan and I had the privilege of taking an impromptu trip to this glorious place last week (No, don't worry we didn't get the swine flu). This was our first actual vacation ALONE with no kids, family, friends or a team that we had to lead since our honeymoon. I have to admit, I wrestled with major feelings of guilt and selfishness before I left. However, I knew that Nathan and I needed this trip REALLY BAD!! I really can't believe that we actually were able to go. We were blessed beyond belief by Ray and Teddi Baker. They let us have 1 of their time share weeks in Cabo and we were BLOWN AWAY by their kindness. Ahhh!!!! Thanks you guys! You have no idea how AMAZING this was for us! Truly the MOST memorable trip EVER!

We left early Sat. June 6th at about 5am and came back June 12th. We flew from here to Houston then from Houston to Cabo San Lucas. Here is an aerial shot of Cabo as we flew in.

The resort was out of this world!!! It's called Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach. It was located on the side of a mountain and overlooked the beach. Spectacular!!!! Besides a little excursion of Jet skiing in the pacific ocean we did one day, all we did ALL week was lounge by the pool or beach for 5 to 6 hours at a time reading and listening to teachings or music on our ipods while sipping on diet cokes. Jealous? I would be too :)

Sitting on our balcony
View from our balcony

Pics of our fantastic 1 Bedroom suit!:

Guest bathroom

Master suit and bath

Where he spent most of his days :) in that lounge chair

An end to what we called our "PERFECT DAY"! Dinner at sunset!

Isn't he AMAZING? I fell deeper in love with this man on this trip! He rocks my world!!

Taken during one of our night strolls on the beach

This is why they call it Sunset Beach. The pic doesn't do it justice.

Our cabana where we spent most of our days

The last night :( but we were ready to see our kids!

"....Or we won't get lovin in the spring"

I just can't seem to get these show tunes out of my head. For the past 3 months I have been very busy working on the musical, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.

The performances were this past weekend, March 13 &14th. Let me tell you it was fun! The last time I had done a show was back in high school and that was my life back then. I have such a passion for acting so it was great to flex my acting muscles once again. To step outside of motherhood for just a bit and do something apart from mothering. Not that I don't LOVE being a mother, but sometimes being a mom, you forget about the things that made you who you are today. It was an incredible experience. I played Milly (the lead for those who don't know). I loved every minute of it! All the dancing, singing, acting and not to mention the costumes. It's just hard to compare anything else to it. The adrenaline that you get once you walk on stage, WOW!!! That's all I got to say. It was a huge cast. 14 leads, 7 townsmen, and then the extras plus the crew and directors. There was many late nights and sore mornings (cause we danced so much). But I can't complain. I at least was getting a really good work out every night :)

And of course I could not have even thought about doing something like this if it hadn't been for the BEST HUSBAND IN THE WORLD! He really took up the slack. Every night I would have to be at rehearsals and he would feed the kids, bath them and put them to bed, and he did that for 3 months. He even would clean the kitchen for me. I'm telling you what, he really sacrificed a lot to let me do something that I enjoyed. I owe him a LOT! Thank you honey!!! You are incredible! I Love YOU!!!! I think he is glad to have his wife back though :)

The girls loved watching me act. This was the first time they have ever seen me in any other role besides their mommy. Kadyn told me after the first performance, "Mommy you are really mad at daddy", it took me a minute to understand but she was referring to me acting mad at my "stage husband" in the play. I guess we were that believable. Then the second night she pointed to David Martin (He played Adam, my husband in the play) and said, "There's my father!!!" Clearly she was really confused. Ashlyn's reaction was a little interesting. The first night, she came up to me, threw her arms around my waist and through sobbing tears said, "Mommy.....You...Did...such...a...good...job...!" She was so proud of her mommy. The emotions that she felt was overwhelming that all she could do was cry. Nathan said she cried herself to sleep that night. Sweet girl. It of course made me cry too. Now Ashlyn asks me every day....."Mommy, I really want you to do the play again. PLEASE!!!!" Like we all just decided to put on a play and it's that easy to do any night of the week.

So now that it's over, I am back to my life as a mother and wife. My actress hat is back in the closet. I am sure I will wear this hat again someday but my family needs a little break. Rehearsal schedules are grueling.

Thanks to everyone who came out to support me. I am a blessed woman.

Here are a few pictures from the play: Sorry the pictures are small. I don't know how to make them bigger :(

If you want to see some videos of me performing, Here is a link to my mom's facebook page. You will see some videos of me on there. http://www.facebook.com/video/?id=1001888075

Wife: "Honey?? I think it's time!"

Husband: "Time for what?"

Wife: "To go to the hospital"

Husband: "Uh...Are you sure? Oh my gosh... I mean are you sure? What do I need to do?" As he stands and scurries around like a chicken with his head cut off.



This could be the conversation you WILL have or have already had when labor begins and it's time to make the trip to the hospital. I know when I was pregnant with my first and labor began, the moment I told my husband and family that it was time to go to the hospital, complete chaos began. People were running into each other, trying to figure out what to put in the car and such. They were so freaked out that everyone ran out of the house and left me standing there alone. Sounds like a movie? Yeah I know. IT REALLY HAPPENED! If I had not been prepared (as far as my bags packed and stuff) the trip to the hospital would have been a nightmare.


So in continuing the theme of my last blog, I thought I would write a check list for your hospital/labor bag! Here is a list of things to make sure you pack with you to the hospital:


For Me:

1. Warm comfy socks/house shoes


2. Nursing gown and robe (don't use p.j. pants in the hospital because...well...they will get too messy)


3. Extra pair of clothes to come home in. (bring your smaller maternity clothes, not your "normal" clothes. Chances are they won't fit that soon after giving birth)


4. Toiletries/make-up


5. Nursing bra


6. Nursing pads


7. Camera/video camera


8. Lap top (if you have it)


9. Ipod and speakers


10. Chap stick (your lips get VERY dry)


11. Pillows (however many you need to make your hospital stay more comfortable)


12. Blankets


13. Movies (for down times in the hospital)


14. Cell phone chargers


15. Magazines/book/cards

For the baby:

1. Warm blanket (to come home with)


2. 1 cute outfit to come home in and for hospital pictures


3. P.j's


4. A hat


5. Baby mittens (they tend to scratch themselves a lot)


6. Socks


7. Boppy pillow


8. Car seat


9. Nursing cape (optional)


10. Newborn Paci (optional)


11. Burp cloth


12. No need for diapers and wipes, it's provided by the hospital

For the Daddy:

1. Extra clothes


2. P.J.'s


3. Pillows


4. Blankets (A few because it's freezing in the room for "non-hormonal" people)


5. Socks


6. Toiletries


7. Some snacky items

There it is! Hope it helps in preparing for your impending trip to the hospital. Yay!!! What an excting time!!! You're that much closer to seeing your precious baby!

Have you ever wondered why some sounds can calm you and put you at total peace? Why is that God allowed us to have ears to hear? He talks about in Revelations, "his voice, like the sound of rushing waters", or "Whoever has ears, let them hear what the spirit is saying"...I know He was talking about spiritual ears but I can't help but think of our natural ears in comparison. God uses the natural things to speak of the spiritual things.

I then thought of what my brother had said to me one time. He asked if I had ever heard the sound of a Lion roaring right in front of me. I said, no. He then began to describe the sound. "It was like it vibrated my whole entire body. I could feel the sound in my chest. The shear power behind it was unnerving. It scared me, I'm not going to lie." He said that at the moment, he broke down and began to cry because he was immediately reminded of the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. This is what it must be like to hear the sound of the Lion of Judah coming for his bride. Why did God choose to use a lion when describing himself? There are much bigger and more powerful animals to use as a comparison for the Savior of the world, the one who set the universe in motion, the One who is coming at the end of the age to establish His kingdom here on earth. But then hearing the description of the sound a lion makes, it totally came together for me. The sound demands respect. A lion can be so calm and peaceful but when it needs to, it can attack and scare away any other thing that it wants to and defeat it. I am reminded of that Misty Edwards song, "I can hear the rhythm of the sound of the Lion of the Tribe of Judah." I am so glad the Lord gave us ears to hear the awesome sounds in the natural so we'll be able to distinguish the sounds in the spiritual. I am constantly blown away at God's creation. WE are God's creation!!!! He fashioned and formed us for a specific purpose and has a reason behind everything He makes. I am in awe at His creativity.