3 Months Later

It has been 3 months exactly since my last post! I have been so crazy busy I have not had time for anything, even though I had really hoped to keep up with my blog a little better! Even though I started school yesterday I am hoping now that the summer is coming to an end maybe things will slow down a bit! Both of the kids have grown so much over the summer! Grace just turned 5 months already and Mercy is almost 2 1/2! Wow. Time flies! I have thoroughly enjoyed my summer off school and I have enjoyed every minute with my family! Words cannot express the joy I feel being a mom and wife!

Mercy had grown up more than I could have imagined this summer! She talks in sentences and I can have pretty good conversations with her! She helps with Gracie (She throws her diapers away etc) and is just the biggest blessing a mom could ask for! Of course we have our issues with 2 year old attitudes and tantrums, but we work through them. I learned over the summer that discipline will help her as she gets older and she has responded well and is learning that being a good girl is easier for everyone!
Gracie has also been so much fun this summer! It was really hard when she was sick for so long but she is developing fast now! She laughs and smiles so much and looks more and more like Josh everyday! She enjoys her baths and loves "chillin" with Daddy and loves to follow Mercy around with her eyes! Just the day before yesterday she actually started jumping in her jumpy! She smiles while she jumps and she makes so many sounds now. Before she cries she "yells" at us, she screeches, and yells when she is happy! She gets chubbier everyday and I think she could live off the chubbiness in her cheeks for weeks! I remember being so scared when she was sick and now seeing her healthy and happy and developing like she could is such a blessing! One sad things is that I never recovered from losing my milk from the birth control pills, and I couldn't stay on Reglin to keep the milk back forever. So we slowly weened off of breast feeding and to the bottle. Though i am sad, I am so thankful that I was able to nurse her for as long as i did. I was never able to with Mercy. And nursing, even though it didn't last as long as i wished it could have, was wonderful, and i learned for the next baby that birth control pills are a complete no-no!


Our summer adventures have included time at the wave pool and there Mercy finally goes under water! She blows bubbles and became more and more independent everytime we went! Even Gracie enjoyed a dip a few hot summer days! It was alot of fun! My mom usually went and spent time with Gracie while I enjoyed some one on one time with Mercy! We have gone to the creek on my parents property and Mercy loved it even more than the pool! I guess kids are always game for getting dirty! We went camping 2 times this summer as well and we we able to borrow my mom and dad's pop-up camper which made it a little easier! I am dedicating an entire post to the last 2 night camping trip we just got back from a couple weeks ago. Yes, the camping trip was pretty epic! You will enjoy reading about it! We also enjoyed other things as a family such as the Hot air balloon festival, the BBQ championships, and spending days at home or at the park just being together. We also had tons of fun with my neices...they are growing up so fast also! They LOVED Mercy and Grace and Mercy was pretty obsessed with them as well! It is fun to see them every summer!
It has really been a great summer! I just started school again yesterday and may have bit off more than I can chew! I am taking Astronomy, English Composition 2, another nutrition class, and Business Statistics. It is going to take a big chunk of time out of everyday, but I know I will enjoy it because I always do!

Josh started a good job awhile ago working at Big-O and has really liked it! We are finally caught up on all of the bills. It has taken awhile to get used to because he works 6 days a week every week, so we really treasure the time he is home! He is a wonderful dad! He spends so much time playing with his babies! As he has said numerous times...he likes to play with them because they are like little action figures! That explains alot actually! I have continued my "domestic diva-ness" throughout the summer and have made many homecooked meals and kept the house at a liveable cleanliness! I hope to continue to get better at it! I love my husband and kids so much and it makes me so happy to take care of them and make them happy. It truly fills my cup!
I have also grown alot spiritually and emotionally over the summer. I have learned many lessons through some difficult times. One of the biggest and most important things I have learned is that I am ME! I don't need to do what other people are doing to be better, I don't need to look like other people or dress like other people to be cooler. I don't need friends to be fullfilled. I made some friends and got burned by some. I thought I needed friends to define me, and out of loneliness I allowed people to take advantage of me. After years of feeling alone and out of place I learned that ME is just how I need to be. If that means I have a few healthy friendships thats fine! But at the beginning of summer I did things and went places, and acted a certain way to "fit in" to no avail. I ended up more miserable than I was...UNTIL I realized that I like the way I am. I have integrity, I am loyal in my friendships and faithful to my family, and that is something to be proud of!!! And I am!
Well thats all for now! I am going to try to write in here again at least once a week...I love writing and it helps to keep track of my fast moving life! And tomorrow I will post about our EPIC camping trip! Goodnight!