Definition of a Homemaker

I just found this quote and wanted to share it with those of you who sometimes feel that your job is not interesting or important. Look how well-rounded and accomplished we are! I needed to hear this after last night's incident of scooping more bodily waste out of the tub. :)

"The most creative job in the world involves fashion, decorating, recreation, education, transportation, psychology, romance, cuisine, literature, art, economics, government, pediatrics, geriatrics, entertainment, maintenance, purchasing, law, religion, energy and management. Anyone who can handle all those has to be somebody special. She's a homemaker."

Richard Kerr quoted in Homemade, February 1989.

Have a wonderful day!!

Our Favorite Time of Day

BATHTIME!!!


Although, we've had to shorten this beloved ritual, as Carter has decided that the bathtub is a good place to....umm...well, you know...GO. Our supply of Lysol and Comet cleaner has greatly dwindled over the last few weeks.

I now wash him as fast as I can and sadly remove him from the water before he can leave me a "present." :)

Thankful for Unanswered Prayers

Have you ever prayed for something so desperately that your heart physically ached? This was how I felt when Scott and I (and many others, THANK YOU!) were praying that our twin babies would survive and escape miscarriage.

I know there really are no "unanswered" prayers. God just doesn't always give us the answer we want. But in our eyes, we see these "No's" as broken dreams and, in our limited human understanding, the wrong answers.

Don't you love it when God proves us wrong? When, in time, He reveals one more step in His glorious plan for your life? When you catch a glimpse of the pain, suffering, and grief He saved you from? You are reminded that God is good and sovereign and holy and omniscient and trustworthy.

We finally received the results of the chromosome testing that was performed after our loss. Unfortunately, the chromosomes were not distinguishable for the smaller baby, so we do not know anything about our Lil' Bit. I must admit that I am very sad and disappointed about that. The tests from Peanut reveal that he was a boy. A boy with Trisomy 11. That means that he had one too many chromosomes, with the extra one being on chromosome 11.

You've read about Trisomy 18 on Boothe's blog (Keeping Awake), and Trisomy 21 is Downs Syndrome. Trisomy 11 almost always results in miscarriage. And any trisomy baby that goes full term is typically born with many physical defects that result in suffering for the baby, death shortly after birth, and agony for the parents as they watch their precious child struggle and eventually slip from this world into heaven. I cried numerous times as Boothe and Conor Farley went through this with Copeland, and I can't imagine ever facing that same situation. I am not saying that I am glad I lost our little boy, but this outcome seems like a gift and a blessing compared to the alternative. While Copeland was a blessing and gift to her parents and to many people, I am not sure I could endure the pain and grief if faced with the same.

I am also encouraged that there was nothing we could have done to help the babies survive. More shots would have accomplished nothing. I am encouraged that, at least with this miscarriage, it wasn't my body fighting the fetuses. Our little ones were destined to reach Jesus' arms before their mom's and dad's. And from our new, informed perspective, I am so very grateful for that.

We don't always get to see why some of our hopes and dreams don't work out. But we know that God hears our voice. And He loves us. And in the words of Garth Brooks, "some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers."

Ta Da!!! TaDoodles!

Have you seen these???I just happened to stumble upon them at the grocery store last weekend and decided to include them in Carter's Easter basket (despite the 18+ month recommendation). These little animals fit right into a toddler's hand so they can create artwork. The ones above are stamps. When you turn them upside down and press, they create a stamped smiley face. The other pack we got are markers, and another set at the store were mini paint brushes.

Carter just giggled after I showed him how to push the animals down to make a stamp.

The bib was unnecessary since they're not messy. We may use it though when we try out the markers! :)


See the cute little faces from the stamps? Such a fun little project for toddlers to introduce them to art.

A Few More Easter pics...

I found one!Exploring his Easter basket.Yum... Peeps! These were about the only Easter candy I could find for Carter that he wouldn't be allergic to. He definitely liked them!

Can you tell how much he loves balloons? (Thank you Gram Me and Grand Dad)

This was his original Easter outfit...I love the little bunnies! But when I found the cross jon jon, I had to save that one for Sunday. But I figure he can wear bunnies all spring anyway! :)
On this particular day, Carter would pose and give me this big cheesy grin every time I asked him to smile. This wasn't really the expression I was looking for, but it was cute and funny nonetheless!

Sea Crest Beach

I am exactly a month behind in posting these pics, but they were too cute not to share. We went to Sea Crest beach for the weekend with two of my friends and their families, and we had a fun time despite the weather being a tad chilly and cloudy. Here are a few of my faves...

Susan and Kaitlyn, Stacey and Ben, and me and Carter

Carter in his UAB sweatshirt because it was so windy.

Carter and MommyHe hadn't seen sand since September, and he was definitely more intrigued this time.He was a little wobbly on the shifting sand at first but soon gained enough balance to walk around on his own.Daddy and Carter leaving their footprints.

The kids loved playing in the screened porch. Carter discovered Ben's drum and LOVED it!The guys took the babies for a swim in the pool. And yes, Carter is only wearing a swim diaper. Stacey and I were too lazy to go back to the house to get their swimsuits. :)Boy, did Carter love this!!

Scott and Nick throwing the kiddos up in the air. If you look closely (or click on the pic to blow it up), you'll notice Carter's nice mohawk that resulted from the this throw. :)

The dads and their munchkins.

The ladies. (how cute is Susan's little pregnant belly?! Their 2nd one is on his way in just a few more weeks!)

Our Redeemer Lives!

Happy Easter! Jesus lives!

Easter Eggs and Bubbles

This past Saturday, Dawson Baptist Church in Homewood held an Easter Egg Hunt. The event not only included egg hunts every 15 minutes but also had pony rides, train rides, food, flower planting, cookie decorating, face painting, bubbles, and more! And the best part...it was all FREE!!!! (Well, except for the food.)

My friend, Stacey, and I took our sons, Ben and Carter. Scott also tagged along with us and took pictures. :)


At first, Carter wasn't too sure how the egg hunt worked. The 2 and 3-year-olds scooped up all the eggs before Carter realized he could pick up more than one.
But he was so proud of himself when he found one!And tried it out for taste too.


"Ooh! I have a SIPPY cup in my basket!!"
Carter's favorite part by far was the bubbles.
He got up right in front of one of the bubble blowers. Within seconds, his hair, face and arms were coated in a nice layer of sticky bubble formula. (And that was his bath for the day.) :)

Enjoying a train ride with Stacey and Ben.

We're going to practice egg hunts around the house this week so he'll be a pro. He already loves to put objects in boxes or baskets, so I just need to teach him how to look for the eggs.

Happy Hunting!