Happy New Year

Wishing you a wonderful new year full of laughter, adventure, and new beginnings!

Love,

Kelley

Remember When You Felt that Flutter

I have had an awesome vacation with Mary-Kate. I love this age the best. She is so funny and keeps me laughing all the time. Women who are able to stay home with their children are extremely blessed.

One of the things I missed about carrying Mary-Kate was that little flutter that I first felt or that first kick. It was the most wonderful feeling in the world. I felt so special to have this feeling that she was sharing with only me.

Guess what, baby number #2 has been fluttering around this week and it feels wonderful. Just letting me know he/she is there. It is special this time around too.

I feel like the luckiest woman in the world!

I hope you have a wonderful New Years Eve!

Happy 4th Birthday to Mary-Kate's Best Buddies Hayley and Katie. These girls go to church together. They trick or treat together. They love being together. I grew up with their Dad being one of my best buddies. It is neat for us to raise our girls around each other.

Here are just a few pictures I captured of them.

Christmas Recap

Before I begin my Christmas recap post, I want to take a moment to reflect on the importance of the holiday. It isn't about Santa, Elf on the Shelf, or presents. Do we do all of those things? Yes for fun. But the true meaning is in what Christ did for us. In church today, it was said that Jesus just being born wasn't what gives people hope. It is how he lived and died for us so that we can live again. I have always been taught that Christmas is an important day of the year, but we should think on Christ everyday and appreciate that sacrifice every day, not just one time a year.

Also Christmas is a time for FAMILY. It is always a hard day without Blake. He was always so fun. He loved to pull pranks. I could handle him in small doses. Ha! It seems unnatural to bury a sibling. Especially one so young. I can honestly say, parents aren't supposed to bury their children. My parents' hearts were broken, but the Lord has sent us the Comforter to grant us peace. I started this blog to help get my feelings out about the tragic loss of my brother. I just had so much bottled up that needed released. In the mean time, I have made some wonderful blog friends. I am truly blessed for that. I thought my Mom would be the only one who would read my "stuff."

On Tuesday the 22nd, my side of the family came over for food, fun, and to exchange gifts. I also wanted to meet my niece, Mallory's fiancee. He was adorable. I think they will be very happy together.

On Wednesday the 23rd, I was scheduled to have an ultrasound at the hospital. I have been keeping a secret from you. I didn't want anyone to worry unnecessarily. On the 17th and 18th of this month, I started having horrible pains in my chest. I thought I was having a heart attack. I went to our school nurse and she checked my blood pressure. It was perfect. No matter what position I got in, the pain wouldn't stop. On Friday, I started having pain so badly that I started having contractions. It hurt so much, it took me to the ground. I called my clinic and got in to see a doctor, but it wasn't my doctor. He checked the baby. Everything was fine with the baby. He scheduled an ultrasound for me at the hospital to check my gallbladder and liver. To say that I was a basket case was an understatement. I didn't want to lose this baby. I didn't want to hurt anymore either. Unfortunately, my ultrasound wasn't until Wed. Before I left I asked the nurses if I need to fast or anything. They said no. Thara went with me to the appointment. Of course they do all of the paperwork first. Then I waited about 45 minutes for my turn. The nurse came out and asked if I had eaten anything. I told her yes. She said that we wouldn't be doing the procedure then. I held my cool. She just told me that I had to reschedule and where in the world did I get the idea that I didn't have to fast. I told her a nurse. No ultrasound has been done. I haven't had anymore problems either. I am taking it easy though.

On Christmas Eve we drove to Little Rock in the pouring rain. It is always fun visiting with Thara's side of the family. Mary-Kate has cousins she can actually play with. (My nieces and nephews range from 28 to 15 and then one 2 year old. I do have a niece that is 2 years old, but she lives in Texas and we don't get to see her often.) Mary-Kate got some pet shop toys and a really neat ornament. Her Papa and Nana got her all kinds of clothes, ornaments, and a really soft blanket. My parents came over once we got home and we exchanged gifts. They had gotten MK clothes, ornaments, a doll, and color by number activity, and Kung Fu Panda, the movie. Of course they got her other stuff too.

Christmas Day was so low key. The grandparents came over to see what Santa had gotten for MK. She got a Barbie head, a castle, a Strawberry Shortcake doll (small) a horse and rider (Barbie size) and some movies. She said, "All I asked Santa for was a Barbie head, he brought me things I didn't even know I wanted."

We had gotten her a train set, Lincoln logs, a baby doll, and a dump truck. I know you are laughing, but these are things she asked for. She loves building things with her dad. She loves hauling things in her truck. I just laugh. She is very balanced don't worry. She loves dressing up like a princess and she always has a baby doll on her hip.

Christmas Day

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve

We drove Little Rock this morning to be with Thara's sister, and her husband and daughter. His parents were also there. The rain was horrible. I have never seen so much. Many of the roads were closed. We weren't exactly sure what the weather was going to do. We knew we wanted to make it home before dark.

When we got home, my parents came over to watch MK open some presents.


Mary-Kate got some wonderful things to play with. So much of it she will have to use her imagination. That's what I like to see.

Christmas with the George's

I decided to have a Christmas party at my house for my side of the family this year. Everyone had so many plans and were going in so many different directions, I just said let's have Christmas on the 22nd.

We had tons of food, laughter, and fun!

We have a lot of reasons to celebrate this year! My niece Mallory is graduating from OBU in May. She is getting married in June! I finally got to meet her fiancé and he is adorable. Her brother, my nephew, Collin is graduating from high school in May. Mary-Kate will have her first dance recital in May. (Remember I will be 9 months pregnant with all of these festivities going on.) Thara and I are expecting a baby in June. Everyone is healthy. God has richly blessed us.

My side of the family is loud! You never know what it going to happen with the George Bunch.

Blake was always the life of the party. We didn't know what we would do without him. Well, his son, Josh is just like him and so funny. We are so glad to have him with us.

My sister Rhonda lives in Alaska. I would love to spend a Christmas with her. She is really fun too.

It was great having my brother Jim, and his wife Rhonda over. Personality wise, I am more like them. We are the calm ones! Ha! (I can't believe I didn't get a picture of them.) A funny story on them...I was the flower girl in their wedding. (I was 5.)

Here are some pictures.

Honey and Pawpaw

Mallory and Alec

Collin and MK

Josh and is girlfriend, Tiffany

Storytelling

We are spending time with Thara's side tomorrow! It is awesome having time off to be with family.

Santa and an MK original recipe

First, Mary-Kate's class made a recipe book. The teacher interviewed each child. The children told them not only what they loved to eat, but also how to cook it. It was hysterical to read.

Here's what MK said:

Mary-Kate wasn't scared of Santa at all...

Only because Daddy was near by...

Mary-Kate's pants look like they are high waters in this picture, but they are really not.

The Way to a Mother's Heart

The way to a mother's heart is through hand-made gifts!

Take a look at my Christmas presents this year from MK. She made them at her school.

I do have a funny story. Today, MK wanted to dress like a princess. I asked her what she had in mind. She said, "Mom, princesses wear skirts. I want to wear a skirt please. You should try it sometime, Mom." I laughed so hard.

I should have told her that "The queen" wears pants.

I love that her little hands made these ornaments!

This was the back of the card she decorated for me.

This was the front

Inside the card!

Just in case you were wondering, this is a snow scene with Frosty.

The crosses are snowflakes.

I am very proud of how she spelled Mary.

She didn't put Kate on there because she said she has a hard to making a k and e.

I thought it was the best "Mary" I had ever seen! :-)

I lurve me some MK picture ornaments!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Fun Weekend

We are all well at my house! YES! F.I.N.A.L.L.Y.

It was time for some fun in our household this weekend. Mary-Kate played at Thara's parent's house on Saturday so that I could make a mad dash to Conway. It was a treat shopping. I finally finished my shopping. I am so late this year. Usually I buy throughout the year so that December isn't so rough on the ole credit card. Yeah, January is going to be rough. Ha! Thara and I met for lunch at Chili's. That was fun for us.

I took Mary-Kate by to see Santa before my shopping trip. In my town, Santa isn't an early riser. He is only making appearance from 1-4 on Saturday and Sunday. Maybe next weekend. (I didn't know this ahead of time. So she enjoyed playing on his sleigh without him.)









On Sunday we took her to see the Princess and the Frog after church. She liked it. I enjoyed the music. The overall theme was really nice. I wasn't sure about the Voodo stuff though. Scared MK. I want you all to see it and then we will talk about it.


These were taken before school this morning. She wasn't sure if she was ready to go back today or not.

Mary-Kate woke up at 2AM throwing up. She didn't stop until 9AM. Then at 5PM she started back up. I hate it when little ones are sick. She has been miserable. I am just tired. Also our heat wasn't working this morning. At 2am it was 64degrees in my house. I turned it up to 80 and it only moved 1 degree. We had that fixed today.

I did go to my appointment, my Dad babysat for me. Isn't it awesome that he was able to do this after the year he had last year? God is the Great Physician.

The appointment went great! The heartbeat was 155. I get to have an ultra sound the next doctor's visit. I am so excited. In a month I will know what this sweet angel is. Either way, Thara and I will be thrilled. I did have to wait for my doctor for a while. He had an emergency c-section at the hospital. The baby weighed over 11 pounds. I told the nurse to not dare let that happen to me! ha! I don't mind waiting for circumstances like that.

People say all the time, I don't care what the baby is as long as it is healthy. (not towards my baby, just a general statement.)I have been thinking a lot about that statement. You want that baby whether it turns out healthy or not. At least I do.
Of course you always pray for a healthy baby.

I hope you all have a great night!

Almost Christmas break

It is almost Christmas break for me. I am so excited. I will cherish the time off with Mary-Kate. It won't be long and she will have to share me. I really like having time before the baby is here to spend time with her and explain how much she means to me. I don't want her to have jealousy issues over this baby.
I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow. I am very excited about it. I will get to hear that precious heart beat again. Hopefully we will schedule an ultra sound for the next visit. It would make my Christmas for us to have one tomorrow so I can see if that gender test is correct. They say if it is a boy, you know pretty soon. I am still feeling good. My energy level is coming back. I hope and pray everything is going well for this baby.

It is so cold here. It is going to be 20 degrees tonight. Can you imagine what the wind chill is? We are staying in. I hope you all are having a great week!


If you haven't read this book, please do. It is precious. I read it to my students every year. I can't get through it without crying. This year I can't wait to read it to MK.

Preschool Goals

I don't think I would be a successful Kindergarten student today. When I started Kindergarten I don't think I knew my letters or numbers. I could write my name. I could sing the ABC song. We played a lot. Today's pressures are something else. I got a list today from my daughter's school. Remember, she is 3 years old.

Class Goals:

KNOWS FULL NAME

SPELLS FIRST NAME ALOUD

SPELLS LAST NAME ALOUD

WRITES NAME

KNOWS SHAPES

COUNTS TO 10

COUNTS TO 20

CAN RECOGNIZE NUMBERS 1-10

SAYS ABC (MUST HEAR EVERY LETTER)

KNOWS 10 LETTERS BY SITE

KNOWS ALL LETTERS

CUTS WITH SCISSORS

KNOWS BODY PARTS

USES THE BATHROOM ALONE

PUTS ON SHOES

CARES FOR BELONGINGS

MAKES ON NAP MAT

FASTENS SEATBELT

FOLLOWS SIMPLE DIRECTIONS

SINGS THE 7 DAYS OF THE WEEK SONG

SAYS THE PLEDGE TO THE FLAG

CAN CATCH A BALL

JUMPS, HOPS, AND STANDS ON 1 FOOT

KNOWS COLORS

CAN DO MATCHING

KNOWS ON BIRTHDAY

She has to know these 11 colors

WHITE

BLACK

PINK

PURPLE

ORANGE

YELLOW

RED

GREEN

BLUE

GREY

BROWN

She must know these 10 shapes

CIRCLE

OVAL

SQUARE

DIAMOND

HEART

RECTANGLE

STAR

CRESENT

OCTAGON

TRIANGLE

I am glad in my early days of teaching I was a first grade teacher so I can help her. Otherwise this is overwhelming and I might need to get her a tutor. Ha! We have our work cut out for us. Thank goodness Kindergarten is a year and 1/2 off.

You should hear her recite the pledge, it is precious.

Gender Prediction

Everyone where I work has an opinion about this baby. If I were to take a poll, most would tell you it is a boy. (I have secretly thought this myself considering it feels completely different from my 1st pregnancy.) I have started "showing" much earlier than before. I think that happens with the 2nd one. I am already measuring much bigger than most, isn't that something, so my doctor checked for twins. No twins. Sorry Mary-Kate. She wanted Dora's super babies to happen to me. I just hope that I don't gain over 50 pounds with this one like I did her. I am watching it close folks.

A friend of mine called and asked if I had a gender test. I said that I haven't had a ultra sound. She said you don't need one for this. I said, "Oh, really. What do you need?" She explained that she has seen this at most drug stores. I was curious so I went out and bought one. Okay these aren't cheap. The box says they are 90% accurate. So I took it this morning. It said, "It's a boy!" I am truly excited about this, but I am not rushing out to buy clothes and fix up a room yet.

Now, how to tell MK because she wants a boy and a girl. This will be it for me and hubby. Her pick would be a girl first. I am thrilled to have a girl. She is the most precious thing. She has taught me so much in her 3 and 1/2 years. I read a blog yesterday about how children make you softer. She certainly did. Her Daddy and I love her so much. She has certainly kept me on my toes. We have been through a lot with her. I am up for the next challenge. Telling her later that it is a boy will be a little tough.

Now if this is a boy, I am happy about that too! Little boys are sweet too! Probably sweeter.

I won't have an ultrasound for a while, but my gender test will make for great conversations today at my school.

Let it Snow...

I am still working on the big tree. I need to do more at the top with it. It has really been fun decorating this year. Mary-Kate is not taking down ornaments and repositioning them this year ha!

I thought I would post a few things I have been working on.