Christmas Decorations

We decorated our house this weekend with Christmas stuff. Alyssa was so happy! We drove by a window the other night that had snowmen in them, and she said, look mama Christmas Pumpkins! It was so cute.
Anyway, we put the Alvin and the Chipmunks Christmas CD in and decorated the tree. I wrapped gifts and put the other decorations up the following day. Our house is already colorful, so it looks very festive and even more colorful now! Alyssa told me, mama, your house looks so "bootiful."
It's cute. She gets so excited. Christmas will be fun this year with her.
Everyone's presents are going to be so beat up because I can't keep Aubrey out of them. I already had to rewrap two. She will crawl over to them and, as she is banging on them, she will look over at me and say "no, no." The little Turkey! I think she knows better, she just thinks it's funny! Love this time of year! Lots of good memories to think back on, and more to make!

Big Morning Full of Laughs

This morning was a funny morning with my girls. Aubrey had woken up at 6:45 and was laying in bed with us and she was practicing a new trick I had never heard her do. She was sitting up between us clicking her tongue. We were laying there and we heard this click, click, click. It was so cute. Then I heard her say No, no. Which was her first word other than mama and dada. Man, she was really doing some developing in her sleep last night. Just overnight and 2 new tricks.
Then this morning Alyssa was talking about how she wanted to put up the Christmas tree, and she was all excited and said, "And we can wrap the presidents, too! We got a giggle out of that.
Nana Shannon kept the girls last night while we went out, and I had asked Shannon if she would be sure and help Alyssa brush her teeth good. Well, this morning I noticed Alyssa's breath, which I rarely do. She doesn't usually have bad breath in the morning. I didn't say anything because I didn't want to make her feel self conscious, but later on I saw her holding her hand over her mouth. She looked at me and said,"mom, Nana didn't brush my teeth very good last night." It was so funny, she noticed it herself. She cracks me up, because she seems like a little grown up sometimes. I wasn't going to share this, but it was too funny not to....
Yesterday I was about to get in the shower and Alyssa came behind me and popped me on my bottom and said ,"mommy, cute bobo." It was too funny. I said thanks honey, and giggled my way into the shower.
Love those girls so much!

Uncle Julios, Bingo and Dairie Queen

Tonight we went out to celebrate Savita's birthday. I gave her shoes that she had already seen and picked out and she bought me the same ones to give to me when my birthday rolls around. Mom got her the buxom lip gloss set she and I both wanted, and Steve picked her out a purse on his own and gave her a Starbucks gift card. He is a surprisingly great gift giver! So it was just me, Aaron, my mom, Steve and Savita. The night started out at Uncle Julios in Allen, expensive but so good.
I had the beef fajita nachos, which were so so so good, and the swirl margarita which was not worth the $7.50 it cost. After that we traveled on over to the Plano East Bingo, which was great fun. We had it all planned out that if we struck it rich we were all going to split it, but we never won. We did have a lot of laughs at each other. There is always a lot of laughing when Steve is around. He's the comedian in the family. It was funny enough just trying to keep up with the Bingo numbers called out. We might have won but would never know because we couldn't keep up. We were too busy laughing at and making fun of each other. Then mom went on home and Steve and Savita and me and Aaron traveled onto Dairie Queen. Even though it was 35 degrees outside, Savita had 2 buy 1 get 1 blizzard coupons that we had to use before they expired, so we each got a blizzard. We sat in Dairie Queen eating our butterfinger and reeses blizzards laughing some more about the things Steve used to make us do when we were little. He once told me and Brad Boyd to be in their cool club that we had to sit on a mouse trap. He also one time was playing hide n seek with Chris and Brad and told Brad to hide in the drier and turned it on! Wow! Fun times. Good memories. Simple but a great night! Lots of laughing. Loved it. Will play Bingo again.

In Her Heart

This morning when we woke up, I was in the kitchen making coffee,because my poor little one, Aubrey has kept us up sick the past couple of nights. She wouldn't sleep unless it was in the middle of us. Anyway, Alyssa came up to me.
She had her hand across her heart and said mom, feel it. I put my hand on her chest and she said mom, do you feel him? Jesus is in there!!! Oh my gosh, it was so precious! I told her yep he's in there. I can feel him. I can also see him in her everyday.

Aubrey's Birth

I know that this is old news, but I really wanted to write about this for me and for Aubrey. Aubrey Faith Reeves was born February 6, 2008 at 11:02 a.m. I had her at the Allen Birthing Center. My midwife was an awesome and amazing lady named Amy Giles. Amy is the kind of girl that I would love to hang out with and be friends with. She's so sweet and compassionate, loves God and is just an amazing lady. Don't think I could have done the natural thing without her encouragement and prayers throughout my pregnancy and delivery.
So I went into actual labor the day before around 4:30 pm. My contractions remained steady throughout the night. My sweet sister in law Savita came over to help monitor me, since I didn't really know what to expect because my labor with Alyssa was induced. It was me her and Aaron laying in bed all night long, awake of course. I didn't go into the birthing center until 8:00 am the next morning. When I arrived I was dilated to a 4. Amy made me walk around the house for about an hour to speed things along. My contractions were getting worse, but still bearable. She let me go upstairs and lay in bed to try to rest for a little while. While up there, we were talking about the pain and I asked her if the pain was as bad as it is going to get, and she said she thought I was peaked and the rest would be down hill. Throughout my whole pregnancy, Aaron and I and everyone at New Rivers were praying for me to have an amazing delivery. My prayer was that it would be fast and less painful, and that I wouldn't tear. We had also been praying for an amazing God experience. For God's presence to fill the room while I was in labor. Alyssa's birth was beautiful because I got her at the end of it , but not right and the way I would have wanted it to be. I so desired for this experience to be different. I wanted to feel what God had intended it to be. I had asked Aaron to download some worship music for me so that I could try and focus on God during the labor time. So as I was laying on the bed, the pain was uncomfortable enough that I wanted to cry, but still bearable as I said before.
He gave me the ipod and I began listening to the worship music and singing. Aaron just sat there watching me, smiling and I know praying. It was the song My Romance. The words were"Look at the way the flowers bloom for you. They want to show you their beauty. Running waters dance you and I romance. Unto you be all the glory. Angels dance around you, the earth it sings about you, open up the heavens Lord, let your kingdom come to earth." It was the perfect song. It was talking about God's glory and beauty and his creation and giving him the glory for everything He has given us. It's beautiful! I got emotional, caught up in the moment of realizing how great God is and how many beautiful things he has blessed me with, and how he, within moments was about to gift me with his highest blessing, another life that was mine. I started crying and right then I heard a very loud pop and felt a forceful jarring, then another pop. Aaron heard it too. It was my water breaking. After that the pain seemed almost unbearable, but somehow I got through it. I literally ran for the hot tub and jumped in, because I heard that the warm water helps with the pain. It helped me relax in between the contractions but it really is an indescribable pain. I labored in the water for about 35 to 40 minutes and had Aubrey in the water. Aaron reached down and pulled her out, and brought her up out of the water and handed her to me. She came out so wide-eyed crying at the top of her lungs. Just perfect. Aaron said that he would never forget the look on my face as long as he lives when she came up out of the water. He said I had a look of amazement and stun. I did lose a lot of blood because she was quite big. She weighed 9 lbs and 7 oz, but amazingl God was faithful in answering our prayers. I didn't rip at all and she came quick. Although it hurt so badly, I felt so proud and had such a feeling of accomplishment like there wasn't anything in the world I couldn't do now. We came home with her that night, and slept in our own bed. I wouldn't have done it any other way. I believe that was the way the Lord wanted ME to do it. It was beautiful! The hardest and most wonderful thing I have ever done in my life.

spaced out

So the other night, we were on our way to take the kids to New Hope so we could meet with our New Rivers community group. Aaron was driving behind me separately because the men and the women were meeting at 2 different places that night. We drove through the redlight at Brown and then came to the 4 way stop sign. I don't know what I was thinking. I guess I was thinking that I was stopped at a redlight waiting for it to turn green. That Natasha Beddingfield song was on"Staring at the blank page before you, open up the dirty window...., " and I of course had the music blaring loud and singing at the top of my lungs....just waiting for the light to turn green. The whole song played and when it was over I hear Aaron furiously honking his horn behind me. I then came out of my concert trance and realized that I had been sitting at the stopsign for the entire song playing, dancing and singing at the top of my lungs while others probably watched on thinking what on earth is that crazy lady doing?! When we arrived at New Hope Aaron was so mad at me. I was laughing so hard but he wasn't. He said to me,"What on earth were you doing? Didn't you heart the thousands of people honking their horns at you?" I told him I don't know where I was. I guess I was on stage in my mind putting on a concert somewhere. Later he laughed about it and I told him I needed a vacation. Goodness Gracious!!!

Sparkly Shirt for Jesus

Lately Alyssa has been talking a lot about Jesus. She has been asking questions and praying more. She prays every night before we eat dinner. The other night Aaron was putting her to bed and she was praying. She said for God to give daddy sweet dreams (so sweet). While she was praying Aaron had his hands lifted to the Lord and Alyssa looked over at him and stuck her legs up in the air. It was too funny. She said daddy you got to pray like this. Aaron got a good laugh out of that. She praises him with her whole body.
We have been talking a lot about Christmas and that the reason we really celebrate is because it is Jesus's birthday. She told me today that she is going to make Jesus a birthday cake and make him a sparkly shirt for his birthday on Chirstmas. So I guess we will be bedazzling Jesus a shirt for his birthday. I love her heart!!!! She really really blesses me every single day. I know that Jesus will be smiling when she is making him that shirt, and who knows, one day when we get to heaven, he may even be wearing it!!!

Standing Proud

A couple of nights ago, I was on the computer and Aaron yelled at me to come in the kitchen. I walked in there and Aubrey was standing up by herself in the middle of the kitchen. She stood there for a few seconds before she fell on her bottom and started smiling and clapping her hands. I felt so proud of her. Aaron was standing at the sink and said he saw her out of the corner of his eye and he turned around and there she was just standing there smiling at him. It is so funny. She seems too little. She just turned 9 months old last week. My goodness she will be walking soon!!!! Lord Help! We will be even busier.