Susan's having TWINS!!!

What can I say... I guess sometimes when you wait patiently for a prayer to be answered, God doubles your order! Congratulations, Tony and Susan!

And for those of you that knew that Wesley was having a procedure done today at the hospital, he did great! He's a real trooper. I was just nervous about the anesthesia; it sure was good to see those bright eyes open again! He took a long nap when we got home, and he was up and and running around this evening. I'll post pictures of him in the hospital when I get them. He was so sweet and cuddly when he got out of surgery. He usually doesn't sit still long enough for me to get that kind of quality snuggling! Many thanks to everyone who was praying for Wesley today.

Weekend at Mimi and Grandpa's

We just got back from visiting Michael's parents in Columbus, Georgia. Wesley had a blast... the more people available to heap attention on him the better! Jonathan (Michael's brother) and Karen (Jonathan's wife) were also there visiting from Nashville. Among the weekend highlights:

• Wesley got his third haircut, but this time we took him to a kiddie salon where he got to sit in a taxi cab chair and eat lollipops and goldfish.


• I got my first dose of "The Patricia Rogers Yard Sale Experience." I've been reaping the benefits of her passion for a long time now, but I had yet to see the pro in action! She awoke me before dawn and with newspaper and map in hand, we were off! We hit the jackpot at one house and the lady actually invited us into her house and started handing us baby girl outfits straight out of her daughter's closet!


• Michael's parents' church, where Ralph serves as an Elder, celebrated their 10-year anniversary and homecoming.

Apparently were were having too much fun to take pictures, because I only came away with a few. Here are some shots of Wesley enjoying his weekend at Mimi and Grandpa's.

Preggy Pals at Cypress Gardens

Hannah, Wesley, Susan, & Tony on the SkyLift. Susan & Wesley go for a carriage ride.





Mommy and Wesley in the famous Cypress Gardens & Wesley and Daddy in the butterfly house





The Cypress Gardens Ski Show! Wesley was so into it! He pointed and clapped and squealed with delight at all the stunts!

We spent Saturday at Cypress Gardens with our good friends, Tony and Susan. Tony is the youth minister at our church, and they were the first couple to befriend us here in Florida. Susan just found out that she is pregnant!!! It's always good news to hear that a friend is expecting a baby, but this is especially WONDERFUL news, as Tony and Susan have been praying for this blessing for several years. Susan has taught me so much about faith, patience, and humility as she stood by me as a friend while I was granted all the joys of motherhood. Seeing Susan rely on God amidst disappointment has truly taught me so much about the power of the Holy Spirit. She showed so much grace during these past few years, and I have often thought to myself how amazingly loved and cherished any child of hers would be. The day that Susan found out felt like Christmas day! I think this is the first time I've prayed for something over the course of years that's been answered in an instant. In that one moment, I felt an overwhelming sense of joy and peace and gratitude and fulfillment. It really makes it hit home to me what an absolute MIRACLE pregnancy is, and what an amazing gift each and every child is! Susan's trials gave me such perspective with Wesley, and again with this baby. Every time I feel a kick, I think "Wow... there's a little miracle in there!" Susan's baby is due four months after our baby girl, and we can't WAIT to be mommies together! Before either of us ever started trying to start a family, we talked about wanting to do the motherhood thing together. We took countless walks around the lake with the boys trailing behind, excitedly talking about how fun it would be to be pregnant at the same time, and to raise our families alongside each other. And because we have a faithful God that loves us and listens to our prayers, that day has come! I just feel a need to express my gratitude to God for answering my prayers, and for creating these miracles in our tummies!

Wes the Mess!

Wesley must be going through a growth spurt, because he is suddenly eating just about more than we do! As soon as I get him out of his crib in the morning, he wiggles to get down (the days of early morning snuggling in bed with Mommy are sadly over) and runs straight to the refrigerator where he jabbers and points and pounds on the door with vigor. A typical breakfast for him these days is a whole banana, a whole yogurt nutri-grain bar, half a plain bagel, a few strawberries or grapes, and some whole milk. Then we go on our morning walk where he eats handfuls of cheerios and drinks almost a whole sippy cup of juice. After his nap, he will eat about two cups of something like mac and cheese or spaghetti (today it's sausage and hashbrown casserole). Late afternoon he'll have some fruit (yesterday it was a whole can of mandarin oranges). And at dinner he eats whatever we eat, except for the things he decides he doesn't like. He used to eat veggies like a champ, but ever since his week-long flu last month, he won't touch a veggie. I used to buy giant bulk bags of frozen mixed veggies and Wes would eat them by the bowl. No more. Last night he actually ate some green bean casserole, and Michael and I about threw ourselves a party. I took Wesley to the doctor this past Monday for his 18-month checkup, and despite all of his voracious eating efforts, he weighed in at only 21 pounds, 14 ounces. That puts him in only the 5% for weight for his age. He must get his metabolism from his Mimi! If only kids could pass genetic traits on to their parents instead of visa versa!

Beach Baby!

Wesley loves water... of any kind!

Showing our favorite beach to Great-Grandmother and Great-Grannddaddy

Megan and Hannah strolling by the bay (we saw dolphins!)

Wesley loves water... a little too much, which is why I'm scared to take him to the beach unless I have lots of help! He is fearless. He runs into the ocean and just cackles when the waves hit his chest. The water is a little to cold for me this time of year, but it doesn't seem to bother Wesley and I end up going swimming trying to keep him from going out too far. Since the beach is a lot of work with an active little guy like Wesley, we don't go as much as we should. But Wesley and I have been three times in the past month; once when my mom was in town for her Children's Ministry Conference, once when Megan visited from Colorado, and once last week with my dad and grandparents. Hope these photos bring you some sunshine, wherever you are!

Belly Progress!

There's something growing in there!





We're both so glad that Daddy's home!





Great Grandmother and Great Granddaddy

I had expected to "show" quicker with this pregnancy than with my first, as most women say they do. But up until this week, I really wasn't showing much. But sometime between when Michael left for the Azores and when he got back last night, I just popped right on out there! Suddenly I'm not fitting into my regular clothes (clothes I wore just last week), and this morning at church everyone was exlaiming that I finally look pregnant (and rubbing my belly at will, as I'm sure everyone will continue to do for the next 4 months). So Michael and I figured we'd better take my first official "belly shot" of this pregnancy. Michael is home safe and sound (and tired!), and Wesley is sure happy to have his Daddy home! My dad says he senses he has fallen from his #1 spot, but I think Wesley just has two favorite people right now! Wesley is also getting quite attached to his great-grandparents, who have been providing around-the-clock attention all week. My grandparents have been to St. Pete Beach, Bok Tower in Lake Wales, Cape Canaveral, and have had the extensive tour of Lakeland. Tomorrow we'll take them to Cypress Gardens, and then let them rest a day before they fly back to Kentucky. This visit has been such a blessing! It means so much to me that Wesley is getting some special time with his very special great-grandparents.

When Daddy's away, with Granddaddy I'll play!

Wesley playing at the new park by Lake Mirror at his friend Reese's 2nd birthday party. Wesley and Reese will both have sisters this July!

Michael is away on business (visiting the Azores, some islands off of Portugal), and my Dad just arrived yesterday. He flew in with his parents, who are visiting Florida for the first time in decades. Michael purposely scheduled his trip to coincide with Megan's visit, and then with Dad's visit, so that all the company could serve as a distraction for Wesley. Wes gets pretty bored with me after the first 9 hours or so we spend alone together each day, so Daddy coming home is always the highlight of his day. I was really dreading Michael's trip, and I'm SO grateful that Megan and my dad could come! Megan left Monday and my dad and grandparents came Wednesday (Mom is home with my little brother; they will come in a few weeks for spring break). Wesley is now officially a Granddaddy's Boy! He just squeals with delight when Dad enters the room, and when Dad pauses from playing with him for a few minutes to fetch something for Grandmother or Granddaddy, Wesley follows him around up on his tippy-toes with his arms upstretched! Dad takes him outside, lets him play in buckets of water, and takes him on bicycle rides (something they have done at my parent's house in Kentucky). Wesley's favorite game is jumping on Dad and repeatedly "waking him up" while Dad pretends to sleep on the floor. Dad asked me to get a child's bike seat so that they could go for rides when he came here. I ordered one off of Amazon, and when it came in, Wesley pulled it out of the box and carried it around, dropping it to climb in every few feet. I'm posting a photo of Wesley in his bike seat, as well as a couple of photos from a birthday party he went to right before Michael left. I'll post pictures from Dad's trip next week. Michael leaves the Azores today to fly to Portugal, and then to Newark. He gets into Tampa tomorrow evening. We can't wait to see Daddy!