Announcing.....

Stover Baby #3! :-) Can you freakin' believe it? We are thrilled. I feel slightly guilty that I'm almost 10 weeks preggo and this is the first picture I've taken. I'll try to do belly shots each week, but let's face it, I don't have as much time as before. :-)





So here's the rundown:

No, it wasn't exactly planned, but not exactly unplanned either, if you know what I mean. We are some fertile folks, and for that I'm so grateful. I know many of my friends struggle with infertility and it just breaks my heart to watch their pain. If that's you, and you are reading this, I am praying for you!

The boys' reactions have been absolutely precious. I kind of thought they'd be indifferent, but they are so excited. They talk to the baby all the time. They want to see how he/she is growing by looking at my pregnancy book and on the internet. They sing to the baby and pray for it. It is really really sweet! And they have been so kind to me, saying things like, "mommy, since you have a baby in your tummy, we pulled some of your weeds in your garden." I'm.in.love.

I, for some reason, feel a little like a first time mom. I feel like I've forgotten everything, which if I'm honest, completely freaks me out!I get so excited when I read my weekly updates from BabyCenter telling me how the baby is growing and developing.

I'm not throwing up, for which I am grateful. I do, however feel like I got hit by a Mack truck most days. I've never felt exhaustion like this. Although, the last three days have been slightly better - perhaps I'm coming out of the fog! I do gag when I brush my teeth. Seriously...can hardly do it. But of course I do because I have to.

We went for our first appointment last week and everything looks amazing. We even got an ultrasound, which I wasn't expecting, but was so glad. There's just nothing better than seeing that. No matter if it's the first time, third time or 10th time. Amazing. Simply Amazing!

We have no baby stuff. None. Nada. Crazy, huh? We donated, gave away loaned much of our stuff. We do have an extra crib that's at my parents house somewhere... I don't have one item of maternity clothing, so I was so glad when Katie brought me some. Oh gosh, that too also freaks me out.

I don't need maternity clothes just yet. My tummy is looking pudgy. Lovely...A lady at exercise class said she was going to start calling me pudgy. Girls, I tell you what if she ever (OR ANYONE ELSE) calls me pudgy, I might just go all crazy and punch a nose or two. Just sayin'. I haven't gained any weight yet. Confession time... when I think about this precious baby, the weight gain is what I dread the most. I have worked my butt off to get back to a manageable weight. So, hopefully, my weight gain and subsequent loss experience won't be too traumatic.

I don't remember this from last time, but pregnancy peeing is weird! Yes, of course I have to potty often. But when I do, it takes sweet forever. And it's a really little trickle. (TOO MUCH INFORMATION, i know... sorry.) Even Billy comments and says things like, "dang - didn't know anyone could pee that long." Oh the joys!

Oh, and guess what else???? I get to share this pregnancy with my sweet sister in law! :-) Hooray! She and I are due literally the same day or so. That is super special! Speaking of due date, our ultrasound indicates 10/13/2012. :)





And the best part of being preggo??? The thought that I get to see my sweet hubby be a daddy again. Y'all, I'm convinced that's the reason God chose for us to be parents again... so another person can look up to and idealize their daddy. These three babies have no idea how blessed they are that Billy is their daddy. Really...

Just some stuff

It seems like forever since I've blogged. Busy busy busy. That's my excuse (and some other stuff, but that's another post for another day)...

Here's some of the random stuff juggling around in my mind.

* Someone hit our car this weekend. Our new car. Uggh. The worst part? It was at church. Major bummer. Good news? Our neighbor helped "pop" the dent back in place and it looks much better. Now we just need to replace the smashed headlight. Our handy neighbor saved us a couple of hundred bucks probably.
* The tire light keeps coming on in the van. I just went to Pep Boys on my lunch break to get it looked at and that place is creepy. That is all. There's definitely a reason God gave me a husband. So glad he can usually take care of that stuff. I am too girly for Pep Boys. :-)
* I am so frustrated with the Bachelor this season. Seriously. When he watches this back, I wonder if he'll doubt his choices... I mean when you hear something from so many different people, you have to believe it's at least in part true!
* I don't know why I keep on watching the Bachelor/Bachelorette. Makes no sense to me, but I keep coming back. :-)
* Jacob celebrates his 100th day of school today. How fun! Can't wait to hear all about his adventures.
* Jonathan is having vehicle day tomorrow. Wonder what vehicle he'll choose to take?
* I love FBC preschool and Jan Wonderlich. It has been the best place of learning and growth for my kids.
* February + warm weather = day at the park yesterday and IT WAS PERFECT!!! Bring on spring.
* Collins HS is playing in the regional tournament tonight. Go Titans! Our good friend is the coach and we are so excited and inspired by the love he pours into the team. Too bad I have to work late and can't make the game.
* been thinking a lot lately about older kids who "rebel" and choose a path that is not pleasing to the Lord. My heart breaks for some dear friends dealing with this. It's made me pray all the more desperately for my own children...that they are learning how much they are of value to God, how much they are loved and what awesome plans the Lord has for them. It's not too early to pray for those precious teenage and college years. If I can prevent any amount of heartbreak from bad decisions, I want to. Oh God, please protect my sweet children!

Oh Cupid

Valentine's Day takes on whole new meaning when you have kids. I loved celebrating with my big Valentine and am so grateful for my sweet hubby. He even wrote me a very sweet poem. It was so sweet! We got to enjoy an evening at home on this Valentine's day - and guess what.. it rocked! We let the boys eat upstairs and watch a movie and we (stop the world) actually enjoyed a quiet dinner just the two of us. No interruptions like, "can you please get me another spoon?" "can I please have more milk?" "I didn't want my lima beans." Man, I love my hubs and appreciate the time we have together! Then, after dinner, we enjoyed a family friendly game of Trouble. :-) Fun times. No fancy dinner. No fancy flowers. No pantyhose (amen!). No crowds. Just us. The four of us. And it was perfect.

Thanks to Pinterest, I decided to make the boys' valentines to send to school - they were super cute, but umm took a little too much time. Maybe next year, I'll go with the trusty box o' valentines from Dollar Tree. :-) What do you think??? I wanted to make little masks for them, but simply ran out of time.




I also surprised the boys with this little treat - they seemed to like it - I hope they believe the messages.



Hope your week has been filled with celebrations with the ones you love.


It's a great time to remember the great love our Father in Heaven has for us. I've been meditating all week on I Corinthians 13. The love chapter... oh God, please help me love Billy and my sweet babies like this chapter describes.

tooth fairy strikes again!

Jacob lost tooth number 3 on Sunday. He was so excited to put his sweet little tooth in his pillow and wait and see what happened. Well, he was so excited to see that the tooth fairy had brought him 4 quarters AND a hershey's kiss. That was the best part for him. :-) Good thing the tooth fairy was able to dig up up some quarters - tooth number three was almost worth $5 cuz there was NO $1 bills to be found at the tooth fairy bank.

Just some stuff...

Been too busy living life to document it. I haven't taken a picture in about 3 weeks. Wow. I'd rather live it than capture it, I suppose. :-) But, just for posterity, here's a quick update.
1. Changing the sheets on a bunk bed is about as much fun as scrubbing the toilet. Uggh.
2. I.discovered.Pinterest. (cue the Hallelujah chorus!)
3. Weird, I know, but one of my favorite times of day with my sweet Jonathan is right before bed when he has to go do his business on the potty. Seriously, that boy is like clockwork. Anyway, he likes me to be in there with him (GAG!), but it is so cute. We have some pretty deep and awesome conversations in there and I wouldn't trade those precious few moments for anything.
4. Speaking of poo, Jacob has decided that he once again needs me to wipe his bootie. Umm, I could do without this duty especially since he usually yells for me just when I get ready to eat. I try to praise God even in the mundane things of life, but really?
5. Billy and I are turning into our grandparents. Really... we sometimes go to bed really early to watch our shows and it's no time before one of us (the one with the Y chromosome)is snoring away. Especially if I start to scratch his head. :-)
6. I seriously need some sunshine! We got a brochure for a beach resort yesterday and I've been drooling since I saw it.
7. I'm feeling a little bit mediocre these days... like I'm not doing anything GREAT. I'm doing lots of stuff "okay" but I feel like I'm walking through quicksand some days. I've been an "okay" mommy, and "okay" wife, an "okay" housekeeper, an "okay" friend and an "okay" therapist at work. Mediocrity is tough for a perfectionist like me to swallow. Must be praying about this one. (maybe it's because of number 6???)
8. Grammy and Pa are coming tonight, so I get to go out on a date with my hubs. YEAAH!!!! So, I better use the rest of the boys rest time to get showered and actually fix myself up a little. How's that to kick the pants off mediocrity. I might even shave my legs. But shhhh, don't tell anyone. :-)

It's Basketball time in Kentucky Y'all

So, basketball is a way of life in Kentucky and yes, we.bleed.blue! Go CATS. It's really funny how even as 3 and 5 year olds, our boys have strong opinions about which basketball teams to like and which ones to cheer against. One of them may actually call another team in Kentucky "dirty birds" any time he sees the emblem. I mean, we honestly do not say that in our house. Promise. Even my hubby, who's as dies hard UK fan as you could find, does not say that. But, the strong opinions stand of the preschoolers in our house. So, it's a darn good thing that the little team Jacob is playing on happens to have royal blue uniforms, which of course he calls the Cats. :-) He's really enjoying it, and so is little bro, his biggest fan. So is mommy, but I have to confess, I have to bite my tongue not to yell at the little ball hogs on the other teams. I mean really - YOU ARE FIVE. Sharing should be your thing by now. :-) Oh my. I'm really gonna have to try hard not to be that mom. You know the one everyone dreads to see or HEAR at sporting events. Self-control, please don't fail me now. Anyway, here's a few shots of my sweet boy and his new UK blue team.

Daddy Daycare

So much to update, but here's the pic of the day... let's title it "Daddy Daycare!" (and no, don't worry Aunt Katie, we didn't let them sit around and play playstation all day!) :-) It was so cute - even Charlie got in on the action. :-) Love these boys and all I have to say is 2 on 4 is a lot easier than 1 on 4. Ha! Glad to have the hubs home from work today!