The Fabulous Stewart Sisters

Thanks for tagging me Jessica, but...............

2008-11-29T21:53:00.003-05:00

As luck would have it, the 5th picture in my 5th file is a picture of Ava's first poop in the potty. And I do mean the ACTUAL poop. I know it sounds weird, but believe it or not, you too will also find yourself running for your camera to photograph baby Rockey's 1st doo-doo in the toilet. (: I do find it funny to look at other tagged people's 5th picture and see smiling faces, and mine is a picture of ca-ca. Oh, and just to show that I did put a tiny amount of effort in this very strange post, I changed my background color from pink to brown to add to the overall theme.

I MISS YOU FRIENDS!!!!!!!!

2008-09-09T00:42:00.004-04:00

Hi Everybody! Things have been incredibly busy around here lately and I wanted to let you all know how much I miss seeing and chatting with you all. I'm putting up a new post this week with pictures, but here is a quick update about what's been happening. Ava started Kindergarten last week and it is going so-so. Jackie is NOT happy about Ava being in Kindergarten!! I'm not either and I am starting to think about homeschooling next year, but I'll get into that in my next post. Billy's back is recovering faster than we had even hoped and it is a true miracle! Could it be that our lives are returning to normal? Whatever "normal" is! Thank you all so very much for everything that you have done for us during this truly eye opening and life changing trial. I can't WAIT to get back into the swing of things again. (:

Praying for Healing

2008-08-08T00:05:00.025-04:00

Ava & Jackie "fixing" Daddy's hair.

Doesn't Daddy look happy?

Tuesday, August 12th, at 11 a.m., Billy will be at Sentara Leigh having surgery on the bulging disks in his lower back. His neurologist decided to operate after two rounds of epidural steroid injections did not correct the problem. We had hoped that the injections would help alleviate, or even better, put an end to the pain altogether. If the injections worked, then surgery wouldn't even be necessary. Unfortunately the injection process only seemed to make the pain worse, so the next step is surgery. As odd as this may sound, Billy and I are both excited about this. Not excited about the actual operation, but by the possibility that this may actually be the beginning of the end of Billy's pain. This procedure has a 85% success rate and is less invasive than other back surgeries, such as spine fusion.

Lord willing, Billy will have to be in the hospital for only one night. I will take him to the hospital in the morning and be with him until prep time. The neurologist says that the surgery takes about one hour. I will stay in the waiting room until the doctor comes to talk to me and then I will be able to go see Billy in the recovery area. After he is settled in his room, I will stay with him for a few hours and then go pick up our girls from their Gramma's house.

This will be the first time that it has been just me and the girls for the night. It's going to feel weird without Billy. It's not that I will be scared at home without him, but I'll be missing him. Since the four of us have been together almost all the time since April, I have a feeling that Ava and Jackie are NOT going to be happy with Daddy gone. I am going to try to make the night fun for them, kind of like a little adventure. I'm going to put up some kind of makeshift tent in the living room and we can pretend that we are camping. I'll sleep in the middle so I can cuddle with them all night. Having them close to me will help me so much! As for Billy, I am sure that he will be highly medicated and I hope that he will be able to sleep. Isn't it funny how they wake you up to give you a sleeping pill when you are in the hospital??

You know, Billy has been in excruciating pain since the end of April. He probably doesn't even remember what it feels like to not be in pain, yet he has put on such a brave face trying to mask the pain. The thing is, there really is no way for him to hide it. You can see and almost feel his suffering just by looking at his face and seeing him walk. Sometimes it is almost unbearable to see him suffer and I wish that his physical pain could somehow be transferred to my body so he could feel relief. Of course I know that is impossible but to see the man that I love in pain breaks my heart.

What I CAN do, however, is pray and to ask others to pray for him. I pray that the surgery will be successful and without complication and I pray that the Lord will somehow heal my husband. It has been very difficult to grasp the fact that I have absolutely no control over this situation. But at the same time, there is something so very freeing in knowing that this is all in God's hands. And knowing that He is a good, loving and faithful God brings me great comfort and joy. Knowing this gives me a certain peaceful feeling that I can't quite explain. I don't know how, but I do know that He will take care of Billy.

These are a few pictures that have been taken of Billy since he has been injured. He is smiling (except in the one where the girls are doing his hair) but you can tell that he is hurting. Please pray for him. I will keep everyone posted on how he is doing. :)

. Billy & my sister Marie the day before she moved to Japan.

Billy, Marie and me.

A jack-o-lantern in July & Jackie takes a tumble!!

2008-07-24T17:52:00.039-04:00

My sweet little jack-o-lantern.

I have been meaning to post for a while now, but things have been very busy around here lately. Lots of errands, doctor appointments, phone calls and watching the girls performing numerous little dance routines. So far, the highlight of July was the 16th, when Ava's first baby tooth fell out! At first it made me quite sad to think of her growing up so fast, but seeing that silly little toothless grin makes my heart burst with joy!! Four days later, she lost another tooth, which makes for such a sweet smile and an adorable lisp. She sounds like Cindy Brady from the Brady Bunch and I love it! She looks like a little jack-o-lantern! Needless to say, the Tooth Fairy has been very busy lately. After we cleaned and polished the tooth, Ava drew a picture for the Tooth Fairy and wrote her a note to remind her to fly safely. It was so sweet. It's a good thing that Ava is such a heavy sleeper because it's difficult to sneak into her room, lift her head and pillow, take the tooth and leave the Tooth Fairy money. Once I thought she was waking up and I dropped to the floor FAST and HARD! It's hard being the Tooth Fairy, but SO much fun! :-)

The other pictures are of Jackie sitting upside down on the couch grinning. I thought she was getting ready to do a back walkover and then she tipped over and went down!! Instead of crying, which is what I most likely would have done, she simply looked surprised and moved onto something else fun. She is such a little toughie! Ava is more like me in that she is so ridiculously dramatic and is always in need of a band aid!

Also, a special thanks to Katy Van for helping me start a playlist on my blog. I've been wanting to do it for months but couldn't figure it out until she walked me through it. I'm glad I finally asked for help! Now that I know how to do that, I think I'll try experimenting with other blog stuff like different colors and templates. Now if I could just figure out the slideshow thing..... (:

Ava's tooth; YES, I actually took a picture of it! That's a shadow underneath, not blood.

The girls on the couch being silly

An upside down grin

...and down she goes!!! I was afraid that she might have hurt her neck, but in true Jackie style she wanted to get back on the couch and do it again! My girl is tough!!!

Trials Are Blessings

2008-06-16T23:21:00.008-04:00

As you all know, I am a woman of MANY words. But, tonight I am going to try to keep this post short because I don't want to subject you to my endless rambling.

As many of you know, Billy has been unable to work for almost two months due to back problems. When this first began, we felt like the rug had been pulled out from under us; Billy was in pain and couldn't work, which meant no income. How would we pay the rent? How would we pay our bills? How would we feed our daughters? Faith took on a whole new meaning; we've had faith in the Lord, we've had other struggles. But this was the biggest struggle we had yet faced, and we were scared!!!

God is in control and even as we were scared, He was at work. It took some time but we realized that this trial is indeed a blessing. Through this God has shown himself and his blessings, allowing our brothers and sisters at Sovereign Grace to serve us. We have grown closer to the Lord, and continue to grow each day. We have also realized how dependent we are upon the Lord and whomever He chooses to use.

Having said that, Billy and I want to express our sincerest gratitude to our Sovereign Grace family, our Pastor Chris Mangold, our Care Group and Care Group leaders Doug and Cheryl Davis and our Integrity family for your prayers, encouragement, gifts and time. We are also so very thankful for our families.

Ultimately, we thank the Lord for His gift of this trial and for the grace to grow from this.

A few weeks ago, Chris Mangold took the time to come to our house to minister to us and pray with us. At that time, he recommended a book that might help us to understand God's sovereignty through suffering. Today, Melissa Smith delivered that book, Suffering and the Sovereignty of God by John Piper and Justin Taylor, along with a Bible which will be our Stewart family Bible. Lord willing, it will be passed down to our children and their children, ... (a memory of the blessing of trials).

Sweet and Silly Pictures

2008-05-04T00:36:00.022-04:00

This weekend I was looking at our downloaded pictures on the computer and came across some that really made me smile! Most of them are of the girls, of course, and they are all from the past two years. There are a lot of silly pictures and the others are so sweet that they make me want to cry! I hope you enjoy the pictures and that they will bring a smile to your face!

Ava & cousin Savanna (a.k.a. "Fuzzy") love to be together

.A kiss bye-bye

.Ava & cousin Julian at Chuck E. Cheese. He's like a big brother to her & they adore each other

Ava & Daddy watching the 4th of July fireworks

Baby Jackie with her sweet cheeks and chins

.Jackie's tootheless grin (what a happy baby)

.Jackie wearing her cool shades, with her adoring Grampa

.A very happy & excited Jackie

What a sweet big sister!

Ava & Daddy having a blast in the flurries

Can you say sugar shock?

Ava with cousins Savanna & Celie. Time to break out the stain stick!

.Ava & Jackie with their GA cousins. They had spent the day swimming and Grampa let them wear his old t-shirts. I think that Savanna & Celie look like little monks in their brown shirts & that they all look like sweet little ragamuffins

Billy crashed out in front of the computer. I find this one both sweet & silly

.Silly & bizarre. My friend Tish & me trying to recapture our youth by competing to see who was the better contortionist. That's me in the back and my neck ached for a week after that night, but it was worth it because we had so much fun!

Eat Your Heart Out Betty Crocker

2008-04-22T23:54:00.006-04:00

Guess what? I baked!!!! Cheryl Davis gave me her recipe for her amazing chocolate chip bundt cake and after a few weeks I got up enough nerve to attempt to make my own. Although I was really happy with the outcome, Cheryl still makes it better. I always have a hard time cooking because I usually don't follow the recipe like I should, but I did this time. Ava and Jackie helped me and they pretended that we were on a cooking show. Ava has really been in to the Food Network lately so maybe when she grows up she can teach ME how to cook! We poured about three quarters of the batter into the pan and then sat on the kitchen floor with spoons and ate the rest. When I was little I always said that when I grew up I would eat as much batter as I wanted and I do!

Later we put the cake on the table in front of Billy because the girls wanted to pretend that it was his birthday. They even put up some pink streamers! First we sang Happy Birthday to Billy and he blew out imaginary candles. Then the girls decided that it was every ones birthday so we took turns singing and blowing out candles that were not really there. There is one piece left and I am getting ready to eat it. Thanks for the recipe Cheryl!

On a completely different note, I had my procedure last Saturday at my Dermatologist's office. It wasn't bad at all and I am feeling pretty confident that all of the bad cells were removed and that they have not spread. I am not nearly as sore as I thought I would be, but my backside looks a bit like Frankenstein. The glow in the dark Spongebob band-aids give me a distinct look, I think. Pathology should have the results any day now and I will keep everyone posted!!!

The Holy Spirit

2008-04-03T01:40:00.005-04:00

Billy and I went to care group tonight and the most wonderful and amazing thing happened to me! I know that I often (actually, always) ramble on and on, but PLEASE stay with me on this because I want to share this with all of you and it's important to me. Before I tell you about it, I want to fill you in on what's been going on in my life for the past few weeks. It has been a very trying time and instead of turning to the Lord and praying, I sat around feeling sorry for myself and acted like a spoiled rotten child. I have been acting selfish, taking Billy for granted and not having much patience with Ava and Jackie. I wanted to go to care group tonight, but because I have been in such a funk lately, I was afraid that I would end up sitting in a corner sulking. I LOVE care group at the Davis' and realized that that was where I needed to be. I am SO happy that I went!!!!

As usual, because of my inability to stop talking, we were the first to arrive and the last to leave. I immediately started to feel better when we walked in. When everybody arrived, we sat around in a circle and talked about different things and people requested prayers. I am sure that you have all heard how I believe that the Lord chose J'nelle to act as His messenger in drawing me to Him. Several months ago, as she was hugging and praying for me, I actually felt what I can only describe as a jolt of electricity run through my body. AT LAST!!! I had been waiting almost my whole life for some kind of sign that there really and truly is a God and during the prayer, I FINALLY felt God's presence and found what I had been seeking. Until then, I wanted SO much to believe but wasn't ready to make that leap of faith. I didn't have to because at that very moment, I TRULY believed and felt the Holy Spirit!! I was absolutely euphoric for a few months, and then the honeymoon period ended. People had told me this would eventually happen but I didn't want to believe them. Of course I still believed that Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins, but I found myself praying less and feeling depressed and anxious. I was no longer floating on cloud 9.

Back to care group tonight. J'nelle sat next to me on the couch and I believe she could sense my depression because she patted me on the back and held my hand. This time, I felt an even stronger surge of "electricity" run through my body and I started to cry. I felt the Holy Spirit and it was AMAZING! My heart instantly felt full of love, joy and relief!!! I COULD NOT stop crying no matter how hard I tried. I have never prayed out loud in care group until tonight. All I knew was that I wanted to but was afraid because everyone always sounds so eloquent and they often quote scripture when they pray. I didn't know how to start and was afraid that I would not pray the "right" way, but everything inside of me was screaming "Just open your mouth and pray!" Imagine me, being nervous to speak! How weird is that? :)

All of a sudden, my mouth just opened and I started to pray. J'nelle has not been feeling too well lately and has been stressed out. I prayed for her and although my words were choppy and not fluid, I realized that there really is no"right" way to pray. I absolutely believe that God heard me and that He listens even if your words are not polished and eloquent. It felt SO GOOD to be able to pray for my wonderful friend and know that the Lord heard me! I was able to compose myself for a few seconds and then Billy prayed for my amazing and loving sister Marie. She is so very giving, loyal and selfless and it has been difficult for her lately because her husband leaves for a six month cruise Monday. My brother-in-law Seane, received orders to Japan so he leaves first and Marie and my precious nephew and niece will go sometime in June. I was crying so much that I started to feel nauseated. I was crying because I was thinking of their departure, but also because I felt that God was with me and it was amazing!!!

So in conclusion, yes I do intend to stop typing soon, I just wanted to express how grateful and blessed I am. Catherine, Kristen and Katy Van made my life SO much easier by bringing over delicious meals as we were settling into our new home. Cheryl Davis orchestrated the whole thing and I thank you all so very much! You guys can COOK and I wolfed it all down which has resulted in helping me enjoy food again!!! J'nelle and Lizzy, thank you so much for taking so much time talking to me. I have REALLY missed fellowship and I promise not to monopolize all of your time at the next meeting! Lizzy, I will be praying about your interview. Lisa, I wish that we could have had the chance to chat but I looked up and you were gone. Hope to talk to you soon. Jessica, I hope that you were not at care group because you are not feeling well. I missed you tonight and hope to see you soon. Finally, I want to thank the Davis family for allowing us into their home with such welcome and loving arms. I feel that I could say just about anything, and instead of judging me, they would try to understand and be compassionate. As a new Christian, I bombard you with questions and you always seem happy to answer them. What patience you have! Cheryl and Doug, you are such amazing care group leaders and I appreciate you both so much! I am SO incredibly blessed to have my family and all of you as my friends. If you are still reading, I love you all!! O.K., I promise to stop typing now.

Our Soon to be Home Sweet Home!!!

2008-02-13T00:49:00.015-05:00

I know that some of you may be shocked, but I actually have GOOD news to write about!!! We found out yesterday that our application was approved for the condo that we REALLY wanted. It's in Knell's Ridge in Chesapeake and close to just about everything. Karen Smith showed us a few properties that we asked to see, but this one was THE ONE. I knew I wanted it before I even went inside. Thank you so much, Karen, for your time and patience. Not only did I get a new great place to live, but in the process I have gained a wonderful new friend! I am so thankful for you!!!

So now I'll give you guys a little info on our soon to be home. The address is 670 Ridge Circle, which means I am going to have a difficult time ordering pizza because my R's sound like L's. It's an Asian thing, but at least the address is not 670 Ridge Road. Now THAT would be hard for me to say! :) Anyways, it's a 2 story condo and the owner has put in all new carpet, tiles and appliances. This will be my very first flat top stove and I intend to use it! That's right, I am actually going to start cooking real meals! The girls are going to share a room so Billy and I are going to buy them matching twin beds with a bedside table between them. They will be able to go to bed and talk and sing until they fall asleep.

I think the thing that I love most about this condo is the woodburning fireplace with a cute little mantle. I LOVE to have a nice warm fire when it's cold outside and I'm glad it's not a gas fireplace because the fumes give me headaches. Ava is already talking about toasting marshmallows! There is even a small fenced in patio area where we can put our grill and there is room around the fence to plant flowers. I will have Billy do the digging though, because I would freak out if I saw a worm. As most of you know, I am not outdoorsy, but I am really going to try to make the backyard pretty for the girls and Billy. As you can tell, I am really excited about this place. It just felt so RIGHT when I walked in the door and I can't wait until March 17! Here are a few pictures I took when Karen showed me the property.

By the way, the lab tests came in and I don't have shingles like the doctor thought. It's a staph infection and I'm on a few different antibiotics, and on my way to feeling, looking and SMELLING better! I sure do miss everybody and look forward to seeing everyone soon!!!

The Living Room (see my fireplace?)

The kitchen (obviously)

Part of Billy's and my bathroom

The bathroom in the girl's bedroom (soon to be pink!)

MY STOVE!!! (And I'm actually going to use it!)

It's the one on the left (Can't wait to have everybody over!)

My Silly Joke

2008-02-09T23:38:00.000-05:00

O.K., so here is my silly little joke. "Anybody need a new roof? If so, I'm your girl because I've got shingles." Yes, I know it's a very lame and pathetic excuse for a joke but I am trying to be positive while keeping a sense of humor about my latest "ailment." I woke up Wednesday morning with a headache and an allover feeling of ickiness. My skin hurt and my lymph nodes in the ear/neck area were hurting and felt swollen. I had also noticed some small red splotches spread around my body and my scalp felt like it was on fire. I was a bit nervous to see my doctor because it all just sounds SO weird!!!!! I finally decided to go to the doctor, but first I had to go and drop off our rental application for the condo at Knells Ridge that we REALLY want to rent. Anyways, I ran that errand and went to see my doctor. At first she thought that it could be chicken pox, but then she saw my scalp and said that it was shingles. I know this is really gross, but I had about 40 to 50 blisters on my scalp. Most of them had already popped and she popped the other ones to obtain cultures. It DID NOT feel good but it had to be done.

So if you are still reading this, I'll continue. My doctor gave me medicine to fight the shingles and to prevent it from getting worse and she gave me a prescription for pain killers. Unfortunately, the shingles fighting medicine does not seem to be working and the pain pills make me itch. Since I have been told not to touch the gross blisters/scabs, (And really, why would you want to?) I can't scratch at all! So I am in hibernation right now, staying inside wearing a ridiculous hat with ear flaps and a big pom pom on top. As long as I wear the hat, I can't scratch my scalp.

I'm very sorry to complain, but I'm getting cabin fever! I can't go to the new members class or church tomorrow and I'm really bummed about that! However, I'm going to look at the bright side. I have a mild case of shingles and am very thankful for that. I looked online at some websites and realize that most people that get shingles get it SO much worse! Some of the pictures on the websites were so uncomfortable to look at that Billy wouldn't look at the screen anymore because he was eating. Despite the way I look right now (NASTY) and the discomfort, I am actually in a very good mood. I just keep thinking that this could be SO much worse. The whole thing is kind of funny in a strange way. If any of you could see me right now wearing my hat with the big pom pom and ear flaps, it would give you a laugh. I look in the mirror and all I can do is roll my eyes and chuckle. Did I mention that my hat also has lovely straps that tie under my chin? I think the straps make the hat all the more charming and really give it that little something special. Ha! Ha!

I hope to be out of the house soon and can't wait to take off my hat! I miss all of you and look forward to seeing everybody. If you are in need of a good laugh, think of me and my hat. I look truly bizarre. Maybe I'll have Billy take a picture of me and post it. Hope everybody has a great week and I'm looking forward to seeing everyone again!!!

Help Wanted

2008-01-29T00:39:00.000-05:00

I have a secret that I want and need to confess to. You can not tell from looking at me, but my eating disorder (anorexia) is starting to take over my life again and I am relapsing. Lately, anytime one of my friends or family has asked how I am doing, I smile and say "fine". I sometimes go for five days without eating a single thing. That is when I get to the point where I can no longer walk upright and I am unable to pick up my children. I can barely make it up the stairs or stand up in the shower because my legs have gotten too weak.

It usually starts this way. I am hungry but am too busy to eat so I tell myself that I will eat later. Then it is late at night and I promise myself that I will eat tomorrow. As time goes by, I find myself not even getting hungry anymore. I can hear my stomach making terrible "hungry" noises, and it actually makes me feel good about myself. I feel like I have won. But the truth is, I am losing and I need help. Why do I do this to myself? I have two theories. One is that I feel that I have no control over my life and this is the one and only absolutely thing that I can control. WRONG! Anorexia has been controlling me but until recently I have been too blind and too proud to realize that. My other theory is that I sometimes wonder, "Am I even worthy of this food in front of me?" I guess that deep down I think that I am a terrible person who doesn't even deserve love. I suppose this is a way of punishing myself for not being how I think I SHOULD be.

I know this all sounds so crazy and stupid, but please stay with me here. I don't want to hide this anymore. I want to get better and not worry my loved ones anymore. I refuse to lie about this and be deceitful to my wonderful friends and family who only want what is best for me. I am setting such a TERRIBLE example to my daughters about self esteem and body image. Even though I have never even said the word "fat" in front of them, they know something is wrong. Can you imagine the shame that I feel when one of them hears my stomach growl or I have to tell Jackie that I am physically unable to hold her? It is time to hold myself accountable for my actions.

This is what it comes down to. I will start seeing a therapist to talk to, but I KNOW that what I need more than anything is prayer, fellowship and tough love. If anyone reading this has gone through something like this or knows someone who has, please tell me. I logged onto a message board meant to help people with eating disorders. I was looking for encouragement and I didn't even end up writing anything because of some of the things I read. Some people wrote things like "Quit whining. Eat or die. If that is how you are, then you deserve to die. Good riddance." I didn't find that very encouraging and realized that a message board was not going to help me. I have to keep reminding myself that when I starve myself, I am displeasing God, I am robbing my children of a happy childhood, I am robbing my husband of a relationship with a happy and healthy wife, and that I am slowly committing suicide. It's gotten pretty scary before and I DO NOT want to die right now.

I'm sorry to post this because it is so depressing, but I felt that I HAD to confess this. I want to get better and I can't do it by myself. I pray constantly that God will give me the desire to eat. I ask for His help and beg His forgiveness for what I have done not only to myself, but also to my family and friends who worry. I have a strong desire to talk to ANYONE who might have the tiniest idea of how I feel and anyone who might be able to offer any words of encouragement. I know this makes for uncomfortable reading, but this has been on my heart for some time now. I know that I am not a victim and am not asking for sympathy for my own stupidity. In the last six months I have been witness to how powerful prayer can be. My heart has changed in ways that I can't even begin to describe. As I continue to pray and seek the Lord's guidance, I ask that you pray not only for me, but also for my family. I have put them through SO MUCH pain and frustration. They are the victims here, not me. I will close with this. This IS NOT what the Lord wants for me and I will get better. Thanks for taking the time to read this. :)

Kids Say The FUNNIEST Things!!!!

2008-01-21T23:09:00.000-05:00

I haven't put up a new post in quite a while and I had planned on posting one tonight with pictures. I got too tired so I will do that one tomorrow night, but I wanted to share something that Jackie said tonight. She occasionally wakes up in the middle of the night with night terrors. Ava had them too a long time ago. You other Moms know what I mean. You are in a deep sleep and then you hear the most terrifying screaming and crying coming from the monitor. So you SPRINT into your child's room and try to comfort them. They continue to shriek and it seems as though they are looking right through you, or don't even seem to recognize you! FINALLY they go back to sleep leaving you very relieved and tired.

So anyways, Jackie had her last night terror over a month ago, but sometimes as a joke, I refer to her as the "Night stalker". I know it sounds terrible, but it's just one of her several nicknames. Tonight I was in the kitchen and she was in the living room. She said something to me and I couldn't hear what she said. I yelled out "What's that you say, little night stalker?" She comes running into the kitchen and very seriously says "I'm not a night stalker, I'm your baby!" I felt TERRIBLE and won't be calling her that again, but I have to say that I found it very cute!

Tomorrow Ava has her first ballet class with Jessica and she can't stop talking about it. She is SO excited and I am excited for her. Hope to get a different post with pictures up tomorrow night.

Happy 3rd Birthday, Sweet Jacqueline!!!!

2007-12-28T17:12:00.000-05:00

Three years ago, on December 28th, 2004, our sweet baby girl Jacqueline Melody Stewart was born. It had been a long and difficult pregnancy. At 39 weeks, my wonderful doctor told me that I was almost 4 centimeters dilated and planned to induce me. I was SO ready to have my baby. This being my second delivery, I was more prepared and the labor was much easier. The doctor, nurses, Billy and I even laughed and told jokes between my pushing.

Jackie was SUCH a beautiful newborn! I know everyone thinks their babies are beautiful, but looking back, Billy and I realize that Jackie WAS the most beautiful newborn we have ever seen. To make things even better was the fact that she didn't have colic like Ava had.

I have to say that even after three years, with the exception of pre-nap times, Jackie is the happiest little girl that I have ever seen. She is almost always smiling. She has many nicknames: we called her "Herman" as a baby because she looked like a little boy; now she is Daddy's little "Goo Bear"; we also call her Jackie, Jacks, Jackers and Jacksonville. I have started calling her "Sunny" because of her sweet disposition.

She loves all of her grandparents, but has a special fondness for her Gramma Stewart. Jackie loves to snuggle with her Gramma. She also can't get enough of my sister Marie, who both of my girls affectionately call "Murries". When J'nelle comes over on Thursdays, Jackie runs to the door and yells "Auntie Sharpelle!" One of Jackie's other favorites is her Auntie Patty, Billy's Aunt.

I have always known how blessed Billy and I are to have our wonderful girls, but we recently found out something that makes us appreciate them even more. After I had surgery in August, the doctor told me that I had severe, aggressive endometriosis and I had been born with it. He said that I was about 99% infertile and he was astounded that I had two healthy babies. A second doctor has since confirmed that both girls are miracles; we now know that we were blessed by the Lord's gift. What an absolute miracle our girls are! God has blessed Billy and me with two amazing little miracles!

To our sweet little Jackie, I want to say that Mommy, Daddy, Ava and Mort (our kitty) love you SO very much. You bring so much joy to our lives! No matter how old you are, you will ALWAYS be my sweet little baby girl. You are Mommy's little miracle.

Sisters... and best friends forever!

Christmas Party

2007-12-16T23:16:00.000-05:00

Last night Billy and I went to a company Christmas party for one of the dealerships where he works. The party was held at the new Westin hotel in Towne Centre and it was beautiful! J'nelle lent me a dress and I went to get my hair cut for the first time in almost three years. It felt SO nice to feel like a woman again, instead of wearing t-shirts and sweatpants while chasing the girls around!! The party was really fun and the food was great! I made friends with the DJ and requested many songs from the 80's, like Ice, Ice, Baby and Into the Groove. The DJ even played Baby Got Back!!!!! Billy says that he has no rhythm, but he did a great job doing the running man to Vanilla Ice. I wish I had THAT on video. After the party we headed to my sister's house. She had watched the girls for us and we ended up having a sleepover because we left the party so late. We had such a good time, but there was one thing that was frustrating for me. In addition to other great food at the party, they were serving my absolute favorite food, fettuccine alfredo. I wanted to eat it SO bad, but I always get the noodles and sauce stuck between my teeth so I had to decline. Talk about willpower!!! Anyways, hope that you all have a great week!

The Japanese version of "The Price is Right"

Me embracing my heritage, ha ha

The WIG!!!!!

2007-12-09T01:20:00.000-05:00

About a week before we left for Disney World I bought Ava a blonde wig to go with her Alice in Wonderland costume. We had reservations for a Alice/Mary Poppins character breakfast. All of the little girls, Savanna, Celie, Jackie and Kirsten, had Alice costumes so I felt bad and bought a costume for Ava on E-bay. When I brought the wig home, everyone tried it on. In the end, Ava decided that the wig was too hot and itchy to wear so she just wore the costume. At least we got these pictures of all of us in THE WIG!

I hope you enjoy our silliness.

Jackie loved wearing the wig

Actually, I think Ava looks kind of cute,

in a Stepford Child kind of way.

FLASHBACK!!!

I dyed my hair blonde in high school & had the mall chick bangs

Billy's mom, Sandy, looking absolutely divine.

Billy's dad, Bill; this is where it starts to get really creepy!

Billy wins for the most disturbing picture of them all.

I was so creeped out seeing him like this that even after it was off,

I still had a hard time looking at him.

A Kind and Selfless Act / Christmas Tree

2007-12-02T22:32:00.000-05:00

This post is about two different subjects.

First, I want to tell you about someone who recently helped my family and me. Last Saturday was really rough. I had been feeling like I was coming down with the flu or something, and I kept feeling worse as the day went on. My whole body was racked with pain and my temperature was getting pretty high. I felt that I really needed to go to the emergency room because I thought that I needed IV fluids. The problem with this was both of our girls were still sick, it was getting late and I didn't want to expose the girls to any germs in the waiting room. I knew that I would be unable to drive myself to the hospital because I felt that I could hardly move. Billy and I decided to that he would drop me off and call to see if someone from our care group would be able to pick me up when I was ready to go home.

As much as we didn't want to have to bother someone in the middle of the night, Billy called Dave and Jessica Rockey and asked if one of them would be able to pick me up when I could come home. With absolutely no hesitation, they said that they would be happy to help. I was treated in the emergency room for ten hours and was ready to come home at 6 a.m. I felt SO bad when I called Billy to let him know that I could come home because I knew that he would have to call and wake up our friends. I was absolutely FLOORED when Dave showed up in record time to pick me up. After feeling so sick, it was such a comfort to me to see his smiling and compassionate face. He REALLY didn't seem to mind and actually seemed happy to help. I want to thank you Dave, for helping me and lifting my spirits when I truly needed it. I also want to thank Jessica for letting me "borrow" Dave, especially because they were going to church later and I woke them up so early. Billy and I are both feel so blessed and honored to have you guys as friends. Words cannot even begin to express our gratitude! You are both amazing. Thank you.

Second. We put up our Christmas tree last night and it was so wonderful to watch how excited the girls were! We let them put the ornaments wherever they wanted and they did a great job. The tree has been up for 24 hours and only one ornament has been broken, compliments of Jackie. Of course, Billy had Ava put our WASHINGTON REDSKINS ornament on first and we let her put the star on top. Next year it will be Jackie's turn. The picture that I took of both girls is not the greatest. Ava had just had a meltdown and a spanking. I can't remember what she did to deserve it but I still insisted on taking their picture together. I think the look on Jackie's face in that picture is funny. Anyways, I hope you enjoy the pictures. One more thing and I promise I will stop writing. :) We have all been sick for quite a while now and I ask for your prayers. Again, I hope you like the pictures and have a WONDERFUL week!

Happy 5th Birthday, Ava. We Love You!

2007-11-20T18:14:00.000-05:00

Our first baby, Ava, turned 5 on November 18th.

She arrived about 3 weeks early. Billy and I had just finished our Baby 101 class the day before my water broke. I thought I was prepared, but when that first contraction came, I changed my mind! I was only in labor for about 14 hours and although it seemed terrible at the time, I look back on it now and realize how worth it she is! I experienced some baby blues in the mood department for a while. Then, I just fell in love with Ava like everyone else did!

How could you not?

I know this sounds very cheesy, but time has flown by too fast! When she was a newborn, I couldn't wait for her to grow up. I thought of all of the things we could do together and all of the conversations we would have. Now she is asking questions that I am not ready to answer and I want my little baby back. Of course I know that she has to grow up and I am excited about everything that she will do with her life, but there is still that little piece of my heart that will always ache for her little newborn hand to wrap around my finger and squeeze.

I love you Ava Noelle Marie! You will always be Mommy and Daddy's little baby. Everything about you is special. When we found out that we were having a baby we wanted three things for you. We wanted you to love music, books and to love animals. You LOVE to sing and dance, to have stories read to you, and you are incredibly compassionate, especially to animals.

Priorities have changed since you were born and we now know how important it is to raise you knowing how much God loves you and, more importantly, to trust in the Lord that you will grow up to know, respect and love God.

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!

Ava's 'My Little Pony' Birthday cake

^ Video - Ava blowing out her candles ^ .

DisneyWorld- ARE WE THERE YET??????

2007-11-11T20:51:00.000-05:00

After a wonderful week at Disney, we are home. We had the BEST time. The ride down was a breeze, but the ride home was a different story. Ava asked to stop and go potty about every 10 minutes, but it was the best vacation that I have ever had. The 4 of us together 24 hours a day was very special and I didn't know what to do when we got home because I got so used to having Billy with me. I was so sad when he had to go back to work! Spending time with our family was so wonderful and to see the kids all playing together was priceless. One of the most fun times for me was when the girls and I did the twist while Chubby Checker was in concert. We literally took hundreds of pictures, but I am only posting my absolute favorites. I might do a second post so I can show more pictures. Last but certainly not least, I want to thank Mom and Dad S. for this trip. It was such a fun time and we owe it all to you guys! Thank you so very much and I will remember this trip forever! Love to you ALL!!!!!

The girls with Alice in Wonderland

(this one's for you, Jessica)

Aidan, Ava, Jackie, Cecelia & Savanna

(the oldest 5 grandkids) waiting for a bus

Minnie and Alice at dinner on Halloween night

Ava Noelle Marie with Marie

(from the Aristocats)

{This one's for Ava's namesake, my wonderful sister}

Me & Billy at the happiest place on earth

(well, actually, we were in line for the monorail)

The girls preparing for lunch at Cinderlla's Castle

(Ava is Sleeping Beauty & Jackie is Cinderella)

Ava & Jackie with Cinderella's wicked step-mother & step-sisters

(Anastasia, Lady Tremain & Drizella)

"Another pair of sisters in matching clothes. How tragic!"

is what Cinderella's step-mother said when she saw our girls

Jacks & Celie had a great time together the whole week

Ava & Savanna relaxing before trick-or-treating

(Sorry, Mulan and Cinderella in their carriage)

Billy & me being silly on Halloween night

The girls (dressed as Alice) with Mary Poppins

(This was a Alice in Wonderland breakfast but we somehow

managed to not get a picture of the girls with Alice)

Ava & Mommy in the front car of the monorail

(we even got "official monorail co-pilot licenses")

Billy & Daddy's girl in the front car of the monorail

(Billy was making a silly face, but how sweet Jacks is looking at him)

Jackie & me being silly while waiting in line to see Mickey

The girls with the big cheese himself

Ready to ride the Mad Hatter's Tea Party

The girls with Suzy & Perla (from Cinderella)

.Gramma, Jacks & Mommy

Dancing in the streets

Jacks, Princess Aurora (Sleeping Beauty), and Ava

Crashed out after a hard day at the parks

Pumpkin Patch Time!!!!!!

2007-10-24T21:52:00.000-04:00

Last Saturday all four of us went to Taylor Farm for a birthday party for one of Ava's school friends. There were sheep, pigs, horses, donkeys and cows. There was also a bouncy house and we all went on a hayride to a pumpkin patch where the girls each got to choose a pumpkin. As soon as we got off of the hayride, Jackie went running out to the field and picked up a pumpkin. She refused to let it go and carried it around for the rest of the party. Ava LOVED all of the animals, but Jackie was afraid of the goats. Then we sat down to eat cake, and as always, I ate more than anybody else. I LOVE birthday cake!!!!! We all had so much fun and it was a perfect day.

Well, we are off to Disney World on Saturday morning and I have just started to pack. I am such a procrastinator, but the girls still have a few more days of school to go so it's difficult to get them packed when I know that I am just going to have to do more laundry! Tomorrow morning Ava's class is having a Pancakes with Parents party. The teachers are going to set up electric griddles in her class and then we make pancakes and have breakfast together. Ava and I are SO excited! I can't wait until I get to do that with Jackie's class in a few years. Well, I should go and pack some more. I will be thinking of all of you while we are in Disney. I am excited, but I will really miss our cat Morty. He will be staying at my sister's house and she loves him to death . When we go out of town and she watches him, we refer to her as his kitten day camp counselor. Yes, I know that is weird, but that's me!

Love to you all and we will miss you!!!!

Me & my girls

Billy & the girls

Ava & her friend Taylor on the hayride

Jackie & her beloved pumpkin

Walking away from the goats with MommyMe & the girls in the pumpkin patch

My first care group meeting!!!!

2007-10-21T17:37:00.001-04:00

Billy and I attended our first care group meeting on Wednesday evening at the Davis' home. It was such a wonderful experience for us. When I walked in, there were SO many people that we did not know but I immediately felt welcome and at home. After explaining to everybody that I was very new to this and sharing my struggles with them, their reactions were so encouraging. I was able to chat with people that I already knew and meet some other really terrific people. I have a few people that I would especially like to thank for such a wonderful evening.

To the Davises-Thank you so much for welcoming Billy and me into your home with such open arms. I entered as a stranger and left as a friend.

To Katy- Thank you so very much for inviting us to care group and for always being so great to me.

To Lisa- THANK YOU for offering to pray for me and my struggles. Whenever I feel that Satan is trying to lure me away, I now say "You can't touch me. I am a child of God." Lisa, it was great meeting you and I really hope that we can get all of our girls together.

So this is a picture documenting my first care group meeting. Compared to these three tall and beautiful women, I look a bit like a midget. But as I posted on Lizzy's blog, I look like a HAPPY midget! Thank you all SO much for such a wonderful meeting and I can't wait to get to know everyone better!!!!!!!

J'Nelle, Katy, Me and Lizzy

I went to CHURCH!!!!!

2007-10-14T23:06:00.000-04:00

Hi! I am very new at this so please bare with me. I created this blog to chat with friends and family, and of course to talk about my wonderful husband Billy and my precious daughters Ava and Jackie. I just wanted to say that the four of us went to church this morning and had such a wonderful time. I actually didn't want to leave. I felt SO welcomed and at home there. We talked to so many people like Jessica R., J'Nelle, Katie and Katina Hughes. I am going to try to attend every week. Thank you ALL who made us feel so welcome! Never in my wildest dreams would I think that I would be going to church and LOVING it!