Happy Halloween!

We never actually got to trick or treat this year because we ended up at the hospital with my dad. He's been having some breathing issues and went to a cardiologist only to find out he had an extremely low heart rate and would immediately need a pacemaker. We are so thankful he's ok! 

We still got to trunk or treat at church and walker had a parade and party at his preschool! Yesterday we put the costumes back on for a photo shoot. 

These babies make my heart so full! They are just too precious!!

Happy Halloween from my little farmer and his cow!!

Family Pictures and some updates

We recently had our family pictures taken and I wanted to take a chance to document where the boys are at this stage. Sometimes I get so sad that I just don't have the time to blog like I did with Walker. But it's just not high on the priority list these days....

Our sweet Walker is all boy! He is quite the talker and keeps us laughing all day long. He has his own little arsenal of jokes (thanks Uncle Ryan) and I'm sure is well on his way to class clown 2029. Lord help me! He also has a sensitive, sweet side. Just today he said "Mommy, I'm glad you're home!" He loves to run and jump, especially calling out cannon ball before big jumps! He loves being a big brother and shows more and more love for little man everyday. Throughout the last month Walker has gone through some pretty big milestones, we started a two day a week preschool program. He loves it! He also decided "Big boys not wear diapers!" and started potty training. We pretty much quit diapers cold turkey with the exceptions of bed time and nap time. He's done awesome with limited accidents. Tomorrow he's going to get a special treat from Mommy and Daddy since he's finally starting to tell us when he has to go! Daddy does bedtime with Walker almost every night and they read a little story book bible together each night. He has become obsessed with the story of Daniel and the Lion's Den and can recite nearly the entire story by heart. It's hilarious. He is also loving his book, Goodnight, goodnight construction site (best little boy book ever!), and loves seeing all the big machines around town when we are out and about. There is no doubt that Walker is such a special little guy! I'm still in awe that God choose Blake and I to raise him up. He is such a huge blessing to us. 

And then there was Henry, the sweetest, happiest baby ever! This little guy is all blessing. He is such a great baby and gives smiles to everyone, all day long. He's been sleeping through the night since 8 weeks and has stayed pretty consistent since.  I'm pretty sure he's going to be our brown eyed boy (yay for brown eyes like Mommy!), his hair seems to be staying darker than Walker's too. Henry has been rolling over since about 4 months and sleeps on his belly while sucking his thumb. That's a battle I didn't even try to stop, I'm sure I'll regret it later but for now it's so much easier than a paci. We also tried cereal right at 5 months. Some nights he loves it but other nights he could care less. For the last month Henry has been drinking both formula and breast milk. We started supplementing after his 4 month check up because he was on the little side at around 13.5 pounds (10th%tile). Since then he seems a little more satisfied between feedings and definitely seems like he's growing. This kid has really helped us through some very difficult days over the past five months. We are over the moon in love with our sweet Henry and know he is truly a gift from God.

And because I love, love, love being a momma of two beautiful boys... my heart may literally burst looking at these next ones....

Broken hearted

I honestly don't even know where to begin on this post....

On May 1 we welcomed our second baby boy into the world. Blake and I were on cloud 9! The week following Henry's birth, Blake took off and we settled in to our new life as a family of four. 

  On Saturday, May 11 we were out running a few errands when we got a phone call that would forever change our lives. Blake's sister, Alissa, was out of town with her little family on a weekend trip to Louisville, Ky. After a beautiful day with her family at the zoo, Alissa passed out in their hotel room and they were unable to revive her. As if losing Alissa wasn't devastating enough, she was 28 weeks pregnant with her third baby. Aubree Joy was delivered via emergency c-section once they got to the hospital. However, due to the lack of oxygen from the time Alissa passed out to delivery, Aubree also went to heaven to be in her Momma's arms on Monday, May 13. 

 To say that our hearts are broken is a huge understatement. Alissa was 33 years old and an amazing person who sought to be the hands and feet of Jesus to every person she met. She was an amazing momma to her two sweet babies, Adalyn (5) and Bryson (3) that she leaves behind. She served alongside her husband, Bryan, in his youth ministry position for the last 9 years. She has truly left an amazing legacy that her family can be proud of. She touched so many lives in her short time on Earth, and I am so thankful that I had the honor of being her sister-in-law for the last 5.5 years.  We are going to miss Alissa so, so much.

In the last month we have been overcome with so many emotions. We have good days and bad. I think for my own self the hardest part is trying to understand how someone who seemed so healthy can be gone in an instant. We are still awaiting the autopsy/ toxicology report to find out what caused this extremely sudden death. I also am struggling with understanding why God would take one of his best home so soon. None of this makes any sense to me. I'm trying so hard to trust God and know that his plan is perfect even when on this side of heaven we may never understand. Blake and I definitely view life with a new set of eyes. So many of our day to day problems seem so trivial in the grand scheme of life. One of the best weeks of our lives was followed with the worst week of our lives. Our preacher has said many times that we are all just a phone call away from a tragedy. This has truly confirmed that statement. None of us our guaranteed our next breath and we should be living every minute with purpose and striving to be like Christ in every area of our lives.

Please keep our family in your prayers. I know that we have them coming from so many people already but we definitely feel them and they are helping to heal our hearts.