Toddler Life

At some point Nate became a full fledged healthy toddler! I sometimes wonder did it just happen overnight? I was looking back at pictures yesterday from when he was just a year old and how he still looked like a baby.  But now he looks like a little toddler full of energy! One thing is for sure he will always be my baby! ALWAYS!! He is continuing to grow in leaps and bounds both physically and developmentally! He truly makes my heart melt.  He is my whole little world! Its funny because I feel like I could write all day long about him.  Motherhood has been a fun and loving adventure! I spent the whole day Sunday with him, just me and him.  It was a very trying day.  He was pushing his limits! Which I know just comes along with having an 18 month old. But I do believe I was about to pull my hair out.  But at the same time when it came time to put him to bed I just wanted to snuggle my ''baby'' up and love on him.  I do believe that is the true definition of unconditional love! 

I always give Nate a kiss every time I put him in his car seat.  It just became something I do! And the past few months he would always wave and say 'bye-bye' to me. So cute and sweet.  This morning we were running a little late so I was in a hurry and I stood up and I heard him make a kiss sound and then I realized that I hadn't gave him his morning smooch!  But he reminded me! I said to him 'I'm so sorry, mama forgot'! But he is so smart he remembered!! The whole way to drop him off I was just thinking how lucky and blessed I am to call this little guy mine!  He is doing things everyday that amaze me.  He is like a little sponge just soaking it all up! As I have said before I am just trying to be the best parent I can be with what is in my heart! I am sharing some pictures of my little toddler! Hope you enjoy!!

Best Friends or Sisters?

In 1993 I met these two little girls who were also playing softball.  We instantly became best friends! We had lots in common but our lives centered around softball and our friendship.  We were pretty much inseparable all through school.  We have so many memories together. Some happy, some sad, some scary, some just outright hilarious! Friendship like that is truly rare.  And I do believe that once you get to a certain point in your life you stop finding friends like that.  And not only were we the best of friends but our daddies were "cowboy friends" (thats what they called each other) They coached us during the summer and also were close friends! We would always tell people that we were triplets.  We said that because Ashley and Carley were twins.  And we always said the third one always looks different!!

I think back to how obsessed we were with Days of Our Lives and so we decided we had to have pictures of Marlena that we found in a magazine that they were selling. So we scraped together the cash and sent our money in, they sent back the three pictures with a note saying to never send cash in the mail again! I think back to when my grandma died and they were at the funeral and saw how distraught I was and they stayed to comfort me.  They said they didn't really know what to do but them just being there helped! I think back to riding Mr. Chuck's fourwheeler and driving and dodging things and we flipped his fairly new fourwheeler.  We all said "Everyone ok?" and we flipped it back over and went and put the fourwheeler up and ran upstairs and hid! There are just so many stories, I could sit here and type forever.  I love those two girls with all that I am.  We have been the best of friends for 18 years now.  I can't think about my life without them in it! I do believe that they helped make me into the person I am today! Ashley is my son's godmother and Carley will be the next one's.  There was a point in our 18 years of friendship that we stopped being just friends and became sisters!  I know that we have a lifetime more of memories to make with each other.  I cherish each one! And I try so very hard to never take our friendship for granted! I thank God for bringing them into my life.  He certainly knew what he was doing when he crossed our paths.  So Carley and Ashley if you are reading this, thank you for being my bestest friend, thank you for being my sisters, thank you for loving me unconditionally and most of all thank you for being in my life! I love ya'll more than words could ever express!! TA-TA'S FOR LIFE!!

Believe

My grandmother (dad's mom) died in October of 1999. She and I were very close! I would go and stay 4 or 5 days at a time with her and never really wanted to come home!! She had such a sweet personality! We would stay up late just talking about everything you could think of! And you would never starve at her house! She was feeding you from the time you walked in her house till the time you walked out! She had a good bit of health problems.  We took her out for her birthday on a Monday night that October.  The whole family went.  I beat myself up for a long time after her death because I really didn't talk to her that much and that was the last time I saw her alive.  On that Friday morning of the same week she suffered a massive stroke and never came out of her coma.  The night before her funeral I had a dream that I was sitting on her couch and she was sitting in my pawpaw's chair and nothing was ever said till she looked at me and smiled and said I'm ok.  I can still remember that dream to this day.  I got up that morning and told my dad about it. I hope that it consoled him.  It seemed to console me.  I BELIEVE with all my heart that was her way of letting all of us know that she was in heaven and in no more pain.  The day of her funeral was a rough day for me.  I just lost it after I sat down from viewing her body for the last time. It was just so final.

 So now I can fast forward to right before I was getting married and for some reason I just got REALLY mad.  Actually ANGRY! She hadn't been here for all the milestones of my adult life and it just made me so mad.  Then I thought back to that dream and realized even though she wasn't here to be with me she is still looking down on me but I guess the selfish part of me wanted her here on Earth. But I know that she is in no more pain and is waiting on the day she can see all of us again! So now I will fast forward some more.  I found out I was pregnant with Nate on Friday July 17, 2009. I was so happy! I can't describe the feelings I felt! So they gave me a due date of March 15, 2010 on my first doctor visit! From that day forward my dad was very adamant it would be March 10th! His birthday! It sort of became a joke! I had a pretty healthy pregnancy. I had a few little scares but they were all normal but being I had never done this before it scared the mess out of me! So at the end of February I went for my weekly checkup (at this point I was going every Monday to the doctor) and my blood pressure was a little elevated and had some protein in my urine so she decided I needed to start my maternity leave two weeks early! When I went back the next Monday my blood pressure was still elevated so she said let me go look at the schedule for when I can induce you because I don't really want you to go to your due date! So she went out and came back in and said I'm gonna put you in to induce on next week Wednesday March 10th! Oh my dad was so happy! He kept saying I told you so!! So I went back on that next Monday and everything was still a go for Wednesday.  Got my papers and instructions! So on Wednesday March 10th at 6:00 we arrived at the hospital and had an all day wait till 5:28 and then he came into our world so perfect.  I have never seen any baby that was as perfect as he was! I remember thinking sometime during the day or it may have even been after he was born that I now had something in common with my grandmother.  Fifty-one years earlier she had given birth to her first son.  No one else may understand it but it was a way for me to connect with her.  I miss her more than I will ever be able to tell anyone.  I know I will get to see her again soon and I know it probably won't all matter once I get there but oh the things I will want to tell her! But as I am writing this I am tearing up because I just want to share my son with her.  She loved babies and I know she would have just eaten him up but I just have to stop and tell myself she is in a better place and one day I will get to share him with her and I honestly can't wait! How sweet it will be!

Understanding

I became a mom on Wednesday March 10, 2010 at 5:28 P.M. I can still picture in my head seeing my sweet baby boy for the first time and watching him literally take his first breath. I have never experienced anything like that in my life. It was a beautiful miracle. How is it that you are completely overwhelmed with so much love for someone you have just met? I guess it is just one of life's little mysteries.  He just turned 17 months last week and he is a busy active toddler.  But my mind always drifts back to when he was just a few hours old and that first nursing or when Randy was taking him back to the nursery so we could get a little sleep and he acted like he was choking and Randy and I both freaked out. Or our first night at home when all he wanted to do was nurse and he slept in his swing and I on the couch. Which I ended up sleeping on the couch for the first month of his life. Me and him.  I remember thinking to myself this little baby is laying on my chest every night sleeping and one day he is going to be a grown man and I can tell him how the first month of his life he would only sleep on someones chest.  These are all moments that I never want to forget.  They are just very raw and true.

I finally understand what my own parents felt and thought.  Everyday it becomes more and more clear to me how much they sacrificed and how there had to have been times when they were so angry, disappointed, happy or even hurt.  I know that my heart aches when I can't make Nate feel better.  I feel completely helpless.  The understanding that I now have comes with complete gratefulness for my parents! I guess growing up as a kid you always think 'yea whatever mom or dad' or 'why in the world would you do or say that?' I finally get it! All those things were because they were doing the best they could with what was in their hearts.  It was all out of love.  That unexplainable love that I know they felt the first time they saw me. I know there is no perfect 'Mom' or 'Dad'.  And I struggle with this because I wanna be perfect for Nate. I want him to know no pain or hurt but I also know that if he is going to grow into a strong man then he has to live.  And with living comes the pain and hurt but there is also happiness!!  I just want to make sure I  let my parents know every time I get the chance that I am thankful for them and all their hard work and sacrifice to raise me to be the woman I am today! And to always make sure that I am the 'best Mom' I can be for Nate! Because at the end of the day that is my sole purpose in life! I know that without a doubt! And if I always strive for that then that is where my happiness lies!!

Content

Yesterday I went to a different Sunday School class and they were just finishing up a course on Hebrews.  But one of the questions that was asked was Are you content? It was sort of going along the lines with the economy and basically just life in general.  I do believe that God placed me in that room yesterday just to hear that question because it really got me to thinking.  Am I really content with my life?  We should all be content with just what we have.  Because God provides just what we need.  It seems like that we as human beings WANT more and are never really content with just what we have.  But we should all count our blessings! ALL OF THEM!   I have a handsome, hard-working husband, a beautiful, healthy little boy, a roof over my head, clothes for my body, a job that helps support my family and most of all I have a support system.  What more could one need? My answer is yes I am content with my life but just like most people there is always that WANT.  My challenge to myself is to throw out the WANTS and be content that God has provided my NEEDS.

Humbled

This past week I have been following a blog about a little boy James Camden Sikes (AKA Jamesie). James was diagnosed with a brain tumor on June 23, 2011.  The were able to remove 95% of the tumor.  They were waiting for sweet James to recover some from his BIG surgery before they began chemo. In a two week period not only did the tumor grow back completely in the area where they took it out but it also spread.  So his parents had to make the tough decision to start chemo and only buy time for James who would be in constant pain from the treatment or take him home to die peacefully.  As I read the blog when they found out that it had spread knowing that no matter what they chose their little boy who was only 8 months old would die, I just began to weep. I thought if I was in their position what would I do.  They chose to take him home which I think knowing that no matter what you did the outcome would be the same I think I would have chose to take him home where he would be peaceful.  I have prayed endlessly for this family.  I have prayed for strength and peace through this tough time.  I have not been able to get them off my mind and heart.  I just can not fathom. 

On Saturday July 16, 2011 at 3:50 p.m. James went to be with Jesus.  He finally beat his tumor.  His body was finally healed and he knew no more pain.  I just pray for his parents as they prepare to bury their sweet angel and continue to live their lives.  I have no idea how I would be able to go on.  One thing I do know is that James has touched my life in more ways than I can ever describe.  I should also make note that I have never met James, Kara or Matthew.  But their story has humbled me and really made me think about life in a completely different way.  If I find myself complaining I stop.  What do I have to complain about?  God has blessed me with a wonderful husband, a beautiful and healthy baby boy, a job, a roof over my head, a car, and a family that loves me more than I know.  I have also found myself being more patient with my son.  As it is very hard to be a working mom and sometimes at the end of a day patience is not really all there.  So today as I sit here and type I am thanking God for all my blessings.  I am also continuing to pray for the Sikes family as they are definitely going to need them.   I am also thanking God for James because I do believe with 100% of my heart that sweet little baby has affected more lives than I can ever dream of doing in my lifetime and for that I am grateful because mine was one of them.

16 months

Nate just turned 16 months this past Sunday.  When you really sit down and think about it 16 months in the whole big picture is not that long.  Even though it seems like he is been in our lives forever.  He is growing in leaps and bounds daily.  Everyday is a new adventure. Mommy hood is the most rewarding hardest job I have ever and will ever have.  I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.  The past few months as Nate is growing so fast I have really started thinking hard about all the choices in life that I make on a day to day basis and how they will shape and mold my son.  And I just pray that God will guide me to make the right choices and do the right things that will shape and mold  a GREAT MAN.  Because that is my sole purpose in life every morning when I wake up is to be the best mommy and wife I can be.  My only hope is that at the end of my days I can reflect back on my life and SMILE because I know that I accomplished my purpose.

I have decided to include some pictures of my little family:

 Nate's 4-D Ultrasound

 Nate in my belly 2 days before I had him

 He's here! absolutely PERFECT!

 Our sweet little family

 Nate and Daddy

 Nate and Mommy

 So sweet!

 Happy baby!

 1st Christmas

 1st steps

 worn out

 Happy 1st Birthday!

 Yummy..cake!!

 1st trip to the zoo

Mommy's big boy

Graduation Time!

This past weekend Nate and I ventured south to West Monroe, Louisiana to see my brother graduate from High School Monday night.  We had a very good visit.  I got to spend some quality time with my best friends and my brother! I still can remember when he was Nate's age.  Just doesn't seem possible that he has graduated High School.  It really didn't sink it to me until the band was playing the alma mater that I began to tear up thinking that just nine years ago I walked across that stage and accomplished the same victory that my brother was accomplishing that very moment! It hit me like a ton of bricks! I just want to sit him down and beat into him how to live his life because I have been there and done that. But I know that he has to learn from life and he isn't always going to make the right choice. But I do know that he has a strong foundation and a good head on his shoulders and he has such a BEAUTIFUL life ahead of him.  He is gonna do great things! I am so very proud of the man he has become! So even though Graduation Time was a little teary for me it means that my brother has made it through the first 13 years of school and I know that I had a part in those years and all I can do is SMILE!!

Mother's Love

Mother's Day is Sunday.  What a wonderful day to celebrate a mother's love for her children.  I didn't fully grasp that till I became a mom myself.  Growing up I always would make sure on mother's day that I would go out of my way to make sure my mom felt special.  When I found out I was pregnant with Nate a million thoughts went through my head almost instantly.  Thoughts about how I wanted to raise this baby to be strong and to always know he was truly loved.  I wanted nothing but the best for him.  Last year I got real emotional on mother's day because I finally got all the sacrifices my own mother had made for me throughout my life. I know that every woman out there who is a mother will understand that making those sacrifices is very worth it.  From the time I heard Nate's little heartbeat to watching him take his first breath, I have had a love like no other for him. Nothing can take the place or compete with a Mother's Love.  So on this Sunday, take time to truly make your mom feel special and if you are a mom also, Happy Mother's Day!!!!!

May Flowers

Recently we have got lots of rain which we did need some but I am very over the rain! My grandma (dad's mom) would always say March winds bring April showers which bring May flowers which cause June weddings! I always think of that in the spring and I always think of my dear Grandma Little.  She died unexpectedly when I was a sophomore in high school.  This October will mark twelve years she has been gone and it just doesn't seem right.  My grandma and I were very close!  I just feel like our time was cut short. She wasn't here to see me graduate, get married, or become a mom.  That is very tough for me because I want to be able to share all of my life's happiness with her! But then I remind myself she is and did get to see all of those things because I know without any doubt she is looking down on me from heaven! The night before her funeral those almost twelve years ago I had a dream that I was sitting on her couch and she was sitting in my Pawpaw's chair and she smiled at me and said I am ok and then she was gone.  I have carried that dream with me always and just remember that she is smiling down on me! So every year when Spring rolls around and all the rain comes I think right around the corner are some May flowers and I smile!

Singing Boy

It is such a joy to watch Nate grow in leaps and bounds. His personality is just unfolding daily. It is very hard for me on most days to be a working mom but it is what it is.  But the best part of my day is in the morning on the way to drop him off and then when I get to go pick him back up.  He went through a little phase a couple of weeks ago for about a week where he was not a very happy camper in the morning. But most mornings he is smiling and looking out the window to see where we are going just a jabbering.  He has been a very active baby even when he was in my belly.  He is always on the go! But in the car he can't really do anything but sit there and look out. By the way Nate LOVES music! When American Idol comes on he will stop what he is doing and watch if he likes what he hears. It is so cute!! Well this morning..he was his happy upbeat self and he was jabbering away pretty loudly when Clint Black's Desporado came on the radio (we listen to 105.1 The Wolf, He loves his old country) and all of a sudden I heard a soft sweet little voice singing in the back seat and I turned and looked and he had is arm stretched out like he was really getting into it.  It is moments like this that I cherish and that get me through the day. The most important thing to me is that he is healthy, happy and well taken care of in all aspects of his life! I have really struggled with not being able to be there for everything that takes place in his daily life! But I just have to tell myself that he is healthy, happy and well taken care of so you just need to let go!  And it is moments like this morning that really just strip all of that away and I just enjoy being Nate's Mommy and nothing else on Earth matters!

First things first

I have been contemplating starting a blog for some time now.  Do I really have the time to faithfully blog? Do I really want to share some of my intermost thoughts with other people? Well I guess as you can see I have decided that the answer to those questions are yes.  This last thirteen almost fourteen months have been a whirlwind life change for me that I wouldn't trade for anything.  I guess I should start back to 2005.  That is when I met my husband, Randy Alan Schrock.  I guess what drew me to him was his quietness. If anyone knows Randy they know that he doesn't have much to say until he REALLY gets to know you. So getting to know him took some time but by the summer of 2006 we had decided that we were ready to leave Monticello and were trying to decide do we move to West Monroe, Louisiana (my hometown) or to Russellville, Arkansas (his).  Well we decided we would move to Russellville and the end of July 2006 we loaded our vehicles down with all of our belongings and took off for this journey to start our lives together. We moved into a little 3 bedroom 2 bath house in the middle of town.  We didn't stay there long (long story) but in May of 2007 we bought our first home with 3 acres.  It was right around this time that we were on a road trip on one of the many backroads in Northwest Arkansas that we were talking about marriage and life when I just looked at him and said "Just ask me to marry you".."You don't have to have a ring to give me if thats what your waiting on". He gave me his typical grin that is one of the things I fell in love with almost instantly and said "ok, do you want to marry me?" Ok..I know you are probably thinking that is not very romantic. No ring. No down on one knee. But just wait, I am getting there! So of course in my mind I am engaged! So I decided that we would set a date and get things rolling.  We decided on June 7, 2008.  So then of course I knew that I needed to go dress shopping so I set it up for September. I believe it was Labor Day weekend.  The week I was supposed to go down to Louisiana to go looking for dresses I still hadn't gotten a ring but to me that didn't matter.  Randy called my dad and got his blessing and on that Wednesday Randy got down on one knee and formally asked me to "Marry him"! That is a moment I will cherish and never forget. So now that I have bored you to death with all of that, I will fastforward a little bit. June 7, 2008 came and it was a beautiful day that made me happy and was everything I ever dreamed it would be. We were newlyweds who had finnally done the right thing and made it legal. The next year we just lived life and it was great doing things just the two of us; but in my heart I knew I wanted a baby so bad but we had promised we would wait a year so we did and on July 17, 2009 I found out I was expecting! Words can't express the feelings that I felt that early morning. Nine months later on March 10, 2010 we welcomed our sweet angel into this world and our lives were changed forever. He was 7 lbs 7 oz..just perfect!! I don't think I will ever understand how you can instantly love a person so very much that you just saw for the first time. He is my miracle from God. Like I said this past almost fourteen months have had ups and downs but that is all a part of being a wife and a mom.  So as I blog about our daily life, I will remember that life is always going to be that way but with God, my family and friends it will be such a SWEET LIFE!!