excerpts from "The Story Of Us"

Playing Catch-up: December 09 Photos

2010-04-28T21:42:00.008-05:00

I am so behind on posting pictures. But thankfully not on taking them. The problem now is that I have too many to go through. I guess I'll just start with where I left off. It might be a while before I get caught up...if ever! (Yikes...just looked at where I left off...Halloween!)

So here are just a handful of pictures from December.

Christmas in Arkansas

I love this picture...it totally symbolizes to me how happy my crazy life makes me. (Fayetteville Square)

Making gingerbread houses with Nana

Christmas Eve

We took pictures of each of the kids individually and there are a lot of good pictures from that...but this girl cracks me up. She thinks she's a child model for "cute" or something.

Bathtime! These kiddo's love it.

Baking Christmas Sugar Cookies at home

'Twist' on my Expectations...

2010-04-06T22:35:00.005-05:00

Went to get a free haircut as a model for a pricey salon's training in their techniques. Instead I came home with the rattiest teased hair & 50+ bobby pins, covered by a pretty little french twist. 2 miserable hours in the chair and now I get to go to bed looking like a movie star. Without the haircut I was hoping for...

The story: Weeks ago I called and got my name on a list, told them I was interested in a haircut, explained my current cut & what I was hoping for. Got a call from a stylist, scheduled to get it cut, got stuck in AR and had to cancel. Today another stylist called around noon to ask me if I was still interested and if I could come in and get my hair done tonight. Sure! Rearranged all of the evenings plans - Drew watched kids. Got there, had to park in a parking garage near downtown Fort Worth. Not terrible but not great either when you know it will be dark by the time you leave....by yourself. Anyways, so she is about 20 + minutes late to get started on my hair. Then when I sat in the chair she says, "so we're gonna do a french twist tonight". Then the trainer walks up and they begin talking about their plans for my hair. At this point I'm certain that they have absolutely no plans to cut my hair first. I tell them that I thought I was coming for a haircut...and they apologize for the miscommunication. Because I know that I am this girls 'classwork' I feel completely obligated to stay and let her do my hair. So I do. She 'back-combs' (fancy way to say 'teased') one particular section so much that I actually asked her if I was going to be able to get the tangles out. Then she has to brush most of it out and redo it because she didn't do it enough the first time. Ouch. Then they screwed up the million sections that she had to bobby pin up and they had to be redone countless times.

The whole time I was sitting there I was holding back tears of frustration and disappointment. This was not what I had signed up for. I would have never asked my husband to mess up his study night plans the night before a test so that I could go get a bedtime french twist. I was counting on a free (valued at $70) cut. To make matters much more weighty, earlier in the day I had already begun to parallel this situation to another much more important thing going on in my life and, while I wallowed in my misery, I started to fear that God might be speaking to that situation. I don't really know that that's true, but it definitely didn't help matters.

Side note: When stuff like this happens (ie - the van breaking down in OK while on vacation or a rat's nest in my hair) perspective, patience and long-suffering come by looking out for what Christ might be doing in the situation. I had a great conversation with a young woman from Nigeria who worked the front desk while I was waiting. She the youngest of five children - so we had family size in common & that got the conversation rolling. I was able to testify about how Jesus has been caring for our family. As soon as I spoke the name of Jesus she quickly began throwing out words like 'Karma' and quoting Gandhi. Understood. The conversation didn't really go anywhere after that but maybe my suffering was for her...or who knows, maybe it was really just for me.

2 1/2 years of lessons, learning & protection

2010-02-24T21:54:00.008-06:00

There are some things that I find myself getting anxious about lately...and the more I think on them, the more anxious I get. But they really are important things that deserve my attention. So I'm working to talk them over with Jesus rather than to let my mind run off like an out of control car headed for a collision with worry and fear.

Tonight, as I hung up the clean clothes piled on my bed I began thinking about how I account for the past few years while we have been at seminary. I was lamenting about how "in the bubble" our family has been and our minimal real involvement in the world outside of the bubble. Then it suddenly hit me: the past two years have undoubtedly been the hardest years of my life, thus far. Our family has gone through a 'failed' church plant, moving, pregnant with twins, having 5 kids under 5, and Drew working 40 hrs a week and studying or in class probably 20 hrs a week. (You're probably wondering how I'm just now figuring this out!) Immediately after realizing this, I heard God telling me "I did this for you! I knew this was going to all come together at this time, and I knew that seminary was the best place for you to be so totally overwhelmed by the craziness of your life, because, here, you would also be so totally overwhelmed with help and so very well looked after. Coming to seminary didn't make this harder; it has cradled and protected your family like a womb during this tough time."

These past few years have taught me many things, here are just a few that I'm thankful to have grasped:

I am finally learning to accept the benevolence of others. My heart is so independent and I, in my pride, hate to be thought of as incompetent or incapable of anything. I have been humbled by both my need for help and the enormous amount of support our family has received and still receives from those whom God has planted in our lives. In allowing others to help me, I realized that I am not the only one receiving blessing...the blessings have been theirs as well.
As our children get older we no longer need the same amount of help that we used to need to go places & get things done. But I've learned a new appreciation for letting people help...and really, for including them in on the journey, not simply because we need their help, but because we need the relationships that come from life done together.
The sheer size of my family has opened doors for testifying about God's provision and grace. When all 7 of us go out we're a bit of a spectacle...I can't imagine why! I used to be a little embarrassed by the attention because I know there are a few out there who think we are irresponsible and overpopulating the world...but the majority have been encouraging and so many have said the same thing, word for word, 'I don't know how you do it'. With that one statement they are basically asking us to testify about the grace of God in our lives. Sometimes it's just a simple response about God's provision...and sometimes it opens doors to a full conversation at the Chick-fil-a playground.

***Thank you to those of you who have been part of our story. God has used you to care for us, to give us opportunities to talk about how He has taken care of us, and to bless us with great friendships.

No fear in the blood...

2010-02-18T13:20:00.004-06:00

Today I took Riley and Story to the dentist. The girls were both very nervous about going. As we drove there, I explained to them that we should pray because God is not afraid of anything. Riley listed off a whole list of reasons why God is not afraid, including:

He knows what is in every persons heart.
He made everything.
He always knows what is going to happen.

We then prayed that God's would be with them at the dentist, to comfort them and help them not be afraid. Well, the dentist visit went great...no cavities for Riley or Story! After we left with toy magnifying glasses, stickers and balloons in hand I asked them in the car about if God helped them not to be afraid. Riley's response brought tears to my eyes, "His blood always works." She is so right....

Jesus' Blood By Delirious

There's a secret I must tell
Of all the love I've found
And it's hidden in my heart
The day you tore my world apart

Hallelujah, King forever, friend and Saviour

Jesus' blood never fails me,
Jesus' blood never fails me,
Jesus' blood, Jesus' blood

And this secret, it will run
To the corners of the earth
Where every woman, every son
Will carry high their chains undone

Hallelujah, King forever, friend and Saviour

Jesus' blood never fails me,
Jesus' blood never fails me,
Jesus' blood never fails me,
Jesus' blood, Jesus' blood
Sing your songs of freedom
Praise the God of heaven
Love that never fails me
Jesus' blood, Jesus' blood

Written by Martin Smith ©1999 Curious? Music UK

Inquisitive little 'bird'

2009-11-11T11:03:00.004-06:00

So last week Riley was asking me if they were going to have to cut her belly open to get her baby out when she's a mommy.

K: Maybe.
R: I don't want them to cut my belly.
K: It will be ok. You don't need to worry about it.

About 5 minutes later...totally fretting...

R: Mom, I really don't want them to cut my belly open.
K: Riley, you don't need to worry about it. It's a long time from now.

She started to cry....

K: OK Riley. Let me tell you a secret. But we can't tell anyone else about this. This is not something that needs to be talked about. Ok?
R: Ok.
K: God made babies to come out of your v______. Kind of the same way that you poopoo.
R: Your v_____?! (giggling) Oh! Ok.

For some reason, that totally eased her mind. Crazy.

THEN, Yesterday at Sam's she asked me where babies come from.

K: They come from your belly.
R: No. Where do they come from?
K: Your belly....remember?
R: How do they get in your belly?
K: God grows them there.
R: No. How do you make them?
K: Look, they have cookies!

Subject changed. Yikes!

Happy Halloweens!

2009-10-31T21:03:00.009-05:00

We've had a great Halloween weekend! It has included lots of fun times and even costume changes!

Halloween Part 1: Friday Night

Friday night, while dressed in Medieval Storybook attire, (Think Princesses, Knights, Dragons & Fairies), we double dipped on Halloween events. First we went to Jed's school - Chapel Hill Academy - for their first Annual Literacy Night where we watched teachers dressed as storybook characters read books. We had free hot dogs & drinks and got candy from playing trunk or treat games. Best of all we met some of Jed's friends from school and their parents. After that we headed over to St. Barnabas, Lee & Patti's church, for their Fall Festival. We had a great time there playing games, jumping in bounce houses, riding trains, checking out the inside of the ambulance and eating more free food. Oh, and of course, more candy!

Halloween Part 2: Saturday

Saturday the older 3 kids were totally ready to dress up different than the night before. Jed chose to wear his pirate costume, Riley wanted to be a ballerina & Story was Cinderella. We went to Central Market for their free event - trick or treated thru the store, decorated pumpkin cookies, played on the playground and got coupons for free gelato for being in the costume contest. Good times. Except for the crazy bee's that kept trying to eat our cookies. That part was not so fun. After dinner (which included more free food from Taco Bell), the kids trick or treated at a few houses in our neighborhood before it got too late. I wish their had been trick or treating on our street...but I think all of our seminary neighbors were at their churches fall festivals. Now we're all sitting around watching Tinkerbell and the Lost Treasure while I attempt to get these pictures posted in a timely manner!

Jed's First Day of Kindergarten

2009-09-25T22:16:00.005-05:00

Jed's first day of Kindergarten. He was so incredibly excited. Aug. 24th, 2009.

Jed & his teacher, Mrs. Simmons

Jed in front of his cubby.

The Zoo!

2009-09-25T22:09:00.003-05:00

Aunt Patti & Uncle Lee bought us a zoo membership back in April and we have loved it! It's been so great to just be able to go for an hour or two. I took Story on a special date a while back to the zoo and here are a few pictures from that.
The flamingos were nesting - you can see the mud mounds that they built as nests. Every so often they would stand and you could see the egg that they were warming. It was very cool!

One big happy family!

2009-09-23T11:01:00.004-05:00

That twin thing...

2009-08-21T13:38:00.002-05:00

Cash just crawled over to where I was changing Canon's diaper and laid a big wet sloppy kiss on her forehead!

God answers prayers...even tattle ones.

2009-08-18T15:37:00.002-05:00

I just walked in the kids room b/c they are supposed to be napping....and of course, the girls are up playing. I told the girls to get back in bed, and just as I finished, Jed jumped up and exclaimed "I just prayed for God to give you the message and He did! You know, that the girls were up. And He told you!" As I was leaving the room Jed said "Some times He works fast and sometimes slow. That was fast!"

Jed must be praying again b/c I hear a lot of thumping going on in their room.

Wee!

2009-07-28T09:45:00.003-05:00

Sunday morning I was pushing Story on the swing at church. She was having a great time and saying "Wee!" every time I gave her a push. Then she was quiet for a moment and said, "Mom, what does 'wee' mean?" I chuckled and said "It means, 'Yay! We're having fun!'. After that, she threw out 'wee' and just started singing "Yay! We're having fun!" Silly (but oh so thoughtful!) girl.

It's been great to spend some quality time with Story while Jed & Riley are away visiting their Mimi & Poppa for the week. She's definitely loving the attention!

Awww Nuts!

2009-07-16T15:56:00.002-05:00

Today Jed and I were shopping at Target when he told me that his friend "kicked him in the nuts." Much to my chagrin, he has learned this from neighborhood kids and has been talking about "kicking people (or the Devil) in the nuts" a good bit lately. There in the middle of the Target food area while we ate our lunch (I LOVE a good soft pretzel with cheese sauce....hmmmm...) I thought to ask him if he knew what "the nuts" were.

Jed: "Yeah, it means booty or bottom!"
Me: "No, Jed. It means p***s,"
Jed: (Shocked and very embarrassed.) "Mooooom....Shhhhh!"
Me: "If I hear you talking about kicking anyone in the nuts again I'm going to ask you very loudly if you are talking about your p***s. "
Jed: "Mooooooom. SHHH!"
Me: "Just don't say it again, ok?"
Jed: "Ok."

As we were walking thru the store after finishing off our lunch, Jed was being silly. Without thinking anything of it, I said, "Jed, you're nuts!" Complete shock once again. "No bud, that just means you're crazy." "Oh, ok." Big smile. Great kid.

Our Daily Jed

2009-04-13T23:47:00.000-05:00

Jed: I'm gonna have a baby with someone someday. And I guess I'm gonna have to kiss her. I don't want to, but I guess I'll have to.

Kristy: Do you know what grade you'll be in when you go to school this next year?"
Jed: Grade?
Kristy: You'll be in Kindergarten.
Jed: Oh, kindergarten.
Kristy: After that is first grade. Do you know what comes after that?
Jed: High School?!

Easter 2009

2009-04-13T10:52:00.006-05:00

Rain, Rain....

2009-03-19T22:54:00.003-05:00

Any chance they have to use the umbrella, they want to play in the rain. Who cares if it is less than 40 degrees outside?

They were so cold that we had to follow up the fun with hot chocolate. Darn.

Great weather, happy kiddos!

2009-03-19T22:32:00.004-05:00

Dancing in the street

2009-03-19T22:24:00.003-05:00

Twin Tunnel Vision

2009-03-19T22:01:00.004-05:00

This tunnel is so cool - Cash & Canon love it. They have laid in it head to head, now they sit in it, and I'm sure it won't be long before they are crawling thru it. Cash gets up on his knees isn't crawling yet. He prefers to spin on his belly. Canon prefers to sit like a little lady. She has little interest in crawling it seems. Honestly, it works best for us if they wait a little while before they start crawling anyway. It's hard enough with 3 kids going different directions...5?! Yikes!

Blink

2009-02-11T23:13:00.002-06:00

I am finally understanding what mom's have lamented to me for 5 years now. It goes by so fast.

I know. I know. My oldest is only five and my youngest are 6 mo. I just feel like the sand is slipping thru my fingers and I can't stop the hourglass from pouring it out. I want to remember every detail about every grain...but I can't. Tonight as I tucked kids into bed I started to tell them about what they were like when they were babies. Riley, in true Riley fashion, was not content with just a few pieces of information. She wanted the amplified version. She kept wanting more and more and I just couldn't think of enough to satisfy her...or myself.

So I have a new resolve to find my camcorder charger and document more about this amazing life that God has blessed me with. Having a large family and kids so close in age forces me to live so fully in the present that it's hard to find time to even remember the past. I'd better start writing today down, today - before it fades away.

Double Trouble

2008-10-26T22:09:00.003-05:00

Might be double the trouble but it's also double the smiles and double the cute!

And don't forget....double the kisses!

Beautiful Mess

2008-10-26T21:46:00.003-05:00

I love to let the kids do fun, messy stuff....but I prefer for it to be done outside where God can take care of the clean-up. So we finger painted outside a couple of weeks ago. Several of our friends joined us. I expected the paint to be gone off the sidewalk by now but I guess we just haven't had enough rain. Next time it rains I'll have to send the kids out with a scrub brush. Never too early to teach them about being the Body of Christ!

Artist all the way. In fact, we're considering sending him to a public charter school with a focus on the arts next year for kindergarten.

You can't see it here but Riley chose to "wash her hands" with paint, making them black, and then left her hand prints all over the sidewalk.

I really do feed this girl...but apparently my cooking doesn't taste as good as paint. Or rocks. Or dirt.

Friends

2008-09-19T23:50:00.002-05:00

Jed, Riley & Story absolutely love spending time with their friends outside. Admittedly, Drew and I love taking them out so that we can spend time with our friends as well. We are as eager to get out the door after dinner as they are. God has has given us great community.

Beautiful Kiddos

2008-09-19T23:24:00.007-05:00

8 Weeks Old

2008-09-19T22:45:00.007-05:00

Cash & Canon are now 8 weeks old. They are such sweet babies. Their little personalities are really starting to show. They are finally getting themselves to sleep and will typically sleep from about 9pm-3am without needing to be fed...and then wake again between 6 & 7 to eat again. Everything is amazingly more difficult & tiring with two infants. And as they get bigger it gets a more complicated b/c, whereas I used to before, I can no longer lift them with one hand. They are too heavy and too long. Cash is noticeably heavier! But both are now outgrowing their newborn clothes. We head to the Dr. next week and will find out just how much they weigh then.

I'm still exclusively breastfeeding both of them. (Well, ok, they get formula if I'm gone for a few hours; I hate to pump.) Positioning them to eat is getting a little more difficult as they get bigger too! Sometimes, if I am not quick enough, one of them will start trying to nurse on the other one's head.

I have been waiting forever (ok....more like 8 weeks, but it feels like forever!) for them to really smile and finally we have grins! They are still very hard to come by, but every once in a while they get those mouths working and we see beautiful smiles.

Now that they have put on some weight it is getting a little easier to tell who they look like. We think that Cash is looking more & more like Jed. And Canon is said to look a lot like me (Kristy) my mom, brother (Nathan), and grandmother (Mama). It's pretty amazing how different Cash & Canon look from each other. Story finally knows who is who on a consistent basis now!

The Caperton Kids

2008-09-19T22:42:00.000-05:00

The first three weeks

2008-08-12T22:44:00.007-05:00

"I'm still your baby, right mom?"
Actually, Story has done a really great job accepting and loving Cash & Canon. She has shown very little jealousy. Bed-rest probably really helped her get used to less of mom. She gives her new siblings hugs and kisses constantly & can say both of their names. She confuses them about half the time.

Riley is also a great big sister. She is so proud of herself because she knows both of their first and middle names and loves to tell people (even complete strangers) all about her new babies.

They fit nicely...here and sharing one of the seats in our new double stroller. For now, they get one and Story gets one. It works. Pretty well actually.

Just hanging out on a Saturday morning.

Aunt Renee, Nana & Riley baking a cake. That smile was on Riley's face the whole time....that girl loves to cook!

I'm sure they will hate that there are very few pictures of them on their own. But for now, it's just too adorable to see them sitting side by side. I mean, come on, one baby is cute...but two?!?!

Jed found the bar of soap during a shower to rinse off after swimming.

Time for our close-up! I can't wait until they start smiling....on purpose! We get little glimpses of their amazing little smiles while they sleep and it makes me so long to have them smile because they're happy.

Uncle JJ & all 5 of his nieces & nephews. He was here when Cash & Canon were born and stuck around for a little over a week to help out when we got home. Thanks J!

Cash and Canon - Day One

2008-07-27T17:21:00.007-05:00

I'm doing my best to make a timeline of pictures. Bear with me.

The Night Before

The Big Day - July 24, 2008

They've Arrived!

Meeting the Rest of the Family

More Pictures!

2008-07-27T12:27:00.013-05:00

Cash and Canon

2008-07-25T09:27:00.015-05:00

The twins came at 2:06 and 2:09pm and the LORD brought them with zero complications. To those who prayed, thank you so much. We are so grateful to have friends who love us and pray us. Here are the details of the twinnos.

Cash Urban Caperton
Stats: 6 lbs, 0 oz; 19 in

"Cash" is the English equivalent to the Jewish word shalom which encompasses everything from peace to wholeness to salvation. "Urban" means city, so together our hope for Cash Urban is that he will bring shalom to the city.

Currently, Cash is very calm, feeding quite well and being very snuggly.

Canon Gabrielle Caperton
Stats: 5 lbs, 14 oz; 19 3/4 in

"Canon" literally means measure or standard. We're using it as a reference to the canon of Scripture, the Bible. "Gabrielle" means God is my wisdom and together they spell out our hope that she will gain wisdom from God through the Scriptures.

Canon is also very calm, attentive and grunts often.

Mom is doing extremely well and both babies are very healthy (9.9 Apgar scores for both) and seem very at peace.

More picture are coming soon, but I wanted to quickly put these up.

Half-way there....

2008-07-23T16:40:00.004-05:00

Yesterday I had a doc appt and learned that I am already dilated to 5 cm. My doc said that she was afraid I might have the babies before she arrived at 8:30, so she asked me to wait and arrive at the hospital sometime after 7am tomorrow....not the 5 am I was originally scheduled for.

So I'm already half-way to delivery!

Scheduled: Our big day!

2008-07-21T23:07:00.003-05:00

We will be inducing on Thursday! I have to be at the hospital at 5 am and they will start induction around 7 am.

Now, if the past is the best predictor of the future, then I'll be having these babies prior to Thursday. With all three other kids I was scheduled to be induced and not one of them waited until that day. Apparently, we scare them out with threats of induction.

I have an appt tomorrow w/ my doc and it's possible that whatever she does that day may stir things up a bit. Who knows. Either way, we have a plan and that feels good. I still can't believe that I'll be bringing home two babies!

The Skinny at 35 Weeks

2008-07-17T20:02:00.003-05:00

OK, so really it's anything but skinny....but a girl can dream can't she?

Tuesday's appt w/ the obgyn:

Gained 2 lbs since last week.
Fundal height 40 cm.
She didn't want to talk about inducing yet b/c she is concerned about lung development.

Today's appt w/ the perinatologist:

Fluids are good.
Girl is measuring to be 5 lbs 14 oz - the 69th percentile for a singleton birth.
Boy is measuring at 6 lb 6 oz - the 85th percentile for a singleton birth.

In other words, they are both pretty big babies for their gestational age. I'm pretty surprised b/c 3 weeks ago they both weighed in at 4 lbs each. He is obviously gaining faster than she is. The perinatologist said she was going to let my obgyn know that she thought I needed to deliver within the next week or so. My doc was not interested in inducing yet at Tuesdays visit, so I'd love it if I got a call from her office tomorrow saying that they want to schedule an induction.

I don't know if it's psychosomatic (knowing that I'm carrying over 12 lbs of baby) or what, but I'm so much more uncomfortable since my visit today. Every step is a major pain in the pelvic region, even more than this morning! Perhaps it's from sitting on that exam table for over an hour....

Please be praying for the following:

That I am able to deliver without a c-section. Life is crazy enough without having to throw in recouping from major abdominal surgery.
That nursing goes well with both babies.
That neither baby needs the NICU & both get to come home with us when I head home.

Me & My Babies

2008-07-14T13:28:00.003-05:00

I've had some requests for pics of me pregnant with twins. I've finally gotten some for you. Taken today - 35 weeks & 2 days.

34 wks 4 days - No news is good news!

2008-07-10T15:02:00.005-05:00

Nothing new from this weeks appointment. My Doc was on vacation so I saw one of her partners, who does a quick ultrasound every visit when the patient has twins....so we got to just check on heartbeat, position and fluid levels. All was good!

I'm still on bedrest, but I'm sooo ready to have these babies! Bedtime and mornings are incredibly uncomfortable for me.

33 wk 4 day update

2008-07-03T14:34:00.003-05:00

Not much to report this week....but here are the specs:

Both babies heart rates are good
Cervix 3-4 cm dilated
Cervix 80% effaced
I gained 1 lb
Fundal height measuring at 37 cm
Still on bedrest

Doc & Family Update

2008-06-25T08:41:00.002-05:00

We had our ultrasound and appointment with the perinatologist today. It was such a relief to find out that the babies were both doing great.

Both babies measured at exactly 4 lbs each - both measured tall (surprise!) with smaller abdomens, but that's not really a concern.
The amniotic fluids measured good for both babies.
Definitely one boy & one girl. (I still get nervous about that from time to time so I'm glad to have it confirmed!)
Had the Fetal Fibronectin Test done - gives an indication of whether labor is likely to occur in the next 2 weeks. Should have the results some time this morning.
We got to see both of the babies faces on a 3-d ultrasound at the end of our visit. Unfortunately, they are so smooshed in there and cords were everywhere that you couldn't see much.
I'm a good candidate to deliver both without a c-section as both babies are head down and ready to go. Boy will be born first and the girl second.
Have to stay on bed rest until at least 34 weeks and then after that point I can get up a little more b/c the risks for the babies born after 34 weeks are so much less.
34 weeks is only 10 days away!

Thanks to those who are checking in on us and have been praying for these babies to be born healthy. I saw a family at Chick-fil-a the other day with teeny-tiny newborn twins. It got me really excited to think that we're going to have two tiny ones ourselves.

Ways you can pray for our family:

Drew is taking on so much of the burden with our kids and the house. He is an incredible father & husband. Please join us in praying that God would continue to give him strength and patience in all that he has had to take on.
Jed & Riley are both really excited to have new babies in the family as well. Please pray that the birth of the twins brings out their desire to be helpful and obedient.
Story, of course, is oblivious to the fact that her world is about to be rocked! She is such a little mommy's girl. Please pray for her as she will have to share mom a LOT more now. Hopefully, my bed rest will help prepare her for a little less mom.
I struggle to do nothing. Bed rest is both welcomed and crazy hard. Normally I get on to myself when I sit and do nothing. Now that's what I'm supposed to be doing. Pray that I can see the long-term benefits of staying off my feet over the short-term needs I struggle to 'ignore'.
Please be praying that the twins are happy, content, healthy babies.

First comes the ring, then comes marriage....

2008-06-25T08:20:00.004-05:00

Yesterday we all spent about an hour outside. (Drew chased kids while I just sat there and talked to friends, b/c I'm officially on bedrest!)

Jed was riding his bike when his friend Addie stepped outside. She walked over to Jed and said "Jed, I'm gonna marry you!" At first Jed just said "Whaat?" So she repeated herself. At that point Jed shyly said "Nooooo" and seemed a little embarrassed. Then as he rode away he said "I can't buy you a ring all by myself!"

Thankfully he doesn't yet get an allowance or he might start saving!

Dr. Update - Finally

2008-06-10T14:42:00.004-05:00

**Slightly Edited**

So I haven't been able to go to the doctor for the past two months. My last visit I found out that I was having twins and haven't been back since. There was a mess with getting insurance and finding a doc who would accept me so far along...then throw twins in there and it got even worse. (Thank you, thank you to those who prayed for me during that incredibly frustrating time!) Anyways, now I have a great doc w/ great nurses at a really nice facility and everything is good! Today was my first visit there so it was a pretty long one. Well, the update includes the following:

Currently 30 weeks & 4 days.
Heard two strong heartbeats.
Measuring at 36 cm fundal height (for a single baby it would be about 30-31....should be about 4 more than that for twins....)
Dilated to 3 cm but cervix is still thick and high.
I've gained about 15 lbs from my prepregnancy weight, and 23 lbs when you consider that I dropped about 8 lbs in my first trimester from being so sick. (Average weight gain for twins is 35-45 lbs.)
Setting up an appt with a specialist to have an ultrasound next week to do some further checking on things such as growth of babies, amniotic fluid, etc.
Got steroid shots to aid in babies lung development since they'll most likely be coming early.
Babies probably weigh about 3 1/2 lbs each.
Need to be taking it way easy to keep from being hospitalized for the remainder of the pregancy.
36 weeks is full term for twins. That means I only have about 5 weeks left....assuming they make it that long!

Galveston May 2008

2008-05-27T10:08:00.004-05:00

Divine Irony

2008-04-08T09:35:00.003-05:00

What we thought was going to be our last baby, has in fact, turned out to be BABIES! That's right! Two of them! We're having TWINS! A boy and a girl.I had a nagging feeling the whole pregnancy thus far that I was having twins. I had only mentioned it a few times even to Drew (because, well, I HATE to be wrong or thought crazy). But, even when he'd say "Hi baby" to my belly, I would correct him in my head and say "Hi Babies". I had even imagined what I would say to my family if I was having twins! I had finally convinced myself that it was not twins and I was just being silly.

However, at the ultrasound as soon as she put the thing on my stomach she just burst out "Shut Up!! There's two in there!" Drew asked her if she was kidding. She just said, "I don't joke about twins!!"

So we have two totally healthy babies. My cervix is a little short (?) for carrying twins so it looks like I should definitely expect bedrest at some point. And of course, changing docs now is going to be a bit more stressful too!

We are truly excited and know that this is a blessing from God. The Bible says that "Children are a gift from God" and we have seen him provide in amazing ways with the addition of each child to our family. I am anxiously awaiting to see how God handles these two! But in no way are we delirious enough to think that this is going to be any kind of easy.

So, just to put it all in perspective....I'll have 5 kids under the age of five.

Life is Crazy

2008-04-02T09:54:00.000-05:00

So our house is under contract (for the THIRD time), we've decided against looking for houses right now and will be living in Student Housing on campus as SWBTS. More precisely, we'll be squeezing into a 2 bedroom townhouse for a while! We're staying with family in Arlington until we can move into our housing, hopefully near the end of April. Aunt Patti & Uncle Lee have been so incredibly generous to let us stay here. It's really like inviting a Tornado to stay for a couple of months!

I'm about 20 weeks along in my 4th pregnancy. Drew felt the baby move last week - which seems really early. I've got a Dr. apt scheduled for the 7th of April. We'll have an ultrasound then. I'm pretty anxious for that!

Drew just turned in 2 big papers yesterday and we haven't seen a lot of him the past week.
We're all so glad that he's done with those for now. And he's done a great job in his classes so far.

Riley & Story have colds in their chests again. But no fever or lethargy...just lots of coughing. Story must be teething. It's been probably a good 6 mo. since she's gotten any new teeth and has only 4 right now. She's been a good bit more fussy and is becoming a really picky eater. She talks and sings like crazy although most of it is totally unclear. It seriously sounds like she talks in paragraphs. She understands so much and sings right on tune.

Jed is learning about how to handle his anger. Currently, he wants to do destructive things when he doesn't get his way. But he's also a great caretaker of his little sisters and loves to remind me (and others) that he loves them. He's also really gotten into imaginative play.

Riley is completely potty trained now. I just told her that if she peed in her panties that she couldn't have juice. That was an amazing incentive for her. Now if we could just get her to keep her clothes on. Last night at Chick-fil-a she just dropped her pants in the play area. She just didn't want to wear them. And the other night at dinner out she spilled a little on her shirt, and before we knew it she was topless! (Of course, none of that tops her complete moon over the entire Chick-fil-a restaurant from the top of the glassed in play area a few months ago! I had to climb up to the top and pull her pants up...then make the walk of shame thru the restaurant back to the bathrooms. )

The kids love going to visit dad at 'college'. We go up to his work and Jed thinks that all of his co-workers are his 'teachers'. So today we're headed up there and the kids will go see Drew's classrooms & maybe meet a professor or two. Drew's office is great about us invading from time to time.

I'm currently reading Vintage Jesus by Marc Driscoll. I'm 2 chapters in and so far it's a great book. I also really enjoy listening to his sermons online. I find that I really resonate with what he says and how he says it. He's so far from PC but has a passion for truth. (Just don't ask him if your butt looks big in those jeans...) He has a great sermon on Birth Control that I listened to a while back.

So that's just a little bit of what's been going on with us. Life has been pretty crazy and I'm not really sure when things might settle down. With a baby on the way, probably not any time soon!

Riley - getting so big!

2008-03-28T14:27:00.001-05:00

And to think...she's not even 3 yet!

What's going on....

2007-11-28T20:16:00.000-06:00

The church is never a place, but always a people; never a fold but always a flock; never a building but always a believing assembly. The church is you who pray, not where you pray.

- Anonymous -

I lament & celebrate our new found direction. After 2 1/2 years, our ministry here did not produce a lasting (lowercase c) church. We do not fully know what God has been doing, we only know for sure that we were obedient to God's call and have learned much in the past couple of years...it has not been easy but we have been blessed throughout.

In everything, we have also been shown our limits and so we will be leaving Lafayette so that Drew can attend Seminary. The irony is that 7 years ago we had plans to leave Lafayette for Seminary. We had everything all worked out. But we did not have a peace about going. So we didn't. We ended up in Northwest Arkansas, working for a mega church with 6,000 people and then here, doing Vox, sometimes only with 3 of us. On our journey, we have gained invaluable ministry and relational experience that you can't get in a classroom. Hopefully, the things that we have been through have imparted wisdom to us both, allowing us to be more teachable and realistic in our understanding of what it means to live out the Gospel and invite others to do the same.

Drew starts a job doing graphic design for the seminary on Jan. 2nd and school shortly thereafter. I am not sure how we will work out moving with Christmas and selling our house but it looks like the kids and I may only see Drew on weekends for a short while. We cannot afford to pay mortgage/rent on two places. So hopefully our house will sell soon after hitting the market. Please pray to that end.

In My Arms

2007-10-28T14:03:00.000-05:00

I immediately fell in love with this song when I heard it. It made me think of Riley especially.

Plumb - In My Arms
From the album Blink

Your baby blues
So full of wonder
Your curly cues
Your contagious smile
And as I watch
You start to grow up
All I can do
Is hold you tight
Knowing

Chorus:
Clouds will rage and
Storms will race in
But you will be safe
In my arms
Rains will pour down
Waves will crash around
But you will be safe
In my arms

Storybooks
Are full of fairytales
Of Kings and Queens
And the bluest skies
But my heart is torn
Just in knowing
You'll someday see
The truth from lies
When the

Chorus:

Bridge
Castles they might crumble
Dreams may not come true
But you are never all alone
Cause I will always
Always love you

You can hear the song here (http://www.pushplayer.com/plumb/b/) or here (http://www.plumbinfo.com/ <----This site is especially beautiful!)

Yeah for Fall!

2007-10-28T13:42:00.000-05:00

We are so happy that it is finally cooling off in south Louisiana! It's actually bearable outside and not ridiculous to have the doors & windows open....

The Beach

2007-09-06T21:13:00.000-05:00

I love the beach. And I love my husband who watched all three kids for 4 days so that I could go to the beach. I never imagined that Drew would be up for such a task. It's not an easy task. But he did a great job! He blessed me with much needed and appreciated rest (and fun too of course) and our kids really got to spend some great (quantity and quality) time with dad. Thank you, Drew! You are an incredible husband!

I never understood why parents feel guilty going and doing things for themselves without their kids. Now I think I understand. At least in part. If I was going to do nothing but shop then I would have had no guilt. If I was just going to eat out, then I'd feel no guilt. However, I was going to play in the sand & waves and swim at the pool for hours on end. I was doing something that they would have absolutely LOVED to do. Watching the other kids play brought out two thoughts completely at odds with one another:

"It is so nice to just lay here and not have to chase my kids around."
AND
"I so wish my kids were here."

Just A Swingin'

2007-08-16T10:23:00.000-05:00

Drew & Kristy

2007-07-19T14:25:00.000-05:00

So who do you think our kids look like? We hear differing opinions all the time. By the way, I'm thinking that we would have made a really cute pair holding hands on the playground!

5 Month Comparison

2007-07-19T11:21:00.000-05:00

Left (or Top): Story at 5 months old (with Drew).

Right (or Bottom): Kristy at 5 months old.

Lake Fausse Point Sprinkler Park

2007-07-13T15:18:00.001-05:00

All Smiles

2007-07-08T22:11:00.001-05:00

Story at 7 1/2 mo. old - She loves being outside!

Riley's Birthday Party

2007-07-03T15:26:00.000-05:00

2 going on 16

2007-06-26T22:16:00.000-05:00

Riley turned 2 years old today!

She has grown up so much in the past couple of months, becoming so much more obedient and crazy talkative. She loves to sing and jump and run and read and feed her baby and ride her bike. She loves to swing, take walks, watch Elmo & count in Spanish ("Uno, quatro, tres...."). She loves cheese, bubble baths, playing with kids older than her, her little sister Story, and her big brother Jed. She loves to draw moons and stars, search for paw prints, eat popsicles, and look at pictures.

She loves life!
And I love my little blue eyed girl...

The Simerton Girls

2007-06-20T21:59:00.001-05:00

Growing up, Drew's friends affectionately referred to his family as the Simertons...Simons (mom Janis and step-dad Michael) & Capertons (Kent & Drew). Well, here are The Simerton Girls - all 6 of us.

Jessica is holding Julianne. In her belly. Just in case you were confused about the 6 thing...

It is finished...

2007-06-20T21:37:00.001-05:00

Jed is finally completely potty trained!! For over 2 weeks now he has not had a single accident. (He had been pee-free for months, but till now refused to poop in the potty.) I don't really know for sure what changed his mind...but I think that it was that we adopted Sarah McGooden's punishment idea of taking away one prized posession every time that he pooped in his undies....and that he got to choose something back every time that he did it in the potty. He even lost his pillow at one point. I put everything taken away up out of his reach but to where it was constantly looking down at him begging/daring him to use the potty.

With the sudden change here, he also started gaining other independence. For so long he would complain that he couldn't dress himself & needed help. It was like pulling teeth to get him to put his own clothes on. Now he's dressing himself and get's very frustrated if you try to help unless he's asked for it. At nap time I'll find him in his bedroom changing his shirt. Multiple times.

He also wouldn't go the bathroom by himself b/c he needed help with his clothes. Now he goes and I wouldn't have any idea except for that he's told me and is now asking for his candy and his pants are twisted. (Yep, we still bribe since Riley is now on the potty training wagon...it's hard to break for one and not the other.)

All of this potty talk is just to say that my little man is really growning up...

Full Circle

2007-06-20T21:15:00.000-05:00

One of the stories that is told often of my childhood involves my love for butter. My parents used to get so frustrated because they would always find little fingerprints (mine) in the butter. So one day my dad sat me down and let me eat an entire tub. I ate so much that I threw up.

Jed loves ranch dressing. "Branch" as he calls it. He drinks it from the little condiment packages from fast food restraunts. He sucks it off of his carrots & continues to double, triple, etc dip - like it's a Lik-a-maid. Well today, while I was not looking he poured about 1/3 of a cup of thick, homemade ranch dressing on his plate. Huge glob. My first instinct was to take his plate away and send him to get in the bath. But I passed on that one and, instead, gave him a spoon. I told him I wanted him to eat all of it. At first he was loving it. Saying "MMMmmmmm!" and smiling. But then I started having to 'encourage' him to keep eating. "But mom, branch is not for eating!" he started to complain. "That's what I always tell you, but you always eat it anyway, so keep going." After one more spoonful he was begging to go get in the bath (which NEVER happens these days). So I let him. No throw up - at least not yet. But he did complain that his stomach didn't feel very good. "Too much ranch, huh?" I asked him. "Yeah" he said with his head hung low.

Hopefully we are done with the ranch mustaches. At least for a while.

Thanks for the 'parenting tip', Dad!

I'll skip right to dessert, thanks....

2007-06-13T16:57:00.000-05:00

Last week I brought dessert outside after dinner so that we could all enjoy chocolate mint ice cream sandwiches. After carefully unwrapping the paper to expose the bright green ice cream sandwiched between two chocolate cookies, Jed, exclaimed "Ohhh - It's beauuuutiful!!"

However, lately, you can almost bet money on this scenario at dinner time:
Mom cooks dinner.
Mom calls kids & hubby to come eat.
Mom fixes kids plate with a small amount of everything.
Mom places plate in front of kids.
Son, who was previously in a great mood, immediately starts whining that he does not "like that."

Oh what I would give to have him exclaim that dinner is beautiful and actually eat it with out complaining. Without being bribed by dessert to follow...

Stiffled Laughter

2007-04-02T21:33:00.000-05:00

Friday Drew and I were outside doing stuff in the yard and the kids were just playing. Jed was going in & out of the house doing who knows what...I finally stopped asking. Anways, as we're standing out in the yard we hear this incredible loud thump & Jed begins to wail. We look towards the house to find him on the ground at the closed sliding glass door. That's right. He ran smack into it. Thankfully Drew was able to keep from laughing so that he could tend to Jed (who was more shook up than anything) but I had to stay in the yard to keep Jed from seeing how funny I thought this was. Yeah, I'm a terrible mom, I know.

Sadly, this was not the first time something like this has happened to stain my "Mom of the Year" resume. A couple of months ago we were all playing in the front yard. Jed was pulling on a stick that was caught on the swingset. He had his back to the ditch. I'm sure you can see where this is going. When the stick came loose Jed tumbled head over heals back into the ditch. And yep, I laughed. I ran to him and comforted him, but my first reaction was to laugh.

Growing like weeds...

2007-03-28T14:34:00.000-05:00

These kids are just growing like crazy!

Story is now 4 mo. old and weighs a measely 13 lbs. She's actually under the 50% mark...who'd have thought?! She is also very vocal these days - thankfully, not fussy, just vocal. It's really cute.

We're Famous!

2007-03-13T15:24:00.000-05:00

Check us out at http://www.acadianaparent.com. We're on pages 8-11 of the magazine!

(Let the timer run down rather than clicking on the magazine cover, otherwise it will take you to last month's edition.)

Phil Wickham

2007-03-05T22:30:00.000-06:00

I can't seem to get enough of Phil Wickham...well, his music. This video was the first I had seen or heard of him & so I thought I'd share it. Nate got Drew the CD for Christmas & it hasn't left my stereo since.

We choose a song for each of our kids that kind of reflects our hopes for them, as well as is reminicent of the time in which they were born. (In other words, when they are teens they will groan because of our musical tastes!!) For Story we chose Phil Wickham's song "Messiah."

Messiah
Look, the road is narrow and hard to find
With secret battles inside our minds
Who can last
God we need your strength to find
Your light to guide us into the night
You're our only chance

Messiah, Messiah, Messiah save us

Run, I want to run to your open hand
But father I can barely stand
On my own
Now, like the children of Abraham
We're reaching out for the promised land
For our home

You are our only hope
You are our only hope
You are our only hope

Oh, and to head off your questions, Riley's song is "One Girl Army" by Five Iron Frenzy & Jed's song is "Beautiful Letdown" by Switchfoot. I can already hear their groans & they're over a decade away.

Photo Shoot

2007-03-01T22:27:00.000-06:00

Michelle Hulse from my MOM's Club does free-lance writing & was writing an article for the monthly Acadiana Parent magazine for which I recently responded to a couple of interview questions on frugal living. The editor of the magazine asked if we'd be willing to have a photographer come out to the house to take pictures for the article. We said yes and so they took pics on Tuesday. The magazine is supposed to be out next week I believe. When the March issue comes out you can check it out online at www.acadianaparent.com. Of course, the only pictures of Riley that might be in the article will be of her asleep on the couch because she fell asleep 15 min. before he arrived and woke up 15 min. after he left.

The photographer, Peter Piazza, said that he'd burn us a CD of all the pictures that he took. He was a great guy. In fact, when he asked Drew where he worked, his first question was wether or not the paper had done any kind of article on Vox Church. When we told him that they had not he told us to give him a call when we wanted them to and that he'd hook us up with the guy who does the religion section.

Potty Talk

2007-03-01T22:07:00.000-06:00

Three whole days without a single accident during the day. That's right! I'm almost afraid to say it out loud but I think Jed is finally getting this potty training thing down. He has refused to poop in the potty for months but the last three days I have been in parenting BLISS as Jed is actually coming to me to tell me that he needs to go!

Last night I ran into Wal-mart to grab diapers while the kids sat in the car w/ Drew. Drew called me to tell me that Jed had to potty & that I needed to come get him immediately. So I did. He held it all the way to the bathroom! I am so proud of him.

We had been trying to get him to poop in the potty for so long that the first time he did it, I actually cried tears of joy! Now that's going on my "You know you're a mom if...." list.

Margo asked...

2007-02-14T14:52:00.000-06:00

"Is your hair pulled back or did you really cut it off?!"

It is really cut off. Fun Story: It was not my intention to go that short. You see, I decided that I could do an ok job cutting my hair myself b/c I always come home after a haircut and trim it up a bit anways. (And, ironically, I didn't want to spend the money.) Well trimming and full-blown cutting are two very different things. I screwed it up. I wore it like that for a week or two b/c it wasn't that bad. But then, one Friday morning I decided that I should really get it fixed. A friend suggested Wondercuts b/c it was cheap and they did a good job on her hair. So I went. I came home with an even worse cut and, of course, a shorter cut. I tried to fix it up a bit myself - didn't work. Just got shorter. It looked so bad that Saturday morning I "splurged" and went to the JC Penney's Salon. It's still not something I would have chosen in the beginning, but I am no longer embarassed to go out in public. And, I'm liking it much better now that I have discovered the magic of bobbypins!

I'm thinking that I might just let it grow back long again...This is too much stress!

Lucky

2007-02-12T20:46:00.000-06:00

Lucky just to get all three on the couch and not crying!

Hot Date!

2007-02-12T20:28:00.000-06:00

I had a hot date this morning! Drew stayed home w/ the girls and Jed and I got to go out. We had breakfast at Burger King and then went to Girard Park. It was possibly my best 2 hours with Jed ever! It was just really rejuvenating to spend the time with just him, doing just the stuff he wanted to do. (As opposed to running errands.) I've been wanting to start doing this for some time now, and he is now at an age where he really appreciates doing stuff like that. I keep trying to figure out how to describe how cool it was to spend this time with him...he wasn't the tormentous older brother or the crazy chicken-with-his-head-cut-off kid. He was such a joy to be with. It was a great reminder that I really am raising a little man...with an incredible personality.

If you'd like to 'date' Jed sometime, just let me know. I'm sure he'd love it.

New Pics

2007-02-07T11:17:00.000-06:00

Story LaRue Caperton

2006-11-22T02:33:00.000-06:00

Click here for more pictures.

Our hope for her is that she will live out and speak the story of the way of Jesus ["la rue" is French for "the way"]. The way of Jesus is peace, justice, redemption, and reconciliation- all of the things we hope Story will embody.

3+

2006-11-21T15:27:00.000-06:00

So that's where we're at today....dilated to "three plus" according to Dr. Hindelang. I've been having lots of contractions but nothing that has lead (obviously) to delivering a little girl yet.

If she is not here by Dec. 1st, we will be inducing that day. I'm, of course, still hoping for earlier!

I forgot to post...

2006-11-16T14:07:00.000-06:00

I forgot to post my update last week after my Dr. visit. Probably because it was so disappointing! With both kiddos, I was dilated to a 2 or 3 by my 36 wk visit. So I was totally expecting the same this go round. Nope! Nothing!! And then, I had my 37 wk. visit this past Tuesday & my doc does not check at this visit! What?!?!!?!?!? Well...alright. So, yeah. No news. I'm still hoping for soon though!

Pumpkin Patch

2006-11-06T10:51:00.000-06:00

The beginning of the end....

2006-11-04T22:19:00.000-06:00

Tuesday is my Week 36 OB appointment. I told the doctor a couple of weeks ago that "this is when the appointments get fun." Yeah, I didn't really think it thru before I said that. In case you don't know, that's when they start 'checking' you to see how dialated your cervix is. Hopefully he knew I just meant I was excited to see how we were progressing... Anyways, I will update with the specs when I get them.

Photo Update

2006-11-04T21:39:00.000-06:00

It's been a while since I've posted anything so I figured it was about time I got on the ball...here's just a little photo journal of our last couple of months:

Watching the ducks at Veteran's Park...these still moments are RARE!

These moments, thankfully, are not so rare. They really do love each other. It's so fun to see them loving on one another and laughing together. One morning I came out from getting dressed to find Jed sitting in front of the TV with Riley sitting between his legs, reclining against him with her head on his chest. They were just hanging out like that watching TV together for a good 10 minutes.

Walking the beach in Galveston - Aug. 2006

Jed, Uncle Nate, Kristy, #3, Riley & Drew in Galveston

Nana, Riley, Papa & Jed - Galveston

Pooh & Christopher Robin - Even more than trick-or-treating, Jed LOVED handing out candy to the kids on Halloween Night. We sat outside in the driveway and waited & watched for people to come to our house. Jed would get so excited when he saw anyone coming, he'd yell "Hey People! Come on!" He has since asked, every day, if we could "Give people candy, mom?" By the way, it was so hot here Halloween night that Jed wore his (borrowed) costume for about 20 minutes. Yuck!

Riley's Halloween costume - easy & cool...'On Safari' - mosquitos & all!

Jesus Loves...funny kid stories...

2006-09-29T22:38:00.000-05:00

Every night we read 2 books, pray & sing 2 songs with Jed before bed time. Tonight, after reading books, I asked Jed what songs he’d like to sing. His first choice was “Jesus Loves the Little Children.” The whole time that I’m singing the song, I noticed that his eyes were darting back and forth between my face & my shirt. Strange, but whatever. So I finished the song and asked him what song he wanted to sing next.

Jed responded , “Jesus Loves Boobies”.

I just looked at him and said, “What?!”

“Jesus Loves Boobies.” Did he really just say that?

“I’m sorry Jed, but I don’t know that song. Can you sing it?” Maybe I’m not hearing correctly…

“Boobies. Boooooobies!” he begins to sing, with a big fat grin on his face.

Yeah….he was really saying “boobies”. What a boy!

Riley's First Pigtails

2006-07-27T11:47:00.000-05:00

The verdict is in...

2006-07-18T14:42:00.000-05:00

Due date remains 12/4. Jed & Drew are slowly getting outnumbered! By the way, we have a pretty great name in the works for a girl! Any guesses? Ha! Like we'd tell you.

Ultrasound

2006-07-17T13:09:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow morning we have our 20 wk ultrasound to make sure that #3 is healthy and verify due date. Of course, we will also be finding out the sex of the baby - hopefully! We'll update tomorrow!

Prize inside the Cheerio Box

2006-07-17T13:04:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I was pouring Riley some Cheerios onto her highchair tray. Out came a mix of cheerios and crayons. Jed apparently found a time when the eyes in the back of my head must have been resting and dropped a whole box of crayons in there. Did I dig them out? Nope. Still there. Do I plan to? Nope. They'll slowly make their way out as we finish off the box...

Quote

2006-07-17T13:01:00.000-05:00

"I like it when you're pregnant. I get to be right more often."
- Drew Caperton

Found: Little girl hiding

2006-07-08T09:09:00.000-05:00

Riley found a great hiding spot! Unfortunate for her, Jed found it too!

A look at the year....

2006-07-01T19:18:00.000-05:00

On the 28th we had Riley's One Year Check-up. Here's a look at how much she's grown:

Birth Weight - 9lb 3oz.
Weight at a year - 28 lbs (97%)

Birth Length - 20 1/2 in.
Height at a year - 32 in. (97%)

Go here to see Jed's 1 year stats. She's got him beat!

Riley's Party

2006-07-01T19:02:00.000-05:00

We went to ChuckECheese's for Riley's first birthday & had cake back at home afterwards. It was just our family and Riley's Mimi & Poppa. Here are some pics from the day:

Riley's 1st Birthday

2006-06-26T09:13:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday, Riley! I can't believe it's been a whole year!

Read about Riley's birth and see pics here.

What we did today...

2006-06-22T16:29:00.000-05:00

We finally got to really enjoy our backyard! We set up the kiddie pool and played outside for hours! Our yard is slowly getting to be a great place to spend the day.

Thanks to Kent & Jessica for Riley's new suit! She looks so cute in it. (Yeah, I didn't wait until her B-day to open it...well, Jed didn't wait.)

Miss Rye

2006-06-22T13:04:00.000-05:00

Riley is talking these days...she mostly says things like "Da-dee" & "yeah" & "Jed". Although, today it sounded like she was saying 'sit down' (which I frequently have to tell her) when she climbed into Jed's little rocking chair that she always wants to stand in.

The other day I asked her to say "Mama" and she looked at me, said "Da-dee," immediately followed by "Phleepppppp!"

Free Jewelry (This one's for you Margo!)

2006-06-21T13:23:00.000-05:00

Get a free bracelet kit AND support a good cause - Cervical Cancer Research.

It's totally free , but for every one that is ordered, Merck Pharmaceuticals donates $1 for cervical cancer research.

http://www.maketheconnection.org/

How Conservitive/Liberal am I?!

2006-06-20T13:59:00.000-05:00

Your Political Profile:

Overall: 70% Conservative, 30% Liberal

Social Issues: 100% Conservative, 0% Liberal

Personal Responsibility: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal

Fiscal Issues: 75% Conservative, 25% Liberal

Ethics: 25% Conservative, 75% Liberal

Defense and Crime: 100% Conservative, 0% Liberal

How Liberal Or Conservative Are You?

Family Time

2006-06-12T22:46:00.000-05:00

We got to spend some much needed, much anticipated time with my mom & dad & brother Nate a couple weeks ago. Mom & dad were here for just a couple of days, but Nate was here over a week! It was so great to have him here! The kids really love him & he was so much help. One day he did all kinds of stuff around the house that had been needing to get done for so long. Drew was giddy when he got home!!

At the zoo:

In our front yard:

Mommy & Daddy Go On Vacation

2006-06-12T22:31:00.000-05:00

Drew and I got to take a vacation this past weekend...without the kids! Our friends Tara & Emily stayed w/ the kids all weekend and we took off for Baton Rouge. (Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!) We got a great suite at a hotel w/ a free cooked-to-order breakfast & a nice pool. We ate dinner out at Joe's Crabshack & Copeland's Cheesecake Bistro. We went to an improv comedy show at a coffee shop & played putt-putt. Drew won. (I know I'd better put it in now or it would be a comment later where he'd get to gloat about it. This way, I can make it sound very anticlimactic.) We really had a great time just hanging out and really doing what we knew the other would enjoy. It was SOOO great to sleep in. And to just do whatever the heck we wanted. And to eat out without having to cut something up into little bitty peices.

We did get a flat on the 18 mile bridge on the trip there. I was totally freaked out. It is the WORST place to have to change a tire. But Drew did it in record time! And we were eventually able to get to a place where we could spend $70 on a stupid new tire...although, really we just got 4 new (used) tires put on about a month ago. Frustrating.

Black Eye

2006-05-18T12:42:00.000-05:00

Well I have my first official black eye. (At least I can't remember ever having a black eye before...) Actually it's a little more green/yellow/purple at this point. Nope. Not from Drew. Definately not from Drew! Instead it was the other man in my life - Jed. Jed has decided that he loves to run at people full force. Well he did that to me the other day while I was sitting on the couch talking to my friend Steph. Obviously I was engrossed in conversation and unaware of the two year old careening towards my face at 40 mph. His forehead hit my cheekbone just below my eye socket. Voila - black eye!

Blessings on our Family of Five

2006-05-10T20:28:00.000-05:00

Well....the 'us' in The Story of Us just keeps getting bigger. We're having another baby! Due Dec. 4th. So that means I'm about 10 weeks along. We had our first doc visit on Monday & heard the baby's heartbeat. Riley will be about 17 mo. old when this baby comes. Jed & Riley are 17 mo. apart also. (So I guess you can expect #4 right about 17 mo. after #3!)

We were in the throes of deciding what to do about buying a minivan with #3 in the not too distant future & with all being in carseats, we will not fit in our car any longer. We were a little concerned about taking on another car note right now. I guess God thought we shouldn't take on a car note right now either because we are being GIVEN a minivan!! A 2000 Honda - it has over 160,000 miles on it but supposedly runs great. So amazing!!! We are supposed to pick it up tomorrow!

We truly believe that children are a gift from God & that he provides for those gifts. This is just one more page in our story showing that to be true!

Twenty Eight

2006-04-26T13:59:00.000-05:00

Pretty as a Picture

2006-03-31T11:33:00.000-06:00

I am so in love with this picture of Riley. The funny thing is that I didn't think that I had gotten any great ones the day I took these. So weeks later, I'm looking thru the photos and I saw it. So good. I love the lighting & the pose & everything.

The Thinker

2006-03-24T15:06:00.000-06:00

Jed has always been our pensive child. I frequently find him with his hands on his cheeks...

Photo by Amy Copeland - Amy, you captured him so well!

Justa Swingin'

2006-03-24T15:03:00.000-06:00

Jed & Riley have developed a love for the swings! Riley actually never had a baby swing - so this is a little new for her...but she absolutely loves it! Jed didn't really like it until Riley was swinging...now I can't get him to get down.

Photo by Amy Copeland.

Bach Lunch

2006-03-24T14:30:00.001-06:00

We've been going to Bach Lunch w/ our Playgroup the last few Fridays. It's been so good to get out and attend free community events. It's a different band every week...we just bring our lunch and hang out w/ friends & do a little dancing. Drew works downtown so he's able to walk over and meet us at his lunch break. It's becoming a great family tradition for us. Can't wait til it's warmer because they turn on the fountains that shoot out of the ground! That will be so much fun!
Photo by Amy Copeland.

Riley Roo

2006-03-19T22:22:00.000-06:00

Blue Dog

2006-03-09T21:08:00.000-06:00

We've got 2 puppies in our house these days...

Jed's new favorite is Blue's Clues. He gets INCREDIBLY excited when it comes on. He starts dancing and shouting "Boo's Boos!" We've been checking out books & videos from the Library. Last week, when we had to return one, he threw an all out fit. He was so upset!

Ran-dom

2006-03-07T13:20:00.000-06:00

Riley loves to eat dog food. I move her and she crawls right back to the bowl. I move the bowl and she sits there where the bowl was, looking all around for it. One day I looked over to find her chewing on a bone and Aspen chewing on Riley's Cabbage Patch. Riley should start barking soon.

We, Vox, had our first Sunday downtown. It was incredible!! God had really gone before us to prepare things. We had our make-shift kids area and it looked great - thanks for the help Rebecca & Matt! I was really amazed at how smoothly things went. It felt like when we bought our first house - so 'grown up'. I am so excited about what God's got in store for us!

Jed is learning shapes & colors. It's a lot of fun. His vocabulary is really growing. And he seems to be getting a little more comfortable with Aspen. Honestly, I don't blame him much b/c she loves to bite (while it's not hard, it's still not comfortable).

Aspen is an escape artist. She's been getting out of the fence. Thankfully our neighbors love her and just let her hang out w/ them & their dogs for a while before bringing her back. It's cool b/c getting Aspen has really helped us get to know our neighbors better. By the way, we've rigged the gate so that she can't squeeze thru, but it's not really convenient for us. So hopefully she'll get big enough soon that we can undo it.

Riley is crawling really well and pulling up on everything, walking along the couch. She might walk sooner than I expected. She's also saying Mama & Dada. I'm finding that things w/ Riley are surprising me. With Jed I sat watching in anticipation for the 'milestones'. But w/ Riley I guess I'm just so much more busy that I was shocked to find her standing up at a toy one day.

My brother Nathan recently blogged about alcohol & christianity. It was interesting to see what all his baptist-school-friends had to say. (I don't mean that to be derrogatory, just descriptive.) Nate linked to this website - http://www.stevekmccoy.com/reformissionary/2005/09/alcohol_abstent.html
and got lots of push back on the subject. Here was my push-back to the original push-back. Any push-back?

The same way that drinking can be a stumbling block (although, usually just for believers), not drinking can be one for unbelievers. We have recently moved to catholic cajun country where drinking is a VERY normal part of life. People need to know that there is freedom in Christ. They need to be told that they are free to drink. But that with that freedom, comes responsibility. People need to see that freedom & responsibilty modeled in Christians, and not just with drinking. That doesn't mean that you have to drink to minister. Although, sometimes that really is needed. Sometimes drinking is about fitting in. If a guy sits down w/ a beer to tell you about his troubled marriage, offers you one and you tell him you don't drink, you have just distanced yourself at a time that he needed someone near. And sometimes drinking is about being different - it's just enough to capture someone's attention, enough to get them to think twice about the God that you serve & the life that you live, and see that God is bigger than some silly legalistic rule on drinking. I'd much rather distance myself from the believers than the tax collectors and prostitutes if it means that they might ultimately see their need for Christ. Believers, on the other hand, have the choice of learning from it (Disciples) or attacking it (Pharisees).