All Wrapped Up

So, I haven't posted a What Works For Me Wed. post in a really long time because frankly this pregnant brain forgets any creative ideas that cross it's path long before they ever make it to fruition. And I would do some memory exercises or something if I wasn't already so busy focusing on not being ridiculously clumsy.

Yesterday, I was hanging a shirt on a rack and the next minute I found myself on the floor, surrounded by that entire rack of clothing. Not only did my pride take a beating, but I ended up with a huge knot on my leg for a parting prize.

Or there was the moment at McDonald's that I was filling up a cup of water when it mysteriously jumped out of my hand. Seeing my embarrassment, as the kind worker bent to the floor to clean up the mess, he sweetly assured me, "It is no big deal, Miss."

However, I don't think he still felt that way when the next cup I was refilling slipped from my hand a SECOND time and drenched his entire head. Not even my fuzzy brain can forget the horror I felt in that moment.

But somehow in all the clumsiness I managed to stumble across a helpful idea. I've always heard that necessity is the mother of all invention and this one definitely came out of desperation.

It was eleven o'clock on Sunday night when I realized that although I had miraculously remembered to buy a gift for the birthday party we were attending the next day, I had failed to buy anything to wrap it in. Even my trusty gift bag storage box was devoid of packaging that could help me out last minute.

So, in an effort to avoid getting up early to go to the store, I came across a large sheet of white butcher paper in the art closet that Park had painted a few weeks back. I had intended to throw it out, but thankfully hadn't gotten around to it.

I cut it like wrapping paper and was amazed that it ended up being cuter than anything I could have purchased. So, from now on, our birthday gifts will be sporting a personalized touch.

(Assuming that I actually remember to use this trick next time around.)

Maybe we should wrap up a gift for that poor McDonald's worker....

How Can I Possibly Give This Randomness a Title?

Since I haven't made much time for blogging lately, I'm feeling overwhelmed by all the stories I want to record. I think I'll just start out by writing random snippets and hopefully end up with some form of a post.

I am halfway through this pregnancy already. How exactly did that happen? This sweet baby is moving all around. Park wants to feel it so badly, but every time he puts his hand to my belly the kicks suddenly stop. When this happens he always says, "Oh, man! God sure gave us a tricky little one!"

Yesterday, he told me,"I really want a brother, but I'll be thankful for whatever God gives us." It's only taken about 20 weeks of work to get him to this point, but just as I was relishing we had finally arrived, he added, "If it is a sister I'll protect her, and if someone is mean to my brother I'll punch 'em in the nose!"

And if you've ever seen his moves, you understand my concern.

I'm not sure if that horrified me more or the fact that Chris answered with, "You got it, buddy!"

On another note, what is up with maternity jeans? I'm still wearing my regular jeans held together with a rubber band because I have yet to find a pair that I could go out in public in. Am I the only one with issues?

And speaking of maternity clothing issues, I pulled out my clothes I wore when pregnant with Park. Can four years really make that much of a difference in style? If I looked as wrong in them then as I do now, someone should have just put me out of my misery. At the rate things are going, What Not To Wear may contact me before this pregnancy is over.

Can I just tell you that despite all my wardrobe malfunctions, not a day goes by that I don't soak up how thankful I am to be pregnant! Based on the time it took to get here, I am painfully aware of how many women are aching to have the opportunity to look dorky in maternity jeans. And I pray that when they are on the other side of their infertility, they will not take for granted what others are so desperately longing for.

I am one of those rare people that LOVE being pregnant. Even with Park, I just enjoyed it right up until the last day. Of course, it helps that I don't really get morning sickness and that my hubby thinks pregnancy is beyond hot. I could do without the whole labor thing, but the actual growing of the baby inside me is something I did not expect to enjoy so much.

And speaking of enjoyment, I can't help but think God must have laughed at Park's prayer tonight. It went like this:

Jesus, thank you for the beautiful sky you gave us tonight. And for cars, and horses, and my socks. Even though they stink. Will you smell my feet and give me something good to eat? I'm hungry, but Mommy said I already had my bedtime snack. Oh and thank you for my Daddy's stinky booty. Please help our baby to be stinky, too, because boys are stinky and I want a boy baby. Amen

What am I going to do with that child?

The "Eggs"travaganza

Last Wednesday was a day that Park had been looking forward to for weeks.

He was so excited that morning that he greeted Chris and me at our bedside at 6:45 AM, bright-eyed and bushy tailed. The first words out of his mouth were, "I'm so happy Jesus died on the cross for us so we could have this Easter party! He must love us so much!!"

Not exactly what we envisioned him retaining when teaching about the crucifixion, but at least he held on to how much we are loved.

The party was a whirlwind of wild little boys and two little girls who could hold their own among them. We had such a good time sharing the excitement of Easter with some of our closest friends and it might just become a yearly tradition around here.

Enjoy the party pics and I hope you and your families have an amazing Easter. If you live in the Fort Worth area and are looking for a place to celebrate, we would love to welcome you at our church.

Fellowship Fort Worth service times:
Sat 6PM
Sunday 9AM, 10:30AM or 11:59AM

Bunny puppets, cupcakes and Easter grass and we were all set to party! The craft station set up for bunny ear construction
Three of the crazy "bunnies"; Grayson, Park, and Beaux
The egg painting festivities.
Caiden was our resident safety patrol, notifying me that, "Park is eating the eggs and they have TOXIC CHEMICALS all over them!!!!! (AKA Crayola paint:)
Bridget and Sarah pretending not to notice our children painting more of themselves than the eggs.
Grayson and Eli on the prowl for more eggs.

Addison staking her claim during the egg hunt.

Let Me Introduce You.....

...to my newest NEPHEW!!!!

And I have to tell you we are all pretty in love with him already.

Challi is doing great after another natural birth. In fact, things have gone so well that I wish she could just birth my baby for me come September. If only it worked that way, right?

Kord Briston K______ was born April 2nd at 3:49AM weighing 7 lbs. He is the tiniest one we have ever had! Lolli and Pops are now the proud grandparents of 4 grandsons and the brothers (including Park:) could not have been more excited that the "All Boys Club" is still in tact.

Chris put it best when he said, "One more and we'll have a basketball team!"

Thank you, Jesus for another healthy baby and for all You have planned for Kord's precious life.

Bunny Business

Never mind that it is only the first day in April, Easter celebrations are hopping around here. Considering our Christmas tree was up by Halloween, we are all about getting the party started. (And since it technically didn't come down until mid January, apparently we are also about being the last guests to leave.)

Here's to egg hunting through mid-May.

Park is beyond excited to go take his picture with some real bunnies next week, but he has been sure to clarify about 100 times that they are real and NOT the "fake mall Easter bunny in the scary costume." We will also be hosting a little Easter party for Bridget and Sarah's kids next week and Park double checked that the "mall bunny" would not be making a guest appearance. Clearly, he is not a fan.

However, we had some people in bunny costumes at our church last weekend greeting at the front doors. Apparently, church Easter Bunnies are not as scary judging from the multiple high fives and waves Park gave them. But when someone tried to make it into a photo op, he bolted faster than Peter leaving Mr. Mcgregor's garden.

I still call it progress from last year, though. Baby hops, folks, baby hops.

Last week, at the Fort Worth Campus alone our church stuffed and distributed 50,000 Easter eggs with candy and fliers inviting people to our services. As a church, we also spent a weekend serving the community and reaching out to our neighbors. Too many times in my life I have TOLD people about Jesus without SHOWING them His love. It was such an awesome thing to be be apart of and I'm so thankful that among all the Easter parties and festivities, Park was able to get a glimpse of the REAL reason for Easter.

In other news, Park was also a big fan of April Fool's today, as well. He must have tricked me about 50 times. His favorite one was telling me that his hair had turned various colors and then screaming, "APRIL FOOLS!!!", while laughing wildly. I have to admit I fell for the one about my cell phone being in the fridge.

Mainly because I've actually put it there before without realizing it.

So, when after being several days "overdue", Challi called me tonight to say her water broke, I waited for the big, "April Fools!"

Turns out, sister doesn't joke around about labor pain. And since we both do natural childbirth, I totally understand why.

Park and I will be heading to East Texas in the early morning to meet my newest niece or nephew. But until then, I'm guaranteed to get no sleep tonight while I pace the floors praying for a safe, healthy delivery. No wonder she about went into cardiac arrest when I was still pushing with Park five hours into it. She said giving birth paled in comparison to knowing I was doing it and she could do nothing but wait for news.

You'd think I'd be more relaxed since she has given me so much practice waiting for baby news. This is her third baby to deliver in three years, after all! With three kids age three and under, I'm thinking I should probably stress less about the delivery and more about her losing her mind upon returning home!

My dad wants us to put it in writing that we are done with having babies. After each of us having trouble conceiving at different points, each of us having unexpected pregnancies at times, combined with the fact it makes him crazy for us to be in any kind of pain, this man does not do well with childbirth or the likes. All my life my dad loved having girls, but when I talked to him a few minutes ago he said, "And why exactly did I not pray for sons?"

You would have thought that the two weddings in one year thing would have driven him to this conclusion much sooner, but clearly Pops is a strong man.

I have to admit it did cross my mind to call back and tell him I'm in labor, too, and then after a long pause follow it up with, "April Fool's!", but I'm just not that cruel.

Captured Memories: The Shoot Out

Well, hello Mr. Blog. It is nice to meet up with you again. It's been quite a while....

One of the things I love about blogging is it is one of those things in life I feel little pressure about, which is probably pretty obvious based on the sporadicness (yes, spell check, I made this one up) of my postings.

Having a blog is so incredible because I am able to do something I love (write), while capturing memories made with the ones I love. Sometimes I get on a roll and record those sweet memories as they happen, and other times I simply enjoy making them, taking snapshots in my mind that can be relayed at a later date.

Either way, this little piece of cyber space is always waiting, ready and willing to oblige me whenever the time comes. And sooner or later, I find myself back here, welcomed as if I were never gone.

No harm no foul, minus a few holes in the archives.

All that to say, thank you for persevering with me as I relay some of those captured memories from the last few weeks over the next few posts.

I'm not sure how it happened, but Park seems to have discovered guns overnight. Although we have no actual toy artillery in our household, EVERYTHING has turned into a weapon of mass destruction.

Fingers, sticks, crayons, bats, and anything else you can think of are cocked and ready to be fired at any given moment of play. And let me not fail to mention the sound effects he has so eloquently mastered.

"POW POW...BOOM...BAM BAM!!!!, " he screams, while taking aim at various items in the living room.

I'm not going to lie, it is obnoxious.

So, as of recent, I've tried some various parenting techniques, such as setting some rules of engagement

Rule #1 We don't shoot living things.

Park's reply: "But Mommy, Uncle Rob shoots deer and elk and hogs. Aren't they alive before he shoots them dead."

Thanks to my hunting loving brother-in law, Rule # 1 had to be modified a bit. Although when I scolded him for this told him this, Uncle Rob was quick to remind me that he shoots with a bow and arrow and not a gun.

Clearly, that made me feel much better, as you can imagine.

Modified Rule #1: We don't shoot people.

Park's reply: "But Mommy, I just shoot bad guys."

I took a deep breath and decided to use this as a teachable moment. Feeling this was a good opportunity to impart some spiritual truth, I discussed with my son that bad guys are really just people who need Jesus.

I explained that God created the world, giving every single person a chance to decide if they will accept or reject Jesus. I ended the impromptu lesson with, "We don't want to shoot them because then they would not have an opportunity to meet Jesus and accept Him into their hearts."

Park looked very impressed for a brief moment just before his little face fell in defeat as he said, "I guess I can only shoot wild animals now."

I smiled, trying not to declare victory until he was well out of the room.

About 2 minutes later, I caught him shooting "bad guys" again. In case you are wondering how I knew this, his celebratory yells of "Yes! I shot him. I shot the bad guy!" clued me in.

He is a sneaky one, I tell you.

I gave him one of my best "didn't I just tell you we don't shoot bad guys?" looks, as I sternly said the obligatory "Park Ryland!"

Beaming proudly, Park replied, "Don't worry Mommy, I asked this bad guy if he wanted to accept Jesus and he said no. So, I shot him."

Oh dear. Not exactly what I had in mind with my little salvation lesson.

Re-Modified Rule #1 We only shoot pretend paintball guns. We are not actually harming anything we shoot, because paint does not hurt.

Especially animals and bad guys.

As for that victorious smile I was wearing? Well, let's just say it is covered in paint.

Thursday Thankfuls

Things I am thankful for today:

-The few special days Park and I got to go spend with my sis and nephews this week

-That Park and I don't share a bed on a regular basis (Although it is pretty precious to get to cuddle up with him for a few nights while out of town) 

-The beautiful warm weather

- That, unlike my disciplined hubby, I am not waking up at 5:00 AM (ouch!) to exercise in the morning 

- The fact that I am a day away from entering my second trimester of pregnancy

- The 2 hour episode of 24 that is waiting for Chris and I to curl up on the couch and watch

-The extra sleep I'll get while Chris takes Park on a fun "boys only"outing Friday morning

- The kiss that Park just gave me while I'm typing this post

What are you thankful for today?

Suckers and Doppler Drama

Park and Chris came with me to my Dr.'s appointment last week so we could all share in hearing the baby's heart beat for the first time.

Dr. White placed the Doppler on my stomach, after securing his place in Park's heart forever by presenting him with his first lolly pop. While Park chomped away, we anxiously awaited that beautiful sound to fill the room.

And waited, waited, waited, and waited some more.

Finally, he called for the nurse to bring in a different Doppler, all the while assuring me there was nothing to worry about. One of the reasons I chose him as my doctor is his amazing bedside manner. 

I don't care how qualified you are, if you can't treat me like my opinion counts or care about me as a human being, I'm so out of there. Unlike some others I have visited briefly in the past, it is such a blessing that Dr. White is competent, compassionate, and supportive. (Let me show some love here to Sarah and Bridget for insisting that I meet him!)

I was fairly calm even after the second Doppler did not locate the heartbeat. We were moved into a different room to skip on to an ultrasound. But, my calmness turned into pleading prayers when the tech could not find anything after putting the gel on my stomach. I searched Chris' eyes to see if his heart held the fear that mine did, but thankfully I found nothing but calm reassurance.

Well, in all honesty, in that moment it irritated me a bit that he was so peaceful in the middle of such stress. But, as usual, my irritation came more from conviction than anything else. God has given us this little life and instead of panicking, I should have simply rested in His sovereignty and ability to take care of us no matter what. 

Being married to a a man that lives out his faith 24/7 often gives me the opportunity to see which areas I need to grow in. Sigh.

Without hesitation Dr. White stepped out for a moment so the tech could quickly skip to the next type of ultrasound (read between the lines here), and before he could even re-enter the room we were all praising the Lord for the beating heart and fluttering arms on the screen.

I have never been so thrilled and thankful to see someone waving to me in all my life. Park immediately squealed, "It's my brother and he is waving at me!"

(Note to self: Go back over the conversation with Park about how thankful we will be with WHATEVER God gives us, a brother or sister.)

About that time the baby began to suck its' thumb and we all watched in amazement. They explained the reason we had such a hard time hearing the baby's heartbeat is because my uterus is tucked behind my bladder.

Perhaps this accounts for why I visit the restroom 105 times per day?

After reassuring us how healthy and how well this baby is developing, the tech and Dr. White turned off the screen and left the room. Chris, Park, and I celebrated  a bit and then got our things together and headed to the front desk to schedule the next appointment.

About that time, Park said, "I can't wait to come back and get another lolly pop from Dr. White next time! (Decided not to break it to him just then that he won't be joining me for every appt...) Hey, and what was that pink Dr.'s name, Mommy?"

Confused, I answered, "Dr. White?"

"No," he said impatiently, "Not the white doctor, the pink one!"

It took me a minute, but I finally realized that the ultrasound tech was wearing pink. Chris and I got a good laugh out of that one. 

Thank you Dr. White and "Dr. Pink" for your calm spirits, peaceful reassurance, and compassion during a stressful visit.

And of course for the lolly pop, too.

Going Public With Their Face

Lately, we have had some strange happenings in our household.

Every time I walk past our bathtub, there seems to be a new item floating in about an inch deep of water. These items have ranged from a necklace, Park's shoe, my lipstick, stuffed animals, all the way to Chris' car keys.

I felt pretty confident of who the culprit was, but it wasn't until I caught him in the act that I got the full picture of what was really going down.

A few days ago, I turned the corner of my bedroom just in time to hear Park saying these words, as he dunked six plastic monkeys in our bathtub...

"Today we are having a party because you are going public with your face. I baptize you in Jesus' name! Now, hold your nose while I pray for you. Thank you, God, for these monkeys. Please help them not to drown."

Chris has been baptizing after every service for the last few weeks and apparently these celebrations have made quite the impression on sweet Park.

And I have to say it has made a pretty huge one on us, too.

How amazing it is to see people go public with their faith (or as Park so eloquently put it..."face"), as they venture into the next step of their relationship with Christ!

And just to clarify, Chris has not let a single one drown.

Now if only we could say the same for Park....

Rest in peace little plastic monkey, who accidentally slipped down the drain during baptism festivities. At least it wasn't the car keys, though.

The Home Depot Ministry

The conference was life changing.

There are no other words to describe it. I don't think I have ever experienced such unbelievable teaching and high energy, spirit-filled worship in such a short amount of time. It is one of my absolute favorite things that our church does each year. And now that another one has passed, I feel challenged to live out all those truths that I just soaked in for the last several days.

A big thank you to Lolli and Pops for their ministry to Chris and me, coming to keep Park so that I could be apart of C3. I must admit that there was no twisting of arms involved when I asked them to come.

And Park didn't exactly shed any tears when I told him who would be taking care of him. He told me every day for a week in advance that he wished "my conference would get here already!"

When I called the house on Thursday, Mom told me that they had given Park the afternoon to pick anywhere he wanted to go and they would take him. She and Dad assumed they would spend the afternoon at the zoo, an inflatable bounce house, or breaking the news that Six Flags doesn't open until next month.

But, I have to say it was no surprise to me that his choice, without hesitation, was to race a cart through the aisles of Home Depot for his special outing. There isn't a tool in that place that he can't name, which I must say can be very helpful when I have to ask him which thingamabob I need to use to change the batteries on one of his toys.

Clearly, he is his father's son. Two peas in a pod, I tell you.

And there may or may not have been some rumors that Pops may or may not have ridden a tractor with Park while they were there.

Not that Lolli told on them or anything.

Shout out to Home Depot for allowing my three year old and his doting grandparents to test out all of their equipment, with zero intent to buy a thing.

Free advertising in blog land is your reward and you're welcome for the mass marketing plug I just gave to all 2 of my male readers.

(Let's just not tell them that one of those two is the same man who illegally rode their tractors and the other already shops there regularly, hence the reason his son requested to go there in the first place.)

All that to say, this week is about living out all God has shown me, in the midst of detoxing Park from believing we can go anywhere he chooses at any moment he wishes.

Don't you wish you could be here to see how that works out for me?

I know Lolli and Pops do, considering they are already missing Park after being gone less than 24 hours.

And we are already missing them, too.

Creative Church Conference

Please be in prayer for our church as we host the C3 Conference over the next three days. There will be pastors and leaders from all around the world who are coming together to be inspired, equipped, refreshed, renewed and encouraged.

By God's grace, lives will be changed, churches will be ignited and leaders will rise up. Please partner with us in lifting up our staff, volunteers, speakers, and all those attending this event.

If you live in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, we would love to invite you out for C3 nights for incredible worship and teaching. They are free of charge, open to the public and childcare is provided. All C3 events, including C3 Nights, will be held at Fellowship Church's main campus in Grapevine. The schedule is as follows:

(*Doors open to the public at 6:15 each evening)

C3 Nights:

Wed Night 6:30
Speakers: Christine Caine and Jentezen Franklin

Thurs Night 6:30
Speakers: Our Pastor, Ed Young and Craig Groeschel

Friday Night 6:30
Speaker: Bishop T.D. Jakes

I look forward to seeing you there!

Rough and Tumble Sensitivity

Yes, I am alive.

Still comatose, but joyfully alive.

Lately, with my new "sleeping schedule", I've had a hard time balancing blogging with clean laundry and food for my family. So, I decided they could go hungry for one night in order for me to give y'all a brief update.

Priorities, right?

Well, sandwiches for dinner doesn't really count as starving does it? To be completely honest, I think Park and Chris are secretly relieved that I've been too tired to cook lately. After all, faking edibility probably gets challenging night after night.

However, Chris did not disappoint with his special Valentine's "I Love you" pancakes and Park requested to spend time individually with each of us, making creative presents to surprise the other with.

I ended up with a bouquet of paper flowers and Chris got a love puppet, constructed out of a paper bag, a million cut-out hearts, and a little boy's creativity. Neither of us could have been more thrilled with our gifts. I was especially pleased with the sensitivity our usually "rough and tumble" son showed with such a sweet gesture.

Never mind the fact that in the end, Park used Chris' puppet to eat my paper flowers.

Rough and tumble sensitivity is better than nothing, I tell you.

Park was so impressed with Valentine's this year that he has decided everyday should be "a day of love, Mommy!"

And although I think this idea was inspired because he adored his Spider man placement and mini etch-o-sketch so much, the concept is very valid.

We don't need a special day of the year to show people we love them. We should exude Christ's love to others every single day of our lives.

Now, I wish I could say that I live this out a hundred percent of the time or that I make a habit of putting other people's needs above my own. But the truth is I am selfish. Oftentimes, it takes other people in my life serving me to remind me that I am called to give self sacrificing love to others.

I'm so inspired by all the people I am surrounded with who are actively practicing this type of love. And although my sensitivity may be rough around the edges, I'm thankful that God isn't done with me yet.

Rough and tumble sensitivity is better than nothing, I tell you.

A Little Lot of Shut Eye

If you happen to have wondered where I've been lately, the most likely answer is sleeping.

I cannot keep my eyes open to save my life.

Last week, Chris, Park and I were coming home from an evening with friends at around 7:00 PM. One minute Chris and I were in the middle of a great conversation and then the next thing I remember is him waking me up in our driveway 45 minutes later.

Narcolepsy, I tell you.

And this is really odd for someone who usually has to have her teeth brushed, face, washed, mask on, and pillows fluffed accordingly, just to have a chance at falling asleep within the hour.

Not to mention that every time I lay down with Park to read books, I end up reading the back of my eyelids, instead. And by God's mercy Park has been taking more naps, too, probably because he'd have to crawl over his sleeping mommy to have a chance at escaping his bed.

Clearly I should have tried this strategy sooner.

But all that to say, I'll take sleepiness over queasiness any day of the weak. With the exception of some waves of nausea here and there, I am very blessed in the morning sickness department. (Well, technically early mornings have always made me sick, pregnant or not.)

However, let me warn anyone willing to listen about taking your child to the rodeo during the first trimester of pregnancy.

One whiff of the air upon entering the arena sent this little cowgirl into dry heaves for the remainder of the festivities. It wasn't pretty, but I was able to manage long enough to see the final bull rides.

Even if I had to bury my nose in my shirt to do so.

When purchasing their tickets, the poor people next to us had no idea what kind of show they were actually in store for. Perhaps rodeo attendees should push for a refund clause in the off chance you are seated next to a hurling, shirt sniffing, drama mama.

On the up side, Park didn't seem to mind my misery a bit, even pausing his "YEE HAW!" periodically to slam pat me on the head. And Chris was gracious enough to hide his grins with his hands, although I did faintly hear some snickering between dry heaves.

At least my rodeo debt is paid, unlike Chris who is still having to play the calf, while Park chases him on a stick horse before mercilessly roping him to the ground.

How's that snickering working for you now, hubs?

So, all in all, I'm alive and well, thankful beyond words for my waves of nausea and narcoleptic tendencies. I'm heading into my ninth week of pregnancy and not taking one minute of it for granted.

Even if I have to bury my nose in my shirt every now and then to do so.

Let me introduce you to....

Our little miracle! (and I do mean LITTLE:)
Praising the Lord for a strong flickering heartbeat!

Chris has already declared that the baby looks just like him. Can't you just see the resemblance?

After today, Park, on the other hand, voiced some serious concern.

"Mommy, I'm afraid our baby will come out looking like a peanut. Don't worry, I'll still love him, though. And I'll try not to eat him."

What a great big brother he is going to be!

I claimed this verse when I was believing for our baby, so it is especially sweet to read it now, as I turn in for bed.

(And for those of you still waiting for your miracle, I claim it on your behalf tonight.)

For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!

Psalm 139:13-17

Rough, Rowdy, Rambunctious and Tiffany & Co.

Last week I headed to my sister's and our boys enjoyed some serious playtime.

Those three little men simply adore each other. Krew and Park spent most of their time throwing the ball back and forth to each other, while taking turns falling to the ground over fake injuries that caused them to giggle hysterically. Not to be excluded from the action, Kage would also periodically collapse, eliciting excited hoops and hollers from the older boys.

They were rough, rowdy, and rambunctious and loved every minute of it. Park is definitely the ring leader, but Kage's innate knack for mischief puts him at a close second. And somehow the two of them even manage to corrupt Krew, who typically tends to be the most trustworthy of the group.

In the early years, while I was busy dragging Park out of cabinets chasing him from room to room, and putting locks on our toilet paper, Challi was sitting idly by watching Krew, who couldn't be more content on the same spot of blanket where she had set him an hour before.

It all seemed mildly unfair, until Kage came along and she hasn't sat since.

And did I mention come March she will have three kids ages three and under? I don't see much rest in her near future. However, after undergoing in vitro with Krew and then God miraculously giving her the next two "surprise" pregnancies, I think she would argue that rest is overrated. I've never seen someone more thrilled to sacrifice her sleep and energy.

Challi and I discussed the possibility of my parents having FIVE grandsons. With her due in March and me in September and neither of us finding out the gender ahead of time, it could actually already be the case.

Then we spent some time trying to decide what gender we would choose if God put the ball in our court.

And what did we come up with, you ask?

That we are thankful God has the ball.

Neither one of us have any preference toward anything other than two healthy babies. Girls, boys, or both, we believe His plan for our family is perfect and complete.

Now, if only Park can grab hold of this concept. When he overheard us discussing the matter, he piped in with, "We want more brothers! We don't need any stinky girls in this family!"

Perhaps he is taking after his Pops, who at the tender age of 4, chased his babysitter around the house with a bat after she informed him he had a new baby sister.

Turns out, Pops wasn't playing around about wanting a BROTHER.

However, all these years later, you'd be hard pressed to find a man who loves and takes care of his baby sister better than Pops. Aunt Phyl even has some pieces of Tiffany jewelry to prove it.

But there is one thing we decided Park is right about. If we do end up with a girl, she will probably be stinky. After all, what chance does she have with monkeys like these for her brothers?
Our only hope is that she might just grow into some Tiffany jewelry down the road.