what i'm working on

i finally took Layla's 2 year pictures yesterday.

here's just a couple for now.

i'm very pleased with how they all turned out.

pretty easy when you have somone as cute as her to photograph!

29 weeks + 2 days

yesterday i had another ultrasound.

everything is looking great,

which was a relief.

at my 20 week ultrasound, a white spot what showing on his heart.

my doctor told me to not be concerned, that they're seeing it more and more everyday

with new technology,

but there was a possibility that it could mean our little guy had down syndrome.

how do you not worry after that?

the hard part..

i had to wait 8 weeks to check it again.

well, the spot is fading, which means it's only a calcium deposit.

pheww..

all other organs look great and he's weighing in at 2 lbs. 11 oz.

he's right on track.

he sure is an active little fella.

makes me really nervous for what i'm in for.

and besides being active, he's quite stubborn.

he would not move his little hands off of his face for the ultrasound...

(yep, those are his arms and hands, covering his face.)

we were finally able to get a profile after a few nudges..

and then he took one hand off so we could see one eye.

silly little man.

We've also decided on a name.

Marx Preston Spiers.

he's a pretty special guy to have that name.

i'll explain later.

maternity

wanna know who took my maternity pictures?
my wonderful husband.
i love him.
we actually took them in our backyard.
talk about convenient.
i'm 29 weeks in these pics.
(i know i know, i look full term, but i'm not)
thought i'd better get them done before i get to big and swollen.

we're so excited to meet our little man.
10 more weeks to go!

love day

lance and i were spoiled with a wonderful valentines weekend.

layla went to picayune to stay with papa and grandma until sunday afternoon.

let's just say it we had a lovely time.

but

this was only layla's second time being away from us,

overnight.

so we missed her and talked about her the majority of the weekend.

it was nice to just reconnect.

to have that time together.

simple time.

we made each other breakfast.

watched 3 different movies.

went shopping.

went out to eat,

and snuggled a lot.

we probably won't get a weekend like that for a while.

so thank you grandma and papa spiers.

but we're happy to all be back together.

our house isn't super clean anymore nor is it scary quite.

we have layla back!

now me and little miss gotta get to work on daddy's valentines dinner.

hope yall have a wonderful

L.o.V.E

day!

thankful thursday

i've been homesick more than usual this past week.

the fact that i've been pretty sick with a nasty cold probably doesn't help.

(doesn't everyone want their mommy when their sick?)

and i'd imagine being 7 months pregnant, feeling large and husband working lots of nights away

doesn't help either.

every time i pass my computer i want to skype with my family.

but i know they all have busy lives and can't sit and chat just whenever is convenient for me.

but when i get that short hour of their time, it means the world to me.

gives me a little fix a what it would feel like being home at that moment.

it's not like this extravagant event either.

it's simply sitting down with my mother while she asks how my week has been.

how potty training is going.

how our mississippi family is here.

and her concern for every little thing going on in our life.

or when my dad gets on and tells me how cold it is.

(only he could work in -10 degree weather)

and when he makes the silliest faces and sounds that make Layla laugh hysterically.

my parents are amazing.

i miss them so much and wish i would have cherished the 20 years that i lived close to them.

i am who i am today because of their example.

their courage.

their responsibility.

their integrity.

their compassion.

their faith.

and so much more.

i'm thankful for you mom and dad.

pantry secrets

for christmas, one of the gifts my mother gave me was a big box of

pantry secrets
products.

 i was so excited to learn how to make bread, but a little intimidated.

(making banana bread and zucchini bread doesn't count)

well, last week, i finally took the plunge.

with the starter kit you get 2 how-to dvd's.

so i watched them first.

i thought, "that seems easy enough!"

and it was!

i whipped up my first two loaves in less than an hour.

baking and all.

there is all different kinds of varieties of bread that you can make with one recipe.

this time around i made the cinnamon bread using their famous cinnamon drops.

{i know one loaf looks a little "warty" but that's just the yummy cinnamon drops}

just so you know how good this bread was,

the first loaf was gone within an hour or so.

i just made another 2 loaves to share with our family in picayune.

i'm sure they'll be gone shortly after the bread bag is opened.

check out

pantry secrets

by clicking right on the link above

and invest in their starter kit.

you will not be disappointed.

and it's a wonderful investment.

thanks mom!!

thankful thursday

when you have a 2 year old, that usually sleeps 10-12 hours a night on a regular basis,

then one night

all the sudden

is up ALL night crying

there has to be something wrong.

--

yesterday was a long day.

i don't think i've had a day like it since Layla was an infant.

she begged me to hold her all day,

begged me to sit down with her and watch Barney, Dora, and Backyardigans.

so i did.

she wouldn't eat, she'd only drink water.

and while giving her a warm bath

(in hopes that it may soothe her and help her feel better)

she started complaining about her ears.

i made an appointment right then.

--

come to find out, my poor baby has a double ear infection.

the left ear has already ruptured (sp?)

i felt like a horrible mother.

i should have known something was up while she cried all night, the night before.

so it's easy to say, that today i'm thankful for her wonderful pediatrician

and for modern medicine.

they were able to fit her in shortly after calling.

and i've never seen a doctors office so full with sick kids.

(after one dose, she's already been asleep for 11 hours, thank the heavens)