had to share these

LOVE.

random

first let me say, the orange highlighted words are added by blogger, not me. so should they ever lead you to an inappropriate site, i apologize  :)

anyway, Lucas took Presley to school today.  while Miley, Oakley and I were fixing breakfast and dancing around the kitchen listening to Pandora, this Taylor Swift song came on.  if i have ever heard it before i dont remember but the words had me crying like a baby (not hard to do for the first couple of months after i have a baby). 

"Never Grow Up"

Your little hand's wrapped around my finger
And it's so quiet in the world tonight
Your little eyelids flutter cause you're dreaming
So I tuck you in, turn on your favorite night light
To you everything's funny, you got nothing to regret
I'd give all I have, honey
If you could stay like that

Oh darling, don't you ever grow up
Don't you ever grow up, just stay this little
Oh darling, don't you ever grow up
Don't you ever grow up, it could stay this simple
I won't let nobody hurt you, won't let no one break your heart
And no one will desert you
Just try to never grow up, never grow up

You're in the car on the way to the movies
And you're mortified your mom's dropping you off
At 14 there's just so much you can't do
And you can't wait to move out someday and call your own shots
But don't make her drop you off around the block
Remember that she's getting older too
And don't lose the way that you dance around in your pj's getting ready for school

Oh darling, don't you ever grow up
Don't you ever grow up, just stay this little
Oh darling, don't you ever grow up
Don't you ever grow up, it could stay this simple
No one's ever burned you, nothing's ever left you scarred
And even though you want to, just try to never grow up

Take pictures in your mind of your childhood room
Memorize what it sounded like when your dad gets home
Remember the footsteps, remember the words said
And all your little brother's favorite songs
I just realized everything I have is someday gonna be gone

So here I am in my new apartment
In a big city, they just dropped me off
It's so much colder that I thought it would be
So I tuck myself in and turn my night light on

Wish I'd never grown up
I wish I'd never grown up

Oh I don't wanna grow up, wish I'd never grown up
I could still be little
Oh I don't wanna grow up, wish I'd never grown up
It could still be simple
Oh darling, don't you ever grow up
Don't you ever grow up, just stay this little
Oh darling, don't you ever grow up
Don't you ever grow up, it could stay this simple
Won't let nobody hurt you
Won't let no one break your heart
And even though you want to, please try to never grow up
Oh, don't you ever grow up
Oh, never grow up, just never grow up

 

 

 

love them...

 

love this necklace

 

dreading him going back to work next week

grateful for 4 weeks of paternity leave

have i ever mentioned that c-sections are not for sissy's?

thankful he loves taking care of us

I prayed for a calm happy baby.  Fortunately God answered that prayer...so far.  Oakley is so peaceful.  She sleeps mostly and wakes to eat.  No fussing.  No screaming in her car seat.  Presley and Miley both screamed like someone was stabbing them from the second we put them in a car seat until we returned home and got them out of it for at least the first 6 months of their lives.  We dreaded going anywhere! This of course even made stroller rides impossible.  But so far, Oakley doesn't seem to mind her wild, loud sisters or the barking dogs ect.

While I was Pregnant, Miley would come up to my belly and smile and say "i bite Baby OT (Oakley)" complete with biting sound effects.  Since she has been born Miley has been very sweet to her.  While we are happy she has not taken her jealous aggression out on the baby, she has put that energy toward new tactics.  She now bends over and pretends to cry and says "my beddy (belly) hurts" or leans down and holds her leg and pretends to cry and says "oh no my boo-boo".  She only seems to have these issues when I am holding the baby and they immediately disappear when I pick her up instead.  She has also taken bedtime to new extremes.  Getting her to go to sleep most nights is a battle that usually doesn't end until somewhere between 1am and 3am!

recent activity spotted on the video monitor at 1am, poor Presley, she sleeps right through it

 

never a dull moment around here

 

Most of you know Marquita, my mother-in-law recently had a massive stroke.  She is now out of the hospital and in a rehab center.  In the past few weeks she has made a lot of progress. There is still a long road ahead but she can now sit up on her own, walk with assistance, talk more clearly, eat solid food, remember more. Praising God for these improvements and continuing to pray for total recovery.  God is BIG, and I believe she will get there.  We miss her so much. So much we all take for granted.  Oakley and I were finally able to go see her a few days ago.  She held her.  I asked her what she thought about her, she said "I love her, shes perfect, she is different than the other two". At times she cant remember common things she would typically know, but if the nurses or anyone asks her if she has grandchildren she says "yes, 3 girls". That she hasn't forgotten! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oakley Claire Pierce

7lbs 1oz

19 inches

9/13/12

 

thanks be to God for His indescribable gift

2 Corinthians 9:15

 

heavy heart

Today my husband buried his grandmother.  The only grandmother he ever knew.  Such a sad time, but because she was a believer in Christ, she now dwells with Him.  And because of that we can have joy. 

While at the graveside my mother-in-law became sick and started having trouble talking and having other stroke-like symptoms.  So she got a ride to the ER in the limo.  A CT scan shortly showed that she had a hemorrhage in her brain caused by high blood pressure. 

So now she is in ICU.  Again we will wait and pray.  She is so loved and has a new granddaughter to meet in 12 days.  I wish I could hear the multitudes of prayer that have been channeled to heaven today.  Pray with us.

love,
Casey

Gungor "God is not a white Man"

saw this video at church a few weeks ago.  was given a similar disclaimer as the one Im about to give.  this video is NOT saying sin is OK.  it is NOT agreeing or disagreeing with any particular view.  it is just making the point that sometimes we "put God in a box".  sometimes we think the way we do something, or the way our church does something or our culture does something is the "right" way.  sometimes we fail to realize our traditions, while they may not be wrong, are not biblical. 

sin is NOT OK.  God gave us guidelines to follow for our own good.  rules to help us live more abundant lives, to save us from unnecessary hurt.  not rules to follow to pat ourselves on the back when we get them right and then point at others to show them how wrong they are. 

people are all different forms of messed up.  including me.  God loves us all, just as a parent loves their children even when they are not perfect.  could you imagine if i decided i didn't love Presley or Miley anymore because they messed up or disagreed with me or disobeyed me.  that's absurd.  to think God loves any of His children less than He loves you or me is just as absurd. 

make wise choices.  avoid sinful behavior. be good examples. but let God judge.  love people despite your disagreeances and allow the Holy Spirit to do His job. love as an action, even when the warm and fuzzies are not there.

being a Christian means i believe in God,i believe Jesus died for me and saved my soul so that one day when this temporary life is over i will spend eternity with Him. period. by grace, not because i have somehow earned it. it does not mean that i have somehow achieved a position on a pedestal that makes me any better than anyone else. compare yourselves to the only Holy One, not me or any other Christian or you will certainly find yourselves disappointed. we are called to be the hands and feet of Jesus while on earth.  study the Word and tell me how often your see Jesus playing the role of judge and how often you see Him pouring out unconditional love.

annnnnnd, that tangent is now over.

Presley update

We went to see Dr. Freedman today.  She was great with Presley.  Presleys eye pressure was 36 today.  Too high.  But she isn't having many symptoms so they are OK with that for now. 

2 weeks ago we tried to do half of the blood pressure pill and her symptoms started to return so we went back on the whole pill.  Dr. Freedman suggested that sometimes the glaucoma can "settle down" and stop causing the symptoms.  So right now the plan is too start several new eye drops (now up to 5 different ones a day) and next week go back down to half a pill.  after 2 weeks we are to email her and let her know if her symptoms are returning or if her eye is adjusting to the pressure.  If she seems to adjust we will keep reducing medications and hope for the best.

She felt like this was the only alternative to surgery.  I got the sense she didn't necessarily feel like it would work but that taking an eye out was such a huge ordeal (obviously) and that we should exhaust every option first, being that Presley is not in extreme pain right now. 

So, I agree.  Lucas and I certainly want to feel like we did everything we could to keep her eye.  Though I feel stuck back in the "waiting game" , I trust that Gods timing is perfect.

When we walked out of the building today Presley said, "so im going to start some new eye drops and stop taking my pill?"  and we said yep.  She said, very matter of fact..."thats not going to work."

We will see.  We will pray.  It will work out.

genetics

                                                   wonder which Baby # 3 will look like??

H is for...

H is for...

Happy Birthday Miley!

H is for...Hoons = Balloons

(the only present she asked for)

H is also for...

Hotch = Watch

Hool = Pool

Hogurt = Yogurt

Hock Hock = Rock Rock

Hotter = Water

Love that girl

La Luna (Pixar)

We took Presley and Miley to see Brave today.  Very cute movie.  They showed a Pixar clip titled La Luna  before the movie that made the whole thing worth it.  I could only find a small clip of it, but you need to see the whole thing.  I am aware that once you see it you may not get the same goosebumps as I did.  God speaks to our hearts in different ways.  But He used this simple cartoon to reassure me today.  To tell me He has the parts that are "behind the scenes" under control.  I have not doubted this.  Just feels good to hear it sometimes.

crowns

"Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my JOY and my CROWN...Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all.  The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
                                      Philippians 4:1-7

instagrams

jello

sunbathing

strange obsession

birthday gifts from WV

july 4th

dragstrip ear "puffs"

parents magazine

sleepyhead

yuk

scary

baby daddy kisses

sidewalk chalk

catching butterflys...or sand

target trip

convenient, lazy, overwhelmed, call it what you want but, we combined the girls birthday parties this year.  Presley didn't care and Miley didn't know any better so we got away with it.  it was sooooo hot, but we were able to stay inside for the most part and the kids had the pool in the backyard so we survived.  they had a blast.

love the monogrammed cakes!  (miley kept bumping into hers, so it has a few dents, but they were beautiful and yummy...by Delicious Bakery of course)

take a close look behind the party favors

Presley asks for a pinata every year, this year i remembered to get it.

by the time i got out to take a picture she had already busted it.

i didn't do a great job of getting pictures of everyone

thankful for our family and friends.

thankful for the unbelievable joy Presley and Miley bring to my life