The Tooley's Tale

36 weeks and looooooong over due!

2011-01-31T16:09:00.015-06:00

36 Weeks

This week I am getting very anxious and extremely uncomfortable. I can not wait to meet the girls but I do want them to be safe when they get here. I went this morning to the doctor and he said that I was 80% effaced, 2 c dilated and that Adelaide's head is negative 3 station. Unfortunately this does not tell me when they will make their arrival. The Doctor thinks that they are weighing anywhere from 5 to 5 1/2 pounds .My prayer is this week and that God will make sure they are healthy to come. My doctor said that he w ill induce me once I get to 38 weeks. I just can't imagine going that long. Since Adelaide is head down we will attempt to deliver them vaginally. Grace is breached in her own little corner with not very much room. My sleep has been terrible, I get up 3 to 6 times every night. This last week I have been having some braxton hicks but not anything that could turn anything into labor. Although last Friday I did have contractions that were pretty intense from about 6 pm to 3am and anywhere from 7 to 8 minutes apart, they eventually died down. Kris and I just knew that we were going to go in but we didn't.

35 Weeks

75 % effaced 1.5 c dilated

34 weeks

75% effaced 1c dilated

33 weeks (no picture)

50 % effaced, no dilation

32 weeks

31 weeks

30 weeks

29 weeks

27 weeks

26 weeks

25 weeks

24 weeks

23 Weeks and updates

2010-11-02T22:03:00.012-05:00

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 23 Weeks

Size of babies: Baby A & B are the size of an ear of corn

Maternity Clothes: Nothing but maternity clothes

Genders: 2 precious girls!

Movement: I feel them all the time, it is my favorite part of being pregnant.

Sleep: It's alright but not the best.

What I miss: coffee in the morning with Kris ,skinnier feet and hands and exercise.

Cravings: Not many but sometimes spicy foods or random foods.

Symptoms: Terrible acne, forgetfulness, weight gain, heart burn & braxton hicks

I went to the doctor yesterday to have a check up and a sonogram to measure the girls. Everything is looking great! Both girls are weighing 1 pound and 8 ounces and measured 23 weeks and 4 days. My belly is measuring between 29 & 30 weeks of a single pregnancy. Their little profiles look so beautiful to me. It was amazing to see that there is only a little wall that separates them. From what I have read and from what the sonographer said they are aware of each other. I love that they have each other and always will. We have decided on their names and one is Adelaide Brooke and the other is Grace Leigh. Names were so hard for us but we loved both of these names. I can't wait to meet them but I do need some time to get everything ready before there arrival. We have painted the nursery and got a dresser and chest. I also have already purchased all my material for their bedding and drapes. My very sweet mother in law and sister in law are making all of it for them! We still have to get their cribs and all the little things to complete the nursery. My parents also ordered me a reclining swivel rocker for the nursery so I can rock them in comfort. I could not be happier.

18 weeks

19 weeks

20 weeks

21 weeks

22 weeks

We are having.......................

2010-10-06T19:20:00.013-05:00

TWO little GIRLS!!!!!! My heart sings with joy, I could not be more happy with what God is blessing us with. The bond between sisters is amazing. I get to experience it with my sister and now I will have daughters that get to do the same. Kris was nervous but is very excited and will be the best daddy two little girls could ask for.

We had our sonogram in the morning with a Perintoligst in Austin. When they did leg shots we turned our head and then had to wait all day long to find out what we were having. I had the sonographer call the bakery that I had made pre arrangements with to let them know what color to make in icing inside. We wanted to find out with our family so Kris's parents, my parents, my sister and niece Avery all came over to cut into the cakes with us. When I showed up to my house one of my best friends, Brittany, even drove down from Dallas to surprise me. We also got Kris's sister and our nephew Bradley on skype since they live so far away. We cut into Baby A cake first and we found pink icing, the emotions kicked in and I was in tears. Then we cut into Baby B cake and we saw more pink. I could not be more thrilled.

That morning at the songram they went over all of both babies organs and took all their measurements. They both looked healthy, praise the Lord!!!! I was so nervous before the appointment. For some reason I worry about the worst.

Baby A

Is our one that appears to be laid back.She is on the bottom. I feel her move around but not as quite as much as baby B. She was measuring 19 weeks and 3 days and weighs 10oz. I already love her so much!

Baby B

She is on the top. She is the one that is full of energy. Not only do I feel her all the time the sonographer even said that she was very hyper during the sonogram. She was measuring 19 weeks and 5 days and weighed 11 oz. I love her so much too!

17 Weeks!

2010-09-22T19:25:00.005-05:00

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 17 Weeks

Size of babies: Baby A & B are the size of sweet potatoes

Maternity Clothes: I'm wearing some of my pre pregnancy tops but they are snug. I am wearing maternity bottoms!

Genders: Can't wait to find out on October 4th!

Movement: Pretty sure the 1st time was on September 9th. Last week they became somewhat more frequent but not as much as I would like to feel them.

Sleep: I'm tired but not as bad as I was the first 15 weeks .

What I miss: coffee in the morning with Kris ,skinnier feet and hands and exercise.

Cravings: Not many but sometimes spicy foods.

Symptoms: Terrible acne, forgetfulness and weight gain

Double Blessings!!!!

2010-09-06T13:19:00.026-05:00

On June 18, 2010 we found out they we were PREGNANT!!!!!! I called our nurse around 11 am and she told me that she had just gotten our results from the blood test I took that morning. She said the she would like to be the first one to congratulate us on our pregnancy. Thinking about that moment I get chills and my eyes are filled with tears as I type this. We knew God would provide a family for us but I didn't know that I would get to carry our own children. How precious are his blessings!

For the next three weeks I went every 3 days to draw my blood to make sure my numbers were doubling like they should be. They were, in fact they were always a little higher than expected each time. Kris and I were on cloud 9 and could not wait for our first ultrasound which was on July 9, 2010. On July 9th we drove down to Austin for our appointment to be able to see a precious heartbeat. While waiting in the room for the doctor to come Kris and I could not stop smiling and talking about our excitement. The doctor came in and said "lets see what we can find". Let me tell you first that I knew what to look for because I have seen plenty of ultrasound pictures between family, friends and the Internet. So right away I saw two round circles that looked like sacs to hold babies. I barley started asking my question if there were two babies when the doctor cut me off to ask if we were fine with TWO BABIES! I soooooo wish I had a camera to capture our faces, we were over joyed. I looked over to Kris and his expression melted my heart. Not only did we see two babies but also saw and heard two healthy heartbeats. Baby A measured 6weeks6days with 119 heartbeat bpm and Baby B measured 6weeks5days with a heartbeat at 124bpm. Below are some pictures I have so far, they are not the best because they are from my phone camera.

My first pregnancy test I took on my own after finding out my blood test results. I had to see a positive test after years of negative ones.

Their very first picture, three days after conception!

First Ultrasound on July 9, 2010

Baby A on July, 15, 2010 measured 7weeks5days with 150bpm.

Baby B on July, 15, 2010 measured 7weeks5days with 150bpm.

Baby B on August 2, 2010

Baby A on August 2, 2010

10 weeks

11 Weeks

12 weeks

13 Weeks

14 weeks

15 weeks

Thank you God for answered prayers, your unconditional love and support. Thank you family and friends for your love and prayers. We felt covered with it all.

Eggs, Eggs & more Eggs

2010-06-04T13:19:00.007-05:00

I have been so busy with the end of school and the remodel that I have not been able to post any updates like I promised. Well I officially have two grapefruits in my female reproductive area or at least it feels like I do, which is a good thing! I have had several doctor appointments from the last post. They have been monitoring my estrodiol levels and follicle production which have all been great. Last night I took my hcg trigger shot and I go in tomorrow morning at 7:15 for egg retrieval. Tomorrow they will also fertilize the eggs. Please pray that God is with everyone who is handling our eggs and that God be in controll of the fertilization process. We should know tomorrow how many eggs were retrieved and how many of them are mature to fertilize. We will not get the fertilization report until Sunday. The next step is embryo transfer which will be 3 days or 5 days after egg retrieval. That decision is made depending on how many fertilize and how well the embryos are doing. Please, please pray for us.

Smooth Start and Early Blessings!

2010-05-18T19:59:00.003-05:00

At the end of last week the pharmacy called to set up shipping for all of my medicines and to collect payment. Our insurance does not cover anything that has to do with infertility so the medicines along with all the procedures are very costly. They still turn it in to insurance because sometimes there are smaller medicines such a pain killers that they will cover. So they called to confirm my address and then told me my total. I was in shock, my insurance covered all of my medicine I just had to pay the copayments. I have been praying and asking God that if this is a part of his will for us to show me by making the whole process easy. I automaticly knew that this was from God. I am not for sure of what the outcome of our in vitro will be or of his plans but I have a peace no matter what. I know that God is with us through this whole process.

Monday we went for our pre Lupron sonogram. They check to make sure that I don't have any cyst on my ovaries before I start taking my Lupron shots. I was CLEAR!!!!! Last time I had one and had to wait two weeks before I could start. I am now on day two of the Lupron shots. My next appointment is next Wednesday, they will do a sonogram to see if I look ok to start my Gonal F shots. Those shots will are the stimulants that get my eggs ready. This week my prayer request would be that God continues to fill us with peace and that everything would be clear for me to start my next set of shots.

Hello Again!

2010-05-12T17:06:00.008-05:00

It has been a while that I have posted anything but I have been so busy. I am planning to to start blogging again for a couple of reasons. One reason is we are about to start major remodeling at our house and I am sooooo excited, can't wait to share the progress of it. Another reason it to share my journey of infertility. It will be great therapy for me, a way to keep friends informed of our journey and what specific prayers we might need and I never know who might visit my blog that I can minister to.

We are in the beginning of our second round of In Vitro, YEAH!!! We tried our first one last summer and it ended in a miscarriage. I was very sad that it ended that way because we had prayed sooo hard for a baby. At the same time I was so excited to know that I could get pregnant and to see a positive pregnancy test. After years of negative pregnancy test it was great to see positive. I wanted to buy a whole bunch just to see positive after positive but Kris thought the handful I took where enough.

Last summer I had surgery to remove uterine polyps and endometriosis. I had an HSG which is a dye test to make sure nothing has come back that would be in the way of a baby. The results came back clear. I have a pre lupron sonogram on Monday. If I don't have any ovarian cyst then I will be able to start the first round of shots on Monday. So this would be my first prayer request. Last time I had one and had to wait two weeks before I started. I will hopefully have good news on Monday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KRISTOPHER!!!!

2010-03-15T00:00:00.000-05:00

I want to wish my amazing husband a Happy 30th Birthday!!!

Wait

2010-01-12T20:07:00.001-06:00

WAIT
by Russell Kelfer

Desperately, helplessly, longingly, I cried;
Quietly, patiently, lovingly, God replied.
I pled and I wept for a clue to my fate . . .
And the Master so gently said, "Wait."

"Wait? you say wait?" my indignant reply.
"Lord, I need answers, I need to know why!
Is your hand shortened? Or have you not heard?
By faith I have asked, and I'm claiming your Word.

"My future and all to which I relate
Hangs in the balance, and you tell me to wait?
I'm needing a 'yes', a go-ahead sign,
Or even a 'no' to which I can resign.

"You promised, dear Lord, that if we believe,
We need but to ask, and we shall receive.
And Lord I've been asking, and this is my cry:
I'm weary of asking! I need a reply."

Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate,
As my Master replied again, "Wait."
So I slumped in my chair, defeated and taut,
And grumbled to God, "So, I'm waiting for what?"

He seemed then to kneel, and His eyes met with mine . . .
and He tenderly said, "I could give you a sign.
I could shake the heavens and darken the sun.
I could raise the dead and cause mountains to run.

"I could give all you seek and pleased you would be.
You'd have what you want, but you wouldn't know Me.
You'd not know the depth of my love for each saint.
You'd not know the power that I give to the faint.

"You'd not learn to see through clouds of despair;
You'd not learn to trust just by knowing I'm there.
You'd not know the joy of resting in Me
When darkness and silence are all you can see.

"You'd never experience the fullness of love
When the peace of My spirit descends like a dove.
You would know that I give, and I save, for a start,
But you'd not know the depth of the beat of My heart.

"The glow of my comfort late into the night,
The faith that I give when you walk without sight.
The depth that's beyond getting just what you ask
From an infinite God who makes what you have last.

"You'd never know, should your pain quickly flee,
What it means that My grace is sufficient for thee.
Yes, your dearest dreams overnight would come true,
But, oh, the loss, if you missed what I'm doing in you.

"So, be silent, my child, and in time you will see
That the greatest of gifts is to truly know me.
And though oft My answers seem terribly late,
My most precious answer of all is still . . . Wait."

HIS gift to me this year.

2009-12-19T09:06:00.010-06:00

This year the Lord has given me eyes to see and has opened my heart and mind to show me how much He loves me. I have wanted a baby for three and half years, well actually I have wanted one since I was a little girl. Like most other girls my dream is to become a mom. This journey has been a very hard one but I received the best gift from it; I sought and found the gift of love from our God. It is so good to feel His love in good times but it is so GREAT to feel His love in hard times. I am so grateful that God gave us His son, Jesus Christ, so that I am able to go to him and be freed from slavery and have hope for a future. It doesn't get any better than that.

I feel so blessed that He has so many promises for me.

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

He settles the barren woman in her home as a happy mother of children. Praise the LORD. Psalm 113:9

If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. John 15:7

Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Luke 12:6

5 years

2009-07-31T00:00:00.016-05:00

On this day five years ago I married my best friend. Marriage has been a growing experience for us both. It has been really hard at times but all the good times and good things that have come from those trials are irreplaceable. We would not be who we are today if it weren't for each other. I love you more than you could imagine. I can't wait to share the rest of my life with you.

Celebrating 60 years of wonderful

2009-07-25T12:37:00.055-05:00

The whole Tooley family went on a Caribbean Cruise to help celebrate Pa and Mom Tom 60th wedding anniversary. What an inspiration for Kris and I to look up to. When we asked what it took to be happily married for 60 years they told us that God must be present in your marriage and you must learn to be unselfish.

6-28-2009

The sunset on the first night.

6-29-2009

This was are first full day at sea. We ate, played games, went to the kiddie pool and play room with Bradley, ate, played more games and ate some more. I did work out on the treadmill by the way to help with the high calorie intake.

The Brad Tooley family:

Brooks(cousin)

Brad, Keith & Pa

Brad & Pa

Brad & Kristie

Megan & Sarah

6-30-2009

REPEAT

This was the second full day at sea. We ate, played games, went to the kiddie pool and play room with Bradley, ate, played more games and ate some more. I did work out. Oh we also played Black Jack in the casino, I won enough to pay for an excursion then stopped.

This particular night the whole family went after dinner and had karaoke night. We had so much fun. It is always fun getting to see people who sing good or terrible . I think it is more fun to watch when people sing terrible.

Kris and the man he admired soooo much "VACATION"

Brooks & Hunter

7-1-2009 Jamaica

Our first stop was Jamaica and in since there was 17 different people with a lot of different interest we all broke up some what. Kris went golfing at the White Witch golf course. A big group went rafting. Shanna, Bradley and I went shopping and then went to hang out at the beach.

7-2-2009

The next stop was the Grand Cayman, it was absolutely beautiful their. This day everyone went out the beach and snorkeled and played in the water. Kristie and I went to go try and swim with the dolphins but it did not work out so we ended up going snorkeling. While we where snorkeling we got a little far out and ran into a nurse shark. We were a tad bit freaked out but learned that it is not an aggressive shark. I seriously almost had a panic attack and was afraid I would run out of energy before I got to land.

This is a picture of what we saw.

7-3-2009

The last stop was Cozumel, Mexico. The water was so pretty. Before the trip was over Kristie and I were going to swim with dolphins so we did and it was a wonderful experience. I would do it again, dolphins are amazing mammals. Kris, Brad, Shanna and Bradley watched us and took pictures. Kristie and I were so excited the dolphin trainers had to repeat our names more than a couple of times because we were not following directions. We were going to make sure we got as close to the dolphins at all times. After our swim with the dolphins we went to eat Mexican food and then to the beach and snorkeled. On our way back to the ship we did a little shopping.

We got back on the ship in time to get ready and go to dinner.

That last day on the ship it to be continued.

Mustang Island

2009-07-18T07:56:00.004-05:00

In June we took a girls trip to Mustang Island to celebrate Kris' Aunt Kellye's birthday. We laid out and played in the water almost the whole time, it was sooo relaxing.

Kellye and Kristie

Shanna and Bradley

Tara and Natalee

Braden

Bradley playing in the sand.

I loved how the Seagulls lined up on the shore line in the evening, it was so pretty.

PRAYER REQUEST

2009-06-19T10:02:00.004-05:00

Kris and I are needing some prayers from whomever is willing to. I can't really go into much detail but I am asking if you could pray for us to have an unbelievable amount of faith from God and wisdom. I truly believe that prayer is the most powerful thing that we can do and we are in great need of it. Thank you soooo much.

Psalms 37:4
Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Ezra 8:23
So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer.

Philippians 1:19
Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.

Matthew 18:19
"Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.

A VERY eventful May

2009-06-05T14:07:00.029-05:00

The first weekend of May Kris's cousin Megan and her boyfriend came and spent a couple of days with us. We had so much fun. We went out to eat, stayed up late and played debit card Monopoly, went to the zoo, played Frisbee golf and Grayson and Megan lead us in some amazing praise music. They are such an awesome couple and we can't wait for them to come stay with us again.

In the middle of May I attended a beautiful wedding. Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Ryan Cotgreave. I also got to spend time with my best friend, Brittany and her boys. I am so grateful for the time I got with them and getting to see and catch up with a lot of other friends

My Birthday week

On May 20th I celebrated my 30th birthday. I had three celebrations that week and they were all surprises. On the morning of my birthday I got to school and my parents decorated my classroom with a cookie cake and juices for all my kids. My class loved it and so did I . I have awesome parents who always go out of there way to make me feel special. Then at lunch, Kris surprised me and came to have lunch with me. Later that afternoon Kris got home from work and brought me a beautiful flower arrangement of my favorite flowers, pink peonies and hydrangea's. Kris had made arrangements with my parents, Brandi, Kevin and my sweet little niece Avery to have dinner with us in Temple at Pignetti's. On the way to the restaurant he had me open the glove department where I found a beautiful watch. Thank you Kris, you made me feel soooo special.

On Sunday of that week my family and friends through me a surprise party at my parents. Thank you so much to everyone who helped me celebrate my birthday you will never know how much that meant to me. ( I will post pics when I get them)

My best friend, Angie's little girl Lila had her 1st birthday party last Saturday. She was born 4 days before my niece. I can't believe it has been a full year. Lila is so precious.

At the end of May we celebrated my niece's 1st birthday. Her birthday is not actually till June 6th but a lot of family was in town because of a wedding so my sister had her party early so everyone could come. It was so much fun Avery had a lot of friends and family their to help her celebrate her birthday.

Prayer Request

At the end of May by brother- in-law, Sean, lost his mother unexpectedly. Please say prayers for Sean, Shanna and the rest of the family and friends.

Texas Bluebonnets

2009-04-07T18:59:00.005-05:00

My Dad took this picture of Avery.

Brandi, Kevin and Avery came up on Sunday. We took Avery to the park and took her pictures in the bluebonnets. The bluebonnets are so pretty in central Texas, they are everywhere. I am glad we got to spend time with them on Sunday. It is so nice to have them close enough to make day trips.

Fun at the Zoo

2009-03-25T21:11:00.007-05:00

My Cousins, sister, brother-in-law and niece came in last weekend so we decided to have a fun day at the zoo. Waco has a beautiful zoo.

Photoshop!!!

2009-03-25T21:01:00.003-05:00

I am sure that photo shop is easier for some, but it took me a little bit to be able to do this. I am pumped!

A Panhandle trip/ Birthday Celebration

2009-03-16T18:29:00.010-05:00

It was Tuesday of my spring break and Kris asked me if I would like to hop in the car and make a trip to Lubbock the next day. I just love last minute trips; there are no plans or expectations so usually you just have tons of fun. So we went to Lubbock on Wednesday night and met up with Kris's parents. We stayed in a hotel for 2 days so Kris and his dad could go to a Zig Zigglar conference and do some work. Kris's mom and I got to go shopping for to days. We had so much fun together.

On Friday on our way to Canyon it snowed. The snow was absolutely beautiful and I didn't get any pictures of it. Saturday we woke up an celebrated Kris's birthday. We had a lunch and Mom Tom and Pa, Wendy and Kent, Robby and Audrey and Gabe, Kim and the kids came over to Kris's parents house to help celebrate. On Saturday I went to church with Brad and Kristie to my favorite church. It turned out to me a great trip.

Happy Birthday, Kris!

2009-03-15T22:27:00.002-05:00

I would like to wish a Happy 29th Birthday to the most important man in my life. Kris, thank you for being an amazing husband and a best friend. I love every moment we get to spend together. Happy Birthday!

Precious time with my niece

2009-03-11T10:49:00.023-05:00

This week is spring break for me, yippee!! I do miss all my kiddos but I needed a break. My sister let me keep my niece, Avery, for a couple of days since I was off. I think my sister was missing her baby girl A LOT because she called a little more than she usually does. So any ways, I went to pick her up from Austin on Sunday so I could also go to my best friends little girl, Ava's, birthday party. She turned 3 and had such a sweet birthday party with a petting zoo and a clown.

After the Birthday party we went to my sister house to pack up my car to leave. Don't get me wrong I was sooooo excited about taking Avery with me but I was also nervous. I knew my sister was nervous, not because I wouldn't take good care of her, but more because she has never been away from, Avery, overnight. I can't stand to see my sister upset or even know that she is so that was a little why I was nervous. I also felt an unbelievable amount of responsibility, it was honestly overwhelming. So Avery and I drove away from the house as my sister stood out in the front yard all teared up. If I see her cry then I automatically do. I had to get over it fast because I was driving and I had to be able to see straight. I think I drove the safest I have ever driven since I first began to drive. We got to my house and Kris had gotten us take out so I didn't have to worry about cooking. I feed Avery while I ate as well. Then we played for a while and then I gave her a bath and then put her down for bed. On Monday, the first morning she woke up at about 7:15. I went to make her a bottle and then Kris feed her while I made him and I coffee. After her bottle she played in bed with us. I let her play with my cell phone which she loves and the newspaper.
We got up and got ready for the day because I had to be somewhere to be at 9 to take care of some business. After running a couple of errands we came home ate and then Avery took a nap. I knew I had only so long to get some laundry done so I jumped into gear before she woke up. After she woke up from her nap she ate and then it was dress up time. Yep, I played dress up and took pictures. I just LOVE to do that. She only liked it for so long and then she was done.

When Avery got tired of being in dress up clothes and posing for me I put her back in her regular clothes and we played. I also had two friends stop by to see her.

When Kris got home from work we went to eat at Chile's. One thing I wanted to do while I had her was to go out to eat with her. At her age I know it can be challenging but it was worth it. Kris and I would love to have children and know that one day God will bless us. When we go to restaurants or out to eat I always see families and I just wanted to see what that felt like. I know that sounds weird but I just can't help it. It was great of course.

After eating we got home and Miss. Avery got a bath.
After her bath we played for a little bit then she had her last bottle and she was out.
DAY 3

Well Kris and I were awake around 7 and we were drinking coffee and Avery was not making a sound. We waited and waited and between both of us we checked several times to make sure she was okay. She did not wake up until 8:00 am. I was glad to see her awake.

Since it was my last day with her I did not want to waist any time, I wanted to play with her as much as I could before I met up with Brandi and Kevin to give her back. We got up ate and got ready then we walked to the park and played. She loved it. Miss. Avery is definitely a social butterfly. She heard all the other little kids voices and saw them playing and she started to get soooo excited and yell and babble. It was really just so much fun to see her like that.

I MISS YOU BABY AVERY!!!!!!!!!!

Reece Scott is HERE!

2009-03-11T10:18:00.006-05:00

My best friend, Brittany, had Reece Monday, March 9, 2009 at 12:14 am. He weighed 7 pounds and was 18 1/2 inches long. Both of them are doing great. From what she said I think his big brother, Breckin, thinks that his baby brother will forever stay in his mommy's tummy and he has no idea that the baby everyone his passing around is his brother. Congrats to ya'll. Here is a picture from my phone I will post more later.

FREE Blog Makeover!!!!

2009-03-11T10:04:00.004-05:00

My sister-in-laws friend, Beth, does awesome graphic design work and she just started a website for blog design. She's having a give-a-way for a free blog makeover, so if you're interested, check out her new website at: http://www.scoopbybeth.blogspot.com/

Love is in the Air!!!!!

2009-02-15T09:56:00.009-06:00

My Valentine and I had an awesome day together. We started out with our Saturday ritual, reading the paper over coffee. That is one of the reasons I look forward to the weekends. I love that time we have together. Kris plays tennis every Saturday morning, so while he went and did that, I did a little cleaning and got ready for the day. Kris got home and requested that I give my sweaty husband a hug. He smelt just like the purfume I have been wanting for a very long time. I was pretty excited.

We then went to a amateur photograghy exhibit. Waco has some talented photograghers. After that we headed to the golf course to play 18 holes. It was a cold day to play but we were having so much fun that we barely noticed. We ended the day making Chicken Cordon Bleu for dinner and then yummy chocolate covered strawberry milkshakes. They were oh sooooo delicious.

Kris posted a Valentines message for me on the digital billboard.

Tennis and Friends

2009-02-05T17:58:00.010-06:00

A couple of weekends ago Kris had a state tennis tournment in Houston. He played great and I had so much fun watching him. We stayed with our friends Colter and Jamie. It was so nice to catch up and help Jamie celebrate her birthday.

Playing around with my new toy!!!

2009-01-22T19:01:00.004-06:00

I got an new camera for Christmas and between the weather and school starting back up I have not been able to do a lot of picture taking. Last Saturday I decided to go out and play around with my camera. My Dad also got a camera so I called him up and we both went. I love buildings and there are some really pretty Churches downtown, so that is where we started. Here are some of my favorites.

Christmas in Austin

2009-01-22T18:40:00.005-06:00

We celebrated Christmas with my side of the family on New Years Day at my sister and brother-in-laws house. That day is also my brother-in-law, Kevin's, birthday. We went to have lunch at Kevin's favorite restaurant and then came home to open gifts. It was so much fun watching Avery opening gifts. She liked getting to tear the paper and she took it very seriously. Her favorite gifts were her first doll and her shopping cart. She was able to pull herself up and hold onto it and move. I will post some pictures soon. I downloaded them at my sisters so I will request some from her.

Christmas in Abilene

2009-01-09T17:15:00.006-06:00

After Washington we headed to Kris's Aunts house in Abilene for the Tooley Christmas. We had another round of gifts, dominoes and fun. I also played around with my new camera and took some pics.

Christmas Day

2008-12-29T12:56:00.005-06:00

Christmas day was truly amazing!!! I got to open the first present and I got the present that I have long been dreaming of. I got a Canon 50D, that’s right one awesome camera. I do have a lot to learn. I have been playing with it non stop. We all opened our presents and then had a wonderful breakfast. Every year at Christmas we do a blessing jar. My mother-in-law gets blank paper and we write down all the things we are thankful for for the past year and put them in a jar. Then we take turns around the table and draw one out to read them. This year we did something a little bit different. We had a separate piece of paper that we wrote one gift we would give to God for the year and on the other side we wrote one prayer we would like to have answered for the year. We then took turns reading our own and then all prayed over each person. It was so amazing. I will remember that moment forever and am so glad we added on to our tradition. The rest of the day we played lots of dominoes and just enjoyed each other. Oh and had a wonderful Christmas Day dinner.

Seattle, Washington

2008-12-29T12:19:00.007-06:00

Next we flew to Seattle, Washington for a week to have Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with Sean, Shanna and baby Bradley. Kris's sister actually lives in Oak Harbor, WA, which is on Whidbey Island and is about 2 hours away from Seattle. So the first night we got to Seattle we stayed in a beautiful hotel downtown and went to an awesome seafood restaurant so I could get some yummy oysters while they are in season. Oh by the way, Seattle got record snowfalls when we got in and it hardly ever snows there so the roads were very dangerous. I feel like as I have gotten older that Christmas just doesn’t seem like Christmas anymore. I have to admit that the surroundings made it feel like Christmas. The next day we spent the whole day in Seattle walking around downtown. We walked everywhere because for one it is a city and it easier to walk in a city and for two we experienced enough fear the night before in the icy conditions that we felt safer on foot. We went to Pike's and a bunch of fun stores. Seattle is one of the coolest cities I am so thankful that I got to spend Christmas there.

Christmas in so many places

2008-12-29T11:28:00.006-06:00

We had a wonderful Christmas this year. Kris and I had Christmas with his side of the family this year in three different places. We started out in Lockney, TX at Granny Andy and Granddad's house. We played lots of dominoes, opened gifts, ate lots of food and were entertained by Kris's little cousins. I also learned how to play 88 and I love it.

I also drew faces on Kris's cousins chins.

My friend Angie just tagged me!

2008-12-11T21:23:00.004-06:00

These were the directions:

1. choose the 4th picture folder on my computer

2. choose the 4th picture

3. explain the picture

4. and tag 4 more people to do the same

This is a picture of little Avery in her pumpkin costume. I went to see her before Halloween and got her dressed up to take some pictures. In this picture she wasn't able to sit up so I had to lean her against the pumpkin.

Late Thanksgiving post

2008-12-09T23:01:00.003-06:00

This year we had Thanksgiving with my side of the family and we will have Christmas with Kris's side. For Thanksgiving we went south to my grandma's house. It was so nice to see all my grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. It reminds me of old times and oh how I loved them, don't get me wrong I love life now as well. I also got to hang out with my sister and my beautiful little niece. Here are a couple of pics from Thanksgiving.

Bedroom Remodel

2008-10-12T21:14:00.004-05:00

The bedroom remodel is complete!!!! I need to add some finishing touches but here are some pictures of what it looks like so far. Kris and I are loving our bedroom and bathroom. I feel like a princess when I take baths.

Perfect Pout

2008-09-23T21:43:00.002-05:00

I had to post this negative of my niece Avery. She just had her three month pictures taken and the photography caught a perfect pouty face. She melts my heart.

Update and remodel

2008-09-15T17:43:00.003-05:00

Well, it has been a long time since I have posted. There has definitely been a lot going on in our lives lately. We are doing pretty good right now. I have been soooo busy since school has started and Kris has been busy with work. I love my new class they are all so sweet. I am having to remind myself that my kidos are all new at this kindergarten thing. By the end of kindergarten they have come soooo far and do so much on their own. It is really more of an adjustment for me than it is them. Kris and I have also been playing a lot of golf, I am liking it more and more every time I play especially since I am getting better.
We have been demolitioning our house for a long time and are now finally getting to remodel. Right now we are doing our bedroom, bathroom and dining room. In the bathroom we have painted it and now the tile is being laid on the floor, shower and around the bath. In the bedroom we have painted it and are getting new carpet. In the dining room and entry we painted and are having wood floors put in. We are very excited about it all but most excited about getting our bedroom back. We are getting tired of the mess and sleeping in the guest bedroom. Here are some pics so far. I will post more later.

Aunt and Uncle

2008-07-12T09:32:00.004-05:00

Avery
Bradley

The last year Kris and I became an Aunt and Uncle to two beautiful babies. Kris's sister had Bradley Michael Merrit on October 25, 2007. He is already 8 months old and full of personality. My sister had miss Avery Brooke Aderholt on June 6, 2008. She is just perfect. She was born on my moms birthday, which is really cool.

10 year class reunion & the 4th

2008-07-07T18:41:00.004-05:00

This last weekend we went to Kris' 10 year class reunion. It was a lot fun getting to meet everyone Kris went to school with. My reunion was also earlier this summer but I missed it because my niece had just been born. I can't believe that that much time has already gone by. While we were there I went golfing on my first full course with Kris and Brad. I did terrible, I need a lot more practice. Kris got me my first set of golf clubs. I hope to take them out a lot this summer.

2008-06-30T11:03:00.000-05:00

Trying something new

2008-06-30T10:46:00.003-05:00

I thought I would give this blog thing a try, I think it is a good way to keep everyone updated. Just a quick back track, Kris and I have been married for 4 years on July 31. We started out in Amarillo for six months then we moved to Dallas for a couple of years and now are in Waco for hopefully a while. Kris and I have a dog named Gunner, he is so sweet. I will hopefully have another post very soon to inform you all of the wonderful things that have happened in our life recently.