What's going on?

I have not felt much like blogging lately. No reason in particular, just not enough hours in the day, and too many things going to write about. So, without further adieu, here is a little of what's been going on:

• A few weekends ago, it was a shower weekend! A baby shower for Sarah and Gracie on Saturday, and a wedding shower for David and Sarah on Sunday. (For clarification, those are two different Sarah's...) It was a fun, though busy, weekend, and I enjoyed seeing and hanging out with several different friends throughout the events.
• We started our Financial Peace University class on Sunday nights, and so far, it has been good. We just met our small group last weekend, and I think there are a few couples in there we will "click" with. Yea!
• My mom celebrated her birthday last weekend, so there was family in town, and a fun day was had by all. Unfortunately, it was so fun that Ryleigh refused to nap all day, and so when we sat down for a yummy dinner of steak, salad, rice, and mushrooms, she realized she was tired. Not a fun moment. BUT over all, the day was fun, and Mom is officially another year older.
• My father-in-law turned 60! Big milestone. Sadly, he was sick on his birthday (he has not been well for awhile), so we did not get to celebrate. They are trying to plan something extra special for this weekend, but Ryleigh and I will be out of town and will miss the occasion. I'm sure it will be fun for the rest of the family though.
• We had our first OB appointment yesterday, and saw the little blob that will become Baby Shulse #2 on the big screen. Everything is measuring accurately, according to our original dates, so our due date remains October 6.

Ryleigh and I leave this afternoon, with my mom, to go to Minnesota for the weekend and hang out with Susan! We get to help her look at linens and place settings for the wedding reception, taste different cakes, and go with her for her first dress fitting! It is going to be a fun girl's weekend for sure. I'm nervous about the weather-- we leave Texas in 80 degree weather and arrive in Minnesota in a snow storm, with average temperature for the weekend in the single digits or something crazy. We are going to bundle up and brave it though-- I'll be sure to update with pictures when I get back.

Love yall!

Heavy heart

It is with a heavy heart that I tell you Shelley had to be induced yesterday, at only 23 weeks along in her pregnancy.

Baby Ava Lynn Cruz was born, weighing 1 lb 3 oz. Sadly, she is now with Jesus.

Dear Lord, I genuinely have no words. I'm shocked. Please wrap your arms around Mike and Shelley and hold them to yourself. Comfort them as only you can.

Services will be held on Sunday afternoon in Wharton. Please be praying for the entire family during this difficult time.

Update

Shelley has been moved to the hospital for the remainder of her pregnancy. Wow. I cannot imagine all the emotions and stress they are feeling right now. I believe Shelley has started having contractions, so we need to pray that the medication can help those stop and let baby stay safe in her Mama a little longer.

Please, please be in prayer for this family. Feel free to stop by their blog and let them know you are praying for them.

Please pray

My friends Mike and Shelley have wanted a baby for as long as I have known them. They have had a traumatic road to parenthood thus far, losing two babies. Now, Shelley is approximately 22 weeks along, carrying a little girl they have named Ava, and as of yesterday, Shelley is on complete bed rest.

The details of her complications are not mine to discuss, but I want to ask you all to please pray.

• Pray that God gives Shelley peace and patience during this confusing and emotional time. Beg Him to use her body to bring another miracle baby into this world, helping her body to maintain the pregnancy long enough to produce a healthy baby girl.
• Pray for Mike- for endurance during this time of trial with his wife in bed. Pray for his own fears regarding the health of his wife and baby girl.
• Pray for baby Ava, that God will keep her nestled inside her Mama for awhile longer, growing healthy and strong.

My friends, please pray.

Dear Lord, I admit that I do not always understand your ways. I do not understand why you have chosen this path for Mike for Shelley, but I know that you have a plan and a reason. I ask that you wrap your arms of peace and protection around them and love on them as only you can. I pray that their friends and family are able to help out where necessary, to be the arms and legs of Christ for them. And for those who are not physically able to help, I ask that you keep them at the forefront of our prayers. Lord, you can take this situation and show us a miracle. I have faith that no matter the result, you are sovereign, and you will remain the same. Please encourage Mike and Shelley to lean on you and each other during this time. We ask all this in the blessed name of Jesus. Amen.

Love

According to Merriam-Webster:

love (noun)

1. strong affection
2. warm attachment
3. attraction based on sexual desire
4. a beloved person
5. unselfish, loyal, and benevolent concern for others

love, loved, loving (verb)

1. cherish
2. to feel a passion, devotion, or tenderness for
3. caress
4. to take pleasure in

I have to admit, I went to the dictionary for help because I wanted a definition. I was trying to think of a good explanation of what love IS to me, and I keep falling short. How you can properly put into words what all love encompasses? Yes, it is a feeling, but as Merriam-Webster pointed out, it is also an action. A verb. Something you DO.

So to me, here is how I define love. Or at least a list of examples of love in my own life:

• Love is finding a genuine smile to give, even if the day has been sad.
• Love is sitting on the floor, struggling to put together a new toy, simply to see my daughter's face light up when its done.
• Love is going through the motions- the same motions, day after day after day- to take care of my family. (Sweeping the floor, fixing the food, putting away the laundry, paying the bills...you get the picture.)
• Love is the butterfly in my stomach when I hear my husband's car in the driveway.
• Love is the excited shriek my daughter lets out when she sees her daddy is home.
• Love is the hug I get at the end of a long week, from an equally exhausted husband.
• Love is preparing a healthy dinner for my family, even when you are tired and Whataburger sounds good and easy.
• Love is listening to my husband's heart.
• Love is caring about a friend's life.
• Love is when I hear my daughter call out for me when she needs me.
• Love is handing over the remote--even though you were watching something of your own.
• Love is bringing a pot of homemade soup to a sick relative.
• Love is a good night-- make that good morning-- kiss.

Yes, Love is a something you can feel. The excited feelings, the nervous jitters, the butterflies, or the jumps you feel in your heart, as if it is going to burst any minute- those feelings are true. But they may or may not last.

Real, lifetime love is an action. An action that you DO, day in and day out. Love, that way, has the power to transform people, marriages, families.

So, though the commercialism and expectations of Valentine's Day has ruined this holiday for many, take it back. Tomorrow LOVE someone. Yes, tell the people you love that you love them. But do more than that. Make them a sandwich. Fix them a cold drink when they have been working hard. Give them a genuine smile and a kiss to knock their socks off. LOVE them.

And if you are lucky...they will love you back.

I'm not good at keeping secrets

Yes, it is true. We were slightly shocked at first, as this is earlier than we anticipated getting pregnant. However, now that we have begun to believe the results, we are getting excited.

Especially big sister, Ryleigh.

Just kidding. She has no idea what is going on. She will say "big sister," and smile, but that's about as far as it goes. We pretend when she is playing with her baby dolls that she is the big sister and she must be "seet" (aka: sweet). Ryleigh will rock the baby, give her hugs and kisses, and then promptly drop her on the hardwood floor. Yeah, she wont be holding the real baby on her own for quite awhile...!!

So, how did we find out? Well, my sister was in town and while we were all eating dinner at my parent's house, she kept ragging on me about me being pregnant. My mom even chimed in, as if they both were trying to catch me in a secret. Jesse and I both assured them that we were NOT pregnant, and when we knew we were, they would know! It was dismissed. That was on a Saturday. The following Tuesday morning I somehow thought back to the conversation. I then started thinking about the calendar and trying to remember when was the last time I had been on my period. It got me thinking pretty hard, so I finally pulled out a calendar. Sure enough, I was 5 days late. We have just been so stinkin' busy and our entire family has been sick all of January, so I had not paid attention. I had to go grocery shopping on my lunch break, so I casually picked up a test.

Now, let me make a side note here. We have only been off birth control for two months. It would not be weird for my cycle to just be "off" and adjusting to the lack of hormones. So, I got a test, but I truly was NOT thinking it would turn out positive. After coming home, putting away the groceries, feeding Ryleigh lunch and getting her down for her nap, I took the test.

When I tell you I sat there absolutely stunned, I am not lying. I was blown away. Shocked. A deer in the headlights. Frozen.

Jesse and I had just started talking about baby #2 and neither of us were "ready" per say. When he came home from work, I did not have any fancy introduction or cute gift to give him like last time. I said, "honey, we have to talk," and held up the stick. He said, "are you serious?" I nodded. (Not exactly smiling....still stunned.) But he smiled. Big. And gave me a huge hug. Then said, "okay!" And that was that.

I went to the doctor to confirm that Friday, and we told our families the following weekend. We have leaked the news to a couple of friends, but are just now starting to really share the news. It is still early. I'm only about 7 weeks along, though the doctor is not sure of my timeline. We go back at the end of this month to have an ultrasound to confirm dates/measurements.

So, there ya have it. My secret is out. Baby Shulse #2 is due approximately October 6, 2009. And we ARE excited. We are praying for a healthy baby, and so far praising God for an easy pregnancy. Did you catch that?! I have not hardly felt pregnant AT ALL. I was nauseous yesterday for all of 20 minutes and that is it. By this point with Ryleigh, I had already thrown up for 2 weeks straight. I'm so thankful that I have felt good so far.

Thanks in advance for your prayers during this time. =)

WOW!

According to my blogger dashboard, I have 310 posts on this blog! As much as I am slacker in this area, apparently, I have posted more than I realized. Granted, this is over a two-and-a-half-year period...but STILL! Go me!

(Yes, I know that some people post every day, and therefore have more posts in a single year than I have over the entire course of my blogging life...to each his own.)

Goodbye old friend-- I'm heart-broken and will miss you more than you know...

This morning I had to make a quick run to the grocery store. In route, I glanced across the busy street, and felt my heart drop.

TCBY has officially closed.

I know that the only reason I survived my pregnancy with Ryleigh was because of TCBY. Seriously- the people knew me (and Jesse!) during that time, and knew my two favorite combinations. I would drive up to the window, they would smile and ask, "Hi! Chocolate parfait or Reeses Shiver?" It was no wonder that Ryleigh came out of the womb loving chocolate.

We had heard that TCBY was struggling financially. I made extra effort to go more and more (of course, not because I have a sick addiction...I just want to help others...), but recently, more and more, we would go and it would be closed. Like, on a Friday night!! Weird. And I would sit at home wondering if they were open, drive up there, only to find they were (still) closed. At least, I could see that there was still "stuff" inside, and signs on the drive-through window. I thought perhaps the old couple who owns it had been sick.

Today, all signs were gone. TCBY was officially gone. And I'm heart-broken. What am I going to do without my parfaits?? NO ONE makes frozen yogurt like them. Goodbye dear, friend. I will sincerely miss you more than you know.

Hilarious

Last month, my mom, sister, and I were out shopping for bridal shower/bachelorette party invitations. We went to several different party stores, with lots of cute stuff. Being January, the stores were of course already planning for the next big holiday, Valentine's Day.

I saw these napkins and literally started laughing so hard I gave myself the hiccups. I could not stop laughing. My mom could not resist, and bought them for me! They have since sat on my kitchen counter bar, and seriously, every single time I look at them, I laugh! No joke!

Now, I am NOT ragging on Jesse here. I just think it is hilarious that some wise marketing person finally realized that though Valentine's Day is supposed to be all lovey, hearts, and flowers....the reality might be slightly different for some. And therefore, they must appeal to the masses! HAHA! Hysterical.