A GIRL!!!! 

We had our ultrasound today and our new little girl looks to be healthy (and happy in there!).  We feel very blessed that she looks good and healthy!  It looks like Steve will be the only Prince in the Castle!  :) (or he would prefer me to say King...but whatever)!  I am just elated!  3 little girls!  It will be so fun to see what great friends these sisters will be!

The funny thing was is that Reese had been SOOOO excited to go to the ultrasound with Steve and I today.  She had been asking every day when it was.  She wanted to be one of the first to know whether she was having a brother or sister.  Well, 10 minutes before we were going to leave, her little friend Leah calls her and asks her to come over.  She comes to me with these words:

"Mom..can I PLEASE go to Leah's?  You can just tell me what it is when you pick me up.  It's boring there anyway."

What?!?  I have to say I was a little disappointed, but I think it was good for Steve and I to go alone since we always do have to wait.  Obviously we see where Reese's priorities lie  Silly girl!  When we told Finley  she was having a sister, she just responded by saying, "I have pink bubbles at home."  So...all in all...pretty good reactions..... 

You made me a mother.  My life changed at 10:40pm and it never was the same.  It changed for the better.  I have so much more joy in my life because you are in it.  You have taught me so much not only about myself but about who God is.  Listening to your cries made me realize I was needed in your life.  The cries turned into "MOMMA"'s and then into "MOMMY".  Being called those words gives me a feeling no one else can describe...it is hearing a dream come true that I had been yearning for ever since I turned 5.  Now you mostly call me "Mom".  You are growing up, and I can't believe where the time has gone.  Today you turned 5 years old.  In those 5 years I went from Sarah to Momma to Mommy and now to Mom.  In 5 years you have gone from a precious, (flawless in my eyes) :) baby, to an eager, curious, cautious toddler, to a beautiful little lady who has a sweet spirit and a gigantic heart.  I love being your Mom.  I love seeing how other children gravitate to you.  They LOVE being with Reese.  You show others love in a way that makes you intriguing and they want what you have.  Reese, I hope this love and sensitivity for others that you display stays deep within your character.  Reese, you have grown so much over this past year.  You learned to write your first and last name.  You write so many words on your own now. You can recognize many words...especially McDonalds, Sonic, and Target...heehhehehe  Well, much more then that...words like stop, baby, other names, trip, etc.  You are getting very close to reading.  Your drawing went from making stick people to drawing full blown portraits.  Seeing your love of art is a joy to me.  I love to see you cultivate your passion:)  You have so many wonderful character traits.  You are SO giving...especially to your sister.  The other day, Finley wanted a quarter to get a toy out of a vending machine.  Mommy only had one quarter so I said, "Sorry Finley, I only have one quarter and since there are two of you it wouldn't be fair.  No quarter."  You spoke up, "Mommy...Finley can have the only quarter to get a toy.  I have enough toys."  That show of givingness (is that a word?) meant so much to me and showed me so much about your character. 

This next year will be one of growth as well.  You will begin kindergarten...wow, I can't believe that.  You will become a big sister again.  And what a great one you already are.  And a great role model for Finley.  You will become an even bigger "mommy's helper".  I love you Reese Elizabeth.  I can't imagine life without you.  I pray by your bedside everynight that God will make you mighty in spirit and that you will come to know Him at an early age.  You are a blessing in my life.  Happy 5th Birthday Reese Elizabeth!!

Reese's 2nd birthday

Happy 5th Birthday Reese!

Her Tinkerbell cake I made.  In my opinion, this Tinkerbell needs a nose job.

Reese got new golf clubs from Daddy for her birthday along with a new DS.  She was very excited and how cute are those clubs?  :)

Of Course Finley wants to be in the action!

This is my 5 year old girl at her best--this shows her personality completely!

We celebrated this morning by having Monkey Bread with my parents on the webcam!  She opened her presents and we sang. It was fun.  Then she had her last day of preschool where she had cake for her birthday. She then got to pick where we went out to eat...of course she picked McDonalds:)  Her friend Emily joined us which made it extra special. Then she got to go up to Mimi and Grandpa's for the weekend.  She picked to eat at Cracker Barrel (gag!) for dinner with Mimi and Grandpa and us.  Tomorrow Mimi and Grandpa are taking the girls to HersheyPark.  She picked to so that this year instead of having a party.  BUT....Steve and I have an extra special surprise for when she gets back.  We are getting away for a few days as a family.  I will give more information later...but it is going to be F.U.N.!!! 

Ok, so I have had a rough couple of weeks.  God has used many people in my life over the last couple of weeks to help me to focus on the "little" blessings in my life.  So, in order for me to never forget that it is in fact the little things in life that ultimately make life so much richer, I thought I would blog the "little" blessings in my life.  Obviously these things change and this list is ever expanding, but here are a few:

1.  Me cooking in my kitchen and Finley totting into the kitchen.  In her arms is a blue stool about as big as she is and she plops it right next to my feet.  She stands up on the stool and says, "I be Mommy's BIG helper!"  Ahh...those words melt my heart.  I hope she always wants to be Mommy's big helper.

2.  Listening to Reese talk to Finley so motherly.  The words, "sweetie" and "Honey" are used instead of Finley quite often.

3.  Starbucks Caramel Lattes--Nonfat of course...but these have been my weakness while I have been pregnant.

4.  Feeling Baby #3 move this past week for the first time in my womb.  This is the best part about being pregnant.

5.  Watching TV - ok, I know I shouldn't admit it...but one of my most FAVORITE things to do is get into my bed with my husband after the girls go to bed and watch TV.  I love the FOOD network, Gossip Girl (shhh...our closet show), American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, and The Duggars are my Love obsession...I am addicted!  :)  I watch too much TV...I know.  I waste WAY too much time.  And, I am admitting, it is a weakness.

6.  Reading - I Love books.  The smell of a bookstore sends me into a state of Euphoria.  I could spend hours and hours and hours in a bookstore discovering books--both fiction and non-fiction.

7.  My girls giving me "loves".  Hugs and Kisses from them send my emotional "love bucket" in overdrive!

8.  Watching Reese sing in her preschool/church programs.  She loves to sing..knows all the words and will practice it at home in front of me.  It reminds me of me, when I was little.

9.  Knowing Reese and I are so much alike--I know how she thinks.  Although this is the cause of many reasons why we can butt heads so easily, we have a lot of interests in common.  She is my little "shopper".

10.  Finley procrastinating not going to bed at night.  I can hear her from her crib, "mommy!", "I wake up!".  No, Finley, you haven't even been asleep.  But I get her anyway because she convinces me to "Sleep in Mommy's Bed."  No sleeping is obviously done, but a lot of cuddling is done...I LOVE CUDDLING!

11.  Rocking Finley before she goes to bed.  She is drinking her sippy cup of milk and we sing songs together.  Listening to that still small little voice hitting (and missing) all those notes makes me never want to leave that rocker.  I could listen to that forever.  This is something I will NEVER forget.

12.  Reese singing in her microphone on her piano in her room all of her princess songs.

13.  Listening to Reese play with her neighbor friends in a conversation that goes like this.  "Ben!  Prick my finger and I fall asleep and then you have to kiss me to wake me up."  Ben says, "No way!"  Reese then goes to her next friend.."Hannah,, Prick my finger..." and so it goes....:)

14.  The feeling of little fingers wrapped around my hand.  Usually one hand has small slender fingers and the other hand has the tiny, pudgy fingers as both girls walk beside me.  A picture and feeling I know they will soon outgrow.

15.  My husband's sense of humor...he can ALWAYS make me laugh.  Poor guy...these pregnancy hormones have made it hard on him these past few months!

16.  Going shopping with a husband who actually enjoys shopping as much as I do.

17.  Cooking....better yet...cooking with my husband!  Something we both LOVE!

18.  Having a husband, who within the past few years, God has done AMAZING things in his life and how my husband can't wait to share these things with me!

19.  Target....I mean, how can this not been a blessing?  :)

20.  Sonic Vanilla Diet Cokes - Another pregnancy weakness.  I know, all my weaknesses involve caffeine while pregnant.  But this will be a post for another day---Alot has changed in my nutrition, etc from being pregnant with my first and then the 3rd....yeah, and it is not good:)

21.  Listening to Reese's deep giggle and Finley's forced laugh when forces something out that she thinks she should laugh about.  And Reese's Giggle is so contagious...

22. DisneyWorld--Steve and I are kids at heart!

Ok...that is all I have time to post for now...but this list will continue at another time.  It is time for me to focus on the little blessings in my life to see how God has so richly BLESSED it.  I oftentimes get so caught up into my dreams and goals and how they are not being met and tend to forget how God does bless us in the small ways even if we don't feel it in the big ways.  Joy is not to be found necessarily in the BIG things in life, or our BIG picture, but joy is to be found in the small, every day occurances.  Such as the touch of my husbands hands in mine and those little slobbery kisses I receive from my little ones.  Oh how these things can change ever so quickly!

Here is one of my little blessings I caught on my camera.  It is Finley singing, "I CAST ALL MY CARES ON YOU."  Which really needs to be the prayer of my heart more often.  Here are the words:

I cast all my care upon you

I lay all of my burdens down at your feet

And anytime, I don't know what to do

I will cast all my cares upon you

Hearing Finley sing this is truly a blessing to me.

Here are some pictures of my blessings...minus my BIG blessing--my husband.  He doesn't "pose" for pictures like these two little muses do!  :)