27 and grounded!

Yup, you read that right!! I am grounded by the state of Oklahoma! Apparently 7 plus speeding tickets in the past 3 years gets your license taken away! Who would of thunk! Do the cops not know that I am in my own little world doing my own little thing not meaning any harm! Guess not! For 30 days I am only allowed to drive Lindsey to school, go to the grocery store, and go to the Dr. Getting those concessions was a lot of work. I had to beg, plead, and pray to the hearing officer for just that! I decided I will blog throughout these next 27 days about my experience . . . so I hope you enjoy the reading!!!

When I first got my letter I was freaking out! What was I going to do for 30 days of NO FREEDOM!!!!! I am the type of person who has to leave the house daily! What was I going to do with a toddler 7 days a week???? I am a better mom because Lindsey goes to MDO! Once I plead my case and got my concessions I began to feel relive. As Jay and I talked about my impending grounding I began to see it as a God send! See, 2 out of the 3 days Linds is in school I keep myself busy with anything and everything. By the 3rd day I am so exhausted that I am useless. So nothing gets accomplished for me or for my family. I was giving everything I had to everyone else. The same issue I had when I was working full-time. I can tell you these past 3 days have been amazing! Tues while Linds was at school I did a little volunteer work at home and the rest of the time I did home work so my evening could be spent with my family! Wed Linds was home so I made extra sure, since we can't go anywhere, to make the day special and focus on her. I got sooooo much accomplished around my house and still managed to have quality time with her. I am realizing she needs me my full attention for 15-20 mins and then she is fine for 30-60 mins on her own. Which freed sooooo much time up. Now, I will not lie I did cheat and sneak out of the house but only to the splash park that is 1/4 mile from the house! Linds deserved the play time! Today, I was able to take a much needed nap. I woke up feeling like a truck ran me over and now when I go get Linds I can give her sooo much more of me since I have not given all of myself away!!!

I know the month is not going to be all sunshine and roses! I am going to miss my volunteer work tremendously and heck my freedom to drive where ever the frick I want but if all I do is sit back and look at the negative I have missed the bigger picture. I believe God is allowing me to take a step back before Ella-Clair gets here and get everything organized internally and externally! I hope ya'll enjoy my journey!!

Pregnancy stuff. . .

I have some thoughtful, insightful, moving posts in my head but I can't seem to put them down yet! Sooooo how about another pregnancy post! 

Lets see I am 32 weeks along! This is one of the only belly pics I have. My sweet friend Cheryl is taking our family pics Fri and she wants to do belly pics so bad and I keep telling her no! I didn't do them with Lindsey! When it was time to do belly pics I was already preeclamptic! I had no energy for pics. This time around is a hundred times better but if I didn't do it with L I am not doing it with any of my babies! Although I do have to say that my belly is growing on me!

I have an insane craving for these cookies! I snack on the bag all day and before I know it they are gone by bedtime! What is sad is they do not sit well on my tummy so I am always sick for a couple days! O but they are soooo good. I can only get them every once in a while or I may end up revisiting my pregnancy with Lindsey!

Before Ella-Clair makes her arrival I am trying to get Lindsey in the routine of reading her Bible every morning. This is something that I have been convicted about in my life. However, Lindsey never sees me read my Bible because I try to have my time with God before she wakes up! Any who, I want her first part of the morning to be special with God and well with me too! Even when E comes I want her to always have a special time that is her's only!

I am a happy momma. . . Lindsey loves Jars of Clay. She calls it her birdie music. Since it is soooooo hot and I am carry an extra 5 zillion pounds we have a lot of dance parties to Jars. Seriously this 104 degree heat is ridiculous! I can only go to Chick-Fil-A so many times a week to play before my husband takes away my money!!!

The nesting phase has started today!! I woke up at 7 and have yet to quit going! I have a clean house, done more loads of laundry than I can count, cleaned out drawers, put up laundry, and even cleaned my laundry room. Heck I am still going during nap time! Usually right now I am curled up on the couch asleep with one eye open while Linds watches PBS! OMG what is the world coming too!

Do Everything

Lately I have been struggling with my identity. I am no longer working and am not staying home full time. So who am I now that I no longer have a career? A few weeks ago we went to by me a car. As we were signing the loan papers the dude asked me what my career was. It was the first time I had to say stay at home mom. I almost shuddered when I said it and to make matters worse he not so kindly informed me that I would need my husband to make this purchase.

  I never thought I would be so reliant on a man! I had all these dreams of being independent and making it on my own. Now, here I am more dependent on my husband than ever. I decided after we bought my car that I had to get a grip on these thoughts or my next 5 or 6 years were going to be hell!

Here is what God is showing me! He has a divine plan for me and my little family and the path is laid out! I can not make the plans! I need to be proud of my new title "stay at home mom." God has called me and equipped me to stay home with my girls! My job is to raise them to love Jesus more than anything and to protect them! That is more important than all the butt wiping I could ever do!

God did not provide a path for me to stay home just so I could be dependent on Jay! He is my partner in this and one of my greatest supporters. He provides for us out of love and servant hood. Never has he made me feel like I do not contribute but the exact opposite he is the one reminding me that God has called us to do this and  He will provide for us in all ways!

I struggle still and will continue to struggle just because I loved my career so much but God's blessings abound from being obedient to His path. One blessing He has given me is a passion for the volunteer work I do at the church! I love so much that I get the opportunity to connect new volunteers to a place to serve God! But that is for another post! 

When Satan tries and attacks my mind I just need to remember this is the path God has called me to and there is nowhere safer than His will!

Happy Birthday Sweet Girl!

I can't believe it but my little girl is 3! I feel as though I just brought her home! O how I love this little girl. . . it hurts how much I love her! This year I opted out of a big shin-dig birthday party and we headed to San Antonio to take Lindsey to Sea World. We all had a blast! I couldn't stand the idea of not having a party for Linds so my sweet mother-in-law helped me plan a very low key party that was just perfect! 

These pics are not party specific, they are just some of my fav from the weekend! I love my little family. It will not be long till Ella-Clair makes her debut in this world! 

I never thought when I brought Lindsey home that God would use her to change me! These past 3 years I have changed so much. This little girl is forcing me to be less selfish, more giving, and patient! I am still mastering patients. 

 Lindsey has the biggest heart and an even bigger personality. She has found her voice and loves to tell you anything. She loves to scream mommy, mommy. When I ask what she always says I want to tell you somting. She is in love with her sister. She will sit and talk to Ella-Clair and touch my belly. She tells everyone that her sister's name in Ella-Clair! All she wants to do is help mommy. Some days my lack of patients hates the extra help and some days I love it!

She is so pretty! She got her first kiss from some boy at school! Her daddy was calm I on the other hand was not so calm! I almost fell over when her teacher told me! At least she did not do the kissing!

OMG the cake Patti got was uhhmazing! I would kill for some cake now!!!

I feel completely honored to raise this little girl. My life would be so boring with out my little miracle! I don't want her to grow up!!

This is one of my fav pics from the week! She played with the bubbles for the majority of the time there! Best 2 dollars spent!

This is the day of her birthday and the beginning of our trip! She was so happy!

The end of the trip . . . not so happy.

Easter

Well this Easter was not full of traditions! No Easter basket, no egg dying, and no Easter bunny! I know I know I am a horrible mother! However we have unknowingly started a new Dunks family tradition! Last year we served at church on Easter and our little family was sooooo transformed! This year was no different! I had to work but Jay was up at the church serving all day and I had the blessing of serving this evening after work! We feel so incredibly blessed to be a small part of the change that happened in people's lives today! I do believe that we will continue this tradition. There may not be baskets and bunnies but my girls will know what is means to serve just as Christ has served us! They will know that by serving others they are showing Christ's love to a world that is hurting! 

 Now one tradition we will keep for sure is a new Easter outfit! We wear jeans and a t-shirt to church every week so Saturday it was so nice to wear "real" clothes! I even threw on some heels not the usual Tom's!!

One of the universities had an egg hunt last weekend. So we took Lindsey and she had a blast! Her daddy loved all the candy inside me not so much!!! So yes my girls will have fun but the bunny and the baskets will not be our main focus! We will choose to be weird!!!

Nothing fancy

I feel as though it is time for a little update on the happenings in our little piece of heaven! Nothing major just happenings!

We got a cute little cat named Sunny. Right after we had her de-clawed and spayed she ran away! So now I am out tons of money and have a broken hearted 2 year old! Well that was a major fail!!!! 

Jay had PRK to fix his vision! Let me just say it was not fun! I had to drive everywhere for 7 days. Lets just say Jay is not a fan of my excellent driving skills! Then, the poor guy felt good except his eyes felt like they were on fire so he was a little grumpy! On the upside he had to wear sunglasses all the time so people thought he was stoned!!

Seriously like two months after the PRK, Jay got his wisdom teeth removed! He was a trooper with that one! He did so good and put on a good show right after his surgery! He really is a good patient! 

My little diva's personality is really beginning to shine through! She is bossy, opinionated, compassionate, hard headed, independent, out going. . . pretty much me! She looks like her daddy and acts like me! That worries me! O and she loves her baby sister! She talks to my belly saying "hi Ella" or she will touch my belly and think she is touching Ella! She tells everyone that her baby sister's name is Ella-Clair! I love that she already loves her!

Well that is the past few months is a nutshell! 

Its a baby

Well we had our big Ultrasound! We found out right away that we are having another precious little girl! Her name will be Ella-Clair!!!! She is named after my Memaw and my aunt Clair! These are two women that I love very much! My summer memories are filled with fun times at the farm with my Memaw and Big John. I had some of my best summers with them! Plus there is nothing I love more than going home and going to eat at the Crumpet Tea Room with my Memaw! Her full name is Jo Ella so I took the best part of her name! Jo Ella is so sweet and quiet but when she talks she is freakin' hilarious! She is so quick witted! Plus she is fun to people watch with!!! My aunt Clair is the reason I became a nurse! From her I received the most honest and realistic view of nursing and I still wanted to do it! Not to mention she has struggles with her hearing for unknown reasons and she does not let that get in her way! She is one of the most out going fun person I know and not to mention one of the best seamstresses I know! I am so excited that she agreed to make Ella's bedding! One thing I love about my Aunt Clair is her spiritual gift of hospitality! You will be welcomed into her home at all times with a good drink and even better food! You are never made to feel rushed or not welcomed plus she can throw one heck of a party! I love it when my family tells me I am being like my aunt! Every time I have a party I always think about how Clair would do it!

Ella-Clair has a lot to live up to! I want her to be quick witted and loving like her Memaw and persevere with grace and hospitable like her Aunt Clair! I can not wait to meet this little girl and hold her in my arms! 20 more weeks to go!!!!!