Whatever it takes...

Well I am not sure where to start this blog, because it's going to be a conglomeration of several things that have happened this week. :/ I had planned to come back into town with a new healthy kick! Dustin and I have been talking for several months now about finding foods that will help his heart or heart healthy foods! So I planned meals, went online found good foods, reciepes etc. On Sunday, we both went to the grocery store and begun to work through my list of heart healthy foods. We didn't even make it to the bread section when my list was veto'd. He told me that he was going to stick to his 3 main food groups. Chicken, broccli & egg whites. Now, if you know me, I am very strong willed, and it ticked me off that he would throw all my planning out the window because he didn't want to eat preztels as a snack. Seriously... are you kidding me? So I told him that I was going to eat the heart healthy foods, and what ever he chose would be up to him to cook and eat. I wouldn't be any part of it! He then took the cart and proceeded through the isles looking for his items. About 30 minutes later we were in the check out line, getting ready to check out, and I look into the bottom of our cart and low and behold, there is a box of TWINKIES! I about fell out! Needless to say, he returned those twinkies. :)

During relax time last night, Dustin admitted to getting 4 twinkies out of the vending machine at work yesterday! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT! I packed him a nice meal of turkey speghetti with wheat pasta and a side of fresh pineapple to eat for lunch. Instead he had 4 twinkies. tisk tisk tisk.

So this morning, on my way into work, I picked up a whole DOZEN of fresh glazed HOT krispy kreme doughnuts... they are fabulous. I bet those twinkies don't taste too good now.

While at the beach, we went out to eat at Joe's Crab Shack... the food was good, the atmosphere was entertaining... and the whole experience... well, I won't be going back.

I think 3 times total this year, something has gone wrong with our HVAC. During the winter, we were with out heat for a day... brrrrrr. And now, this makes the second time this summer that the A/C is out. We've pulled out all the box fans and stuck them in the window, called the repair guy immediately and still, he is yet to come out! AHHHH! So when we get home at the end of the day, the house is nice and hot! Forget cooking or doing laundry, any extra heat will make the house go up in flames :)

Makes me think, life would stink if there were no a/c! I'm thankful that I don't live back in those days! Thank God for modern technology... when it works that is!


Well, on Saturday, I am hosting a baby shower for Maggie & Chris, they are dear friends of ours from Hendo. Maggie was our teacher for child birth class and also our Doula! They are expecting their first in September so we are going to throw them a shower! I am super excited because I love planning parties and I love decorating and cooking (only for parties!) Mom is headed down on Friday to help out! Keep us in your prayers for the a/c guy to come and fix our a/c and for traveling mercies for mom.... and that the shower goes well too!

Here is our baby enjoying her blueberry pancakes while at the beach... She ate 1 whole pancake by herself!

Today is the last day at the beach. To be honest, I am so worn out and ready to be at home with my hubby. Life is so different when you're a single parent even if only for the week! I know that Dustin is missing both Pressley and I tons too! I will be heading back west on Sunday...

I really did enjoy myself, and I know Pressley enjoyed meeting her Cousins again and getting to play with them too! She sure did love them!

Right now, Baby Brae is kicking and swimming around. And I am about to pass out from tiredness--- laying on the air mattress listening to the news... ready to sleep. Well, this blog was pretty much pointless... but I felt like I needed to blog about life, today... this week.

Have a great weekend!

Here is a picture our girl at the beach for the first time, she had so much fun! She would look at the sand, and play in it and then get up and bear crawl deeper into the surf! I had to keep a close eye on her so she didn't get toppled by the small waves! She did get a taste of the sand a few times... yuckie! I was trying to tell her no but she was insistant upon doing it so, I let her... :P

Well, I know its not too late, but it is late for me, I am usually in bed by around 9 ish, and here it is 10:15, and I am blogging. This week has been so fun, so many new first... but also bitter sweet. Dustin has been at home working this whole week which has left me and my family to enjoy the sweetness of Pressley's new things. First off, she got in the pool for the first time, then she went to the beach for the first time, and had blue berry pancakes for the first time too! Right now, as I am blogging, she is over there tossing and turning in her pack-n-play trying to lul herself to sleep. Our lives are off balance with out daddy! WE MISS YOU! :)

Today was an eventful day, Mom, Pressley and I made a short trip down to Charleston, SC to catch up and have lunch with my Best Friend Abby. With in seconds of pulling into Charleston, we were involved in an accident (IT WASN'T MY FAULT!!!) Everyone is fine, Pressley was asleep and didn't even wake up when the collision occurred, but never the less, it was a fiasco. Mom and Dads car is a little mangled and my spirit was dampened by the lack of attention on the other drivers part. We are all safe though, and it could have been worse so I will take what I got. We did have a wonderful lunch and got to spend about an hour catching up and visiting with old friends!



We arrived back home and had some fun times playing around and being excited that we were finally out of the car!!! Pressley was in rare form as she gallivanted through the condo searching for something... :)

These are for Daddy because he wasn't able to be here with us for Pressley's first time in the pool! She had such a wonderful time and kicked and splashed and played with Cousing Abby & Andrew! Poppa got actual video footage of it and as soon as we find the cord to transfer that over from Video camera to computer, I will post it!

Today, we are headed off to the beach for the first time, hopefully we will be out there soon so the sun won't be so hot, and I'm sure we'll be back around noon or 1pm before it gets way too hot! I'll post pictures of those too!

I've got a few things in the hopper as far as pictures goes, we attended the McLaurin Family reunion and the pictures from our Fourth of July extravanza! :)

Dustin, Pressley and I all had a WONDERFUL 4th of July! We just had good 'ole family time! Around 7:30, we headed off to Greens Six Oaks, the local Gas Station, Library, Grocery Store and Post office all in one. They had a barbecue and singing and then around 9, there were fireworks! Here is a slide show of all the festivities.

So I didn't have much time to write a detailed blog about our doctors appointment.
Dustin and I met with the ultra-sound tech that did Pressleys ultra sound so it was kind of neat that both our girls had the same technician! :) Anywho- Baby Brae was very active during the ultrasound and it was super neat to see her eat her hands and just move and move in my belly! Like I said in the earlier post, Dustin swore he saw "tools" but it was pretty evident that there were no "tools" to be found! We were both extatic about having another girl, but had yet to pick out a name... The ultra sound tech took lots of pictures for us and we are still peeking at them and just eating up our newest little girl! After the ultrasound we met with the Doctor to discuss the pregnancy and we were introduced to the fact that I am classified as a high risk pregnancy. Since we got pregnant before 8 months after having Pressley, the probablility of me going into Pre-term labor is extremely high. The Dr told both Dustin and I that starting in October I needed to start taking it easy to prevent going into labor. EEEK! That really worries me! :( So, please please please be praying for all of us that we prepare ourselves for whatever God has planned for Baby Brae and her arrival!

Well, we met our second little girl yesterday, Braelyn Noel Chapman. She was so active and we got to see so much cute little things she did! Dustin was certian it was a boy but he had no luck! :) Here are some cute pictures of our Baby "Brae"

Whew, I sure am glad this weekend is over, I hope that it was'nt the prelude to a rough week! The weather has been such a doozy lately. Friday, I get off work and head to the Seafood Mkt to pick up some crab legs and oysters to fix for dinner, little did I know that when I get home the power is going to be off due to storm clouds? :) I think in everything we had planned to accomplish this weekend, we completely finished 2 things (and not the top priority items either!) With all that negaitivity, we do have several things positive to happen this weekend!

• Dustin turns 32 on Wednesday, and I have an exciting/romatic evening planned for him!
• We find out sex of Peanut on Thursday! I'm betting Dustin that its a girl, if it is, I get to buy all the pink stuff I want because this will be it for a while! (having babies that is!)
• Julie is coming home! My older sister, who's husband is a Squadrant Commander :) in the Airforce, will be back east for a couple years!
• Lonestar Steakhouse is opening on July 1st! Woo Hoo! I worked at one in Raleigh for several years and LOVE the food... I'll be going for lunch tomorrow!
• Headed to Raleigh for the annual McLaurin Reunion on Sunday then off to the beach on Monday, less one wonderful man... Dustin. (He'll be staying home to work so that he will have quite a few days off when Peanut arrives!)

So all that being said, say a prayer for us this week that each moment will be fun and exciting and AS PLANNED! :)

So I was watching the Batchelorette the other night, and one of the guys that was on the show had recently taken a state bar exam for Lawyers... and on his bedroom wall on about 10 different posters were different things that were important to know for the exam. He would pass the posters several times a day and each time it would remind him of something he needed to remember. So, I've come up with something I'd like to do at our house! I am going to get pictures of our "goals" and "dreams" and post them up above our headboard so that we can be more focused at getting those goals. Weather it be saving $$, buying a new car, getting a bigger home or whatever... It will be up above our heads for us to look at as a constant reminder that we have work to do. One of my fun goals that I would like to attain for us is for Dustin and I to be able to go on a "babymoon" before baby #2! We will see though!

On another note, we find out on July 3rd at 1:30 pm the sex of "peanut!" We are so excited and can't hardly stand it... I'm rooting for a girl, and Dustin, however is rooting for a boy... :) Have a great day!

"The moment you become afraid, is the exact moment you quit trusting God"

I guess since I've been raised in such a "faith-based" home I more often than not rely on God's help. I wouldn't like to think I expect God to swoop in and intervene on different situations, but in a way I do. I've said this many times over the last few years, but I will say it again... If my parents have showed me one thing in this life it was that God will always provide if you have faith AND ARE faithful. Yes, I know, we can't expect God to just clean up our messes or work when we ourselves have not. But I do know that if we truely need God, and ARE faithful, He will be there just like the poem "Footprints in the sand". Most often when we feel like God isn't there, He is, we just can't see Him or don't know it. Is it so hard to trust God? For me, most often no... but that may be my personality... to just let it happen... But for others... yes it is. And this is where I am at, with a heavy heart, longing for complete trust in Him. Completely trusting that HE will show others how to completely TRUST HIM.