Happy Fall!!!

I have been scolded for not updating this blog...so here goes! We're busy! It's Fall...what do you expect?!?!

School is -well - it's school! BUSY BUSY BUSY! My class is wonderful and super cute! Yet, I keep comparing them to last year's dream class!

Kyle has started basketball season again! Seems to be enjoying his team - even though he is with them at 6:30 am! He doesn't enjoy much at this hour of the day - so I guess this is a good thing! He is still in grad school and will be finished in March-ish! I am so proud of him.

Holton is being a typical three year old boy. We bring home far more sad faces from school than happy faces - which is really making me crazy! I do not want him to be "that kid"!!! He knows exactly what he should do to make good choices, he just chooses not to do them ;) Gotta love his personality! NAUGHTY - yet so precious - and super SMART!

Koleman is doing great! He is such a WONDERFUL baby. Very easy to love! Holton is extremely proud of him and wants to show him off to everyone we meet. He will be 4 months old next week and we will be having a "Happy Cereal Birthday Party!" This boy LOVES to eat!

That is it for now~and at this rate, I will be posting again in February...ha! Happy FALL!!!

Meet Mr. Koleman Lane Hendrix...

Thursday, July 2nd was a bitter-sweet day for the Hendrix Family. While we knew it would be the last day as a family of three, we decided to take the time to cherish H and adore our last remaining minutes with just him. We had a great morning at Legacy Play Village and had a family picnic. It was a nice time...for me anyway!!! I had all of this planned, not even thinking about how obnoxiously HUGE I was! I sat in the shade because it was blazing HOT and I was not be able to do much playing or chasing. But, Kyle being the great daddy that he is, stepped up like always and made it super special for H! That evening, we celebrated the 4th of July so I could pop some firecrackers with him - being that I would in the hospital on the actual day. It was fun - if you like firecrackers...they pretty much make me a nervous wreck! Too many days as a child being chased and tormented by them - thanks to my crazy cousins! Where was my super-protective mother during these escapades? J/K mom! We left H with my parents that night because we knew the next morning would come way too early for him to be with us. Bitter to leave my first born, yet sweet to know what was about to enter this world!

So here we are July 3rd, 5:30 am...not an ounce of sleep the night before...too many nerves! I had thrown up before we left...partly nerves, but mostly b/c I was STARVING!!! I don't do well without food! Don't worry, Kyle had his Whataburger in the car...smelling so yummy...as we drove to the hospital! Before you call him a jerk, it was initiated by me. Kyle is the type to "pass out" during my surgeries - so I was willing to smell his breakfast then not have him by my side.

Finally, we are admitted. Gown on - check, no bra - check (I HATE THIS!!!), IV in - check, waiting - check, check, check, check! We were supposed to deliver at 8:30 - but we got bumped back 4 times due to emergencies! Yes, frustrating, but I just kept thinking about the other women. If I were in that situation, I would want to cut in front of someone who was not in any state of emergency - which would be me. I was very patient - even though I am STILL starving!

We go into surgery at 11 ish (I think). Spinal in - check, catheter in - check, on the table - check, Kyle with me - check, me throwing up in the OR - check, doctors talking about cars while cutting me open - check, anesthesiologist answering his cell phone during my surgery - check,

Finally, at 11:30, Koleman Lane Hendrix born - CHECK!!! He looked smaller than Holton to me, but she weighed him in (after 2 t-t's) at 9 pounds, 3 ounces - 22 1/2 inches! Just perfect!

I begged to have my baby with me during recovery, and they let me - after I took meds to make me stop throwing up. It was the most precious time I have EVER shared with anyone. He was wide awake and knew it was me...his momma! TEAR!!!

Back to our room we go! We had lots of family and friends to share this time with us and we will always be grateful for this.

Recovery has been not so fun! I lost lots of blood during the surgery, which made me anemic. I look like a vampire and Kyle blames it on the Twilight series I have been infatuated with...whatever!!! I have no blood in my face and look rather pale - especially my lips. I threw up the entire first day of Koleman's life and have a spinal headache from the spinal tap I had for surgery. It is the WORST pain of it all. I don't see how you migraine people do it!!! I feel like such a weenie b/c I am not a complainer - but this sucks! I finally feel better, but have to constantly rest or my headache comes back with a vengence...not fun! Oh and did I mention I am doing all of this without pain meds b/c I cannot tolerate them - they make me CRAZY! I would rather hurt than feel loopy...

Here are some pics of our newest addition! He is a great baby so far! Holton absolutely loves him and so do we! Did I mention he and Holton are basically identical twins - 3 1/2 years apart??? It is really weird - I will post comparison pics later:)

Thanks to everyone who has helped us out! We couldn't have done it without all of you! Most importantly, thanks to our Heavenly Father who has made this miracle happen. We are blessed!

Delivery Date Set - Again...

Since our last doctors appointment, we have been laughing about the whole "schedule" of my delivery situation. I have also been a little concerned that it was scheduled for 10-15 days early (depending on which due date we use)....just because. I just want him to be ready for the world and it always scares me to think about what could not be developed with him, just because I selfishly wanted him out early?!?!?! Being said, we changed the date from July 1st to July 8th. This makes me feel a lot better for development purposes, but scares me because I don't want to go into labor and have to have an emergency c-section. You could seriously what-if yourself to death - but I have to remember it's out of my hands - and the schedule's for that matter! Sweet Koleman will come when he is ready and we will go from there!!! So, tentatively mark the delivery day for 07-08-09 at 11 am! Kole and my dad will share a birthday. So special!!! I know my "tough" daddy is secretly thrilled!!! Love you dad! For those of you that haven't seen me...I am huge!!! We go see the specialist on Wednesday, so we can know a little more about Koleman. He is definitely growing and my kids tell me everyday how big my belly is getting! SO SWEET!!! I also love the random comments from the general public - like, "How many days do you have left?" Ummm....try 63...HA!!! Moral of the story - don't ask mommies how much they have left, but how far along they are...I love being pregnant! Really - I do!

Let me check my schedule...

So, we had our 29 week appointment today for Kole. He is still looking big, but we will know more next week when we have our 3D with Dr. Hales. Dr. Killeen told me to go ahead and schedule the d-day!!! It seems like so far away - but really only 9 more weeks! I know time will fly....

When we check-out, the nurse says, "When do you want to have him?" Such an odd question...I kind of laughed and said, "Let me look at my calendar...REALLY!!!" It's not like I could say, "I have a hair appointment on Tuesday, so that won't work." So we decided to go with Wednesday, July 1st at 9 AM. I am so excited, but that nervous feeling has definitely come back.

Now to my list of things to do before he arrives...AAARRRGGHHH!!!

Poor Kyle...his honey-do list is growing quickly! Love to all!!!

Easter 2009

Easter 2009 has come and gone. It was such a great day to remember - JESUS IS ALIVE!!! This was the talk out of the mouths of the four year olds that I help with at church. It is great to hear this remarkable story from a four year old!!!

Brynlee and Carter (our neice and nephew) got to come stay with us yesterday and spend the holiday with us today! We had SO much fun!!! Their mommy and daddy (and Grams - of course!) are dying to see the Easter pics...so here goes...We love you Grams and we pray for you every night! I know you are one strong woman!

Here we are coloring Easter Eggs...somewhat chaotic...but it turned out ok. Thanks to all the help from Nina and Nanny!!! Who spilled the dye? That would be me...not the kids! SURPRISE SURPRISE!

Hard at work decorating the eggs

Getting ready for bed - I love bathtub pictures! Holton absolutely ADORES his cousins and will follow Carter anywhere. Guess we need a DS?!?!?!

The Easter Bunny came while the kids were asleep. I could have mistaken him for Santa! The kids were so excited to see their goodies and hunt the color-coded eggs! (That must be the teacher in me...sorry!) Look at their sleepy faces...love it!

Church - I never thought it would be such an ordeal to get 5 people ready for church! WOW!!! How do Jon and Kate do it? The kids looked adorable and I was so proud of myself for fixing Brynlee's hair! The little toot...before I got her picture - she already had it ripped out! Sorry Amy - at least she is holding the bow! Now I know your frustration...

How sweet!!! Little snooze before the hunt! She is in LOVE with her Uncle KyKy! It really hurts my feelings! She really wants nothing to do with me.....UURRRGGGHHH!!! (Maybe I will try M&M's????)

The annual Easter Egg Hunt at the Kirk's house - My family has been a part of this hunt ever since I can remember. It was fun to see these kids hunting eggs in the same spots I did!

We love you Smith kids!!! This was the best Easter yet :)

March Madness

We had a day full of doctor's appointments - but GREAT news in all!

Mom has no malignancies! We had the lump removed on Thursday of last week, and the follow-up was today. Great news for us! Now poor mom has to recover from her stitches and her softball size bruise! OUCH!!!

Baby Kole (aka...Koleman Lane Hendrix) is BIG!!! I am officially 20 weeks, 5 days and the femur length measured 25 weeks, 3 days!!! That would be 5 weeks ahead of schedule! Holton was a big boy, but never measured this big-this early! Everything else also measured large - including his head and his lips!!! You could see his mouth opening, which was so sweet! Then, Dr. Killeen says, "Look at the lips on this kid!" That always makes you feel good...or not! I can't believe I am already over half-way finished! I am VERY sad - but loving every minute!

Off the doctor appointment topic, but I have to share a Holton funny - which are always great in number! We had our first $100 circus visit - thanks to mom and dad! Who ever thought the circus could be so expensive??? Holton LOVED it! Of course we had to eat hot dogs, popcorn, M&M's, brownies, and cokes - and of course we had to buy all of the CRAP the crazy drug heads are selling - because every other kid is getting these toys and I would be a terrible mom if my child had to sit and watch all of the other kids play with their $12 sword while he sat and watched!!! But, back to the story - of course, he loved the elephants. Not their tricks, or their costumes, or their all around cuteness - but he LOVED how they pooped in a bucket in the middle of the ring! Don't think that wasn't the first thing out of his mouth as he greeted his teacher this morning - "I saw the elephant poop in the bucket!" Yeah...this is the rest of my life of boys...pooping, tooting, boogers, etc., etc., etc.! But I have to admit...I love every minute of it!

It's a ....

BOY!!! I knew it all along! Kyle really thought it was a girl, but mommy knows best! It is still measuring big (1 to 2 weeks ahead of schedule) ~ just like his 9 lb, 23 1/2 inch long - 2 week early brother! Everything looked great - except for the frightning 3D picture of his face! It is still way to early to look at this jumbled yellow blubber mess! Frightning....

Thanks to everyone who has been praying and thinking about us! Tried to go shopping Chey-Anne and Tracy, but Hollyhocks was closed by the time we left the dr....bummer!!! I will be going soon! Love you guys!