Tyler playing with his tunnel in a new way!

Here are my last two Myspace Blogs- I don't have it in me (or the time to take) to write a whole new one. :) Enjoy! Love and friends and thoughts and things... You know, I write blogs in my head all day long and when funny things happen I always think "Oh, I can't wait to blog that" and then I sit down and it's like my creativity is zapped out of me by the computer or something. Maybe it's in Effingham? God sent me HUGE blessings this weekend in the venue of friends and I'm feeling a lot better about life because of it. Actually, the past entire week has been good (with the bad of course...) First of all, Gary got home safely and since he left the coference 6 hours early he still got home earlier than expected in spite of it taking him over 4 hours to make the 2 hour drive. He had also ordered me flowers for Valentines day and bless his heart the poor old delivery man had to treck up my driveway wich was unshoveled because we didn't have a shovel for me to go do it! It's a red mug with carnations and roses and a balloon. Tyler thinks the balloon is his Sunday I got to see Jennifer at church which made it totally worth getting up and putting myself together! It's really pathetic to go to a church that size and only really know 1 person. The nursery lady knows me now and know's Tyler's name but not mine... i guess that is progress. Anyways, I was leaving thinking about how it's such a waste of an hour of my life to get all dolled up to go to church to see no one and I look across the hall and here comes this adorable woman in a pretty red coat and black hat with the cutest little blonde girl in her arms and ... It's Jennifer!!! The ONLY person in the entire church I know- who always goes to the service opposite us - was there! We chatted a little and I got to hear the green and blue pee-pee story (see her blog!) and went our ways. I got into the car and looked at Gary and I was like "what a blessing!" Yesterday we had to go to our summer cottage (the Mansfield house) because the wonderful, customer service oriented COLUMBIA GAS OF OHIO installed a faulty reader the LAST time they were at our house (when Gary's mom spent the day over there waiting for them). YUP! Good thing they could come when Gary already had a day off so I didn't have to go sit in the freezing house with Tyler by ourselves. Anyways I got to spend some time with my friend Bethany who's also pregnant and has a 2 year old son. Then on the way home (oh yea, the blessed CGoH was 2 HOURS late...) we stopped at my favorite McDonalds in all the WORLD because my Tajie works there and she was actually working!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Usually when I"m in there (which is now practically never) she's not because I'm not a breakfast person and she usually opens. So not only did I get to eat my favorite fast food, and they actually made the fries correctly (I still can't get over how some places manage to ruin McDonalds fries... do they not all train the same?!?!?!) but I also got to see Taj!!!! Now today I read that MI Jackie (not to be confused with PA Jackie) is sending me not only scrapbooking stuff (which if you've spent more than 5 minutes with me you know is the way to my heart... after McDonalds fries....and taco's... and sour patch kids...ok, ONE of the ways....) but also some CD"S!!!! Satan is totally going to throw something at me I can tell! It's always when I'm at my highest that he tries to bring me down. (CRACKHEAD LUCIFER!!) Now I get to look forward to a GIRLS DAY OUT SHOPPING TRIP!!!!!!!!!! WHOO HOOO!! Gary's freaking about it and I don't care. I'm going to go and have fun and hang out with my girl Lori and we are not going to let the annoying men in our lives ruin our day (ARE WE!?!?) You don't realize how badly you need friends until you see one at church or get to go to thier house and spend some time wtih them. Lonliness really stinks but I'm thankful that the people i DO have in my life are true friends who love me and would do anything for me and expect nothing in return. Sixth Month Alright. Who encouraged me to get pregnant again? You are so going down. The fatigue is back. The nausious feeling has returned. Baby Girl Bush is high and caues me to be unable to digest so I'm sick after I eat and have to get to starving before I can make myself eat again. My back hurts, my hips hurt, my belly hurts and I have my constant headache/sinus pressure still. Body falls alseep at night on whatever side I lay on so I roll over adn wait for the tingling to stop and go back to sleep, then I have to pee. I seem to remember that I LOVED being pregnant with Tyler. Was it because I had nothing to do but sit around and enjoy it or was it easier last time? Is it the extra emotional stress? I woke up at 7:30 this morning (which is sleeping in) and hoped Tyler would slep till 8. Then at 8 when he was awake I prayed he'd play in there for awhile. I'm such a bad mom! it's now 11:30 adn I feel like i have not slept in 2 days. I stumbled down the stairs this morning holding Tyler's hand and thought to myself about how in a few months I'll be doing this with an infant and getting LESS sleep. Ugh. Still, I can't wait! There are only 4 items in her closet and they are all PINK! I hope she likes to read and loves princesses and barbies and dolls and playing house. Tyler can sing Jesus Loves Me almost by himself now and I can't wait till he can teach his little sister to sing and pray... Poor Gary... he has to work all day, play with Tyler and clean in the evening and sleep with a flipping whale at night. He needs your prayers!

Here we have a photo of me at 26 weeks, one of Tyler eating his Valentines Day cupcake at Grandma Bush's house, one of him standing in the tunnel, and a picture of him riding his rocking horse.

We are still alive. :) Somehow the more we have going on the less time I take to write. The main issue these days, if I'm honest, is that by the time I'm done checking my myspace and email my back and rear hurt from sitting in this chair!! I need a wireless keyboard to go with our new wireless mouse! he he! Gary and I recently read Debt Free Living by Larry Burkett and have moved on to the Journey to Financial Freedom through Crown Financial Ministires which is run by Howard Dayton. The Bush's expressed intrest on getting some of the materials you can purchase online so we have borrowed some of what they got and purchased a money map for ourselves. We are reading the book Your Money Map: A proven 7-step guide to true financial freedom. It will take us a lifetime to reach the goal since the final one involves retiring with enough to live comfortably and being generous with what you have left over... but hey, it's a goal right?!!? We have decided that we need to plan the rest of our lives around our current situation rather than what we hope our situation will be soon. For example, we hope to sell the house wich will cut our debt by more than half, however we can't count on that debt going away or the extra monthly income we'd get by simply not paying for it anymore- so we have to budget as if it'll be there forever. We've also decided that it's time to have an actual savings account. The last time we had one was when we both worked and saved money to buy the house= then we used the money in the account as a downpayment and went back to living paycheck to paycheck when my school contract ended and I stayed home. I guess we've simply been convicted to be better stewards of God's money and possessions he's entrusted to us. So, with a housepayment, credit card debt and school debt to tackle we've decided to stop looking at houses and make this rental home so that the next time we buy- we can do it right. We don't regret our decision to buy before but we feel a little wiser now and wnat to be more careful and intentional this time. All this talk of money and reading about how people used to live before credit was so readily available has made us realize that our attitudes and thinking were not reflecting Christ. It's also brought us closer together. It's interesting that most couples fight over money (us included) and it is the thing most blamed for divorce in America (did you know that a divorce happens ever 7 seconds in our country? With more and more people chosing to live together and not even get married that stat is even more scary!). We are trying to prevent money from becoming a hot issue in our marrige by communicating, plannig ahead, and keeping our focus on Christ, not our own "earthly" wealth. We'll see how we do in the future huh? :) Last week Gary went to Columbus for a technology conference and had a wonderful time. I found that I do have the strength to do things by myself and the endurance to keep Tyler alive for 4 days but i can't say I enjoyed it! I was reflecting all week on what I missed about Gary... the way he steals covers at night forcing me to cuddle with him when he's alseep and doesn't even know it... the way his loud breathing covers the noises of the neighbors and Tyler moving around and provides white noise to help me fall asleep... even his smell i missed! I know that sounds rediculously corny but it's true! No one to reach the dishes on the top shelf or the cereal above the fridge... no one to fill the gas tank or shovel the 12 inches of snow we got (I would have done it but guess where our shovel is??? MANSFIELD!!!!)... no one to run out and get me that one little thing at the store...no one to take out the trash or hog the remote.... it was just weird!!! I did find that my mom is right- Tyler is better company than I realize. In the past when he's gone out of town (which thankfully is not very often- once or twice a year at most) Tyler has been very little or not born yet and it's been just me. Now I have a little person to spend my time with and I'm still needed which is nice. I think it was good for me to see areas where I take Gary for granted too so I can appreciate him more when he is home. God kept us both safe and I'm unfathomly greatful. I'm also a little jealous that I was not the one in the fancy hotel with free meals that i didn't have to prepare.... Baby #2 is growing growing! I had an appointment today and things seem to be right on schedule. My ultrasound a few weeks ago was fine and the baby measured at or one week ahead of the due date. I guess that means she'll be early, or big, or (like Tyler) both. great... I'm hoping for small and a little early but I trust the Lord. Last time there was an obvious window that was very convenient for Tyler to come, not as much so with this one. I'd like to go early so I have time to recover before we go to the Outer Banks in July. :) Other than my back pain and the CONSTANT KICKING in places I didn't realize could hurt from inside, I'm doing well. She's carrying high but kicking low so i'm not sure what her deal is. I'm beginning to think she's pushed all my organs up into my lungs wich is why I can't breath and why I feel sick every time I eat. My digestive system seems to be squished and things just aren't getting through! She's clearly taking energy out of what I eat though because I can feel her side to side and up and down and I swear she's either trying to look out my belly button or climb my spine. If her movements are any indication of her personality she's going to be very much like her brother- only with hormones and (hopefully) a love of shoes! (although Tyler is a bit obsessed with shoes to be honest!!) By the time she's ready to face the world my insides will be bruised for sure. It will be so worth it though! I can't wait!!! (oh, but I'm also so scared that I CAN wait!) My grandpa still has cancer and is back in Ohio from Florida. hes' been in the hospital a couple times sine his return but a recent diagnosis indicates he could have another 8 months to live. This is actually a priase becaues several times it has sounded to me like he's not had more than a few hours or weeks. I just pray every day that he is not in too much pain, my grandma is able to take care of him without hurting herself, and if they have not already, they will both find Jesus Christ as thier personal Lord and Savior. I'm sure there is more but I know that those of you who do read this have other things to do so I will let you get to them. My couch and blanket are calling to me. I love you all and would love to hear from you either by blog or by email (or even phone call for the daring! HAHA!). Love and Prayers, In HIS Grace, Heather