Keepin' Busy...

I think the older I get, the busier I get...This past weekend sure kept us hopping.  On Friday night,  we attended the RHS graduation ceremony for my sweet Hankster (Hank is my cousin but feels more like my brother). 



On Saturday, we headed to Hernando, MS, to visit Cedar Hill Farm for Lawson's second birthday party!  We love Cedar Hill Farm, love birthday parties, and we love sweet Lawson (his momma and I have been friends since we were 9).  We rode the ponies, fed the animals, watched a cute chicken show, celebrated with presents & cupcakes, and then played on the playground and slid down enormous black slides.  It was an awesome party, and my boys loved every second of it! :) 

Feeding the animals

Going on a tractor-ride

"BOON" (balloon)

Fun @ Cedar Hill

I can't count how many times he did this!

He kept trying to make sure he fed each animal.  He wanted them all to take turns. :)

After Cedar Hill, we had to jet to Collierville for our cousin's wedding.  We stopped right before we got there and changed in the car.  I'm sure it was a sight to see! Lol!  Cody was hiding behind the passenger car door so people wouldn't see his boxers, and I was basically lying down in the front seat when trying to slip on my dress.  You do what you've gotta do, right?!? After all 4 of us were dressed appropriately, we headed to the wedding festivities.  It was such a fabulous reception!  Manning & McCarty loved the live music.  I knew they liked to dance, but I didn't realize just how much.  They both danced all over that dance floor.  McCarty had his eye on a bridesmaid and kept running up to her to dance with her.  He's a MESS! ;o) Manning had a big time in the photo booth.  He kept saying, "Momma, let's go get our pictures made again!"

Me & LuLu (aka Melissa) at Matt & Ashley's Wedding

Sending off the bride & groom with kazoos

Fun times!

Now, I'm at work (yes I'm working on Memorial Day... doodlebuggin' actually) and I feel like I need toothpicks to hold my eyelids open.  It could be that I'm tired from the weekend or that this terrible toothache is about to get the best of me.  I'm almost 99% sure I'm going to be forced to have  a root canal this week.  Prayers are appreciated.  Seriously, my anxiety over the dentist isn't a fun thing.  However, I'm about to call it a day and head to my Body-Sculpting BootCamp. Life may be busy, but Life is GOOD, and I'm so thankful for all that God has given my sweet little family! 



My two little sweeties on Sunday morning :)

No Catch-up...

A couple of weeks ago, I re-shared an older blog post on Facebook about our journey to parenthood.  The first time I shared it, I received tons of messages and emails thanking me for opening up because so many people had been through similar situations.  Once again, I'm so glad that I listened when God spoke and asked me to share it again.  I've heard from several friends, sorority sisters, and even people in my own town that are currently dealing with recurrent miscarriage and are praying for a baby of their own.  It's amazing how God works and uses others for His glory.  I pray that I always listen when He speaks...

I also received messages about my blog... my poor, neglected blog.  I really do want/need to get with it and start sharing more.  It's the only journal I keep and poor McCarty is barely even on it.  I vow to do better.  I know I say this all the time, but I REALLY mean it now.

I started to rewind and catch up on the past, but I decided that was near impossible when I was going through all of the events/pics that I have, so I'm going to start with current things.  Maybe I'll find the time to do a catch-up blog one day, but not now.  I get overwhelmed just thinking about it. ha!

Let me start with my 2 miracles that God has blessed us with... our precious Manning & McCarty.  Here are some fun facts about both of them b/c I don't want to forget these things.  If the facts bore you, just skip to the pics! ;) We don't mind.

Miracle #1

Manning (3 years, 6 months)
*He tells me he loves me at least 5 times a day, and I LOVE it.
*He is such a compassionate little dude... he's full of hugs, kisses, and love pats.
*He is a great big brother.  He makes sure McCarty doesn't get hurt and will sometimes lets him play with his toys.  He does get rather excited, though, when McCarty is in bed.  He asks, "Mommy, is McCarty in bed?"  When I say yes, he will say "Oh good.  Now, I can play with my trains on the floor."
*Thomas trains & tracks (this is how we FINALLY potty-trained him... we made a potty chart and every time he had 10 stars, he got a new train.)
*Plays t-ball on his Daddy's t-ball team, the Red Sox.  He can smack the ball, and he usually does pretty well running...if we can keep him interested.  He's not that into t-ball.  We've learned that the hard way. Those t-ball games almost give me a nervous breakdown because I want him to do well... I have to often remind myself that he's only 3 years old! ;)

Manning and his best buddy, "Luke Barnett"

"Momma, I got a TROPHY!"

The Red Sox with Coach Cody

Miracle #2

McCarty:  (1 year, 5 months)
*Favorite Words:  No, Momma, Da-Da, Dee-Dee, Gigi (our dog), shoes, sock, tea, ball, light, hot, Bubba (he made this up on his own for Manning), Side (aka outside), Papa, Bye-Bye.
*Favorite Foods:  Fruits, Veggies, Snack Foods... EVERYTHING!  He even ate a piece of plain ol' lettuce last week.  The kid will eat anything!
*He loves to give kisses.  He doesn't actually lean in to kiss you.  He makes a fish face/lip smacking noise.  It's super cute!
*His love for Manning is beyond sweet.  He looks at Manning and will smile so big!  It makes me so happy just thinking about his love for him.
*Loves Barney!
*Loves Sesame Street, except for Mr. Noodles... he is terrified of him and runs out of the room in a panic when he comes on!
*8 teeth.  4 on top and 4 on bottom (has some jaw teeth coming in though)
*Obsessed with "ball," just like his big brother was at his age.

McCarty LOVES t-ball games!

Watching big brother play... his love for Manning MELTS MY HEART!

We have been living a little more spur of the moment than usual lately.  On a whim, I bought circus tickets last Friday night for the following day.  We loaded up and headed to Memphis.  We ate at the Flying Fish (the boys' favorite place) and then went to see the circus.  I have to admit that I was pretty excited!  I was just hoping the boys would be too.  I was so afraid we'd have a meltdown and have to leave.   Both boys freaked out during the first act or two (Manning is TERRIFIED of fire and of course, they came out slingin' some around), but then we were good to go.  Manning made it through the whole thing, but Little Bit (aka McCarty) and Cody had to go play for a while.

What fun is a circus without souvenirs??

and snow cones that cost $11? 

Manning was so proud of his elephant! :) 

Playing in the yard after the circus...I'm in LOVE with this sweet face!

Our New & Perfect "Normal" Part 1

Hello, world!  The Moore Family is still alive and doing well! Ha!  I know it has been FOREVER since I blogged. 

I'm really going to try to do better.  I'm almost off work for a couple of months... big YAY...so I should have more time on my hands, and more time means more blogging and most importantly, more time with my babies to enjoy Christmas!  :o)

We have been BUSY BUSY BUSY with our boys, work, and with Doodlebugz.  The last time I blogged, I left y'all with the changes happening in our lives.  I honestly can't explain how overwhelmed I was feeling at that moment.  I'm so glad that that time and has come and gone, because all of these changes have been GREAT ones!  God amazes me how he makes things so perfect! 

Y'all may not really be interested in what's happened, but I really want to be able to look back and remember all of this, so let me rewind to 2011.......  here we go!

10 Weeks 1 Day Pregnant with Baby #2

21 Weeks Pregnant...just in case y'all want to see how I looked!

On Dec 3, our little family packed up and moved to our new house in Osceola (which we are loving).  Please keep in mind, at this time, I was 36 weeks pregnant, very large and hormonal, and we moved 3 weeks before our second baby was due and 3 weeks before Christmas.  Wow, right!?  I wish I could say it went smoothly, but it so didn't.  ha! We moved in and before we could even start unpacking that night, Cody came down with a stomach virus.  While he got better, Manning, my fam and I unpacked and decorated as much as we possibly could.  I don't know what we would have done without our family and close friends who came to the rescue and helped us unpack, put up our Christmas tree, and made life somewhat normal for us.  Of course, though, a few days later, Manning and I both came down with that virus and weren't able to function, so we all moved in with my parents for a few days.  The virus made me start contracting, so I was pretty much couch-ridden for about a week.  Fun stuff, huh?

When we were finally well, we continued to prepare for our sweet McCarty's arrival and Christmas.  The bags were packed, Christmas presents were wrapped, Manning's big bro shirt was made by yours truly, and we were scheduled for a c-section on Dec 20.  I honestly never thought we'd make it to that date, and neither did my OB, Dr C.  After 2 "false alarm" trips to the hospital, Dec. 20 seemed to be THE day.   Here's his birthday story.  If y'all are anything like me, you love birth stories & details. Again, this is something I never want to forget!

Trip to Bass Pro to see Santa which resulted in a trip to the ER for contractions...false alarm!

On December 20, 2011, Cody and I woke up at 4:30 am to head to Baptist Women's Hospital in Memphis.  Upon arrival, we got checked in, and they took me back alone for the usual 150 strange questions they ask when you're about to have a baby. While I was putting on my gown and preparing myself for the section, Cody waited in the waiting room with our families.  Then, my mom, dad, and Cody took turns coming to see me before the big moment.  When Dr. C said it was time, off we went to the OR.  When having Manning, my spinal block went really smoothly and I didn't feel a thing.  This time, that wasn't the case.  It was awful!  They couldn't get the needle in the right spot in my spine, and it HURT, really really bad!  After holding my breath and spouting off a not-so-nice word, it was over, and I couldn't feel a thing.  Then, they let Cody come in to sit with me and Dr C and the crew got to work.  We talked about Christmas shopping, Black Friday deals that we racked up on, how crazy I was for shopping for 15 hours straight, blah blah blah, until we heard one of the most beautiful sounds in the world.  McCarty Taylor Moore cried his very first cry at 8:05 a.m.  He was the most beautiful, perfect little guy we'd ever seen, except for his big brother, of course!
This time around, I actually got to hold him and love on him in recovery.  With Manning, my blood pressured dropped dangerously low and I was being monitored, and he swallowed some fluid at birth and had to be suctioned, so everyone else got to see him first through the nursery window.  But, with McCarty, he was immediately placed in mine and Cody's arms.  Before he was born, I had often prayed and wondered about how I could possibly love a second child as much as I loved my first.  The moment I held him, those worries were long gone.  I instantly loved him perfectly and completely.  Just like Dr. Seuss said, my heart grew 2 sizes that day.... and what a wonderful feeling it was.  Cody and I sat in recovery and just talked about beautiful and perfect he was and how blessed we truly were to receive such a miracle. 



I don't know what it is about having a second baby, but everything was easier to me this time around.  I knew what to appreciate and expect in the hospital.  I knew not to worry about rushing home.  I allowed McCarty to sleep in the nursery (we were crazy and didn't with Manning).  I enjoyed each and every visitor without turning into an emotional wreck.  I knew to not expect sleep and for things not to be normal, so in a way, that's exactly how they felt, "normal," if that makes any sense at all. Things were just peaceful and perfect.  I think it's because God knew we needed McCarty to give us balance and make our little family perfect and complete. 

First Photo as a family of 4 :)

I'm sure you're all wondering how Manning reacted to his new baby brother.  This was another one of my worries.  I was scared to death that he would resent him or want to hurt him.  Only part of that fear came true. ha! I'm kidding, I'm kidding.  When he first saw him, he loved him, but I could tell he was nervous and wasn't sure how to respond.  He kissed and hugged him, but he was really more worried about me being in a hospital bed.  He couldn't stand seeing me like that.  He kept saying "Mommy, get up."  Talk about break your heart!!!!

Kisses for McCarty

One of my favorites :)

After 2 nights in the hospital, the doctors cleared us to go home.  I think the nurses were sad to see us go.  They always complimented our festive attire.  McCarty is our Christmas baby, so he was dressed in monogrammed Christmas gowns with matching hats and reindeer socks each day.  I even wore Christmas pjs and socks.  Y'all know how much I LOVE Christmas, right!?!  Anyway, Cody and I had to go to a class for caring for a newborn... I have NO idea why they didn't make us do that the first time around when we actually needed the training, but we did it and re-learned everything.  Then, we loaded up our precious new bundle and headed home to our new house in Osceola. 

Sporting our Christmas attire... ignore my swollen self! ;)

Going home!

How was our new life at home with 2 babies???  Stay tuned to find out! ;o)   Here's McCarty's birth announcement!  Oh, how thankful and blessed we are to have him!!!!

Welcome McCarty Taylor Moore!

Stats & Mini Vaca

I'm going to start today's post with updating you on my little guy, because let's face it.  He's probably why you read my blog anyway.  He's the most exciting thing in my life, that's for sure! I like to document his stats every once in a while because I never want to forget them.  He's just soooo great and is learning so much every single day!  He's now almost 19 months old, and here are some facts about him.

Bubbles

18 month check-up with Dr. Mathis

*At his 18 month check-up...weight: 30 lbs...height:  33 in (but he wouldn't cooperate so who really knows)
*Sleeps from 8 p.m. to 7:30 a.m.
*Fave foods:  newfound love for ketchup (he's his momma's boy), any and all fruit, carrots, green beans, brown beans, refried beans, cheese, cookies, and bread
*Loves stuffed animals all of a sudden... he rotates between a brown teddy bear (it was mine... Mamaw Joyce gave it to me when I was 5), Pluto, a white bear (Cody gave it to me when we got married), and a wolf that my daddy recently purchased for him from Bass Pro. 
*Loves the water, flowers, and being outside
*has an obsession with lawn mowers, airplanes, 4-wheelers, bicycles, tractors, fork-lifts... basically anything you can ride
*Can read several words... "dog, chick, pig, hi, cat, ball, balls, eyes, nose, brush, blocks, hat"
*When he sees himself in the mirror or in a photo, he says "ME!!"
*When he says yes, he won't actually say the word... Instead, he gives us a big head nod that is extremely funny & cute.
*Barney is his favorite!
*When I put him in his bed at night, he hugs his stuffed animal of choice for the night, rolls over, gives me a huge grin, waves good night to me, then goes to sleep. Sweetest thing EVER!
*He thinks everyone has a baby in their belly b/c Momma does, so if he touches your belly and says "baby", don't be offended. 
*Still has an obsession with sports... he loves to play any and all types of ball!  We still buy a ball everywhere we go!

Now that you're caught up on my lil' guy, I'll tell you our latest adventure.  Monday, I had a little helper at work with me.  Dee-Dee, Lulu, and Nonna all had to go to a doctor's appt in Little Rock, so I had no sitter.  Thankfully, Papa Joe let us leave early b/c Manning was all over the place and into everything.  An air strip is not the place for a toddler.  That's for sure! 

Papa's Lil' Aviator

Back to my story... We left the air strip b/c a storm was headed our way.  By the time we got home, Manning was asleep, so I carried him in the house and sat down (with him in my arms) to watch the local weather.  By the time I had found the station, there was no sunlight outside and it was lunch time.  No joke, the sky was pitch black.  It seriously looked like it was midnight outside, so I got a little worried, called for Gigi and Burch and headed to the closet.  By the time we got there, the storm hit and let's just say that the Lord spared us once again.  The power went out and we remained in the closet for about an hour until everything died down.  While Manning continued to sleep, I began texting family members to check on them.  They were all accounted for (Praise the Lord), and I learned that my daddy had crawled under an overpass.  You know it's bad when Papa Joe runs for shelter.  After making sure everyone was ok, Manning woke up and thought it would be fun to terrorize Gigi.  Oh what fun Burch and I had in that stuffy, dark closet! LOL

Fun in mommy's closet

Hours later, as the sweat started to pour down our foreheads, we realized that our power wasn't supposed to be on for 3 days, I had a small freak-out.  As I've said before, heat and pregnancy do not mix, and I did not want to stay in a hot house for 3 days, so we loaded up and headed to the Comfort Inn in Marion, Arkansas.  That's not exactly where I would choose for a getaway, but it worked, and Manning had a GREAT time! 

Turns out, Cody and I have a little fish on our hands.  He swam and swam and loved every second of it! Since he loved the pool so much, I've decided that we need one.  We'll see how that works out.  ;o)

Pool Time with Molli

Being Silly in the Hotel

Dinner @ Pancho's

Nonna brought stickers to keep us busy!

He loved them... notice the ones he liked the best!

After our little 3-day getaway, we are very happy to be home and have air conditioning and electricity.  There truly is no place like home...

One very thankful Thursday...

Today is just a regular ol' day...nothing out of the ordinary has happened, but I feel know that God has been tugging on my heart today.  Sometimes I let the little things bother me, stress me out, wear me down, you know what I mean.  Why do I do that?  Why do I allow myself to give in to those things and worry or have pity parties?  I know why.  It's because I'm imperfect, and I need the Lord every single minute of every day. 

Here's how I know God was speaking to me.  While at work this morning, I started feeling very sick....story of my life these days.  As most of you know, this pregnancy hasn't been an easy one.  I've had nausea in some form or fashion every single day since I hit the 5 week mark.  I've also been bruising pretty badly.  In case you forgot, I have to give myself 2 shots daily because of my antibody problem.  No big deal until I go home to wrestle and play with my little man who is getting more active by the day.  When he bumps my belly, it really hurts. Over the past few weeks, I've really been down b/c of the way I feel and how hard this has been on me.  But, after today, I refuse to remain in this state of mind. 

As I propped my feet up on my desk and leaned my chair back to try to get comfortable and find some relief, I grabbed my I-phone to find something to keep my mind off feeling bad.  I started reading a few friend's blogs and was led to several that I had never visited before.  One family was in the process of adopting a baby from Ethiopia and had been waiting on their baby for over 2 years.  Another family was grieving over the loss of one of their twin girls to spinal meningitis.  Another was struggling with the long, agonizing road of recurrent miscarriage, something I know about all too well. 

Suddenly, I noticed tears streaming down my cheeks, and I all could do was pray for these families. I immediately went back in time and felt the despair and fear of not ever having a baby of my own. Then, the conviction came.... I sat here feeling sorry for myself because why?  Nausea?  Seriously, Marci, get a grip!  God has given me a beautiful gift.  I'm carrying a second baby... a second gift from God.  Three years ago, I was terrified that I'd never be a mom, and here I am complaining about feeling sick.  Shame on me!  I quickly started counting my blessings and thanking God for each one. 

Of course, I immediately started thinking about the love of my life, my precious Manning, and what a blessing he truly is.  I can never thank God enough for him.  Words can't express how much I love that child!  His hugs, slobbery kisses, hearing him say "momma", and his precious smile make me happier than anything else in the world!  I'm so very thankful to God that I have one happy, healthy baby boy and another precious baby on the way, and I am going to do my best to embrace this sickness and focus on the end result. God is good ALL the time!

Keep the change...

To say that we at the Moore household are a little overwhelmed right now is the understatement of the year!  We have tons of changes happening and all at one time.  However, I am convinced that this is the way it is supposed to be.  I am a firm believer that things happen for a reason, and I'm doing my best to embrace all of these changes the best I can.  But, as most of you know, I'm terrified of change and the unknown.  Here's a little look at what's going on in our lives these days.

1.  We're going to have a BABY... again! Manning is going to be a BIG brother around December 26.  I've been to the dr twice already, and Baby Moore #2 is doing just fine!  At 7 weeks, the heartbeat was 131 bpm.  At 8 weeks, 170 bpm. 

We feel very blessed that God trusts us with another little one.  As most of you remember, I had a fear that I would never be able to have children, and now I'm going to be a mommy of 2.  Wow is the only word that comes to mind right now. :o) 

While we are very thankful, we I am also very nervous!  I've never been a mommy of 2 before.  Can I handle it?  How will Manning adjust?  How can I ever love another child as much as I love Manning?  What a rollercoaster ride this pregnancy has been so far... and this one has been very different from the first one.  When I was pregnant with Manning, I felt GREAT!  Now, I feel and look like death warmed over.  I'm sick ALL of the time and am having to take 2 nausea medications around the clock.  Girl, maybe?!  We shall see! :o) 

2.  Cody got a new J-O-B!  He started his first week this week as the City of Osceola's Accounting Director.  He loves it so far, and I'm so thankful that this opportunity just kinda presented itself and came out of nowhere.  It's amazing how God does that!  We were having a hard time getting the ball rolling for our move to Jonesboro.  Nothing seemed to be working out.  Now, we know why.  It was God's plan for us to stay close to home, and now that I'm expecting, I think that's EXACTLY what we need to do.  You all know what a family person I am, and a whole hour was just a little too far away for me. 

3.  As I mentioned above, our moving plans have changed drastically.  Because of Cody's new job, we have to move inside Osceola city limits... so we're trying to sell our house and are planning to move as soon as possible.  At the moment, we are trying to decide between buying/building a house.  If we can find one we like, we'll buy.  If not, add building a house to our overwhelming to-do list!

4.  Before all of these other changes took place, Cody and I bought an embroidery/monogramming machine, and we've bought websites, tax id #s, and the whole bit to start our own little home business.  In the near future, we will be opening Doodlebugz!  We are in the early stages, and I'm working on learning how to work my machine (in between sick spells that is).  I'm signed up for several classes, and hopefully, we'll have that rolling in no time!  We look forward to providing you with cute kids' clothes and personalized products!

Our logo

My head starts spinning just talking about everything that's happening... but like I said, everything happens for a reason, so I'm just gonna take it one day at a time!

Carry On

This past weekend, Cody and I got to pretend like we were in college again and went to a Pat Green concert with some good friends of ours.  I say that we felt like we were in college again because the last time I remember seeing Pat Green was in the grove.  I think I was a sophomore in college... I can remember riding around campus blaring some good ol' Pat Green music and singing our hearts out. 


Renee, Myself, and Joanna @ the concert

"Baby's just a little bit tired of the city..."

 Hearing and watching him perform again, took me right back.  He opened the show up with my all-time fav, Carry On.  If only my fellow Pi Beta (that's what we like to call Pi Phi for fun) sisters would have been there with us...they were with me in spirit though because I kept thinking of them when particular songs would play.  I miss you girls so very much!!!

That's all I'm gonna talk about today, although, I do have a ton of thoughts and things going on right now.  You will just have to stay tuned to find out.........