Family Time

Spending time with my family at home is my favorite thing to do! Here are some recent pics of the kids at home. I love their ages and how much fun they have together!

Update on Tessa: She is doing so well with her new diet! Thank goodness her issues were resolved with adding more protein snacks at night and changing her food choices a bit! She already looks like she is putting on weight! The issue was that she needed more nutrition than her brain was telling her she did. She wasn't hungry but her body needed more...so now we are on the right path and we thank Jesus for his blessing and direction!

Harrison is still trying to understand the potty time but I am not pushing it! He goes when he wants and asks to go at school. We will see how far he gets in the next couple of months!

He will be 2 September 26th and I cannot believe it! He is such a joy and funny little man! My kids make me laugh everyday...what a pleasure it is to be a mommy!Thank you Lord for this gift!

Harrison & Tessa on Harrison's first day of school & Tessa's second day of school! They were not going to smile for anything!


Wearing Popa Harry's Hat




Tessa Being Silly


Mommy & Harrison


Love These Two Angels


Tessa Loving On Daddy


Ready For Bedtime prayers

Tessa & Harrison

We take Tessa tomorrow for blood work to see if she has Type 1 Diabetes. We have had 2 episodes that have scared us enough to take her in and get checked out. We are praying whatever is going on can be regulated by a diet and nutrition plan specifically for her. Please pray for this outcome. The other outcome is very scary and I am trusting in the Lord to walk us through this journey. Otherwise Tessa is a very healthy normal 4 year old who LOVES her new school and is starting Ballet again this Thursday! She is already telling me which leotard she wants to wear for her first class :) Yes...she dresses herself already...even for school. Mommy helps out when needed :)

BIG news for Harrison...he is asking to use the POTTY!!! I still can't believe it. His class at school has 2 1/2 year old children who are potty trained and he is picking up on potty time. He hasn't quite figured it all out yet but this is huge! Tessa was 3 before she was potty trained. To her defense...she had a brand new baby brother enter the family and that was enough change for her at the time :) So today Harrison and I went and bought his very first pull-ups...Toy Story of course! Wish us luck!!!

Checking In

Things are slowly getting better and back to normal since the loss of our baby. I can talk about it without crying now so this is HUGE for me!

The kids have started pre-school and I am so proud of them! They are getting so big and learning so much! I thank God everyday for my sweet angels that he has given to me. They are so special and I am blessed to have them to love.

I have started back working part time as well! This is so good for me right now especially with the kids going to school. I am happy to get back into the work atmosphere somewhat and still be able to stay home with my babies! This in itself is such a blessing.

I have the best family and friends who have lifted us up the past few months. The power of prayer is amazing and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your prayers for our family!!!

I have so many pictures to post fom this summer. I will get them on here soon I hope!

Much Love!

Our Sweet Baby

To make a long story short...we knew for 2 weeks there were complications with the baby and they gave us a 50/50 chance for survival. We found out last week at an ultrasound appointment that our sweet baby had gone to be with Jesus in heaven...there was no heartbeat.

This is a first for us and we are devastated. From my last post...you can understand how happy we were to have another precious baby on the way. To lose this gift was overwhelming and almost unbearable at times.

On the same day we were told this life changing news...Tessa broke her arm playing at home. We left Baptist hospital and met mom with Tessa at TOA for an x-ray. She did break it and had a cast put on that day.

At the time we couldn't understand why all of this was happening to us. However, as I was waiting holding Tessa to get her x-rays, I heard God telling me this...I am taking care of your baby that is with me now. Do not worry about that...focus on your sweet baby girl because she needs all of her mommy and daddy to get her through this scary time.

I had to wait 3 days until my scheduled D & C on July 1st.I know there are many of you out there who have been through this or something similar to this before and can relate to this process.It is a very difficult one to go through.

I have found a place within me that I can find rest. I know God is guiding us through this and will use it for His glory. We are not promised perfect lives without pain. This is just our time to let God shine and lift us above it.

Please pray for us. I can already feel this will be a long road for us to travel in the next few weeks and months.

In the midst of our despair,we look at Tessa and Harrison and realize how blessed we truly are.

Tomlin Baby #3

Happy...is all I can say! Greg and I have always wanted three children ever since I can remember...even dating this is what we talked about. God has given us the desires of our hearts and blessed us again with another precious baby!

We are elated...walking around with permanent grins plastered on our faces! I guess it is because we know how fortunate we are and that this will be our last baby adventure. When I think about the stressful times of having three small children under five I realize that it will not last. The crazy, busy, headaches that come along with being a full time mom are so outweighed by the joy and precious memories we are making!

Right now Tessa loves Hello Kitty, "resting" in mommy and daddy's bed in the mornings, dancing, telling me secrets, and playing hide and seek.

Harrison loves anything Toy Story (the kid is obsessed), his blankie and foofoo,his mommy :), skittles (rarely does he get them--bouncing off the walls, wrestling with daddy, and suckers!!!

We can't wait to see the little personality of the next one!

We are pretty sure we are not going to find out what the gender is of this baby. We did with the other two but since we have one of each...who cares...right!!! Like I said, one last adventure...lets do it all the way!

Aside from the joy...comes a little anxiety. With Harrison we had a really horrible 5 mo ultrasound appointment where we were told we were having a precious baby boy but that he may have a cleft lip and heart issues. He was perfect when he was born...praise God...he is the ultimate healer! But for 4 months we were a nervous wreck.

I am praying now for this baby that there will be no abnormalities detected at all!!! Please join me in this prayer!

Thank you and God bless you and your families!!!

Trip To Maui

Greg and I leave this Friday for our 11th anniversary trip!!! We have never been anywhere like this and we are so excited!

This is our first time to leave the kids so while we are joyful we are also scared to leave our babies! They will be staying with mom and Arles so I know they will be in good hands!

We will be gone from June 4th through the 12th. We are looking forward to relaxing, reconnecting, and rejuvenation!

We planned the trip last year but Greg's dad was very sick so we postponed it a year. Little did we know we would lose Harry the way we did. The one year mark of his death is June 8th so this trip for Greg will be a mix of emotions to say the least. If you would, please keep Greg and his mom Paula in your prayers this week for it will be a tough milestone for our family.

I will post our pics when we return!

Easter 2010

We hope you all had a wonderful Easter with family and friends...remembering the love of Christ through the death of His son!

A Mother's Instinct

I have decided that a Mother's Instinct is always right...no matter how crazy others may think you are.

Prime Example: I took Tessa to the Dr. after her nap yesterday because along with throwing up, fever, tummy aches, head ache, and back aches...she now tells me her mouth and throat hurts. I immediately think strep test and make an appointment. I take her in and the step test is negative so they check her out and say it is probably a virus and give her Tylenol for fever and pain.

Yes...I have been told this before but this doesn't help a thing. She throws up the Tylenol people...I have tried. So I am told to also give her nausea medicine before the Tylenol to keep it down. I wanted a cure...and definite answer and I didn't get one...so frustrating! The whole ride home Tessa is screaming because her back hurts. When I get home I call the nurse back and tell her to listen to my child scream.This is not normal!!!

Guess what happens next...there offices are closing so I have to wait until TOMORROW to take her back for a urine test to see if she has a urinary track infection. I can't tell you how fun our night was...

So we go this morning and she doesn't have to pee because she doesn't have anything in her little body to come out. After waiting forever...she finally gets it done and guess what...she DOES have a UTI!!! I knew it!

Now we have an antibiotic to help make her better. In two hours of taking it she was already starting to act like her old self again...thank you JESUS!

Never discredit yourself and think Dr.s or nurses know more than you! It is your child and no-one knows what is going on with their little bodies more than you do!

Watching Dora's Easter Egg Hunt


Smiling that smile that has been missing for two days!

Sick Little Princess

Tessa is so sick today. I do not think there is anything worse than when your child is sick. You cannot make it better and you feel so helpless. She looked at me today and said "mommy please make my tummy not hurt". AHHHH...This broke my heart into. It is not the first time nor will it be the last that I have to nurture my sick child back to health but it never gets easier. I am thankful for the many days of health that we have had and I know this will pass soon!

Harrison got a nice surprise by getting to stay the afternoon at his GiGi's house! I am grateful for a mom who loves my kids a much as I do and who is willing to help! I want to be that kind of GiGi to my grandkids some day!

Pierce Hayden Thompson

My nephew was a "Lucky" baby and was born on St. Patrick's Day! He is perfect, Heather did such an amazing job, and we are blessed with this baby boy! He looks so much like Isabella and Heather! He is has a quiet spirit (right now anyway :) and is just so precious! Isabella is doing great with him at home and seems to be going on like normal! Here are some photos of Pierce and his wonderful family!

Times Like These

When someone we have shared our lives with passes on it is so hard to realize they are gone forever. Never will we be able to talk to them or hear their voice again, tell them the things we forgot to say, hug them, or share special time with them again. So many people I know are suffering right now because their loved ones are gone.

I too have lost people dear to me and it is a daily struggle to not be sad. Because I am a christian I know that there is hope after death. My loved ones are with Jesus and are rejoicing in their victory with Him! I am so thankful God takes care of us after we pass on...what an awesome thing to look forward to!

Thank you Jesus for peace during our suffering and for loving us so much that you gave your Son for our sin. I am forever grateful and forever yours!

Please remember in your prayers a few people that need it so much right now...The Dalton family, The Garrison Family, The Guthrie Family, and The Ogelsby Family. A long ago friend of mine named Leigh Garrison passed away this morning from Hodgkin's disease. She had been fighting this since her college days. She is now at rest and can find peace. She leaves behind a husband and two small children.

Thanks

Happy Birthday Tessa!

Today is Tessa's 4th birthday! It is hard for me to think about how big she is getting so quickly. It seems like just found out I was pregnant with her and couldn't wait to be a mommy! I feel humbled and privledged to be Tessa's mommy. I know God chose us for each other and I love having her as my daughter. She is special, beautiful, and amazes me every day with her sweet and witty spirit. She is my baby girl and I love her more than I can express.

Coupons, Coupons, Coupons

Today was my first real attempt to save as much money with as many coupons at the grocery store as I could! I spent alot of time matching up my coupons with the sale adds from Walgreen's and Publix. It paid off! At both stores I spent a rough total of $240.00 and I saved $95.00! I know I can do much better than this next time with more practice but I thought this was incredible!

This is what I did to save money:

Buy 2 Sunday papers and cut out the coupons you will use.

The reason I buy 2 papers: when there are "buy 1 get 1 free" items you can use two coupons because you are buying two of the same items even though one was free! This saves you even more!

Take the weekly grocery store ads out of the paper and match up your coupons.

*Walgreen's is great for savings! They give back Register Rewards on specific sale items which is like getting cash back to use on your next purchase!

Idea: Buy the items that offer Register rewards in your first transactions. You will get paper coupons for your Register Rewards back.

In your second transaction (in the same shopping trip) buy the other items you want that you can get on sale and have coupons for and use the Register Rewards you just got on this transaction to save you even more money!

I know it is a little confusing at first but it is so worth the time and effort! I feel so good about saving my family money each month! It also shows my husband how much I appreciate his hard work to take care of us and I can help out too!

Just wanted to share!

Valentine's Weekend

This weekend started off pretty bad. Greg had the stomach virus Thursday and Friday so our date night plans were moved to Saturday. He still did not feel completely normal until Sunday but we decided to go out anyway. We went to eat at September's (they have the best ribs) and then to see Valentine's Day movie. At dinner we saw some of our best friends (Cam & Jess) who planned the same exact date night as we did! So after a romantic dinner...we met them over at the movies and watched it together.

That was more than enough for me but Greg decided to get me a full day at the spa gift too! We usually do not give gifts for alot of occasions for ourselves and Valentine's is one of those holidays. However, he told me I deserved it and wanted to give me something special! I LOVED it! I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's weekend with your loved ones too!


On Sunday Tessa's class sang for the whole congregation at the beginning of church. They sand "This Little Light Of Mine". They all did so good and Tessa loved it! She likes to be center of attention...like her daddy:)






When I got to Harrison's room to pick him up this is how I found him. Whenthis boy is tired he just finds a spot and lays down...I already had my camera so I thought I would take this sweet picture of him. Yes...that is an ugly blue bruise on his cheek. The coffee table leg and his cheek got in each other's way:)

Snow Fun!!!

Tessa and I finally got outside to play in the snow and make a snowman! Harrison had to stay inside because he just got over another round of ear infections and this mommy was not gonna have him sick again! We had so much fun with Heather and Isabella! We played and played outside until they were so cold we had to go in! I love this beautiful snow and wish it would come to Tennessee more often!

A Week Without

I was going to title this post as a week without my husband but I didn't think that covered it all. Not only is Greg my husband but he is also my best friend, my supporter, my problem solver, my back massager, my trash man, my cuddle buddy, my jokester, pretty much my everything that I need in a life partner. So my week was pretty interesting!!!

He went on a duck hunting trip in Arkansas with three of his friends. This is his second duck hunting trip and he loves his new hobby! The first trip was only for three nights and this one was for seven. He and I have never been apart from each other this long before...so when he told me this my first thought was "are you kidding me"? After thinking it through I thought it would be good for him to have some down time with his friends and not have any stress. He works so hard to take care of us and give us the things we need and want so I wanted him to have this for himself!

He left last Sunday at 12:30. At 1 Harrison wakes us screaming his head off.I took him to urgent care only to find out he has another round of double ear infections...what??? How does this happen in a 3 week span? So I have a cranky baby who will not sleep and my husband away from home...not good.

Instead of dwelling on these unfortunate turn of events I decide to stay positive and do the best I can. My mom has been wonderful feeding us and being supportive any way she can...I hope to be that kind of mommy for my kids when they are adults!

Friday the kids and I packed up to go stay at mom's and watch the snow come down. It was beautiful and the kids loved being at mom's house! Harrison slept so good but poor Tessa didn't sleep at all. She is back to having bad dreams at night and she wakes up crying every 30 minutes to an hour. Some night are better than others but this night was horrible! Her Dr. says she should grow out of this by age 5 or 6...1 to 2 years left to go....

We decided to come home on Saturday in the hopes that Tessa would sleep better in her own bed...she did...thank you Jesus! Up to this point we had not yet gotten out in the snow because I didn't want two sick kids while Greg was gone. However, after church this morning we went back to mom's for lunch and Tessa and her Papaw just had to go make a snowman...she loves the snow!

Greg is driving back home now after a long trip away! We are so excited and cannot wait to see him! Life is so much better with him here!

Here are some pictures from our weekend!