Interview with Mom

I saw this float around on Facebook, and other blogs. It was an interview Moms did with their small children. Well, mine only has a vocabulary of about 6 words. I don't think it would work with him. Every answer would be Mama or Bye Bye, with some incomprehensible gibberish thrown in for good measure. With that being said, I swiped it and decided to answer the questions about my Mom. Now that I'm all grown up(you can laugh here if you would like), she's my BFF.

1. What is something mom always says to you?
"I love you"

2. What makes mom happy?
"Clayton"

3. What makes mom sad?
"Anything that hurts her babies"

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
"She doesn't get our(Dad, Jesse, and Me) sarcasm and humor sometimes. That's OK Mom, neither does Chad or Amy, or possible the rest of the known world."

5. What was your mom like as a child?
"Uhm, I don't know how to answer that. I've only known her as an adult."

6. How old is your mom?
"Do you think I'm insane?"

7. How tall is your mom?
"Taller than I am, but that's not saying very much"

8. What is her favorite thing to watch on TV?
"Paula Deen, and anything on HGTV"

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
"Probably has a party, and is thankful her house is quite again for a few days. No, in all seriousness, she is very busy helping Dad with his ministry."

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
"Making sweet tea. Hers is the best. No matter how hard I try, mine is never as good."

11. What is your mom really good at?
"Cooking, and Research"

What is your mom not very good at?
"Again, do you think I'm insane?"

13. What does your mom do for her job?
"She's the preacher's wife. That's a job all to itself."

14. What is your mom's favorite food?
"I have no idea. I guess because she would always cave to what Dad, or Jesse and I wanted. Mom, what's your favorite food?"

15. What makes you proud of your mom?
"Everything. She is an amazing lady and friend."

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
"Jane Jetson. Don't know why, she's just the only one I could think of."

17. What do you and your mom do together?
"Shop, eat, talk, shop, eat, talk. Sometime we change the order up a little for the sake of variety."

18. How are you and your mom the same?
"We are both preacher's wives, short, freckled, like massages(but really who doesn't), and pedicures.

19. How are you and your mom different?
"I am super obsessive, organized, and incredibly up tight about absolutely everything. Mom is super relaxed, and can go with the flow so much better than I can. I need to be more like her."

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
"She is always there for all of us. I mean, if you need something, no matter how small or seemingly silly, she will drop what she's doing and be right there for you. I've never really thought about that. I guess I have just always known that Mom loved us more than she loved her own life."

21. What does your mom like most about your dad?
"Dad takes care of Mom, in a way that is so incredibly sweet. I don't know if this is the right answer, but on the outside looking in, this is my favorite part."

22. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
"Savannah, and Key West"

Happy Mother's Day!!!!!!!!!! If you can, tell your Mom how much that you lover, and how much she means to you. Love ya Mom!!!!!!!!!

What do you get..........................................

.............when you let a 1 year old ice his own cinnamon rolls? Pure and utter joy, and a kitchen that needs to be pressure washed. How can a single person get that much icing everywhere? I have no idea.


How is your Friday shaping up? I'm off, so automatically it's starting out great. Clayton and I are headed off the the Grands (my grandparents). Gonna visit, have lunch, and then head home for a nap(for both of us I'm sure).

We have a busy day tomorrow. Chad's younger brother is getting married at the end of the month. So, I'm hosting a bridal shower for my almost SIL. That's about all I have on the schedule for tomorrow. And, I am thankful.

Enjoy your day Woozles!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NDOP(Gotta love Abbrevs)

Today is the National Day of Prayer. It's a day set aside for our country to pray for our leaders and other various things. Great idea. However, as a christian, everyday should be a day of prayer. In 1 Thessalonians Paul commands:

Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

OK, I was just going to include v.17, but I really like the verses 16 and 18 as well. Give thanks in everything? I may not like, but God tells me too. But, that's another post for another day.

I have a few prayer requests for you guys. Some are "serious", others aren't as "serious", and then I have a personal praise I want to share with you. Here we go.

• My friend "Simply Donna" is on her way to NYC for a vacay. She despises flying, so she needs a little comfort right not
• My SIL "What A Blessed Life" is working her way towards nursing school. I say, more power to her.
• My SIL "Jamie Lynn" graduates high school this year, and is of course facing adult hood full force. She needs wisdom and direction.
• "Lil Red Momma" is pregnant, a little further along than I am, and has had some blood pressure issues. Obviously pray for her and her baby.
• "A Stirring Life" is a fellow T18 mommy in waiting with Ms. Olivia. Obviously a prayer request dear to my heart. They need peace, guidance, wisdom, and comfort.
• My dad "Thoughts and Ramblings" is a very, very busy man. He's a fantastic minister, and a wonderful friend.
• My brother, a non blogger, is also a pastor. Churches are always in need of prayer, and therefore their pastors are always in need of prayer.
• There is a family in our church that needs prayer for their son, and themselves.
• We have a busy summer at church, that's topped off with a mission trip to Wyoming. Pray that our church would be able to minister to many people, and spread God's love.
• Last, but not least. Remember our family, and Johanna. We want the Lord to work and be seen in everything that we do, and in every decision that we make. After all, it really is all about Him.

Here's my praise object. In casual conversation with my Mom this morning, the Lord answered a need that we may have related to Johanna. It's a need that hasn't come to fruition just yet, but my Type A, obsessive, planning, personality requires that I have answers to as many things as possible, as soon as possible. I am choosing not share the specifics related to the need just yet, because I don't people to think that, because I plan way ahead, that I have given up on a miracle that God could do. I have not. God is able to do abundantly, exceedingly, above all that we ask or think(paraphrased). God is working in our lives. I can see somethings already, other things I may not see until I bow in front of Him in Heaven. He has done more Chad and me already than I could ever have asked for.

I'm outie. I'm off to lunch with my brother. He is so much fun, you should all be jealous that I get lunch with him, and you don't. HA!!

When Did You Feel Like A Mom??

I am somewhat of a curious(nosy) person. I always wonder about other people's lives. I don't really know why. I like to think of it something like a science project. Whenever I'm driving, and I pass certain houses I wonder about what they are doing in there. I realize that I probably don't want to know, but I still wonder. So, I am wondering about your life now. What are my bloggy buddies doing out there in Internet land? And, what are my real life buddies doing out there in real life land?

With Mother's Day right around the corner, here's what I'm wondering?

When did you feel like a mom?

I finally felt like I had my Mom's Club Official Member card this past Easter. That's right folks, Easter. It wasn't the c-section, getting up at 3am to feed him, changing 515 poopie diapers and the countless pee diapers, teaching him to hold his own bottle, feeding him cereal, baby food, and then real table food, his dedication service, seeing him walk on his own for the first time, hearing that laugh, or even holding him at 3am when he woke up screaming with his first ear infection(or apparently teaching him the evils of the run-on sentence). Nope, none of that did it for me. It was making up his Easter basket. Please don't laugh too hard at me.

At our house every holiday is reason to celebrate something. We, and when I say we I mean Chad, make cookies. Decorated with colored icing and everything. They are truly amazing. Santa, the Tooth Fairy(when that day comes), and the Easter Bunny don't make stops at our house. Seriously, they are so busy, and Chad and I(or mainly me) are capable of helping them out a little with their incredibly important duties. Don't bash me or send me hate mail. I think it's a personal decision, and therefore I/we decided personally to take all the credit for ourselves. HA. Kidding!! We just feel that teaching our kid(s) the importance of giving, and thankfulness for that gift is the more important than the giver. And, Santa and the Easter Bunny are kinda scary. They sneak around your house in the middle of the night. No, thank you.

So, I would really love to know. If you are a mom, when did you finally feel like a mom? Was it the moment of birth or before? Or are you like me and have a totally random event, more than a year after your child was born, that made you feel like a mom? If you aren't a mom, what is the simple thing that your mom does that lets you know how much she really cares for you?

Have a good one peeps!!

14 Weeks

Woot!! We have made it to 14 weeks. That means we are 2 more weeks down the Prego road than we were when this whole thing started. I don't have a lot of nausea when I'm pregnant, but during the 1st Trimester I am incredibly exhausted. Thankfully that is starting to subside, and I feel more like my normal(term used loosely) self. I am finally able to stay up longer than Clayton, and get the laundry done. Seriously, we were living out of the laundry baskets for a while. I don't like that at all. It feels like chaos all the time, and I do not thrive in chaos. I need my routine in a bad like way.

Here's my real point(I don't really have one today, but just go with it). Before we get to that point I have decided to term Trisomy 18, "T18", it's shorter and easier. One more thing, guys I'm gonna talk about preggo girly stuff from here on out. This is your chance to leave, or forever hold your peace. Here we go.

T18 babies normally have a larger than normal placenta that they get to float around in. Johanna (or should I guess actually me) has one. I have only gained 4.5 lbs so far. And remember for the last 2 weeks I have been stress eating. I have been pleased with my little weight gain so far. I had gained a lot more when I was 14 weeks with Clayton. Anyway, my clothes don't fit. AT ALL. I haven't been able to wear my jeans for a while now, so I went ahead and made the switch to maternity jeans a month or so back. I was still able to wear my scrub pants to work though. Well, this week they are not as comfortable as they once were. It amazes my how something that small can make your clothes fit so tightly. When Chad and I found out we were expecting again, I assumed that I would need maternity clothes more quickly than I did with Clayton. But, this is crazy. I'm gonna have to go to Mimi's House of Mumu's by the end of next week.

It's so worth it though. I love this little girl so very much. I didn't think it was possible to love a person as much as I loved Chad, then we had Clayton, and I again thought I would never love another person as much as I love him, then I found out I was pregnant again, and I immediately loved this little person as much as I love Chad and Clayton. We found out that Jo is a "special" child, but we don't feel any differently about her. I absolutely love being pregnant, and it is my intent to enjoy this pregnancy, however long or short it may be, as much as I did with Clayton.

That's all I got for today. I feel incredibly blessed and loved this week. God has an amazing way of taking the difficulties out of difficulty(it made sense to me).

15 Things I'm Lovin' Today

My SIL Amy posted this on her blog, and I thought I would steal it(in sisterly love of course). I love lists. Love making them, checking them off, reading them, actually I love everything about lists. It's my totally obsessive-compulsive, type A personality.

1. Dt. Mtn Dew, but only if it's poured over ice. I don't like the way it tastes unless I am drinking it over ice.

2. Chicken wings and Alfredo anything. I could actually eat them separate or together. Doesn't really matter. I know protein and vegetables are the appropriate foods when you are pregnant, but I just can't do pure protein right now. It was the same when I was prego with Clayton.

3. 24. I have never really gotten into a show like this, but I find it quite fascinating. Jack Bauer is a man of amazing abilities. I think the show would only be better if there was a little Donald Sutherland added in too. He could be Jack's dad. Donald Sutherland reminds me of my Granddaddy.

4. Another day with Jo.

5. Clayton's super cool personality, and amazing red hair. He is starting to say a few things, and he is getting incredibly expressive when he talks. Also, he has started talking with his hands, just like his mommy. Chad tells me that I couldn't talk if my hands were tied, and that's probably true.

6. The Papermate "Write for Hope" pen. This is my favorite pen by far. It writes great, and it is an inexpensive ball point pen. But, this special edition is pink. A portion of it's proceeds go to Breast Cancer research. And did I mention that it's pink?

7. Chad's recession garden. I have laughed about it all weekend, but it really is pretty cool. I wouldn't know what to do with a garden if I had to. But, Chad, being the country boy that he is, knows exactly what he's doing. I asked for corn, squash, and strawberries. I got corn, squash, strawberries, tomatoes, cucumbers, beets(gross), beans(green beans, I had to ask too), potatoes, green peppers, okra(gross), blackberries(don't ask because I don't know why we have these), I know there's more, but I can't remember what else.

8. Pineapple Mango wallflowers. Thanks for the tip Amy.

9. Spring. That also means that summer is right around the corner. I totally love summer. It gets hot here in the south, and I love it.

10. Chick Fil A's diet Lemonade. Get the large, add 4 packets of Splenda, and honey you have a grand day.

11. The way that Clayton says "Hey There". It's really high pitched and super excited. Like you are the best thing that boy has ever seen. Please keep in mind that he tells the dogs hi the same way that he tells Chad and me hi.

12. My Crackberry. I resisted the change to a data phone for a long time, but I don't think I could go back to the dark ages now if I had to. I can stay in contact with all 97,000 (read that 3) friends all the time. I can Facebook, email, blog, and play brick breaker all from one simple pink device. Have I mentioned that I love the color pink?

13. I love my God, and He loves me. I don't know why, but I am sure thankful.

14. Our Sunday School class. Chad teaches the high school class, and I'm there for moral support. Some days for him, and some days for the kids. Our class has to be the most ADD class in the entire educational building, but I love it. It is so much fun, and we(Chad and myself included) really do learn a lot from the Bible and from each other. If you are an adult you should definitely consider working with the youth of your church if you don't already. They are amazing. They know so much about life at such a young age. And what other age group could you hang out with and totally act like a nerd, and have the people around you think that it's funny?

15. My family. They are truly amazing, and helpful. I wish everybody had a family like mine. We are so goofy, loud, and sarcastic, but it's a lot of fun. And when you are in tough spot it's nice to have fun people around you. Laughter is truly the best medicine, and it's truly uplifting.

(I just ran spell checker on this post, and it had a field day with my "Nikkisms". Chad asked me recently if I actually listened to myself talk. What is that supposed to mean? He's just jealous he didn't think of some of these words first.)

Lessons from the Acorn

Yes you read the title correctly. And, no I am not losing my mind. Well, maybe. But, that's a different post entirely.

Tonight was our annual Ladies banquet at church. Think 150-200 ladies, laughing, eating, talking, and eating. Fantastic foodies. I had the alfredo, and it was fantastic. I loves me some alfredo, and it's the preggo craving of the week. Seriously I think I have had it about 5 times since last Friday.

The speaker chosen for this year was Ms. Beth Gilliam. She is wife to Evangelist Tom Gilliam. They travel constantly, ministering to God's people, and teaching us how to grow in the Lord. She is a FANTASTIC speaker, and a super nice lady to simply have conversation with.

This evening she spoke on saturating ourselves in the word of God. She used an illustration of an acorn that becomes a mighty oak to make her point. Please keep in mind that before she traveled full time with her husband she was a kindergarten teacher for a number of years. She even had illustrations for us. She really had her stuff together. She illustrated different parts of the acorn / oak trees life, and related them to growing in the Lord. Constantly changing, and becoming more what the Lord would have us to be. The very last point in her message (I don't mean like a sermon the preacher preaches, I mean her speech but I couldn't think of another word to us) was about the oak tree learning to be thankful for the wind and storms that the Lord had sent. Uhm, was she talking to everyone or just me? I think just me.

I have made the comment this week that Chad and I were accepting of what God is doing in Johanna's life(and I am), and subsequently ours, but that I didn't like what He was doing. OK, Nikki, open mouth and insert foot. As Ms. Beth was speaking I became convicted of that attitude. I should be thankful for what God is doing. At this point I don't know how to be thankful of the fact that I may never get to hold my daughter in my arms and sing her to sleep. I don't know how to be thankful of the fact that if Johanna is born, I might have only hours to spend with her. It's hard for our human minds to find thankfulness in such a situation. How are we supposed to be thankful for the hurts that come our way? I'm not talking about the petty stuff that we all face day to day. I'm talking about the biggies. I think we qualify for a biggie right now. Maybe not, but I feel like this is a HUGE deal for our family.

My prayer tonight is for God to make me thankful for what He is doing. I still don't like it. Is it OK to be thankful for a situation, and still not like it? I honestly have no idea. I don't understand what God is doing right not. I don't know if I will this side of eternity or not. But, I do want a thankful heart and spirit in ALL aspects of my life. He has done so much for me, how can I not be thankful? I wouldn't give Clayton or Johanna to save the life of any one of you, but He gave the life of His son when He sent Jesus to Calvary for me. I don't want a bitter spirit. I don't want to become angry with God, or with those around me. I don't want to question God forever about His ways. I want to learn and grow.

Drying tears now. I'm glad I have already taken off my mascara or we would be in a mess. Note to self, invest in water proof mascara.

Job said it the best.

Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD. In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly. Job 1:20-22

This is my prayer today.