on this day 5 years ago

william went to the dr this morning for his 2 week check up! 

9 lbs 7 oz - 75%

21.25 inches - 75% 

i might be a bit more thankful we didn't wait until september :)

the big kids haven't gotten my attention enough lately. thankfully gigi has given them some love for me! but, i will say over the last two days they have really started playing together. while avery is still bossy blake is learning to just go with it. this morning after the appointment they spent over an hour building a tower and knocking it down. they would run and show me and then when it was destroyed they would laugh. i tried to sneak some pics before they noticed me. this is the life. still in their pj's. hair is not brushed. and blake is wearing two different shoes of avery's.




busted!

and last but not least. on this day 5 years ago i married mark. still the best decision of my life.

11 days new.

love his lips. 

will's birth.

i thought about this day for almost 9 months. i pictured it so vividly in my head. i knew exactly how it was going to go. i was so thankful to not to be diabetic and not have a reason to be induced. my doctor wasn't thinking he would come until his induction we had set for september. i would go into labor on my own, at home. i would stay at home for awhile. then, we'd go to the hospital. i'd hug and kiss my babies goodbye and he would enter this world on his own and i would go drug free.

today is his due date. he is ten days old. and his labor was about the farthest thing i pictured. i'm so happy he is here and healthy. but, another part of me is still heart broken. that morning i woke up to mark's alarm and couldn't go back to sleep. so i decided to head up to the gym for a short work out while everyone slept. i was home by 7:30 am. we made a plan for the day to go to the farmers market and hang out. a nap was on the agenda. on our drive down to houston i started googling about your water leaking and how to tell. i decided to call the doctor on call just to see if there was a way to tell. the only way was to go to the hospital. so, we went to the market, grabbed a few things and headed back home. decided to call mark's mom to watch the kids and we ran up to the hospital. i thought we'd be back to put them down for naps and i'm not even sure if blake hugged me. we went to labor + delivery and were taken into triage where they tested me. the first test was positive. clearly. they did a second test. on the way i told mark we could not have a baby today. we are not ready. well, you can guess the second test was positive. the nurse came and popped her head in and said, "we're having a baby today." yep, picture mark and i were there with blank stares. we were in shock. i asked if we could leave. i didn't even freaking have a camera! they said mark could leave. so we went to a l+d room and mark went home. they started my IV's and pitocin around 1 pm or so. he called me so i could facetime with the kids. i attempted to hold it together while talking to them. they kept the pit low while he was gone. after about an hour and a half he returned with a suitcase full of i'm not sure what. and then we waited.

the contractions got stronger. my water broke around 4 pm. then it really started. i reached my breaking point at some time. i asked our sweet nurse how long it was going to be and they said could be another hour or hour and a half. so, i asked for an epidural knowing i was so close. i don't know exactly what it was but it wasn't the full on epidural i had experienced with blake. i was so incredibly thankful! about ten minutes after it kicked in the doctor came in and asked if we were ready to have a baby! although, it wasn't my doctor who delivered him, the dr. on call was sooo nice. we couldn't have had better people around. three contractions and out came will at 6:47 pm.
a sweet, sweet boy was welcomed to our family!

this one is probably my favorite. 

8 lbs 2 oz + 19.5 in










and just like that. we became parents to three little miracles.

while there are things i would love to change this is will's birth story. he is such a sweet baby. this sweet boy is already trying to teach me you can't plan things. i can't wait to see what else he will teach us.

blake's 2nd birthday!

if you would have told me that night it would be our last one as a family of four i wouldn't have believed you. if you know me, you know i'm a little sad that my last pregnancy ended so surprisingly. but, that's for another post. i am SO beyond thankful that our last night was spent together and with our family celebrating our sweet boy. we had gigi, grandpa johnnie, aunt deb and uncle tom there. he enjoyed his night and was the baby for one last night! got new fun toys and m+m's after dinner! looking back at the photos makes me cry. but, i can't express how grateful i am for these memories. i'm still in shock that these two boys will have their birthdays close to each other but something tells me they won't let me forget their own special days! when i did go into the hospital and left blake i came back to a big boy. he had learned new words i had never heard before. he is putting together more sentences than before. he really did turn two and then turn into a big boy. and he has more love for the "baby" than i could ever imagine. he is such a sweet boy and i couldn't love him anymore! 

i love you, bubba! you will always be my baby! 

our sweet boy.

we welcomed the newest member of our family on august 17th, 2013.

william allen torrey

8 lbs 2 oz

19.5 inches

6:47 pm

 "from the fullness of His grace we have received one blessing after another" john 1:16

that moment.

when you realize you're baby is about to no longer be the baby. i've been through this before. i'm a pro right? holy crap! i can't believe it! perhaps it's because this little guy is about to turn two tomorrow. i honestly was looking (and still am) looking forward to his birthday. spending the day with him and just loving on him. but, oh.my.word he's going to be my baby forever. right? i can't find the words to appropriately express my sadness that he's growing up. he's my mama's boy. i try hard to imagine our family before him and i can't. nor, do i really want to. he's the happiest little guy i know. sure, he's about to be two and can throw a tantrum with the best of them but in my eyes he can do no wrong. as i look through photos from the past year it's hard to wrap my head around how much he has learned. how much he has grown. it seems silly to think i even wasted time and energy worrying that he didn't know his colors, his shapes. focused on what he didn't know and what he wasn't saying. goodness, he can do so much now! in a short year he went from a chubby baby with gapped teeth who would say mama and dada and i would melt. now, days away from being a big brother. two weeks away from starting school. he speaks sentences and melts me with the words, "wuv you mama". how did he get so big? i'm glad this moment is hitting me now. because i think i might be that parent crying when i drop him off at school. atleast, i'll have some post partum hormones to blame it on. this little guy doesn't even know how much he's changed my world and made it SO much better. i love him so much!

excuse me while i take a trip down memory lane from the past two years.

and this year. what a year.

you learned to walk.

your first little gym class.

you were dedicated to the Lord.

teething was less than a delightful experience. it was a long couple of weeks when new ones would come in.

you were the cutest little pumpkin for halloween.

your first mohawk.

your sister helped you learn how to use your utensils.

you still love bubble baths.

you fell on the driveway and chipped your tooth. we sometimes call you chippy. :)

we had your first play group this year while avery was in school.

still my cuddle bug.

you found a new love for the beach. 

you took infant survival swimming and did great. after we got past the first couple days of non stop crying. :)

you love to kiss the baby.

you and avery had a joint birthday party. we did a diego theme for you since you love him! 

what a year it's been and what a blessing to get to celebrate together!