A Life of Gratitude

The past two days have been absolutely amazing! God blessed us with a daughter!! We've know for a while that our fourth child would be a girl but since we were told the same thing with Tyson, we had a hard time believing it until we saw it with our own eyes. Yesterday, when I gave birth to baby #4, it really was a girl! Allison Elizabeth Shaw was born at 4:20pm on May 30, 2017. She weighed 7 pounds and 14 ounces. She is 20 inches long and absolutely beautiful!     The boys are head over hills in love with their sister! They actually argue over who gets to hold her next! Bryan and I are in love with her also. She makes the most adorable sounds and has the sweetest facial expressions. She is very calm and laid back. I love snuggling with her and could watch her sleep for hours.  Today I am grateful for this sweet baby girl. She is such a precious addition to our family! I can honestly say that our family feels complete now. As a ...

I am almost 38 weeks pregnant and I'm honestly very, very ready to hold this baby girl! In fact, last week I was begging God that this baby would make her entrance during my 37th week, just like two of  her big brothers did. I'm ashamed to say it but I was a little angry with God. Why wouldn't she come already? Doesn't He know I'm miserable and so tired of being pregnant? At 34 weeks my doctor said she was trying to come too early and informed me that I "had to keep her in there another week." So to go three more weeks without a sign of her coming, just really aggravated me. But God...... He knows what He's doing. He can see what's coming. He is in control. He has our best interest at heart. Since my hissy fit with God, all three of my boys have had a stomach virus. Two of them are better now but my Evan is still trying to get better. The virus has caused some other issues to arise and we have to back to the doctor tomorrow. My poor little...

Today was a wonderful Mother's Day. I enjoyed spending my day with my fellas. They made sure I felt special and loved.  In case you didn't know, I am currently VERRRYYYY pregnant, it feels like a million weeks by now. My whole body is swollen and each day seems like a year. Our entire family is eagerly awaiting the birth of our sweet little Allison!  Being THIS pregnant and having 3 little boys to take care of is super tiring. I'm honestly exhausted! This is just one of those seasons when I'm reminded that motherhood isn't always easy, but its always worth it. At church today our Pastor said something that stuck with me. He was referring to leaders in general but I believe this statement is crucial for Mothers as well. He said,  "We're always leading. We're either leading them forward, or we're leading them backward." It's true! At all times, as mothers, we're either leading our children in the right direction; forward, o...

Lately I keep being reminded of something that happened a few years ago, when my grandmother passed away. All of the family was standing in a line beside her coffin, shaking hands with her friends and extended family. My grandmother had 6 grandchildren and I was the baby, so my husband and I were standing at the very end of the receiving line. An adorable elderly lady came up to me and whispered some of the sweetest words in my ear. She said, "You were always her favorite." I have no clue if that was true. For all I know, she may have said that in every grandchild's ear. I do know, that those words touched my heart in that moment in a way that no other words could have. Those words have stuck with me. And even now, I as I replay that scenario in my mind, tears fill my eyes.  Maybe that phrase wouldn't mean as much to other people, I'm really not sure. For me, I've always longed to be someone's favorite. I won't go into details but I've hon...

I am sooooo excited to share these gorgeous maternity photos made by my sweet friend, Sarah Hurley. I am thrilled with the way they turned out! If you had seen how my kids acted while we did the photo shoot, you'd understand why I'm so thrilled...hahaha! Sarah did an amazing job. I love how she captured our little family as we wait on Allison to join us. Today I am thankful for this sweet season of life. This is going to be our last baby so this time is very special to us. I'm trying to enjoy these last days carrying Allison in my womb. These pictures capture the excitement my kids are experiencing and the joy that we all feel about our newest family member. I am also grateful for Sarah's talent and the pictures she was to give us. I am so happy with them! I can't to print some for Allison's baby book!