Granny and Grandad's New Home

These are pictures of Granny and Grandad's new house. We are so happy for them... and for us - we get to go visit and enjoy their beautiful new home too! I'm putting these pics on here so we can share with the sisters scattered from North Dakota to Alaska and they can see the new house too! Isn't it awesome!!!

Pauly in Auntie Roo's old pair of glasses and playing in the same toy cupboard that all the kids have played in for years! He loved it!!! Doesn't he look like Chipmunk with the glasses?

Come on in... Isn't that a beautiful front door and Granny's new pinaner - So Nice!


Love this little window shelf! (Spare Bedroom #1 aka The Study, as Granny calls it. This is facing the front - you an see it in the piano picture a little...)

Spare Bedroom #2 (#3 spare bedroom - Guest Room and Guest Bathroom not pictured) I believe this is going to be a combo sewing room/kids room - They mentioned putting bunk beds in here for the kids to come visit. Perfect!

Old toy box in Spare Bedroom #2 - Don't you love that chair? I was trying to figure out if she would notice if it was gone... I decided she would beings there is only 2 pieces of furniture in this room so far... Love it!

Granny said! Don't take pictures of the mess! So this was my effort ... I could of done better but my baby was cryin'!

Gorgeous Cupboards and the new fridge!

Every girl loves a tidy laundry room. The washer and dryer were found on Craigslist for a Hot Deal! Go Granny!!! You know how I love Craigslist :)

Grandad's office aka The Cave where he as to go if he is in trouble :) That is what Granny said... so cute.

OMGoodness - Let me tell you about the Master! Holy Cow!

Okay two closets like this...

Two vanities like this...

a shower/tub combo...

a toilee (in it's own little tiny room w/ a door)...

And then this huge room with the awesome windows!

So awesome!

So thankful they have their new home!

Boys in Hats and Paul made me do it!

Aren't they adorable... (If you ever get sick of looking at pictures of my kids... SORRY! Go Away!!) A major reason I do this blog is so that Mimi and Papa can see glimpses of their grandchildren since we live so far away from each other and if I post a picture at least once a week (twice is better) for Mimi she is happy and if Mimi is happy ... well you know how it goes!

And that picture of me at the end! like I said Pauly made me do it... the things you do for your children huh! He got a kick out of it.

Lately I've been running around like a mad woman getting ready for our trip to where I grew up to spend Christmas with Mimi and Papa (my parents). It has been about 4 years since I've been home for Christmas so I'm jazzed!!!! & little Billy will be dedicated there the Sunday after Christmas in the Church where I grew up. We decided to do this so my grandparents (his great grandparents including my Grandpa Bill - who he is named after) can be in attendance which is extra special!

I am a little bummed that I decided not to put up a Christmas tree up this year... It was Ben and my decision since we will be gone - we just didn't want to deal with it... I think if the boys were a little older I would of just put up with it. I CAN'T wait to see my mom's house. They have been working on remodeling it FOREVER! and I haven't seen the finished product - not to mention, my mom is a decorating genius and it feels so magical walking in her home during Christmas! Just thinking about it makes me feel like I've been drinking gobs of coffee... all jittery and excited!

I will also be able to spend Christmas with my little sis and neice but not my middle sis :( and that makes us all sad BUT I might get to see her the week after New Years which is awesome! I love how God surprises you with this kind of stuff when you least expect it!

I wish all of you and your family a joyful and magical Christmas and Happy Birthday Jesus!

Billy says...

"Hi mama..."

"What's that mama?"

"I DON'T WANT TO sleep in my own bed tonight!"

I'm proud to report little man is now sleeping in the big boy bedroom with big brother. (Had to move him since he grew out of the bassinet already!)

What will I do with my BIG growin' boys?

A Christmas to remember... (grab a tissue)

Thanks Ma for sending this to me... So Good!!

MY boys ranged from three months to seven years; their sister was two.

Their Dad had never been much more than a presence they feared.

Whenever they heard his tires crunch on the gravel driveway they would scramble to hide under their beds.

He did manage to leave $15 a week to buy groceries.

Now that he had decided to leave, there would be no more beatings, but no food either.

If there was a welfare system in effect in southern Indiana at that time, I certainly knew nothing about it.

I scrubbed the kids until they looked brand new and then put on my best homemade dress, loaded
Them into the rusty old 51 Chevy and drove off to find a job.

The seven of us went to every factory, store and restaurant in our small town.

No luck.

The kids stayed crammed into the car and tried to be quiet while I tried to convince who ever would listen that I was willing to learn
Or do anything.. I had to have a job.

Still no luck. The last place we went to, just a few miles out of town, was an old Root Beer Barrel drive-in t hat had been converted to a truck stop.

It was called the Big Wheel.

An old lady named Granny owned the place and she peeked out of the window from time to time at all those kids.

She needed someone on the graveyard shift, 11 at night until seven in the morning.

She paid 65 cents an hour, and I could start that night.

I raced home and called the teenager down the street that baby-sat for people.

I bargained with her to come and sleep on my sofa for a dollar a night.

She could arrive with her pajamas on and the kids would already be
Asleep

This seemed like a good arrangement to her, so we made a deal.

That night when the little ones and I knelt to say our prayers, we all thanked God for finding Mommy a job. And so I started at the Big Wheel.

When I got home in the mornings I woke the baby-sitter up and sent her home with one dollar of my tip money-- fully half of what I
Averaged every night.

As the weeks went by, heating bills added a strain to my meager wage.

The tires on the old Chevy had the consistency of penny balloons and began to leak. I had to fill them with air on the way to work and again every morning before I could go home.

One bleak fall morning, I dragged myself to the car to go home and found four tires in the back seat. New tires!

There was no note, no nothing, just those beautiful brand new tires.

Had angels taken up residence in Indiana? I wondered.

I made a deal with the local service station.

In exchange for his mounting the new tires, I would clean up his office.

I remember it took me a lot longer to scrub his floor than it did for him to do the tires.

I was now working six nights instead of five and it still wasn't enough.

Christmas was coming and I knew there would be no money for toys for the kids.

I found a can of red paint and started repairing
And painting some old toys. Then I hid them in the basement so there would be something for Santa to deliver on Christmas morning.

Clothes were a worry too. I was sewing patches on top of patches on the boys pants and soon they would be too far gone to repair.

On Christmas Eve the usual customers were drinking coffee in the Big Wheel. There were the truckers, Les, Frank , and Jim , and a state trooper named Joe .

A few musicians were hanging around after a gig at the Legion and were dropping nickels in the pinball machine.

The regulars all just sat around and talked through the wee hours of the morning and then left to get home before the sun came up..

When it was time for me to go home atseven o'clock on Christmas morning, to my amazement, my old battered Chevy was filled full to the top with boxes of all shapes and sizes.

I quickly opened the driver's side door, crawled inside and kneeled in the front facing the back seat.

Reaching back, I pulled off the lid of the top box.

Inside was whole case of little blue jeans, sizes 2-10!

I looked inside another box: It was full of shirts to go with the jeans.

Then I peeked inside some of the other boxes. There was candy and nuts and bananas and bags of groceries. There was an enormous ham for baking, and
canned vegetables and potatoes.
There was pudding and Jell-O and cookies, pie filling and flour. There was whole bag of laundry supplies and cleaning items.

And there were five toy trucks and one beautiful little doll.

As I drove back through empty streets as the sun slowly rose on the
most amazing Christmas Day of my life, I was sobbing with gratitude.

And I will never forget the joy on the faces of my little ones that precious morning.

Yes, there were angels in Indiana that long-ago December. And they all hung out at the Big Wheel truck stop....

THE POWER OF PRAYER. I believe that God only gives three answers to prayer:

1. "Yes!"
2. "Not yet."
3. "I have something better in mind."

You may be going through a tough time right now but God is getting ready to bless you in a way that you cannot imagine.

Merging Successful!!!

I have merged this blog with my family one as I only want to manage one blog... It was a little stressful but it was successful and now all of my posts on our family blog have been merged in to this blog in chronological order. Genius! There was a moment where it was stuck here... and I was stressed... and waiting... (look how tired I look) I need a shower! Tomorrow for sure - we've got church! At least I know I can only stink for a week at a time because everyone has to be tidy and unstinkafied for church... Stinky or not... I rock!

One month old...

I sure can't believe this little man is 1 month old already. He is doing just great! He loves to listen to his brother and daddy play and wrestle and of course his most favorite... taking a nap on mama. He is getting chunky and so long! He is almost outgrown that bassinet. It will soon be time to move him to the brother bedroom. We'll see how that goes *wink* ;)

First Baby Billy Bath

Baby Billy's Belly Button (say that 10x fast) fell off so last night was his first tub time. These are the only pics my silly husband got of the grand event. I could just thump him!Squeaky Clean!!!

One by One

Counting my blessings naming them one by one...

Thank you Jesus for my Pauly... Little boy, you have been such a joy to your mama and daddy's life. I truly felt like my life had meaning when you came around my little rascal. You keep me on my toes - you're so smart and you're always thinking one step ahead of mama!! I am so blessed and honored to be your mama. I look forward to the days ahead with you my little man - the moment where you realize the true meaning of grace and love that our Lord has for all of us, your first day of school, and those precious moments when you will beam with pride for a job well done. You are such a wonderful big brother and mama is so proud of you!

Praise the Lord for my tiny Billy... Little precious baby of mine... The Lord made your little self so much more precious and beautiful than any mama could ever imagine her baby could be... So perfect... little hands, little feet, little lips. I love you to the moon and back! We are going to have so much fun together. You are a precious gift from God and I want you to always remember how much he loves you my snuggles. To the moon and back...I love you forever.

Can't imagine life without My Mr. Melton... You're Gentle and Patient. I'm a better person because you're in my life My Love. I appreciate all your help the past few months and I know wouldn't of been able to make it without your encouragement... You're my best friend. I love that we can laugh, cry, dream and scheme (*wink*wink*) together. We're a fabulous team and I wouldn't want anyone else by my side to spend the rest of my life with. You work so hard to provide for us and to make it so I can stay home, thank you. You are a wonderful daddy and husband and I thank my lucky stars (God!!!!) every day for you babe! I love you.

Two Boys

These are some pictures of my boys at about the same times when they were just born. I'm just amazed how healthy, beautiful babies. The first ones are Pauly and the 2nd are William. Praise Jesus for my boys!

Just can't let him!

I have to admit the last couple weeks I have been letting Satan have a run away with me. He is giving me thoughts of inadequacy towards mothering my older boy. It seems like this poor kid is just having to go without so much than he did when it was just him and I. I kept thinking about this and it would make me feel SO BAD! I wanted to bawl constantly - with my hormones raging I couldn't (and barely can) think straight to realize it wouldn't be forever and it was a transition that many kids have to go through. He is such a great kid he has been so wonderful keeping busy with books, toys and content with watching movies. When there was just no possible way I could get outside with myself healing from the c-section and tiny boy being too tiny to go outside, he continued being such a helpful sweet boy!

Then there is/was the battle in my brain about being able to continue breastfeeding. Thankfully right in the recovery room our new baby started feeding almost immediately. I had a great colostrum supply and my milk came in within 4 days of having the little guy. I had such a nightmare of battling our first son with breastfeeding... I ended up having to use breast shields at first and then also pumping. He was born at 7lbs 14 oz and went down to a low 6 by the end of the first month. His poor little face got kind of sunk in and he looked terrible. I came home from that doctor's office, stopped by Albertsons for some VERY EXPENSIVE formula and he ate that stuff as if he was starving. He obviously thrived, thank you Jesus, but I just do NOT want to go through that again. So this is definitely something that I've been stressing about and I've been letting Satan put all sorts of doubts and lies in my head.

I have such an amazing support team with my amazing husband who has made it a game of being extremely cheerful the moment he steps in the house to get my mind off of my worries and laugh a little - not to mention, tending to my every need for the first two weeks after giving birth, as well as, being a huge help when I was Oh so very preggers. He has also been having some stressful work weeks since we are getting down to the end of the year and he never failed to take care of his work, me, or our boys. He is amazing! I asked him yesterday what I did to deserve him and he just jokingly said I got lucky. He's so wonderful!

I was (and still are a little) letting these things consume my every thought and I realized I wasn't taking the sweet precious time to enjoy these first days of my tiny son's life. I feel so foolish having to call my sisters, mother, sister-in-laws and mother-in-law - crying to them - I just feel like I can cry on demand and every time they are all so helpful and supportive.

I had a little bit of problems with baby blues with our first son but that was a little different and maybe a little worse actually as I was battling again nursing issues but also I was watching FAR TOO MUCH CNN and then the house right down the road got broke into and I developed a major fear of... well... "the unknown". Would someone break in and take my boy?, would someone break in and do "who knows what" to us while my husband was gone? I started not opening the blinds during the day and had a huge fear of keeping the door locked obsessively.

Thank God! I came out of that with... again, my husband and family's help and I just can't let myself go through that again!! I can't let Satan put these lies in my head and steal away my time with my beautiful boys that is so precious and needs to be enjoyed and not feared for. I'm so thankful for where the Lord has put me with a hugely supportive wonderful husband, two beautiful little boys, and an amazing family. I have much to be thankful for and I just praise Jesus for giving me strength to get through these hard past weeks. God is so GOOD!

Sister Sister

(don't mind the haggard gal in the middle - kind of embarrassing but I wanted to share)

I'm totally brain dead and meant to post this one earlier this week. My sisters came this past weekend. It was wonderful to see them and I got to see my niece, Macarti, daughter of my youngest sister. She loved the baby and constantly was calling him "Baby Belly" (as we nicknamed him Billy.) She loved kissing on him and holding him. Her and Pauly love to play with each other... and within the first hour of being here this is what the boys' room looked like. My sister Jodi also came but her kiddos stayed home with their daddy (which was bitter sweet - because having them there too would of been a rodeo - but Jodi being there without her kids was a little weird, and I miss them so much!!) Jodi and Casi cleaned my house (Jodi fixed my vacuum - She ROCKS!), tended big brother, and made meals for us. (I love this pic of Casi - isn't she gorgeous?!)

and yes, if you are wondering my mother named us all with an "i" at the end of our names... Sami Jo Jodi Dawn and Casi Jean...

We laughed and cried and it was just so meaningful to me to have them come and spend that time with me and meet our new little man.

Day Two - No worries!!

Today we had to go to baby brother's doctor's appointment to get his poor little heel pricked... boo hoo! and I was dreading this day for a week, knowing my husband couldn't come and that I was all on my own. I started getting ready really early and pulled up to the doctor's office 15 minutes ahead of time. Thankfully, I hadn't talked to my mom for a few days so I called her and got some much needed encouragement! (she rocks!) Through all my worry I had a little boy who read his book like a good boy, a baby who was terribly hard to calm down... (NOT! He almost slept through the whole thing except the heel prick of course)and I was made a fool to be such a worry wart. I never learn that the Lord is with me always and I shouldn't stress - especially over such little stuff!

Today was the first day that big brother really showed any interest towards baby brother. Made my heart melt!

I'm going through a little bit of the mommy blues - so your prayers are appreciated... While I was talking to my mom she read me an awesome verse that I had forgotten about and was in much need of reminding.

And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 18:3