Snips & Snails or Sugar & Spice....

Here is a brief update... everything has been going really well.... we have an ultrasound scheduled on Tuesday and hopefully we'll know then if the theme in our home will be eternally blue or if we will get a chance to throw in some pink!!! All I want is a healthy baby...seriously.

My last ultrasound showed a marginal placenta previa, so we are hoping that has pretty much resolved itself. I have felt great.... a little tired here and there, but overall, I have felt really good. I felt some "quickening" this week... I also am bigger at this point than I was with my last two... let me tell you, that does a lot for a girl's self-esteem!! ;-) For my birthday, my husband is buying me maternity clothes (since I gave ALL of mine away)... I know, so romantic. What can I say, we are just practical people! ha ha

I also switched doctors this week...I mainly did it so that I can deliver at the hospital where I work. Our next goal will be starting to talk to Cooper about "baby." This will be a HUGE adjustment for him. If anyone out there has any advice on how to handle a new baby and a toddler who thinks the world revolves around him...send it my way!!!!

Promise....

Natalie Grant has a song that I JUST LOVE... "Held"

The past few weeks I feel like everytime I turn around I hear stories of death, tragedy, cancer, sickness, hopelessness, broken marriages...basically, just pain (ever had one of those weeks?). As a follower of Christ, I feel what is so hard is trying to make sense of these things.... and knowing that I am not exempt. Admit it... we all do it or have done it...and I don't know if we ever succeed in "making sense" of things. However, there is a line in this song that I have heard a million times, but it just stood out this week. "The promise was when everything fell, we'd be held."

What a promise... to know that when the world falls apart, when "unfairness" sneaks in on us, or when tragedy rains down, we have a promise that is greater than anything the world can offer. To be held by HIS loving arms.....
I am thankful today for my Savior who rescues me and holds me... and I know is holding those around me.

Incomparable Camp Ozark

Austin returned home after completing his 2nd summer at Camp Ozark in Mt. Ida, AR. It is a Christian Aventure Camp... it's beautiful there. Anyway, just wanted to post a few pics from the camp and drop off/pick up. I know it was only a week, but he looked, sounded (and SMELLED) different from when I dropped him off. He had a blast, though. Thanks to those of you who kept him in your prayers and sent him notes, letters, & e-mails.


A pic from Closing Ceremonies...I'll give you one guess what they are singing... Michael W. Smith's "Friends Are Friends Forever"... the eternal good-bye to something song!


This the view from Austin's cabin... I doubt he appreciated how beautiful it was.


Art posted throughout the camp..

Waterslide.....

Austin setting up his bunk!

This is on the day of pickup!!! You are lucky you can't smell this!!! :-)

Waterslides!!!!!

Pulling in... a pic of one of the rock climbing walls.

House in the Ozark Mountains... what a view!

Inside the dining hall!

View of a few of the cabins... Austin's was the one at the bottom.

View from the camp grounds.

The "shuttle bus" to your car. (They valet park it for you! ;-)) By the time you get on the shuttle and back to your car, you have a new appreciation of AC, need a shower, and feel guilty for leaving your child in that heat!

My mom singing "Pharoah, Pharoah" at Closing Ceremonies... she is going to KILL me for posting this!!! ha ha

Austin's counselors... Will & Tyler.

View from Vesper Point.. Not sure what takes place here everyday.

View of the dining hall entrance.

Art posted throughout the camp.

I love this pic... he had a top bunk and this was his "window."

The entrance to the row of cabins where Austin bunked for the week.

Pulling into camp! Those big balloon things are called "The Blob." They jump onto them and then into the lake.

Calem (my road trip buddy) stealing a hug before we let him go!

Right before we let him go!

First Haircut

I will not even go into details regarding Cooper's 1st haircut... I will let the pictures speak for themselves. Needless to say, at the end of the day, he had a little boy haircut, but the curls remained (more like waves & loops). As you can see from below, I will not be returning for a "touch up" until we absolutely HAVE TO!

The Transition of the Bed.... Or Not

See that beautiful bed.... well, it is a "grow with me crib"... I think it is beautiful and when I picked it out, I did so because it would "grow" with Cooper and transition as needed - from crib to toddler bed to double bed. Well, Cooper has recently learned to climb over the rail, so we decided it was time to transition the bed to the next step! However, this is no easy task... it requires tools, sweat, patience, and a few hours with no interruptions. Tools we have, we just don't use them alot...sweat, I hate....patience, a virtue I am always needing to work on... and a few hours with no interruptions HA HA HA. So, you see, I had to mentally work myself up for this task (and coerce Ragan as well).

Do you see that pile overflowing out of the storage bin in the corner of the room? That is the clothing from the first year to year and a half of Cooper's life. I pulled it out a few weeks ago to begin sorting it into keepsake outfits and give away outfits. I have so many friends that have young baby boys and I was ready to clear this tub out and bestow the mess upon their homes and get it out of mine..... I have only gotten through 0-3 months so far....

Well, looks like neither of the tasks will be nearing completion anytime soon........ you see, Where the Wild Things Are is about to get a little wilder..... we're expecting!!!! That's right, we are adding to the brood....

I was very hesitant to even post this blog so early on, but I guess you can say between faith and a family that is about to bust a gut with this secret, I guess now is as good a time as any. After multiple miscarriages (and heartbreak) prior to having Cooper, we saw a Reproductive Endocrinologist. He helped us along before & during my pregnancy with Cooper. Because we are not under his care now, I do have some fears and reservations, but I am just handing that over to God.

So, to answer a few questions... were we planning on another? (even though it's really nobody's business but ours..lol) No, we weren't. Are we excited? Initially I had to be scraped off the floor and nearly sedated, but I am more than okay now. (I am a planner, an organizer, and I don't do well with surprises or changes to plans without my consent!) Ragan is ecstatic...I know what a blessing children are and not every woman in this world has the ability to bear children, so I feel truly blessed. When are we due? The day before Ragan's birthday...the first week of February.

So, keep up in your prayers... this ride in life is about to get a little wilder....

xoxoxo
Crystal

Great Wolf & a Great Time....

Well, we took off this past week on a new kind of vacation.... a kid-friendly resort... it was AWESOME. One struggle we face (not sure if struggle is the right word) is finding a place that we can take both boys and they both enjoy themselves. A ten-year-old wants one thing and a toddler something completely different. I really did not want to tackle Disney World with Cooper just yet, so we settled on The Great Wolf Lodge. It is a wilderness-themed lodge/resort with an indoor/outdoor waterpark in Grapevine, TX. www.greatwolf.com
I know I sound like they paid me to do an advertisement, but they didn't (but they can if they want)... I was just really impressed and for those of you who might be looking for something for your family, it's worth checking out!!!!
Here are some pics....

This is part of the outdoor section...it has a few tubing/waterslides that Austin stayed on

He is getting so grown-up!


I will pretend that this moment did not involve Austin teasing Cooper, but I doubt it!

My 3 favorite people....





Another shot of the outdoor spot.....


He LOVED the water!!!

A shot of the foyer/lobby

Austin playing with his MagiQuest wand while waiting for the evening storytime... he could have cared less about the story, he just wanted to play with his MagiQuest wand...the story was for Coop!

A shot of a portion of the indoor park.... that big bucket dumps water every 30 minutes...Austin loved it!

Getting ready for storytime around the Big Tower Clock!

What vacation is really about!! lol

Sisters

When sisters stand shoulder to shoulder, who stands a chance against us? ~Pam Brown

In May, my Aunt Leslie (my mom's sister) was diagnosed with AML. She was immediately transferred to Baylor Hospital in Dallas, TX to begin undergoing her chemo treatments.
The doctor suggested that if the treatments were successful, she would need to undergo a bone marrow transplant to promote the best chance of long-term recovery/remission....and who do they test to find a match? Her full-blooded siblings. Good thing she comes from a large Italian family with lots of kids... (my mom is one one of seven kids... Raymond, Robert, Richard, Lisa, Lori, Leslie, & Lydia)
Good news came...she has responded well to the treatments.....
As of yesterday, more good news, they found a match... and the winner is.....MY MOM! Talk about a flood of emotions.... and another incredible story to add to the Poche storybooks. I will keep you updated, but in the meantime, I ask that you keep the Poche family in your prayers.
Until next time.....

p.s. You can check out my aunt's story at http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/lesliejones