Feeling Yucky

I am now around 7 weeks pregnant and am experiencing the pains of the first trimester. Overall I am just really really really tired. I feel nausea most of the day and just overall feel BLAH. I feel really sorry for my husband because my hormones are raging and I am really sweet one second and not so much the next!

Emma Kate continues to love the idea of being a big sister and is pretty sure that we are having a girl. She still thinks we are naming the baby Sara Lindsey Sara McKenzie and rubs my belly constantly. She often pretends that she has a baby in her belly and ask me ALL THE TIME when we will we go to the hospital. We get to go to our first doctor's appointment on Tuesday and we all 3 are very excited about getting to hear the baby's heartbeat and see the baby for the first time.

I am counting down the weeks until this first trimester is over but at the same time trying to remain thankful for all the aches and pains. I know what a high privilege it is to carry a child in my womb. It is one of the reasons I love being a woman.

Snow Day!

Atlanta saw 6 inches of snow today which closed Emma's school and both of our offices. It proved to be a fun day of playing in the snow, making strawberry cupcakes and strawberry cookies, cuddling on the couch watching some movies, and now ending the day watching the National Championship game. Jeff and I also spent some time today making an offer on a house here in Atlanta! Looking/buying a house has made Atlanta seem a little more like home. We have not been able to officially make the offer due to the weather but look forward to moving forward with the offer once we can get out again. Emma's school is already closed for tomorrow and there is a good chance that Jeff will get to be home with us again.

2010 In Review

2010 has been a whirlwind year for us. I have lived in 4 different houses and 2 states!

Jan.: We lived in Olive Branch,MS and I stayed home with Emma Kate and worked 10-15 hours a week.

Feb.: We found out that we had to move out of the house we were renting so we starting to look for a house to buy in the Olive Branch/Hernando area. Jeff started a new job.

March: We found a house we LOVED and started the buying process. Towards the end of the month we had a major hiccup in our marriage and Emma Kate and I left MS.

April: Emma and I spent Easter in Alabaster and was loved on by my sweet friends there. We then made our way to Atlanta to start over.

May: Emma and I spent the month living with my brother. I also spent a lot of time finding childcare for Emma in Atlanta, setting up a new work routine, and rebuilding my relationship with Jeff.

June: We spent the first week of the month on family vacation at the beach in a beautiful house. Jeff moved to Atlanta and we moved into an apartment. I turned 30!

July: I received a promotion at work and was asked to run our direct placement business in Atlanta.

Aug.: Jeff and I celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary. It was truly a milestone to celebrate and an event that would not have happened without the grace of God over both of our lives.

Sept: Emma started Pre-K at a new school and is loving it. We also spent a fun family day at Stone Mountain Park.

Oct.: Emma turned 4! Ms. Sandy, Caitlin, and Miss Jordan came down to celebrate. Later in the month we spent the day at a farm and had a lot of fun learning how to milk a cow and see cattle being herded.

Nov. : Jeff went to play with a band from MS so he dropped me off in Alabaster for quick visit on his way to the gig. We also had some of our old students (who are now all in college) come for a weekend visit with us in Atlanta. We spent Thanksgiving at his parents house in Hernando. We left Emma in Hernando so we got to spend the whole week after Thanksgiving with just each other.

Dec. : I went to Deeper Still in Birmingham the first weekend in December. Other then that first weekend we spent every weekend after that celebrating Christmas. The 2nd weekend we did Christmas in Atlanta with my entire family. The 3rd weekend Jeff's parents came to celebrate Christmas and Jeff's 32nd birthday. We spent Christmas weekend with my brother and his family as well as my mom and sister. Emma was so much fun and it was topped off with snow! We also found out this month that Emma is going to be a big sister!

2010 was full of a lot of changes but the one thing that never changed was the faithfulness of our God. We end the year being able to see His hand across all things and thankful for His continued provision over us.

Emma Kate is going to be a big sister!

We are celebrating some exciting news at the McKenzie house....we are having another baby! Emma Kate is beyond excited and is going to be such a great big sister. Here are some of her statements over the last 24 hours.

"Mommy you sure do have a lot of people in your body. You have Jesus in your heart, a baby in your belly, and all the food and water you have had today in your belly. How do you have room for all that?"

I was drinking water with my dinner and she said "mommy the baby does not like water the baby only likes milk. I know because I only drank milk when I was a baby and I did not like water at all."

"Why is the baby naked in your belly? I think you should buy some clothes for her?"
(We do not know what we are having yet she just wants a girl! :)

"Is it time to go to the hospital yet?"
(Nope we still have 9 months to go!)

"Can the baby's bed be in my room? When she cries I will either call for you to help me or just put the baby in bed with me. The baby will love sleeping with me."

Emma has rubbed and kissed on my belly non stop! I do not know who the nine months is going to be longer for....me or Emma.

White Christmas Day 2010

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Merry Christmas!

I just wanted to jump on and wish everyone a Merry Christmas! I have a few posts brewing in my mind and heart but tonight is not the night to write them.

Today was a great day at the McKenzie house. Emma woke up around 8:00 and she opened her presents. She is at such a fun age and really loved everything she opened. She was even quick to tell me she saw one of the dolls in our closet that was wrapped under the tree! It is good thing that "Santa" only brings her stocking and mommy and daddy bring everything else because we would have had some explaining to do :) Jeff and I were not going to exchange presents so I was not expecting to have anything under the tree. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find 2 presents under the tree for me! I am very excited about both and thankful for a sweet husband who knows my love language.

Today I have a lot of things to be thankful for. However, I am most thankful for "The word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." John. 1:14

Emma Kate

Emma Kate,

I have had the privilege to stay home with you for the past 3 years. A month ago I decided to go back to work more on a full time basis and you are now in school 3 days one week and 4 days the next. However, today I get to stay home with you again and take a breath to just be your mommy. We started the day snuggling and talking about how you are not a baby anymore but my big girl. You loved listening to me list all the things you can do now that you could not as a baby. We said things like "now you can walk and you used to be able to only scoot, now you can drink out of a big girl cup and you used to only be able to drink out of a bottle, now you eat everything and you used to only to have milk" and the list went on and on! I am so proud of you and the little big girl you have become.

You have quite the imagination and talk non stop. When I say you talk non stop.....that is EXACTLY what I mean :) A few nights ago as you were praying you said " God I know in the past that I have told you I just want to be a mommy but I changed my mind. I still want to be a mommy when I am 20 but then I want to be a doctor when I am 60. I want to do both ok????" When you were talking to Ms. Sandy yesterday you decided that you and Kae Kae could open a practice together but you would need to wear gloves before you helped the patients. Last night you decided our living room floor was the ocean and you proceeded to jump from the chair to into the ocean while holding your nose. You just came into the room with your bathing suit on and told me you were going to the ocean again and needed me to blow up your floats.

You did not think a lot about your school but it has grown on you and now you love it. You have a lot of friends there and really like Ms. Marie. On Friday you get your face painted so you have asked me if you go for a little while today to do that. Your most favorite thing to do right now is go to the pool. You have come a long way this summer in your love for the pool. You now can jump off the side all by yourself and LOVE IT when mommy and daddy throw you in from the side. Your second most favorite thing is going to get ice cream after dinner. You had only been awake for a few minuets when you started negotiating with daddy about getting ice cream when he came home from work today.

Your mommy and daddy love you very much Miss Emma Kate McKenzie and count it our highest calling to get to be your parents.