Sunday, December 19, 2010

ten things Caedmon is up to these days


1. playing by himself more - we're thankful that Caedmon is finally taking more time to play alone. not that we don't love to play with him - but MAN his energy level is hard to keep up with!
2. going to bed like a champ. he goes to bed well, doesn't complain about actually having to go to bed. that's nice!
3. READING - he can read. seriously, he has over 300 sight words and even read us an ENTIRE book the other day.
4. going to school and loving it. he enjoys being a part of ms lisa's k3 class. he especially loves show and tell. see my facebook for a video of him at school. its adorable.
5. making up stories - he loves to make up things that he "thinks" are true or wishes are true. for example, "i have that game (after seeing a game on tv), i got it at target. evee came over and played it before bedtime." hillarious....
6. getting hurt. he gets hurt or has little accidents allllll the time. he's so clumsy. he is always falling off chairs, bumping into things, and not looking in front of him while he walks...ahh!
7. lovin' a new boy band. his newest musical obsession is Hason and he loves BonJovi more than ever. Hason does have some awesome new music, yes the ummbop guys. he is always rockin' out to the ipod in the dock in his playroom.
8. asking santa questions - he asked who was dressed up like santa at church today. we told him it WAS santa. he then asked, "where's his sleigh." we said, "on top of the church roof. you can't see it." his reply - an innocent, "oh"
9. MEDIA obsession - he has a real obsession with media. he loves to watch movies, tv, look at videos and pictures on the computer, play with the ipod, our friends' iphones, etc. we're always trying to cut back on it, since he doenst get to watch much TV at all he craves it even more. this will be a battle for a loooooooong time i'm afraid.
10. he's so lovable. caedmon is so lovable to shepherd and us. he is always kissing and giving us hugs, and telling us how much he loves us. I just die when he says, " mommy, you'are a good mommy. a really good one." He always makes sure that we're "keeping shepherd."

we're very thankful for this amazing little 3 year 4 month old! he's still our joy!

Friday, December 17, 2010

another ten


10 things we love about Shepherd at 10 weeks

1. HE SLEEPS! yes, still! he sleeps so well. even if he doesn't take his long naps, his night time is great! HE goes to bed about 9 to 9:30 and only wakes up one time in the night and then in the a.m. before i got to work. THIS IS A GOD SEND FOR OUR FAMILY! HES AMAZING!
2. the chunk - we love the chunky wrists, thighs, belly...so cute!
3. THE SMILE! its so beautiful and he loves to smile at Caedmon, mommy, and daddy.
4. How you look at Caedmon. Shep loves caedmon, loves to pay attention to him, loves to see what hes doing, and he's always looking for him. even when caed is a little rough on him he's still happy.
5. your eyes - they are getting lighter, but have a depth to them that is so beautiful
6. how chill you are - we take you anywhere, make you wait to eat often because of many 3 year old interruptions, and you don't mind!
7. kicky-play-play : when you kick and play on the floor
8."strong man" i call you "strongman" beacuse you love to hold you head up and try and sit up and push up...all about up - mostly to get a better view of caedmon!
9. soft skin - i still kiss you so much and love those soft soft cheeks!
10. holding you - its still nice that shep is at the stage where he's not too heavy to carry around, he's just the perfect accessory! when i'm home with him i hate to put him down becuase i know how fast this time will go!

WE LOVE YOU SHEP!!!

Monday, December 13, 2010

christmas time is here! top 10 of 2010

wow! i am floored with the idea that 1. i have two kids 2. its' mid december 3. christmas i here

we are doing our usual events here: our annual christmas party *which was last night, putting up a tree, spending wayyyyy too much, eating wayyyy too much, and all the while trying to enjoy eachother and be thankful. We won't be travelling home to WI this year, but we'll be there in spirit and enjoying a true NE Christmas.
we are very thankful for this year

here's our top ten in 2010:

1. Finding out we’re having another one!
Feb 8, 2010 it was POSITIVE! we were pregnant again. This pregnancy was so different, but great. It went by very fast. It was fun to teach caedmon and train him to be ready for a little brother or sister.
2. Road trip to Pennsylvania/Ohio/Kentucky in April 2010
Spending time as a family on this road trip was the best part! we really enjoyed eachother and had the opportunity to visit the Creation Museum in KY. It was awesome.
3. Allie getting the opportunity to do photography
I finally put some of my passion to work this year being able to do some family shoots, senior portraits, and 6 weddings with Laura Wagner Photography. It was a great experience and hope to continue to do more with her and on my own.
4. Celebrating 5 years at Matthews Memorial Church
How the time has flown! we are blessed to be at Matthews Memorial and have grown very close to our church family here. This year we had an amazing VBS, a great Sunday School program, and the Stable coffeehouse is continuing to grow.
5. Best summer in New England– EVER!
We hit the beach a lot this summer, swam a ton, and enjoyed a very HOT beautiful summer. Caedmon loved being outside and enjoyed all the fun activities.
6. Ryan and Caedmon’s trip to Arkansas
The boys headed out to ARK to visit family. They enjoyed waterparks, seeing friends, and playing with Gramma and Pa.
7. Caedmon turning three…
His boy continues to amaze us! He is a music fanatic and has started to read! He's a joy to us every day and is so unique and special. We are very proud of our boy whos 3 going on 13.
8. Four years at Community Christian Academy
Ryan and I have now been with CCA for four years. We are very thankful to be apart of this amazing Christian school and ministry. This fall we started our 5th year; ryan as a bible teacher and Allie as school secretary.
9. Birth of Shepherd Thomas Reveley
October 5, 2010 at 7:48 a.m. our second son entered this world! After only 2 hours of labor his beautiful face made itself know and we fell in love! Shep is an amazing baby, very relaxed, mild mannered, and a good sleeper! Caedmon and Shepherd are already best friends and love one another so much.
10. Watching our family and boys grow
The greatest joy this year was watching our family grow. Spending time in MN with the Bablers was a highlight as well as using Skype to catch up. Another nephew is entering the picture this coming 2011 and we can't wait to meet him. We love our boys and we are thankful for every day with them and look forward to a great 2011.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Sunday, November 28, 2010

he's got it made


seriously what if your job was to:
1. wear comfy clothes all the time
2. sleep as much as you want and people adore you even more the MORE you sleep
3. eat your favorite food all day
4. when you do actually wake up, people hold you, cuddle you, smile at you, and kiss you
5. your comfort is the top priority of your employers and they do everything to make sure you are kept at the perfect temp, have nice blankets in reach, etc.
6. you don't even have to get up to go to the bathroom
7. your always surrounded by people you love and who love you

this sounds like the perfect job to me. the next best job, that i guess i'll accept is mine. i'll be returning there tomorrow, without this little man :*(
i know i'm blessed with my work and i'm happy i have this position, at this wonderful school. i'm just really going to miss him and it'll be quite the adjustment.
pray for us!

Friday, November 19, 2010

shepherd's birth story - finally :)

Shepherd’s birth story

I’m so excited to tell this story! I’m no past the point of still feeling the pain from it, so its easier to tell. Shepherd was 6 weeks this week, and a total joy. I never knew having a second boy could be just as great as having one boy! We are so in love with him and it’s been a blessing to have our family grow and have two perfect boys, each unique in their own way.
Shepherd came into this world even more dramatically than Caedmon, but in a calm drama – if you can believe that.
I think I was right when I said during the pregnancy, “a rougher pregnancy will bring a calmer baby”. Through all my aches and pains the last month, I held on to this hope. Caedmon gave me a perfect pregnancy, I didn’t even know a birthing pain until I went into labor and three hours later he was here! Shepherd’s pregnancy was rougher, wearing, tiring, and just plain painful. I had so much false labor and shooting pains that I dind’t know when this baby would come if ever!
I like to think the birth story began when we found out that my cousin, who lives in western Massachusetts announced she was engaged and getting married in OCT. She did so right when I found out I was pregnant! I instantly was anxious that my family would come for her wedding, leave, and then I’d give birth. I fretted over that for many months, and then realized – “HEY! God know’s!” He knew the whole time that this would happen. He is a loving father who wants what’s best for his children – he knew I wanted my family there. He knew…he delivered.
My family arrived, in stages. First, Nan, Brian, Elliot, and Dede (all the way from Alaska) showed up on Sept 28th. I was due Oct 12th. We spent a few days together until Mom, Dad, Will, Karen, and Mason arrived on Oct 2nd. The plan was that they would take Caedmon to the Oct 3rd wedding, and give us some time to relax, get ready for baby, or have the baby, that day and the next day Oct. 4th. That is just what happened. I had a lot of false labor on Oct 3rd, Ryan and I enjoyed a quiet day together. We went out for lunch, went for a beautiful fall walk, made dinner together, watched “24”, and watched the Bears game. I had contractions from 8 to 11 p.m., but then nothing. WE both slept well that night, and woke up to NO BABY. That was okay, my family was still in western MA and I had a Dr. appointment on Monday the 4th at 12. The midwife could see I was getting ready. I was 3 cm dialted and 80% effaced, she stripped my membranes and predicted I would have the baby within 24 hours. SHE WAS RIGHT!
That afternoon, I felt no different. I prepared a meal for the whole family and Laura and Ryan came to join us. I husseled and busseled around the house, getting ready for everyone’s return at 5 p.m. I was greatly distracted and we didn’t even talk much baby talk.
That night I went to bed, with some contractions, but nothing seriously. I woke up at 2 a.m. – felt nothing. Woke up at 5 a.m. – felt nothing. Woke up at 5:30 a.m….maybe felt something. Then, at 5:40 I had my first contraction with a sleeping husband next to me. Seven minutes later, another one, 5 minutes later, another one, 5 minutes later another one…until 6:15. I then said to Ryan, “I’m not going to let you sleep while I am over here in so much pain. “ These contractions weren’t bad, I was silent, still sleepy, and just relaxing my way through them. At 6:30 the first bad one hit. At the same time Caedmon woke up. I told ryan to attend to him and leave me alone. I then reached for my phone and called mom, at 6:33 a.m. I told her, “this is real, you might want to get here or get to the hospital.” Caedmon came into our bed, with his drink, and a hug for me. I cried, and cried. I knew it was the last time he was my only child. He was my oldest son, my baby…but not for long. It was real, he’d have a sibling today and all we’ve thought of would start to run its course. I held him, he told me he loved me, then I hugged him through another contraction. After that I knew I had to get serious. The clock said 6:45, and I could only think of the traffic on the way to the hospital if we waited too long. I ran to the bathroom. Elliot woke up (nan, brian, elliot, and dede were staying with us this night). I woke up Nan and Brian, told them we were going to the hospital. I was now doing well, about 3 to 5 minutes between contractions, but in pain. I put my contacts in, and began to feverishly brush my hair. Bags were all packed, we said our goodbyes, and I kissed Caedmon *who was now downstairs watching tv. He said, “Can I come.” Everyone in the room answered “NO.”
I got my camera bag, my purse, and into the driveway. I stopped to wait a contraction out and yelled, crying in pain, “ I want my mommy!” I was desperate, and needed to get to the hospital. We drove out of our driveway at exactly 7 a.m. We arrived to the hospital, contractions now 2 minutes apart at about 7:20. When I got into the emergency room, the attendant said, “honey, you’re carrying pretty high, I don’t think you’re going to have this baby today.” I gave her a piece of my mind, I said, “oh yeah! Well, my last labor was really fast too. I was 80% effaced and 3 cm yesterday, I’m having this baby now!” I got on my hands and knees and thought I should push, but I got on a bed and they rolled me to the room. It was about 7:25 when I arrived in the delivery room and met for the first time the midwife on duty – Kate Kent. She was at the end of her shift and visibly tired, not in the mood for me. She was not that cool – sorry, but it’s the truth. I got on the bed and was fully 10 cm, ready to go. They talked me through things, said she needed to break my water. I waited about 2 more contractions and let her break it. It was SWEEET RELIEF! Then had to push, and according to her, I wasn’t “pushing effectively.” Well, you tell me how effective this is – 5 solid pushes and a baby face up – and he was out. They said, “It’s a boy”, I looked down and there he was, on my chest. We were surprised, and overjoyed. Saying, we have two boys!!!! It was great, he was beautiful. I noticed the cleft in his chin right away and we named him Shepherd. It was an awesome moment and ryan did a beautiful job with me all the way. He took great pictures too!
The only sad thing was that mom and nan, and laura were not in the room to be there. Laura was running late, and mom and nan got lost on the way there! Bummer. But it was so special to just be me and ryan. I kissed him and held him and Shepherd was here. After a little bit of repair work*,Mom and Nan entered the room and met him. It was very emotional and sweet. I was so thankful they were there. Laura then came to take pictures. After an hour or so, ryan left the hospital and went to pick up Caedmon to meet his brother. These moments will always be treasured and welcoming Shepherd within hours of his birth was my whole family. I praise God that he delivered - he delivered in so many ways that day! Welcome Shepherd Thomas, you are loved!

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Whats up with my boys...

well, we're adjusting well...that's only thanks to 1. the grace of God, 2. my mom being here and doing practically everyting 3. the fact that ryan and are what i call "semi-professional" parents..(we're on our way to going all-pro but there are a lot of things we haven't conquered yet. )
4. the fact that i get to sleep in until 9ish every morning, sometimes 10. i'm a bear without a lot of sleep.

some funny things happening around here and some Shepherd notes :)
we did Shepherd's newborn pics at 6 days old, most of you may have seen them on Facebook or on laura's blog....www.laurawagnerphotography.com/blog...ADORABLE! well, in the process caedmon decided to sit on the chair that we had planned to use for shep, and said the following, "say, HI GOD!"
response from the crowd, "what?!?!"
caedmon, "say - "HI GOD", i'm God, in the throne."
response, "so, what you're saying is that you're God, sitting on a throne and want us to say Hi to you?"
caedmon, "yes!"

as the day went on, and the week went on - this little guy got more and more hillarious in his comments. like, after learning where he lived *Chelmsford, Massachusetts of course* he told his grandpa he lived in "Honk Kong"...he's crazy.

Shepherd is a good, good, good baby. Unfortunately he has a cold right now, and so he really does sleep and sleep, at night he was doing great until this little cold. We're having him sleep in the bassinet next to our bed and he's doing really well. He eats quickly and like a champ - no issues there. i have to start storing up milk for work though...oh boy.
Shepherd's eyes are turning more blue and he's a very BRIGHT baby. we notice how different he is from how caedmon was, but we love it. he's more cuddly and gentle and "soft". i've been decorating his room this week and as soon as i get curtains we'll unvail it! it's almost done and is very boyish and cute. i'm happy with the "bug car" theme, as mom calls it.
Shep is about 7.5 lbs now and sooo tiny.

we have Three Rules for Caedmon when it comes to Shepherd
1. NO TOUCHING SHEPPY'S EYES
2. NO LICKING HIM (yes, caedmon loves to lick shepherd, we can't figure that one out)
3. NO WAKING HIM UP WHEN HE'S SLEEPING

so far so good...we'll need to add more rules i'm sure like, no carrying him soon i think, but other than that Caed has been an amazing big brother and has only asked to, "Send Sheppy back to the hospital" once.

more excitement to come i'm sure...life is good.

Monday, October 11, 2010

Family of Four - Week 1


So, our first week as a family of four has been emotional, intense, exciting, relaxing at times, and even so - very smooth.

Since Shepherd's birth and coming home our first priority was really Caedmon's adjustment or lack there of. He's adjusted amazingly well to the baby...so well! he loves him so much, kisses him, loves to see him and hug him and wants to hold him, but he's not overwhelming him or me. We did notice, until today, that Caedmon was "out of sorts" just not himself. He would act up for ryan and i, but was perfect for my mom or whoever else was watching him. His behavior was just so not "him" and a few times really brought Ryan and I to tears. We knew this would be a transition time, but it's still hard to go through. We just kept saying, We're sooooooo thankful he's nice to the baby. Not once has he said anything negative about Shepherd. He calls him "shep-her-deeeeee" and is interested in the "built in bottles of milk" that mommy has. That took some explaining :)
Caedmon was back to normal today - PRAISE THE LORD! he played like normal, ate like normal, acted like Caedmon again. wheew!!!
the morning i went into labor caedmon came into our bed like normal, at about 6:30 a.m. until 6:45...my contractions were less than 5 apart and i knew it was going to get serious. I just held him, my only son at the time, and cried and cried. I just kept thinking this was it, i was going to have two children by the end of this day and things were going to change forever. He said, " i love you mommy" and hugged me back. These "last" moments with him i'll always remember because it gave me the strength to really get serious about the labor and bring Caedmon his brother or sister home.
so, now that we're adjusting and doing well, i'm just taking a sigh of relief knowing my boys are here. i have BOYS, i have SONS....it's great! We'll go through so many transitions and changes, but we're also going to have a millllllion amazing experiences!

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

39 weeks - and the baby is here!!!!!


welcome to the world SHEPHERD THOMAS REVELEY! This morning after only 2 hours of labor another little boy entered our family! 7 lbs even 19.5 inches long and perfectly perfect! he looks like caedmon, but has a cute dimple in his chin and actually is sleepy...atleast for now! we're so blessed and happy and our family is beyond excited!!!!! more info to come!

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

37 weeks and i'm feeeeeeeeeeeeling gooooooooood

yes, i'm actually feeling really good this week. last week was harder on my body and this week i'm settling in to this "dropped" belly and just willing to wait it out. tomorrow i have an appointment and will get checked, then tuesday i'll get checked to see if there was any progress in those 5 days...if so, i may consider some "help" along the way to get this baby here while my family is visiting.
some awesome baby blessings came our way this week:
1. SURPRISE SHOWER from our friends for our whole family. it was amazing - see hte pics on facebook.
2. Gifts from my parents for baby Reveley. they, of course, sent all things that we want/need and can totally use for baby!!!!! a new boppy lounger, a bundle-me, and some bottles. very cool. my mom is so considerate!
3. not a baby blessing, but a major good thing. Ryan's dad had a heart attack last week, out of the blue. this monday he had surgery and is recovering very well. its hard that ryan couldn't go to ARK to be there, but all is well and he's feeling better. We are thankful for all the prayers and support they've had while flynn was in the hospital and as he continues to heal.
4. our baby names are no longer 100% secret, we told all of our closet friends at the shower. it was fun to share. teh girl name got rave reviews and the boy name was looked at "questionably" but they all liked it. kinda like when we dropped the Caedmon-bomb on everyone. no one expected a name like that and it seemed to foreign, but its SO him now. i'm sure if its a boy the same thing will happen.

so, waiting for baby reveley is going smoothly and this our last week of normalcy before my fam comes and i'm out of work, etc.
whew! i'm ready...i think....ahah

Sunday, September 12, 2010

1 month to go...some baby news


well, my baby is due in exactly 1 month from today! how it could possibly be september 12th already is beyond me! how the family that i have always dreamed of is quickly becoming real is also beyond me. tonight i took time to reflect on a picture of caedmon only hours after he was born, then a picture of him now...un-b-elieve-a-ble! seriously...how does the world just keep spinning. i wish i had a pause button.
lately, i've been so in love with my big boy and savoring all the sweet little things about him before my time is going to be slip a bit. i think he's ready, i mean - we have been talking about it FOREVER! he is as anxious as we are i'm sure! whenever i'm stopped around the house with a "practice pain" he says, "you okay, mommy. was it the baby?" he's understanding a bit.
things these past few weeks:
- i'm fuller, quicker. can't eat as much because my entire abdomen is fulllllllll
- all my maternity shirts are even getting short on me...not fun. need to wear dresses i guess!
- back to working full time and sore after work. very tired most days again.
-NESTING - getting this house ready for not only the baby, but my entire family to visit! they are coming between sept 29 and oct 2 and leaving between oct 6 and 8th - excpet my mom and aunt who are staying almost the whole month of oct. it'll be a wild month with many visitors and so pray with us i have the baby while they are all here so they can meet him/her
-buying baby stuff: diapers, wipes, bath stuff, replacing some worn out/old things, and yes - still buying GIRL things because i have NOTHING if this baby is a girl!
- very sore pelvis and lots of low back pain.
- wakeful at night in pain and in anticipation of the baby
- more emotional - but cranky actually. i hate this part of hormones, because i don't like to be a cranky, whiney person. but it comes out that way unfortunately.
- decorating: got new carpet in the baby room and so i'm choosing fabrics for the curtains, bedding etc, for boy and girl and will purchase after the birth.
- at my last dr. appointment on the 31st of august i got some news. the Dr. thinks that it may be safer in my case to naturally induce with stripping my membranes and using the insertion of cervidil between 38-39 weeks instead of waiting to see how i go into labor. the reason is because i had such a rapid labor with caedmon and i almost didn't make it to the hospital. also, because of my contractions already he wants to have more "control." normally i'd be 100000% NO, but because my family is going to be here visiting exactly between 38-39 weeks i may go for it if he checks me and i'm already looking like there is some progression. he is confident that it will go smoothly and still happen naturally without other intervention. i do TOTALLY trust him, but i just need to wait and see how i'm feeling and how my body is progressing.

well, that is baby Reveley news. we do have names, we are ready for boy or girl, we are excited, and caedmon is too! come on, baby!!!!!

Sunday, September 5, 2010

my fav family - the Mabons and Gracie's 6 month shoot


the happiest baby on planet earth!

My future daughter-in-law :)....what a beauty!!!!!!! Evee, 3 years 6 months



The Mabons - picture perfect!


believe it or not, these eyes are not edited!!!! these girls just naturally have glistening eyes!


Sunday, August 29, 2010

Katie J - Senior Pictures







Here is a sneak preview of Katie's senior pictures! We had a beautiful morning to shoot and Katie always smiled perfectly! I had a great time doing your pictures and wish you the best during your senior year!

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Jenna and Matt Machnik - Wedding Day!


after the sweet and wonderful ceremony, we met downtown lowell for some MASSIVE wedding party pictures! gotta love this fun group!
perfection.
party!
MORE TO COME!!!!! I'm having uploading issues...sorry!!!!
-Allie

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Senior Saturday

This saturday morning I had the pleasure of photographing two seniors. They are friends and so we did their sessions in the same locations at the same tim. Sam and Kevin were great! Enjoy this preview!




Beautiful Sam, Class of 2011. She was so easy to photograph and she has a great sense of style! BEST OF LUCK!
Kevin, Class of 2011, in the culinary arts program at Greater Lowell Tech. He is a really chill, nice guy and was so cooperative! I had a fun time photographing him, even when I got attacked by killer bees! BEST OF LUCK, KEVIN! God bless you on this new journey and during your last year of HS.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

August b-day boys!


Today is my dad's 62nd birthday - retirement age, right? NO WAY! This guy is more active than ever and such an inspiration. He is a perfect example that if you love what you do, no age can define when you should stop. mom would argue and say, mayb he needs to slow down a little bit!


My dad has always been an amazing father, and we knew he'd be an AWESOME grandfather! When he got three little boys off the bat, that was PERFECT! Dad is awesome with all the little guys, always teaching them and laughing, playing, and rough-housing. I just wish he was able to see Caedmon more because they are SO much alike! i'm blessed beyond belief with this father and caedmon and baby don't even realize how great of a grandfather they have yet. Someday when they look back at the pictures of themselves with him I hope they see his JOY!


Here is a great picture of dad with Mason, his youngest grandson, my brother's boy. Mason is a funny little sweetheart. Dad and Mason are "tight" because they get to see eachother a little more than the rest of the boys. So cute!


Speaking of MASON, it is almost his first birthday - saturday! I can't believe how much he's changed in one year. He's a big boy, so full of happiness, and very laid back. I loved watching him scoot around at the cabin on vacation and it was especially cute watching my brother and his wife with their adorable son! Mason is going to be a very smart boy, we can already see that. Not to mention, HANDSOME! his blue eyes are so bright and he's just wonderful!



enjoy these pictures of my august bday boys!

Sunday, June 27, 2010

be impressed


seriously. you can be envious and impressed by this blog post.
haha, just kidding. i'm just so excited about the last 4 days! i've had the best long "weekend" it was great not having to work and i got so much accomplished.

just to name a few things:
1. finally got some sun. swam and played in the pool with caedmon at our friend's the Meitzner's
2. relaxed
3. organized, even my underware drawer got organized! i have a list of more things i want to clean out/sort before this summer is through but i got a chunk of it done.
4. began work on VBS
5. created a new logo for our church to launch our new website.
6. chose paint and painted caedmon's new room, the superhero room as it used to be affectionatly called. he will get this room on his bday or a few days before when we're actually celebrating his bday
7. hit some awesome garage sales, got baby girl clothes. justification: i have nothing girly. i have tons of boy stuff, it only cost me a few bucks, there IS a 50% chance i am having a girl, if i don't, i know a million people who are having children or will have children in the next year or so :) so there! hahah
8. got a bookshelf for the baby room that match the furniture perfectly, only $5! got some maternity shorts which were a must and a top for practically nothing!
9. went out for breakfast with my boys, had a blast!
10. took down and cleaned all my mini blinds in the upstairs, and put them back up. success
11. paint is 100% complete in caed's new room
12. organized my computer desk
13. only spent a total of $60 this weekend which is AWESOME for us, including all the garage sales, two trips to gary's *ice cream place across the street hahah, had to try the new JAVABERRY(coffee ice cream with rhaspberries), out to eat for breakfast, and trip to walmart.
14. scrapbooked! got a few pages done that i have been working on for months.
15. took some maternity pics with the assistance of my awesome "photographer want-to-be" hub
16. watched a total of 14 episodes of "24" only the best show ever! why did no one ever make me watch this before!!!! it's awesome
17. grocery shopped because it's going to be "sandwhich week" at the reveleys. trying new kinds of yummmy sandwhiches! can't wait. (groceries don't count in the $60 spent)
18. planned caedmon's 3rd bday party, which i didn't plan on doing, but what the heck. he deserves it he's the best!
19. scored a twin bed for caedmon's room. at the present we only had a metal frame, box spring and matress - now we're all set: FREE!
20. worshiped God! that was the best, so i saved it for last! church is looking more encouraging these days which is great!

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

just about you - baby!

22 weeks pregnant this week.
here is a pic of me with Gracie Mae ( 3 months 2 weeks old), my friend Laurel's 2nd child. She is precious and makes me think about my no. 2 coming soon.

so, i am constantly fighting the "second child syndrome" of having less pictures, less notes, less special moments with my second child than my first. the pregnancy is already so much teh same, that is doesn't seem like it's "different" or "ultra special" but YES! this is HUGE! i get to be pregnant and give birth to a CHILD...some one God has entrusted me to raise and teach and love. so, man...no second child syndrome here. this baby is going to be just as loved and spoiled and photographed and talked about...

lately with my baby:
everyone is saying, "wow, you've popped" and i guess i have. i don't have daily pics of this progress but i do have weekly ones and i am totally excited about seeing how baby reveley has changed.

this child LOVES food. every time i eat, its immmmmmediatly reacting with jumps and bumps.

this child is coming at God's perfect time. i have submitted to that and have decided to take all control out of the situation, just like i did the first time. it is tempting to ask to be induced or have them "check" me at 37 weeks on, but NO! i have decided that i am going to ask to be "left alone" until the time comes and see what happens. i was very tempted to try other things because my family will be here the week before the baby is due, but i will just wait and see what Godhas planned.

I was worried that this baby would come in the middle of the school year and throw everything off and i would "let everyone down" because i am having a baby. but it is not that at all. i am bringing a blessing to my life, our life, and all our firend's lives. plus, who knows what joy this child will bring the people around it. i don't want to worry about how it'll effect "work" but how GREATLY it will impact others and the time i take raising this child in the first few weeks is not worth pushing it and returning to work early. this is one time i can be selfish in taking my time with my child and I AM DETERMINED TO.

boy or girl, i DON't care. surprisingly i don't care at all. i am just excited for a baby. i do hope it's cuddly this time, unlike my firstborn! hahah, but i am so happy with either there are so many reasons i would want a brother for caedmon and so many i would want a sister. so, i am extremely excited to be surprised on the day he/she comes to join our family.

tired. yes, i'm still extremely tired. can't forget that. hoping by baby 3 i will not have time to think about being tired.

yes, we want more kids than just 2. another story for another time.

i am so ready to just hold and love this child and even to breastfeed and cuddle and heck - even change diapers again.

:)

Sunday, June 6, 2010

6 great years - happy anniversary to me and ryan!

our 6th anniversary would be an eventful one. whenever you're juggling a graduation weekend, a 2 year old, a pregnancy, bridal showers, and more - all while trying to keep traditions and LOVE alive!
6 things:
1. our gift to eachother. never thought i'd be this excited, but we got a new vaccuum! love it! it's a little heavy, but works amazingly well and is AWESOME! thanks, ry! xo
2. one tradition, that we hope to keep up is going to kimball's farm for ice cream with caedmon. we did this on our 4th year anniversary. i got carmel cashew chip ice cream tooo good! caedmon didn't really "hang" with us, but was a little overtired and so our time at kimball's was a little bit of a bummer.
3. this guy. i have said it a million times, but he is sooooooooo amazing. i never thought i'd love him more than the day i married him, but we love eachother wayyyyyyyyyyy more some how. ryan makes me happy everyday. He helps me be a better person and mom. he encourages and loves me and makes me feel beautiful. i'm so in love more today than ever!
4. me, knew we wanted kids, but didn't see my 6 year anniversary as pregnant. i look so preggo! i'm popping out and not looking forward to getting bigger and bigger. but, i am looking forward to have our family and love grow more! i do look so worn out and tired in this pic, but that is how life has been lately. however, i'm happy content and thankful
5. kiss.
6. reminisce. 6 years ago....the best day ever. we had a beautiful wedding, with wonderful weather and amazing friends/family.

happy anniversary Ryan, i love you and our life together!!!!

Monday, May 17, 2010

week of may 10-16, 2010 in pictures

Tuesday: a surprise bubble tea from my boys! so awesome! i love it when they come and visit me at work and surprise me.
All week: caedmon has a new obsession; TARZAN. he was playing tarzan all week long, inside and out. he pounds his chest and calls daddy the "bad monkey" and mommy is none-other-than, Jane. he thinks he looks like tarzan when he puts his hands by his face. so funny.

Wed: my half day of work is wednesday so i put caedmon in DC and got a pedicure with my friend April who is pregnant too. She is due 5 weeks ahead of me and we've had fun working together on the River Run and sports program at school. she's having a little boy and i'm so excited for her! her older son is 13! so its all new again for her! we had a great time relaxing and getting pedicures!

friday: caed got a box of toys and clothes from grandma reveley. we only let him have one of the toys because he didn't know there were like 5 in the box! so, he loved his new zurg. even during time out while playing outside, he was happy cause zurg was next to him. i love his eyes in this pictures - so "glistening" and beautiful.

Caedmon reading comics Sunday morning before church. he really loves comic books and knows all the heroes and villians. i just make sure that ryan doesn't let him read anything too advanced :)

Friday, May 7, 2010

Unedited - Photoshoots May 2010 Julie, Hannah, and Emily

I have been waiting to take pictures of my favorite teenager - Julie T. She turned 16 last month and I wanted to capture her fun side! she's a beautiful girl inside and out! She talented, funny, a wonderful Christian girl...i could go on and on. Enjoy....



After taking pictures of Julie we met up with her Nieces and took some dance pictures. They all dance at the same studio and have recitals coming up. Hannah G (older) and Emily G (younger) were so adorable and LOVED the camera!


I love getting practice, now i just need a mac and can get to editing....hummmm before Baby 2 comes hopefully!