T-Ball at Last

Caleb and Daddy 
Kaden and Aiden...two buddies just waiting for practice to start. 


I just think he looks so tiny in these pictures!



Isn't he beautiful!

  I didn't put a lot of comments next to the pictures because I'm just not sure what to say. My heart is so full and I'm just so proud of my precious baby boy! I can't believe he's starting t-ball! He did such a great job listening to his coaches, hustling after the ball, hitting, catching and throwing...nothing extraordinary but amazing to his mama. I just marvel at this precious little man that God allows me to call mine. I'm so in love with him. If I'm this excited just after the first day of assessment, I can't imagine how I'll feel after he actually has his first game! :) We should hear back later today from the coaches to see which team he's on. I'm just so glad that he had a good time and did his best. I'm so so proud.  

  Not sure what the rest of the weekend will hold...we may still try to squeeze a swim in but will probably devote the rest of this weekend to letting Matt study. oh, I am looking for a good jogging stroller or just a really good stroller if anyone has any advice or recommendations on what to look for, that would be great!  Thanks. Jesus loves you.

3 weeks and counting...

So I really need to get the boys down for their nap, but don't even feel like I have enough energy to climb the stairs...so here I sit. It may be time to par down the walking in the mornings...my buns are so sore today  and  I'm SO tired...anyways....

  Our OB appointment was the best yet yesterday. Not because the baby flipped...she's still sitting pretty with her head up, but because the doctor was very giving and LISTENED! Very nice. We decided to go ahead and set a c-section date understanding that she will probably not flip though God can do anything even up until the last minute. He did assure me that he will do an ultrasound right before the c-section just to make sure there isn't any last minute turning...in fact, he shared one story about a lady he had a spinal in, draped, and prepped in the OR and he saw her stomach do a weird flip and sure enough the baby flipped at that moment! They just waited until the spinal wore off and then induced her! Crazy! I don't think that will be our story but we'll see. 

  The most amazing part of yesterday was before I went in Matt and I sat down and picked a day that would be our day of choice if given one. We figured Thursday the 23rd at about noon looked best for Matt's school schedule and for my mom coming within a week...so as the Dr.s walking out the office door he's mumbling something about the 16th for a date, I can't follow to talk to him cause I'm stripped from the waist down and hear something about he'll call me and let me know. Whatever. So I'm standing at the desk waiting to make an appointment for next week and he comes up behind me and says, "You know I don't usually do this, but I"m willing to let you go to your due date!" What!!!! I've been asking for that for weeks. I start thanking him profusely and I say, "Just to clarify that's the 27th?" He says, "No, I have the 23rd as your due date!" At this point, I'm like ok God you win I'll let you have control...so they called last night and we're scheduled for April 23 at 12 p.m.! 3 weeks from tomorrow! Thanks for the prayers. We'd still love to see her flip but I have much more peace knowing that God is in control and working out all the details...down to the date and time!

Toys R Us

Yesterday, Matt and I packed the boys up and headed into Salinas to get some baby shopping done. We finally have a car seat! WooHoo! One less thing I can check off the "to do before baby comes" list. We found what we needed at Toys R Us and also picked up a new changing table pad (those things are expensive! $22 for something you're going to change poop on, Really!!!) Anyways, as soon as we got home we found our old one...so I headed back into Salinas today to return the new one. Ok this is a really long explination to get to the point of the story. When I told Caleb where we were going today he said, "Yeah! Toys For Us! I love that store!" :) I just like that instead of Toys R Us he calls it Toys For Us. What a great marketing campaign.

  In other Caleb news, he TOLD me he had to go poppy today and did it! This is a huge break through!!! We've been scrubbing underwear for a week strait! Sorry, if that's to much info, but really this is huge for the Van Hook house this week. 

  Our doctor appointment is tomorrow as well. Dr. said he was going to do an ultrasound to check position for sure, and I"m thinking we'll get a c-section date set up just in case she's not turned. I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks for the prayers. Keep them coming! Jesus loves you.

Swimming Results...

Basically I got really wet, my ear drums started to really hurt from diving to the bottom so many times...I guess from the pressure, and baby girl is still head up! :) Oh well, it was fun just to swim around for a while and hopefully next week everyone will be healthy so we can just go play around in the pool as a family. Maybe it's time to just let it go and let God! :) Have a blessed Sunday!

Friday Night

Not much to say tonight, just felt like popping in and saying hello. Hope everyone had a good end of the week and is looking forward to the weekend. We had a sick boy for the last two days...not quite the way Matt and I had hoped to spend his only two days off between semesters, but that's ok. Kaden seems to be fever free tonight, and I'm so grateful that all he seems to have had is a fever without the stomach bug or cough! Now we're praying that Caleb stays healthy! Praise the Lord for the healthy babies that we have!
I'm hoping to take our baby swimming in the morning. I've read and heard that standing in shoulder deep water and then diving down toward the bottom of the pool can help flip a baby. :) Seems like when you become weightless they do too and it's easy for them to turn around...I don't know we'll see what happens. I KNOW that this is ALL in God's hands and that no matter what His perfect will, will be done. Still it never hurts to go for a swim! :) Hope everyone has a great weekend. I'll let you know how the swim goes. Jesus loves you.

Still Up

From everything we could tell at our appointment yesterday, Baby Girl is still head up and perfectly happy! :) Silly girl. Our doctor's still sticking to wanting to do a c-section at 39 weeks. Matt and I both feel we should probably trust his judgment on this, but are still praying that God will turn her in the next four weeks! Other then that I'm felling...big.  :) 

  On a more exciting baby note, I was able to pick up our diaper bag today! I'm so blessed that Matt let me have one made by a really sweet girl down the street! I got to pick out the fabric (although you can't see it in the picture there's little bits of like white pearl looking drops through out it...it's supposed to kind of look like it's under the sea), and custom design it on the inside. It's really special and it does get me excited about having a girl and getting to see her very soon! Now we just need to finish her room! We did get the crib up, but there's still a lot of rearranging and such to do...all in good time! 

  I was reminded today, yet again, to make sure that I'm praising the Lord each day for all things, not just when things are going "right". Understanding, that His will and His plan is perfect. I want my life to be lived out as a sacrifice or praise. Jesus loves you. 

Super Buddies

Spiderman, Robin, and ummm...I'm not sure what Caleb is supposed to be...a masked, no pants, backpack man :)
Our Defender of Truth and Justice

  The boys have become really good friends with our duplex neighbor Aiden. They love to dress up in costumes and defend the universe...or at least the house from invading pirates, robots, or villians...whomever is coming at the moment! I feel very safe with my superheros around. :)

  Hope everyone is having a good weekend. I love how I can make plans and then God can rearrange them and it turns out for the better. I'm most excited about getting a date with Matt...I can't even remember the last time we went out alone together. We're going for Chinese food and to the hospital! WooHoo..what a date! We've got to go to the hospital to have our pre-admission interview before the baby comes...I'm not sure what we're interviewing for, hope they find us worthy of having our baby at the hospital! :) Speaking of baby...As far as I can tell she is still head up. We'll find out for sure on Monday. I have been trying different things (thanks to everyone for their VERY sweet and helpful advice, I really appreciate it). I've done everything from laying upside down on an ironing board that's propped up against the couch and sitting with bags of frozen peas on my belly! The babies aren't supposed to like cold so they rotate away from the cold peas...I don't think she's fully rotated but she definitely does NOT like having frozen peas put on her head. :)

  On the big boy front...Caleb is doing really well with potty training! WooHoo! I'm so proud of him, and thrilled that we may very well be all done with diapers before the baby comes!

  Hope everyone has a good weekend. Jesus loves you. 

Baby Update

Well, we're half way through our eight month! Praise the Lord! :) We went to the doctor yesterday for our checkup and found out that our little girl (although the doctor refused to check and make sure that baby really is a girl...Said something like, "I've never been wrong." and "I checked once and it's a girl.") Hope he's right! Anyways, is sitting pretty....literally sitting, as in strait up and down with her head way up...not anywhere close to the correct position! :) While we do still have time for our breech baby to turn, the doctor is beginning to talk c-section, scheduled 5 weeks from yesterday! I was not at all ready for that time frame. Suppose we should get the crib up and a car seat bought! :) We go again next Monday to see if she has turned at all, and the doctor explained some "positions" I can get in to try and encourage her to move. Picture, a girl push-up with your hind in sticking up as high as you can get it and your head down. Weird. We are so so SO thankful for a healthy baby, so far, and we know that God has all things in His powerful hands. We would still covet your prayers though for a turned baby and a vaginal delivery! Thanks so much! Hope everyone is having  a happy Tuesday. 

Hereditary?

Kaden posing with his new pirate lego set, that he bought with his own money and built ALL by himself!
Is it possible for Lego fascination (kind way of saying obsession) to be hereditary? If so, Kaden definitly gets it from his daddy. We spend most of our afternoons playing legos at our house...big and little boys! :) Right now we're into the pirate lego sets. We even put on theme music (Pirates of the Carabiean) while we play, makes the experience that much more fun. I'm just glad that Matt and the boys have something that they really love doing together and can really get excited about...Wonder if our little girl will get into running so she and mommy can share the same fetish too? :)

Thursday Ramblings...

Matt snapped this picture of Kaden, Caleb, and their cousins staring down a hole near Papa Van's spa...I have no idea what they're looking at or what they're looking for, I just love how even a hole is fascinating when you're little!
Just checking in with everybody and hoping that the sun is shining just as brightly and warmly at your house as it is at mine. :) I love the ocean, have I said that before? *sigh* I'm counting my blessings, that we still have another year here before moving to a place with four seasons...and really it's only one season I'm not a big fan of! :)

 Kaden had his first official field trip today. Very fun, very noisy, but every child, as far as I could tell, was accounted for and without injury so that is a success! His preschool went to the children's museum downtown to play. It's not so much a museum as a cool play place to run around in. I love those kind of museums! You get to touch everything. Caleb is a bit obssessed with the play house, having tea, and the pretend cupcakes. I think he carried around the chocolate cupcake the entire hour and a half we were there and wasn't at all thrilled about passing it on to someone when we had to leave. :) The way to that boys heart is his tummy!

  Not much planned for this weekend. We may head into Salinas and get some baby shopping done and such so that's exciting. Monday is our next OB appointment so until then the days drag a bit. It cracks me up how I can wait for weeks to get to see the doctor and our appointments last about 10 min! Our doctor is so fast. I'm in and out before I have time to ask him questions. At least I never have to wait in the office! I'm hoping for an ultrasound to see if our little one is still breech but we'll see...that may take more then my 10 min. of alloted time! :) As long as he's good in the delivery room, I won't complain...much. :)

  Well, enough postponing the inevitable bathroom cleaning. Hope everyone has a great weekend. Jesus loves you.

Disneyland!!!

Reading the word "Disneyland" on the front gate and starting to realize why we are there!
A picture to prove that we were the first one's in line at the gate! It was fun but slightly anti-climatic as the boys were SO excited to be at Disneyland and then we had to wait 20 min. to get into the parking! :)

We met up with our precious friends the Aquinos and had a blast together. 
Kaden, Caleb, and Gracyn waiting in line to meet the Princesses! 
Princess Aurora! Very exciting...I loved that Gracyn adored sitting on her lap, I'm sure she felt just like a princess too!
Aurora took the kids over to Snow White to personally introduce them! 
I think Caleb's favorite part of the day was eating...lunch, ice cream, dinner, lollypops...etc. :)
Kaden is exactly 46 in. tall...just big enough to ride all the big rides...which have now affectionatlly been deemed "freak out rides!" :) I love this face cause you can tell he's just not sure how he's going to like "Indiana Jones"!
Posing with Tigger. We got the boys an autograph book and the boys got about 14 signatures. They had so much fun meeting all their favorite characters. 
Caleb finally got his own Mickey Mouse ears!
Jedrix and Matt taking the kiddos on the teacups! I love this picture cause both the daddies are pointing at the mommies telling the kids to smile :)
Caleb eating again! 
Both boys passed out while we waited for the Fantasmic show to start.
Sweet sleepy boys. 

  Thank you Lord for such a great weekend. We arrived safely at Disneyland Friday morning after driving all night! It was worth every moment to see the boys in the morning as they realized why we were there! All we had told the boys that morning when we woke them up to put them in the car is that we had to run some errands. What blessed Matt and I SO much is that they never questioned us or where or why we had to go. They were perfectly content to just be with us and know that we had a plan and would keep them safe. Oh, that we would trust God like that when we can't see His plan.

  We had a wonderful day with our friends Jedrix, Lisa, and Gracyn. They were so sweet to meet us there in the morning and spend the whole day with us! So fun. The park wasn't very busy at all so we got to see lots of Characters and ride more rides then we excpected ( I had a picture of the boys with Mickey Mouse up on the blog but somehow it got deleted and I can't figure out how to get it back up there...but just imagine Mickey and the boys smiling and you get the idea! :) Kaden LOVED getting his check book...I mean autograph book signed. ( He calls it his check book) and Caleb did SO much better with all the guys, he didn't cry one time! :)

  There's lots more stories to tell, but alas children, laundry, and schedule are calling, so for now hope you enjoy the pictures! :)

  

Shhhhh...

I'm letting everyone in on a little secret...we're leaving late tonight to take the boys on a surprise trip to Disney Land! WooHoo! We wanted to do one more big thing as a family of four before adding on our next blessing. :) It's going to be a BUSY weekend. We're driving down in the middle of the night tonight, to arrive at Disney just as the boys open their eyes in the morning. :) We plan to spend all day Friday at the park and crash that night at Dad and Shawn's. Saturday, there is a double family baby shower planned for Michelle and Michelle (yes, we have the same name. One Michelle is Matt's step-sister and one is me) and I get to give the other Michelle 3 tubs full of boy baby clothes! So excited to pass them on. Then on Sunday we'll spend breakfast with Matt's mom and then drive the 6-7 hours back home! We are so excited and so blessed that the Lord has worked all these plans out. Disney has a great military deal going right now so that has really helped. Hope everyone has a good weekend and I'll be sure to post pictures when we get back! Jesus loves you. 

God's Promise

Now I'm not complaining about the weather since I know that some of the country is experience massive snow storms...but still it HAS been raining on and off ALL day EVERY day for the last month. However one of the perks to said weather are the gorgeous rainbows! Today's rainbow was exceptionally big and just so vibrant. It really was breathtaking. Caleb was so excited he was jumping up and down! Every time the boys see one they call it, "God's Promise" and I'm reminded not only to be thankful for God's enduring love and promises but for tender hearts that love Him. 

Wedding Day

With this ring...
The ceremony was held at Mom and Dad's house. I love that Dad has married me and now Jeremy...only one more to go! :) 
This is my favorite picture
Bride and Groom (Tracy you're beautiful!..and J your not bad either!)
Chris, Mom, Tracy, Jeremy, and Dad
  I'm proudly posting some pictures from Jeremy and Tracy's wedding. It was increadibly painful not to be there...but if you look real closely in some of the pictures you'll see evidence of me...I'm the phone in the background. :) I at least got to listen as Jeremy and Tracy said their vows and as they were announced husband and wife. It is SO strange to think of Jeremy as married now...he's still the little boy I spent hours with trying to convince him to eat his peas...he still won't eat peas, but I am excited to have Tracy as a sister (finally :) and to see how God will lead them. Please pray for them, as the Lord lays them on your heart. 

February 28, 2009

Just wanted to post and let everyone know that on Saturday, February 28th, my baby brother is getting married! Yes, Married! :) Jeremy Winston Adam Wood will be wed to Tracy Gamez. I am heart sick at not being able to attend, but I couldn't get a waver from the doctor to fly. Still just wanted in some small way to help celebrate.

  Dear Jesus,

   Please watch over Jeremy and Tracy as they make this life commitment to one another. Help them to understand the depth of their vows both to each other and to You. Lord, guide their day to day, their dreams, goals, realities, mountains, and valleys. May they come to know what Your love means as they learn to love each other. Father, please pour out your grace and mercy. Cover them as they begin this new life together. Help them to know how much I love them...more importantly how much you love them.

                        Amen 

                                                                       

Gymnastics

Getting ready to do a back flip
Jumping into the pit!
Climbing out of the pit
Practice on the bars
Climbing the rope for the first time

While my parents were here we got to stay and watch Kaden during gymnastics. Dad remembered to bring his camera (since I ALWAYS forget) so we finally got some pictures of Kaden doing his thing. He and Caleb both LOVE gymnastics and are really learning some great techniques. I'm just so excited for everything that they learn to do, since I still can't do a cartwheel! :) 

  We didn't get any pictures of Caleb since dad hadn't bought his new camera yet, but I'll TRY to remember next week as it'll be Caleb's first time with out Mommy! :( I'm so sad to give up the mommy and me class but figure it's better to do it know then wait until the baby comes...so my little man is growing on up *sigh*. 

  Hope everyone has a good start to their week...oh wait it's Wednesday...hope everyone has a good mid-week! :) Jesus loves you

T-Ball!!!

My little man all grown up and ready for baseball!
"Home run!"
He's got his game face on. 

Well, we're getting Kaden all signed up for t-ball this year. He's got his sports physical next week and then we should be all ready. Try-outs...excuse me "skill assessment" isn't until the beginning of April and then he should find out what team he's on (our neighbor is coaching and is requesting Kaden for his team) and then practice and games start! I'm so excited. This is bringing back painful memories of my own childhood ( I was NOT good at organized sports) and precious memories of watching my little brothers play t-ball...Chris for the love of the game and Jeremy for the free hot dog at the end :) But those are stories for another day! :)

  Matt took Kaden out shopping today to get him all ready! I'm so proud of him and just can't believe my baby is old enough for baseball! *Sigh* where does the time go! 

Been Away to Long

I realized today we've been away from Texas to long...

  Caleb: (playing with his toys like cowboys) " Yay - Whooo!"

   Mommy: "No, Hunny it's  'Ye-Haw!"

  Caleb: "Nope, Yay - Whoooo!" :)

Family Time

Mom and I at the aquarium. Isn't she beautiful!
We took Dad and Mom out to our favorite restraunt in Carmel. I just love this shot of them. 
Kaden and Papa playing in the maze at the Denise the Menace park...yes my dad wore his white cowboy hat ALL over California!  :) He was so easy to find! 
Papa and his grandsons on the train
One more picture by the statue
Mom and I being showered with love on Valentines day...we all got gifts but the boys opened everyones for them.
Kaden "posing" by the ocean on our drive along Big Sur
Not a great picture of me...but wanted to give you a view of the baby belly! We're 30 weeks now.
It rained off and on most of the time Mom and Dad were here. Matt and Dad got some great shots of the rain out over the ocean
More rain off in the distance
Our one and only "whole family" shot.
Papa, Grandma, Kaden and Caleb

  Well, it's with a heavy heart that I look through and post these pictures. Mom and Dad headed back to Texas today. Every moment of the last week was precious, protected, and sweet...but man the goodbyes are SO hard. Kaden and I just kind of clung to each other and cried and I explained to him that saying goodbye is one of the hardest things we have to do in life. Still, the time together is well worth the pain of separation. 

  That being said, the week was a blast. We did all of the normal sight seeing tours, but were able to squeeze in lots of fabulous visits with dear friends from when my family lived here 10 years ago, lots of Starbucks stops, eating out, open houses, and fabulous 3-4 mile walks each day (rain or shine!) :)  Such a blessing. Mom and I even got to get away for some girl shopping time, and although Matt and Dad did get rained out of their amazing sky box on Pebble Beach's 17th green, they got some good time together too. 

  Just wanted to share a few pictures and tell Mom and Dad...I LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU SO MUCH!

Still here

Just wanted to pop in and say hello. My mom is reading to Kaden, Caleb's down for his nap, Matt and my dad are at the Pebble Beach Pro Am Golf tournament (We were given tickets by some friends!!! Thank you Greg and Melissa!) ...unfortunately it's rainy and cold and we're praying that they won't catch pneumonia! But I guess that's the price you pay to see the "Stars" play golf. :) I'm trying desperately to stop time so that my parents won't have to leave, but it seems to march cruelly on. I'll post some pictures after they head home...till then hope everyone had a good Valentines, and knows that they are loved!

And the winner is...

Matt...surprise, surprise! But Kaden and I deserve mega bonus points for having much better attitudes about losing at Monopoly. Needless to say, Kaden and I are done playing that game for a while! Actually, I quit when things were looking desperate and under the excuse that I need to get cleaning done...which I did because my parents are coming tomorrow!!! Yippee!!! WooHoo!!! So excited! It's been a LONG 6 months and I'm so excited to get to hold them close tomorrow. Oh, and the boys and Matt are excited too! :) I'm sure we'll have pictures to post over the next couple of days. Hope everyone has a good week. 

Update on Monopoly

Kaden is holding his own! He's quite the little business man...Now mommy is going to lose to both her boys. :)

Family Game Night

So...Matt and I started a game of Monopoly on Saturday just for the fun of it...although fun is probably not a good word for it since, I confess, I am a poor loser and since I almost always lose it's never a pleasant experience...However, Kaden for the most part enjoyed rolling the dice for me and laughing with me whenever Daddy landed in jail. Unfortunately, it did prove quite stressful for him as well, since he is not a good loser either...must run in the family. We decided to try and play one more time allowing Kaden to play as his own thingy and Kaden and I pinky swearing to have better attitudes. But suddenly, Kaden got very upset and started to cry...

  We asked him what was wrong and he said, "what if the police men come and get me for playing the game!?" 

   "Kaden, why would the police men come get you?"

  " Because it says on the box that I have to be 8 before I can play!" :)