Niki and Bryan Ary

The Results and a Matter of Prayer

2012-01-24T09:06:00.000-06:00

I received the phone call I had been waiting for from my doctor's office this morning. The call confirmed that I do have PCOS and my numbers are way out of range. I was asked to come back in tomorrow morning to talk to the nurse practitioner and to make a determination as to what to do to have another baby. It appears that they are recommending metformin (which I new was a possibility) but also clomid.... and based upon my family history and Bryan's (both sides have a history of multiples) and my past success at getting pregnant, I could hyper-ovulate on clomid with the metformin and as a result end up pregnant with multiples (up to 25% chance this could happen), which means I would be on bedrest for my entire pregnancy and this means I would not be able to take care of Caitlin. So, now we are praying for God to give us wisdom to know what to do... I know God is sovereign and He is in control so I should not stress, so I am having to fight that desire right now. I am most concerned for Caitlin at the moment. God has clearly granted us a miracle already in giving us her-- between actually having PCOS-- I should never have ovulated-- and then all of the stuff that comes with being pregnant-- I know I am truly blessed. So my struggle right now, is should I just say "Thank you for Caitlin" and give up on the idea of having another child biologically. So, I am left to pray and ask God for wisdom. Tonight will be a long night of discussion with Bryan so that we can go to the doctor tomorrow prepared to make some tough decisions.

Trying to remember God is in control and He will work it all out according to His plan.

Niki

A quick update from the doctor

2012-01-19T11:06:00.000-06:00

We have been trying to get pregnant again for awhile now, and my normal cycle has become irregular, so I am now undergoing tests to see what is going on. My doctor feels that one of three scenarios is causing all of this.... I may have PCOS that is just now flaring up, something may be up with my thyroid, or something could be up with my pituitary gland. So, they drew blood yesterday and I should get the results back by Monday afternoon. So, I will just wait and pray that this is an easy fix. The doctor did make some recommendations that I am going to go ahead and follow through with, such as making certain I am eating a healthier diet and getting exercise. Additionally, she advised that if it is PCOS I will need to start taking a prescription called metformin, and that this will help me to get my cycles regulated, but will also help me to lose weight. Finally, she also advised that I may have to take clomid which taken in conjunction with the metformin, will greatly increase the odds of me getting pregnant with multiples.... and if that happens, I will have a cerclage and be put on bed rest for the duration of the pregnancy, which will prohibit me from being able to take care of Caitlin. The thought of that stresses me out, but I know God is in control. So while I wait, I am praying for wisdom on what God would have us do. I am also praying for wisdom to know if we should be done with biological children and start our journey towards adoption. Bryan really wants one more biological child, so pray that God would give us both peace and a clear direction regarding any future decisions we have to make and how it will impact Caitlin.

God Bless,

Niki

It's Been A Busy Year So Far.....

2012-01-12T19:46:00.000-06:00

2012 is picking up right where 2011 ended. Lots of stuff going on.... My wonderful sister Mandi came up and spent the New Year's weekend with us, and we had a great time just hanging out and doing life together! It was such a blessing, and I am truly thankful for the opportunity to spend time together. Then last weekend, my parents came up to visit and hang out. We had grilled out, played with Caitlin outside, and just had a great time. Then Bryan's Mom came in Tuesday and is spending the week with us before we head to Linden to take Caitlin to one of her friend's birthday party.

Speaking of birthday parties, I am already starting on Caitlin's. I cannot believe that she is 22 months old! She is learning like crazy and I am amazed. She can almost identify all of her letters and has learned to "read" some of her books that we have read so far. She can count to 10 and is singing Jesus Loves Me. We are also trying to teach her Amazing Grace.

On the Thirty-One front, I went to the spring product premiere and am amazed at all of the new products and prints. I really love them. I am really trying to get my business to pick back up and move forward, but it seems to be at a standstill. I sent 14 people notes asking them to host a party, and I have heard back from 3.... 2 nos and 1 yes for a catalog party with the new catalogs. I am trying to be more bold about sharing my business with others and to get it to grow.... I am not sure what else to do at this point... So I will just keep praying.

Finally, we are also trying to have another baby and we are praying God will give us one in His time. We are struggling right now because we seem to be facing a different sort of challenge this time on top of the other ones we know about. I will go back to the doctor on the 18th to see what is going on and where we go from here, so I covet your prayers for us and this journey.

Well, I think that this will have me caught up for now..... I am praying you all have a blessed New Year!

January Specials!

2012-01-03T10:24:00.000-06:00

January Specials!
Each day from January 4th-14th I will be offering a customer special in addition to the Thermal Tote sale that going on!
Additionally everyone who makes a purchase will be entered into a drawing for a $25 gift certificate towards the purchase of products from the new Spring Catalog!
1/4: Half price embroidery on one item for every $31 spent!
1/5: Free Sales Tax on every order $31 and above
1/6: Free small rosette clip in the color of your choice with a $31 purchase
1/7: Free Nail File in the Print of your Choice for every $20 spent
1/8: Half price shipping on every order $31 and above!
1/9: Free key fob with every order $31 and above!
1/10: Ten percent off every order $31 and above!
1/11: Free embroidery on one item for every $50 spent.
1/12: Sign up to host a party in February and get $10 additional hostess rewards
1/13: Free nail file or rosette clip of your choice for every $31 spent
1/14: Fifteen percent off your entire order when you sign up to host a party in February!
To place an order and use one of these specials, call 615-812-9209 or email me at 31giftsniki@gmail.com or send me a message on Facebook!

Christmas Celebrations

2011-12-27T10:47:00.000-06:00

Christmas has come and gone, and we had an amazing one! God has truly blessed us. In preparation for Christmas, I read the Christmas story from the Bible to Caitlin every day leading up to it, and was constantly reminding her that we are celebrating Jesus' birthday. I also told her that she received so many gifts out of grace, that is a small reflection of the grace God showed us by sending His Son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. We are still not sure what we are doing about Santa so we didn't even label the gifts under the tree that she woke up to on Christmas morning. We also started a new family devotional activity on Christmas. We purchased a journaling ESV Bible for Caitlin and as we read through it together, we are taking notes and writing out what we want Caitlin to remember or learn from a passage, or how it speaks to us. We will use this Bible as our family devotional guide until she graduates from High School, at which point it will become hers. Our prayer is that she will realize the Bible is important and that it applies to every aspect of her life. We also are praying that as she grows, and encounters various situations, she will be able to look back and see how the Bible helped us various situations and served as a guide for our family. I am excited about this and am praying that it will produce much fruit not only in Caitlin's life, but also in mine and Bryan's life.

Here are some pictures from the different Christmas celebrations!

Retiring Products!

2011-12-20T16:24:00.000-06:00

Towards the end of each catalog year, products from Thirty-One are retired. Some of your favorite prints may be going away and this is your last chance to order them before they are gone! I am enclosing pictures from the flyer that show what prints and products are being discontinued. Additionally, I am posting a picture of the products that are being eliminated in certain prints. Please review, let me know if you have any questions or would like to place an order becuase once these products are gone-- they are gone! The last day to order these products is January 31st! However, they are only available while supplies last.

A Lot on My Mind.....

2011-12-10T21:58:00.000-06:00

The last few days I have really had a heavy heart and a lot on my mind. I am feeling quite overwhelmed with all of these thoughts, and I am praying through them so the purpose of this blog tonight, is just to try and get it all out and then maybe actually be able to fall asleep at a decent time......

The first thing that is on my mind is surrounding Christmas and how to ensure that I am teaching Caitlin the real meaning of Christmas-- celebrating Jesus' birthday! There have been so many articles and blogs written lately that talk about eliminating Santa from the picture, as that is where the emphasis tends to head and we are struggling with this decision. Bryan and I both grew up having Santa bring gifts, and we both just naturally assumed that we would do this for our children. However, we are not certain anymore-- even as I have had pictures made with him this year, and Bryan has been more directly involved in participating in Santa in recent days.

With this, I am struggling with how to make certain that I am not just giving Caitlin gifts, but giving her myself-- spending quality time teaching her and loving her. I fear what she would say if I were to ask her what I value and she was able to respond-- would she know it was Jesus, Bryan, and her? Would she know that I read the Bible and pray? I tend to do it at night after she is gone to bed, have I mirrored the importance of a personal relationship with Jesus before her? Am I teaching her to love Jesus? All of this I am struggling with......

My solution is to pray more, and ask God to show me what to do. I feel that one thing He is leading me to do is to be more intentional in how I spend my time with Caitlin. As a result, I am going to attempt to create a more structured schedule and routine for us during the day that involves more of me spending time with her and teaching her, loving her, and playing with her. Rather than just haphazardly doing this and leaving the tv on.

Another area that is causing me concern is my Thirty-One business. It is not going as well as I had hoped or prayed, and I am struggling to figure out how to move forward with it. I know that if it is God's will, it will succeed, and all I can do is try, and hope that He opens a door soon or gives me a clear direction of what He would have me do.

The final area that has me concerned is the thought of expanding our family-- I worry about the prospect of being on bed rest for more than two weeks and how I will be able to take care of Caitlin-- especially when there are times that she only wants me-- as was the case last night, when after being up with her until 4 am without me sleeping, Bryan tried to get her to go to sleep and she had a complete meltdown, hyperventilated, etc.... thankfully she finally fell asleep in my arms. She apparently had a 24 hour stomach virus, but she has greatly improved. How will all of this work? Will Caitlin know that even though I cannot carry her, I love her... is she too little for all of this?

Many of these things are "what-if" scenarios and why and how-- and I don't have the answers and do not know where to start in many respects. All I know to do is pray through them and ask my Heavenly Father to help me become more like Jesus and the person He would have me be with regards to being an excellent wife, mother, and to truly embody a Proverbs 31 woman.

I would appreciate your prayers as I seek for the answers to all of these questions and try to remember that God is in control and He will help me through all of this as I surrender to His Will and allow Him to transform my heart and mind.

God Bless,

Niki

Thirty-One Christmas Reminders

2011-12-06T10:17:00.000-06:00

Christmas Pictures

2011-12-06T10:04:00.001-06:00

Christmas pictures came yesterday afternoon, and here are a few of my favorites. My sister-in-law Michelle took the pictures and she did a fantastic job. Caitlin was not in a real cooperative mood, but there were quite a few that are simply beautiful. Thanks Michelle for doing such a great job! Now to work on Christmas cards.

It's that Time of Year Again

2011-12-01T14:17:00.000-06:00

I took Caitlin to see Santa today at the Cool Springs Mall. The picture turned out too cute! I am also enclosing last year's picture so that you can see how much she has grown. I am one truly blessed Momma and I love her so much! I am still amazed every day that God allows me to be her mom-- because she is a priceless miracle.

Lottie Moon Fundraising!

2011-11-21T10:20:00.000-06:00

I really believe in missions and want to support our international missionaries who are on the front-lines sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. In order to help me do this, I am currently doing a fundraiser between now and 12/12. On 12/13 Thirty-One will begin there annual thermal tote sale, in which they are on sale for $10.00 each. We have a new thermal tote-- which is a cinch-it and the traditional thermal tote. I will donate $1.00 to international missions for each tote that is pre-ordered between now and 12/12 and I will place the order on 12/13. I am enclosing a picture of the totes! Let me know if you are interested!

God Bless,

Niki

The Creative Discovery Museum

2011-11-04T14:11:00.000-05:00

Today I took Caitlin to the Creative Discovery Museum in Chattanooga while I was at my parent's house. Everyone was working, and this gave Bryan a couple of hours of quite while he was working. In a few hours we will be heading home to Nashville and reestablishing a routine for Caitlin and attempting to potty train her again. I hope it happens quickly. I am posting pictures from today's adventures below.

Disney Days Three-Six

2011-11-02T10:00:00.000-05:00

Well, our time in the park has officially ended. Caitlin and I are hanging out today in the room, and I am about to get dressed and finished packing everything up, so that when Bryan gets done with his conference today, he can pick us up and we can start the drive home. The goal is to make it to Chattanooga, so I am hoping we get that far. That will put us at about ten hours in the car for Caitlin so that could be tough. Hopefully she will travel as well this time as she did last time. Now to the fun stuff.... Bryan was able to go to the park with us on day three which was Saturday. After that Caitlin and I went during the day by ourselves and he joined us at night. Day three brought lunch with some of the gang from Disney Junior including Special Agent Oso, Handy Manny, Leo and June (who are from Little Einsteins). Hollywood Studios was not Caitlin's favorite as there is not a whole lot there for little kids besides lunch with the characters and the new Toy Story ride. However, she did get to see some more characters. Sunday through Tuesday Caitlin and I spent each day in the Magic Kingdom riding her favorite rides. She absolutely loves the Teacups and would take one home with her if she could. She finally figured out that the silver wheel in the middle of the tea cup is what caused it to spin more so she had fun being in control of that. She also loved Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin, and Dumbo. We laughed and played and had a great time. She was Minnie Mouse and trick or treated for a few minutes before falling asleep during the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. The fireworks that night were amazing. I am going to attach a few more pictures below. There are many more and some that even Disney took, that I will share later.

Disney Days One and Two

2011-10-28T22:39:00.001-05:00

Our Disney vacation has begun! And I am going to brag on my precious little girl for a few minutes. It is a 685 mile trip from our house to our hotel, and Caitlin made it without fussing. She has been a real trooper and has loved going to the park. Her favorite part is seeing the characters and she is heartbroken when she has to say good-bye to them. She doesn't understand that she cannot bring the life size Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Pluto, etc... home with her. However, she has been so great. We have captured a lot of this in pictures, and because of a slow interent connection, I am only going to upload a few of the pictures. Here are some of the highlights from the first couple of days. I will post more pictures later!

God Bless,

Niki

What a Busy Month!

2011-10-23T18:57:00.000-05:00

October has been a very busy and crazy month and the end of the month will be no different. One exciting thing that happened was my little brother got married on Saturday! I am so proud of Matt and o glad to ahve Michelle as a new sister. The wedding was quite unique to fit their personalities, but it was still quite beautiful. It is hard to believe that they are married. They wrote their own vows and Matt's focused on how he would "give and take".... the thought and effort he put into those vows was amazing and beauitful and blew Michelle away. I am praying that God blesses their marriage and that He opens doors for us to be able to share the gospel with Michelle as the wedding was based upon alchemist spirituality, and not the Christian faith that my family shares and while this causes me concern, I k now that God is sovereign and I am just praying that He saves them both. At the reception there was dancing and Caitlin followed Matt and Michelle as they swing danced and when they made a circle, she made a circle, and she did her little bounce up and down dance. It was quite cute. Michelle's cousin Edie was also there and Caitlin and her played and danced together. Then Matt danced with Caitlin and Michelle danced with Edie and it made for special memories.

We also went to Walden Farm and Caitlin got to see several animals and pick out a pumpkin, so I am going to close with a few pictures from this and also from when she made cupcakes a few weeks ago.

Craziness.... A lot going on

2011-10-05T00:15:00.000-05:00

I know it has been awhile since I have posted about anything but Thirty-One, and for that I apologize! It is time to update you on what is going on in our family....

In Caitlin News....
She continues to grow by leaps and bounds. She has really started talking and her personality is really showing! She has started dancing to music, she bounces up and down. I captured it on video, and one day I'll learn how to put it on this blog. She loves the song "Farmer in the Dell", and "Old MacDonald Had A Farm". She can now "meow" like a cat, and "hoot, hoot" like an owl. She says "I want down" in order to be allowed to get up from the table. She can say "Thank you" and "you're welcome." She also says, "let's go", "I love you!", "I want....", etc. She can say "A, B, C, D, E, F, G"; count one-five, sing "EIEIO", as well as "hello, bye bye, and many other words; and identify pictures when you ask her to point to things in her book. She is also able to match colors and shapes in her shape sorting toy. Books are by far her favorite toys and we read all day long. She has also started watching veggie tales and really enjoys them. She loves to talk on the phone and she plays and is really starting to pretend. She still loves playing outside and she is starting to try and pedal her tricycle on her own. I am amazed everyday that God allows me the privilege of being her Mommy. She is still very much a momma's girl, but loves having her daddy around. He had to travel on 9/19-9/23 to Philadelphia for work and she repeatedly asked for him and when I told her he was working, she would get frustrated-- she finally started saying, "Daddy, No Work!" However, she still likes playing hard to get with him. Through it all though she loves him very much and he loves her and I love watching them play together.

In Our News.....
Before too long, Bryan and I will once again start trying to add another child to our family. We would covet your prayers that my next pregnancy go much smoother than previous ones and that my stay on bed rest would be limited so that I am able to care for Caitlin the way I do now. we also ask that you help us know how to prepare Caitlin for this change as much as we can, and that we have wisdom to make certain she knows how much she is loved and that we never her make her feel less important or special as a new baby.

In Other News.....
Bryan's mom fell and broke her ankle last week, and after spending almost a week with her in Linden, she agreed that coming home with me would be easier so that she is not left by herself, as she is having to use a wheelchair and a walker to get around. She will be with us until October 14th at the earliest, so please keep her in your prayers.

Also, please be praying for my brother Matt and his fiancee, Michelle. Their wedding date is fast approaching and I ask that you would pray that God blesses their marriage and that He allows everything to go smoothly for the wedding. Finally I ask that you would be in prayer that Bryan and I are able to encourage them and share with them the joy of Jesus!

Additionally, please be in prayer for the following families who are expanding in response to the gospel by adopting children:
The Hulshof's
The Williams
The Smalleys
The Woods

Finally, please remember to keep my friend Kelly Taylor and his wife Tonia in your prayers as he battles leukemia. Pray specifically that God will give them wisdom and discernment concerning a bone marrow transplant and that the consolidation chemo that he will have to undergo will not do any further damage to his kidneys.

Thanks and God Bless,

Niki

Mystery Hostess Event

2011-09-28T09:54:00.000-05:00

Would you like to earn all of the benefits of being a Thirty-One hostess without doing the work?

I am hosting a mystery hostess event. One guest at the on-line party will reap the benefits of being a hostess. Here's how to be entered to win:

1. Make a $31 or more purchase from my website (http://mythirtyone.com/31giftsniki) under the mystery hostess event any time from 10/1-10/7. For every $31 you spend not only can you take advantage of our great October special-- you can get an organizing utility tote for $7 instead of $25, you will also be entered into the drawing to be the hostess!

2. Invite a friend to shop! If your friends place an order, you will be entered the drawing in 2 times for every $31 they spend. (send me a message/email so that I know it's your friend!)

3. Sign up to host a party in October before 10/26 and you will be entered in three times! (This will get you a chance at the skirt purse I am giving away, as well as the October hostess special of a large utility tote for $5.00 if the party volume reaches $500)

4. Join my team! Sign up to be on my team at Thirty-One and you will be entered into the drawing 10 times! This will help you really get your kit going.

What will happen? After the online party closes, I'll have Caitlin draw a name out of a bag and whoever she draws will be the hostess. I'll then contact that person and tell them what the volume was for the party and what they will receive!

The hostess rewards outline can be found on page 4 of the catalog. An example for an average party of $500 is the hostess can purchase 2 of our hostess exclusive items at a huge discount, get 2 items at half price, and $90 in free products! Wouldn't that help with the Christmas shopping?
So shop anytime between October 1-7 and reap the benefits! Let me know if you have questions.

God Bless,
Niki

And the Winners Are....

2011-09-16T12:50:00.000-05:00

Congrats to the winners of my business kick-off incentives. Caitlin drew them this morning! 1st place, TN Titans vs Indianapolis Colts tixs, goes to Sherry Qualls. 2nd place, a large utility tote from Thirty-One, goes to Michelle Sloan; 3rd place a gift card from the Cheesecake Factory goes to Laura Pullen. Thanks again to everyone who has helped me start my Thirty-One business. A new incentive will be posted on my website and blog soon!

God Bless,

Niki

18 month check up

2011-09-07T10:25:00.000-05:00

This is just a quick update on Caitlin after her 18 month check up. She is now 33.5 inches tall, which places her off the growth chart; she now weighs 28 lbs, which also places her off the growth chart, and her head is still off the growth chart as well. The doctor says she is well advanced for her age-- she is starting to say parts of her ABC's, as well as memorizing parts of her books, and is using a fork and spoon to feed herself. She suggested that we continue building Caitlin's vocabulary skills by reading 5 books to her repetitively for two weeks and then switching to a new set of 5 books, and make certain she is being exposed to new words and letters. She also suggested that we start trying to potty train. We have bought all of the stuff, but after her keeping me up most of the night-- her leg was hurting from her last shot (except the flu shot) and it kept up both up. Once again, I am amazed at God's grace in our lives that she was not born too early and that she has really thrived. I am so thankful, because she is a true miracle. Well, I will post more later.

Niki

Then and Now

2011-08-28T22:42:00.000-05:00

It is hard for me to believe that Caitlin is almost 18 months old. I have been reflecting a lot this weekend on how much she has changed. Last year, at this time she was almost six months old. Crawling some, but more rolling to where she wanted to go, and was laughing and cooing. She was eating stage one baby food, and clinging to a bottle. She could roll over and loved spending time in her swing. She would sleep through the night every once in awhile, and was starting to cut teeth. She was on prevacid every day to help with her reflux. She was setting up on her own, but preferred being on her stomach.
But that was then.... and this is now.....
Now Caitlin is talking quite often and makes simple sentences such as "Daddy go bye-bye", "Daddy at work", "I want down", "I'm cute!"; "Jesus loves you!"; "I love you". She also says "God is great!" and "Amen" every once in awhile while we are praying. She loves her books, and her favorite story right now is Chicka, Chicka Boom Boom. She loves the rhythmic sound of this book. She is drinking out of a sippy cup only. She eats three meals a day with a couple of snacks in between. She has thirteen teeth with three more just starting to show.... She loves to give hugs, climbs everywhere, and is really learning to listen and follow directions. She loves positive reinforcement, so I make it a point to clap and celebrate every time she listens. She has also recently started telling me "thank-you" when I hand her something. She has been the best this last week and we have laughed and played so much... It is just amazing to me at how blessed I truly am. Caitlin is such a blessing and gift from God, and I will forever be thankful for her presence in my life. I love her more than I'll ever be able to express in this blog, but I wanted to write it down, just so that one day she can look back and know how very proud she made me. The most important thing I want to communicate to her is that I love Jesus and that Jesus loves her. So, I ask that you continue to keep Bryan and I in our prayers as we seek to lead Caitlin to follow Jesus and to love Him with her whole heart.

God Bless,

Niki

Fundraising Opportunity and Ministry

2011-08-23T11:22:00.000-05:00

As many of you know by now, I have started my own business as an independent sales consultant with Thirty-One. What you may not know is that I can do fundraisers to help you support your cause! Because I believe that God is calling me to use this business not only to help my family, but also as a ministry opportunity, I will donate at least 60% of my commissions to the cause for anyone wanting to do a fundraiser! If you know anyone who would be interested in doing this, please let me know.

Additionally, I am praying that God will open doors for me to share the gospel with ladies I meet during this endeavor. I have already seen one door open with one of Bryan's co-workers' wives, and we are now going to pursue having them over to eat dinner and pray that God will open the door for us to share Jesus with them.

This is just a brief update!

God Bless,

Niki

Open House Saturday

2011-08-16T10:48:00.000-05:00

I am working hard and getting ready for my open house to kick off my Thirty-One business. It is from 1:00 pm-3:00 pm and I would love to have you join me. Please let me know if you have questions or would like to come and need directions. Finally, don't forget about the great prizes I am offering for those who help me get my business jump started! You could have the chance to win Titans tickets, a large utility tote, or a $25.00 gift card to the cheesecake factory! So, if you are unable to come to the open house, but want to enter visit my website: http://mythirtyone.com/31giftsniki and make a $31.00 purchase (before taxes and shipping) and you will be entered in for the drawing that takes place on Saturday September 17th.

Thanks and God Bless,

Niki

God does answer prayers!

2011-08-12T19:54:00.000-05:00

I went to the doctor today and had the follow up tests done as requested by the radiologist after my mammogram. I have been cleared.... it was just really dense tissue! I am so thankful for all of my friends and family who were praying! God is so good and I give Him praise for once again answering prayers.

I just wanted to post this quick update!

God Bless,

Niki

Two Different Experiences......

2011-08-11T09:58:00.000-05:00

Two years ago, soon after we found out we were pregnant with Caitlin, we went and traded in my Mustang for a Kia Rondo at Carnival Kia at Hickory Hollow. That time, our salesperson was wonderful. We actually went in looking for a Kia Sportage but they did not have any and could not keep them-- they were selling so fast. So he introduced us to the rondo and we really liked it. It had a lot more room and four doors, and was not a minivan! My how time and having a child changes your perspective. Anyways, Bryan was able to negotiate with them on the vehicle after showing them Consumer Reports suggestions on price, etc, and we all left satisfied and happy. They removed the AMV amount, etc and we were able to get a great deal.

So, having decided with interest rates as low as they are, and knowing we could keep the same car payment, we decided it was time to get a minivan-- because you have so much stuff you have to carry for a child-- and down the road we are hoping to have at least one more.... we went to trade in the Rondo for a Sedona. We have been shopping and talking and praying about this for two months-- so having found the best possible price on one with the features I wanted-- in Evansville, Indiana, we printed out all of the information and I even had email confirmation from the dealer on the price, and we went to Carnival Kia to talk about it. There sticker price was $3000 more than everywhere else because they had added AMV-- which I have been told means several different things, but the gist of it is it means "added market value"-- which is an arbitrary number they pull out of the air, and add to the invoice price because we live in Nashville! Bryan and I reviewed consumer reports again, and had the quote from the dealer in Indiana and went to try and see if they would be willing to come close to matching the price-- because it ended up being a $5000 difference. They refused to negotiate and said that they would sell the vehicle at that price. I was shocked that they would not even try to meet the price. Clearly they wanted to triple their profit margin on the Sedona-- and they would already make a lot of money on my Rondo as it was a 2009 with only 22,000 miles and the retail value was $5000 more than what we wanted for it...... we left after wasting several hours there and being lied to-- they said that we had to fill out a credit application for Homeland Security, when we already had the financing arranged through our credit union and had a check in hand! I will never go back there!

So, yesterday I contacted several other dealerships in the state and Cumberland Kia of Cookeville was wonderful! They met the price in Indiana, agreed to give us what we wanted for our Rondo before even seeing it, had the Sedona cleaned and ready when we arrived and only took about an hour to get everything done. The sales people played with Caitlin and it was a very family friendly dealership! They were amazing. And they have given us discounts on all of our future service needs, etc. They clearly wanted to sell a vehicle and appreciated our business. If you are in Tennessee and need a car, I strongly suggest you go to Cookeville. They do not sell just Kia's-- they sale Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, etc.... Chad was our salesperson and he was great as was the sales manager. It was by far the best car buying experience I've had to date. Their customer service was exceptional! Do not fall for AMV listed on the price of a vehicle.

The best part, is I have a new Kia Sedona that was just like the one I drove at Carnival the only difference is it is silver and not blue..... same features and everything and I love it! So, be educated when buying a car, and drive to Cookeville if necessary!

Nineteen Years Ago....

2011-08-08T23:23:00.000-05:00

August 8, 1992 my world was literally turned upside down when my Papa was called home to be with Jesus at the age of 56 with no warning... he had a pulmonary embolism and was gone very quickly. Looking back on that night I see several things, not the least of which was God's grace working in my life. You see, my papa had two heart attacks before I was born and was not expected to make it-- but he did and I got to spend almost 13.5 years with him. He was not only my grandfather, he was my very best friend. He was a true American Hero, having served in our nation's armed forces for 21 years including two tours of duty in Vietnam and one in Korea. He loved our family and always had a smile on his face and never had a harsh word to say about anyone. Most of all, he loved Jesus and taught me about Him. I'll never forget a few days before he died, going on the last fishing trip he took with him, and not understanding why I was supposed to go-- I remember crying because fishing was not my thing-- but I told him, I had to go fishing with him and I don't know why. Now I have treasured memories from that time. You may wonder how my world was turned upside down, and it was because up until that point my Nanny kept the three of us (and many other children), at her house before and after school, and that would no longer be the case after Papa died. Additionally, I lost my best friend and lots of hopes and dreams were realized and also removed on that night.... You see, my papa would have retired right after I was supposed to graduate from college and the plan was for us to go on the mission field together-- but clearly that was not God's plan. That night was also the night I realized that I did want to get married and have children and that he would not be there to see them. I still think about how much Papa would have loved Bryan and Caitlin both, and it makes me sad that he did not get to meet them... However, when I think of this, I think about him being in Heaven worshipping Jesus and I know that he is much better off... and I also think about Franklin and Stephanie who are with him in the presence of our Lord. Additionally, I see God's grace in the fact that the last words I said to my papa were, "bye Papa, I love you and will see you tomorrow"-- that was less than twelve hours before he was gone. It is hard for me to believe that it has been nineteen years, and this is a long time... but I still love him and miss him so very much.... and I miss his strength and his quite faith-- especially when things are not going as well as I would like, and I am scared-- I long to run to him and get a hug-- but now I know I have to run to the feet of Jesus and get my comfort and hope there-- which is where Papa would have taken me anyways in his prayers.

I guess the point of this, is to make certain that you let the people who are around you know that you love them and take advantage of every opportunity you have with them, because you truly never know when you will not have another opportunity.... I never would have thought that my Papa would have died suddenly, but God knows what is best and I am reminded of that each day.

Be sure to tell your family and friends that you love him and are so thankful for their presence in your life.

God Bless,

Niki

A Prayer Request

2011-08-03T11:30:00.000-05:00

Two weeks ago Friday, I went and had a mammogram. I am only 32, and was having some pain, so Dr. Heidemann suggested we do one, just to make certain nothing was going on..... yesterday morning, I got a phone call from her office, stating they had just received the results and I was going to have to have further tests run. I have to have more mammography pictures of one side, and an ultrasound of the other because their is a mass. Unfortunately, the earliest available appointment for me to have this follow up stuff done is next Friday August 12th. The one redeeming thing to this, is I will get a verbal report of the results before I leave and will also be told what my next steps are. I am praying that this will turn out to be nothing more than infected lymph node, or something easy. However, there is a possibility that this is cancer, and I have a family history of it. So needless to say I am quite scared and worried. However, I know that this is not going to get me anywhere. So, I covet your prayers for the next several days as I wait and see what will happen-- do we move forward with our plans to expand our family this fall, or am I going to be in for the fight of my life? I don't know, but I do know that God is in control. This is something I am having to remind myself of each day.

God Bless,

Niki

Summer Time Fun!

2011-08-01T23:46:00.000-05:00

We have all been sick for the last few days at the Ary household with a summer time cold. Bryan and Caitlin had it for the most of last week, and towards the end of the week, I came down with it as well. However, we were able to get a porch swing and put it in the backyard, and to hang the wind chimes that Bryan's mom bought me in remembrance of my grandfather who died right after we got married, and a hummingbird feeder up. We already have several hummingbirds who visit frequently. Caitlin is loving the porch swing and really does not like it when we make her come inside. She also loves splashing in her water table and pool. We are also really starting to grill out a lot and we love grilling our vegetables on the grill. Hopefully soon we will take Caitlin to the Morning Glory Orchard to pick apples and peaches near our house. I will try to remember and post some pictures later this week. For now, that is a brief update at what is going on at our house.

God Bless,

Niki

My Big Announcement!

2011-08-01T15:33:00.000-05:00

Here is the big announcement that I promised to make on Facebook, but per their policy, I cannot. So, I am incorporating it into my personal blog. Please feel free to share! Happy Shopping Everyone!

Greetings Ladies!
To jump start my business I am offering the following promotion from August 1, 2011-September 10, 2011:
Do you want a chance to win 2 tickets to the Titans vs Colts on October 30 at LP Field? How about a large utility tote, or a $25.00 giftcard to the Cheesecake Factory?
There are three ways you can be entered into the drawing for one of these great prizes-- and you can be entered as many times as you would like!
1. Host a qualifying party ($200.00 or more in sales) and you will be entered into the drawing twice.
2. Book a party for me that takes place after September 10, and you will be entered in once.
3. For every $31.00 you spend (before taxes and shipping), you will be entered into the drawing.
The drawing will be held on Saturday September 17 and winners will be announced on mythirtyone.com/31giftsniki and on this blog. Additionally, the winners will receive an email from me that day!
So browse, shop, share my website with friends, and contact me to book your own party and earn some great rewards!
Thank you for your time!
God Bless,
Niki

31 Gifts

2011-07-30T12:38:00.000-05:00

Guess What? I am so excited to tell you that I have joined the ranks of Thirty-One gifts as a consultant. 31 Gifts is all about Celebrating, Encouraging, and Rewarding Women and the name is actually based on Proverbs 31, so it is a faith-based company. I am just starting my business, so I am a little overwhelmed but so excited. I am praying that God will really use this to bring glory to Himself. My goal is to view that is my ministry and my mission field opportunity. My desire is to pray for not only the hostess, but also for the guests and that God will use this as a way for me to share the Gospel with others. Please pray for me that God will allow me to turn this business opportunity into a great success-- not just here on Earth, but that it will be an investment in eternity.

God Bless,
Niki

Some cute pictures

2011-07-26T08:52:00.000-05:00

Summer seems to be flying by and with the heat indexes, that is probably a good thing. There is not a lot going on here at our house right now, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Caitlin continues to be a source of joy and is such a tremendous blessing, even as she tries to help me type this blog post. It did seem appropriate today to take a pause and remember Franklin and Stephanie. Three years ago, I learned that Franklin had passed away in a missed-miscarriage; 2 years ago today, was Stephanie's due date; and also 2 years ago today, I learned that I was pregnant with my precious baby girl Caitlin. I am once again reminded that God does bring about hope, even in the midst of difficult circumstances. All of this happening at the same time of year, could only be orchestrated by God, and for that I give Him praise and glory. Now, for some cute pictures.

Truly Blessed.....

2011-07-22T10:01:00.000-05:00

This week several families from my church have been effected by the death of a child. A five month old named Cece was born with a seizure disorder and she went home to be with Jesus on Sunday, and a three year old drowned in an accident in a pool. Both of these events have made me realize how truly blessed I am to have a beautiful healthy baby girl who is so active. When I think about Cece, I think about how she will never climb furniture, scatter toys from one end to the house to the other, have a favorite music artist, a favorite food, how she will not blow milk from a sippy cup, etc.... and I recognize even when these things make me laugh, or frustrate me, through it all I am truly blessed. I love Caitlin more than words, and I have found myself in tears several times this week praying for Cece's family and thanking God for His grace that allows me to have such a beautiful and active little girl. It's a humbling thought, and I do not understand why God does things the way He does, however I know that He is in control and that we should keep both of these families in our prayers.

This week has been emotional for me, and I did not know these precious children, so I can only imagine the pain and heartache that they are going through. So I challenge you to look at the children in your life and thank God for them. And pray for these people who I am sure would do anything to have their children happy and healthy.

God Bless,

Niki

Let the Medicine Begin

2011-07-15T14:59:00.000-05:00

Today I went for my annual check-up with Dr. Heidemann and was given the all clear to try and have another baby in a few months. In order to prepare for that, I will be starting the extra folic acid and baby aspirin beginning today, as well as starting my prenatal vitamin. We also formulated a plan of action for the next pregnancy. From the day I get a positive test, until the day before my c-section is scheduled, I will take progesterone. Additionally, I will have a cerclage put in place at 14 weeks after an ultrasound and nuchol screen. Then I will be on bed rest for two weeks and after that I should be able to be up and about with some restrictions-- such as lifting and carrying. I will then have an ultrasound done every two weeks to make certain that the cerclage works and that the baby is not in any danger-- until we reach the stage when I will go every week again for the non-stress testing. Overall, this was great news and very exciting to hear. Now, we just have to wait until the time is right and pray that God allows us to get pregnant in the future. Please keep us in your prayers as we seek God's will as to the timing of adding another person to our family. One thing is for sure, we have already been blessed beyond measure with the gift of Caitlin and we love her more than words could ever say and I know that this will be true of any children God chooses to bless us with.

Thanks for your prayers.

Niki

An Update and some pictures.

2011-07-14T09:38:00.000-05:00

Time has flown by since my last post, and while I am not certain anyone reads this anymore, I thought I would continue writing so one day Caitlin will be able to look back and see what was going on in her life and how much she is loved. We spent the Fourth of July holiday in Linden with Bryan's family and grilled out. It was a nice relaxing time, and we also said good-bye to our dogs. They were too hyper and kept knocking Caitlin over, so we found them a new home-- its actually a large farm and they will have lots of room to run and play. Our air conditioner also went out-- the compressor had to be replaced, so Caitlin and I took an unexpected trip to Chattanooga for a few days and it allowed me to catch up with some great friends. My friend Sarah is a student at the University of Alabama studying to become a physics teacher and I am sure she will be wonderful at it. Danna is starting nursing school this fall, and will be a great nurse as well. I am so thankful that God allowed me to work with such an amazing group of girls during my time at Brainerd, and that our friendship has continued to grow and develop. Hopefully next time, I'll be able to see Leah, Kari, and others.

In Caitlin news, she is now singing along to "Jesus Loves Me" and "Old McDonald". She continues to climb everywhere and really keeps me on my toes. She just now climbed into her toy box to retrieve a toy that apparently had fallen into the bottom. She also identified her first color today-- she got a new toothbrush that was green and when she looked at it, she said "green." Her vocabulary is really starting to pick up and she is becoming quite the talker. She also knows "z" is the last letter in the alphabet. Her favorite thing to do right now is to build with blocks and after she stacks one on top of another she claps. It is quite cute. I tried taking some videos, but it didn't turn out well, so I am going to try again later this week.

And I think that brings you up to date. Tomorrow I will be going for my annual check-up at Dr. Heidemann's office, and Bryan is going with me so we can talk about the prospect of trying to have another child in the future. This both excites and terrifies me at the same time. I am scared for two reasons: 1-- what if I end up on bed rest-- how will I be able to take care of Caitlin? and 2-- what if I lose another child? I know God is in control and He will help me through both of these situations should they occur, but it still causes me to be apprehensive. There is not a day that goes by that I don't think of Stephanie and Franklin, but I know that God worked all of that out for His glory-- even if I would have chosen a different path if I had been given the option. One thing I know for sure, is we are not going to start trying immediately because I want to be able to go to my brother's wedding in October, and also to take Caitlin to Disney World. However, with all of that said, please keep us in your prayers as we try to figure all of this out.

Finally, on the diet note-- I had lost a total of 14 pounds and then with all of the traveling, etc... got off track. I am restarting for sure on Sunday but will be eating much more carefully today and also getting back on the exercise bandwagon.

Now for some pictures:

Week Two A Success! Father's Day Weekend.

2011-06-22T10:20:00.000-05:00

Week two of our lifestyle change also was successful. I lost three more pounds and a half of an inch in my chest and hips. Bryan also lost a pound and a half. So far we seem to really be sticking with it and we are eating much healthier. We are buying fresh produce for the most part and eating lots of fruits and vegetables. We shop at the farmer's market each week that comes to Centennial Park across from HCA's headquarters. To give you insight into how I am losing weight, here's a picture of what I eat and how I exercise on a daily basis. I normally get up and do zumba for an hour. Then I eat breakfast which normally consists of a half a grapefruit, an apple with two tablespoons of peanut butter, and some strawberries. For lunch, I usually eat a baked potato with one tablespoon of butter, green beans, and carrots. For dinner, I usually eat some sort of grilled protein-- chicken, lean beef such as london broil, etc... measuring and weighing it for accurate calories-- and some more vegetables-- most often grilled zucchini and sliced tomato and corn... once again all measured out. For snacks, I again eat fruit, or a granola bar, or some frozen yogurt in a cone. I do not limit myself on the types of food I eat, but I measure everything-- even my peanut butter for breakfast, and write it all down and add up the calories each day. I also use a website to help me keep up with an estimated amount of calories burned during my exercise. Finally, before I go to bed I do another hour of exercise-- usually zumba as well. During the day I typically try to walk with Caitlin to get her outside and it is really good for both of us. The rain over the last couple of days hasn't helped. But I am looking forward to getting outside hopefully tomorrow.

Now to Father's Day weekend. We went to Chattanooga to celebrate with my Daddy. We also thought we would be celebrating Matt's birthday-- but turns out he was up here in Nashville. I hate that I didn't get to see him-- but I am praying that He has a wonderful birthday today-- he is thirty. For Father's Day, Bryan had already received a grill with a searing station, an extra burner for cooking in a pot, and then a huge grilling surface. He really likes it. From Caitlin, we went to the pottery place and made her hand print into a turkey on a picture frame and it said, "Happy Father's Day Love Daddy's Little Turkey." I enclosed a picture of Caitlin from a couple of weeks ago and now it is setting on his desk at work. For my Daddy I made a picture frame as well from Caitlin with a bumble bee serving as the basis for her thumbprints and put a picture of her in her pool and it said "Happy Father's Day Love Grandpa's Bumblebee!" They both turned out really well and I only wish I had remembered to take a picture of them. Finally, for my Daddy from me and Bryan we gave him money towards a new cell phone. Which he went and purchased and really likes. He has the newest HTC droid-- thunderbolt. It's a really great phone and hopefully I will be upgrading to that in a few months. Overall it was a great weekend. While we were there we also got to see Alan Jackson in concert at Riverbend and it was a great time of hanging out with my best friend Brande.

Well, that's about it. I'll write more soon. As of now, I have to go keep up with a little girl who is not happy her Momma is on the computer instead of playing with her.

Week One was a success!

2011-06-12T19:57:00.000-05:00

Well week one of our lifestyle transformation was a success. Bryan and I both lost 5 pounds. I also lost an inch off my waist, an inch and a half off my chest, and two inches off my hips. Hopefully many weeks from now, I will be a much leaner and healthier person for all of the hardwork and effort. Bryan did not exercise at all and lost the same amount of weight as me, so that was a bit frustrating-- but oh well. At least we are both being successful at it. Cailtin continues to grow and have fun. She is a constant source of entertainment and joy. Her molars are really bothering her, so she is a bit fussy but she loved playing outside today after church and her nap. Here are some pictures of her from today.

Fifteen Months and Counting

2011-06-10T15:05:00.000-05:00

Caitlin is fifteen months old and continues to grow at the same steady pace. She is in the 75% for weight at 25 lbs 12 ozs, and is in the 90% for height at 32 inches tall. She is a constant climber-- her favorite thing to do right now is climb onto the couch and then from their on to the table that is behind it... No matter how often I say no, she continues to try and climb so she is really keeping me on my toes. She received two shots this week at her appointment and we are close to putting most of her vaccinations behind us, and for that I am thankful. Her vocabulary is improving. She has about 20 words she uses and understands, but she doesn't use them all of the time. Most recently she said, "Jesus loves You." And my guess is that is because since the day she was born, I started singing "Jesus Loves You" instead of "Jesus loves me" to her. I don't think she quite gets it, but she does try to sing a long. It is quite cute. She loves playing outside and we are now spending part of each day with her riding in her trike and playing on her swing set or on her water table. Hopefully at some point soon we will have a little pool for her to play in more.

I have to post pictures soon-- and will do hopefully this weekend.
In other notes, we have finished the kitchen remodel for the most part-- Bryan has to change out the microwave over the stove and do a few touch up paint spots, but it is done and I am really enjoying the kitchen and cooking-- but healthy!

In an effort to live a more healthy lifestyle, I started measuring everything as I cook it and calories and started an exercise program. I am doing zumba every morning, trying to walk with Caitlin every afternoon, and then use the Wii to box at night before I go to bed. I am also keeping a food journal and am planning meals. The hardest thing to do right now is find a place where we can actually go eat and get the nutritional information and have a decent meal. Not many restaurants are forth-coming with the nutritional information on their menus and this is a little bit frustrating. Right now, chick-fil-a and outback steakhouse are my two favorites because they have a meal planning guide on their websites... However, outback is not in my calorie range at all... if I eat there, that is all I am eating all day.... but chick-fil-a has much healthier options and I can get a full meal including sweet tea to drink that is within my budget. I am also drinking lots and lots of water. Finally, I have pretty much given up coke except for on occasion-- I have only had 2 all week... and they have been when I couldn't get rid of a headache.

I guess that is it for news right now. Week one of the lifestyle change comes to an end on Sunday and it will be interesting to see what progress is being made. Bryan is also dieting but not exercising and my best bet is he will still have lost more weight than me-- which will be frustrating but okay.

I will write more sooner.

God Bless,

Niki

An Update....

2011-05-25T22:27:00.000-05:00

Sorry it has been so long since I have written a post. Things here are going pretty well. Caitlin continues to grow by leaps and bounds. I actually discovered her molars today-- as well as the cuspids-- they are partially erupted-- which explains why she has been fussier than normal. For Mother's Day-- I still haven't uploaded the pictures... but I thought I would share what we did... I took her to the pottery place and we painted flower pots for her grandmother's and then I used her thumb prints as the basis to make lady bugs. Then around the rim was written "Happy Mother's Day, Love Grandma's Little Ladybug Caitlin" or "Granny" or Nanny" depending upon who the gift was for. We also put the year. They turned out quite cute and then we put an indoor plant in them. From us, we bought them all dresses. Now, I have to figure out what to do for Father's Day. I have an idea-- but we will have to see if I can get it done.

Let's see... in other news, I turned 32 on the 14th of this month-- we were in Linden for Bryan's family reunion but we drove in to Cracker Barrel in Spring Hill for us to eat dinner. Additionally, we are in the process of renovating the house so we can one day put it on the market to sell. Our next big project begins tomorrow night when Bryan gets off work as we are redoing the kitchen. We will have a new floor, paint, and new appliances-- except for the dishwasher that we flipped the cover-- and now it is black instead of the almond. We are getting a new stove, refrigerator, and microwave. Once it is finished it will be great-- until then, though it is going to be a lot of work.

Finally, here are some prayer requests:
1. My mom is recovering from some minor surgery she had today.
2. Please continue to pray for everyone impacted by the crazy weather we are having.
3. Pray for God to work a miracle in the lives of several children who are relatives and friends of friends who are suffering from cancer, etc.
4. Please pray for friends who are struggling with cancer as adults.
5. Please pray for two of my great aunts who are struggling-- one is suffering from Alzheimer's and dementia. The second one has Parkinson's and hospice has been called in as she can no longer swallow.
6. Please continue to keep Brent, Matt, and Eric Christopher in your prayers.

God Bless,

Niki

It's official and brought tears to my eyes....

2011-05-11T08:47:00.000-05:00

My baby is not a baby anymore. She slept all night in her toddler bed. I cannot believe she is growing up this fast. It seems like only last week I was feeling her kick in the womb, and yesterday she was born... but time is moving by way too fast. I am once again humbled and amazed that I have the opportunity to be mommy to this precious gift from God. She learns, grows, and does new things each day and it amazes me. God is so good. I know that I am truly blessed.

Niki

Mother's Day and an Update

2011-05-10T10:22:00.001-05:00

Good Morning!

Mother's Day was wonderful at our house. Bryan did a really great job of making me feel special and appreciated-- which was much different from last year. This year he and Caitlin purchased me a new journey diamond necklace to replace the one Caitlin pulled off my neck somewhere between church, a restaurant, and the house back in January and was lost. He also brought me roses and chocolate. We also spent the day looking at appliances and stuff for when we redo our kitchen-- which this makeover project should begin very soon. Additionally, he cooked dinner and cleaned up the mess! I am truly blessed. As I look back over my journey to motherhood, I am once again humbled and amazed at how God worked in my life. I would not have chosen to loose two precious children to miscarriage, but I know that those obstacles allowed me to eventually carry Caitlin and have a beautiful healthy little girl. She is such a joy and is growing so fast. I am amazed each day at what she does knew. She is so close to really talking and not just babbling. She is also quite the daredevil-- she climbs on everything. Today I caught her as she attempted to climb out of her crib for the first time-- fortunately I got too her before she landed on her head. Since coming downstairs she has climbed in to her toy box and also on top of her baby doll stroller and then on top of her kitchen-- but again I caught her and pulled her down before she fell. I will post pictures of what Caitlin made for her grandmothers once we go to Linden and get to give Bryan's Mom her gifts. I know my Mom and grandmother that we saw on Saturday really liked theirs.

Overall, we are keeping busy and will be traveling very soon. Today's plans are laundry and playing outside with my precious girl.

Talk to everyone soon.

God Bless,

Niki

Our Trip to the Nashville Zoo

2011-05-04T12:49:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday some friends from Linden invited us to go to the zoo with them, so we did. We had a great time and Caitlin was really well behaved. She loved looking at the animals, and her favorite animals were the alligators. Hopefully this doesn't mean she will be a gator fan. Caitlin also got to go on her first carousel ride and she really enjoyed that. We appreciate Jamie, Jennifer,and Willa inviting us to go with them. When we left the zoo, we went out to get at Shogun and discovered that Caitlin really loves rice. She ate almost half a bowl of steamed rice, chicken, and other vegetables. The only time she got fussy was when Shogun didn't have any milk. We know next time to make certain that we take milk with us. Overall it was a wonderful day. Below are some of the pictures we took.

God Bless,

Niki

Easter Pictures

2011-04-28T14:14:00.000-05:00

Here are some Easter pictures from last weekend. It has taken a little while to post them because of traveling for Daryl's funeral and then the crazy weather. I was very thankful to find out that a friend of mine who is a student at the University of Alabama is safe and sound, and now I am praying for everyone impacted by the storms-- both in Alabama and also in my hometown of Chattanooga. The devestation is mind boggling and I am praying that God provides everyone involved with comfort, hope, and peace. I think that it was a testimony earlier today when Fox News was broadcasting about the destruction in Tuscaloosa and they said everyone they talked to said "God is Good" and "He will help them rebuild." The reporter said he was amazed at the peace people had and it can only be attributed to their faith.

Please remember to keep everyone impacted by these storms in your prayers.

Pictures are below:

My Heart Is Broken

2011-04-21T20:53:00.000-05:00

My dear friend Daryl Christopher lost her battle with cancer yesterday, April 20, 2011 and went to be with Jesus. I am not heart broken for her, as she is finally healed from a disease that has played havoc on her body for many years and she no longer needs blood transfusions, medication, oxygen, etc... And she was finally able to be hugged again-- I imagine the first hug came from our Savior Whom she glorified even as she battled this horrific disease. She was such a remarkable woman, and I miss her very much and I cannot even to begin to imagine the pain and hurt that Eric, Matt, and Brent are going through. They have lost both parents in less than four years to cancer. All I know to do right now is to pray for them, and I am asking you to join me in prayer for them. I also ask that you pray for me as I make plans to go attend the funeral which is next week with Caitlin. Bryan is not going to be able to get off work, so I am going with Caitlin-- and I need prayers for strength and comfort for myself-- because Brent told me yesterday when he called to tell me that his mom died, that she loved me as one of her own-- and I truly loved her and this whole family. I also need prayers that Caitlin will be able to set quietly with a toy or two during the service as I have no child care options for her as my whole family will be going to the funeral. I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to go spend time with Daryl back in January. In closing I want to enclose a passage of scripture that I think captures how she lived her life and her battle with cancer-- because she always had a smile on her face or in her voice and she was always trusting and praising God. Daryl could easily say the same words Paul shared in 2 Timothy 4:8-9, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth, their is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but to all who have loved His appearing." Daryl you are loved and you will be missed. Eric, Matt, and Brent you are in my prayers and will continue to be in my prayers in the days, months, and weeks ahead.

God Bless,

Niki

A General Update with a Few Pictures

2011-04-19T11:32:00.000-05:00

Spring is here and it is a very busy time. We have traveled every weekend since the middle of March except for the last one and we will be on the road again several times over the next few weeks. Bryan continues to try and turkey hunt, and I am praying that he will be successful. One weekend, I went to Chattanooga and Bryan went to Linden to hunt. It was good to spend time with my family, but I was thankful to be reunited with Bryan and to be home. It was weird to drive into Chattanooga and not feel like it was "home" for the first time. Truly my home is with Bryan and I am so thankful that God blessed me with His presence in my life.

Caitlin continues to grow by leaps and bounds. She also has said her name for the first time-- she still cannot answer the question, "what's your name" but at least she has said it. She loves playing outside on her swingset and with her water table. She is such a precious gift from God and I am eternally grateful that He allowed me the privilege and responsibility for raising her. I pray that I will be a godly example for her and that I will always make time for her to see Jesus in me.

There are a lot of decisions Bryan and I have to make over the next few months and so we are praying for wisdom. We have to decide when and how to finish remodeling the house so that we are able to put it up for sale. We also have to decide exactly where we want to move and where God would have us move. Additionally we are already starting to talk about adding to our family-- We are NOT trying right now-- but we are praying for wisdom as to when and how God wants us to do this.

Now that all of that has been discussed, I am going to close with some light hearted pictures of Caitlin playing.

God Bless,
Niki

Caitlin is thirteen months old today

2011-04-06T13:16:00.001-05:00

It is so hard for me to believe. Time has flown by.... and we have both been sick. Last Thursday, she woke up with a fever, so I took her to the doctor. Once again she got an upper respiratory infection-- 4 days after taking her back to church-- not sure why, but every time we go, she gets sick. This time, what was different is that I got sick a few days later-- apparently catching it from her, and it has made my asthma flare up. I am on antibiotics and prednisone to help get me on the road to recovery more quickly. Caitlin is back to normal-- unfortunately including her bottle dependency. When she got sick, she refused to drink at all from a sippy cup, so I get to start that process over again. I am going to start next week. On another note, the quilted blanket for my sister is finished. I have posted updated pictures on facebook. And once my computer gets charged, I'll post pictures here. For now, I just wanted to give that brief update. Spring is here and it is our busiest time of the year for traveling.

God Bless,

Niki

We are Bottle Free!

2011-03-30T13:44:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I decided no more messing around and trying to get Caitlin to stop wanting a bottle on her own, and chose to use only sippy cups. It was a rough morning, but once she cried herself to sleep in my arms, which broke my heart, she woke up and took her sippy cup for the rest of the day. Now that she is using a sippy cup her appetite is growing as she is not drinking near as much milk. I am thankful to have the bottle dependency behind me.... she is still quite fussy when it comes to wanting a bottle to go to sleep, but I am not giving into her demands. Instead, I am giving her a cracker or some type of snack, which makes her tummy feel more full and also makes her want to drink, and she is drinking out of her sippy cup like a champ. I am sure bed time will be hard for the next few days, but we are making progress.

Other than that, not a lot has gone on here. Turkey season is about to begin, and as a result our travel will really pick up. One weekend when Bryan goes to Linden, I am going to go to Chattanooga, to try and let my parents also get to see Caitlin. I am sure her Granny will miss her, but it is the only way we know how to try to be equitable.

Hopefully, I will get the blanket for Mandi done this weekend. I have been praciticing quilting on my embroidery hoop and I think I finally have it figured out so my speed should increase.

Remember as spring gets into full swing that Jesus created this beautiful world for us to live in and that as we enjoy the renewal of the trees and flowers, and everything blooming, that Jesus wants to do the same thing in your heart. He came lived a perfect life, died on the cross for the sins of the world, and was resurrected on the third day in order to conquer the power of sin and death in our lives and so that we may live an abundant life in fellowship with God. If you do not know Jesus as your Savior, I challenge you to visit our church's website: http://insidepbf.com/ and listen to our Lead Pastor's sermon from Sunday March 27 on John 3:1-15.

God Bless,

Niki

Keeping Busy, and a Small Successes

2011-03-24T10:23:00.000-05:00

Good Morning!

We spent the last week in Linden, TN visiting with Bryan's mom which also allowed me to learn how to actually quilt on the frame. I am not very good at it as of yet, and it is taking a very long time, but we are making progress. The blanket that I am making for my sister is 37.5% complete, and Bryan's Mom is going to try to finish another two rows before we go back for opening weekend of Turkey Season, and if she gets that far, we might be able to get it done that weekend. Then I can take it to Mandi for a belated birthday gift.

Also, her birthday is today-- and so I want to take a moment and wish her a very Happy Birthday. A little more than 27 years ago, I wished God would give me a baby sister-- and He answered my prayers. I am so thankful for her presence in my life. We have lots of wonderful memories and we share a bond only sisters understand. Happy Birthday Mandi!

Now that we are back home, we have a lot to do to get the house back in order. Unfortunately dust does not take a break from developing, and bathrooms always need cleaning, and laundry always needs done. So that is what I am going to be doing the rest of this week. I am also going to practice quilting on an embroidery hoop, so maybe when I go back, I'll be a little bit better at it. One thing is for sure, a lot of love is going into this blanket-- as is takes about eight hours to piece one, then it takes me almost an hour a square to hand quilt it-- and that is before binding. Thus, it will take me almost 100 hours to make a blanket-- a full quilt-- who knows how much longer it would take. I am supposed to be getting a sewing machine from my parents house, so perhaps I'll try one on a machine at some point-- but I am enjoying using my hands to create something.

With regards to the small successes, Caitlin has done a few of things only once-- but it is clear she is really learning. She signed "I Love You." I have only been showing her this sign since the day she was born, and it is finally starting to pay off. She has also said "one, two, three, four, (and) five". We count before we tickle her, etc... and she is picking up on it. Again, she has only said it once, but it is starting to stick. She also says "A and B" so it appears she is starting to get used to hearing the alphabet song that I sing to her. She, also tries really hard to sing along with "Jesus Loves Me" when I sing it to her. She also successfully used a spoon and fed herself some mashed potatoes from a plate. Finally, she is learning to turn pages one at a time in her recorded books and is able to set longer and listen to stories. So, I am using her rapt attention to go over Bible Stories and to remind her of scripture that I am hoping she will one day have memorized.

So we are making small strides in her learning. Hopefully, I will continue to be diligent in making certain that she is learning. I am amazed at how fast she has started to pick up on stuff. She is running around the house now and plays very independently.

I am going to enclose some pictures from the last few weeks and our time in Linden.

Have a great weekend!

God Bless,

Niki

A General Update

2011-03-16T09:27:00.000-05:00

Good Morning! I thought I would take some time to write a general update of what is going on with us and where we are at with Caitlin's development, etc.... To make it easier to read, I am just going to do it bullet style.

Caitlin's one year check up was last Wednesday. She is now 30.5 inches long (which is 90%); 23.5 lbs (75%); and her head is still at 95%.
She received her one year immunizations which included her fourth pneumoccocial vaccine, chicken pox vaccine, MMR vaccine, and Hepatitis A vaccine. Needless to say she was not a happy camper.
She has fully recovered from her RSV and her nebulizer is put up, hopefully we won't have to use it for a long time.
She is fully walking on her own. She has been walking around for over a week and now is pretty close to running.
Her vocabulary includes: momma, daddy, hi, nanny, leah, doggy, hot dog, minnie, mickey, bye, and I love you.
She is just now starting to say I love you without us saying it first and it is so sweet and such a blessing.
Currently, I am trying to teach her body parts-- eyes, ears, nose, and mouth to start with.
I read to her for at least 30 minutes each day. We are reading/listening to recorded books from Hallmark from her grandparents and us. We also read from her Big Picture Bible, an interactive book from hallmark that has Cooper a bear who responds to key words in the book, and Dr. Seuss books-- today we read Green Eggs and Ham.
Caitlin has eight teeth that have fully erupted and is currently teething again trying to get all four cuspids in at once. Her gums are red and she is constantly chewing.
I am busy trying to keep the house clean and laundry done. Bryan and I both worked really hard for three weeks and got rid of a bunch of clutter, shampooed the carpets, cleaned base boards, etc... and now I am working to make certain that the house remains clean.
Caitlin now feeds herself all three meals-- using her fingers, but attempting to use a spoon and fork. For breakfast she usually eats cheerios and fruit of some type. For lunch, she eats what I eat-- which is most of the time leftovers-- for dinner, again she eats what we eat, or one of her Gerber graduate meals. Spaghetti and green beans are by far her two favorite foods right now.
I had almost weaned Caitlin off the bottle-- she was only getting one at nap time and bed time, and then she got sick with RSV and refused to drink out of a sippy cup-- and really didn't even want to drink out of the bottle-- but we got her too, and now she has totally regressed. She will hardly drink out of a sippy cup at all-- but I keep trying-- hopefully it will pay off before long.
Caitlin has also started listening more and is responding appropriately when I tell her no-- she now comes back to me and is doing much better-- I think having both the living room and dining room area to walk around and explore has also helped with this.
Caitlin is moving up to the lambs class at church. She will be in a class with all walkers now.
Bryan is working and staying busy and really looking forward to turkey season.
We are still planning on remodeling the house in order to get it ready to sell. We lack the bathroom upstairs and cleaning out and reorganizing the office and then the upstairs will be finished.
We recently hung pictures up and I think it has helped a lot with making the house look like a family lives here.
Bryan's mom has been a champion and is really helping me with my quilting projects. She is quilting Mandi's throw for me, and I am hoping to go in and get it finished perhaps even this weekend.
Bryan and I both prayed about him going to Mexico on a Mission Trip-- it would be his first, and it appears that God has closed that door at the moment as Bryan doesn't have peace about going-- perhaps down the road God will open another door for us to go on a mission trip as a family.
In other areas, I am really starting to miss my friends from Chattanooga and I miss having a group of girls to just hang out with, play games, and talk. However, I know in time God will provide this sort of bond either here in Nashville or perhaps in Spring Hill-- as that is where we are hoping to move once we are able to put our house up on the market.

I think I have rambled on enough. I hope everyone has a blessed day!

Niki

One Year Pictures

2011-03-11T23:49:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday Caitlin Ruth!

2011-03-06T10:04:00.000-06:00

One year ago today, my precious baby girl was born at 5:45 pm weighing in at 6 lbs and 6 ozs and at 19.25 inches long. She is such a blessing and has grown so much over the last twelve months, it is hard for me to believe that she is a full grown toddler and no longer in her infant stage. Don't get me wrong, she still has her cuddly moments, but they are growing fewer as she is becoming more independent. She loves to play. She now only takes one nap a day, and it is usually for 2-3 hours. She is constantly trying to sing and talk and her vocabulary is growing. She is also pretty much walking on her own now. She really started in earnest yesterday and before long she will be running full speed around the house.

To celebrate her birthday, we went to the Fun and Party Zone in Spring Hill and had her birthday party. It was a great time of fun for Caitlin and several of her friends as we took her down inflatable slides, in a bouncy castle, and others played in an infltable obstacle course. A special thanks to my friend Jennifer for making Caitlin's cute shirt for her birthday, and to my wonderful sister Mandi for making Caitlin's cakes. I am enclosing a few pictures. For her birthday we got her a little tykes swing along castle swing set for toddlers and a water table for us to play with in the yard. Her grandparents got her a kitchen, her new stride rite shoes, and books. I want to say thank you to everyone who came and made the day special.

Happy Birthday Caitlin Ruth! I love you so much and I pray that you will continue to grow strong and healthy and that God will use you in great and mighty ways in the future. I pray that you will always know and feel that your Momma and Daddy love you very much, and as much as we love you, that you will know Jesus loves you even more. I pray that you will continue to pray and that I will be a godly example for you and that you will see that I love Jesus not only in words but in my actions and that you will have a desire for God's Word. Know that I am very proud of you and the woman that you have become.

Love always,

Momma

A Busy Week

2011-03-03T09:11:00.000-06:00

This week has been very busy. Monday night Bryan and Caitlin went to Sams for our major monthly grocery shopping trip while I went to my Discipleship group meeting on Radical Womanhood. Then we all went to Target to shop for the little items we needed from the grocery store. Tuesday night, Bryan paid bills and I cleaned house. Yesterday, Bryan's mom came up to keep Caitlin so that I am able to go to a meeting at Bethany Christian Services today as I am helping to coordinate and plan their major fundraising dinner, which is now being called a Fellowship Dinner. So, while she was here, I took the opportunity to go get a min-makeover. My hair has been redyed red-- even though that was a process-- we dyed it twice because the first time it was fire engine red-- now it is more toned down-- and to get a perm. Bryan thinks the curls make me look younger-- but I like it because it is no fuss hair and I won't have to do much to it for awhile. Then once I finally got finished with that, I went home to pick everyone up and we took Caitlin to get some new shoes-- she is now in a size four! We got her dress shoes and new walkers. Today, I have the meeting at Bethany and will be finishing up some laundry and re-vacuuming, etc as my parents and sister are coming up tomorrow night to celebrate Caitlin's birthday. It is hard to believe in three days she will be 1 year old! Her party is Saturday morning. I hope to post pictures Saturday evening of all of the festivities. Until then, I will let you go.

God Bless,

Niki

The Count Down Has begun...

2011-02-25T14:30:00.000-06:00

Caitlin will be a year old in nine days! Nine days! I can hardly believe it. Her birthday party is a week from tomorrow and we have her one year pictures scheduled for a week from today. It is amazing at how fast time has flown by. Through it all, I am amazed and blessed beyond words that God has given me the gift of Caitlin. She is such a miracle and a beautiful reminder of God's love and grace. Being her mom has so often reminded me of God's goodness and His patience towards me and parenting is a truly wonderful and humbling experience. With all that is going on next weekend, I am already trying to finalize things and plan ahead. I need advice on which dress you think Caitlin should wear for her one year formal pictures. I have the casual outfit already picked out. I am inserting two pictures of her in each dress and feel free to post a comment and tell me what you think. Here are the pictures. I apologize to my facebook friends who are going to see this more than once-- just know that I value your input.

And yes she is holding her tooth brush. She absolutely loves to brush her teeth. Obviously she is feeling much better from the RSV as well.

I need to make a list of everything I need to get for her party finalized and also write some Bible Study lessons, so I will write again soon.

God Bless,

Niki

Caitlin has RSV

2011-02-22T20:36:00.000-06:00

Here is a picture of her getting her breathing treatment this morning. The good news is they are really working as she has played all day and has been fever free for almost 24 hours. She got sick last Thursday, and I took her to the doctor on Friday and was told it was just an upper respiratory infection. By Saturday night she was wheezing like crazy and it was a rough time all weekend. Monday morning I took her back to the doctor and she was diagnose with RSV and had lost almost a pound in 4 days. She is still not wanting to eat but she is playing and really starting to walk around on her own. Before too long, I hope to figure out how to post a video and show everyone how she is walking. Please remember to keep her in your prayers.

God Bless,

Niki

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T14:33:00.000-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day! The weather outside is beautiful. It is almost sixty degrees which allowed Caitlin and I to go outside and get some fresh air. As we walked outside, I noticed that there was a box from ProFlowers sitting on the stoop-- for some reason the UPS guy did not knock on the door. So I picked up the box and opened them to find 2 dozen roses and a box of chocolates. Bryan did such a great job! His gift was romantic, unfortunately mine for him was more practical. I did get him some of his favorite candy and trail mix, but I also got him some pajama pants as the others he has are worn out. Hopefully, he will like them when he gets here. To celebrate Caitlin's first Valentine's Day we took her Bible Study teachers chocolates, and then got her a card and some cute pajamas. I am posting some of the pictures that I have taken of her recently, including her reading her cards that she has received so far-- she has one more on the way from my parents and when it arrives, I'll post a picture of that as well. I cannot believe in less than 3 weeks she will be one year old!

Here are pictures.

Finally, here are some thoughts about Love and what it really means. First, true and perfect love only comes from God above and we know that He loved us in that He laid down His own life for us. Jesus demonstrated perfect love by dying on the cross for our sins. Secondly, one of the most famous statements on love was given by the Apostle Paul in his first letter to the Corinthian church. Here are his words:

"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love." 1 Corinthians 13

I wish I could say that I demonstrated this kind of love towards my family and friends all of the time, but I do not. I am not always patient or kind, nor am I never arrogant or rude. I can be irritable and resentful. All of these things are sinful, and I am asking God to help me change as I seek to become more and more like Christ and less and less like myself. I hope that one day, I will be able to read this and put my name in the place of love and have all of these statements be true of me. Until then, I need to surrender to Christ and let Him reign in my heart and make me more and more like Him.

Happy Valentine's Day!

God Bless,

Niki

Caitlin is Eleven Months Old

2011-02-10T08:11:00.000-06:00

This will be a quick post, as Caitlin is not in the best mood this morning. However, since I got the computer out to order part of Bryan's valentine's day gift, I thought I would write a quick update. On Sunday, Caitlin turned eleven months old. It is hard to believe that we will be celebrating her birthday in less than four weeks! I have a lot to do with regards to her party including getting party favors picked out, and confirming with the rental place that we will have the Disney table cloths, cups, plates, and napkins. So far we haven't heard back from a lot of the invitations, but the deadline isn't until the 28th of February, so hopefully we will know more soon. Additionally, Caitlin attended her first birthday party for someone else on Saturday the 5th in Linden. Our good friends little girl turned 3. I have a picture of Caitlin wearing her tinkerbell headband, as the theme was tinkerbell, that I will try to post later. We have another party to attend this weekend, and we are looking forward to sharing in Gabrielle's second birthday. Then we will have Caitlin's party, two weeks after that. Overall, things are just pretty much the same. I have finished reading Numbers, and am almost half way through Deuteronomy. In addition to this, I am reading Radical Womanhood, and Shepherding A Child's Heart. Caitlin has decided she wants to type on the computer, so I am going to put this up and hopefully get her to help me make a Valentine's Day card for her Daddy from her. This should be interesting!

God Bless,

Niki

God speaking through everyday trials and circumstances....

2011-02-04T10:38:00.000-06:00

Being a parent is one of the hardest and yet most rewarding thing I have ever done. I wonder everyday if I am doing a good job and if I am going to help Caitlin make the right choices that will ultimately lead her to surrendering her life to Christ and living for Him. This week has not been easy on several fronts-- trying to get her to use a sippy cup, teaching her to remain in her boundaries, and having other family members disappoint us by stating that the won't be coming to her birthday party without really giving a reason. When I heard this last night, I was quite frustrated and hurt my feelings for Caitlin. Through all of these circumstances God has spoken to me and challenged me to think about how He treats us and how much He loves us. The scripture that God has brought to my mind when thinking about all of this is James 1:2-4, which states, "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that yo may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." Here are the lessons that God has reminded me of this week as I have gone through the everyday events.

With regards to teaching Caitlin to use a sippy cup, God reminded me of how patient He is towards us. Lets face it, He is called the Good Shepherd for a reason. We are like sheep which means that we are often slow to learn and have to be patiently guided to the right place. As a parent I have to be patient when teaching Caitlin how to use the sippy cup in the same way God shows me patience as He teaches me how to lean on Him and surrender every aspect of my life every day.

With regards to teaching Caitlin to stay within the boundaries we have set for her, God reminded me to once again be patient. But God also reminded me to persevere-- and to not grow weary in doing good, because in time Caitlin will learn to respect the boundaries. Just as we have to learn to live within God's will and surrender our own ideas and agendas to Gods to live within the boundaries He has established for us, it is a process that takes time. Thus I need to be persistent and continue to teach Caitlin how to live within the guidelines I have established for her, but most of all within the guidelines God has established for her.

Finally, with regards to family members deciding not to come to Caitlin's birthday, this really hurt me and frustrated me that they would treat my child badly-- and while it in no way compares to what Jesus went through on the cross, I was reminded that God endured watching Jesus be treated badly to the point of dying in our place, and He showed love, grace and mercy to all of us because we are responsible for Jesus being on that cross. So I need to forgive these family members and show love, grace, and mercy to them. This event pointed me to the cross and once again reminded me what the pastors at our church are always saying-- everything is actually all about the gospel.

No earth shattering revelations, but gentle quite reminders from God to trust Him and to keep allowing Him to work in my life.

Praying God speaks to you as you go about your everyday ordinary lives as well.

God Bless,

Niki

A Crazy Week!

2011-02-03T12:28:00.000-06:00

Wow! This week started off rough but Tuesday was wonderful, yesterday was rough again, and today has started off pretty well for the most part. Tuesday, I decided I would try some whole milk in a sippy cup for Caitlin and she drank a little bit of it. Yesterday, she didn't really want the sippy cup at all again, so that didn't go well.... and then she continually tried to escape-- so I had to put her play yard completely back together-- where it doesn't surround the loveseat as well to keep her confined to the area where her toys are and what has been child-proofed. She did not like that at all and fussed most of the day because of it. Also, I am trying to give up carbonated beverages, so not having a coca-cola did not help, and I had a huge headache.... I ended up going to bed at 9:30, which its normally close to midnight before I even attempt to try to fall asleep. Today, Caitlin actually drank a full sippy cup of milk and started another one before taking a nap. At nap time and at night we are still using a bottle at the moment-- trying to slowly make the transition rather than doing it abruptly. I also try to show Caitlin how excited I get when she uses a sippy cup, hoping that positive reinforcement will help her get used to the idea of using one exclusively before long. There is really not much else going on at this point. I am still trying to clean house, do laundry, and balance everything else. Its not easy, but I know that God will help me learn to do all of this as I keep being faithful to Him. One thing that He has reminded me of greatly as I read through Numbers this week is that He never calls you to do something He does not equip you for or is prepared to help you with. I am adding a couple of pictures of Caitlin for you to enjoy!

God Bless,
Niki

One Long Day.....

2011-01-31T22:17:00.000-06:00

Today has not gone very well at all. Bryan and I decided that we were going to try to break Caitlin's dependency upon the bottle by giving her a sippy cup only. I packed up all of the bottles and put them out of Caitlin's sight and tried for 4.5 hours to get her to drink formula from the sippy cup before I finally gave in and let her have a bottle. She fussed off and on for those hours off and on. Once I gave her a bottle, she drank it all and then took a two hour nap. Once she woke up I decided to try again and I lined up all 4 types of sippy cups that we have to see which one she wanted to drink out of . Still to no avail-- she did take about 2 ozs of formula out of one while eating her raviolis for lunch, but that was it. I ended up giving her another bottle at 4:00 pm, which she drank in the car, and then we just gave her bottles for the rest of the evening. We are going to try again later. In the midst of all of this battling over the sippy cup, she also had an explosive diaper, which led to us both getting quite messy and needing cleaned up before going out this afternoon. Then she puked when she forgot to chew up her cheerios when we got home, and covered us both in puke. I finally got us both cleaned up and she drank a full bottle of pedialyte and fell asleep. I know that she will wake up in the middle of the night, so I am waiting a little while to put her down and going to give her another bottle of milk. Lastly, Caitlin is also an escape artist. She pushes past the gates we have set up to keep her contained in the living room and after I carried her back into the gate she clenched her fists, yelled at me, reached down and bit me, and the looked back up at me and yelled at me some more. She is not even a year old yet! I was in shock and just carried her to the pack and play and let her set in it for a little while. I couldn't believe it.

Finally, in the midst of all of this, I realized that it was two years ago today that I lost my second baby, a girl, Stephanie MaryAnn Ary, to a miscarriage. I have struggled since then because I feel like I should have taken time to remember Stephanie-- and to be honest, if I hadn't been reading my old blog posts, I might have let the day go by before I realized what had happened. So, I feel like a bad momma because I didn't remember Stephanie today-- and I am still struggling with it a little bit. However, I know that God will get me through this as He has already brought me this far.

To close, I love the two children I lost to miscarriage, but it is very different. I never got to show them how much I loved them and I don't even know what they looked like, what their personalities were, or what they would like and dislike. Thus, I struggle with not knowing how to show I love them and I also struggle because I don't know if I love them as much as I love Caitlin because I interact with her all of the time. I am not sure if I am saying this clearly or not, and if anyone else has had this struggle. Hopefully as I continue to trust God and He continues to heal me from this heart break-- as it is an on-going process-- He will help me with these issues as well.

Remember to hug your children and hold them close tonight. Tell them that you love them and that Jesus loves them.

God Bless,

Niki

Anniversary Celebration

2011-01-31T21:49:00.000-06:00

This past weekend Bryan and I took Caitlin to Chattanooga and dropped her off at my parents house and then we checked into a bed and breakfast, The Stone Fort Inn, downtown and had a nice weekend together. Friday night we went to Tony's Pasta in the Art District and it was wonderful. It is one of my favorite restaurants that I miss living here in Nashville. When we returned Bryan had arranged for chocolate covered strawberries to be waiting for us. The two person jacuzzi tub was also lined with candles and rose petals-- which was great and very romantic. Saturday morning we got up and got dressed for the day before our breakfast ever arrived and after we ate, we headed to my parent's house in order to spend some time with Caitlin. Then we went to lunch at Chili's, saw a movie-- The Little Fockers-- it was not worth watching in my opinion, and then back to the room to change clothes and we headed to the Melting Pot. Saturday night we had a great discussion based upon some of the readings in Shepherding A Child's Heart. We also talked about how we can be more effective witnesses to our lost friends and family members. Finally, we talked about the future and the prospect of having another child. Right now, the thought of being pregnant again terrifies me-- and we both agree we want to wait quite awhile, I have several fears.... the first of which being another miscarriage. The second fear is being put on permanent bed rest and not being able to take care of Caitlin. The third fear actually involves adding another child to our family-- will I be able to balance my time between Caitlin and any other children. I am sure that God will never give us more than we can handle, so I am praying about this and asking God to help me through all of these fears as we move forward. For now, there are two big events in our family we are looking forward to, my brother's wedding in October and then taking Caitlin to Walt Disney World for the first time in late October through the first week of November. Sunday morning we got up, ate breakfast, packed and headed to my parent's house where we hung out until almost 2 and then we headed home. The Stone Fort Inn was very quaint with lots of antiques and originally flooring, etc... it was beautiful, but not on the same level as Christopher Place, and the bed was uncomfortable. I am glad to be home in my own bed, but am thankful to have had such a nice weekend with Bryan and to have the opportunity to actual celebrate our anniversary.

God Bless,

Niki

Planning Caitlin's Birthday Party

2011-01-27T14:19:00.000-06:00

It is hard to believe in 6 weeks Caitlin will be one year old! I am in full party planning mode as we are going to be making a big deal out of her birthday. We are inviting kids from her Sunday School class as well as some other friends to join us at The Fun and Party Place in Spring Hill where we have rented the space for a couple of hours. They have two inflatable slides, an inflatable obstacle course, and an inflatable bouncy castle that Caitlin and her friends can play in with adult help. My sister is making the cake and cupcakes for her. We are doing a combined Disney Princess/ Princess Turns One Theme. I am really excited about it. One of the main reasons we are going all out is because our house is not big enough to have all of our family from both sides there at the same time now that we have gates up etc... So with the party room plus the fun room at this location everyone should be able to have space and the kiddos should get to burn off some energy. Today I am finalizing the invitations so they should get put in the mail tomorrow. Other than that, there is not a lot going on. The sun is shining and it is warm enough for Caitlin and I to go outside, so I am getting ready to walk her around on her trike. Overall it has been a great day and a great week.

God Bless,

Niki

Happy Anniversary... A Recap and Hopes for the Future

2011-01-26T00:01:00.000-06:00

Three years ago today, I married my wonderful husband Bryan and as I sit here, I know that I have been blessed beyond measure. So much has happened to bring the words in our wedding vows to life and I know that God has worked in marvelous ways even in the midst of good times and bad... to recap I am going to use the words from our wedding vows and create a bulleted list of just some of the things that have happened in which God proved faithful and our commitment to each other was strengthened.

Our vows were pretty traditional, so here are the categories:

For Better:

Our honeymoon to Disney World January 26-February 2, 2008. We had a fabulous time.
Me moving to Nashville completely.
Two beautiful dogs that we brought home in May 2008.
Wonderful supportive family and friends. (on-going)
A great church where the gospel is preached and we are challenged to grow.
Bible Studies both individually and together that have led to great conversations and further depth in our relationship with God.
Bryan being ordained as a deacon at our church.
Last but not least, our wonderful daughter Caitlin who was born March 6, 2010. She is still the biggest blessing God has bestowed upon us during our marriage thus far.

For Worse:

Losing Franklin (our first baby) to miscarriage on July 26, 2008.
Losing Stephanie (our second baby) to miscarriage on January 31, 2009.
Losing my grandfather in April of 2008.
Going through a church split.
Bedrest for 17 weeks of pregnancy-- but praise God for a healthy happy baby.
Not being able to celebrate our first two anniversary's-- the first one I was morning sick; the second one I was on bed rest.
Loss of several other family members and friends including my Aunt Nell and Uncle Fred.

For Richer or Poorer:

•Being placed on bedrest led me to resigning my position at the church; we have made sacrifices so that I can stay home with Caitlin, but God has been faithful to provide.

In Sickness and In Health:

Having a genetic abnormality that led to our miscarriages; but Bryan never wavered in his devotion, love and support of me.
Having to have two blood transfusions as a result of my first miscarriage.
Being told I might have cancer after my first miscarriage-- Praise God that it was not.
Having to have my gall bladder removed.
Bryan being diagnosed with high blood pressure.
Lots and lots of morning sickness.... and it always seemed to happen in Bryan's truck.

To Love and To Cherish:

I am amazed everyday at the love Bryan shows me. He is always patient, kind, understanding and gentle-- even when I am not. Sometimes, I do not know how he puts up with me, except for the fact that he loves me the way Christ loves the church. Since Caitlin has been born, we have not had as much time to work on our relationship, and we tend to get caught up in survival mode. However, I know that Bryan's love for me has never wavered and that he does cherish me and not just as his wife but as his friend. I hope that today and everyday we will take time to grow even closer together and closer to our Savior Jesus Christ by praying for each other, reading God's Word together, and having meaningful conversations. I hope that as we raise Caitlin and any other children God chooses to bless us with, that we lean on each other for strength and encouragement. I pray that today, perhaps more than I have in any time past, I will be a source of blessing to my husband and that he will know how thankful I am that God blessed me with his presence in my life. I am going to close with the words to the song that was sang while we lit the unity candle at our wedding-- because I believe the words are very true.

When God Made You He Must Have Been Thinking About Me:

Its always been a mystery to me,

How two hearts can come together,

And love can last forever.

But now that I have found you I believe,

That a miracle has come when God sends the perfect one.

So gone are all my questions about why,

And i've never been so sure of anything in my life

Oh I wonder what God was thinking,when he created you.

I wonder if He knew everything I would need,

Because he made all my dreams come true.

When God made you, He must have been thinking about me.

Ooo ooo,I promise that wherever you may go, wherever life may lead you,

With all my heart I'll be there too.

And from this moment on I want you to know,

I'll let nothing come between us, and I will love the ones you love.

So gone are all my questions about why about why

Oh I wonder what God was thinking when he created you,

I wonder if He knew everythin I would need,

Because He made all my dreams come true.

When God made you He must've been thinking about me.

He made the sun He made the moon,

To harmonize a perfect tune,

One can't do without the other they just have to be together.

And that is how I know its true,

Your for me and i'm for you and my world

Just cant be right without you in my life

I wonder if He knew everythin I would need,

Because He made all my dreams come true.

When God made you He must've been thinking about me

He must have heard every prayer I've been praying

I've been praying

He must've knew everything I would need

When God made you, He must've been thinking about me.

Words and music are by Newsong and were retrieved from christianlyricsonline.com

I love you Bryan Keith Ary and I am so thankful for you!

God Bless,

Niki

Positive Steps in the Right Direction

2011-01-25T13:13:00.000-06:00

Caitlin is taking an afternoon nap, which after yesterday is greatly appreciated. She also slept through the night for the most part-- I was up with her from 4:30-6:00 am, but she then slept until 9:00 am. She actually ate breakfast this morning. She ate almost four ounces of oatmeal with almost two ounces of a fruit medley of stage three baby food. It was great. This has also helped her to not have heart burn today-- after taking the medicine. She also took her medicine without fuss from the spoon this morning-- I tried using it instead of the dropper after her eating breakfast so well. She also drank from a sippy cup for a little while, before becoming so sleepy she couldn't really do it, and I then changed over to a bottle. She is playing a lot more and is recovering quite nicely.

Today, I have also been more productive than in recent days. I was able to get most of the invitations for Caitlin's birthday party addressed, cleaned the master bathroom, work on laundry, and write Bible Study lessons for my mother-in-laws children's department. The lessons write now are still in Genesis, and we are working through Jacob's life at the moment. There is so much to learn and think about when reading Genesis, it is taking me quite awhile to work through, but hopefully it will establish a great foundation for the children as we go through the rest of the Old Testament and then the New Testament. I am sure it is going to take several years to accomplish this, and I'll keep writing lessons for them as long as they would like me too.

Tonight Bryan and I are going to head to a local Chick-Fil-A for kids night where several families from our church eat, and Caitlin is going to get her first kids meal-- because we can order the nuggets grilled until we find out at her one year doctor's appointment if she has a peanut allergy.

Well, I am going to try to get at least one more lesson done before the computer needs charging again, so I will write more later.

God Bless,

Niki

A Productive Day... Starting to Feel Better...

2011-01-24T22:56:00.000-06:00

....Even without sleep. Last night after Bryan and Caitlin went to sleep, I stayed up and cleaned the kitchen including sweeping and mopping it, and went through some clutter. Then I finished reading Exodus. (I am hoping to read the Bible through within the year). I finally went to bed at midnight, only to have Caitlin wake me up at 1:00 am. She was hungry and also refluxing, so it took me awhile to get 4 ozs down her, which is enough to get her to sleep....since she had vomitted earlier, I knew her waking up was a possibility.... It took until 4:30 for me to get her to sleep in her own crib without screaming... and then she was back up at 7:30 and stayed awake all day without a nap. I think the amoxicillan is givng her more heart burn and we are not supposed to give her the zantac she normally takes for reflux as needed, with the antibiotic, so changing clothes multiple times and cleaning the carpet is becoming a way of life. Only ten more doses of antibiotics-- and then this should be over. This morning I decided I was going to make a concerted effort to get some things done, and I was able to clean the kitchen from breakfast, get Caitlin to eat cereal and fruit and yogurt puffs for breakfast and drink 2 ozs of formula from a sippy cup-- before giving her the antibiotic-- which she hates, and causes her to fuss. Thus we changed over to her bottle to get her to calm down. I also got all the squares cut out of the fabric for the next quilted blanket I am going to attempt to make. Then Caitlin and I went and met Bryan for lunch and when we returned home, Caitlin and I played together and I repeatedly tried to get her to nap, but her heartburn kept waking her up.... and even caused her to vomit again-- and this time I was covered from my head to my waist. So needless to say showers and cleaning up that mess was my major accomplishment for the afternoon. Thankfully, Bryan came home and cooked dinner for me and cleaned up the kitchen from tonight. Overall, it was a great day and I am thankful that I am remembering to keep my focus on Jesus and as a result I am not feeling overwhelmed or anxious like I was. This week is going to bring lots of emotions, but I know God will get me through all of it-- the rejoicing in our anniversary coming up, and the heartbreak of saying goodbye to a wonderful friend who will soon be with Jesus-- as well as remembering Stephanie Maryann Ary, my second precious baby that I lost to miscarriage almost two years ago.

Remember always, God is in control!

God Bless,

Niki

Quilting Again....

2011-01-23T21:48:00.001-06:00

This weekend I decided that I need to exercise some creative energy and I picked back up my needle and thread and finished the top of a blanket that I am quilting. This means I have three tops for blankets pieced-- all stitched by hand. I am hoping that on my next trip to Linden to put one of them up on Bryan's mom's quilting frames and learn how to finalize them. I am going to start cutting out the fabric for the next one this week. Eventually I will have made several in this pattern. I also have a wedding ring quilt started, but I am a long time away from finishing it-- and for now, I am enjoying actually seeing a blanket somewhat come together. There are numerous quilting patterns out there, and hopefully as I learn more I will feel more adventurous and try some other patterns. For now, I am posting pictures of the three that I have pieced. One is for my sister, one is for my brother and his fiancee, and one is for Caitlin. I hope to eventually have made one for each member of my family.

Other than that, this weekend has been mostly spent helping Caitlin to feel better. She gags when giving her the antibiotic, which leads to throwing up most of the time, so needless to say we have a ton more laundry to do. Oh well, I will one day actually get my house cleaned and the laundry done. For now, I am going to work on it slowly and enjoy the precious time I have with my baby girl who is growing up faster than I ever thought was possible. It is hard to believe that I'll be sending out birthday party invitations for her in the next week or two.

Please remember to keep my friends the Christophers in your prayers. Darryl is now under hospice care and has been advised that she has two months to live. She is looking forward to spending eternity with Jesus, but her sons are going to miss her very much and really need your prayers. Friday I am hoping to go visit her and just remind her that she is loved and I am thankful for her presence and influence on my life. Please keep that visit in your prayers as well. Finally, remember to pray for Caitlin that she continues to feel better and that Bryan and I learn how to be the best parents possible for her.

God Bless,

Niki

Caitlin has an Ear Infection

2011-01-21T13:14:00.000-06:00

I know, blogging several days in a row-- not something that has happened in awhile, but I hope to be more regular.....

Yesterday, I awoke to a very clingy and feverish baby. Her temperature was 101.9, so I called the doctor, and thankfully we were able to get in to be seen yesterday afternoon. Turns out, Caitlin is getting her first eare infection-- it is just starting, so she is now on antibiotics. She has only had two doses so far, and while she is still feverish without the use of tylenol or ibuprofen, she seems to be much better. She has actually played with her toys for a little while today. Yesterday, all she wanted was to be held. So that's what I did until almost 2 this morning and then she finally fell into a deep enough sleep for me to put her down and go to bed. It is great to see her bouncing back but we are going to play it safe for awhile and keep her in until she is no longer running a fever without the use of medicine. Hopefully, that won't be too long. Today she walked about five feet with me holding her hand. Lots of little steps, and I think she will be running around the house before too much longer. Other than this, there is not a lot going on right now. I am finalizing plans for Caitlin's birthday party and will be sending out invitations in the next couple of weeks so that I can have a final head count to give to the place we are having the party in time. I will post more pictures of Caitlin later.

Oh-- and did I mention we once again had snow! We got about an inch and a half, but the sun is already melting it. Hard to believe we are actually having a real winter, complete with winter precipitation.... you would think we moved north. I jokingly told my uncle in Indiana he could take the winter weather back. Well it is time to read to Caitlin, she is reaching for her back pack of books, so that tells me she is ready for her stories.

God Bless,

Niki

Not A Good Day....

2011-01-19T23:30:00.000-06:00

This day has been a very long one. Caitlin was up again at 12:15 am last night and then again at 4:00 am. I was able to get her back to sleep both times, but once again non consecutive sleep took its tole. However, I am confident as long as we keep being consistent and putting her back in the crib, she will get used to it. Bryan took her this morning to start with, and he immediately gave her a bottle without trying a sippy cup first, or giving her anything for breakfast, which frustrated me and put me in a bad mood. Today, Caitlin's tummy hasn't felt well, so she has not eaten much-- which is always a struggle. I finally got her to eat a bit of a vanilla and chocolate ice cream bar. It was quite cute, and she had ice cream all over her face. I think it helped her teeth, and hopefully they will all come through soon. As of now, I have seen four teeth starting to break through her top gum, and she is still working on the one that is mostly through on her lower gum... and you can see where the other two on her lower gums are starting to try and come in. It's no wonder she is fussy and not feeling well. She was clingy most of the day, and had one melt down after her daddy put her in time out, which led to her throwing up. She has also started coughing. I really enjoying cuddling with her though, and I am thankful for the opportunity. For now, I am going to try not to stress too much over what she isn't doing, but am going to try to just simply enjoy being a mom and spending time with my precious daughter. There is still so much to learn, but I am convinced stressing out over it is not the answer. God will work all things out in His time and as Caitlin gets ready, I am sure she will make the necessary changes she needs-- such as a sippy cup, etc. For now, I am going to choose to remember I have a precious baby girl and for that I am truly thankful.

Niki

Struggling at the Moment.....

2011-01-18T12:14:00.000-06:00

Well, Caitlin slept through the night in her own bed for ten nights straight. Last night, I went to a lady's discipleship group meeting and Bryan put her down for the first time by himself, since starting this new routine.... She was awake at 11:30 pm, and 4:00 am, so needless to say I did not get much sleep... so that may be contributing to my stress level at the moment.... I am really trying hard to get Caitlin off of a bottle and onto a sippy cup. She will drink water and juice from one without hesitation. However, she flat out refuses to drink formula from it and will cry until she throws up, yells, screams, clenches her fist, and holds her breath. It is horrible. I have tried dipping the straw/ mouth piece into the formula to get her to suck on them and it doesn't work. I drink out of a sippy cup all day long to try and get her to want the sippy cup. So far it is to no avail. I feel like a failure because other children who are younger than her, have made the transition to no bottles and I don't know what I am doing wrong. If anyone has ideas, please let me know. Hopefully, Caitlin will sleep through the night tonight and her teeth will finish coming in, so perhaps that will help make her gums feel better and she will be more willing to try the sippy cup. Additionally, she refuses to listen to the word "NO!" and no matter how consistent I am at moving her away from the windows and the blinds, the tv, etc... she insists on going right back. I know she understands what "No" means but she is choosing not to listen at this point. I keep trying to correct her and move her away, but its quite frustrating. Time out has no effect on a ten month old. Distraction methods also do not seem to work. Hopefully one day, all of this will start to fall into place. I'd appreciate your prayers for now to help me to know how to be the best mom I can be to Caitlin.

I appreciate your prayers.

Niki

So thankful.....

2011-01-12T22:19:00.000-06:00

Each time I watch the news, I am reminded of the tragedy in Arizona and the loss of Christina Taylor Green to a senseless act of violence. It breaks my heart to think about what her parents are going through and makes me want to keep Caitlin tucked away safely at home and in my arms and never let her go. Even as she is constantly doing things that she is told not too-- she knows what "no" means, but is still testing her boundaries, I am so thankful that I can tell her no and then hug her after placing her away from the window, or the tv, or the fireplace, etc... She is constantly moving and continues to take a few steps each day, before long she'll be taking off. Tonight I just want to remember how blessed I am to have my precious daughter Caitlin and I pray that God continues to help her grow strong and remain healthy. I have also read many stories here lately of babies who have been born extremely early-- some are undergoing long stays in the NICU, others have already gone to heaven to be with Jesus. This too reminds me of how blessed I am, that God heard and chose to answer my prayers and the prayers of many others that Caitlin wouldn't be born until she was able to leave the hospital at the same time as me. I did not deserve this grace or favor, and I am truly thankful and know that I need to keep the families who God has chosen a different path for in my prayers. I ask you to remember to keep the children who are in the hospital and NICU's across the country in your prayers and as you encounter stories about these children and their families to take a moment and pray for them.

If you have children, hold them close tonight and be sure to tell them that you love them.

God Bless,

Niki

Snowfall is beautiful!

2011-01-10T14:56:00.000-06:00

Last night when I went to bed, it had just started snowing... we woke up this morning to about four inches. It is absolutely beautiful. God is truly amazing in that He created all of this beauty and we are truly blessed to be able to enjoy the beautiful weather. I am very thankful that we have not had to try and get out in the bad weather, but we are able to enjoy the beauty of it from the safety of our own home and in our own yard. I am adding some of the pictures from today in the snow and a few of Caitlin now that she is ten months old!

Caitlin is Sleeping

2011-01-08T22:14:00.000-06:00

After writing my blogs the other day, Bryan and I talked about it and we are really trying to be more diligent in getting a schedule established for Caitlin. We are starting to try and put her down without a late night bottle in her own bed at 8:00 and usually she is settled down by 8:30 or so. Last night, she slept in her own bed from 8:30-5:45, only waking up and needing to be put back down from 11:00-11:30. I am so thankful. Hopefully she will continue to sleep. She has also decided to try and wean herself off baby food again-- she absolutely refuses to eat it-- but if you make her ravioli's or something she will eat them like crazy. So we are back to trying to give her a mixture of foods. Every once in awhile I still notice that she is not totally digesting her food, but its not every day, so after some research I am not too worried. However, if it still continues, I'll probably call the pediatrician just to be reassured. Additionally, she woke up this morning with red and watery eyes, so I am thinking it is because I forgot to remove the dryer bar from the dryer before drying her bedding. I rewashed it all today in dreft and am hoping that this will help get it cleared up. There is really not much else going on here. It's really cold, and they are calling for snow, hopefully we will get some.

Please continue to pray that Caitlin sleeps.

Niki

Caitlin's Growth and Development

2011-01-06T14:57:00.000-06:00

Hopefully once Caitlin gets up from her nap, I'll be able to get some good pictures of her from today. She is ten months old today! It is hard to believe how fast time is going by. She continues to try and walk and can follow along behind her stroller and her little car and walk with assistance. She never stops moving and this has caused some angst and pain as she is now having to learn what no means and is being placed in her pack and play or in the play yard to keep her from crawling behind the couch or pulling the vertical blinds down. She loves table food, however it doesn't appear to love her yet. Her digestive system is not breaking things down based upon what is seen in her diaper, so we are backing off it and some of the toddler foods and are back on stage three baby food. She is also wearing size four diapers-- and we are in search of a reliable diaper.... pampers, huggies, and the target brand have all leaked in different places. Threes leak even worse than the fours-- so we know we have the right size... apparently she is just shaped differently than most of the diapers. She uses a sippy cup except when tired and fussy and that is great news. She is still on formula as her pediatrician has advised she should remain on formula until she is a year old. Hopefully we will fully get her on the sippy cup in the next week or so. We are giving her less formula and giving her watered down juice or just water more often to help keep her hydrated but not filling her with calories. She is getting in several teeth at once-- her upper right incisor has come through completely, as has her lower left incisor. Her upper front teeth, two other incisors on top, and her right incisor are also making their presence known and you can see her gums are red. Hopefully only a few more days and they will all come through-- giving her a total of almost ten teeth! That is amazing to me. She loves going to Sunday School and church and plays most of the time. She will take shorter naps during the day now, and our biggest struggle is getting her to sleep at night. She is no longer waking up because she is hungry, but is waking up because she wants to be held. She cries and cries until she makes herself puke if I do not go get her. I then hold her and she falls right back to sleep almost immediately. And if I let her stay in the bed between me and her daddy, she would sleep all night-- but I get no sleep this way, so we continue to work on this and let her cry as long as we can before it becomes apparent she will puke and then I go get her. She also will not let her daddy comfort her at night so this hurts his feelings as well as frustrates him and keeps me from getting any help. She just cries until she pukes or I come and get her. So please pray that she will once again start sleeping through the night and that she will learn to like her crib and her room. Overall, I think that brings everyone up to date on where she is at. I will post pictures of her from today soon.

God Bless,

Niki

Caitlin's First Christmas

2011-01-06T14:18:00.000-06:00

Okay, so better late than never, right? Our charger on our laptop went out, and we had to wait on a new one to arrive. It is finally here and I am finally uploading our pictures we took over Christmas with Caitlin. Our first Christmas together was truly amazing and we know that we are so blessed. An unusual thing that occurred is all three of our first Christmases were white! Mine was in Missouri in 1979, Bryan's was in Linden in 1969, and Caitlin's was white here in 2010. For Christmas, we traveled on Saturday December 18 to celebrate with my extended family. Then on Wedenesday December 22, we traveled to Linden and stayed with Bryan's mom and did Christmas with his family the morning of Christmas Eve. We returned home Christmas Eve night and then my parents and sister came up to be a part of Caitlin's first Christmas morning. They stayed until Christmas afternoon and I cooked Christmas dinner. I am going to include some of the pictures from all of t he Christmas events we had with Caitlin. Even at this early age we wanted to emphasize with Caitlin the real reason we were celebrating-- Jesus' birthday-- so we read her the Christmas story each day in the week leading up to Christmas and again on Christmas morning from her Big Picture Bible. We have started reading it together since New Years each morning at breakfast. Hopefully this will teach her to begin her day with Jesus as she grows.

Caitlin met Santa today!

2010-12-09T14:42:00.000-06:00

This afternoon Bryan's mom, Caitlin, and I met Bryan for lunch and we then took her to see Santa Claus for the first time. She did wonderful. No tears and she held onto his jacket and tried to pull his beard and that was it. The pictures turned out great, and I am sharing it below. No other real news to speak of at the moment, so Merry Christmas! I'll try to blog again soon.

God Bless,

Niki

Christmas Pictures and an Update on Caitlin's Growth and Development

2010-12-08T14:04:00.000-06:00

Good Afternoon! It has been a long time since I have blogged, so I thought I would take a moment and catch everyone up on what has gone on. For Thanksgiving we traveled to Linden on Wednesday night and stayed there through Friday morning. Then Friday afternoon, after traveling back to Nashville, we went to Chattanooga and remained there until Sunday afternoon. Caitlin enjoyed all of the attention she got on her first Thanksgiving and my sister-in-law's nephew was also at Thanksgiving dinner at her house and he is fifteen months old and he walked up to Caitlin and hugged her several times. We joked that she found her first boyfriend and she wasn't even nine months old yet.

On Monday she turned 9 months old and today I took her back to the doctor for her nine month check up. She is now 29.25 inches long, which means she has grown 10 inches since her birth, which places her in the 90th percentile for height. She is also weighing in at 20 lbs 11 ozs, which means she has gained 14 lbs and 5 ozs since the day she was born, and this places her in the 75th percentile for weight. Apparently she has a large head-- even though I cannot tell it, because it measures off the growth chart, and the doctor advised that we would need to put her in 18 month clothes before long because the rest won't go over her head. Lol. The doctor also said she seems to be advancing quickly for her development and it doesn't appear she was actually a premature baby based upon where she is at. The fact that she was standing up on her own and was talking and reacting continuously encouraged the doctor to say she is maturing faster than normal. Also since it is a battle to get Caitlin to eat baby food and she wants table food, the doctor said to let her have table food. We should transition her off the baby food and onto table food and off the bottle in the next two weeks. She also said to cut back on the amount of formula we are giving her and to start introducing more fruit juice, water, milk, etc... into her diet. She advised that she should be drinking 20-25 ounces of formula and Caitlin has been drinking almost double this, so this will be a challenge. We are going to look for some other sippy type cups to try and get her off the bottle quickly. As far as food goes, here is what the doctor is suggesting: soft cooked pasta, boiled vegetables, slices of fruit, crackers, cheese, and even chicken! It appears my baby girl is not so much a baby anymore but is rapidly approaching toddler hood. We are going to have to pack up her swing and her bouncer and activity center and put them away as she has grown past their height limits.... we are going to take it away a little at a time so as to not make her think she is being punished. The doctor also said we should start trying to discipline her at this time by using distraction and diversion tactics and even time out. So, here we go with all of that.

Finally, I have scanned our Christmas pictures to share... so here they are:

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas Season! Remember Jesus is the real reason we celebrate!

Niki

ICE and Christmas Decorations-- Picture Overload

2010-11-20T23:36:00.000-06:00

It has been a busy but fun weekend in the Ary household. Friday we went to see ICE and it was awesome. The most incredible part was the life size Nativity sculpted out of clear ice. It was beautiful and it was so nice to hear them remind everyone that Jesus is the real reason for the season. The Ice Sculptures of Santa Claus is coming to Town was also quite impressive. They gave us huge parkas to wear and I am including some pictures from our outing below. Last night we started decorating the outside of the house-- I am still looking for an outdoor nativity set that is within out budget. Then today we decorated the inside of the house. I didn't realize how much I missed all of the decorating and celebrating Christmas last year while being on bedrest and unable to do anything. I am posting pictures of our decorations as well. Now all we have to do is wrap Christmas presents and get them under the tree. Remember always that Jesus is the real reason for the season!

God Bless,

Niki

Best laid plans....

2010-11-19T10:42:00.000-06:00

Sometimes just go to waste! Last weekend we were supposed to go to Chattanooga to celebrate birthdays-- for my Mom, my Nanny, and my wonderful husband Bryan. However, we were all sick and we wanted to keep Caitlin close to home, so we didn't go and my parents came up to check on her instead. This weekend we also had planned to go to Chattanooga to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family since we will be with Bryan's family on Thanksgiving day.... and now everyone down there is sick. My parents caught the junk that we had while they were here.... and my Nanny has strep throat. So in order to keep us from getting sick again, we are staying home. We are still going to go to the Opryland Hotel and see ICE with Caitlin at some point today, and we are going to start decorating for Christmas now so hopefully we will be able to go see everyone at some point. I will post new pictures after our adventures today. Anyways, I just wanted to give a quick update.

God Bless,

Niki

Sickness-- A Bit of A Rant

2010-11-16T22:21:00.000-06:00

Last week, on Tuesday Bryan came down with something-- Caitlin caught the same bug on Wednesday, and I too have been fighting it off. It is a chest cold/ upper respiratory infection that comes with a horrific cough and a lot of congestion and a fever. Fortunately, Bryan and I were able to battle it with vitamin c drops, DayQuil and NyQuil. However, Caitlin was not so lucky. We ended up taking her to the doctor on Friday morning and they said it was simply a cold and she appeared to be over it-- however, her fever got a lot worse on Friday night and wasn't responding to the Tylenol so we took her back to the emergency room in order to find out why her fever wasn't going down and to determine if the noise we were hearing was actually coming from her lungs-- it sounded as if she was wheezing.... and with my history of asthma it was a little scary. We all finally appear to be on the mend.... We have stayed home and away from everyone and I wish that other people would do the same. This is the second time Caitlin has caught a cold from someone at church... the first time, I am not sure who passed the germs along... this time, I know who did because the child's mother announced on the Saturday before that she had a cold-- and yet she brought her to church and left her in the nursery. I ended up staying in the nursery to try to keep Caitlin away from the other baby, but it still didn't work-- instead we all got it. So, here is where the rant comes in..... Out of concern for Caitlin infecting others, I kept her at home from church and away from the other children.... I believe other parents should do the same. I do not advocate skipping church, however when you and/or your children are sick, it is best to stay at home. This way the germs are not spread around and other people don't have to endure the misery you have had to deal with. Let me tell you, having to spray saline up Caitlin's nose and then use an aspirator to get all of the drainage out is not fun. She screams, kicks, and pitches a royal fit, and I don't blame her-- it cannot be pleasant. And having to do this because someone chose to bring their sick kid to church and leave them in the nursery is not something I want to deal with. I'm seriously considering skipping Sunday School and taking her to adult church in her stroller to avoid her being around sick kids. Okay, my ranting is over.....

Now for something positive! Caitlin only started fully crawling two weeks ago, but she is now pulling up and trying to stand on her own. It won't be long before she is walking. We also have gotten our Christmas pictures back, but they are not in digital form and until I bring the printer and scanner in and hook it back up, I cannot put them up. I am hoping to do this tomorrow.... Well, Caitlin is waking up for her last feeding.

Gotta go!

Niki

What A Week!

2010-11-05T16:21:00.000-05:00

This has been one busy week and as a result, it has taken me until now to be able to take time to actually write a blog. Monday night I had my discipelship group, and let me tell you if you have not read the book Radical by David Platt, I challenge you to pick it up. There has not been a topic covered that has not challenged me and convicted me that I need to live my life more for Jesus and less for me and the so called "American Dream." It has challenged me to think about how I live my life and how I am parenting Caitlin. It is a really great book and I enjoy discussing it with a group of girls. We meet every other week. So far we have covered six chapters, and I am hoping to start chapter 7 tonight or tomorrow.

Tuesday night, we went and had our Christmas pictures made at JC Penny's at Rivergate Mall. Once they get in, I'll post several of them for you to view. Caitlin looked so nice in her Christmas dress and it is hard to believe that she is getting so grown up.

Wednesday night we went to church and heard a speaker from Bethany Christian Services who challenged the church and us as individuals to get involved in orphan care. Bryan and I are still praying through all of this but we took a packet on faith that if God wants us to adopt-- through Bethany-- He will show us the way. If He wants us to go through the state or some other place, we are open to that as well. We are just praying and asking Him to reveal His plan to us.

Last night, we went to the Pottery Place and Caitlin made Christmas ornaments for our family members-- basically I painted her hand and then let her hold the ornament. They looked really cute and I'll post a picture of them once I go pick them up from the final glazing process next week.

Tonight, Bryan is working because is the fifth-twelfth which means he has to close out last months stuff and get it processed for the business partners.

Tomorrow Caitlin turns eight months old. It is hard to believe how big she has gotten. She crawls everywhere and is at the moment not happy that I still have her trapped in her swing where she took a nap... so I am not going to be able to write for much longer. Yep, going to have to go.

I hope everyone has a great weekend.

God Bless,

Niki

More Fun Pictures

2010-11-01T11:24:00.000-05:00

Caitlin is sleeping so I am trying to get some stuff done, but wanted to share some more fun pictures of Caitlin from Halloween and in her cheerleading outfit. I will write an actual blog at some point later this week. For a developement update-- she is crawling full force now!

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-23T16:44:00.000-05:00

Okay, so this is a little early, but I wanted to make certain that I was able to post some pictures of Caitlin dressed up in her Halloween costume. This year she is going to be tinkerbell! I am hoping to get her tinkerbell bear next week and will then post some other pictures, but here are some of the ones I took today when making certain her costume would fit. We also have another cute Halloween outfit to take her picture in, so I'll be posting some of those next weekend as well. Anyways, I am just sharing some pictures!

Long Over Due....

2010-10-14T21:57:00.000-05:00

Okay, so this blog is long over due.....it has been quite a busy month. Caitlin is now 7 months old, almost crawling forward-- she can go backwards like a champion, has her two lower front teeth and is about to get her first tooth up top. She is eating gerber graduate puffs and loves to actually have food she can chew. We have also given her boiled carrot slices to try and I will be trying sliced banans as well before long. She does not care for her cereal as much anymore so it is a fight to get her to eat it, but she will eat the baby food and the homemade food I puree her most of the time. Her favorite things to do right now are to bounce in her jumper and to play on the mats in the floor and attempt to crawl. She also loves watching me cook in her walker and getting to try the food as I cook it and blend it for her. She really liked spaghetti that I pureed for her and chicken and dressing, as well as mashed potatoes, and green beans. She was not crazy about the peas and carrots I made her, so I am holding off on making any more of that for now. I am hoping to start trying to make more of my own baby food for her in the next month. For now, we have been getting a great deal on stuff from Sams. Last weekend we took Caitlin to Gentry's Farm in Franklin to look around and to get a pumpkin. She was able to see some animals and we went through a munchkin maze out of sogrhum and a corn maze... both were fun, but it ended up being quite warm. She also was able to hold a couple of gords in her hand and that seemed to get a good reaction. She is over 19 pounds now and is close to 28 inches long and is wearing size 12 month clothes. She now has a big girl car seat that she likes a lot, but it is not as easy to shop or go out to eat now that she is no longer in her infant carrier and she doesn't like the high chairs at the restaurants. We think we are just going to take her superseat with us when we go out to eat because we can strap it to a chair as long as we get a table and not a booth. She can sit up by herself but she tends to get bored quickly and decides to roll over and start going towards another toy. I am posting some pictures below in her bouncer as well as at the pumpkin patch and farm.

Six Month Check Up, etc....

2010-09-13T21:09:00.000-05:00

So, this is a little late... but I've been too busy to blog. Caitlin had her six month check up on 9/8/2010 and she now weighs in at 17.9 lbs and is 26.75 inches long. This means that since the day she was born, she has gained 11.8 ozs and has grown 7.5 inches! The doctor said she is doing well and we can move to stage 2 baby foods and that as soon as she starts regularly holding her bottle on her own we should transition her to a sippy cup! Wow! I knew that it wouldn't be too much longer, but I still think 6 months is a little early. She can hold the four oz bottles but doesn't do as well with the eight oz bottle so we are holding off on that for now. She is really trying to take the spoon from me and feed herself which makes food time quite messy... but it is still a huge blessing. She now rolls everywhere she wants to go and is really close to crawling. She can sit up by herself for a few minutes at a time and loves using her walker and pushing herself backwards around the foyer. Once she figures out how to go forward we will be in trouble! Additionally, we were told we can start giving Caitlin a couple ounces of fruit juice a day if she is acting thirsty but not hungry, and we can also give her a couple of ounces of water a day that is formula free! We are also transitioning from using only bottled water for her to filtered water-- thankfully! In addition to all of this, she was given her six month shots which included her first flu shot... she will have to go back for her second flu shot in October, and then not go back to the doctor until her 9 month check up--- thankfully at that doctor's appointment there will not be any shots. I continue to be amazed at how fast she is growing and how she changes every day. She is now eating baby oatmeal and a fruit for breakfast, rice cereal and a vegetable for lunch, and a fruit and vegetable for dinner. I am going to post two pictures of Caitlin in the same nightgown-- one in the hospital two days after she was born, and one I took last week on her 6 month birthday so that you can really see how much she has grown.

It's so hard to believe how big she has gotten... This was right before she went to bed, so she is quite serious looking. I am going to share some other recent pictures we have taken of her as well.

You can see how active she is getting and how much she is trying to crawl. She also really loves her room and has enjoyed spending time in there each day.

And now to the etc.....

Football time is here! Bama is looking good again this year and that makes me happy. The Titans also won their first game against the Raiders and Bryan and I had a great time at the game. My parents came up for grandparents day and kept Caitlin so that we were able to go. I just don't think I am ready to try to take her to a football game. In addition to all of this, we are trying to get the upstairs bedroom done-- Bryan worked really hard all weekend in the garage and it is ready for us to start moving things in it in order to to get that bedroom cleaned out so we can get it painted before our new furniture gets here-- which includes a king size bed! We are very excited.

Well, I have things to do, so I will write again soon.

God Bless,

Niki

Caitlin's Room Is Done-- and she is six months old today!

2010-09-06T22:56:00.000-05:00

Wow! It has been a very busy couple of weeks. I have not worked this physically hard in quite awhile. I have painted all of Caitlin's dresser and chest; cleaned the house; done the laundry; decorated Caitlin's room; helped clean out the garage, all while trying to take care of Caitlin and cook. Bryan was also busy with work and cleaning the garage with me and helping to decorate the nursery-- assembling furniture, taking the closet doors off, and helping to paint them..... He is being such a great help right now he is letting me chill for a few minutes and blog while he cleans the kitchen! I have a wonderful husband! He jokingly said tonight he needed to go into the office to work to catch a break.... He has also had to work from home this weekend. However, Caitlin's room is finally finished-- I know she is six months old, and it should have been done a lot sooner, but at least it is done. Now all we have to do is fix the bedroom across the hall from it upstairs for us and we will all move upstairs. She should be sleeping in her own room by the end of the month. It has been a long process, but I am glad that it is finally done. Pictures are below.

It is hard to believe that it has been six months since Caitlin was born. I continue to be amazed at how fast she has grown. We go back to the doctor for her six month check up and shots on Thursday and I will post more then concerning her growth and development.

I also wanted to update all of my friends who have been praying for Daryl Christopher. She is off life support and is still very weak but appears to be improving. Please continue to keep her and her family in your prayers.

I have more to say but I am tired and still have work to do before I can go to sleep. I mainly wanted to share the pictures of Caitlin's nursery. I will try to write again soon.

God Bless,

Niki

Prayer Requests and a General Update

2010-08-26T14:50:00.000-05:00

It has been another busy week... Caitlin is really becoming quite a handful as she moves about and is now rolling to things she wants-- we really have to get our house child-proofed in earnest. Her teething is really bothering her and keeping her from napping as well as she normally does, which leads to a fussy baby-- but even when she is fussy I'll take her! I love her so much. Bryan continues to be very busy with work and I am so thankful to have such a hard-working and diligent husband. We are also learning a lot in our church's study of the book of James-- Brother Joe is preaching through it verse by verse and we are being greatly challenged. Last week's message was on not only hearing God's Word, but receiving the Word, and then doing the Word. This has led both of us to take a hard look at our lives as individuals and as a family to think about are we actually living out our beliefs. There are areas we are successful and others not so much. I am praying that God will continue to help us grow and that He will continue to fill us with a desire to love His Word. Discussing all of this with our community group is a huge benefit and really gets us to think. Additionally, reading the book Radical by David Platt is really challenging me to not only think about my life but how I am raising Caitlin. I hope that I raise her to love Jesus with Reckless Abandon and that I will model this in my own life..... I love the discipleship group that I am a part of studying this book and am really looking forward to learning from these ladies.

Now for prayer requests.... I have one major one to discuss. My friend Daryl Christopher that I have asked you all to pray for before is not doing well at all. She has been in ICU since Saturday August 14th and has been on a ventilator and unresponsive since the 16th. Please pray for her to be at peace and for healing-- either miraculously here on Earth, or eternal healing in Heaven. Please pray for Brent, Matt, and Eric as they try to do their best to take care of their Mom. Ask God to give them hope, peace, and comfort during this very difficult time.

I appreciate everyone's prayers.

God Bless,

Niki

Updates and pictures

2010-08-17T15:21:00.000-05:00

Wow! I cannot believe how long it has been since I have written a blog. Things here have been quite busy and I have a lot to share and I am going to try to get most of it composed in this blog, so please forgive me if I seem to ramble. Caitlin and I were able to spend the last week in Chattanooga with my family in order to help my sister as she recovered from surgery. She is doing great and I really appreciate everyone's prayers for her. My house is quite messy at the moment and really needs to be cleaned so I am hoping to get to work on that some once I finish the laundry-- at least for the day. Laundry is never finished with a baby. Caitlin is getting more and more active and is growing like crazy. If the scales are correct, she weighs 18 lbs and based upon my measurements she is 27 inches long! She moves and rolls from side to side and is now turning herself over from her back to her stomach and really trying to crawl. It won't be long before she is mobile and then we had better watch out! I am amazed at how big she has gotten and I am so thankful for her presence in my life. God has truly blessed me and Bryan with a wonderful baby girl. He has also blessed me with a fantastic husband and for that I am truly thankful. Here are the most recent pictures we had taken while we were in Chattanooga.

I think they turned out really well! We had them made at the same place that did our engagement pictures and it worked out nicely. We hope to have winter/ Christmas pictures made there when we go back to Chattanooga in November. While we were there, Caitlin was also able to meet several of my really good friends and I was able to see Marcy and her precious baby boy Zachary. It was a great trip and there are still other friends who I want to introduce her to, but because the grandparents were working during the day-- they asked that I not take her off to meet others at night. Hopefully next time I am there I'll be able to hang out with these other friends. We also went back to Brainerd Baptist while I was there and that was a wonderful visit. I really enjoyed the service and reconnecting with old friend. God continues to truly bless Brainerd and I pray that it continues even as I ask that He continues to bless Providence. Bryan and I also were able to go on a date while we were there and that was nice. Friday night we went to Ichibon which is actually where we had our first date... then as we were walking into the movie theatre Matt, my brother, and Michelle called and asked for us to help them pick up a grill and move to it to their new house-- so we did that and cut our date short-- so we made up for it Saturday night by going to see the Lookouts play-- I love the Lookouts and it was a lot of fun. I don't think Bryan realized how much I like baseball and how much I know about it until we went to this game.

Other things that are going on is we have started a new Bible Study at our church for Sunday School and it is entitled Christos, and it is very challenging and I am really enjoying it. I am also going to be a part of a women's book study group and we are reading Radical by David Platt and man is it powerful stuff. I have read the first chapter once and I am going to re-read it before we meet for the first time next week.

On the dog front, Chewey continues to be our well behaved Golden Retriever and we are very thankful for that-- Leia on the other hand has decided to start digging again and is also refusing to come in at night and refusing to listen. We are really trying to figure out what to do about her-- we want to keep her but we don't know if we will be able to-- we may have to return her to the rescue shelter that we got her from because she really needs to be on a farm and not in a residential neighborhood. Hopefully we will figure it out soon.

Bryan's mom appears to be struggling with being depressed some, so in an effort to help cheer her up, Caitlin and I will go in for a day visit to Linden on Thursday... leaving that morning and driving back that night. This will be the first time that we have taken Caitlin some place for just a day so please pray that she handles being in the car that long well.

Finally, Bryan has uploaded all of the pictures off of the camera from out trip to Huntsville but I cannot seem to locate them in a folder I have access to at the moment, so I will post pictures from that soon.

Whew! I think that has me just about caught up on the last couple of weeks. Football season is here and I am looking forward to going to a few of the Titan's games as I can-- when we have grandparents here to baby-sit.

Overall, God is good all of the time!

In Christ,

Niki

Caitlin is 5 months old

2010-08-06T10:16:00.000-05:00

Wow! Five months have passed since Caitlin entered this world. And while I believe her life began the moment she was conceived, she has now been outside the womb for five months and they are the best months of my life. Motherhood is such a joy and a privilege and I am so thankful that God has allowed me the blessing of being a Mom to Caitlin who is able to stay at home with her. I know that many times today families cannot afford for both parents to not work, and I am truly blessed to have a wonderful husband who is able to support us and who has been blessed by God to be able to manage finances well... yes, we made some sacrifices-- a couple of which will change our weekends this fall-- we have no more college game day package from ESPN and also no more NFL Sunday ticket-- but what is missing a few football games, verses a lifetime of memories being built with my little girl. I am so blessed and I am truly thankful that God has given me such a wonderful person with whom to share my life. The thing that struck me this week was watching the news on TV and seeing women talk about how women need to still be more independent and not rely upon anyone-- and they need to be outside of the home, doing there own thing.... I am so blessed to not be doing that! There is nothing wrong with women who are working outside of the home, but I know that being at home taking care of my baby girl and my family is a tremendous blessing and I am glad not to have to work outside of the home and that I get to spend time investing in the life of my daughter.

As far as milestones go, Caitlin can roll around and get where she wants to be on her play gym. She is really enjoying tummy time and is starting to pull herself along with her hands because she cannot quite keep her bum up in order to crawl at the moment. She has also found her voice and talks non-stop throughout the day. Its very cute and I cannot wait until I can understand what she is trying to say. She continues to love her baby food and is actually getting to the point where she wants it at least two-three times per day. Because she is eating so much baby food, she is eating less formula-- about 30 ozs a day instead of over 40. She is also almost 27 inches long based upon my measurements which means she is getting close to being too tall for her swing, bassinet, and even her first car seat! She grew two inches in a month. We are going to have to be busy shopping before long!

On another note, I have not yet uploaded the pictures from vacation and I still plan on taking pictures of Caitlin today, so I will post some of those later to show how much she has grown. Overall God is good and I am so thankful for my precious little girl and wonderful husband he has blessed me with.

Praising Jesus today for my little girl!

A Quick Update

2010-08-01T21:40:00.000-05:00

Wow! It's been a busy week and weekend. We traveled to Huntsville, Alabama for a mini-vacation to see the Huntsville Space Center and the Star Wars exhibit. This was a great time and Caitlin did really well. While at the pool we took her swimming for the first time, and she really enjoyed it. The exhibit was really good and we enjoyed it. Bryan had a lot of fun and it was great to just get away and relax. Caitlin is eating more and more baby food and really likes sweet potatoes, carrots, green beans, apple sauce, peaches, and pears.... I am still struggling to get her to eat bananas and sweet peas. Hopefully we will find some more flavors that she likes before too long. There is not a lot else going on at the moment, and we are looking forward to just continuing the routine we have going for Caitlin. Here are some prayer requests:

1. Please pray for my friends Travis and Danielle and their baby boy that is due soon! They are missionaries to Mexico that will be transitioning back to life in the United States.
2. Pray for my sister as she will be having surgery on Tuesday of this week-- and Caitlin and I will be traveling to visit her next week.
3. Pray for my friend Daryl Christopher as she continues to battle cancer.
4. Pray for Gabrielle Shaver with her cystic fibrosis.
5. Pray for the Primm family as William is still recovering from complications from surgery.
6. Pray for Jared and Jane Erwin and their baby girl Hadley-- asking God for a miracle that she will survive.

Beauty Out of Ashes

2010-07-26T12:55:00.000-05:00

God truly does bring beauty out of ashes. Two years ago today, I found out that I lost my first precious baby that I call Franklin Keith Ary. One year ago today, was my second baby, a darling girl, Stephanie Maryann Ary's due date. And one year ago today, I found out that I was pregnant with Caitlin. She is such a priceless gift and I am so thankful that God gives us hope even in the midst of hard circumstances. I have seen God at work in my life and I know if it weren't for losing the first two babies, I might not have Caitlin. Thus I am reminded today to focus on the hope that God will bring great things even out of the midst of difficulties. The promise of Jeremiah 29:11 is true-- this verse state, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." Thank you Jesus for your hope and mercy and for my precious baby girl Caitlin.

God Bless,

Niki

Are There Tower of Babels in Your Life?

2010-07-24T22:21:00.000-05:00

As I continue to work through Genesis right now, writing children's lessons for Warren United Methodist Church, I came to the story of the Tower of Babel. I have read this story and taught the history of it as a teacher in Bible History. However, I had never been challenged to think about it critically, and to apply the lesson to my life. Genesis 11:1-9 in the ESVstates,
      Now the whole Earth had one language and the same words. And as people migrated from the
     East, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. And they said to one another,
     "Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly." And they had brick for stone, and
     bitumen for mortar. Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in
     the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole
   Earth." And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had
     built. And the Lord said, "Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is
     only the beginning of what they will do.  And nothing that they propose to do will now be
     impossible for them. Come, let us go down and there confuse their language so that they may not
     understand one another's speech." So the Lord dispersed them form there over the face of all the
     Earth, and they left off building the city. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the
     Lord confused the language of all the Earth. And from there the Lord dispersed them over the
     face of all the Earth."

Once again, I have read this story many times, but I never really took the time to understand what was wrong with the people's attitude that caused God to scatter them across the globe and confuse their languages. There sin was God was not in the center of their hearts-- or their plans-- they had become self-sufficient and failed to recognize their dependence upon God. I know for me personally, when things are going smoothly, I fail to always recognize my dependence upon God and when things are rough, I am driven to my knees and realize that I am truly dependent upon God. Thus after studying this story this week, I have been forced to reevaluate myself and my relationship with God-- Am I being dependent upon Him, or am I being self-reliant? All too often, I think I find that I depend upon me and not on God. I am really trying to refocus and keep God at the center of my life and it is my hope and prayer that God doesn't have to get my attention the way he did the people who were building the Tower of Babel. I am also convinced that I must be careful not to build Tower of Babels in my life-- by putting people or things in the pace of God. Building a city was not necessarily a bad thing-- the bad thing was not asking God for His wisdom and guidance and realizing that we are dependent upon Him. I have been really challenged to think about this at this time and once again I am praying that God will help me to remain dependent upon Him.

God Is Good!

Niki

God Is Great-- some thoughts from my devotions this week

2010-07-24T22:00:00.000-05:00

This week as I was doing devotions with Caitlin, I was once again reminded how great our God is and how we should always praise Him even in the midst of unconventional circumstances. Luke 1:46-49 in the International Children's Bible states, "Then Mary said, 'My soul praises the Lord; my heart is happy because God is my Savior. I am not important, but God has shown His care for me, His servant girl. From now on, all people will say that I am blessed, because the Powerful One has done great things for me. His name is Holy.'" I found myself once again amazed that God uses ordinary people in extraordinary ways if we are willing to allow Him to use us. Mary had a heart of humility and was willing to allow God to work in and through her life. She praised God and kept her focus on Him. This really challenged me make certain that I stay humble and be open to God's leading in my life. It also made me pause and once again thank God for all of the great things He has done for me. Here are just a few things that I am thankful for:
1. My salvation--- the fact that Jesus was willing to put on flesh, live a perfect life, then die for my sins, be raised from the dead, and then offer me this wonderful gift is amazing! God is so good.
2. My wonderful husband-- Bryan is an amazing man who loves me the way that Christ loves the church and I am so blessed to have him be not only my husband but my best friend.
3. My wonderful daughter-- Caitlin is such a precious gift and I love her so much that it is overwhelming sometimes.
4. My wonderful family-- I am so thankful that I was raised in a Christian home and I am so blessed to have wonderful parents and a fantastic brother and sister.

There are many other things I am so thankful for and this list could go on for quite some time... however I am going to end it here.

God Is Great and we should praise Him all the time!

Niki

Pictures, Pictures, Pictures

2010-07-21T09:31:00.000-05:00

Today I am just going to post some pictures of Caitlin with captions.

Caitlin's first time using her high chair

Caitlin in her walker for the first time

Caitlin looking at Momma taking her picture in her walker

Caitlin playing in her super seat!

Caitlin playing in her superseat!

Caitlin at Centenniel Park-- Momma wanted pictures near the flowers!

Another picture at the park!

More flowers and my pretty baby!

Caitlin starting to grin!

Caitlin looking at her Daddy trying to get her attention.

Caitlin smiling! I love this picture.

As you can see she is teething!

I hope you enjoy the pictures. For those of you on facebook, I apologize for double posting!

God Bless,

Niki

Caitlin's 4 Month Check Up... and a crazy week

2010-07-13T10:21:00.003-05:00

Wow! It's been a week since I've posted, and I meant to update how Caitlin's four month check up went earlier-- but life has been crazy. We took Caitlin back to the doctor last Wednesday and she was 15 lbs, and 25 inches long which puts her in the 75% for both height and weight. She is eating cereal, about an ounce at a time, at every feeding. She really likes the baby oatmeal, but is not crazy about the rice cereal. She also does not like banana baby food, but appears to like peaches. We will be introducing a new fruit and or vegetable to her every 3-4 days for the next little while. Hopefully she will not be picky like her momma and like lots of veggies and fruits. Once I get her introduced to the baby food and she is eating more of it regularly, I plan to start making my own here at home for her. She is still teething, but I can almost see one of her teeth coming out of the gum, so that should help with her discomfort some. She still has reflux quite often, so we have upped her dose of zantac to 1.5 ml twice per day.This really has seemed to help some. we are still praying that she will outgrow her heartburn. She also got all of her 4 month shots which included the rotovirus this time-- at her 2 month appointment it was recalled.

In addition to that happening on Wednesday, our new washing machine was also delivered. It works really well and I am very happy with it. Bryan's mom was here that morning so that she could take care of Caitlin while I once again went to the dentist. I got my second temporary crown put on and my first permanent crown also put in. I go back again tomorrow for the third temporary crown to be put on... and then I only have one more appointment-- to get my permanent crowns put on.... This dental stuff has been a long drawn out process and I am glad it is finally coming to an end. Friday I showed Bryan's mom how to get from Antioch to Columbia using the back roads so she could avoid the interstate as much as possible. She is now driving back up later today because Bryan now has to work at corporate tomorrow instead of working from home so we needed someone to watch Caitlin while I was at the dentist. In addition to tomorrow's dental appointment, I go back to see Dr. Heidemann for my yearly check up-- and for once I won't be pregnant. After being pregnant for over a year out of the last 2, I really think my body and my hormones need a break. We want other children, just not at the moment.... Hopefully when Caitlin is 2 we will have another baby on the way.

Saturday my parents came up to visit and Bryan and my Dad did some much needed electrical work around the house. They switched out all of the outlets and switches in what will be the nursery, installed a ceiling fan in there, and also replaced our kitchen light that had gone bad a couple of months ago-- I am no longer cooking in the dark and that is wonderful! While the boys were doing that, my Momma was watching Caitlin and I did some much needed housework. I cleaned everything downstairs really well.... and today I am going to get the upstairs cleaned. I also was able to get all of the laundry done, folded, and put away.... however, with a baby that doesn't last long... I will be working on that again as well.

This Friday Bryan and I both also have our yearly physicals with our primary care doctor. I am praying that Bryan's blood pressure is still in control and that both of our blood work comes back as good as it has in the past. In an attempt to be more healthy-- because I quit drinking so much water after Caitlin was born, I am once again limiting myself to one coke in the morning when I wake up and then drinking nothing but water until I get my 64 ounces in....

And I have also committed to writing children's Bible study curriculum for Warren United Methodist Church in Linden. This is a small church where Bryan's mom attends and they have not been able to find Bible Study material that they like for the kids, so after listening to what they wanted and trying to find it, I wrote three lessons up for her to take back to the teacher to review. She loved them, so now I am going to be writing them all! My goal is to start in Genesis and take them all the way through the Bible. I am also trying to make sure that in each lesson I discuss how all of the Bible relates to Jesus. Please pray that I am able to do this faithfully and that I allow God to lead in the writing of this material because I want to make certain these children have a strong theological foundation. What I am doing is writing out a summary of the Bible Story, outlining a devotion for parents to do with their child each week at home based upon what their child learns in Sunday School, and then including an activity for the children. Because they have one class for all of the kids from two years old - sixth grade I am including a coloring picture for the younger kids and an activity such as a crossword puzzle or word search for the older kids.
Overall, it has been a very busy week and its only going to get more busy. We are really hoping to get some painting done this weekend since Bryan won't have to work.

Finally, please remember to pray for the people of Uganda who were victims of a terrorist attack. Uganda is a beautiful country and my heart goes out to them.

God Bless,

Niki

Four Months Ago Today....

2010-07-06T21:24:00.000-05:00

My world changed forever.... At 5:45 pm, Caitlin Ruth Ary entered the world. I am so thankful that God has granted me and Bryan the privilege of raising this precious baby girl. To celebrate the fact that she is now four months old, I thought I would share some pictures of her then and now so you could see how much she has grown!

She has gotten so big! She is now eating cereal twice a day-- we are giving her gerber baby oatmeal in the morning, and gerber rice cereal at night-- she is eating about three ounces total. I also tried to let her taste baby banana food for the first time this morning, and she was not real thrilled with it.... but maybe she will like it later on. She is really staying alert and she is sleeping wonderfully now thanks to the miracle blanket. I highly recommend it for anyone who has a baby who needs a little help sleeping at night. She is really trying to set up on her own now, leaning forward when trying to eat, and laughing out loud. She is also trying to talk and really looks everything over trying to make certain she sees everything. Her eyes have gotten so big and her eye lashes are super long.... and they curl. I wish mine were that pretty!

I am truly blessed to have such a wonderful little girl and I look forward to watching her continue to grow by leaps and bounds. She is my amazing miracle baby and an answer to my prayers and many others. Her Daddy and I love her more with each passing day.

Happy Four Month Birthday Caitlin Ruth Ary!

God Bless,

Niki

The Fourth of July Weekend

2010-07-06T21:03:00.000-05:00

This weekend we returned to Linden to spend the Fourth of July with Bryan's family. They have a cookout and shoot off fireworks-- it is a tradition Bryan's dad started and they are continuing it on... It serves as one way they keep his memory alive. We were able to relax and enjoy the weekend for the most part. I was able to ride on the four wheeler for the first time in over a year-- it was so much fun! Caitlin really loved setting out on the porch and watching the dogs play as well. Bryan did bush hog so he was still a little tired.... He is still working like crazy, so we are looking forward to being able to take a vacation before long. We dressed Caitlin up for the Fourth of July and got her a little flag to wave. I want to be very careful to make certain that she has a love for our country and understands that men and women make sacrifices every day to ensure our freedom. I will tell her about her family's military service and will also make certain she learns to support and appreciate our soldiers. I hope that each person took the time this weekend to think about what our freedom means, and what is costing others, and praying for those serving in our Armed Forces and their family. I am posting a picture of Caitlin in her Fourth of July outfit below.

God Bless,

Niki

God's Little Princess Devotional Bible

2010-06-30T16:00:00.000-05:00

Caitlin is asleep at the moment... and I am hurting too bad from a root canal done this afternoon to nap with her... so I thought I would take advantage of the opportunity to share a little bit more about how I am attempting to already teach Caitlin about Jesus, and this includes me reading her devotionals each day from God's Little Princess Devotional Bible by Shelia Walsh. This devotional Bible has really great concepts and lots of activities that Caitlin and I can do together once she is older. This Bible is reminding me of powerful truths that I needed to hear myself and I know that as I use it with Caitlin throughout the years that it will benefit her. I read her a couple of the sections of scripture out it each morning, and then pray with her. I also sing hymns and Christian songs to her while feeding her.... I do not have a great voice-- but I am making a joyful noise to my Savior praising Him for blessing me with a precious daughter.... I am hoping that these truths found in the great hymns of the faith will also take route in her heart and she will have a heart of worship for our Savior Jesus Christ. The last thing I do each day is pray for Caitlin from the top of her head to the tip of her toes that she would grow strong and healthy.... This is a habit left over from pregnancy days after getting a book from Bryan for Christmas that told me how Caitlin was developing in the womb each week and it providing insights into how we can pray for her development. I continue to do this praying that one day she will accept Christ as her Savior and that she will surrender her life to Him. I also pray that she always feels God's love.

Finally, here's an update on some of the prayer requests I shared in my last post.....
Please continue to keep my friend Marcy and her family in your prayers. Her father passed away on Tuesday of this week, which was also Marcy's birthday.

Please remember the other prayer requests that were shared in my last post... especially for the Primms and the Erwins. William Primm had to have a tracheotomy put in place on Tuesday. I have not heard an update on baby Hadley but my heart is heavy for this family.

Finally, I also have a praise that China has once again started eating-- so hopefully she will start gaining back weight quickly-- please continue to pray to that end for her.

God Bless,
Niki

A Growing Baby, Father's Day, and Prayer Requests

2010-06-27T21:20:00.000-05:00

Wow! Sorry it has been so long since I have posted anything. Life has been quite busy. Caitlin is growing by leaps and bounds and weighs over 14.3 pounds! She is also teething! It appears she is going to try to get four teeth in at once. Caitlin also is eating over 45 ounces a day so we are now giving her rice cereal at night.... She gets one feeding of it per day for the next two weeks and then we will up it to two feedings per day for two weeks and so on until she is at three feedings per day-- once we get there we will then start thickening it a little more. Right now it is very runny as she is getting at 1:5 ratio of rice cereal to formula. We also purchased a "miracle" blanket for Caitlin and since then she is sleeping much better at night.

For Father's Day we went to Chattanooga to celebrate with my Daddy. Bryan had to work quite a lot on Father's Day weekend, so I don't think I was able to make it quite as special as I would have liked. For his gift from me, I got him a new hammer that he needed, and a video he wanted-- The Wolfman. From Caitlin, I had a mousepad made with her holding a yoda doll-- which she loves-- that says, "Daddy's Padawan", some refrigerator magnets with pictures of just him and her, and a travel mug that says #1 Daddy and Happy Father's Day with her footprint on it. We made it at the Pottery Place in Murfreesboro. We also made the same travel mug for her grandpa saying #1 Grandpa, gave him a picture of "grandpa and me" with a picture of him and Caitlin, and Systematic Theology, which he has decided to read after looking at it several times while he was here visiting as Bryan is currently reading through it.

Bryan continues to work long hours but we are so thankful that he has such a good job that allows me to stay home with Caitlin. I know that I am truly blessed. Please pray for us as we are making plans for the future which will include us putting our house up for sale next spring hopefully-- we have a lot to do before we can put it on the market, so pray that we will get that all done and also pray that we will have the wisdom to know exactly where God would have us move.

Finally, here are some other prayer requests:

1. Pray for my friend Marcy and her family as her Daddy's final days draw to a close. He knows that he will be spending eternity with Jesus and for that Marcy and her family are extremely thankful. However, telling your Daddy goodbye has to be one of the hardest things I can think of, so please pray for them all.

2. Please pray for friends from church: William Primm who is recovering from complications from surgery and is ICU but improving... Pray for his wife Cynthia and his two sons: Steven and Donovan.

3. Please pray for my friend Daryl Christopher as she continues her battle with cancer.

4. Please pray for for my cousins Brenda and Bryan who lost their mother-- my Great Aunt Carolyn two weeks ago to cancer.

5. Please pray for Gabrielle as she is learning to eat-- going to Food Therapy once per week as her CF has made her not want to eat but to instead ask that everything go through a feeding tube.

6. Please pray for China, a friend from church, who had her tonsils removed and has lost 15% of her body weight-- and she is a special needs child who was already small to begin with.

7. Please pray for Jane and Jared Erwin and their unborn baby Hadley. The doctors think she may have a fatal form of dwarfism that would keep her from living outside the womb. We know our God is big and that He can work a miracle and this precious little girl can live.....

Praying for this couple has reminded me of how precious Caitlin is and how thankful that I am that God has allowed me to raise her. Please continue to keep her in your prayers that she would grow strong and have a heart for Jesus.

Finally, remember to pray for our soldiers and our missionaries-- including my friends Travis and Danielle who are serving in Mexico.

God Bless,

Niki

PS-- Here are some pictures so you can see how big Caitlin is getting.

Just a quick update

2010-06-15T19:09:00.000-05:00

Wow! Time really flies. It is hard for me to believe that Caitlin is already three months old. She is staying alert and really trying to crawl. She is also able to hold herself up in her swing and she is close to being able to set up on her own. She has become quite attached to her Momma and will not let anyone else hold her and feed her for the most part including her Daddy which has hurt his feelings.... Hopefully she will get over that before long-- I am letting her cry for awhile now before picking her up when he is holding her to try to help her bond with him. I am fully recovered from my gall bladder surgery and am now going to start the process of getting my teeth fixed-- thanks to pregnancy, I need two root canals and three crowns... I get the first root canal done tomorrow and we will go from there. The doctor said it appears Caitlin took most of my calcium so my teeth got pretty weak-- I am using proenamal toothpaste and drinking milk and hopefully will build them back up. Now that I have found a dentist in Nashville, this will also help for the next time. Bryan is working a ton and is also quite busy serving as a deacon at our church. However, we are really enjoying spending time together in the evenings as a family. Overall, things here are going fairly well. We know God has truly blessed us and we are very thankful.

God Bless,
Niki

Surgery and A Night Away from Caitlin :(

2010-05-30T20:21:00.000-05:00

Since July 2008, I had undergone five surgeries: 3 D&C's, 1 rescue cerclage, and 1 c-section.... I have now added another one to the list... my gall bladder had to be removed on Tuesday due to gall stones. The night of the flood I started hurting really badly but it finally went away and while I thought it might be my gall bladder since I didn't have any other problems, I didn't think any more of it. Come Monday morning I started hurting again to the point I had to call Bryan to come home and take me to the Emergency Room. I had an ultrasound and found out that surgery was needed. I had to spend the night in the hospital and it was taken out Tuesday afternoon. The hospital would not allow Caitlin to come to my room so we were once again apart.... it was not easy, and that night I cried myself to sleep in the hospital. I had my surgery and except for soreness all appears to be going well. I go back to the doctor on Friday for confirmation that everything is healing okay. Caitlin has become quite active and is staying awake most of the time during the day and she is really moving her arms and legs, thus she has beat up my incisions quite a bit, but I refuse to not hold my baby.

She is alert, smiling more and is truly a joy and a blessing. I am still blown away that God allows me to be her Mommy. I know that I am not a perfect Mommy but I am really trying to do everything I can for her to make certain that she knows she is loved and is very well taken care for. I also know that I am truly blessed to be able to stay home with her and take care of her. I have an amazing husband in Bryan that he works so hard in order for me to be able to do this. He is a wonderful, kind, and compassionate man and he truly is my best friend and I am so thankful that God blessed me with him as my husband.

Overall, that is the main thing that has happened since the last post. We are working on Caitlin's nursery and once we finally finish it, I will post some pictures.

Here are some prayer requests that I would like to share with you....

1. Pray for the family of a little boy who lost his life due to complications from pulmonary hypertension.
2. Pray for friends of a friend who lost their 2 year old due to a tragic car accident.
3. Pray for my friend Sarah as she continues to grow in her relationship with the Lord.
4. Pray for Darryl Christopher as she continues her battle with cancer.
5. Pray for several friends who are expecting.
6. Pray for Travis and Danielle as they continue serving Jesus in Mexico.
7. Pray for my friend Amanda and her mission trip to India.

Finally, as tomorrow is Memorial Day, please pause to pray for our nation and for our military and especially for those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation.

God Bless,

Niki

Travels and Trials

2010-05-19T23:28:00.001-05:00

We have been pretty busy here at the Ary household. It is spring time and with that comes increased responsibilities for Bryan at the farm in Linden. So we went there last weekend in hopes he would be able to bush hog and service the tractor. In addition, we went to the Ary cemetery grave decoration/ family reunion. Because we had to take a crib for Caitlin to sleep in, we traveled in separate vehicles. He had the crib and the dogs in his truck and I had Caitlin and all of our stuff in my car.... It's amazing how much you have to pack for a weekend away for a baby! Caitlin did not enjoy the car ride to Linden, she cried pretty much the whole way there and I stopped three times (where I could-- its not easy on the back country roads) in order to feed her and try to help her feel better. She has also been spitting up and refluxing quite often so we have been to the doctor multiple times over the last week to see what we need to do to help her. Today we started her on zantac and yet another formula. This will be the fifth one we have tried and we are praying that it works. We won't be changing it for awhile as her pediatrician advised that we should remain on the same formula for at least two weeks to see what happens. So we will go from there. Caitlin is still our sweet happy baby except for feeding times and we are hoping that this gets better with the help of the medicine. She also loves her swing now and gets really excited to watch the mobile and lights. The trip to Linden was good except for the fact that it rained the entire time we were there so Bryan was not able to bush hog... so now we have to figure out when he will go back in to do this chore. Overall though we are still so truly blessed to have our precious baby girl and we are praying each day that we are being good parents to her. I struggle with doubts quite often about this in that she cries during her feedings and this has caused me to cry along with her when I couldn't comfort her. I also still feel really guilty about not being able to remain awake during her birth and not seeing her until March 7th. I grieve that time that I missed her. Hopefully I will be able to get over this as I keep praying and handing it over to God.

On another note, please keep the following friends in your prayers:
1. My friend Nancy and her brother Bill who is having a brain tumor removed on Thursday.
2. My friends Dan and Elizabeth and their baby girl Molly Cate who was just born.
3. Many other friends who are pregnant.
4. My friend Daryl Christopher as she continues to battle cancer.
5. My friends Travis and Danielle as they serve our Savior in Mexico.
6. My friend Amanda as she plans a mission trip to India.

God Bless,

Niki

Caitlin is growing!

2010-05-11T18:38:00.000-05:00

We had our two month check up yesterday and Caitlin weighed in at 11 pounds 6 ounces and is now 23 inches long! That means she has grown almost four inches in two months! She has also almost doubled her weight since we came home from the hospital which is good news. Her digestive system is not growing as fast as the rest of her and its causing her some discomfort but we are working through that by feeding her smaller amounts more frequently. She also got her shots and this made her fussy for a little while but nothing major. She is sleeping more and not eating as much today, but other than that nothing has really changed. Well, not a lot else is going on at the moment and Bryan has dinner ready so I am going to go. I will write again soon.

God Bless,

Niki

Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-09T22:19:00.001-05:00

Today has been a great day. I took Caitlin to church for the first time and we participated in our church parent/child dedication. Unfortunately the pictures did not turn out very well but I will post a few. During this special time at church we were able to share a brief testimony explaining how God has worked in our lives and our commitment to raise Caitlin in a Christian home. It was a very special moment for me and I am so thankful that I get to take my little girl to church. We had a ton of family at church with us. My parents, sister, grandmother, two uncles and an aunt where there. From Bryan's family, his brother and sister-in-law, nephew, and Mom were also there. Caitlin was wonderful through church and through lunch at Ruby Tuesday's afterwards. The dedication was very touching and we were able to say thank you to our church family for all of their prayers and support during the pregnancy and now. We were also able to make public our desire to raise Caitlin in a Christian home and to teach her the Bible. Here are pictures below:

For my Nashville friends, I highly recommend the Ruby Tuesdays in Smyrna. We were able to make a reservation, the food was wonderful, and they gave roses to all of the Mom's in our party.

For our Mother's Day gifts for our Mom's/ grandmothers we went to the Pottery Place in Murfreesboro and made plates with Caitlin's foot prints. I am also posting pictures of them below.

The other item was pictures we had made of the three of us and of Caitlin by herself. Here are some of these pictures as well.

Overall this Mother's Day was wonderful. I would like to wish a very Happy Mother's Day to my Momma, my Mother-In-Law, my Nanny, and all of my friends whoa re Mom's or Mom's to be.

Know that God is good all of the time and I am so thankful to be a Mom.

Love in Christ,

Niki