Belated Prayer Request

I just wanted to do a quick post to ask everyone to keep my father-in-law in your prayers. He had his other knee replaced yesterday. He had his first one done in Feb. It has helped him so much that he decided to get the other one done. He is doing well, and we can only hope that in a few months he will be like a new man. I am asking that you all say a prayer for him and a speedy recovery.

Car Ride and Haircut

Lily got this Cinderella car for Christmas when she was 2 (right before she turned 3). Last summer she was just to little to handle it, but this year she is turning into a pro driver...well she can at least push the gas and turn the wheel. Avery decided to bale after just about a minute. It must have been pretty scary for him cause we all know how obcessed he is with "Cars". I am glad that Lily is enjoying this car now, cause it was a pretty expensive present from Santa. Actually my mom and dad got it for her, cause I refused to lay down that amount of money for something that I wasn't sure she would LOVE. Luckily, she does love it, just a year and half later.

We really wanted to spend the whole evening outside this evening...WAY TOO HOT!! Avery is usually walking around the house saying "outside, outside". Once we had been out for about an hour he was holding on to me whining and saying "inside, inside". So we got in the pool for all of about 2 minutes...it is just still to gross. We just can't seem to get it clean. I might have to have my dad come out and work on it. He is a pro at opening up the pool. We are going to be needing it SOON!!!
Lily had to pose with her car!!

Most of you probably remember a few months ago when I posted about Avery's fits when I take pictures of him (here). What a difference a few months makes. Now every time he sees the camera he say "cheese". It is so adorable, and makes for GREAT pics!! Love it!!

What a cutie pie!!!

I gave Avery his second ever haircut this evening. I've been threatening it for a while now. The problem is, he has the thinnest, finest, whitest hair ever. VERY VERY hard to cut. Last time I just buzzed it all off. But I wanted to leave a little of the length on the top. I ended up shaving his neck a little above his hairline. I just didn't want to cut it again for a while. I think it turned out okay, but it was not easy. I just hate, hate, HATE the idea of paying someone $15.00 to do something that I can do myself. I have always cut Adams hair and have given Lily all her haircuts except 1 (when she decided to chop it off herself...I had to have help straightening it up). If I knew someone that could cut my hair, I wouldn't go to the beauty shop either. Don't know anyone though.

New Shoes

The kids spent the day with my mom and dad today. I had a very relaxing day. I mowed the yard this morning, then I took a 4 1/2 hour nap...yeah that's right 4 1/2 hours. It was so WONDERFUL!!!!! They had a great day. They always do!!! When they came home there was just enough time to give them a snack before bath and bed. I don't know how working mothers do it...I hardly had any time to see them, much less play with them. It makes me so so happy that I have them at home with me all day!!!!!

I got a few pictures of them eating some cookies (nutrishious snack - huh) before bath.

For some reason, Lily insisted on me taking pictures of her with cookies in her mouth. I don't understand it, but they turned out kinda cute!!!!

I don't know if I have ever mentioned my obession with shoes before, but here goes. I think it is my mission in life to find great shoes at a great price. My kids have more shoes than I do. Little shoes are just so much cuter than big shoes (kids shoes vs adult shoes). I don't think that I have ever spent more than $15.00 on any single pair of shoes for the kids. I figure why pay $60.00 for 1 pair when I can get 4 or 5 pair for the same price. Well, it never fails that a childs foot grows overnight. Avery's has all of a sudden gone from a 5 to a 6. To top it off, he has got the fattest foot ever. I have taken more shoes back to stores than I can count, cause they rub blisters, or they are just to tight. Well, I have found that the croc style shoe is the best. But it can't be the kind with the moveable strap in the back. It has to be solid. The ones with the moveable strap have a little button thing on the inside that allows it to move, and that button thing rubs blisters. I wouldn't even have noticed if my friend Stephanie hadn't mentioned it to me. Her son Cole has the same problem. Those shoes went quickly back to Wal-Mart. That was a couple of weeks ago. So I have been on a mission for the last couple of weeks to find him some shoes. Lily and I went to Silver Dollar City last week, so we stopped by a couple of stores while we were in Branson. I went to the Crocs store first, cause I knew they had a type without the button thing. The only pair I found was the green pair (pics below). On sale for $12.99. Not bad for REAL Crocs (not that I really care about the brand, just the style). Next I went to the Sketchers store. I found some shoes for Lily there (I got her some of the Jibbitz things at the Crocs store). She really did not need shoes, but we were on our way to SDC and for some reason the shoes that she was wearing were hurting her feet (I think it might have had something to do with the fact that we were buying Avery shoes, and she thought she needed some, too). They were on sale Buy 1 get the 2nd 1/2 off. They were marked $14.99 a pair, but with the discount they ended up only being $11.25 a pair. Not to bad (they really are cute!!). I got myself some shoes while I was there, I needed some. No pics of them, just not as cute!!! Next was Stride Rite. Very pricey shoes in that store. I would not have gotten any, but I found a pair of 6W brown sandals (perfect for church) on clearance for $12.49. They are really cute. The only shoes left that I wanted to get him was a pair of the Cars clogs. Every time he sees them (or anything Cars) he thinks he has to have it. I have had no luck for the last couple of months since we first saw them finding them in his size. So I finally just went online and ordered them off the Payless website. Adam needed some shoes too, so he ordered them. He could have just went to the store and gotten them, but if he ordered them then we wouldn't have to pay shipping (a definate bonus). A few days later I ended up in Branson again, so I went by Kohls and found 2 more pair of shoes for Avery. Both pair were on sale for $9.99. The first was a pair of Carters that are blue with 2 straps on the top and a strap in the back, so they are totally adjustable. The second pair were Osh Kosh and were also totally adjustable. So I found Avery 5 new pair of shoes for the grand total of $60.45 (the cars shoes were full price at $14.99). Of course, I had to pay taxes on them, but I don't really count that. Not to bad for 5 pair of shoes, and it has been total fun for me!! Anyway enjoy the pics of great shoe bargains. Oh yeah, Avery loves his Cars shoes the best and it has been hard to get them off of him!!! Love you all!!!

Lily's shoes with the Jibbitz she picked out at the Crocs store (Princess - who would've guessed).

Lily's new shoes. She really does love them. But she is devolping her mothers unhealthy addiction to shoes. I guess I need to start being more careful!!!

The new shoes!!!

Croclings - that is what these are called. The band is stretchy, but not to tight. They fit Avery's fat foot REALLY well!!!

Stride Rite Church Sandals!!!

These are the Carters shoes. I thought they were adjustable in the back, but I don't guess they are. They are still perfect for his feet!!!

These are adjustable in the back. He didn't really need another pair of brown sandals, but they were cute, and I want to save the other pair for ONLY church!! So he can wear these elsewear!!!

The beloved Cars shoes. These have been a smash hit. And although they were the most expensive pair in the lot, they have already been well worth the money!!!

Long Time, No Post...

First, I want to say that we have been so busy around here...that is why I have not posted lately. I really shouldn't be doing it right now, I have a million other things that I need to be doing, but I felt like I just needed to get it updated.

In March I took Lily to see Horton. She loved the movie (it was pretty cute), but the best part was seeing her friends. I put on that post that I had taken pictures on my phone, but had to get them loaded on the computer. Well, here they are, just 3 months later!!!! They are all awfully cute!!!

From left: Claire, Melina, Caroline, and Lily

I know that I have posted bath pictures of the kids in the past, but they just love their baths. I don't think that they will be able to take baths together for much longer. Lily is really starting to notice things, and I think that their childhood innocense won't last as long as I would like for it to. I guess they all have to grow up, don't they. I wish that I could just bottle them up, and keep this age, so I won't ever forget just how wonderful they are right now. I try to keep up with pics and such like, but I am so afraid of them growing up and not remembering how precious and wonderful they really are. I hope I'm not the only overly-emotional person out there.
Lily loves Avery so much, and I have to say that he loves her just as much. How lucky I am to have kids who get along. When Lily isn't here, Avery is just lost. He will walk around saying, "Sissy, Sissy". Of course, they have their moments when they get on each others nerves. But, don't we all!!!
Avery just loves to ham it up!!!

So does Lily!!!!!

I took these pictures a while back. Lily was gone to spend the day with my dad, so it was just Avery and I. We actually had a fantastic time playing with his cars. He loves his cars. He has just recently really gotten into it. He got this BIG dump truck and a BIG dozer for christmas, and they have just sat for the last few months. But now he is suddenly really into them. Which is great, cause I was feeling like I had wasted money on them. I just really enjoy watching the differences in them. Lily is such a girl, and Avery is definately boy. It is so amazing that even though he has to watch a lot of princess and he sees even more princess, he is still not interested in princess. He loves cars, and electronic devices...how boy is that?!?!?!

Ok...I know this isn't the best pic of me, but he looks so stinkin cute I just had to share!!!

He got the car ramp for christmas from some family member (don't really know who). He really loves it. Though, he really tries to get ALL of his cars to go down it, and it is only designed to take the cars that came with it. This is the new dump truck that he is really starting to love.

Crawdad days was on May 17th. Lily's class had their last performance on that day. They were all so cute.

These pics are of Lily and her friend Ana. They are probably not all that good for each other. When they get together you can see mischief written on their cute little faces. But they do have fun. Ms. Christy figured out in the first couple weeks of class that those 2 could not stand by each other, or it was complete disruption. I think that you can tell by the pics that they are a little mischievous when together.

What a pair they make!!!

Lily was so exhausted this day. She had spent the day before with my dad, fishing all day. I really do think this was a good pic of her though. Her class did a great job at Crawdad days. They are all just so cute to watch.

Between My mother in law - Ginny - and I we got some great pics of the kids!! I love them so much. I have to say that the ones of Avery turned out so well!! I just love how beautiful my children are!!!

This is my nephew, Zane. Pretty good picture, if I do say so myself. Ok, Ok, I can't take credit, Ginny took this one!!!!

Avery loved watching Lily dance. He is so entertained by her.

What a cutie pie!!! That is my daughter's rear. She was turned around so she could watch the bigger kids dance. She is so comfortable anywhere she is. I am glad that she is so outgoing and doesn't have any real reservations. She actually LOVES to be the center of attention!!!

From left: Brooke, Lily, and Avalon

From left: Ana, Brooke, Lily, and Avalon

From left: Ana, Brooke, Lily, and Avalon

Brooke, Lily, Avalon

Ana, Brooke, Lily, Avalon, Kylee, and Kyle

We have had VBS this week. We had a great time, but we are all so tired. Neither one of the kids have been in bed before 9:00 since Saturday. And for some reason, they have had a hard time getting to sleep for naps. I'm not sure about that one. I do know that I am going to put them down for a nap here in just a little bit, and just pray that they get some sleep. They are both going to my parents for the day tomorrow. So they will REALLY be worn out by tomorrow night. That is one thing about summer...we are always on the go, so the kids get all messed up. They should get somewhat caught up next week, here's hoping anyway!!!

I hope that you have all been doing well. I love you all!!!!

Avery's Birth Story

Lily was so overjoyed with Avery. She has always loved babies, and we made her feel like Avery was HER baby, so we could not get her off of him for the first few weeks!! She is still SOOO in love with him!!! It just makes me cry tears of joy to hear them playing and laughing together!! These pictures were taken the day after we came home from the hospital!!!

Warning: There are graphic delivery pics on this post!!!

When we found out we were pregnant with Avery, we made the decision for me to stop babysitting and just be a full time mom to our kids. I started babysitting out of our home when Lily was 5 1/2 months old. The extra money was nice, but I absolutely hated it. I felt like Lily wasn't getting the best of me, cause I had at least 3 other kids to take care of, though there were times that I had up to 6 other kids, besides Lily. So I quit babysitting at the end of April. So I had 5 months with just Lily and I. I really enjoyed that time with her. While I was pregnant I was so worried that I wouldn't be able to be as close to Lily as I was then!!! Seems silly now, but at the time it was a big concern of mine. My pregnancy went pretty normally, though there were a few scares in there. At about 25 weeks, I had my 2nd ultrasound, because I was measuring bigger than my weeks. That is totally normal for me. I just have big kids. Anyway, when I had the ultrasound they measured the fluid, and I was measuring low on fluid, so we had to go to Springfield to get a 3-D ultrasound. It was way more accurate, and it was so very cool!!! My fluid measured normal while I was there, so that made me feel alot better!! Because I had to have a C-Section with Lily, I was going to try for a VBAC with Avery. I had such confidence in myself, and to be honest, I didn't really think that anything could go wrong. The main concern was his size. We kept having ultrasounds to check his weight, and though they were pretty accurate, my doctor just didn't think he would be as big as Lily!! To understand, my kids take up my whole abdomen. I am VERY short waisted, and there is just not room in there for them. So I guess, because they are so curled up and cramped in there she just couldn't feel how big they would be. This is also the reason that I start having pre-labor contraction off and on, starting at about 33 weeks. Very annoying!! Anyway, the doctor was going to break my water on Monday Sept. 25 if I didn't go into labor on my own before then. But, I went into labor on Friday Sept. 22. I woke up at about 6:00 with contractions that were definately different than all the previous ones I had been having. So we went to see the doctor, and of course, there was no change. But she said she could tell I was trying to thin out with the contractions, so she wanted us to walk around in Berryville (where she was practicing) for a few hours and then go back and see her. So we did that. We went in to the hospital, and there was no change (2cm and 80%). So we went home for a while. We went back to the hospital sometime later that night...no change. I was getting very uncomfortable, and I was tired, and to be honest, I didn't want to hear "This is just early labor stuff that going on right now" anymore!! I didn't care if it was "early labor" and not doing anything I was hurting!!! So we stayed the night in the hospital where they kept me on Nubain (sp?) shots and such like. The next morning there was no change (UGH!!!!!) so Adam and I decided I would be more comfortable (being in pain) at home than in the hospital, so we went home. The contractions got steadily worse throughout the day. I tried to get some rest, though that was an impossibility. I was in and out of the bathtub all day. Although, the tub didn't totally take the pain away, it did make it more bearable. Around 7:00 that night Avery started stretching with each contraction. He would stretch out as much as he could in his cramped space. That mixed with the pain of the contraction was more than I could handle, and I broke down, and cryed. At this point I was ready for a C-Section. Adam called the doctor who sent us back to Berryville. Finally there was a change...2 cm, but 100%. They said that since I was completely thinned out I would start dialating faster. I got some sort of pain medicine, and went back home. To be honest, I didn't think it would ever be over with, and I just wanted to be in my house!!! So we somehow managed to make it through the night. It was another VERY long night. I was in and out of the tub. Adam was so wonderful to me. He did absolutely anything that he could to try and make me more comfortable. I fell in love with him all over again that night!!! At around 11:00 the next morning, I could stand it no longer. So off we went BACK to the hospital. They checked me and (GASP) I was 6-7 cm and 100%. They were all a little bit surprised (I was, too, to be quite honest!!). So when the lady told me how far dialated I was I said, "Oh, thank you Lord, I want an epidural). Up to this point I couldn't have one, cause I wasn't dialating. So when that very lovely anesthesia lady came in, I was overjoyed. They put in the epidural, and my plan was to try and get some sleep. But everyone was so busy trying to get things ready for delivery that I couldn't sleep. I very quickly dialated to 9. Then I stopped. At about 9:00 that night they backed off of the epidural, and had me start pushing. The doctor could just push the little bit of cervix that was left out of the way. I pushed through 2 or 3 contractions, not really sure. After that, the doctor checked Avery's heartbeat, and he did NOT do well with the pushing. His heartrate was all over the place. So because of the incredible long labor, the fact that I wasn't getting to 10, and the fact that he wasn't liking the pushing...they decided to do a C-Section. I don't think I have ever felt so defeated in my entire life. I was exhausted (66 hours of labor will do that to a person) and I felt like I was a failure. But, ultimately, I just wanted to do what would be best for Avery. So at 12:04 A.M. on Monday September 25 (the date the doctor was originally going to break my water) Jospeh Avery Hulsey made his entrance into the world. I can't even tell you the relief that I felt at hearing his cry. As soon as the doctor got in there where she could see him she said..."Heather, I was wrong about his weight". She said the same thing about Lily!!! They pulled him out and showed him to me, and I swear it was like deja vu. He looked exactly like Lily, to me, at that moment!!! Turns out he was just to big to come out vaginally. At least the next time I do this, I can just schedule the C-Section and be done with it!!! When they took him to get him cleaned up and checked out, it was all I could do to stay awake. I just wanted to hear his weight. They stuck their head in and said "9lbs 8 oz 21 1/2 inches long". I smiled and went to sleep. When they wheeled me to recovery they had him there waiting for me. That was a wonderful thing. And they didn't take him away from me the rest of the night. So much better for the pshchy than Lily's ordeal. My blood pressure dropped really low, while I was in recovery, so I had to stay there longer than normal. I was feeding Avery, and I can remember how I felt. I said something about being scared of dropping him cause I just felt so weak, so they lowered the bed, and Adam helped me hold him, so I could feed him. What a wonderful man!!! Like I said, Avery stayed with me until sometime later that morning when I was able to get up and shower. Avery was a champion nurser!! I had no problems with him. In fact, when the nurses would come in they would remind me that he was probably just sucking to be sucking, and that he could use a pacifier. But I knew that the more he sucked the faster my milk would come in, and then he wouldn't need to nurse as much. I had a dream a couple of weeks before Avery was born that he was born deaf. So I kept bugging the poor nurses about his hearing test. Of course it was fine, but I was concerned, and I know I drove that poor nurse that did the test nuts. Avery was a very happy content baby for the first few weeks. Then I think he discovered all of the stuff going on around him, and he got sensory overload. He started screaming at a few weeks old until about 6 months, when he could sit up and get around on his own. It is really just his temper that got the better of him, but I didn't know what to do with him. Lily slept for 3 months straight (exagerating). I can remember the first time that he threw one of his fits. I was in Wal-Mart with my mom (she was staying with me for a few days). Avery had just had his circumcision the day before, and I had to go to Wal-Mart to get gauze and a few other things. Well, things did not go as planned. He started screaming, and I had no idea what to do. I tried nursing him (in the middle of Wal-Mart), I tried everything. My mom couldn't get him to stop crying either, so we just left. I think we did manage to get the gauze. I have to say that trips to Wal-Mart haven't gotten a whole lot better. I can't go and do any major shopping with him. He just gets restless, and cranky. Anyway, Lily was very excited when we came home. We came home on Tuesday night (36 hours after delivery). I was glad they let me come home early. I just wanted to be home with my family!! Lily spent the whole day on Wednesday in bed with Avery and I. She was and is a WONDERFUL big sister. I couldn't ask for anything more.

Avery's head starting to come out!!!

Look at that little conehead!!!

And there he is!!!! Such a cutie!!!

Here is Adam cutting the rest of Avery's cord. Even though he weighed 9lbs 8ozs, he just looks so tiny here compared to Adams big hands!!!

Daddy and Bubby!!! What a pair!!!!

Even though he only weighed 5 ozs less than Lily, he was 2 1/2 inches longer, so he didn't look nearly as big as she did. Especially in the face. I think Lily carried 5 of her almost 10 pounds in her head. I'm not saying that to sound rude, I just really think she did!!!!

Tiny purple feet!!! It's always interesting to me how quickly their little hands and feet turn normal colored!!! But I like the purple pics!!!

Dr. Moffett (my doc) is such a wonderful lady. She went and got Lily when I got in the recovery room. She wasn't supposed to let anyone back except Adam and Avery. But Lily had been there all day with mine and Adams parents very patiently waiting to see Avery. By this time it was around 2:00 a.m. and she was sound asleep in the waiting room. But she wanted to come and see me, so Dr. Moffett brought her back to see us!!!

We were all in need of some serious sleep!!!!!

Daddy and Avery catching some zzzzzz's.

My kids are so beautifully perfect!!!! They let me put my own clothes on him instead of those awful white hospital shirts.

Both of my kids could hold their heads up on their own within hours of being born. They're either really strong and stout, or there was enough fat on their necks to keep their heads up!!!! This was on Tuesday night when we were getting ready to go home!!! That green outfit is one of Adam's from when he was a baby.

I was VERY ready to go home. VERY, VERY ready!!!!