-One month adjustment-

Audrey's been laying around here for a little over a month now!  She's a doll and everyone loves her but I have to say she's a bit more...demanding...then the other two were.  I can't say I wasn't warned.  Almost everyone I came in contact with during my pregnancy would ask the same question with the sweetest smile on their face, "Is this your first?!"  To which I would reply, "no, my third."  The sweet smile that just covered their face would melt into something resembling horror and they'd say something like, OH! or I see.  :)  Then about 80% of the time they'd begin telling me that either their third child or some third child they know personally is absolutely terrible or a big handful or nuts...you get the picture :)  As you can probably guess I always took offense to this for obvious reasons (I happen to be a third child and the baby to boot!)  Anyway, I'm determined to show the world that my third ANGEL is anything but a terror...she's just a tad bit fussy and likes to eat promptly every two hours like her mom!  ;)

One month picture!  (ok, I'm no photographer that's for sure!  But I thought this was cute.  Tyler and my Mom don't like it.  They think she looks afraid...my mother-in-law Julie thinks it's the bow on her head that's frightening her.  I think she's adorable and maybe I'll do better next month!)

Lucy and Will are went on a little vacation.  Who sends their two toddlers on vacation by themselves you might ask?  Well, we do!  Adrienne wanted them to come visit for a week sometime this summer and since we've had so much company lately we decided to send them back to Illinois while the transportation was readily available.  So a week ago today I buckled them into my mother and father-in-law's vehicle and away they went.  I have had moments of pure joy being able to relax and do as I wish.  But most of the time I miss the noise and the sweet moments I have with two of the best kids God ever put on this planet.  They possess a HUGE chunk of my heart and frankly it hurts when they are away.  I'm so thankful for family that love them and want them like we do.  I'm glad they have this time to be with them without Tyler and me.

Funny story, I was talking to Lucy yesterday on the phone.  From time to time she gets in these talkative moods and in those moments I know she's at least a little bit me.  Anyway, she was in one of those moods yesterday :)  I love listening to her jabber on and on about anything and everything...however, right now the focus seems to be baseball, soccer and basketball.  She's been playing baseball with my nephew Ben's team and she is LOVING it!  So, one moment when she took a breath I said, "oh Lu, it's so good to hear you're having a great time but I sure do miss my girl."  She surprised me by asking me if I wished she hadn't gone to Illinois.  I told her no that I was glad she went but that didn't make me miss her any less.  She was quiet just a second before blowing me away by asking, "Are you glad we're here because you're sick of taking care of kids?  You can't handle having three kids?"  Uh...NO, I'm not sure where she heard that but I'm sure whoever was having the discussion didn't realize her little ears were taking it all in ;)  I do want to tell her some day that there are many things that I am very grateful for having had a third baby.  It's awesome to see Lucy and Will enjoy being big siblings to Audrey.  Let's face it, Lucy was still a baby herself when Will came along and she doesn't remember what it was like for him to not be around.  (Frankly, neither do I!)  Secondly, having Audrey as taught me how to enjoy having a baby.  I'm so much more relaxed and calm with her than I was with the first two.  And, lastly, I simply can't imagine not having a sister so I am beyond thrilled that Lucy and Audrey will have each other.  Tyler has made the claim that he feels the same way about having a brother and I calmly explained that God obviously thought Will could handle being the only boy seeing how our third baby is our last ;)

Before the kids left on their trip.  I explained to both of them that I was worried about missing them and so to make me feel better they had to pinky promise to talk to me EVERY DAY on the phone.  So, with both sets of honest eyes looking up at me they promised to take the time to humor their crazy mom at least once a day.  However, in one week I've talked to my son ONE time on the phone!!!  I can't wait to get my hands on that little stinker!  Last night I got to see them both on Skype and I told Will he wasn't living up to his promise and I was going to get him when he got home.  He flashed that precious smile of his and let out a belly laugh to let me know that being almost 600 miles away from me at that moment he wasn't a bit worried!  I'm afraid that boy has me wrapped around his little finger...and knows it!

Below are a few pictures of our house.  It's definitely still a work in progress but it sure does feel cozy and like it's always been our home!  :)

Check out my adorable nephew, Charlie, in our front yard!  Isn't he the cutest?!

She's HERE!

Audrey Elaine Moore - 4/29/13 - 8 lbs. 11 oz. - 21 1/2 inches - PERFECT!

Audrey arrived on a gloomy Monday morning and brought with her such joy we didn't even notice the yucky weather.  Her birth was my best yet...maybe they do save the best for last!  I say it was my best because I'm pretty sure the anesthesiologist was Jesus in disguise as a regular old Joe and performed a miracle as far as my epidural was concerned!  It was heaven!  I'm struggling with my back anyway so to have some relief from my back pain and my contractions I could have laid there all day in euphoria!  Anyway, she arrived at 2:13 pm and Tyler, my Mom, Tyler's Mom, Lucy, Will and I were overjoyed with our new girl!  It really was a perfect birth and for that I am truly thankful!

We stayed in the hospital a full 48 hours and by the end of it we were all tired and sick of being in there.  We've settled in nicely at home and for the most part it's like we've always been just as we are today.  I told Tyler on the way home from the hospital that after Will was born I had this feeling in the pit of my stomach that told me our family wasn't complete.  But with the everyday stresses and the financial responsibilities of even one child I also knew we probably needed to be done.  After our move I felt even more strongly that we were to remain a family of four forever.  When we found out we were in fact expecting a third baby the fear and uncertainty of another baby was so overwhelming that at times I thought maybe God made a mistake.  I wasn't sure I needed or even wanted another baby.  But if there is one thing I am sure of it's that we don't get to decide exactly whats right for us.  God definitely has a plan and I'm so humbled by the abundance of blessings he has showered on our little family.  We can do this, he's given us the means and the ability to be exactly as we are and thrive.  We will have rough days, in fact I'm a bit of a emotional mess but I typically am after I have a baby.  However I am also constantly in awe of my life, my family and a God that continues to provide even when I don't trust in him.

It's been exactly one week...almost to the hour as I type this that Audrey has been in our lives.  Lucy is the best big sister!  Will adores Audrey but forgets from time to time she's already here.  He reminds us all that his job is to take care of his sisters (even though Lucy seems to be in charge 99% of the time.)  My Mom is here and I don't know what I'd do without her.  She doesn't think she's helping much but she has no idea just how much she has done!  There are just certain times in a girls life when they need their mom...this is one of them and I'm so thrilled she can be here with us :)  Tyler is an amazing dad.  He's my very best friend and at night when we are all snuggled up with our new baby I can't believe I've had the opportunity to have three of his children.  There are no words :)

Life Goes On

In the course of seven months quite a few changes have taken place in the lives of the Moore 4ish.  We will VERY SOON (hopefully) we welcoming our fifth and final member of our family :)  Honestly, we can't wait.  Well, I personally can't wait for many, many reasons...but everyone else (Tyler, Lucy and Will) are just plain thrilled to see her, hold her, love her and welcome her into our home.  I have a pretty amazing family.

Speaking of homes...we bought one!  We moved into a nice little neighborhood in Boiling Springs and it's beyond perfect.  Everyday I wake up here or drive home and pull in the driveway I can't believe we live here!  It's nothing amazing of course but God continues to provide way above and beyond anything we could have ever hoped for.

So, I'll give a quick run down here...

Last summer three of our siblings got married :)

October/November I lost my mind a bit :(

Christmas was awesome - I felt tons better, we went "home" to Illinois and had a wonderful time :)

However, the blue beast bit the dust on the way home :(

Our families literally rallied together to figure out how to get us back on the road both in reality and in life.  I really don't know what we'd do without each and every one of them. :))))

In January I got a new job, Lucy and Will went back to school and life slowly fell back into a routine. :)

We found out we were expecting an Audrey Elaine instead of a Drew Abram and we were ALL stunned about that!  :)  Yay, bring on the PINK!

In February we welcomed our third niece, Natalie Louise Fox.  She's a doll and absolutely LOVES me.  I hate it that I'm the favorite amongst all of my nieces but hey, what can I say, I'm the coolest! ;)

Also, in February, we decided to start looking for a more permant place to live in the South.  We closed on our house mid-March.

Our Lucy turned 5 years old at the end of March...yes, F-I-V-E.  She's truly one of the most amazing little girls I've ever known.  She is a very unique child and I'm so thankful she's ours.  God has given her a loving, nurturing heart.  She is very protective of her brother and so considerate of Tyler and I.  The older she gets the more and more she demonstrates characteristics like her dad.  She's so very smart but very cautious when she meets someone new.  I've said time and time again she either immediately likes you or doesn't and usually there is no changing her mind.  She's cool and I'm so proud of her.

My Dad turned 60 this year!!!  I know he never thought he'd see 60.  It's crazy because I think he's stuck here with us for quite sometime but some people get crazy things in their heads.  :)  Anyway, we CELEBRATED his life!  Adrienne and Margaret wanted to throw a surprise party and wanted us to come!  So, we decided on Easter weekend and 35 weeks pregnant, with two toddlers and one very sleepy husband we headed north!  It was SO worth the trip! We partied with the Moore's, snuggled Natalie for the first time, enjoyed a cousin sleepover, ate tons of good food and played in the beautiful Illinois weather.  I spent the day with my sisters preparing for my dad's party and literally felt that at moments that I could cry I needed to be with them so much.  Dad's party was awesome!  We got to visit with the Allison crew and it's always so amazing to see how quickly our family is growing UP!  Babies, toddler and teens that I have to do double takes to recognize.  It was a very special night :)

In March, Tyler found out one of his fellow employees got a new job at a different company and he had the opportunity to move to FIRST SHIFT!!!  We are so beyond excited that we will all be on the same sleep schedule since before Will was born!  Praise the Lord!  He hasn't made the switch yet but it won't be long and now that there is an end in sight I am more anxious than ever!

So, here we are, late April and we're waiting...we're waiting for life to change yet again.  But you know what, life always seems to go on.  It's a beautiful thing!  I feel prepared (at this moment anyway!) to welcome my third child.  I can't wait to snuggle our third miracle and see, yet again, the beautiful blessing God has given Tyler and I.  :)

The arrival story of Audrey and pictures to follow very soon...

Happy :)

We had an awesome week in Illinois celebrating the marriages of our sisters Sarah and Margaret and the men in their life :)  What wasn't so awesome was the illness the four of us decided to contract while on vacation.  We brought it home with us and have been enjoying it all week long.  It's been terrible.

Today, Saturday, we did nothing but relaxed and tried to get better.  I slept a ridiculous amount of time and I do think I feel better this evening.  For some fun we decided to find yet another movie to watch on netflix.  We came across a documentary entitled Happy and decided to give it a watch.  I loved it!  It was good and I recommend everyone see it.  My other conclusion is that we need to move to Denmark and live in a huge "joint home."  OR maybe I can convince my own family of this type of living is beneficial if not absolutely wonderful! 

My mom and dad took a small vacation this past week after the wedding.  They visited Mt. Rushmore and sent us all a picture.  It was really neat...I hope to visit there someday.  I'm glad they got to spend some time together relaxing after the third and final beautiful wedding they will ever throw!  What awesome parents I have! Love them both more than they know :)

29, really?!

My sister-in-law, Stephanie, is as beautiful, intelligent and centered today as she was at 20.  So her excitement at turning thirty, last year ;), even though it baffled me, I knew that for her it was just a number.  She's looked forward to the sparkly age of 30 her whole life.  Next week I will be 29 and I'm dreading it.  Why??  I don't really know.  Probably because in my brain I graduated just the other day...from high school.  I'm afraid to grow up, to be responsible, to make decisions that seem to have such finality it scares the CRAP out of me.  Like children.  OK, maybe it's a few years late to be worried about these two young people.  I know, that I...with a little help from T-ster, created these two people...I just get nervous that I'm not enough for them.  I worry that they deserve a mother that has her head on straight.  Often, well most days really, I feel like a person just trying to get started.  I even make excuses to myself about how I'm going to get there someday when I'm an adult.  Humph...

Lucy decided the other night that she didn't want to eat her dinner.  She often does this and then thinks that she needs a "snack" before bedtime.  Usually her idea of a snack is a very unhealthy, processed and very nicely packaged item with a shelf life of 20 years.  She typically wins the snack battle which is problem #1.  But problem #2 which is most definitely the BIGGER issue is that I'm the one who brings the junk into the house.  I struggle with my weight.  Always have.  I can lose if I set my mind to it...it's just a very tough mindset for me to be in.  But I don't want my kiddos growing up thinking Oreo's and milk are the perfect bedtime "snack."  Do I want them to know the joy of an Oreo...absolutely!  But you see my struggle.

Anyway, lost my train of thought there...back to Lucy and her not eating her dinner.  She got to whining about wanting to get down from the table.  She was told she had to take 4 more bites for being 4 years old..very logical I thought.  And yet she continued to cry...I asked her what was wrong...and with her ever growing snot mustache she sobbed, "I just want everyone in Flora."  It was cute and sad (really she just didn't want to eat but her response pulled at my heartstrings). 

What I didn't tell Lulu was I often want everyone in Flora too...being away is different.  Easy some days, hard others but always different.

Sarah, one of Tyler's little sisters, is getting married Labor Day weekend.  I'm so excited I could pee my pants!  They are a gorgeous couple...with kindness, smarts and an awesome relationship to boot!  I can't wait to celebrate with Derek and Sarah on their big day!  She will be a stunning bride and he a groom that any girl would feel so blessed to see standing at the end of the aisle... waiting...to give himself to her!  It gives me goosebumps and makes me smile from ear to ear.  I love them so!

Margaret, my sister, is getting married the very next weekend!  I have waited for this day for a very long time...and it was so worth the wait!  Travis fits our family perfectly.  He is, without a doubt, the other brother that I never had and always wanted.  This will be a joyous day for my family and my heart wonders if it can handle such an amazing event.  It's awfully tender right now (aka I've been a HUGE cry baby lately!) and I've had a very hard time with my sisters deciding to take the names of the men they love.  In my heart we are Allison's...us three girls, my sisters...my very best friends.  Margaret is breathtaking on any ordinary day of the week...so naturally in a wedding gown she will look PHENOMENAL! ;)

There is a quote I read the other day that gave me comfort...

Trust in what you love, continue to work hard and it will take you where you need to go! 

I love our God.  He listens, tirelessly to me and gives me answers when I need them.  And I am thankful every single day for a life that is saved.  For a love so great that I can't even imagine.  I will trust in Him.

I love my family, Tyler, Lucy and Will, they give me such joy and make me feel so loved and wanted on a hourly basis!  My parents, sisters, brothers, nieces, and nephews love and accept me for who I am...they are the amazing extras in my life that I feel like I would be lost without.  My Mom is my light and always has been.  I will trust in them.

I have so many friends that feel like family...and they just keep coming.  I continue to meet people who enrich my life and make me a better person.  I love them and I will trust in that.

I love my job...and I'm serious...I LOVE it.  If I ever thought as a 6 year old diva that someday I would be a jewelry lady I probably would have wished away so many days...just to get to this moment.  SO, I will trust in that and the amazing company I am privileged to work for.

I will trust in my many blessings, and praise God for them.  I will continue to work hard and God willing I can be calm about where I'm supposed to go from here... 29 years old...
  

It's like this...

I really don't have much to say...can you believe that?!  I know a few people who can't I'm sure :) 

Since our move and our life changed 110%...I have been in a bit of an internal struggle.  I have had two jobs.  One which I absolutely hated and the other that has been a true blessing from God.  The real funny thing is I wouldn't have one without the other so I am thankful for both opportunities.  NOW I have two jobs yet again only this time I love them both.  Full time mom and jewelry lady!  Can life get any more awesome?

Tyler truly enjoys his job.  I wonder sometimes if he will ever be affected by anything.  He has easily fell into a routine in this new state and his new place of employment.  I'm beyond proud of him.

Lucy and Will...well, lets just say I've been "building their character" a LOT lately.  I have placed and pulled them into so many programs they have no clue what tomorrow will bring.  My goal is to change that...give them some stability once I can get my own mind figured out.  They have both had a birthday...Lucy is 4 and Will is 3.  They are smart and beautiful.  Although, at times I wonder if I can keep my cool when they give me an ear full that I don't care to hear.  Then I have to remind myself that they are my children and I deserve every single bit of sass that comes my way! :)  

This summer has been extremely warm.  It's miserable being outside but we spend most evenings riding bikes, making sidewalk chalk drawings, blowing bubbles, playing in the "woods" (actually, a row of trees by our apartment complex) AND getting ate up by mosquitoes! 

The last few weeks the kids and I have been traveling...a LOT!  We went to Illinois the first week of July and then I took a side trip to Fort Worth TX for a jewelry conference.  It made a huge impact on my life and my business.  THEN, we came home for the week of Will's third birthday so we could be with Tyler.  Last weekend we traveled to Illinois again for the wedding of Tyler's brother Michael and his bride Samantha!  It was lovely.  We were thrilled to be there and it was awesome being with our family. 

I have the honor of cutting BATMAN's hair!

Listen, she runs a tight ship...she'll put you in the corner if you aren't careful!

Guess which three are REALLY sleeping?!?

Daddy and Will!

My Maddie LOVES flowers!

This picture is awesome...

My Lulu...isn't she beautiful!

CHEESE!!!

oHHHH,,,,Ahhhhhhh

Lucy and Aunt Sarah

Nanny J and Charles Fox

Here we are...

Aunt Stephanie and Mads...I think they are both beautiful!

Just playin man..

Steph and Tyler solving the problems of the world on vacation

High Five Hello Kitty!

Cutest farm animals I've EVER seen!

Will thought Vacation Bible School was AWESOME!!!

Self portrait

And the feet!

My friend Aston and I on 4th of July

Sweet Josie!

Will, Angel and Lu enjoying Brian's fireworks

Ms. Lottie and I

Kelly and I

AAAaahhhhhh

Cheese!

Sweet Alana and I

FRIENDS!!! 

GOOD TIMES :)

Oestreich Shower

yum

Showered with love and GIFTS!

Margaret and Lori

Mom, me, Margaret (the Bride) and Adrienne..my most favorite women in the WHOLE wide world!!!

God Bless Texas

On stage 1st National Rally Premier Designs 2012!