7 months!

I have officially entered my 3rd trimester! Crazy! I only have 12ish weeks before I meet my baby boy! I can't wait! I got my glucose test done today...have not heard back about it yet, but hopefully I passed! I also got my rhogam shot today (I am rh negative) in the booty...OUCH. That stuff is thick! Not a whole lot has seemed to change since I transitioned into my 3rd trimester. I can tell Ezekiel is getting bigger and stronger and he is still measuring a little big, about a week ahead! His most active time of the day is between 9pm and midnight, which I am sure will not change when he is born. I have been looking into water births and really think I am going to end up choosing a water birth! If anyone has any experience with them, let me know! Here is my 28 week picture (7 months!).

Christmas Traditions

Last year, we bought our first house and moved in just days before Christmas. We had lived with people for most of our marriage, so we hadn't been able create any of our own traditions! This year, we started those! Today, we decorated our Christmas tree and talked about what Christmas really means! We do things a little bit differently that the majority of America does. We tell our kids that Santa is not a real man (we do teach them about St. Nick and all the wonderful things he did and that he is the man Santa is based on), but as far as Santa coming down our chimney and eating our cookies and leaving gifts, we do not tell them that and we don't do gifts from Santa. We tell them the real meaning of Christmas, which is Jesus and we talk about his birth and why it is important. We do decorate a Christmas tree, we have taken pictures with Santa and we do give gifts, but we just explain to them that we just do all of that stuff for fun and it is not what Christmas is actually about and we try to mix in things about Jesus in all of these things that we do. Some people may find this odd, but we really believe it is important to teach our kids at a young age about Jesus, and see this as a huge opportunity. This is really the first year that the girls are actually understanding it all, especially Riley, so it is pretty cool to see her grasping all of this! (Plus, our girls will never have the let down of finding out Santa is not real and feeling like we lied to them! My parents always told us the truth, and I don't have that traumatic experience of someone telling me he is not real and am very grateful to my parents for this!).
Anyways, here are some pictures of some of the traditions we are starting!

We first read the story of Christ being born.


Riley was being Christmas!

We were listening to Christmas music and so daddy danced with all his girls! (Me included, but we didn't get a picture of that!)



Hanging ornaments!


You have to have a picture of the tree with your kids in front of it!



Josh made this when he was a kid!


These are some of my favorite ornaments! Our tree is mostly decorated with the ornaments that were mine as a child!









Daddy made homemade queso!

God is good!

I always love this time of year. I don't love it because of the decorations and the food and gifts, I love it because it is a time to refocus on the things you are thankful for and all the GOOD that are going on. It is a time to be with family and be generous with the things that God has given us. As we are in a crazy time in our life, with Josh being in Paramedic school, added on top of his 24 hour shift at the station, it would be easy to focus on how crazy things are and how we don't get to see him much, but I am making a choice to choose to focus on the things that I do have, not the things I don't have. I get to spend every day with my girls, I do get some time with my husband (it could be worse, he could be in the military and gone for months or years at a time), I have an awesome family who helps me out a lot, I have a roof over my head, I have food, I have a precious baby boy growing inside of me...I have so many blessings. Most of all, I am thankful for the faithfulness of the Lord and the fact that he provides for our EVERY need! He always has, and during this crazy time, I am just try to remind myself that God is providing everything I need and we can get through this because God is faithful and this is his will for our lives right now.

What are you thankful for right now?

Helping with the laundry!

As I become more and more pregnant, I am finding things that my girls can help with around the house! One thing they helped me with the other day, was moving the clean, folded laundry baskets into the rooms they needed to be in!

There they go!

Baby post!

Still feeling pretty good! Changes in my pregnancy as of the last couple of weeks are, shortness of breath is coming and going. I am getting a little bit more tired, definitely have less energy, but still a decent amount (at least enough to function)! I have a constant leg cramp in my left leg and sometimes in my right as well. Heartburn is still being called "permaburn" around here since it NEVER goes away...literally, everything gives me heartburn. I can feel Zeke moving a lot, and he is definitely getting strong. He lays really low most of the time, so I feel a lot of pressure. He always starts moving when he hears Riley's voice, it is sweet! The headaches are still hanging around, but they are totally manageable. I am so thankful that I have made it to 26 weeks and am not feeling uncomfortable yet. I know it is coming, so I am cherishing my body not being in pain all the time.

This is my 26 week picture (6 1/2 months!)


We have been working on Ezekiel's room. We still have several things to do, but it is looking great so far, I love it! Here is a sneak peak!


This is the love of my life right now!

My little teenager

Last night, Riley gets this grin on her face and starts laughing. She says to me, "Last night, I had a dream. There were two of us riding in a car (giggle, grin, hehe!)." I asked her who it was. "It was me and Gavin (a friend from church)! I was driving and he was riding." I say, "Oh yeah, where did you guys go?" "(Giggle, grin, hehe) We went to a restaurant, we were on a date." "Oh really, did you have a good time?" I asked her. "(Giggle, grin, hehe) Yeah, and then we got married and you and daddy and Sandi and Drue (his parents) and Nonnie and Emmy and Aydia were all in our wedding and we lived happily ever after, hehe!"

I seriously felt like I was talking to my boy crazy, giggling, teenage daughter about her first date!

Oh Riley, what are we going to do with you!

Yay giveaways!

Sweet T Family is hosting a few blog giveaway's to promote the move to their new blog site! Go check it out, there is something for everyone!

Chalk!

Last weekend, we had a garage sale. While I was wheelin and dealin the customers, Josh and the girls played with sidewalk chalk!
I can't tell who had more fun, Josh or the girls!

Caterpillar...

Look at this cute little guy I found in my front yard!

What's behind the name?

When we knew we were having a little boy, we really felt that we wanted to pick a strong name for him. When we thought about having another baby, we really felt like we could see a boy in our family so well. We felt that with Josh's profession being a firefighter, and being gone for long periods of time, it would be great to have a boy that we could raise to take over and be the protector when daddy is gone (obviously, that will be a while from now!). We also felt that having a boy, he could help fight off all those boys we are going to have wanting to be around with his 2 sisters, one of which, is already boy crazy! We chose Ezekiel Joshua. Sometimes, this name seems too big for a tiny little baby, but he will grow into it! Ezekiel means, God will strengthen and Joshua means God saves/rescues. It just feels so fitting for the vision we have for our son and the kind of man we want him to grow up to be!

Give away...

Head on over to For the Love of Stiletto's and check out her contest to win a Starbucks gift card and a little goodie bag! If you heard about it from me, make sure to mention the Brock Clan...I get an extra entry!

Wowza...

It has been a crazy few days around our house. I was really hopeful that the "terrible two's" had left us, but boy, was I wrong. From the moment we wake up in the morning, to the moment we go to bed the last 2 days (and today so far) have been tantrum city. I am stressed beyond belief. I can feel my shoulders tensed up and I have had a headache since Sunday. I would say that I can't wait for the three's to hit us, but sadly, three's (at least the first half, it seems to be much better now) were worse than the two's for Riley, so if that is the case...WOW! I don't even want to think about that. I am trying my best to remain calm and deal with this behavior like I know that I need to, but some days, I just want to send her to grandma's house, or really anyone's house. I need a break. No, I need a vacation. I am so thankful that my mother-in-law offered to take the girls for me tomorrow night, it could not have come at a perfect time! Hopefully that will be enough of a break to get me rested and ready for them to come back! Josh took the girls to get some donuts, so I am trying to take some deep breaths before they get back. Please pray for me to have the patience and energy to deal with this. I need it. Hey, maybe this explains why I feel so tired all the time suddenly, oh wait, no, I am just pregnant!

Well, so this whole post isn't such a downer, I will leave you with a sneak peak of Ezekiel's room!
Here is the all famous mother-in-law! She came to help!


My good friend came to help as well!


Thanks ladies!

My little candy vultures!

Aydia is obviously, and LSU Cheerleader (not that we really care about LSU, but it was given to us from some friends for their dress up clothes and instead of being like a normal child and wanting to pick something at the store when I took them to do that, she said, "I don't need it, I have one at home! Nice, can you always be this conscious of mom and dad's pocket book, that would be great, thanks! Haha!) Riley is Dora!

We went to a Halloween party on Friday with a bunch of our friends from church and I dressed up as Juno...kinda fitting, right!?
Look at all these candy vultures!


The girls had a lot of fun on Halloween, we invited a bunch of friends over and all went trick-or-treating in our neighborhood! Aydia didn't really understand what was going on at first, but she got the gist of it real quick once people started giving her candy! Of course, Riley was running to every house and had remembered from last year what happened! It was so cute, when the people would answer the door, Riley would say, "Happy trick or treaty!"

6 months!

This is me and my friend who is due 5 days before me! She is having a girl! It is so fun being pregnant with a good friend!
Man, do I look tired or what?!


I am officially 6 months pregnant! Less than 16 weeks to go (hopefully)! It is flying by. I am just now entering the "tired phase." I feel tired all. the. time. I am also starting to get back aches...not fun. I have peed myself when I sneezed twice...that is fun. Luckily I was at home both times. My pregnant brain is definitely here with me all the time as well. I am trying to keep enjoying this pregnancy, but I just feel ready to have my body back and to meet our little boy!

Look at these adorable socks that Aunt Lenzie and Uncle Andrew bought for Zeke! I love them!