"Punkins"

I love how Micah talks these days and I wish I could let you hear him. He says everything and is very vocal about what he thinks and feels (except if he's having a tantrum). We went to the pumpkin patch with Rachel and the boys this weekend and M had so much fun. He calls them "punkins" so that's what I call them now too. We let them pick out baby pumpkins and decided to get big ones from the store(which I still didn't do). Sometimes it's hard to care when the kids have NO clue what to care about. He won't even care about decorating or carving until maybe 4 or 5. So I'm kinda making different choices until then. He's already making a few choices a day, which is nice, but I can see how it may get harder with him wanting things that I don't.  We got some cute photos of the boys on Saturday.

On Friday we went to see Leslie, Nolan and baby Eliza. Micah was really excited to see him. I can tell he likes to be the bigger boy when he's around him and he seems a bit bossy and grabs stuff from him. He knows that Nolan doesn't care as much right now, but soon Nolan will be ready to fight for his toys. The boys were so cute and wanted to sit together and read a book. It was time for a photo sesh!!

 We got Eliza in the pic for this one! She needed some big brothers snuggles.

Sunday I got to sing with the choir and really enjoyed getting to know more people there. This weekend I will be helping out in the Playhouse (4 and 5 year olds). Hopefully I will be also getting involved in the announcements. I still have to meet with the guy on that.  

Next weekend is MY baby shower. I can't believe it. I came so fast. I don't even know what to do with myself. I'm so excited and so overwhelmed that it's all happening so fast. I have really enjoyed this pregnancy. No rushing. Just taking my time and loving every second I have alone with my belly and alone with my little guy.  It's a totally 180 from the first time. I remember being so ready 2 months before he was even born. I was waiting on him day and night. This time I CAN WAIT....just not after the new year. haha I really pray that she comes right on time. Tomorrow I am 31 weeks. Time is not slowing down now. Nothing was accomplished this weekend in her room...so that was s fail. I'm hoping we get some stuff done this weekend.

After the shower I will be ready to press Craig to get everything nailed to the walls and out of the attic!!

Yesterday, Micah had his first visit to the dentist! He did so great. I am really hoping this helps him understand how important it is to take care of his teeth. Some days he loves brushing his teeth and others it's a battle. I couldn't believe how great he was for the hygienist though. I took a pic! Of course he was wearing his superman shirt and that always seems to help everything. He has super powers on the days he wears it. LOL

I am struggling a little bit with time management these days. I have always prided myself on being "on time" and lately I've been late a lot. To the point that some people even tell me they almost called me because something must be wrong if I'm not there on time. It's so true. I feel defeated and like a failure when I can't get places on time. Maybe God is preparing my heart to let go of being on time and just be thankful for getting anywhere. It's just tough when Micah doesn't wake up until 8:30 a.m. and I have to be somewhere at 9:30a.m. It's impossible. And I hate waking him up while he's in a deep sleep. It just seems wrong. So I may have to be that pregnant lady that's always late to bible study and music class. It's not because I had a rough morning. It's just not doable at the moment. I'm not as quick as I once was. I can't move as fast. 

I can't be upset about him sleeping in. And I really don't want him to change his habits. Once the baby is here I will be praying for extra time and extra sleep. 

Anyways, it's absolutely gorgeous outside. I am so very thankful for these beautiful days and look forward to getting outside and walking more. Again I need to get out and walk more. I've seen my neighbor out with her two sons walking lately and we finally connected and are going to try and walk together. Hopefully Micah wakes up in time for us to all walk together. He fell asleep around 3p.m. today. 

Love you all and hope you are having a wonderful week!

Loving my guys

I've been enjoying watching my boys play together. They are such a cute little duo. Micah loves his daddy so much. It really makes my heart so happy. Craig's birthday dinner and dessert went great. Dinner was delish and I'm not going to lie the ice cream cake has been a favorite since Thursday. We are still eating it slowly.  Here are some snapshots of the night.

These two have so much fun together. 

Micah is becoming his own person these days. He talks all the time and tells me what he thinks and we have some fun conversations. I'm seeing his personality flourish daily. He's soaking up EVERYTHING I say. He's even repeating bible verses, which I am loving!! This week's memory verse is: God's way is perfect.  Not only do I love this, I can't help but love it even more when my 2 year old says it. I am teaching him daily that God loves him and wants the best for him. It's crazy how much he understands at such a young age. 

Tomorrow I am 30 weeks, but I took this pic last week. I think I feel bigger than I look. I also walk like I'm a whale. haha At my 29 weeks appointment they told me I had gained 5 pounds in 2 weeks. YIKES> that was BEFORE the ice cream cake!!! Hopefully I slow down a little bit. I don't want to be gaining too much weight. 

I'm getting a bit more tired these days and had a bit of a scary moment. I was kneeling down to brush M's teeth and I guess I had been down for a few minutes. When I stood up I felt like I was going to faint. It was a really scary  moment thinking about what would happen if I did and how Micah would react. I just need to take a few precautions doing everyday things.

On Friday I took my friend Emilee and her little boy Andrew (7 months) to the zoo. It was an absolutely gorgeous day! So excited for these cooler temps. Micah decided he wanted to feed the giraffe. Since we go all the time, I thought it would be fun for him to feed the animals for once. I told him he had to wait in line and he did a great job being patient. 

 He loves the Lion (guard) He calls all Lions...Lionguard since he watches that show on Disney Junior.

 We found some pumpkins. He is a cheeser nowadays.

 Emilee, Andrew and Micah

On Saturday, we had Shep's 3 year old birthday party. Micah and Shep are really close these days. They will be big brothers 2 months apart. It's a great pair and I'm so glad Meg and I are going through our pregnancies together. It's been so fun.  He had a Toy Story themed party and everything was adorable. I didn't get many photos. I did capture Micah and his daddy off to the side reading a toy story book. How cute are they? 

  Micah got a hand-me-down shirt from our neighbor Victor (who is also one of M's favorites) with a superman symbol on it and a cape. He has been loving this shirt. He runs around and pretends he is flying. So Cape's are on the christmas list this year!

 Craig loves to hear Micah say, "Chocolate." He thinks it's the cutest thing. He says it more like Shocolate. He seems to be putting "S" on words that don't start with an S and words that do start with an S he leaves it off. For instance when he says, "Snake" it sounds like "Nake."  I'm sure it's a phase and I'm kinda loving it. 

On Sunday, Craig had fun with his new birthday toy. He pressure washed our deck and it looks like a brand new one! I couldn't believe the difference it made. I mean Whoa!! I love that he wants to take care of this house even though it's not ours. 

While he was doing that, Micah and I went down to the park and practiced riding our power wheels. We had fun and got to see our neighbors too. Eliana rode it for the first time as well. I love having neighbors as friends!!

NJ's room is all set. Everything is in there. We just need to hang up all the decorations and get down some stuff from the attic. I love walking past her room and thinking about her and how much she's loved already. I also told Micah the other day that his sister is going to be here Forever....and I don't know if he liked that too much. He kept saying, NO. haha I am trying to make him realize a sister is not a guest but a forever friend. 

I know he'll love her when she's here. We've been reading the book, "Good night, New Baby" and it's becoming one of his favorites!

Hope you all had a great weekend. This weekend we are going to the pumpkin patch!! 

Happy birthday, Craig

This post is dedicated to my main man: Craig Hooker.

To a man who makes me laugh daily and gives me faith in marriage. I love you so much. Everyday I feel so lucky to have found you and made you mine. This life is so hard and you have always pushed me to be better. To be better at school.. at my job..as a mom and of course as a cook. I see my future and can't imagine it without you. You love your family and dedicate yourself to providing for us. It doesn't go unnoticed.

Of course we have our days, our fights, our disagreements, but all I want is to make you happy. I strive everyday to provide a home that you love to come home too. It's what makes me the happiest. Marriage isn't always easy and with another baby on the way it could get harder.

My prayer is that we always make each other first and sacrifice for one another. That we keep connecting and striving to learn about each other. That our love is unconditional and only with God as the center we can achieve this.

I am excited everyday to see you walk through the doors and see your smiling face.

It's crazy that you are 32 and we have been married for 7 years. I have loved growing old with you and life keeps getting better. I am so thankful for your parents who raised an amazing, godly man who loves the simple things in life.

I am so blessed to call you my husband and father to our little mini Craig and mini Liz 😊

Thank you for being you. Happy birthday Craig! Micah and I love you and are excited to eat Italian stuffed shells and ice cream cake tonight!!

Weekend night out

The weekend goes by so fast! It's always like I blink and it's over. It was a fun experience in downtown Atlanta Friday night. I haven't been able to get out much lately and explore the downtown area. Our church was putting on a concert with a band from New Orleans  called the Brass-a-holics. They were amazing! We made it a girls night and had Betsy's husband Eric watch all the kids. Micah loves victor so it was an easy babysitting job I think. Craig was getting home around 8 from the airport so he headed to Betsy's house and picked Micah up around 930pm.
So guess how late I stayed out? Almost 1am....I know I couldn't believe it either. Thank goodness I'm past the stage of being tired all the time. I felt like I had as much energy as the other two mom's.

After the concert we went to the Varsity. It's a staple in the downtown area that serves hotdogs and hamburgers and orange shakes! Yum yum
It was so nice to get for a bit and have fun without the littles...but I did miss him.😉

Saturday we slept in and decided to go to ikea to finish the baby's room. I was having that urge since I'm feeling very pregnant. I wanted to get her room organized and at least wash all the clothes and put them in the drawer. Our neighbors boyfriend helped us get the dresser upstairs and then we purchased a cute storage unit and rocking chair. I decided to put the lazy boy in NJs room and the new chair in Micah's room. The lazy boy is better for rocking and nursing and the new chair works perfect to still read a book to Micah at night but one third the cost.
It worked out good though bc Micah felt special that he got a new chair for his room😄

Today we went to get M some new shoes at the Nike outlet. I think he may be a Nike boy for life! I just love the shoes on him.

Tomorrow we have bible study and may get to visit Leslie and the new baby. Wednesday I have an OB appt. Every 2 weeks now😂

Thursday is music class and Friday we are hoping to go to the zoo with a new friend! I hope that weather is perfect!

Also....big news Thursday is Craig's birthday!!! I found some gray hair on his sideburns yesterday and I don't think he was happy about me pointing it out. He's turning 32!!! Ahhh what happened to the time?

Love you all

28 weeks

Baby Noelle Joy Hooker

This morning I woke up early because Craig had to be at the airport early for a work trip. It's hard to go back to sleep once I wake up. I thought I would post about my little girl and how happy she makes me. I can't believe I will see her sweet face soon. I can't believe that God has given me this gift of life. I am so grateful to feel this back pain daily because I know she is worth it! She is about 2.25 pounds and is the size of a chinese cabbage. 

And since I wasn't sure what that was I added a picture of it, just incase you didn't either. According to BabyBump her brain has developed more tissue and has formed grooves on the surface. It's likely she has developed a more regular sleep schedule in 20 to 30 minute intervals. I don't feel her every 30 minutes, but I always feel her when I'm sitting for a while or laying in bed. I have exactly 84 days to go. It's going to be here before you know it. Everyday I thank God for this miracle and pray for her health and safety. The date of delivery is making us all a bit nervous. I really want to go into labor on my own, but I feel so much pressure to have her this year. I mean here's the reality. If I have her this year it will cost us barely anything...next year she will cost us 8 grand. That's a pretty big difference to start the new year out. I'm praying everything works out. Either way I know it's not my plan, God has it under control. 

Thank you all for your prayers. Hope you have an amazing day!

Here's a pic of my pumpkin cream cheese swirl muffins for tonight. 

Micah got to try one last night and said it was good! I also had a mini muffin and they are really yummy. I put them in the fridge because it said they are better chilled. Hope everyone likes them.  Pray everything goes smoothly tonight. I've contacted several neighbors and I'm hoping I have enough spots for everyone to park. 

M is getting his flu shot and then we are heading home so I can prep for tonight. I need to read over the questions and figure out what I want to do. That's not the stressful part though, that's the fun part!!

Love you all

New Journey for the Tierney's

I'm so happy for my sister. I can't believe she found an amazing little town home for her little family. It's so perfect for them. I was so excited to see it and enjoy the new journey they are about to embark on. It's slowly coming along. It's so hard for her to move in when she works full time. We went this Saturday and got her bed set up, a front entry bench and a TV in her living room. She is having a couch delivered soon and then needs to get her clothes and the boys bed. The clothes may be the hardest part.

I got to watch the boys while Craig and Rachel went to Costco and picked out a TV. They have such good deals there. I'm glad Craig helped her with that.

We are enjoying the cooler temps outside. It keeps getting up to the 90's, but in the morning and late afternoon it's perfect. 

Micah and I walked around the whole neighborhood last night. He did so well. He found pinecones, and leaves, sticks and acorns. We even saw his best neighborhood friend, Victor. These two are so cute together and love to run around after each other. 

Here they are at Sope Creek taking in all that nature has to offer.

I have so much going on this week. Tomorrow is BSF (bible study fellowship), Wednesday M gets a flu shot and we may try to go to story time, then at night I am leading my first LIFEGROUP. I have to talk to a few neighbors tonight and see if they will let me borrow a spot in their driveway. Then Thursday we have music class and play date with Shep and Friday morning I'm volunteering to help with the MOPS consignment sale. Friday night we are hoping to have a ladies night. Betsy, Maggie and I and not sure who else yet will be going to a concert our church is putting on. It's a band from New Orleans playing at Center Stage downtown. It really has nothing to do with church, just getting people from church together to hang out. I think it's a great idea. 

For Wednesday night I am making cuban sliders (with hawaiian rolls) cookies, pita chips and hummus and maybe some pumpkin cream cheese swirl muffins. YUM.

I'm trying to make a few fall decorations for the house. I picked up some white and yellow mums from Aldi.  I need to get a pot for them. 

These aren't the mums...but I got the flowers from dollar store...pumpkins from Walmart. 

Also, I saw they had some costumes at Aldi and I grabbed a pirate one. Micah likes the pirate shows and he really seemed to love it when we put it on. If we find something better he could even wear it next year since it's a little big. 

I picked up a sword from the dollar store to make the outfit complete.

This weather is just the best and I'm getting so excited to put everything together in Noelle's room. The dresser is done we just need help getting it up the stairs. I have a few more things I wanted to paint/make.  We are really taking our time and I feel like it's going to hit us so fast with this one. 

Some awesome news...I passed the one hour glucose test!!! NO 3 hour test for me!! This little girl is amazing!!

Love you all