Our Pediatrician

As I was nearing my due date when I was pregnant with Logan, I began to stress about a pediatrician. I had no idea who to go to or where to even start looking for one. Let me just say now, that I feel that our pediatrician was sent to us by God! Some of you may be thinking that I am crazy, but I am not.

We met with him the week before I delivered Logan just to see his face so that when he showed up at the hospital after Logan was born, we would in fact know who he was! He was older but came very highly recommended! So, that was that! He became our pediatrician!

I am not going to pretend that our pediatrician did not stress me out COMPLETELY when Logan was 3 months old and told me he needed to see a neurologist because he couldn't hold his head up well enough at his check up! Can I just say here that Logan wanted to be held constantly the first 8 weeks of his life! I thought "tummy time" was so that his head wouldn't go flat for laying on it so much. Why would his head go flat when I was holding him all day every day! It never hit me that he needed to learn to hold his head up...build up the strength!

Obviously, Logan is fine now. There was never a problem. He was just held too much and had a big head! This whole situation taught me that our pediatrician was one who cared for my baby and would do what he thought was best. He wasn't going to take any chances with anything! I appreciate that so much as a mother. I learned that if our pediatrician wasn't concerned then I wasn't either.

Not to mention that I think the world of his nurse and office staff. They all treat my boys like they are family and I so love that! Logan and Luke like going to see everyone at the doctor's office, that is, until the shots come out! Not to mention, they all put up with me!!! I used to call the office weekly when Logan was little and used to have him in the office at least every other week. Never did they make me feel silly. Now you know if they can put up with me, they are great! (I am much better about not calling so much with Luke!!!)

When I went to take Luke for his 18 month check up we saw another doctor who was filling in for our doctor. We were told that he had to take some personal time off to deal with a matter that couldn't be put off any more. I asked a few questions but was given some vague answers. I really didn't think much of it at the time.

Well, Dustin and I found out tonight that our pediatrician passed away today after a battle with cancer. I had no idea he was battling cancer. I just feel very sad tonight. I am thankful that my boys were under his care for as long as they were. I am thankful that he cared about my boys like he did. I am saddened for all of his family, patients and their families! He will truly be missed.

Happy 100th!

Congratulations to me! This is my 100th post! I don't know whether to be excited about it or be embarrassed because it has taken me 2 1/2 years to get to my 100th post!! Either way I feel, it is still an accomplishment!


I have been thinking for the past 2 weeks what my 100th post should be about. I don't feel that it should just be a regular post. There should be something exciting about this post; a little something extra of sorts. I have thought of a million (well, not million but a lot) of different things to do and I think I have it! This post is going to be dedicated to my immediate family. They are the one's that know me most and put up with me through the good and the bad. So, family, this is for you!! (It''s a long post, but from the heart!)

Dustin: I love the fact that I don't really remember life without you. We were married at young ages and I am so thankful for that. I also love the fact that I married my first real boyfriend! We have definitely had our share of tough times and I made it through those times because of you being my strength when I was weak. We have also had a ton of great times! I am thankful for the strong, Christian man you are. You are a hard worker and you provide the best you can for our family. Thank you for that! I can't even put into words what a great "daddy" you are. I get teary-eyed when I see you playing with our boys. They love you so much and I am so thankful for you all. Thank you for loving me and putting up with me!! I am excited to see what God has in store for us and our family! I love you with all that is in me!

Logan: You are my miracle baby #1. There was a time when I never thought I would be a "Mommy" to anyone and then came the day when we found out I was pregnant with you. You are such a blessing to our family. You have open my heart in ways that I never thought possible. I love watching you learn new things every day and I especially love your hugs and kisses. I feel so privileged to be your Mommy and I will love and cherish you forever. My prayer is that you come to know Jesus as your personal Savior and that you will grow to be a strong man of God. I thank God for you every day!

Luke: You are my miracle baby #2. You are quite the adventure and I love you for that. You are truly Mommy's boy. You are such a blessing to our family! I love to watch you grow and learn new things every day. You love your brother so much and it melts my heart when you call him "brother." You have opened my heart even more and I will love and cherish you forever. My prayer is that you will come to know Jesus as your personal Savior and that you will also grow to be a strong man of God. I thank God for you every day!

Dad and Mom: Thank you so much for raising me in a loving, Christian home. I am so blessed to have been raised by two God-loving adults who cherished God as well as each other. I am also thankful that you have shown me the true meaning of marriage. There are tough time as well as easy times. You fight through the tough times together and enjoy the easy times. I love you both and appreciate you so much. I remind Dustin often how lucky he is to have you all as in-laws!Thank you for being the best grandparents to my boys! They sure do love their Grandma and Papa!

Scott: I am amazed at the man you have become. I will always think of you as the little boy who chased me around our kitchen table with a hair brush, but I am so proud of the Christian leader you are. You are amazing at what you do and God is doing amazing things through you. I can't help but tear up every time I hear you speak. I am very proud of you and am thankful for you. You are an awesome Uncle to the boys and I still am not quite sure why they love you so!! Thank you for welcoming Dustin into the family and loving him like a brother! I love you and can't wait until we live near each other again....just kidding. Don't up and move away tomorrow!!

Amy: I have always wanted a sister. I never thought that it would be you!!! HA! I remember years ago your mom saying that she couldn't believe that we are as close as we are and I agree. I am so thankful for you and the impact you have had on my life. Thank you for sharing your precious sons with me and letting me mother Zach and Caleb a bit before I got pregnant with Logan. You are such a great example of a Christian mother and I am blessed to have you. Plus, it is fun to gang up on Scott and Dustin together!!!

Zach, Caleb and Blake: I could never have imagined what being an aunt would feel like and then Zach, you were born. You truly were the apple of my eye. Even though you are big now, I will always cherish our "best friends" song. Caleb, you are my buddy. I am thankful for you and your gentleness with Luke. You keep us all laughing and I love to be around you. If you ever run for President, you've got my vote. Blake, you are the baby of the family and what a special baby you are. You are so easy going and quiet and to be honest you probably don't get the chance to be loud with all of the crazies in this family! You are such a happy boy and I look forward to teaching you the "best friends" song!

My Mother-in-Law and Father-in-Law: I am truly blessed to be your daughter-in-law. I am so thankful for you both. You have always been there for Dustin and I and the boys! We love you so much. Thank you for welcoming me into the family with open arms. I have never felt like I was just the daughter-in-law. You have always treated me like another daughter! I love you both! Also, thank you for loving the boys like you do. The sure do love their Grandma and Papa so much! Thank you for being the best grandparents!

Heather and Lyndsey: I am so thankful to have been in the family since Lyndsey was so little. Lyndsey, you are my one and only niece and I love you to pieces. Although you are mouthy at times (just like your Aunt Stacey!!) I am so proud of the teenager you have become. Thank you for playing with and loving Logan and Luke like you do! You are an awesome cousin to them. I will always remember you and Uncle D discussing "cinnamon toast" that Sunday morning when you were 5! You were and are so cute! Aunt Stacey loves you so much! Heather, I don't know that I have ever met such a strong person! You have had to deal with a lot and I am so proud of the way you have handled things! I don't think that you realize how strong you are! Thank you for always being there for me and for always treating me like your sister! You are an awesome Aunt to the boys too! They love when Aunt Heather comes over. Thank you for loving them like you do! I love you and pray that you will one day be loved and cared for by someone special, like you deserve!

Ryan, Jenn and Brock: Ryan, I was afraid of you for years!!! Don't you wish I still was?!! HA! I am so amazed that you are married and have a son!! Jenn, I am so thankful that you chose to put up with Ryan and marry him!! Seriously though, I love you and am also thankful for you both and the close relationship you have with Dustin and I. I look forward to raising our children together. Brock, you are the baby of our family and what a strong baby you are! You just couldn't wait to enter this world. You brought tears to Aunt Stacey's eyes the first time I saw you because even though you were so tiny, you were so perfect! Although you seem to like to spit up all over me, I love you and will gladly smell like spit up any time, just so I can hold you and play with you! I am excited to hear you say "Stacey" for the first time. If you could say my name before Daddy's that would be even better!! I love you Brock and am so thankful for you!

Thank you Lord for my family. Help me to never take them for granted. They are wonderful people and I am who I am because of them!

Answered Prayer

A few weeks ago I asked you all to pray for Baby Harper. Well, I am so thrilled to now say that her Mommy and Daddy took her home last night! She is well and is doing fine! There will be some extra precautions that her parents will have to take, but she is home!! Thank you all for your prayers. This little girl's life is such a testimony to the power of prayer!

I hope you all have a great weekend!

Good Friends, Good Food and Good Purses!

Saturday was a big, busy day for me. It started off by me loading up our minivan with 3 of my friends and we set out on an adventure. Our adventure was Vera Bradley shopping! I have been addicted to Vera Bradley for over 10 years. Slowly, but surely, I have gotten my friends addicted too!

This sounds crazy and I DO realize it while I am typing it, but honestly, when I get into a store that has A LOT of Vera's (as my friends and I refer to the line) I get so excited! Certain members of my family do make fun of my obsession but I don't care! I don't know what it is about Vera Bradley but I love everything.

So, I got a purse (that my Dad bought for me...thanks Dad!) a wallet and a free little pouch because I spent so much money!! But it was all worth it.

Not only do I love to buy Vera Bradley items but I also love to watch others buy. Some need a little push in the right direction and I am all too happy to give them that push that they need (right Jen and Lori!).

We had a bunch of fun and ended our afternoon with lunch at Applebees! It was a nice afternoon with friends that I have had forever. It was nice to catch up and just hand out without the husbands and kids (that we love very, very much!).

That evening, Dustin and I went to dinner at Outback with my parents and two other couples. We all used to go to church together. It was so nice to get out and have dinner with adults. It was weird not taking the boys with us (thanks to my mother-in-law for watching the boys!) and I did miss them, but it was nice to enjoy my meal without having to cut food for and feed the boys!

I am thankful for a great Saturday but must admit that I was quite tired on Sunday. I am not getting any younger!!

Hope you all have a fun and tiring weekend too!


**In case you all are wondering (and I know that you are!!!) what kind of purse and wallet I got, go to the VB website and look at the picture of the "Gabby" bag in "Purple Punch" and the "Sleek Wallet" in "Purple Punch!" And if anyone out there wants to get me a Vera Bradley item, but aren't sure what to get ...I love it all!!! HA! : )