What do you do with your Christmas card pictures?

So this project is way over due considering that Christmas was 5 months ago but my husband was out of town for the week...the entire RAINY week...so I was very productive and made the most of my time, when the boys were asleep of course:)! (Why am I always this productive when my husband leaves and not when he is home?) So tonight watching a little television and listening to the rain fall outside I conquered this project that has been hanging over my head for the last 5 months.

Every Christmas we get SO many wonderful Christmas cards updating us on the happenings throughout the year of all our friends and family. There is usually a beautiful picture attached which I hate to throw out, but never knew what to do with before. I hate to throw them in a drawer or a box and just let them gather dust...but lets be honest if I am going to put them in a box chances are I will not look at them again and they will just take up space. So I make a collage of all the pictures I receive and put them in a picture frame to hang in our living room. I really cannot take credit for this creative idea...my mom does it with all her Christmas card pictures (She hangs hers in the kitchen)! I love this idea for so many reasons...1. it gives me a chance to look at all of our beautiful friends and family everyday and 2. we pray for the people in our frame!

If I received a picture from you this year...it is displayed in our living room for all to see! And most people that come into this house look at the pictures for a couple of minutes!

What are some things you do with all your Christmas card pictures?

What's Happening with The Staples...

1. Yesterday I did ALL of the laundry and was able to fold it and put it away! I have not done this in MONTHS! It usually sits on the couch for days while piles of laundry waiting to go in the washer sit in the hall. It was such a great feeling! I didn't go to bed till 11:15 last night but I was determined to get it done!

**Side note: The boys somehow, without my knowledge, found my RED lipstick and put it in their hamper. When doing their laundry I dumped it all in the washer without realizing it:(. Now, all of their clothes have bright RED marks all over them! UGH a thousands times over! A few good friends of mine swear by oxiclean...so off to the store we went this morning to buy some oxiclean so I could start soaking these clothes. I have never used oxiclean before but have been inspired by these women. I'm not sure how well it will work though since the clothes have already been dried with the stains...we will see! They are soaking now...wish me luck!

2. We seem to have taken a couple steps backwards in Jacob's ability to use the potty. For the past two months he has being doing AWESOME with very few accidents but the past couple of weeks we have been having SEVERAL accidents...most of them being poop (yesterday 3):(. I have been unsure how to handle these accidents. Do I discipline him for going poop in his pants or to I treat it like I have past accidents, "Accidents happen and its okay!" We have been struggling. Today we have gone back to a jelly bean after he goes in the potty. If any moms have suggestions or have gone through this I am all ears!

3. Lent is almost over. I am embarrassed to admit that I have really struggled this lent with staying true to my lenten fasts. I wish I would have been more disciplined during this season. My prayer has been good though which I am thankful for. May these last few days before the Resurrection of out Lord be a time of prayer and grace for all of you!

4. Last night I went shopping for the boys Easter baskets! I HAD SO MUCH FUN!!! I spent way to much money on candy though...why is Easter candy SO delicious??? Probably because we don't eat it until Easter! Dave did make me take two bags back though...he thought I went a little overboard:)

5. Yesterday during lunch we has a little thunderstorm ! It was so cool! We had it all... a little hail, thunder, lighting and rain! The boys were quiet during their whole lunch as we sat there and watched mother nature at work! It was beautiful!

6. Baker has discovered the word "NO"! Seriously that is ALL he says! I try so hard not to laugh every time he says it because the way he says it is SO darn cute! The cuteness of an almost two year old is unbearable!

7. The other day I was cleaning the bathroom and went to check on the boys and saw this...

Melt my heart!

We are having a BOY!

Yesterday morning we loaded everyone into the minivan to head to the hospital to have my ultra sound! We were SUPER excited to see our little one on the screen, to find out that our baby is healthy...and to know if we are having a boy or a girl!

We got into the room and I assumed the position, the boys being good for the moment happy with their fruit snacks! The warm jelly was squirt on my belly and the technician asked if we were interested in knowing the sex...we excitedly said YES! Within SECONDS...I'm not kidding...we hear, "well your having a boy!" Wait what....I thought this was the last thing you told us...! I just laughed! Another little man in there! He was NOT being shy either...and believe me..he is truly a boy! He was moving like crazy, seriously doing flips! The technician asked if I was feeling him a lot...which I have not been. She said the reason for this was because my placenta is between me and the baby (if that makes sense) but she said with this active little one I should be feeling him soon!

He was SO cute on the screen and you could already begin to see his little personality playing out! I just CANNOT wait to meet him! September cannot get here early enough!

Several thoughts were going through my head when she told us we were having ANOTHER boy...first was how am I going to handle 3 boys? Am I ready for this? Will I be a good mother to 3 boys! Boys are active, they like to wrestle, they eat dirt, the pretend sticks are swords and guns...am I a wild at heart mom? Then I thought...Dave is going to be the one wrestling with these little men...not me! I can handle this:) I already have 2! Then I started thinking about the friendship between my boys! How this one will come into the pack...begin to follow along one day with his brothers and how great it truly will be!

I remember last summer when we were taking our annual road trip to Michigan to visit Dave's family we had stopped at a rest area and I saw this beautiful family with 3 little boys. They were probably all under the age of 4 and were running and playing with their dad while their mom was getting lunch ready! I remember thinking how beautiful this was and how I would LOVE it if our next one was a boy! I guess God heard that and decided to give us the gift of another boy!

We feel very blessed to have a healthy little boy growing safely in my womb.

During the ultrasound Jacob told the technician that our baby looked like a angel...it was so sweet!

We celebrated with blue cupcakes!

Jacob turns 3!

On March 11th Jacob turned 3 years old! It was a joy to celebrate the day with him! He was so excited for his birthday...For a month prior he would tell us, "my birthday is almost here!" He woke up to balloons, presents and our traditional birthday cinnamon rolls!

Jacob on his birthday morning!

Clothes...always exciting!

His Woody!

Blowing out his THREE candles!

After presents and cinnamon rolls I asked him what he wanted to do next..."Watch Cars!" So thats what we did...watched Cars:)

Watching Cars!

Later that day in our new birthday outfit we headed to the park with our good friend Lily! It was a beautiful day!

Jacob at the park

We then headed home for our favorite lunch of Mac and Cheese! We then took naps and rested up for our special surprise that evening! My dad came over to babysit Baker while we took Jacob to meet Namma in Denver for the big event! We took him to see the Disney show The Imagination Movers. It was basically a rock concert for kids! It was really fun and cute to see Jacob watch four grown men sing about brushing teeth, eating vegetables and getting strong! It was crazy and an absolute free for all...kids running up and down the aisles, standing on chairs, dancing till their hearts content. Jacob was most comfortable just sitting on our laps and watching!

Namma and Jacob at Imagination Movers

After about an hour of overstimulation:) we headed home to a yummy dinner of fish and chips! It was a joy to have my parents spend the evening with us and celebrate Jacob. They blessed him with a big wheel! He was super excited!

Jacob and his new big wheel!

It was a wonderful day and so fun to see my baby be so BIG! It really is crazy how fast they grow. God has truly blessed us!

A week later Jacob got a surprise in the mail from his Grandpa and Grandma Staples...a Lightening McQueen Power wheels! Seriously every kids dream:) He is a loved little boy thats for sure!

Jacob and Lightening!

Just so we have witness that Baker was part of this joyous day!

We're Expecting!

Baby Staples #3 is on his/her way! We are so excited! I am currently 15 weeks prego and due September 5th! In about 4 weeks we will find out if we are having a boy or girl...always exciting! Jacob is adorable with this pregnancy...he recognizes my belly and constantly tells me I am growing BIG! I am showing a lot early with this baby then my other two...did you find this true with your subsequent pregnancies? Jacob loves looking at the App on my phone that shows what the baby looks like at his/her current stage and has wanted us to read the book Angel in the Waters about a million times. "Thats what our baby looks like mama!" So sweet. Baker has no idea, but I am sure he will become more aware soon!

This pregnancy has been my most difficult one thus far. I had to be placed on progesterone with this little guy (more of that story to come later) so I am not sure if that made my symptoms worse. 1st-I am so tired..which is true with all pregnancies...but maybe with two active boys running around I am feeling it more. There has been little to NO housework being done around here:(. Morning sickness, or ALL DAY SICKNESS is still with me:(. Somedays are better then others and I truly feel like I am on the up swing of things...but seriously the throwing up is no fun at all! I have also had several other viral infections which has made life just a little more fun...right! Exercise...what is that?!? I have felt like doing absolutely nothing and can feel myself getting more out of shape by the minute.

But enough of the complaining! I feel truly blessed to have this little one with us and cannot wait to meet him/her! For some reason I am most excited to meet this little one. Baker will be a little over 2 when this baby makes his/her appearance and I am yearning for that little newborn baby again! God is SO GOOD!

Seriously...having kids is so much fun!!!

The Difficulty of the Perfect Picture!

I am sure other mothers have this problem...but it is SO hard for me to get a good picture of the boys! They really are cute I tell myself...why can't they both smile at the camera and at the same time? Sometimes I feel like they are plotting against me! Here are a couple of examples...

Both boys are NOT looking at the camera...Jacob's smile is adorable though!

Baker is NOT looking at the camera

Jacob is NOT looking at the camera...and possibly picking his nose!

Baker is done with getting his picture taken...so is Jacob!

Jacob looking at the camera...and Baker trying to escape the picture!

Where is Baker????

Cute one of Baker...but where is Jacob???

This is the best we got...

Our Story

Dave and I met through FOCUS 7 years ago. We were placed on the same team together at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas. He was my team director and I was a first year missionary on a dating fast. I loved my first year as a missionary but it was very difficult at times. I knew that I loved Dave in October of that year...but had a long time until my dating fast was over. That year was amazing in what it taught me; patience, trust in God's will and the love our heavenly Father has for us. That year taught me that before I could hand my heart over to a man I needed to give it fully to our Lord. I learned so much about who I was that year and my relationship with our Lord really blossomed. In May of that year Dave asked me on our first date and on June 2nd, 2005 (after my dating fast was completely over) we went on our first date in Madison, WI during Summer training. It was everything that I imagined...the wait was worth it.

During our courtship Dave lived in Las Vegas, NM and I lived in Atchison, KS. We both still continued to serve with FOCUS. Distance dating is never fun but Dave and I were blessed to see each other once a month. As soon as our dating began I was ready for Dave to propose....seriously it could NOT come fast enough! I knew that he was the man I was going to marry! I truly thought that he was going to propose at Christmas time. I was going to Michigan to spend the holiday with his family. I was picturing a proposal at midnight Mass...how romantic! My mother assured me that I was not going to get engaged over the holiday...but I was still hoping. You can imagine my disappointment when it didn't happen. Poor Dave, can't a guy surprise a girl is probably what he was thinking :)! Life continued and I was really trying to focus on not being so anxious for engagement, just to enjoy the time we dated and to really leave it up to God...and Dave.

February came and myself and my teammates were heading to KCCSC (Kansas City Catholic Student Conference) in Topeka. That Friday night I was sitting in adoration and trying my best to hand over all my feelings of engagement to our Lord (I WANTED TO BE ENGAGED SO BAD its embarrassing!) That night my heart truly released control of the situation and I was ready to just wait, be patient and enjoy my courtship with Dave. That night I had a dream that Dave came to the conference to surprise me. He proposed and when I looked down at the ring it was the ugliest thing I had ever seen and all the diamonds were falling out. I woke up smiling because I knew this was my release of control...this was me handing the situation over to God and letting Him steer the wheel. That afternoon I called Dave and told him about my time in adoration and about my dream. I also said...and I qoute, "Honey, I'm ready to be content with our dating. If you came today to propose I would say "NO" because its just not the right time. I am ready to be patient!"

Now lets step back a few moments and look at things from Dave's point of view. Dave was in the car driving 13 hours from New Mexico to Kansas...and he was an hour away from surprising me (and proposing) at the conference when I decided to tell him about my conviction and my dream. Just a hand full of people knew about him coming to arrange a few things, other then that myself and the rest of the room was going to be completely surprised upon him entering. Can you imagine what Dave was feeling at this moment? Poor guy :(! He tells me now that he was tempted to turn around and blow the whole thing off...but continued with it anyways. That its good for a man to not be certain about a women's answer...to really be asking her and waiting for an answer.

So Dave walked into the conference and I was COMPLETELY SURPRISED! How did he pull this off...drove 13 hours, talked with me on the phone while driving, and I had no idea. It was February 11th so he told me it was a valentines surprise. We sat through dinner and a talk by Matthew Kelly, talked with friends and then we went out for drinks. Looking back I didn't know that Dave was going to propose, I thought he truly had come to surprise me for valentines day...but he was touching his pocket a lot and seemed nervous! We went out to a small restaurant and drank wine and ate cheese curds. It was wonderful to be with him. He then took me to a park...a rose garden to be exact...except it was February so everything was dead. It had a beauty about it though as we walked on the path hand in hand. He then stopped, got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife. I of course said yes and the rest is history! I was ecstatic...the ring was BEAUTIFUL! Not ugly like in the dream...and it was the right time. In my own heart I needed to be patient and was ready to do that...even if it was just for a short 8 hours!

Dave left the next morning to drive back to New Mexico...it was hard to say good-bye, just like every time its hard, but this time more so. He wasn't just my "boyfriend" anymore...he was my fiance! I was getting married to the man I loved...the moment I could not wait for was finally here!

Our engagement was 9 months and we got married November 25th, 2006! I feel so blessed to have met Dave and to be his wife. He is an amazing man, husband and father. In God's time all things are perfect...and this is perfect!

Dave and I the summer we started dating!