Wednesday, June 19, 2013

My BORING, LONELY life without Andy.

   You know?  You never know how much you take someone for granted until, they are gone.  This Vietnam trip will only be a little over two weeks long, but Andy wasn't gone three hours when I realized how much he does around here.  I began getting phone calls on his phone, getting mail that needed responses, and having to deal with bills and paperwork that he normally takes care of.  I'm beginning to realize just how much I rely on him for.  I do appreciate him very much.  
   Christian is still doing pretty good with the potty training.  He's had a couple accidents today, but that is expected.  He'll get the hang of it.  I can tell that he's trying because he'll start to go, then catch himself, rush to the bathroom to finish on the toilet.  He did keep his pants dry all night last night.  
   Audra is taking about three or four steps at a time now without falling.  She'll be running around before we know it.  She's so proud of herself and keeps on trying.  She doesn't give up very easily.  
   Wesley and I are doing good.  He's a real wiggle worm!  I've started doing his "devotions" every night at bedtime like I did with all the other babies before they were born.  When I was pregnant with Rebekah, Andy recorded himself reading some Psalms.  I put those recordings and also some classical lullabies on my MP3 player and arranged them to where they would play one after the other, a Psalm, then a lullaby, another Psalm, then another lullaby.  Every baby I've had starts kicking up a storm when they hear their daddy's voice, then calms down and hardly moves a muscle during the music, then starts kicking again when the Psalm starts playing.  Every one of my children have had an ear for music and love it greatly.  Their timing is good, even at this young age, and they love instruments and singing.  Christian can already tell what good and bad music sounds like, and he tells me often whenever we go to the store!  :) He can "feel" the music too.  I think he'll eventually be able to play by ear.  Even Audra, at a year old can find a note when I sing one and hold it out.  She'll start humming and unconsciously raise or lower her voice til she's on key with the note I'm singing.  Christian did this too at a very young age.  I really believe that playing classical music and Bible to them before birth makes a difference.  So, here we go again.  And I'm getting the exact same response this fourth pregnancy as I did with all the others.  Quiet during the music, and excited during the Bible reading.  I think it'll be worth it someday, and I believe we'll continue to see good results from it.  
   I'm doing pretty good with this pregnancy.  Amazingly, my lower back hasn't ached like it did with Christian and Audra.  The pain started with them when I was only about four months along, and so far, there hasn't been much to speak of now.  I'm very, very thankful for that!  Back pain and that horrible aching pressure in the hip area can be so wearisome.  Some of you mothers out there who have had that know exactly what I mean!  Oh, its bad!  So, I've had an easy time so far.  I hope it continues.  :)  I'm getting anxious for the birth though.  I can't wait to see what Wesley will look like!  Newborns are so sweet!  Every age, though, is wonderful! 
  

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Andy's Trip to Vietnam

   This is a shock to me!  Andy and I have been apart only twice that I can think of in the 9 years we've been married.  This Vietnam trip is going to last 17 LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG days and as many LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG nights!   I don't think I like it.  He left on Monday so this is only day two of the trip.  I've got 15 more to go!   Andy is excited about this great opportunity, but at the same time concerned about me and the kids being here alone, especially with me expecting.  Nothing is going to happen most likely, but still, if it does, he's half way around the world.  So I know he's having a little bit of trouble with the separation as well.  I pray he doesn't get sick, that the plane doesn't go down, that he doesn't get eaten by sharks if it does, etc, etc, etc.  Okay, I'm paranoid.  :)  I know he'll be okay.  I just want him back as soon as possible!
   My first night alone, I tossed and turned and didn't fall asleep til at least 2:00am.  I kept hearing those bumps in the night that don't have a name.  They just make noises you've never noticed before, and when you go hunting for the source, it quits whenever you get close.  Very annoying!  And very nerve wracking! 
   But actually, I'm keeping so busy during the day, I hardly have time to think about Andy being gone.  I've tried to spend a lot of time with the kids since I don't have to do any big cooking or major cleaning while Andy's gone.  Not that I'm starving the kids, and letting my house go to pieces.  :)  I'm just not worried about what time I get supper on, or how big and ornate it is.  When we get hungry, we eat something special that everyone likes and then we're done.  The kids don't eat much and I don't have much of an appetite right now, so its working out wonderfully.  :) 
   I HAVE been doing the laundry though!!!!!  I'm taking this opportunity while Andy's away and I have a little extra time on my hands to potty train Christian.  We started today and I'm taking him potty about every 20 mins.  I got rid of all the diapers and by passed the pull-ups, and went straight to underwear.  We went to Walmart and he picked out what kind he wanted...Thomas the train of course.  :)  Then we had a big chat about how nasty its going to feel when he mess in those VERY THIN underwear.  I also told him that when he doesn't make any more messes in his pants, then he can start going places with Daddy more often.  We're also going to take him to the big children's museum in Indy as a reward for being completely trained!  He loves the idea!  Day one is coming to a close and we've only had three wet pants!  I call that progress.  Considering I'm taking him to the potty every 20 min. that's pretty good.  And he's telling me when he has to go, and we even managed to make it to the potty with his big stinky mess during his nap time.  Its getting to where when he does mess, he feels terrible and embarrassed about it.  I think he's catching on.  I'm so proud of him.  I know we'll have some more accidents, but I'm very encouraged.  After just one day at it and he's doing so very well!  BUT, I am doing the laundry.  Three sets of messy clothes, and one big batch of bedding and blankets so far.  I'm sure the bedding with be in the wash again a few more times before all this is said and done.  I'm willing to do it though.  Some folks say put a diaper or pull-up on them at night, but I think I'll try just sticking with the underwear for now.  He's doing so well, I don't want to go backwards by bringing out the diapers again.  That's what babies wear now, and I don't want him going backward.  I'm hoping he'll be completely done by the time Andy comes home!
Last minute packing

How can guys get by with so little!???!  This is a 17 day trip and no plans to do laundry!  Its a miracle...




Time with Daddy one hour before he leaves for the airport. 





Daddy/Daughter moments



A Day at the Lake

   We had a family evening at the lake last weekend.  It was a lot of fun, and a beautiful day for it.  There weren't many people there, so we had a big stretch of beach to ourselves.  The kids LOVED the water!  Christian was a little nervous about going out too far, but Andy helped him along and he got over his fear in a hurry.  We had a great time!









Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Great Activity for Busy Toddlers!

   While searching the web hunting for VBS craft ideas, I ran across this great idea to keep my son occupied for a while.  He LOVES tools and is constantly wanting to hammer on something.  He normally gets himself into trouble by banging on the walls, or putting dents in something.  :)  So while at Walmart today I picked up a Styrofoam board and some golf tees.  I already had a small hammer and some pliers, so when we got home, I showed him how to hammer the tees into the board.  Amazingly, I was able to fix lunch and clean up the kitchen with no interruptions whatsoever!!!  Even Audra got in on the fun.  I gave them a bowl to put all the tees in, and she had a ball playing with that and handing Christian a tee whenever he needed one.





























This morning, while Audra was in her high chair eating her breakfast, I went into the kitchen to finish up some chores.  I heard some banging around in the dinning room and didn't remember putting anything hard and heavy on her tray.  I went to investigate and found Audra perched on the table playing with my computer mouse!  She had climbed out of her high chair, over her tray, and onto the table!  I never would have dreamed she could do that!  Christian never even tried STANDING in his high chair when he was that age, and up until recently, he's never been a climber.  So this is new to me!  I wasn't expecting her to get out of that chair by herself!  OH, she was SOOO proud of herself!  Needless to say, I will have to start strapping her in from now on.  :)




































Since we've been doing some selling on ebay lately, we've had an abundance of cardboard boxes around the house.  Audra found a small one yesterday and climbed in, then proceeded to "box" herself up.  She tried so hard to close all the flaps.  :)

Ship first class to Grandma!

...Ok, I saw Daddy do it like this.......

...well, maybe this flap goes first......

Recruiting some help!

Alfalfa???  :)

Monday, June 10, 2013

Andy's First Convert!

   Andy was able to lead our next door neighbor to the Lord a couple nights ago.  We were out late that night and got home around 10:00pm.  The man, named Brandon, came out of his house and called over to Andy to see if he could speak to him for a few minutes.  I took the kids inside and put them to bed while Andy went over to talk to him.  They sat down on the steps and the man began telling Andy that his house in the country was haunted and that he couldn't stand it anymore. (There seems to be a lot of this sort of thing around here.  I've heard many stories, even from Christian folks in our church)  Brandon and his 13 yr. old son moved in with his mother who lives next door to us.  He began to describe some of the things that they have seen and heard in the house and its got them too scared to go back out there.  Brandon asked question after question, and soon they had covered not only that subject, but many others.  Andy told him how to be saved and the man bowed his head and prayed.  Andy said it was very real!  Brandon stood up after the prayer and told Andy, "I've never felt like this before in my life!  Its like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders!  It IS for real!"  Andy told me later that he thought Brandon would run around the house from sheer excitement.  :)  Every time Andy is outside, Brandon comes over to talk.  Andy is going to start having Bible studies with him.  Brandon wants to know what the Bible says about "ghosts" and the things he's been experiencing at his house.  Andy's going to try to get him to start coming to church.  He's on cloud nine!  We've had some folks get saved at church since we moved here, but this is the first one that Andy has gotten to lead to Christian himself, one on one.  Pray for Brandon!
   I'll be packing for Andy this week.  He leaves for Vietnam next Monday.  I'm not looking forward to it!  He'll be gone for a whopping 17 days!  That's the longest we've been apart in the 9 years we've been married!  I think I'm going to cry!  Andy is looking forward to the trip though, it being a good opportunity for him to see the mission field first hand.  Though I will miss him terribly, I am happy he gets to go.  Knowing Andy, I'm sure he'll have a couple dozen of those orphans following him around every waking moment.  :)  He's looking forward to it, too. :)
   Audra took her first step the other day!!!  She can stand up pretty well now and balance without holding onto to something, but the steps are a great challenge still.  She took one teenie weenie step, but STILL it WAS a step none the less!  :)  Its a start.  When she stands up, she starts grinning like a monkey and clapping for herself.  But when I say, "Come to Mama!", she drops to all fours and crawls to me faster than any toddler I know.  She'll get it, though.  And it'll be soon, too.
   Andy and I have been in Ebay mode lately.  We've been making trips to the thrift stores and yard sales lately and have found some china dishes that will bring good prices.  So I've got about four cardboard boxes full of china on my kitchen floor waiting to be shipped out a little at a time.  We found an HUGE set of phaltzgraph at a yard sale for $25 for the whole bunch.  We've sold a few of the dishes and a couple canisters so far and have made $65 already!  And we still have more than half of the set to sell!  A tea pot in the set is bid up to $26 itself!  Our money back with one item!  Now that's what I call a good buy!  We found a couple pieces of Doulton china at a thrift store that will hopefully bring a good price as well.  Andy picked up a WWII training iron pistol at a yard sale and it's got bids on it as well. Its fun, and we are learning a lot about what is worth money and what sells well.

   Christian's Latest...  "I was explaining to him our family relations, how Grandma is my mother, and Great Grandma is my grandmother, how Papaw is Daddy's daddy, and how Great Mamaw is Daddy's grandmother, etc.  He listened quietly til I got to Great Mamaw Price (Daddy's grandmother).  His eyes lit up and he said, "Great Mamaw Price is my friend!  She's MY girl!!!"  :)
Both of them LOVE the piano!!!  Christian begs for lessons all the time.

History repeating itself?  First it was Andy and Brad...Then Andy and Me...Now these two.  :)  Christian tells me all the time that when he learns how to play the piano, he's going to play for church.  He also informed me that he was going to play for Audra while she sings at church.  :)  But, if she has anything to say about it, they'll be fighting over the piano bench.  She loves the piano, and good music in general, as much as he does.  I LOVE this picture!  (Pardon the plaid and stripes...He's ready for bed.  :) 


Andy and Christian eating sour skittles.  Christian will just about taste anything under the label "Edible".

WOW!  THOSE ARE SOUR!  Surprise, surprise! 

Audra back at the four wheeler.  Told you she loves that silly thing!  (See our china in the back ground?)


I just LOVE having a girl! 

Thursday, June 6, 2013

New Baby!

   I got my 20 week ultrasound this morning.  Andy had to babysit the kids so he didn't get to go.  :(  I'm always so nervous going in for an ultrasound.  But we got a good report today.  The baby is healthy and right on schedule!  And its another boy!  Andy is tickled pink about having anther son!  I don't care one way or another.  I just wanted this one to be healthy.  It will be nice to pull out the blues again.  Hey, you can't beat the order we've had...girl, boy, girl, boy.  :)  A nice change every year.  :)  We are very, very excited and looking forward to October 22nd, when we greet our newest member into our family!  


Wesley Haddon Price 
(After John and Charles Wesley, and Charles Haddon Spurgeon)


 Interesting note:   We have given each one of our children to the Lord from before birth.  We prayed about a name for each one, and gave them their name on the day of the ultrasound, after finding out what they will be.  We also wanted our sons named after preachers and great men of God.  We believe there is something to a name.  "A Good Name is rather to be chosen than great riches..."   We believe that, (whether unconsciously or knowingly), a child lives up to, or is affected by his name in one way or another.   People in the Bible almost always gave their babies names based on something that had happened or that was going to happen.  I know that my own name has made an impact on me in my growing up years.  So we at least wanted our sons to be named after great people who did something great for God.  Maybe they will someday be influenced by it and follow in their footsteps.  We'd pick a name we liked, then we'd look up the meaning.  The funny thing about it is that with Christian, Audra, and now Wesley, we came up with the names almost immediately.  When I was pregnant with Christian, we couldn't come up with a girl name, but had a boy name within minutes!  With Audra, we couldn't come up with a satisfactory boy name, and so on.  It seems like whatever we were having, that is the name we came up with almost immediately before we even knew what we'd need.  It got to where we were guessing the gender based on what kind of name we came up with first.  :)  It's always worked, too.  :)  Then, when we looked up their names, all three have something to do with "the fields".  Christian Whitfield means "Christ-like in the white fields".  Audra Leigh means "Noble strength in the fields".  And Wesley Haddon means "The heathen in the fields".  This was NOT done on purpose either.  It surprised us when we noticed it!  It just makes you wonder if God doesn't have a plan for these three children in "His fields".  I pray that they will all grow to serve him, whether as preachers, missionaries, or whatever calling He chooses for them.  I pray that they will all be Christ-like in their service!