Daddy is a FIREMAN!

On December 17th, Craig and 11 of his buddies from the 61st recruit class graduated from the Greensboro Fire Academy! Craig received two awards and was chosen to give a short speech, which was, of course, hilarious. The whole ceremony was awesome and we are super excited that those 20 weeks are over. Despite being really glad that the academy is over, God has been gracious to our family and guided us through what could have been a really rough time on our marriage. When the families gathered for family night back in August, one of the Captains gave us some crazy statistic for separations/divorces during the academy. After the first week, I could see why. Our husbands had morphed into physically drained zombies who had to study every weekend for an exam on Monday morning. Family time was left to the curb if it wasn't structured and almost forced. But, like I said, God was gracious and gave Craig energy to sit on the floor and play with the boys on evenings that he just wanted to go to bed (at 6pm), to eat dinner with the family, and patience to answer my every question about the academy (I had a lot). It was a great time for me to "step up" the helper role that the Bible calls wives to be in and surprisingly and awesomely (new word I think) Im not tired of that role at all. I'm cherishing it. And I love love looooove hearing Speirs say, "Wy Wy! Wy Wy! Daddy is a fireman!"

Burn Day: Craig is working at the front of the hose.

Outside!

Our apartment has a nice little patio/porch area that has been amazing for Speirs. Thankfully, it is a closed space that allows him to go outside and entertain himself doing a world of different things! We recently put up a swing on our porch, which has been a hit with both boys. What kid doesn't like to swing?!

I wept.

Death always always always shocks me. Perhaps I haven't dealt with it enough or perhaps even if I had, it would still make me weep every time. If the person is 85 or 25, I can't seem to wrap my mind around the fact that I will never see them physically on earth again. Last night, my mom called to tell me that a beloved friend from high school, Jon Green, passed away. The initial hit struck hard and after hanging up the phone I sat in shock. The shock only lasted so long before I started sobbing over the life of a friend lost. His smile was contagious and his personality was top notch. No one met him who didn't love him. I haven't seen him in years but I am pretty confident by the notes on facebook that he was still the same Jon, making people laugh and loving life. He was a son, a brother, and a friend who will be missed.

We weren't meant to taste death and maybe thats why it hurts so much. Jesus, we long for you to restore what is broken, come soon.

Getting Big

Wyatt is getting so big. I have seriously been slack about blogging but I have been taking pictures! One post is really all I have time for right now, so this one is for Wy Wy and his astounding growth over the past five months! We had to go to the doctor the other day for a cold and he weighed 18 lbs! It appears he will be following in his big brothers footsteps when it comes to size! He is sitting up, rolling over and downing the solid food!

July Fourth

For the fourth, we spent Thursday night through Monday down in Swansboro which is the longest we have visited since we've been married. So it was nice to slow down and really be able to enjoy our time. My brother and his family were also in town which made the trip even more special. Its nice that our kids can have some time to hang out and get to know one another! The kids did great and we are looking forward to getting some time in at the end of the month before we aren't able to make any more long trips for a while.

Craig has been hired on to the Greensboro Fire Department and begins the Academy on August 2nd. This is HUGE for Craig and our family and we are super excited about it! But that limits our time out of town unless our visits are going to be very short. But either way, we are excited! Here are a few pictures from the weekend, even though they dont capture all that we were able to do while we were there.

Candid.

My brother and I show our disdain for the others alma mater. I was cold and this was the sweatshirt my mom gave me....thanks.

My brother and his sweet daughter Presley

Corn on the Cob

Flamboyant shorts.

Swansboro

This past weekend, I traveled with the boys by myself to Swansboro. Not sure I considered all of the logistics of traveling that far by myself with two little ones. Such as: what do I do if I have to go to the bathroom and I dont have a double stroller? You hold it sister!...Yep my post baby bladder handled it like a champ.

Anyhow, I was traveling to attend Madi's (my best friend from high school) wedding reception. She was married on the 6th of May in beeeautiful Costa Rica and wanted to have a reception at her parents in Emerald Isle and it worked out that I was able to go. It was seriously a blast from the past but a great one none the less. I wasn't able to get any pictures at the reception since I was by myself and wasn't going to keep up with a camera, but I did get some pictures of the boys from the weekend.

Party time

Life has been crazy the past few weekends. My dad retired at the end of April, so my mom threw him a party May 8th and some of my aunts and uncles from Texas made the trip to treat dad to a Texas Barbeque:)! The food was absolutely amazing but I have to say that the company beat the food! My cousin Rey and his wife Diana are stationed at Fort Bragg so they were able to come too, along with their sweet little boy Jayden. There were 15 adults and 4 babies staying at my parents house that weekend! Good times!

Here is everyone on our last day together!

Mohawk. Compliments of uncle Joey

Wyatt and Great Grandma

Jayden.

He's learned how to smile for the camera. HAM.

Swagger Wagon

I just thought I would post this for all the mini van families out there. Craig and I have been opposed for a while but it just makes sense and is so practical. Maybe we'll be a swagger wagon family one day. For now, this video is hilarious.

West Family Update

First, Craig and I are celebrating our 3rd wedding anniversary today:)! Second, I haven't been around the computer much these days other than to briefly check the email and check on money saving mom blogs. Things have been busy with the boys and moving. Yes, we have moved-back to Greensboro. This move has come with excitement because we are close, really close to our friends Gene and Loren and Craig doesnt have to travel 30 minutes to work, but sadness because we are away from the bulk of our church family, namely our mission group. We are still meeting in West Winston for the time until Craig turns over the reigns of leadership over to our friend Josh. This is a bittersweet time for us because we have grown quite close to our group in West Winston- but alas it is cool to see how God is changing and molding the hearts of all of his people at 1.21. Speirs is adjusting well to the move and big brotherhood and Wyatt is getting big! At his one month appointment he weighed 11 pounds 3 oz and was 22 and 1/4 inches long- which both are in the 75-90th percentile. He seems smaller than Speirs was despite being bigger at birth and at one month.

Well update time is over, Speirs is up from his nap. Hopefully I will be able to add pictures and write more later! Happy Wednesday!

Two weeks

So Ive finally pulled out the ole camera and found the cord to transfer pictures:) So here are my first two pics of Wyatt at two weeks old. He is such a sweet baby.

Welcome to the Family Wyatt!

Well here is my first post as a mother of two. You see how long it has taken me? This could likely be a trend as I learn how to walk with the Lord, love and serve my husband and raise two little boys to the glory of Christ! Basically, there hasn't been a lot of time to update the blog; however, I will try my best!

So Wyatt is here, as you may have well figured out by now! He was born April 8 at 2:53 am and weighed 8 lbs 4.6 oz and was 21 inches long. Although he was slightly bigger than Speirs he is proportioned differently making him look smaller to us. As you will see in the pictures he has some skinny legs...much unlike a West from this stock! W e were in the hospital for 4 hours before delivering, which made the whole labor experience a lot better than with Speirs! After they broke my water Wyatt w as here in about 25 minutes, including pushing. Either way, had it been long and drawn out or short as it was, I am glad it's over and that he is here!

He is beautiful! Yes Im his mother and biased, but Im perfectly okay with that! He has dark hair and dark brown eyes and pretty olive skin. He is a great sleeper and eater and we absolutely love him! Speirs has taken the whole bringing home a new baby great, sometimes he hardly notices Wyatt is in the room and other times he wants to poke or touch him and climb into his popasan chair with him. So, so far he is a sweet big brother.

Here are some pictures from our first week with Wyatt
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Big Brother in his camo overalls. Such a stud.






Wyatt is currently staying in our room in the pack n play bassinet until he sleeps through the night. Then, he will be moving into the crib in Speirs room while we all hold our breath and put Speirs in a twin bed. I'll let you know how that goes:)

The Waiting Game

Speirs came exactly one week before his due date and so for some reason I am thinking/hoping that lil Wyatt would like to one up his big brother and make an even earlier appearance; however, thus far we have had no such luck...obviously. We are still waiting for Wyatt. I have had sporadic contractions every day but nothing that has made me think that it could be time. I dont recall being this nervous about labor with Speirs, probably because I was unaware of the pain of transition. I remember the labor nurses asking me very early on in labor to rate the contractions on a scale of 1-10. Really? This was our first child, how does one know how bad it will get? Well what I thought could potentially be a 5 on the pain scale, became a 1.5 as I sat laboring through transition with some pretty back breaking 8's:). Most of what I have read has stated that transition and labor in general should be shorter than with the first, and this is my hope. The end is super close and we are so excited for Wyatt to join our family!

Mom Fail: Hamburger Helper

So one of my friends from 1.21 nicely titled her lack of blogging as a "blog fail," and so I am aptly titling this post as mom fail. Yes, we had hamburger helper tonight. Can I get a gross?:) Maybe you like it and I mean no offense to anyone reading who may love hamburger helper and loves to cook it, I will admit it was quite simple, but I am a stay at home mom. I have time to plan for dinner! So here's to my mom fail...which certainly hasn't been my first, but definitely one of the most notable!:) By the way Speirs loved it...go figure.

The hamburger helper was served up after a day of two naps from me and very little done around the house, so perhaps Im feeling a little worthless; however, my back has been killing me all day. No contractions. Just good ole fashioned Im going to make you sit or lie down if you want any comfort back pain. Thankfully, this hasn't made me super impatient. I know Wyatt will be here with time, and I will have double the mom fails as we experience life with a toddler and a newborn!

But before I go...

So before we leave for the week, I have to post a picture of Speirs and make a quick shout out to my friend Angela over at Jak & Jewel.

So first, Speirs is into a stage where he loves to climb and sit, play, jump, stand, and dance on anything that he can. Lately, it has been his Radio Flyer Rocket that he received for Christmas. Thankfully, he continues to hold onto the handle bars, but Im pretty sure a time is coming where he will feel confident enough to stand all the way up....and hopefully I will have the camera ready:)

Secondly, I have blogged once before about my friend Angela and her mom Jeanette's fairly new business called Jak & Jewel where they have been making some pretty sweet little girls clothing. Well, wouldnt you know they have added some boy articles as well and I am super excited about the ties, tshirts, and shorts they are making---quality with a boy look! Sadly, I have found that you dont find that much with handmade boy clothes. Speirs made his modeling debut for Jak and Jewel a couple of weekends ago and I am excited about their upcoming Spring trunk shows! If you are or know parents of small children please check out the Jak & Jewel blog and pass on the word!

DC Bound

Perhaps it's not the most ideal time to head out of town, since we are a big (and I mean BIG) 35 weeks pregnant, but we are adventuring out any how! Craig and I will be headed to DC tomorrow with some friends of ours from 1.21. I am very excited for a little bit of a get a way before Wyatt arrives, and thankfully, I have wonderful in-laws who have graciously accepted to watching Speirs for the week:)! We will be back to North Carolina Friday, but not without seeing monuments, museums, Georgetown and checking out the musical Wicked in Richmond, VA on Thursday! So we are lacing up our walking shoes and heading out! Happy Week!

Quick Update

I was really hoping that this winter weather system would skirt by the Triad without a flake; however, we have had no such luck! The snow is absolutely beautiful, but we are getting spring fever around the West house and are ready for some warmer temperatures! Despite wanting to go outside and play, the cold weather is fitting for the way Speirs has been feeling. He has been handling a double ear infection and bronchiolitis (sounds serious...but really just a cold) like a true champ. We had to miss corporate worship on Sunday morning because he didn't need to be in the kids area sporting a cold and there was no way I could coerce him into being quiet even for a minute in Foothills...they don't make that many RITZ crackers. It seems the only thing really bothering him about being sick is the diaper rash caused by the medicine. This has made diaper changing a terrible ordeal lately, and I will be glad when he is feeling better again!

We are 34 weeks today and I am looking forward to labor and having Wyatt here with us! In the mean time I have been nailing down a housekeeping schedule and schedule with Speirs that will carry us into this new season!

Craig has applied for a new job at the YMCA as the Associate Sports Director. We are praying he hears something back this week as it would allow him to be in Winston instead of communting to Greensboro every day! We would love for you to join us in praying for that!

Happy Tuesday!

Tattoo

Speirs got his first tattoo the other day compliments of our pastor Stephen Wagoner.

This one is for Jules!

Im not big on belly pictures, so here is to Julianna, my friend in a far, distant country who doesn't get to see the baby bump and who has been really wanting to see a picture! And for Megan as well, you are pretty much in a far distant country and won't get to see this fantastic bump. HA! Love you girls and miss you much! 33 weeks and counting....

On the reading list...

Aside from holding fast to the Word, I have been reading a lot of different books these days. Some how staying off of facebook has opened up lots of avenues during nap time:) Most recently The Birthbook by Dr. Sears. Natural birth is pretty intimidating to me, even after having endured 12 hours of labor drug free, there are so many different variables that go into each birth, and so many possible complications. While Im not a pessimist, (I think this birth will go great), I am a realist and understand that there are risks with any delivery, drugs or not. This book has calmed my fears once and is slowly doing the same for the pending arrival of Wyatt- honestly though, I fear that big needle for an epidural or the possibility of a c-section much more than I fear sitting in transition for an hour or two!

Toddlerwise has been another quick read for me. We are moving into/have been in a season of constant correction and redirection for Speirs, which has been exhausting to say the least. With his feet able to take him where he desires to go, mischief and curiousity are always in pursuit. So since Craig and I have taken the advice of the Toddlerwise authors before, while reading Babywise, and the results were fantastic, I decided there was no harm in reading what they had to say about this upcoming year in the life of our toddler. I feel energized and refreshed with a slightly different perspective on the correction that Speirs certainly needs-and ready to get really serious about actively parenting. And once again Babywise is on the to read list these days. We are getting down to the wire and I can't help but feel like I have forgotten the wise council I was given so long ago:) 33 weeks tomorrow and so much to accomplish in the next 6-7 weeks! Happy Monday!

1.21 Workday

I have been so excited to see how the future home of 1.21 church at 903 N. Cherry Street has been restored over the past months. There have been quite a few people who have put endless hours into getting the building ready to pass code, painting, construction work, cleaning up and it really looks great! This past weekend was one of the final, if not the final work day in the new building, and Craig along with other men from our church showed up to help. Speirs and I delivered lunch and one of our friends Daniel, who is a student at the School of the Arts got some really cute shots of Speirs. I am blessed to have friends with such talent!

I love this picture of Craig and Speirs!