The Adventure

Handsome!

2010-11-10T11:58:00.003-06:00

I may be bias, but I think he is so handsome, just like his daddy!

Happy 7 Months!

2010-02-03T12:10:00.002-06:00

The Boys!

2009-12-23T08:34:00.001-06:00

Um... who is this guy?

2009-12-23T08:32:00.003-06:00

Someone Loves His Sweet Potatoes!

2009-12-07T15:42:00.002-06:00

And check out that tooth!

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-04T09:25:00.001-06:00

This morning's face.... irresistible

2009-09-15T09:22:00.001-05:00

Happy 2 months Tripp!

2009-09-03T06:39:00.003-05:00

I cannot believe that he is already 2 months old!
Here are some pictures from when Tripp was 2 weeks old! More recent ones to come once I download them off of my camera.

John Stephen Stadler III "Tripp"

2009-07-13T20:55:00.008-05:00

He is FINALLY here and just so perfect!

John Stephen Stadler III
July 3, 2009 at 3:42 pm
8 lbs 8 oz & 20 3/4" long

Before...

After...

Praise the Lord for our son Tripp!

Iraq

2009-06-11T20:03:00.005-05:00

Here are a few pictures from Stephen's Iraq Adventure...

Our Weekend Adventure

2009-05-21T09:46:00.009-05:00

This past weekend we had a blast, got to see lots of family and just enjoyed being semi normal again with my husband being back in the country. I even took Monday off so that we could spend time together and go to our doctor’s appointments to see how our little one is doing. By the way, the placenta has moved and we are in the clear… the road block for Tripp has been moved! Praise the Lord!

Saturday was a great morning; we woke up to the soft rain coming down and slowly moved around to start our day. We grabbed breakfast and headed to Costco to get there right as they were opening to get some ink… yes we drove all the way to Costco to walk out of there with only ink in our hands. (Don’t worry; we were back on Sunday to do the real damage). Then we were off to pick up Stephen’s mom and dad and headed out to look at some property. We made the little drive to Decatur and had lunch at the Armadillo Grill, then looked at the building that Stephen and his dad are thinking of for the business. And then off to Sunset, Texas, to take a look at some beautiful land.

That morning Stephen and I had a conversation… I warned him that we would drive out to this property to look around and would get stuck in the mud, but he reassured me that we wouldn’t (Remember the whole woke up to rain part, well it had rained ALL NIGHT LONG). So of course… WE GOT STUCK IN THE MUD! It was quite fun actually. Me – 8 months pregnant, stuck on a 80 acre piece of property in the middle of almost no where… and my child was right on my bladder. But I have come along way in our 3 ½ years of marriage, I didn’t get mad or even upset, I just laughed it off. Here are some pictures to show you how the story unfolds…

The beautiful drive back to the property...

The entrance to the property....

Doesn't look so bad...

What a sight... at least we got to really see the property....

Stephen getting out to see how stuck we really are...

Here I am assessing the damage...

Yes, that is me in the driver's seat... trying to get us unstuck...

Attempting to find something... anything that would help....

We're Rescued at last!

Praise the Lord for fun adventures!

Surprise!

2009-05-19T10:38:00.000-05:00

So, last weekend my sweet husband came home! Yes, it was a surprise to some of his family, but not to me… I was keeping the secret (well as best I could). Jenny on the other hand was completely blown away. He flew in on Saturday and then was able to spend Mother’s Day with me! That was the perfect gift!
Unfortunately I have no pictures from that day since I was pretty much attached to Stephen’s hip, not to mention the fact that this prego momma was physically and emotionally worn out by the end of it all.
I know that he is more than glad to be home and already back to normal.

Praise the Lord for Mothers! Praise the Lord for safe trips home! And Praise the Lord for my husband!

Shower

2009-05-03T19:55:00.014-05:00

Today Tripp and I were truly blessed by our friends and family! My sweet sister in loves threw Tripp and I a baby shower. How fun and amazing it was!!! Here are some pictures to show you how much fun it was!

Praise the Lord for such amazing family and friends! And Praise the Lord for this wonderful reason to celebrate... Tripp!

Hello Mr. Oxy Clean!

2009-04-29T15:00:00.001-05:00

It seems quite funny to me that this pregnancy is causing me to have issues eating, the issue being not getting it all to my mouth. It is probably not due to the fact that I am pregnant… but everything really gets that excuse right now. Everyday without fail I seem to drip, drop, or rub my belly up against something. You don’t realize how many times I misjudge my size while standing next to the counter and end up getting stuff all over my belly. And then half the time I don’t even notice because I can’t see the bottom side of this huge melon. But thank goodness for yummy food!

Easter

2009-04-28T20:33:00.007-05:00

I know this is a delayed post, but I couldn't leave out Easter! I got to spend part with both sides of the family. Here is some pictures from my day of fun!

Beautiful flowers from my Mother and Father!

Praise the Lord for Easter! Christ is risen!

Race Weekend!

2009-04-09T21:51:00.011-05:00

For those of you that don't know, I work in the office buildings at the Texas Motor Speedway. So with this past weekend being race weekend, there was quite a buzz around the office... literally... the windows vibrate!

Here is a picture out my window of the Friday before the race, I sit right by turn 2. It was like a picture out of a where's Waldo book. You probably can't see, but there is this school bus painted black with "Redneck Ramada" painted on the side... classy huh?

And here it is Monday after the races:

Another great part is that my Uncle and his band came to play at the campgrounds at TMS, so they stayed with me and we got to see them play Saturday night.

Praise the Lord for a safe race weekend!

Countdown!

2009-04-01T21:29:00.004-05:00

If you ask my husband he will tell you how much I love to check things off of my lists. One of my other things that I now love is to count things down! Somehow keeping track of getting closer to my goals really seems to motivate me.

As of today there are…
5 more weeks until I FINALLY graduate from A&M (this one has been a long, long time coming)
7 more weeks until Stephen gets on that plane to head on home!!!
14 more weeks until my sweet baby boy, Tripp is here!!!

Unfortunately, it seems as though I am literally watching the clock, and the time seems to be slowing down. After having several contractions last week the doctor told me to stay off of my feet as much as possible. No shopping, cooking or cleaning… so sitting and watching the clock has become my new hobby. My previous goal of staying as busy as possible to try to make time move a little faster has backfired! I am trying to do anything I can while having my feet propped on the coffee table… I mean seriously, there are only so many good shows on television. Luckily I can still go to work and can prop my feet up there, the daily change of scenery is nice, but it is work. I have been hand stitching a rug for Tripp’s room (almost done, picture below)and even done some scrap booking. We will see how long this already nesting mother stays put on the couch! The contractions have slowed down and are not as bad, but they are still coming.

Here are some updated pictures of Tripp's room:

Here is the rug... almost done with it. Furry on one side, denim on the other, with a gingham border.

Luckily for me, I had some sweet visitors this week for dinner... the Muncys!

Praise the Lord for countdowns! And Praise the Lord for relaxation!

Today’s Menu:

2009-03-24T15:23:00.001-05:00

I thought I would keep a diet diary so that I could see what all I am putting into this body that is growing so fast. I thought that it may help me to make better, healthier choices for me and my little bambino. Well, I started this morning and I have decided to quit already. This is too much work! I eat ALL DAY LONG! It is like I never get full, it is actually quite amazing really. This would be the prime time to enter an eating contest.

So here it goes…

Breakfast:
Bowl of oatmeal
Bottle of water

Mid-Morning:
A mixed berry yogurt
An ENTIRE bag of popcorn
Bottle of water

Lunch:
Dr. Pepper (my one caffeine drink for the day)
Taco Bueno Beef Burrito add EXTRA tomatoes

Afternoon:
1 Colby Jack cheese stick
Can of ginger ale
3 El Fudge cookies
1 orange
3 more El Fudge cookies… I love those little Keebler Elves!

Dinner:
I am contemplating that right now…

Praise the Lord for food! And Praise the Lord that I am feeding two!

I am not the biggest looser!

2009-03-17T21:25:00.004-05:00

Well, I had another check up today... and little Tripp is healthy, maybe even hearty! There is the point of every appointment where you slowly get on the scale and see how much you and your baby have grown. Over the past 4 weeks, Tripp and I have GROWN!!! As I saw her move that dial to the next weight bracket, I gasped! I GAINED WHAT!?!?! I gave her this look like I was shocked... she replied "Oh, don't look at me!" I wanted to ask her if I could leave my pee sample first and then reweigh. As of my last appointment I had only gained 7 pounds since that little boy had started growing inside of me. Now add 12 pounds to that! I know what everyone says, don't worry about your weight, just as long as that baby is healthy! Well he is healthy alright! So, Mom, I know how you are always worried about me not eating enough... see like I said, "I am eating!"

When it all comes down to it, I really don't care at all about the weight... it is just so shocking! So this week, I am not the biggest looser, but I may qualify for the biggest winner!

Not only did I get this exciting news about my weight, but I also got to make the rest of my appointments! They must know how much I love to plan! So I will be there every other week until the last month and then we will be there every week. Yeah! I just can't get enough of hearing that little heartbeat!

Praise the Lord for our healthy baby boy!

Practice Makes Perfect...

2009-03-16T21:46:00.004-05:00

I got a chance to have my sweet nephews over to spend the night on Friday. Practice makes perfect, right? And I need all I can get... especially with boys! We had a blast... loading up on sugar, staying up late watching movies, waking up early (some how I thought staying up late would make them want to sleep in... nope), waffles and syrup... and more syrup... it was a blast!

Praise the Lord for boys!

100 Days to Go!

2009-03-16T21:22:00.007-05:00

Yes, I am counting! Stephen will be home in 100 days! And now that we are at the 100 day mark... it's all down hill from here, right? And Tripp is due only 17 days after that! So, that makes it about 14 weeks until my sweet husband returns to me. It is funny because we seem to be growing that much closer everyday even though we are so far apart. God has been really working on both of us and showing us a lot through it all. The great news is that we decided that Stephen won't be going back to Iraq once Tripp is born. While I am sure we could do it if we had to, we don't feel that is where God is leading us. So you know what that means... someone to share diaper duty with!

If I didn't mention it before, we will be naming our sweet son John Stephen Stadler III and call him Tripp. Before Stephen left the work began on Tripp's room, and his father just finished it... well we finished the "big" project... I have my little list still to go. Look how stinkin' cute it is...

The initials will be painted white and go above the crib. I just LOVE the room already... can't wait until my little son is here to enjoy it!

Here is one of the sweet gifts from my sweet husband... our new table! Yes, we found one we loved, so Stephen is just going to build the benches to go with it.

Praise the Lord for only 100 days left! Praise the Lord for Tripp's sweet room! And Praise the Lord for my amazing husband!

Our new addition...

2009-03-04T22:24:00.004-06:00

Shortly after Stephen got home we decided to get a new addition to help transport our growing family... a 2009 black chevy 4 door 2500 HD Silverado 4x4 3/4 ton TRUCK! It is oh so pretty and so much fun to drive... and as long as you are willing to park way at the back of the parking lots (well at least that is where I park it). Please take note of the nerf bars... these were much needed being prego, but the best part is that I shocked Stephen with my bargaining skills. Yes, I talked these guys down on the price and got free installation. See honey, I do save you so much money!

And the best part, the hottie in the driver seat! I couldn't help but singing that country song to him every time we rode around in it... you know... "I'm a country boy, I got a 4 wheel drive..."

Praise the Lord for my handsome husband and his new truck!

Stephen goes to Iraq –Part 2

2009-03-03T13:49:00.002-06:00

Sunday was a sad day at the Stadler house; I reluctantly drove my sweet husband back to the airport to catch his flight back to Iraq (well Frankfurt, Amman, and then Baghdad). We had an amazing time while he was home and were able to squeeze so much into those 3 weeks. Stephen is probably thankful that he is back and can finally get some rest. I talked to him this morning and he arrived safe and sound… just completely exhausted. It is mighty strange knowing that next time I see him face to face we will be days away from having our son! He thought I was getting big now… just wait honey… I am going to be huge!

Praise the Lord for great times with my sweet husband!

IT'S A BOY!

2009-02-12T07:32:00.003-06:00

Yes, we are having a boy!!! We found out on Saturday, February 7th, and couldn't be more excited! The blue is going up on the walls! And I guess this means we can keep the blue carpet... yes, blue carpet. It will actually coordinate well now, but I will get rid of it one day! Now that we know we are having a boy, my mind has begun to race. I have become more and more aware of other little boys and what they do and say. For those of you who don't know, I have 4 sisters! So boys have been a little foreign to me. I am slowly learning and have a feeling Stephen will fill me in on a lot. Stephen has already started planning everything! It's great...

Praise the Lord for BOYS!!!

Nesting already?

2009-02-01T22:08:00.018-06:00

Tuesday, January 27th at 12:24 baby Severen Michael Muncy was born! He is so perfect!

So I have found a new joy in cleaning! It is funny how your attitude changes when you are cleaning because your HUSBAND IS COMING HOME THIS WEEK!!! I really want everything to be in it's best shape as possible... including myself! Yes, I never wear eye shadow, but I have been testing several colors trying to find the perfect fit for when he gets home. So now that the curtains are hung, the bathrooms scrubbed, the ceiling fans cleaned, sheets washed and ironed, I think I am just about ready for this man. I am sure he wouldn't care much either way, dirty or clean, but like I said there is a new found joy in cleaning for a man that has been gone for 3 months. Now if I could just have that joy all the time!

Since it is already after 10:30, I figure I could change it from 5 to 4! Can you tell I am excited!?!?

Here are some picture updates:

Here is the anniversary gift I got myself, the dresser.

And the anniversary gift Stephen got me, the charm bracelet and charms.

And what I got for Stephen, the 50" plasma.

And here are all of the new curtains:

I just love them! But now my sewing machine is broken... guess I wore it out! Hopefully I will have it fixed in time to get some things sewn for the baby!

Praise the Lord for Severen! Praise the Lord for the joy of cleaning! And Praise the Lord for only 4 days until my husband is home!

Baby Bliss!

2009-01-26T12:16:00.017-06:00

It is so exciting knowing we are having a little baby. Last weekend we got the crib!!! I am more than thrilled with it! We got it from Kid to Kid in Highland Village. Not expecting to get it that day, we did not have room in the car. We measured it and decided that we would come back in the truck. Well, those of you that don’t know me well, I try to be independent and am completely stubborn! Although my sweet father in love said that he would get the truck and come get it for me, I was determined that I could handle it… and handle it in my SUV. I measured and measured and was certain I could get it. So, as my sweet mother in love was trying to help the poor cashier from Kid to Kid shove the crib in my car, the phone rings… my dearest father in love… yeah, he had to come rescue me and my stubborn self with the truck. I was sure that I had measured correctly, but apparently not. That sucker is huge! But from the looks of it, we may have a fairly large baby to go with it. Now we just need to find out what this baby is going to be and we can begin painting!!!

Monday the 19th I had my doctor’s appointment. This one was one of the short and sweet visits… the next one we will have a sonogram and Stephen will be there to see our little one!!! His or her heartbeat was at 160 beats per minute! Unfortunately, I could not coax the doctor to letting us come in a week early to see what we are having a little sooner… I mean I have got to get Stephen on the nursery as soon as he gets home – no time to waist! So we decided that we would go to Window in the Womb to find out on the 7th and then our appointment on the 16th will just be to confirm. Yes, I am that impatient that I can’t wait 9 days! I just want to be able to call this baby by a name. Now we just have to pray that Stephen’s flight comes in on time, and that the baby’s legs are not crossed, and … just pray… the emotions are a little strong and it not working out the way I planed may not be pretty!
Things are moving along great. I just can’t wait for Stephen to get home and share all of this excitement with him! 11 days!!!

Praise the Lord for our new crib! Praise the Lord for sweet and understanding fathers! Praise the Lord for strong heartbeats! And Praise the Lord that I am only 11 days away from seeing my amazing husband!

Darn Cravings

2009-01-14T12:12:00.003-06:00

These darn cravings.... I already find it a chore to eat all the time and now my body decides it wants to be picky! Seriously! These cravings aren't like "mmm, that sounds good"; it's more like "I need it NOW!" I have not had too many crazy cravings, just crab ragoons, or something, anything covered in jalapenos... yum! But I do find myself driving 30 minutes on my lunch just to satisfy. And it's not like once I eat something I am fine... not at all, I crave it until I get it. I can't wait until Stephen gets home and can get up early to go get me a chicken, egg, and cheese on a multi grain bagel from Chick-fil-a with 2 extra sides of pickles.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-13T09:59:00.010-06:00

Ok, so New Year’s Eve and being prego don’t really go together… this is why I was in bed nice and early! Not too much happening here lately… just passing the time. It is funny how this pregnancy thing really makes me impatient. First I couldn’t wait to start showing… definitely doing that now, now it is me wanting to feel the baby, and I am also so anxious to get to meet this little one. It’s all going so fast and yet so slow, all at the same time.

One reason I have been so excited is the fact that Natalie is about to pop! Severen is almost here! I got to throw her a little baby shower with our home team pals. I think I had more fun shopping for Severen than I have had shopping in a long time!

Wednesday, January 7th was Stephen and my 3rd year anniversary! I of course was sick, and could barely talk. (See honey, your not missing too much.) Stephen is by far the most amazing husband ever! The past 3 years have truly brought me more joy than I could have ever imagined. God has blessed me so dearly with this incredible man. And now through our love God is blessing us with another life that we get to share it all with. Even though I had already purchased my anniversary gift (I am so thoughtful), Stephen once again surprised me with a gift. I received a stunning dozen long stem red roses at my door. And then a beautiful charm bracelet with two gorgeous charms; one of a baby carriage and one of a heart with Happy Anniversary on it. I am so thankful for Stephen and am looking forward to all of our future years of adventures! Happy Anniversary Stephen!

Now we can countdown to getting ready for Stephen to come home! I have quite the list of items to get accomplished by the time Stephen steps off of his plane. Luckily for me, Stephen’s parents have been helping with everything! They are so sweet and kind and sure as heck are too nice… I am sure they are counting the days for Stephen to get home too! Right now they have been painting our guest bathroom while I am at work. The air filters are changed, Christmas stuff in the attic, the batteries replaced in all the smoke alarms, and so many other things! So not only have I had a great three years of joy with Stephen, but I have had a great three years of extra love with his family!

The curtains are almost done… well they have been almost done for a few weeks now, but now that I am feeling better they should be done later this week. Here is what I have done so far… the master bath ones - done and up. The front living room done and up, just need to move the furniture back in place. The dining room - done but need to get the rod up. The picture makes it hard to tell but I used the fabric from the living room for the top section of the curtains (about top 3 feet) then the silk ivory ruffle, and then sage green burlap for the bottom (about 6 1/2 feet).

Praise the Lord for our baby! Praise the Lord for Severen! Praise the Lord for my sweet loving husband! And Praise the Lord for my family!

So long, farwell, auf wiedersehen, goodbye to 2008

2008-12-31T08:48:00.004-06:00

What a year it has been! It began with a exciting start and ended that way as well. This certainly has been a year of growing and learning. We went from my car being stolen in January, to buying a new house, to me changing jobs, to Stephen leaving for a year to be in Iraq, to us finding out that we are expecting a baby, and so many other things in between!

Christmas was a blast and I have to say, I made out pretty well. I think the fact that my husband is in Iraq and I am getting a bigger prego belly helped with some sympathy gifts! And the baby is already getting his or her fair share! Thanks again to everyone!

Even Stephen sent me a gift! It arrived the night before Christmas Eve (so Christmas Eve's Eve) and I was able to open it with him on the video chat. That man is amazing! He knows EXACTLY what I like! He got me new shoes! Perfect fit and everything! Thank you Stephen; you are THE SWEETEST HUSBAND EVER!

I have to say it was hard without Stephen here, but as always family kept me nice an busy on Christmas Day. Now as for the day after... everyone left me! Yes, both my side of the family and Stephen's side of the family left for vacation. I must say I was quite jealous that I wasn't tagging along! But saving up my vacation time for when Stephen gets home is a much better choice. Also snow skiing would not have been the wisest choice with my balance already being off!

So what did I do? I went shopping! I found the most amazing deals! Unfortunately, one of the purchases that I really wanted to make I could not. I FINALLY was going to get my dining table for Christmas! I have had my eye on this table for a very, very long time. I would go by the store and check on it frequently, sometimes every week! Hoping that it would go on sale or that I would finally break down and make the purchase. In November Stephen said that I should get it for Christmas... I loved the idea and could not have picked a better gift! So, I decided to stop stalking the store and wait. So when I walked in right before Christmas, with my tape measure in hand and on a joyous mission, I was like a kid in a candy shop! The sales people greeted me and several had asked where I had been, and commented that they had not seen me in a while... yes, like I said I stalked this table! After searching the store, I calmly asked where they put my table, as I know they keep several in stock in their warehouse. It was gone! Discontinued and sold out! Needless to say I was devastated! This was the table our little family was going to eat at and share countless memories! And it was gone! After some long chats with my buddies there at the store they agreed to try to find me one. They made some calls to the buyer and the manufacturer searching for just one. After Christmas they called me to let me know that there were no more to be found. So, the lesson learned here today is IMPULSE BUY!!! No, on a serious note, I may have been a little too excited about something so material. And that should not have been a reason to be joyous for Christmas. Jesus brings me true joy and He is the reason we celebrate!

So, I will still get my table, but instead of buying it and taking the easy way out, Stephen has offered to make it for me. If you have ever seen some of the items that Stephen and his father have made you would agree that this is the best option anyways. So I will just keep my empty dining room (or ballroom) for a while.

As I continue to try to keep my self busy I have also been doing a little sewing. I have decided to finally make the curtains for some of my bare windows. I can only enjoy the white fake wood blinds for so long. So far I have done a set for my bathroom window and for the front living room windows. The empty dining room windows are next! I forget how much I enjoy sewing! Maybe, if I get really good I can make some items for our sweet little baby! Lucky for me, the poor soul won't be able to say "Mommy, why is this so crooked?" And Stephen knows better than to say anything but that he loves it.

Praise the Lord for Christmas! Praise the Lord for my sweet husband! Praise the Lord for my wonderful sewing machine! And Praise the Lord for 2008!

Is it really almost Christmas?

2008-12-23T15:03:00.010-06:00

It sure doesn’t feel like Christmas at our house. Don’t get me wrong the tree is up and all the presents are wrapped, but the love of my life is half way around the world. But have no fear; Stephen will be home in 44 days! Yes, I have been counting for a while now. So we will get to celebrate Valentine’s Day together!

Santa can't bring me what I need,
Cause all I want for Christmas is Stephen!

(I do find myself breaking out in this remix very frequently)

One of the great blessings that we have had with Stephen being gone is video chat. Normally I don’t embrace technology as fast as others do, but if it means getting to see my husband, I am all for it. We typically get to video chat several times a week, and boy does it make all the difference in the world! Stephen also gets to talk to his parents and sister since they too have a built in camera, so that makes things better for the whole family!

Stephen is doing well over there, just keeping busy with work. He has actually been working out and has lost about 15 pounds already! He is losing it, and I am gaining it! What a deal!

Not too busy lately; mostly just running around trying to shop for Christmas items, and sleeping (of course). I did make it to the 2nd and 3rd ornament exchange of the year, and made it out of there with some good lookin’ ornaments. Unfortunately I didn’t get any pictures of the home group ornament exchange, but was able to snap a few at the family exchange.

Natalie and I of course had to compare bellies again. Since she is getting so close we may only have a few more of these… then we will start with the pictures of the babies OUT of our bellies.

Praise the Lord for video chat! Praise the Lord for ornament exchanges! And Praise the Lord that he sent His Son!

Busy as a Bee

2008-12-09T15:55:00.012-06:00

Well, I haven’t been too busy… just busy sleeping most of the time! But busy none the less. I figure that on the inside, with this baby bakin’, I am staying really busy! Some amazing thing happened this past week! I had my first doctor’s appointment and my little sister had her baby, Delaney! God sure does know how to bless this soon to be mama!

Thursday, the 4th, was baby day! I got to see my baby for the first time and heard the sweet little heartbeat. My mother-in-love, Jenny, got to go with me since Stephen is on the other side of the world. What an amazing time this was for me. And so far so good! I even survived the blood work; no crying or passing out! (This was a first!) I am convinced- this baby is going to make me tough! Except for the fact that I cried several times that day just from pure bliss! Stephen, the sweetest husband ever, sent a little gift for me after the appointment. This touched my heart in so many ways! Thank you Stephen, this baby has no idea yet of what a wonderful man you are! I am so excited that I get to share the joy of raising this child with you!

And my official due date is July 11th!

Here are the pictures of our cute little one! I hope he or she has Stephen’s eyes!

So, as I said before, Anna and Jacob were married the day before Thanksgiving! Here is a picture right after the “I do’s”.

Then on Friday morning Anna went into labor. Actually I think she was in labor all night, but she went to the hospital early that morning and had Delaney by 11:39am. Everything went great and they were able to go home on Saturday.

Delaney Rosemary Brown
December 5th, 2008 – 11:39 am
7 pounds 11 ounces
20 inches long

This weekend I also went to the first of three ornament exchanges. Fun, fun, fun! There is one every weekend for three weeks straight! Let me tell you, that is the way to celebrate Christmas!

Here are me and Natalie showing off our prego bellies and enjoying some yummy fried pickles! She actually looks cute with her belly, I just look pudgy!

It has been so much fun being pregnant at the same time as Natalie. She always has great advice. And I am so excited that our kids will get to be great buds! Natalie, I am very blessed to call you family and a friend!

Praise the Lord for sonograms! Praise the Lord for baby heartbeats! Praise the Lord for Delaney! Praise the Lord for ornament exchanges! Praise the Lord for family and friends! And Praise the Lord for fried pickles!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T21:20:00.007-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving to all! What a fun day it was! Although I am suffering from a head cold, morning sickness and complete exhaustion, it was a great day. We have so much to be thankful for! I got to enjoy it with both my family and Stephen’s family… I am sure I was quite boring considering I slept most of the day.

Last weekend we had my sister’s shower to celebrate the soon to be birthed Delaney Brown! Anna’s life is changing so much this month! She also got married yesterday!!! Congratulations to Jacob and Anna Brown! Jacob we are so excited to have you in our family.

Stephen is doing pretty well, at least from what he will tell me. They moved him again; he is back in his own room and enjoying it. In the chow hall today they had Mexican food for lunch and he thought that they might get some turkey for dinner. What’s Thanksgiving without turkey?

I can’t wait to get to talk to him again tonight; it is the highlight of my day!

Praise the Lord for family! Praise the Lord for new family! And Praise the Lord for turkey!

The Subway Special

2008-11-20T12:30:00.002-06:00

Well we are rounding the corner on another week! I have been talking to Stephen about everyday, but usually it is in the middle of the night, like 10 o’clock, when I have already been asleep for at least an hour. No, really sometimes it is 12 or 1am when he calls. But when baby says sleep, I sleep! Poor Stephen probably has not been enjoying the conversation as much as he would if he were to be talking with someone that was more coherent. I swear he said the other night that he went to Subway with 2 guys from Romania and 1 from Kosovo. I mean, that sounds like one of those jokes… you walk into a bar and there are two Romanians and one Kosovonian (or Kosovoan?)... But it wasn’t, he really did… I can only imagine the stories he will have when he gets back. And do you think the menus at Subway in Iraq are similar to ours in the U.S.?

Well Stephen had a room of his own, until they had him switch rooms, again! Now he shares a room with another guy, but he said it is not too bad. He did have a broken bed when he got there, but they got it fixed so hopefully he will start to be able to settle in. I finally got his address, so the care packages will start soon. Stephen said that he did not want a lot of junk to have to deal with, but I think he knows better than that… honey- get ready for some serious junk! I figure it will just make him feel more at home.

Honey, keep up the hard work! I am so proud of you and love you so much!

Praise the Lord for roommates! Praise the Lord for my late night calls! And Praise the Lord for sleep!

Late Night Call

2008-11-17T10:12:00.010-06:00

Well Stephen finally called late last night, which helped me to sleep much better. He sounded very good and is just busy with getting up to speed on everything. As for me, he is not missing too much... I am a zombie. This morning, I was putting my make up on so very slowly as I watched the news and fell asleep! Yes, this pregnancy is slowing me down! Those of you who don't know me well, I am a huge morning person and some what of a night person. I usually go to bed late and wake up early. Now this little baby that is only a quarter of an inch big this week is sucking all of my energy. I have to say that I am very willing to give it up; anything for that sweet little baby. And I am sure that once he or she is out of my belly will suck my energy as well! Other than that I have been feeling pretty good. I have had only two mornings where I felt a little sick, but nothing too bad.

One sad part is that Stephen and I have decided to get rid of our sweet dog Liberty. So anyone reading this that knows of a good home for her please let me know. It is not that we don't love her and want a dog, priorities have just changed. Since she is a puppy (about 7 months old) and already 50 lbs, it is a lot for me to handle. She is so playful, but this causes her to about knock me over every time I let her in the door. I was already not the most graceful and now with being prego it won't get any better. Unfortunately this will only get harder the bigger I get. She is a lab mix and completely housebroken. Has had her shots and has been spayed. She is a great dog and will make a great addition to some one's family.

Praise the Lord for my late night call! Praise the Lord for puppies! And Praise the Lord for 1/4 inch little babies!

One Week Down

2008-11-16T21:32:00.012-06:00

As I find myself with mixed emotions this week, one minute ecstatic because I AM HAVING A BABY, and one minute saddened because I want so bad to be able share it all with Stephen right now, I realize that I am blessed. I have more in this life right now, at the age of 25, that I could have ever hoped for. God is not just good, He is great!

Stephen is doing good, but the camping trip lasted a little longer than he had anticipated. He just got into his room a day or two ago, but it is much nicer than he anticipated... this is a huge difference from the military. He will have internet in his room, so we should be able to communicate much more - now he will just have to get a laptop. Right now I have been hearing from him at least once a day... except for today. I am not worried because I know that Stephen is smart and good at what he does.

We also found out some more good news... He will get to come home twice. Once at about 4 months into it for about 2 weeks. Hopefully that will be about the time we find out if it is a boy or a girl. And then again when we have the baby for about a month. Yeah! This will make things much better. So the longest I should have to go without seeing him is 4 months.... that sounded selfish... 4 months will be the longest that he will have to be over there at one time.

Fortunately, before Stephen left we got a chance to get some family pictures done. I may be a little bias, but these are some cute pictures.

Anyone that would like to communicate with Stephen, e-mail is the best. I cannot guarantee that he will respond in a timely manner, but he would love to hear from everyone.

Praise the Lord for the camping trip to be over! Praise the Lord for communication! Praise the Lord for family! And Praise the Lord that He helped me through this week!

Happy Veteran's Day Stephen!

2008-11-10T15:02:00.003-06:00

Stephen, I am so proud of you! Sometimes it seems weird that you are a veteran, but you are... and you make me the proudest wife. You are so giving to be willing to sacrifice it all for your country. I wish I was a fraction of how selfless you are.

I love you and hope you have an amazing day!

I talked to Stephen this morning, twice! He called about 3:30 this morning and I hung up on him - not on purpose, just half asleep. Thank goodness he called back. He made it to Baghdad and already had things to do. Unfortunately his room won't be ready until tomorrow, so he will be in a tent tonight... just like a fun little camping trip, right? This call was great even if it was the middle of the night! Then I got the greatest wake up call at about 6:30. He couldn't talk long, just called to say good morning and I love you! But this will sure make my day better!

Praise the Lord for our veterans! Praise the Lord for phone calls! And Praise the Lord for my husband!

Just when you thought the adventure couldn’t get any crazier…

2008-11-10T11:51:00.004-06:00

It has.

We got Stephen to the airport yesterday morning and said goodbye. What a rough day! I am trying to be strong, but I just sent my best friend away for a year. He arrived in New York Sunday evening and then arrived in Amman, Jordan today at about 9am our time. I talked to him once he got to his hotel and he was doing pretty good considering he hasn’t slept. He was going to shower and sleep and his flight leaves in the morning (Jordan time) to Baghdad. They are about 8 hours ahead of us, so this will be our night tonight. I hope to hear from him again tomorrow morning. We continue to pray Psalms 91 over him!

I am in awe and amazement as how the Lord works. While we were so wrapped up with this work thing and everything not going as planned we failed to realize that God may be doing something bigger. And He was. Wednesday we found out that we are pregnant! Yes, Stephen got me knocked up and now is leaving for a year. We had actually talked about this before he took the job and decided to leave it all in God’s hands. Apparently God thinks that I can do this on my own. We just have to thank the Lord for allowing Stephen to be delayed so that we could find out together. I am still so very early in the pregnancy (about 5 weeks) but we cannot contain our excitement. Stephen will now only come home once, for the birth, and probably stay a full month. This way when he goes back he will only have a few months left before he is home for good.

So while my emotions are at an all time low with Stephen being gone, they are also at an all time high about the baby. I cry about every few hours, sometimes a happy cry sometimes a sad cry... I pity anyone that spends an extended period of time with me.

Other than those two big events it was a pretty low key week/weekend. We also went to Peyton's 3rd birthday party (Happy birthday Peyton!), dinners with the fam, I got in a car accident (not my fault & not bad at all), a date with my sweet husband, got Libby Lou spayed and a few of norm routines.

Sweet baby in my belly, we love you and have prayed for you for so long. We can't wait to meet you and get to know you!

Praise the Lord for safe plane rides! Praise the Lord that I made it through the first day! Praise the Lord for delays! And Praise the Lord for the sweet gift of a baby!

New Prez...

2008-11-05T13:57:00.003-06:00

So, now that the election is over... Obama has been selected as our 44th President. While this is not the candidate that I voted for, this is the one that I will complain about. All seriously, we just have to remember that our trust does not lie in man, but in the Lord Almighty. That is why we will pray for this man over the next four years and trust that the Lord has His hands all over this, just like He takes care of everything else, big or small.

You can't mess up the country that bad in 4 years, can you?

Praise the Lord for our new President! (This is me attempting to be thankful in everything.) Praise the Lord that He is in control! Praise the Lord for our government's checks and balances!

Patience

2008-11-04T22:13:00.010-06:00

Patience is a virtue! Well, Stephen did not end up leaving for Iraq on Saturday… apparently there were a few things to be cleared with DOS (Department of State) before he could catch his flight. As of right now we still do not know when he will leave… I have been told it could be tomorrow, or it could be next week. This is sounding more and more like the military, I had to quiz him to be sure it wasn’t. This time is a little bittersweet for me. As I am so joyous that I get more time with my sweet husband, I am feeling the need to know when I will have to say goodbye. I am a planner and when things don’t go as planned I feel the need to readjust, but it makes it hard to readjust when you don’t know what you are readjusting to. I mean let’s hurry and get this year over with!

Fortunately for me, I was able to take some time off of work so that we could hang out. We enjoyed the extra sleep and all the extra fun. We got to take Reed and Ellis to lunch, met John Austin at school for lunch, and met Nicci at her work for lunch… I am not sure if you got the trend here… but we like lunch! And dinner, we did some of those too.

Friday we invaded the waiting room at the hospital. My mother went in for her hip replacement surgery and had a successful one! Apparently she had worn down an inch already, so this was much needed. We are just so excited for her and hope that she will have a speedy recovery and finally be out of pain!

You will see my sweet nieces here Eden and Faris.

My Uncle Troy and some of his band also stayed with us this weekend. Check them out at http://www.crosscountryministries.org/. They won Entertainer of the Year at the CCMAs!

Praise the Lord for lunches and dinners! Praise the Lord for new hips! And Praise the Lord for Patience!

Wonderful Weekend

2008-10-26T21:16:00.019-05:00

Well, this has been a wonderful weekend and we have enjoyed it from beginning to end. Friday was my sister Lis' birthday... Happy birthday Lis!!! It started it all out with me taking some time off in the morning to run around with Stephen for a few hours. We "made freedom count" and went to vote early. Now you can be sure that if the wrong person gets into office that I will be sure to be the one complaining. I figure you can't complain unless you vote, if you vote you can complain all you want, right?

Friday evening we spent sometime with the Law... well the in-laws that is. We had a wonderful dinner at Don Mateos in Roanoke. Yum! I think that our favorite thing to do is eat and hang out with each other. And we are so good at both!

Saturday morning started with getting the house ready. Since Stephen will be gone for a while he feels the need to get everything done for me that I might not be able to do. So his dad came over and we made a fun trip to Home Depot. They have so many fun items! As you can see here I thought these items might be nice ear muffs. Apparently the guys were not as enthusiastic as I was with this find. They are actually covers for the outside faucets that I will need to put them on in the winter when it gets cold - well that is their main purpose... luckily I have a great imagination! Well we got a lot of items marked off on Stephen's honey do list. So it was very productive. And I love productive days!

Then there was another great Red Socks game which they won again!

Later that day we all gathered at Tiff and Marc's for the Pumpkin carving party. There were some serious looking pumpkins out there. We took on a tough 100 piece puzzle and we won. Fall is in full swing!

Today we took it pretty easy... well at least I did. Stephen had breakfast with the guys in our home team at I-HOP. And he was so sweet and brought me home some yummy harvest nut pancakes. I told y'all he was sweeter than sugar. We made it to church this evening and went through Luke 15. What a great word! We followed it up with dinner... of course! We had a great dinner at Patrizio's. Me, Stephen, Mom, Dad, and Nicci chowin' down. It was all good... I know because we rotated plates so that we all could have a little taste. I think the waitress might have thought we were nuts! Then topped the whole thing off with dream bars from Potbellys and coffee from Nestle Toll House Cafe... yes we hit all the main spots. And man was it good. The weather was perfect and the company even better!

Praise the Lord for birthdays (again)! Praise the Lord for Pumpkins (again)! Praise the Lord for family! Praise the Lord for good yummy food! And Praise the Lord for versatile tools at Home Depot!

Happy Monday!

2008-10-20T12:47:00.000-05:00

This morning was extremely hard to get out of bed! This is Stephen’s last week at his current position so the motivation to get there is at an all time low. I think I literally kicked him out of the bed this morning. I was so enjoying the fact that the dog was at the vets this morning. We decided to board Liberty, our 6 month old puppy, this weekend so that I could take a weekend off. And boy was it nice. She is part lab and part monster. No, really she is going to be a great dog… she is just struggling with A.D.D. right now (Annoyingly Destructive Dog Disorder). She just loves to get into everything, and I mean everything. What I enjoyed the most this weekend was the sleep. You see, Liberty is a morning dog. Every morning without fail she whines until I let her out – so no sleeping in for me. All Stephen has to do is stick his good ear in the pillow and he goes right on sleeping. (The whole being deaf in one ear seems to be a little too convenient at times like this.) I guess this is just one way God is preparing me for children… but then instead of dropping them off at the vet we will be dropping them off at their grandparent’s house. Ha!

We had a successful birthday week for Stephen! He actually said that this was the best birthday that he has ever had. I take full credit for this, but as I think about it- I think he may just be saying that so that I won’t have another one of my emotional explosions… and probably a smart choice on his part. Thursday night (his actual birthday) we went to Ranchman’s for dinner, one of his new favorite spots. He got to enjoy some yummy mountain oysters or calf fries… if you know what these are you will never try them (I did not) but apparently Stephen loves them. (Yuck!) And we found out that some soap is made from cow fat… seriously! That puts an entire new spin on clean!

It was another fun family weekend! Friday night started it off with the celebration of Tiffany’s birthday. And she got the neatest gift, a cricut (pronounced cricket, not cry-cut) machine, which I am hoping that she will be willing to share with her loving sister-in-law. Saturday morning started off with dropping the dog off at the vet… this was the top priority of the day! Then we headed on to John Austin’s baseball game. Which they won! It was a great game and probably the closest one that they have had all season.
Saturday we enjoyed going to the Pumpkin Patch in Flower Mound! Some of those pumpkins were huge! We took a hay ride and got some kettle corn. Scratch that we got a ton of kettle corn. If you know the John Stephen Stadlers of this world, you know that they don’t do anything in moderation! And two of them together is quite the experience… but I love them both so much! That night we went to church, which was a great message that I needed. We leave every weekend thinking… I wish one weekend I wouldn’t feel like he was speaking right to me… but that has not happened yet- and for good reason.

Sunday we had some people over and grilled out. Unfortunately, I did not get one single picture. So you will have to use your imagination… Lots of family, lots of food, lots of fun… can’t you just picture it? We then ended the day by cuddling on the couch watching The Unit (this is actually one of the military shows that I enjoy).

It was a great weekend, but sadly marked the “I only have two weeks left with my husband before he leaves” weekend. I should be saying “I only have 54 weeks until my husband is back home weekend.” Positive thinking – see I told you that I was working on getting myself under control. Actually, God is working on that, but I sure do interfere with it quite often.

Praise the Lord for Birthdays (again)! Praise the Lord for family and friends! Praise the Lord for pumpkins! And Praise the Lord for the Roanoke Animal Hospital!

3 Weeks

2008-10-13T09:51:00.000-05:00

Well, this weekend marked the “I only have three more weeks with my husband before he leaves” weekend. I am becoming more and more sensitive each day – which is not amusing to Stephen what so ever. It is all so silly too, but I can’t control it for some reason. He will do something like open my door and I start to tear up. Seriously! How sweet is he to be doing these sweet little gestures and I get all emotional because in my mind I am thinking I won’t be able to enjoy those sweet acts for an entire year! How selfish am I? He is probably being extra sweet because he wants to enjoy this time and really he is just feeding this flame of my emotional mess! Slowly I am getting my self under control, I think.

We had a fun weekend of family events! Hayden and Davis had their party yesterday at Pump it Up, which was so fun. I just love getting to see all the kids run recklessly through that place. John Austin had two great baseball games- Go Red Socks! And Saturday there was a surprise 35th birthday party for Tiff and Marc. Anyone that was there, I will go ahead and apologize for my behavior… I proved that I cannot handle wine. You would think that three glasses wouldn’t cause too much damage, but apparently I don’t apply to that assumption.

This week is Stephen’s birthday week, and since we like to celebrate things big this should be an exciting week!

Praise the Lord for birthdays! Praise the Lord for family! Praise the Lord for forgiveness! And Praise the Lord for the next three weeks!

My name is Martha; I am now a blogger…

2008-10-09T20:09:00.000-05:00

Yes, it is true… I have jumped on the band wagon and I have officially become a blogger! Initially, I thought, nah maybe later on when I have kids or something, it’s not really my thing. But for those of you who have not heard… my darling husband will be leaving for a year to be in Iraq… AGAIN! So I thought that this would be a great way to document it all and keep everyone informed (including Stephen).

I do currently, obsessively, read other blogs – amazing blogs! I am not setting my expectations too high, so I suggest you do the same. I am NOT at all great at writing; English was probably my worst subject. And that is why I am currently a Budget Specialist and loving it. So hopefully no one will feel the need to “red pen” my blog.

I am still trying to cope with the fact that he will be gone for an entire year, but am trying my best to not be selfish about the situation. He will get to come home a time or two and we should be able to talk and have much more flexibility than we did with the military. He will be going with his company and he is very, very excited about it. That’s my Stephen! The heart of a Solider! You can take the man out of the military, but you can’t take the military out of the man! (We are actually watching the military channel right now – don’t be jealous.)

(Stephen is the one in the middle.)

(Isn't that smile amazing!)

I honestly never thought that I could ever love someone as much as I do Stephen. He is an amazing man of God who is loving and caring and oh, I could go on forever… He is so intelligent and creative, compassionate and genuine with a smile that is unforgettable! We have been married for almost three years now and it has been the craziest, strangest, happiest, most wonderful three years of my life. I remember before Stephen and I got married my wonderful mother-in-love (future at the time) told me “It’s going to be an adventure!” And boy has it! But I am at the edge of my seat to see what happens next!

We would love if you could please keep us in your prayers during this fun adventure!