a few details...

first of all, thank y'all so much for all the sweet comments, tweets, emails, texts, etc. about our newest baby tippins. we are SO excited!

secondly, sorry to post and disappear last week, but unfortunately, the dreaded stomach virus hit our house on friday and i'm just now feeling like i'm back in the land of the living. if you know me at all, then you know that the stomach bug is seriously one of my worst nightmares. but i survived. i also realized that i haven't had it since i was a freshman in college. which happens to have been 13 years ago. so after thinking on that i not only felt sick as a dog, but i also felt incredibly old. ;)

poor libbi had the bug too and she handled it like a champ. she's feeling better and back at school today. she's most excited to "eat some cheese" today- ha! :)

now onto baby #3....

due date: as of right now, it's 8/4. my ultrasound and LMP didn't exactly line up, so we're going by the ultrasound for now since it seems to be more accurate.
but, if this baby is anything like his/her big sisters then i'm expecting a late july arrival instead of early august. but only time will tell. :)

how far along: almost 14 wks.

the most popular question i've been asked so far is, "will you find out the gender?"
and the answer is.... YES!! :)
in case you didn't know, we waited to find out the gender with laney, so lots of our friends and family were wondering if we would be surprised with this baby too. and i can tell you it's a great, big, fat, resounding, "NO!" haha! the surprise element was just not for me. we love our little laylay to pieces, but i did not love waiting to find out if she was a boy or a girl. as soon as our doctor wants to tell us, we'll be glad to hear if we're having a boy or a girl.

we found out we were expecting right after thanksgiving, so i've known for a while. we told my parents right around christmas time. we wanted to wait to tell everyone, but i had been feeling so sick and jeffrey was traveling a lot, so i needed help! :)
my mom and dad were more than happy to help with the girls while he was out of town and we spent quite a few nights at their house while jeffrey was traveling. it made life a little easier to have an extra set of hands.

i've been to the doctor several times due to some past complications, but everything has looked really good so far. this was another reason i wanted (needed) to tell my parents - i was sick and tired of bringing the girls with me to my appointments - ha! i was more than ready to go it alone. they were troopers, but no one likes going to the doctor's office. especially when there's usually long waits involved. so it was nice to be able to have someone watch them for me without trying to come up with an excuse. and it was nice to be able to go to my appointments without worrying about my blood pressure being through the roof. ;)

i'm finally starting to feel better (besides the whole stomach virus thing - ugh!) and i really think it's due to the second trimester and being able to stop the progesterone supplements that i had to take throughout the first trimester. they made me feel so sick and incredibly tired. i may or may not have told jeffrey that i'd lost the will to live - ha!
i know he loves me, but i'm thinking he might not have been too disappointed to be out of town on some of those business trips. i'm sure it was a nice little reprieve for him ;-)

thanks again for all of your sweet messages - it was so much fun to read all of them! i'm sure i'll be updating again soon. hopefully more frequently now!! :)
happy monday, friends!

oh! and don't forget....
use TTT20 to get 20% off your goat & lulu order through 1/31. order your valentine shirts today!!

three's a crowd...???

...details coming soon ;-)

same; yet different...

it's funny to me how striking the differences can be between libbi and laney. the older they get, the more their individual personalities shine through, and the more we see just how unique each girl is. it's true that our girls really don't look too much alike physically; libbi is blonde headed, blue eyed, and fair skinned while laney is brown headed, brown eyed, and olive complected. and their demeanors are just as unique.
it's so interesting to see that while they are SO much alike in some ways, in other ways, they are complete opposites. 

laney is a "hugger" through and through. that girl will hug anyone and anything. if it's a tangible object, she'll kiss it. no questions asked. she is very affectionate and always wants to give her daddy "loves" and gladly hands out "sugars" to anyone that asks. 
libbi, on the other hand, would much prefer a high five to a hug. don't get me wrong, she has her moments where she loves to snuggle and show affection, but that's just what they are: her moments. it's always on her terms and if she initiates it. she does not like being asked for a hug or a kiss, she almost always turns down the offer. but if she approaches you for a hug, you better believe she'll squeeze you and love you till you're blue in the face. 

libbi is very cautious. she's brave, but cautious. she likes to assess the situation before she jumps in. she is quite the perfectionist and wants to make sure she knows exactly what's going on before she attempts something new. laney, however, would dive into a pool of sharks without thinking twice if it looked like something fun to do. she watches libbi scale the furniture and leap off and immediately she's attempting to do it, too. i can't tell you how many times she face planted off the couch as she yelled "JUMP!" because she was just that sure that she knew how to jump off (clearly, she didn't). libbi is constantly surprising me with what she can do and how skilled she is at doing it. laney is constantly surprising me with what she'll attempt next. 

both girls love to dance. dance parties are very popular at our house and can happen on a nightly basis. they love to dance around the living room and sing. but while libbi prefers to do her "ballet" or dance with daddy as her prince (to princess songs, of course!) laney would rather "freestyle" all over the place to "i like to move it, move it."
it definitely makes for a diverse dance party! 

libbi is an observer. you can tell that she's always watching what's going on around her and taking everything in. she listens to everything (especially conversations that she is NOT involved in!) ;-) and pays attention to all the little details that sometimes we don't even notice. laney on the other hand, is a "doer" she likes to try new things and dive in head first. she doesn't worry about the ins and outs, she just knows that she wants to GO! 

libbi can be shy, but she's really good about going new places and meeting new people. she may be timid at first, but she's okay with being dropped off in the childcare at the gym, or going to sunday school, or joining a ballet class. she's especially adamant that she does NOT want me to walk her into school. 
laney still screams every.single.sunday when we drop her off at church. she's been in the same class with the same teachers at the same church every sunday for over a year and she still screams every time. thankfully, she now calms down and we're no longer paged, but it would still be nice if she didn't act like we were leaving her for dead every sunday. 
...and i'm sure if my mom is reading this she will probably say it's just "payback" ;-)

laney has one volume and one speed. she is always at a 10 and never stops moving. one of her first words was, "go!" and she definitely wants to "go!" all the time. we sometimes (lovingly, of course) call her "shrek" because she is just so loud and rough. she stomps all around the house and pretty much yells instead of talking. she is always yelling, "BIBBI!!!!" or "MOMMMMMA!" and "DA-DA!" just because she can. and she has NO hearing problems. her ears have been checked, her hearing is perfect. she's just a loud talker. laney wakes up (at 6:30am, thankyouverymuch) and is immediately ready to go. there's not snuggling, no lying in bed, no downtime. as soon as she wakes, she's ready for the day. 
now libbi, well, she can "veg" with the best of 'em. that girl loves her a good movie night or a nice pallet on the floor. she could lie in my bed all day and watch tv... and she's always been like that. when she was laney's age, she used to go get her lovey and her paci and tell us "nigh-nigh" and she was ready for bed. we'd take her upstairs to bed and hear her talking and laughing over the monitor for the next 30 minutes or so. we'd laugh and say that she just needed her "alone time" and truth be told, she did. and she still does. there are many mornings that she wakes up and will just stay in her bed for a while relaxing. you do NOT mess with her in the mornings. she will speak when she's ready, she will eat when she's ready. and she'll let you know if she's not. 

the list of differences could go on and on. our girls are one of a kind, that's for sure. but there is definitely one thing that they agree on... 
sisters make the best friends. 

sponsors and discounts!!

now that christmas has come and gone, it's time to start thinking about valentine's day!! :) 

because i have two little girls, i tend to love valentines day more so for the adorable pink/red/heart ensembles than anything else! we start wearing our valentine clothes mid january so we can get as much wear out of them as possible. this year's valentine shirts are some of my favorites so far! 

how cute is this shirt?!?!?! 

i am in love with the baseball tee and the name on the back. (don't worry, libbi has one, too...i just couldn't take a picture of hers because she may or may not have already taken it up to her room and tried it on 1,000 times). 

i ordered these shirts from the ever fabulous Goat & LuLu. Amanda has SO many cute valentine designs for both girls AND boys.

hugs and kisses raglan tee

on the wings of love shirt

Goat & Lulu will be accepting valentine orders until January 31st. Order your shirts, today! Make sure to use the code TTT20 and receive 20% off your order!!! 

once you have your adorable Goat & Lulu shirt, you'll need some bows to go with it! Make sure to check out polkadot posies for all of your valentine (and everyday!) bows. Not only are they super affordable, but they ship incredibly fast, and withstand being pulled out by little hands all day long ;-) 

and finally, once your little cutie is decked out from head to toe in their adorable valentine gear, they'll need some valentines to pass out to their friends! 

why not make your own this year? with the mymemories software, creating your own printables, cards, and stickers is easier than ever! i made these cards this morning in just about five minutes. so easy! 

make sure to check out mymemories to download the mymemories software version 4.0. if you enter in STMMMS42656 at checkout, 

you will receive a $10 discount!! :) 

Thank you to all of the wonderful sponsors for offering such generous discount codes and such fabulous products! 

Happy Shopping, Friends!! 

blessings...

libbi has a blessing that she sings at school before they eat lunch. she likes to sing it at home before supper - or really whenever the mood strikes. ;-)

she'll usually preface the actual prayer we say before meals with her own personal blessing. laney has gotten pretty fond of it, too. we've noticed that she now says her own "blessing" before she eats anything! i have no idea what she's saying (singing?) but she typically follows it up with a hearty, "AMEN!"

I caught both the girls on video the other day saying their "blessings" 

it should be noted that when they sing the blessing at libbi's school they say, "ah-men" (we usually say A-men) so libbi feels certain that they're saying, "oh, man!"

enjoy....and be blessed! ;-)

little helpers...

sometimes i wonder why it's so hard for me to get things done around the house since i have two willing helpers at my beck and call. my girls are more than willing to "help" whenever they see a need.

take laundry, for example. it's hard to explain how much laney loves clean laundry.
whenever i have a load of clothes fresh out of the dryer, she can't help herself. she HAS to face plant into the clean pile of clothes and roll around in it like a pig in the mud. it doesn't matter if she's eating, playing, reading, whatever. like a moth to a flame, that girl is drawn to clothes straight out of the dryer. and not only that, but she also thinks that every pair of libbi's panties is her own personal hairnet. you can imagine how much this thrills libbi.

cooking is a breeze - especially when i have two (apparently starving) little girls hanging over the babygate into the kitchen barking out orders. you'd never guess they had just eaten a snack a mere 30 minutes prior. for some reason, as soon as i enter the kitchen, they feel the need to "help" direct me. it's a wonder i make it out alive. see also: this is why i love the crockpot. ;)

libbi can really be a good helper...when she wants to be. but i guess the same could be said for all of us. :)
she is quick to help laney open drawers or reach toys that are up too high, she's also quick to "help" laney try things that she knows are off limits. but that's what sisters are for, right?

libbi is constantly monitoring the state of laney's diaper. if i had a nickel for every time i heard, "momma, i think she really did poop!" i could easily pay someone else to change diapers for me. :) only that "someone" wouldn't be laney's three-year-old sister.

because you know what's not helpful? at all? when libbi tries to change laney's diaper herself. in fact, it's quite the opposite of helpful. yesterday, the girls were in the playroom and i THOUGHT they were playing with the dollhouse together so i walked into the kitchen to get supper started. the next thing i know i hear libbi yelling, "'MERGENCY! Laney really did poo-poo and it's on her hands!!" admittedly, i wasn't too concerned at first, because i knew that laney already had on her one-piece jammies and i also knew that she doesn't know how to unzip them by herself (thank goodness!)

so i wasn't really too worried at this moment. i thought libbi just might be confused. then i heard, "IT'S ON THE FLOOR!!" and i thought, what in the world??!
let me just tell you, i was not prepared for what i saw when i rounded the corner.
there was laney, lying on the floor, with her jammies completely unzipped and libbi was standing over her with a look of sheer panic. the diaper was no longer on laney's body. her hands were covered. her arms and chest were covered. and there was a small "pile" on the floor. neither girl was moving. i think they were both in shock.

and can someone please explain to me why laney acts like we are peeling off her toenails when we try to change her diaper, yet if LIBBI tries, she will lie completely still and not make a peep?! (thanks for the heads up laylay!)
how does THAT make any sense?!
needless to say, laney got a bath. libbi got a nice long lesson on ways that are appropriate to help and ways that are not. the carpet was cleaned. and supper was a little later than planned. oh, and i'm pretty sure jeffrey was saying his prayers of thankfulness that he had not made it home for work until the aftermath had been cleaned up. ;-)

life is always interesting and i've got two little helpers that make sure of it! but i wouldn't have it any other way (minus the whole diaper thing...) ;-)

christmas...in january :)

i just realized i never posted about christmas. oops. 

better late than never, right? i know we're into the first week of january, but i just can't move forward without one last christmas post! :)

it seems fitting that i'm just now writing about it since it seems as though our house and our girls! are just now recovering from it - ha! we did christmas at my mom and dad's on saturday morning, christmas at my mawmaw's on sunday afternoon, christmas with jeffrey's dad on sunday evening, christmas with jeffrey's mom on monday, and then our family christmas on (the actual) christmas day. so it's safe to say that our girls didn't know what to do with themselves once people weren't throwing gifts at them left and right. it's hard to teach about moderation and gratefulness during such an overwhelming time...amen?! we were reviewing with libbi before one of the family christmases about being appreciative and thanking the person who gave you a gift. we were trying to stress not flying through gifts and greedily asking for the next one. i thought we were getting through until she said, "but momma, i can just say "please can i have another present?" that's nice manners, right?!" well, yes.... and no. ;-)

when we were at buddy and mimzy's (my mom and dad's) laney was still recovering from her yucky bug earlier in the week. it took her a little while to warm up to opening presents. 

libbi, on the other hand, was ready from the get go. 

you'd think our girls weren't used to getting something new, seeing as how the couldn't even wait to get it out of the box before trying it out. oh well, they were excited!

and while some people may have santa at their christmas parties, we do things a little differently. we have Pocahontas. 'tis the season. ;)

libbi's only request from santa was the "dollhouse with all the princesses." 

and honestly, "Santa" debated long and hard about this gift. the reviews were terrible. absolutely terrible. and the price tag was even worse. but after much back and forth, we decided that it just wouldn't be christmas without buying one big hunk of junk that would make her more excited than anything else. 

and it's safe to say that all of the reviews were correct. the dollhouse is pretty much already hanging on by a thread. if it came with 50 pieces, we were down to 25 by lunchtime christmas day. but you know what? it was worth (almost) every penny. ;)

when libbi saw her dollhouse she was in complete shock. she didn't even want to touch it at first - ha! she and laney just kept staring at in awe. 

and then the shock wore off for laney and she started trying to climb the stairs and lie in the beds. and libbi began yelling "NO LANEY!" and we all joined in with a chorus of silent night. 

laney got her own dollhouse and some baby dolls. laylay loves her babies. 

the highlights of the morning for the girls were: 

libbi's box of bandaids and days of the week panties. 

laney's flashlight (that she thought was a phone). 

it's true what they say, though - there really is nothing like christmas when you have kids. cheesy as it may sound, we don't need any gifts - it's more than enough for jeffrey and i to just watch the joy on our girls' faces. 

smock swap...

i'm linking up with kelly today for the "smock swap"

check out her post for lots of other links to cute smocked clothing. 

click HERE to see the smocked items i'm selling  - happy shopping!