Sweet Home Alabama

Happy 4th of July!! (a couple of months late!)

I've been a little slow on posting lately, but that doesn't mean I have been a little slow:) Arthur has been incredibly busy with flight school (only 2 days left!). When he is finished, he will return to what is called a 'hold'. We will have a LOT more time together then! For now, it has been like finals week Freshman year of college since March-with a newborn around the house!

Pictures of the kiddos at Aunt Bridget's house! We had to have a photo op of the cousins together! (Garrett-11, Georgia-9, Aden-5, Angel-3 months)

Mama and Angel together in the pool for the first time!

Aunt Cyonne came for a visit!

So, Angel is doing absolutely amazing! She is now 16 weeks old, and looks like she's about 6 months old! She is rapidly going through her closet that is full of sweet little pink, purple, and yellow outfits. About a week ago, she started sleeping through the night. I think that it has something to do with a little thing called her thumb! That's right, I have a little thumb-sucker! It's cute for now, maybe not so much later:) She smiles all the time, and loves to have someone talk to her! She can carry on a conversation like any good girl can!

Aden is also doing great! His first day of Kindergarten was on Friday, so this will mark his first full week of all day school! We met his teacher and ran into some kids that he knew on Thursday night at his open house. Last school year, he had 4 or more friends move away and was a little nervous about meeting all new kids. Also, he has made friends with our neighbors and they get to ride the same bus to school! We have spent most of the summer playing in our pool in the backyard. Since Arthur is so busy, I usually lay Angel down for a good long nap and we go splash around. He has become an incredible swimmer and quite the little water dog! I really could go on and on about how proud I am of him making new friends, being incredibly flexible attending new activities, adjusting to being a big brother, and helping me around the house! That could be an entire blog in itself!

We also went home during July for a much anticipated visit with family! Interestingly enough, we have had family visit almost every weekend since March-and I am not complaining! It has done wonders for Aden's memory of family, helps me keep the house clean;), and has allowed the visitors to see Angel in different stages of her life so far. We decided to head up to AR and OK to pay them a visit in return. Don't get me wrong, I don't recommend driving 15 hours with a newborn and a 5 year old, but the trip was so worth it! Aden travels like a champ, and Angel was only fussy for about 20 minutes there-and maybe an hour on the way back!

I love a sleeping baby, and my sister is the best at getting them to cuddle!

Now that we are back, I have been looking forward to getting more active in church. We have recently split our life group into two groups, and Arthur has taken on the role of the facilitator. Tonight was our first night to host, and we had a really great time! It's so nice to be around other couples that share your faith and struggles-all while attending to young ones! We are given such beautiful gifts from God, and being a mother is hands down the most challenging job that I can think of. Arthur would say that being in the ARMY is no easy task, and I can't deny that the men and women that serve our country put their lives on the line every day! I don't really get into that much danger when I go to the library or the grocery store! We also have a great MOPS organization and Bible studies that I'm looking forward to getting involved in. It's amazing how much your schedule fills up when you have a husband and children to take care of!

Also...Happy 5th Birthday to Mackenzie Manthe! Aden will be turning 6 on August 23rd! I can't believe how much you both of grown!

The joys of being a mom...

One thing I haven't really mentioned is how happy I am to be a new mom! There are so many joys that come with it! Here are a few to mention (among the many):

*Feeling her tiny fingers wrap around mine

*Watching her melt with relief when she hears my voice

*The excitement I feel every time I hear a burp or see a 'poopy' diaper

*Quiet moments in the middle of the night when I feed her

*Pulling her hands through the arm holes in onesies-I feel like I've accomplished a mission every time



*Her contentment as she takes a warm bath

*Her bald head:)

*Tiny FEET!! They are my favorite!

*Random smiles that are so big and quick-there's so way to capture them on camera

*Watching Aden sing to her or play peek-a-boo, even though she probably can't see him yet-he's a great big brother! I can see God's preparation in his heart and actions

*Seeing Daddy be a natural born father! He makes it look easy!

Okay, so here are some pics that have been taken since she was born. She's 7 weeks old today!

We love the beach!

Well, things here just keep getting better! We've had visitor after visitor, which is incredible for how far away we live. Our family is keeping us happy and healthy! We've also been incredibly active lately.

Arthur's school has taken a turn and he is currently gone until about 8 pm. We take trips to the library, in town to VBS, and any other random errand I can think of. Aden finished school on Tuesday, and has had 4 different sets of friends over already this week! Angel just sleeps through the kiddos or is excited about the new faces she sees. I have also been enjoying cooking/baking again. I made some Arthur some dinner by candle light last night to surprise him after a hard day...Aden was sleeping, Angel was grunting, and we were both tired:) We enjoyed some good food, though!

Last Saturday we decided to head to Destin for the day. Rough, huh? We packed our boards, lunches, towels, and sunblock as quick as we could. Angel was an absolute doll! I fed her a bottle as soon as we got there, and then she slept for the next 3 hours while we played. Mission accomplished! I did get in the water to jump the waves with Aden, but no swimsuit pictures will be posted this summer!:) Aden made a friend and dug sand castles while Arthur and I enjoyed the nice breeze. We bought an above ground pool to play in for the summer. I'm sure I'll have lots of pictures to post later! If I can ever get my camera out! Geez. Angel is 6 weeks old, and I'm struggling to remember to take pictures. Uh oh. I've always heard the 2nd child gets photographed less. I sure hope not! I love to scrapbook:)

Life for the 4 A's...

So, there are many positive things that are happening since I'm not pregnant anymore! First of all, I get to hold and kiss the feet of the most beautiful girl in the world! (I'm a little biased) Also, I can wear shoes other than flip flops, eat tomato based meals without fear of heartburn, I can breathe again, and I sleep with only 2 pillows instead of 7! My energy is up and I'm feeling great!

Angel is truly and angel! There is no doubt in my mind that God had chosen her name for us, and spoke through Aden to get it here! No other name could suit this little girl! She's just precious! She sleeps most of the day, and gradually is beginning to have more 'awake' time. Today, I popped on some Norah Jones while I cleaned the house and she gently fell asleep after playing for an hour! I feel so blessed, and God is so good!!

Aden is doing amazing! He is doing such a good job as a big brother, almost like he was designed for it! He sings to her and helps without question. My favorite thing he does is sing to her, and as her crying gets louder-so does his song:) He finished his soccer season strong! His team was undefeated (until the last game, but that doesn't count for Aden, since he was in OK!!). He had a soccer party at a pizza place and got a trophy and a medal that he is so proud of! Some of the games, he scored up to 3 goals! He also had a play (The Very Hungry Caterpillar) at school last week. This week, he has a gymnastics recital, which I'm looking forward to watching! We take a weekly trip to the library and pick out new books and movies to tide us over. No t.v. here, so you can imagine keeping a 5 year old entertained while feeding a newborn every other hour! He's so much bigger than he was last summer! It's hard to believe that our little man is growing up!

Arthur is also doing wonderful! He is currently neck deep in flight school. We were able to watch him fly last Friday at his 'family day'. He works about 12 hour days, sometimes starting at 3:30 am. We run into each other, as I am giving a middle of the night feeding to a hungry little girl:) He studies hard, is staying in shape, being a great new father, and supportive husband all at the same time! Did I mention that I feel blessed?

I am working on a gift for Arthur...shhh, don't tell! Our one year anniversary is on Sunday (Angel will be 1 month old on the same day!). I have a book that says the 1 year gift in paper. Really, paper? I'll let you know what I come up with! He is making plans for us, but I'm secretly looking forward to unwrapping our wedding cake and eating it! Oh glorious day:)

P.S. This post has been ready since before May 17 (Our anniversary), but the computer didn't allow me to upload pics until now...and I wanted to show you what we've been up to!

Angel is here!

Have you ever had an answer to prayer? We have! This little girl now has Arthur, Aden, and I captivated, and she is absolutely an answer to our prayers!! Currently, Arthur is in flight school and his hours are extremely long. We both knew that when he started flight school, our best 'option' (as if to say we had one) was to have her over a weekend when he could be with us at the hospital. For two weeks in a row, the Doctor told me that I was progressing towards an early delivery.

Well, last Thursday night, I laid awake in my bed just praying that she would come during the next day. After about an hour and a half of only sleeping 5-10 minutes at a time, I decided that it was contractions that were waking me up! After timing contractions for 3 hours, packing our bags and waking up Aden at 4:00 am-we drove to the hospital! To make a long story short...labor went EXTREMELY WELL!! Thank you for all of your prayers from my previous post! I progressed rapidly without pain (until the hospital decided to give me pitocin to speed up the contractions). I soon received my epidural and went from 7 to 10 cm in about half an hour. Angel arrived at 11:58 am-only 12 hours since I had said my last prayer! That sure beats the 36 painful hours of labor with Aden!! She was born approximately 3.5 weeks early, but all of the doctors and nurses said you can't even tell! She's amazing!!

Later, I found out that my sister Bridget and my mom were also lying awake in bed that night praying for me!! Only God knew our individual prayers, and he took care of our small family like no one else could! No timing that Arthur and I could dream up would have ever compared to His PERFECT timing! Arthur was able to miss work on Friday, and stayed at the hospital with Angel and I until we came home! We had some amazing friends that were able to keep Aden until my sister Bridget and niece Georgia arrived. We came home Sunday evening with our arms full of blessings!

OH! I need to mention another blessing! I have recently mentioned attending MOPS meetings (Mothers Of Preschoolers). Well, yesterday, two of the women from the meetings called and are planning on setting up meals for us for all of next week!! Just another prayer answered that we didn't even ask for! God is definitely preparing the way for this family!

Okay, so here's the stats of our baby girl:

Name: Angel Michelle Clymer

Weight: 6 lbs 9 ozs (she's currently down to 5 lbs 13 ozs, but it's coming back up)

Height: 20 1/2 inches long

Birth date: April 17, 2009 at 11:58 am

Changing things up...

So, things are changing once again...we just can't sit still down here in Alabama!! First of all, I'm getting a new O.B. doctor-and I'm 28 weeks along! Whew! Can't wait to meet her, though! My friend, Julie, just delivered at an incredible hospital down here-so Arthur and I decided to make the switch. It's a female doctor, and the facility is MUCH nicer than the one we were going to settle for!

The night before Valentine's, Aden had his first dance at school:) The dance was at the elementary school, and of course all parents were invited. Well, my pregnant self was ready to bust a move on the dance floor, but Aden decided he would rather chase other little boys (not girls, mind you) and hit them with balloons. Arthur took pics for us since it was supposed to be a mother/son, father/daughter dance. He could have danced with my belly if he wanted to:) There's enough of it to go around!! On Valentine's Day, Arthur ordered pizza while I took a hot bath. It was GREAT:) The pizzas were shaped like hearts, and I was too hungry to take a picture of them first! Maybe next year!

Biggest change of all!!! We have decided to start going to a church that's not exactly what we are looking for, but have decided it's better to start getting plugged in somewhere than to keep looking. So, off to MOPS and hopefully Bible Studies in the near future! I'll keep you posted! We have been going on Sunday nights to a Dave Ramsey financial peace university class (a Biblically based class on living debt free and saving for the future). It has completely changed our lives!! We have put ourselves on a budget for every dollar earned, turned off our t.v. to save money (so long American Idol), and sold his big red truck to buy a less expensive vehicle. You heard me right!! Arthur had bought a 2007 Chevy Silverado last Spring...super nice, with tons of perks. We went car shopping this week, and found an incredible deal on a 2004 Honda Odyssey. I'll put pics up so you can see our new find!! Goodbye Chevy and Hello Honda!

Pregnancy clarified:)

Oops! I feel the need to clarify after reading some responses! I was not trying to vent or complain...just stating the truth in love:) Some people have great pregnancies. Some do not. I seem to be one of those people that have a tough time with it! I am incredibly grateful for the chance and blessing to have another bundle of joy on the way!! So excited in fact, I wish that she'd come today, and not in 13 weeks...but that may also just be me wanting to finish this pregnancy quickly:) Either way, thanks for your encouragement and thoughts! It's going to be great to post pictures so that you all can see her!! Wish that you could be here to hold her, too!! We'll just let you know how good that feels via blogging:)