Our Newest Addition

Brynn Elisabeth Driskell
Born April 14, 2009
8:02 am
7 lbs 4.5 oz
20 in

Here she is...our long awaited gift!!
Brynn is such a sweet baby and we are so thankful to have her in our lives.

This is Brynn before we went home from the hospital. Her mittens look huge on her...maybe they could be used for boxing her big brothers:)

Carter LOVES his little sister. Every morning when he gets up he looks forward to seeing Brynn. He is such a great big brother!!

        This is Nate petting Brynn. Apparently, he thinks she is sort of like a puppy. But at least he's nice to her. He has really done well with his new baby sister. He gives her kisses and gets really concerned when she cries. He's been really clingy with Jeremy since her arrival, but I'm sure this is just one of those many phases of childhood. But overall, we're really proud of our Nater tot!!

Our Threesome--What a blessing!!!!!

The Monster Virus

This has been a quite eventful weekend for the Driskells.  Somehow, we all managed to get the stomach flu, all just a few hours apart.

It started on Friday night.  Nate vomited in the car twice on the way back from my parents.  I thought maybe he just ate something bad or something didn't settle well with his stomach.  Then on Saturday, I started feeling nauseous and getting sick (using this term very loosely) around 11 am.  I had to leave the Easter egg hunt that the boys were at, so I missed all the fun and games. Around 4, I started getting nervous about all the fluids I was losing and the contractions that kept getting stronger.  I was assuming that was due to being dehydrated.  So, we called the Doctor and they said I should come in to get an IV and check the baby.  We went to the hospital and the boys stayed with my parents.

While I was at the hospital, my contractions were getting stronger and the baby's heart rate kept rising to about 200 bpm.  They said if it kept up like that, we may have a baby sooner than we thought. Thankfully, that did not happen.  After a few hours of having the fluids, I was doing better and the baby's heart rate started settling down.  

While we were at the hospital we got a phone call from my parents that BOTH boys were getting sick.  I told Jeremy to go home and that it looked like things were going to be alright with me and the baby.  Around 1 am I got discharged from the hospital and by that time Nate was doing better but Carter was waking up every 15 minutes or so getting sick.  Then around 4-5 am, Jeremy started getting sick.  What a mess....there has been many loads of laundry done in the last 24 hours.  And to make matters worse, my mom started getting sick this morning also.  This has been a very vicious bug.  Thankfully, we are all on the upswing (obviously, or I wouldn't be writing about it) and hopefully, by tomorrow we will be doing even better.

So, just a little story for you all.  I hope it wasn't too descriptive (trust me it could have been MUCH worse:).  I hope everyone else is feeling good!

I'm back

Hello Everyone!!  I'm sorry it's been so long, but I have had A LOT going on lately.  I don't have any pictures, so I will update you all on my (our) life in general.  Here it goes...

I am almost done with school!!!!  YEAH!!!  Only about two more weeks left and it will be behind me.  I am so relieved!!  The past three months I had to intern at a private school AND take three online courses to finish up the program.  It has been quite a journey.  Despite how tired I am, I have definitely learned a lot though.  So, at least I can say I benefited from all the stress.  I suppose this is why I haven't updated my blog.  I haven't taken any pictures lately and all my free time was taken up by school work.  Pretty bad excuse, I know, but I had to come up with some reason for my laziness:) 

I believe everyone knows this but we are having a baby on April 14th (at 7:30 am).  Again, another thing to be REALLY excited about.  I can't believe it is three weeks away.  We still have some work to do on her room, so we will be quite busy over the next three weeks putting it all together.  I'm so excited to see her! 

Our third bit of big news is that Jeremy got a job.  He is still doing his business on the side, so he is really busy.  He had to start looking for a job once the housing economy started sinking and here we are today.  Many of you know this but he is traveling now, which a complete 180 from the way it was before.  This has been a real awakening for me.  He used to be home 24 hours a day and now he is traveling 3-4 days every other week (which changes week by week).  It's hard when he's gone, the boys and I really miss him.  It has been going very good though.  The boys have been adjusting well and I have learned that I am much stronger than I though I was.  So, I suppose that's good!  However, in three weeks that is all going to change, so you might see another update about how crazy I've become;)  Just kidding...I hope that doesn't happen!!

I can't really think of anything else that has been going on.  I will keep you all updated.  Hopefully, I will have some pictures to show soon.  I know I will when our little girl gets here!!  I hope everyone is doing good!!

5 Years Ago (December 20, 2003)...

I was getting married to "The One"...  

I love you so much, Jeremy!!

Happy Anniversary!!

Thank you for being the most caring and loving husband and father.  You are my best friend and I love sharing my life with you.  I still look forward to every new day I am blessed to have with you (yes, even those loooong days:).  Thank you for always making me laugh and the NWS (sorry, inside joke). You're the best, baby.  And you may not be perfect, but you're perfect for me!!  I love you so much and I thank the Lord for you!!

Great idea Dillehays!!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Guess What??? We're Having a.....

Girl!!!!!!

(I still can't believe it:)

Tag :)

I was tagged by Tabitha a few days ago to answer the following questions:

10 years ago I...

1. Was in my first semester in college

2. Lived with my parents in Winnebago, IL  (yes, it's a town too:)

3. Never thought that in ten years I would live in Florida and be married and pregnant with child # 3

4. Only used a cell phone for emergencies

5. Thought I would look and feel a lot older in 10 years  :)

5 Things on today's to do list..

1.  Finish homework

2. Get ready for tutoring tomorrow

3. Set back every clock in the house

4. Eat some halloween candy.. YUM

5. Plan for next week

5 snacks I enjoy..

1. Popcorn

2. Sunkist Soda

3. Grits with bacon (don't ask)

4. Olives

5. Celery and pimento cheese

5 Places I have lived..

1. North Augusta, SC

2. Winnebago, IL

3. Dekalb, IL

4. Claremont, FL

5. Fort Myers, FL

5 jobs that I have had..

1. Shoe salesman-Warehouse Shoes

2. College microbiology lab (cleaning petri dishes - yuk)

3. CNA on the Renal Unit at Rockford Memorial Hospital

4. Front-end assistant manager- The Fresh Market

5. Substitute Teacher- ECS (and school district prior)

5 people I tag..

1. Dale/Brooke Hasting

2. Iwona 

3. Ryan

4. Monica

5. Jeremy

Halloween:)

Halloween was so much fun last night. We received A LOT of candy!!

Carter was a ninja

Nate was a "Hair Wolf"

Wedding pictures

We went to Jeremy's cousin's wedding in Georgia this past weekend and Carter was an "escort" for the flower girl. The kids did so good and the wedding was beautiful! Here are some pictures of Carter in his big boy suit.

Nate's Birthday Party

Here are some pictures of Nate's Birthday party! We had tons of fun and we were so happy to have our good friends join us.

Yummy cake!

Our big boys playing some basketball

The fantastic 4:) Please note the photogenic girls on the right!

All the kids (minus Nate..he was a little upset)

Nate's ONE!!

Happy Birthday Nate!!  

Wow...I can't believe it's been one year!  Here are some pictures of my little Nate....

This is a picture from this morning.  Carter gave him this microphone as a gift after breakfast and he really loved it.  It's so funny to hear him talk into it!

ONE YEAR OLD

My boys...  such wonderful little boys!!!

Nate's Song

Ok, so we are kind-of a dorky family and we like to make silly songs.  We recently made up this song about Nate and we wanted to share it with you all.  I hope you enjoy!!

To the tune of I'm a Little Teapot:

I'm a little Nater-tot, 

short and stout.

Here is my smile,

here is my pout.

When I get hungry,

hear me SHOUT!

Get me some food, 

and put it in my mouth.

Carter actually thought of the Nater-tot part (before that, it was Monster...also appropriate:)

As for an update, I am doing well.  I am about 11 weeks along now (time flies).  I'm still doing school online and will be until December.  I'm going to start tutoring soon, so I'm really excited about that.  I really enjoy tutoring because I really feel like I'm helping students.  How rewarding!!

Anyway, Nate will be turning ONE soon and, boy, this time has gone by so fast.  I think of all that I have done during that time and I'm shocked to look back and see now that is just a memory. Now my next goal is to finish school.  I can't wait for that to be a memory:)  It's crazy to think that in April of next year, I will have a third child and be finished with school.  So, April will be a big month for me (and my family, of course).  Yeah!!

Well, I hope everyone is doing well.  Sorry, I don't have any pictures to post.  I'll be honest, I haven't taken any in so long (that's why I haven't done Wordless Wednesday...sorry Tabitha:).  I have no excuses, I'm just not keeping up these days.  Take care!!

Dr. Appointment

We had our doctor appointment yesterday and it went really well!!  I am about 8 weeks along, which sets me due for the middle of April.  We got to see and hear the heartbeat (which as many of you know, is one thing in the beginning of pregnancy you wish to see).  I thought that by the third pregnancy, I would think that all of this is "old news."  But it's by far the opposite; I find it even more amazing!!  WOW!! 

Also, for those of you who are wondering why I haven't posted for a while...well, I'm back to school.  I started 3 weeks ago, and of course, it takes up a lot of my free time:(  And due to the fact that my body is going through some changes, I'm pretty tired.  So, after my work is done, I'm off to bed.  But I've decided that I will try to post more during my "free" time.  

I hope everyone is doing good!! 

 

Wordless Wednesday (I finally remembered:)

Big News!!

Ok, some of you already know this but I have some big news for you...     

Driskell #3 is on the way!!  (Sorry Mark, I really liked your idea about making it a game, but I was getting tired so I decided to make the big news more obvious:)

Anyway, because this is our third child and I know we will be getting a lot of questions, I decided to go ahead and answer them ahead of time. 

Kelly's  "Frequently Asked Pregnancy Questions":

1.) Were you trying?

No, but what a GREAT surprise!

2.) Do you want a girl because you have two boys?

Tough question, either way we are blessed to be adding on to our family.  Of course, parts of me would love to have a little girl but I would also be just as happy having three little boys running around the house;).  

3.) How far along are you?

5 weeks

4.)  What is the due date?

Sometime around mid-April.

5.) Will you be having any more children?

I have a feeling we may stop at three, but then again we may feel differently 5 or 10 years down the road.  Who knows what the Lord has in store for us?!

6.)  What does Jeremy think about all of this?

Happy, scared, excited, work, work, work, work, work....just kidding, he was really happy when we found out (in fact, he may have been a little more happy than me initially, if you can believe that).  I think I was just a little shocked by it all at first...but now...YEAH, baby # 3!!

Thank you all for being there to share our wonderful news!!  I hope you all are doing well!!

                                                                                   

I just wanted to wish all of my teacher friends a great year!! 

Study hard kiddos!!

Blog Revamp

I got really bored with my old template, so I decided it was time to change it up a bit. I hope you all like it!!

Today was interesting...ok, well not really, but I did realize something. I had one of "those days" with the boys, if you know what I mean. Toward the end of what seemed to be a long day, I was watching Carter come up the stairs with Bear Bear and I thought, "Man, is that cute; he still needs his Bear Bear." Just seeing him walk up those stairs with his teddy bear in his arms made me realize that he is still such a young boy and that I really need to cherish this time with him. I think sometimes I tend to focus on him growing up that I forget to allow him to act his age. All I can say is that I am working hard and learning every step of the way. Despite these minor issues, you know what's best of all? .... I absolutely love being a mother to my two wonderful boys:)!!

On a lighter note, I wanted to share these pictures with you...

Ok, so I know it's a little mean, but I couldn't resist. I wanted at least one picture before we cut his hair:)

Carter actually took this picture and it turned out good. Future photographer? Who knows?

Ok Driskells, this one's for you. The ultimate chipmunk face!!

Finito!!

Don't let the Spanish title fool you, I really don't know Spanish all that well...

Anyway, I'm finally finished with my summer courses (hooray!). Well, actually I've been done for a week but I wanted to take a week and do nothing (as if that's possible:). I start my next class at the end of August, so I have until then to get some stuff done at home!!

The past five weeks seem like such a blur to me. It is really amazing how time flies when you're so busy. It's actually kind of sad when you think about all things that you can miss by being too busy. But with that being said, I have to admit I actually like being busy, not too busy, but just enough to feel productive. However, this intense summer was a little past my comfort zone! No complaints though...as you can see, we all survived and probably five years down the road I'll be saying "I can't believe I went back to school, how in the world did I do it?!"

Anyway, enough of that. During the time I was going to school, Jeremy worked hard on extending our lanai and building a playground for the boys. We're so happy that our backyard is finally feeling more like "home." Here are some random pictures of the boys on their swings and around the house. Hope you enjoy!!

The boys REALLY love their swings!!

I really liked this picture because you can see Nate's two bottom teeth.
I love those kind of grins!!

Don't ask why Carter insists on having his lounge chair & umbrella inside.
Such a goof ball!!

Carter told me that he really liked this picture, so I wanted to honor his opinion by posting it on my blog. I'm sure it will make him very happy!!

Color Quiz

Ok..call me crazy, but I love taking quizzes. I find them to be a lot of fun. I found this interesting quiz called the "Color Quiz" and I wanted to share it with all of you. My result analysis is pretty deep; I didn't even realize I had all of these subconscious thoughts (I guess that's why they are subconscious:). I'm not sure how accurate it is, but it is entertaining, so I would suggest that you all take a little time away from whatever you are doing take this short quiz. Have fun and let me know your results...

Also, look at the last "problem" in my color analysis. It reads, "The fear that she may be prevented from achieving the things she wants leads her into a relentless search for satisfaction in the pursuit of illusory or meaningless activities." HMMM...so that is why I'm spending my time taking this quiz. I guess that would be accurate:)

Kelly took the free ColorQuiz.com personality test! "Her need to feel more causative and to have a wide..." Click here to read the rest of the results.

Blogging Withdraw

Wow..it's been about 2 weeks since I have last posted.  So, I decided to procrastinate my school work a little longer to share a little of my life over these past couple of weeks for all of my dedicated viewers (okay, so maybe my 3 dedicated viewers, but you still count:)... 

For those who don't know, I am taking classes at FGCU (yes, my husband is married to a college girl:) and I am extremely busy.  It's so funny going back to school; I walk around campus surrounded by all of these young adults just out of high school and I am thinking "this is strange, I actually feel kind of old."  I know I look about the same age as most of them; at least that's what I hear; however, I'm still in denial about that!  I have 2 kids, shouldn't I be able to reap the benefits of being maternally respected by the younger population.  When will that time come..?  :)  Ok, so it's not that serious but it is sort of funny how I seem to fit in with the "college" crowd!!

Anyway, to go on...The classes I am taking have about 80 "old" people; all of which have bachelors degrees and wish to become certified teachers.  The program is a real blessing in so many ways.  First of all, it has made me realize that I have been called to be a teacher.  I love teaching; as well as I love learning.  Secondly, the class is grant funded, so I will not have to owe any money (YEAH!).  And third, it is a great program, with great and caring instructors who all love what they are doing.  You can't get much better than that!!  (And in case you are wondering, no, this is not a marketing ad for FGCU, I'm just truly blessed to be in this program.) 

Well, I would love to stay and write but I have to go to bed now.  I've got to get up bright and early for school...  Here are some pictures we have taken over the last couple of weeks.  I hope everyone is doing great and I'll see you all soon!!!  

Me and my wonderful boys (I've missed them over the past 2 weeks).

Nater tot...

Driskell boys..