She Did It!

For those of you who always wondered if Miss Kristen Treibs would ever tie the knot. I'm here to say I proudly watched her walk down the isle, say her vows and marry Mr. Matt Murphy! I couldn't be happier for them. My very best friend has found a most wonderful man. I couldn't have hand picked a better match myself!

The weekend was full of great festivities. The groom's parents hosted a dinner at their house Thursday night. Those of us who returned to the hotel were kicked out of the hotel bar late that night.

Friday began with a fabulous bridesmaids luncheon at the Canoe Restaurant. The grounds were absolutely breathtaking, sitting along side the Chattahoochee River. Rehearsal and Rehearsal Dinner followed in traditional fashion that night. Saturday morning we got Kristen to the makeup counter, had hair done in the hotel, and shuffled off to the church around 4pm. The wedding was picture perfect. This bridesmaid cried through nearly the entire ceremony. (Yes, probably some left over hormones!)

For the reception, we were bused to Turner Field, home of the Atlanta Braves. The wedding reception was in the 755 club at the stadium. Very cool! I've never been to a wedding reception where you could watch football games on the TVs! Normally, if we're in football season, you can find the gathering of fans in the kitchen huddled around some radio! Kristen & Matt left in an array of sparklers at 1am.

The guests all were bused back to the hotel where many of my age group guests held our own after-party at the hotel pool. For someone who is longing to go to bed at 9pm, I held my own until 3:45! My father made sure we got to the airport on time and had me up at 6am! Ouch!

So, someone over here is very sleepy...but what else is new? I had a great time and sincerely couldn't be prouder to be part of Kristen's fantastic wedding weekend. Now, just have to hide the jealousy of knowing she's relaxing in Costa Rica while this tired momma is continuing the streak of sleepless nights. :)

Sleep is overrated!

Most of you who read my blog, probably know my friend Kristen. Well, she's tying the knot on Saturday in Atlanta!! Original plans were for Tom, Aubree & I to drive there while Brock stayed at Nana's. If I've learned anything in the past couple months, it's that things don't always go as I had planned! Tom is staying home with the kids and allowing me to have a much needed get away by myself. Seeing as how Aubree isn't the sleeper Brock was as a baby, 18 hours in the car would have been rough on all of us! I fly out in about 3 hours, so my next post will come from a very refreshed momma! I was getting sad thinking about going by myself, but somehow the kids must have known so they decided to make it easier on me. For some reason (is the moon at a strange phase or something???) both kids have had two very difficult nights. Between the two of them, I've had about 9 hours of sleep in the past two days. I'm sure Kristen will be so happy to know her maid of honor is coming this energized! ;)


Aubree was 6 weeks on Tuesday. Both Sunday and Monday nights she slept a stretch of 6 hours at a time, but the past two nights have been a completely different story. Here's hoping she was doing like I said and making it easier to leave...and Tom will have her back into shape by the time I get home. :)


Here are a couple pics from last night. Her midnight bath! My very gracious mother-in-law tells me to call/text at any time. After 3 hours of non stop crying...me included!...this very sleepy mommy had to call in for help. She recommended a warm bath. We did that and another bottle, and by 1:30 Aubree finally decided to give in and go to sleep. Only to wake back up again at 3, and 4! Oh, yes, I do love my little girl dearly.

Brock's BIG ACCOMPLISHMENT! He now gives kisses to his baby sister!!! I knew we'd get there! Just 6 weeks into this. Guess he figured out she's not going anywhere. He better get used to it.

Diagnosis = Colic

It's official, my fussy baby has been diagnosed with Colic. Life is throwing a lot of curves right now...guess it wouldn't be called "Life" without that! I pray that we can get through the very rough days, frequent rough nights, and all have the patience and sleep to remain calm and level headed for the next few months! Tom's mom is here right now and has been such a blessing. Last night alone, Aubree went down around 10, up at 10:05, down again around 11, up at 2:30, down at 3:30, up at 3:35. Sometime between then and 4, Janet graciously took over and she & Aubree were still in the recliner when I was getting Brock ready for school at 6:45 this morning! So as I've asked you all in the past, prayers...prayers...prayers!

When we were at the doctor, Aubree was weighed and this little gal is already up to 9 pounds, 15 ounces! Speaking of her...she's exercising her voice again so must run! Here's one of her more recent pictures...

Oh, I never did get a post in about my Hurricane Ike experience. To make a long story short, Cuero was supposed to be in the path, but luckily missed us completely. Nonetheless, Cuero cancelled school for two days, and the whole town shut down/boarded up. Even after the path had indicated a shift away from the town, everyone was freaking out. Here is a picture of a house boarded up. It's a darn good thing they boarded up this house...because it would have been just terrible if any damage had been done. (sarcasm at it's greatest) I didn't get any pics of the front, but it was more boarded up, and a few windows had been boarded from the inside. On a serious note, I pray for everyone who was affected by Ike. We were spared, but everyone was not that lucky. I have lots of family in the path of Ike, and am very happy to report everyone is OK!

Happy Belated Grandparents Day!

I'm sad to report that Grandparents day has come and gone...and I'm just now realizing it! Aubree has met all of her grandparents so far...but unfortunately has only met one of her five GREAT Grandparents! To have five great grandparents living is quite a blessing in itself. I hope we can get down to the El Campo/Houston area soon so she can meet her 3 other great grandmothers and her one and only great grandfather!

Happy Belated Grandparents Day...

Nana! (Lori's mom - currently blessed with two adorable grandchildren!)

Grammy! (Tom's mom - and Aubree makes THREE adorable grandchildren! On the right is Avery - Craig & Cathy's beautiful 9-month old.)

Paw Paw! (Lori's dad - currently blessed with two adorable grandchildren!)

Grandpa Tony! (Tom's dad - again, Aubree makes three...but we don't have Avery pictured here.)

GG (Lori's maternal grandmother - GG is VERY excited that this is her FIFTH great grandchild...but the FIRST whose name does not start with "BR"!!!! Lori's cousin Kyle has three kids: Brett, Brooke and Brendan. Add Brock in there and she has her tongue tied!! We won't tell GG that Aubree's nick name one day could be "Bree"!!!!)

We love you all! And we love Great Grandma Dornak, Great Grandma Benich and Great Grandma & Grandpa Biggs who we hope to see soon!

Today's Miracles

God works in mysterious ways. I've been wondering when in the world Brock was going to warm up to his baby sister. Today he actually held her!!! Okay, okay...I resorted to bribery! (But bribery hasn't worked in the past and it worked today...so that is progress!) Now, what the camera did NOT capture, was after the first "snap", Brock whipped his arm out from under Aubree, leaving her to drop. She was just fine since they were up against the couch, but I had to laugh. I was able to convince him to take a few more, but I figured I was pressing my luck and this was the best picture I got. Hey, I'll take it!!

Another miracle for today is the fact that little miss Aubree slept for 5 consecutive hours last night! She slept from 12-5, giving this sleep-deprived mommy a much needed break! It's amazing what a few hours more of uninterrupted sleep can do for a person. Aubree has actually seemed to be in a better mood today too...so maybe it helped more than me! So I thank each of you who read yesterdays post and prayed! It's been a better day already!

That's all for now...short & sweet...and maybe we'll get more posts in!

Prayer Request

I don't know how many people actually read my blog. For kicks I'd like to say everyone checks it daily! ;) Whether there is one or many of you, I have a favor to ask today. Someone very close to me is in trouble with their marriage. Her husband is lost and can't determine where his heart lies. I pray with her for God's guidance and comfort. I pray He can help lead this couple down the right path. I pray He shows them that anything is possible if they have faith in God, themselves and each other. They have built so much in their relationship and like us, have small children at stake. Please say a prayer for this couple today and more often if you can. I know their marriage can be saved if they look to God and follow his lead.
(And if anyone has an extra prayer lying around...one for my very fussy baby girl would be appreciated!)

Thanks everyone!!!

Then and Now

I've had a hard time snapping pictures of Miss Aubree. I don't know if its the 3 1/2 year old I'm trying to keep up with...or the fact that she doesn't frequently let me put her down long enough to grab the camera! I'm sure everyone who has looked at the first round of pictures will quickly disagree, but to my defense...those were mainly taken when there were a lot more helping hands around here! Anyhoo, in the pictures we have taken, I've had a good time comparing them to Brock. Some of the most entertaining ones are not necessarily the differences/similarities between her and Brock, but the changes in other people holding these kiddos! Let me share some of them with you!

Uncle Jeffrey - 3 1/2 years ago and now

Aunt Meredith - 3 1/2 years ago and now.

The Lounger...like brother...like sister...

The first sleepy smile...

That's all I have time for tonight, will try to get another post in soon!

My Mother was right!

Approximately 3 1/2 years ago, my mother told me "You will never have another baby as good as this one." Well, as dearly as I love this little angel of mine, she was right! While Aubree looks just like her big brother, their personalities are already extremely different! She is going to be my difficult child...but all of us girls are, right? :) She is three weeks old today. She is now starting to outgrow her newborn outfits. We are still up every 2-3 hours and very tired! She knows what she wants and she lets you know when she's not getting it! She LOVES to be held and exercises her lungs when she isn't, which leads to some very exhausting days for mommy!
This week we're hanging out at my mom's in Cuero. Tom is back in grad school two nights a week and at just three weeks into this...it's still pretty challenging on my own! Big Brother has started helping out more, however, he still will not hug or kiss her!

The visitors have begun to wind down at home. In the past three weeks, we've had someone there for all but 5 days. We've loved seeing family and I've loved the extra hands to help! Next week though it's time to establish our routine!

I'll try to get the next post out here sooner! Since I'm at my mom's right now, I'm having a hard time attaching pictures to this one. I'll try to add some soon.

Ta-ta for now! The countdown is on until someone starts crying again! ;) Seriously...never a dull moment! But I wouldn't have it any other way!