Has Anyone Seem My 2yr Old and my Sanity?!?!

Phrases for the week: What is wrong with you? No, you can't do that! Get up off the floor and quit screaming! Alright, go to time-out! That's it give me that toy I'm taking it away!
Just to name a few. Seems as though over the past few weeks our sweet and innocent two year old, Ms. Autumn Marie has been abducted and replaced with a little fit-throwing, temper-tantrum yeilding gremlin!! (gremlin in a good way, which most of you don't know that we've been calling her for a long time. She loves to make gremlin noises and be scary). Starting about two months ago we were pretty sure she was starting to get into her terrible-twos. Well it is official and it has definitely began!

One of the first forms of punishment we tried was spanking (nothing but on the diaper...just enough to give her a pop back down-to-earth). Nope, the spanking does not work. Sometimes it does for Daddy but not for Mommy. Daddy gets the pouty lip when he spanks and Mommy only gets a hysterical laugh followed by her fleeing away as fast as she can while covering her hiney. So we've moved on to time-outs. Those seem to work for about 10min but then we're back to square one. So I've now resorted to time-outs combined with taking away favorite toys and her night-night blankie (which is her most sacred and prized possession, pretty sure a piece of her heart is attached with it at all times).

I'm sure this is just a phase...probably a rather trying and long one but none-the-less a phase. Lots of prayer and persistence are taking place. I'm learning new ways to work around it each day and some things are keepers others are just tossed out the window. I do believe the terrible-twos are most certainly for the birds!

While basking in our quandries of tantrums and shouting matches we also have something to celebrate. Her 2nd birthday party was a complete success!! Hard to believe it's already been two years since we were so greatly blessed. I still believe she was (and still is) a miracle. That once little 4lb baby has turned into the most beautiful and loving (yes I did say loving, somehow this gracefully fits in w/the terrible-twos!! Don't think I've ever meet a child more sharing, caring and loving than her) little girl.

She got clothes & I mean a ton of clothes, a barbie power wheels jeep (we've made improvement w/that too...she actually enjoys sitting in it now minus the movement but we'll get there), a swimming pool, sprinkler, bathing suit, coloring supplies, dress-up clothes, toys and so much more. Thank you to all the family and friends that helped celebrate her special day in her 2nd year of life. Even though she was terrified of getting in the jeep once she realized it moved...and she was scared of the fire (candle) that was on her birthday cake. But hey, at least she had fun bouncing around the balloons and playing w/her friends! After all the party was for her & that's what matters most.

Happy 2nd Birthday Autumn!!

They LOVE each other! 

Autumn & Cooper at Autumn's Party

Pouty face because there was fire on her cake...so we took it off.

Opening presents but 99% of the time the balloons were more entertaining!

Seeing her jeep for the 1st time w/Daddy!

Family Easter Celebration & also Autumn's Birthday! 

Great Aunt Lisa, Aubree, Autumn & Cousin Amanda playing piano! 

Hunting Easter Eggs w/our little family of 4! 

And of course she had to have a Dora Easter Egg Basket!

Just a little baby powder for decoration! 

Hebrews 12:11- "No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."

A Few Bragging Rights If I Say So Myself...

Sometimes you just have to brag a little about something that makes you incredibly happy. I feel like I have so many things to brag about in my life right now that my head gets a bit tipsy! Actually, I usually consider it being truly blessed and sharing the joy of it instead of bragging...but hey.

After being together with Travis for over 10 years and married to him for over 7, I finally feel like I'm fitting into my own skin more than ever....two college degrees and and two kiddos later that is. Seems like it's taken forever though...as weird as that may sound. I've done a lot of thinking & I mean a lot of thinking lately. Not to mention I've done even more praying than I have done thinking, if that's even possible.

I have so many things to be joyful about & brag about, if I may:

* We finally bit the bullet and installed new flooring in the house. It's so gorgeous and I absolutely love it. Funny how something like new flooring can encourage me to reorganize the house and "try" (key word, try) to keep it cleaner and more organized. If that's even possibly with one little tornado that runs around the house un-doing everything I just did, while carrying another little one around on my chest in a harness/pouch. I do say, it's pretty comical to watch Aubree's little arms and legs dangle as she sleeps while I stay busy around the house...how she sleeps through all of it I'll never figure out!

* I have two gorgeous and incredibly healthy daughters. Never would I have dreamed I could love someone (two little someone's) so much and still have love for other people and things. In my eyes they are perfect and the best gift God could ever give me.

* Travis worked his tail-end off to get hired as a firefighter for the city of Fort Worth. He applied July 2011 and just got the acceptance call yesterday for a job offer. I have never prayed with as much endurance about anything in my life and that prayer was answered. (Here goes the little bit of bragging I was referring to...!!) The application/testing pool started out with over 1,800 people. Slowly it dwindled it's way down. He made the cut and is 1 out of 32 people that were offered a job. His boot camp/training starts March 12. Did I mention 1,800 people?!?! That just blows my mind away that he survived the whole thing and made it. WOW!!! I do believe he's one tough/smart cookie!

* Even though $ is very tight right now, and is sure to only get tighter since Travis is switching careers I have been able to contribute in two ways to help the budget be a little more plump. Aubree is a pro at breast feeding so there's no need for formula...which is one less expense. I've never understood why mom's choose not to breastfeed it still baffles me a little (especially a stay at home mom). Also, I switched Autumn to cloth diapers from disposables...which I must say has been one of the biggest blessings! Yes it's more work washing them and prepping them each day and night but I can't tell you how nice it's been not having to buy diapers for over a month now. I LOVE it to pieces. Not to mention how incredibly cute the cloth diapers are!

* I was daydreaming the other day about how long it's been since I've had a "paying" job. I realized the last time I was out in the working world was June 2008. I'm still in shock that it's been that long since I've punched a time clock...just doesn't even seem real somedays! I have been incredibly blessed to stay at home with our girls. Years ago I would have told you that probably was never going to happen and just wasn't in the cards for us. Now that I've experienced it and have been doing it for so long I couldn't imagine doing anything else (at least not for a while longer). Yes one day I hope to be teaching Elementary school and I'm sure I'll love it too. But nothing will ever compare to being at home & raising our beautiful girls. It breaks my heart to think of dropping them off at a daycare or with someone else for more than 8 hours a day. I realize now everything I would have missed & I don't want to give that up for a few extra dollars.

* Lastly I can (oddly enough some of you will undoubtedly think) say I'm thankful I've kept on a fair amount of weight from my last pregnancy. It was so weird having to buy jeans that were about 4 to 5 times bigger than what I was wearing before I got pregnant. I'm aiming to keep that weight on and I'm loving it...at least for now. Now only if I can get my flat and smooth stomach back before bikini season...guess we'll see!

God has blessed our family beyond belief. There are so many things I have to be thankful for and I hope I never loose sight of that...even during the hard times that lay ahead.

Psalm 7:17- "I will give to the Lord the thanks due to His rightness and justice, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High."

One Month and Counting

Where has time gone??? I'm asking myself this more and more every passing day. Aubree Claire is a month old today and I feel like we just brought her home yesterday!
Seems like time has flown faster with Aubree since we brought her home than it did when we brought Autumn home! Some days I feel like I'm flying by the seat of my pants while I'm at home taking care of these two girls. I daydream back to the days before we had any kiddos and seriously wonder why my house wasn't spotless and what I actually did with my free time.

Aubree is changing so much every day and is really beginning to outgrow her newborn baby features which really makes me sad already. When she's awake she's bright-eyed and bushy-tailed 100%. We've dubbed her our little 'grunter & growler'. Pretty sure she's learned that from her sister and all the pups all the months in utero! (lol) It's a joy just to sit here and watch all her facial expressions while she's sleeping...those little eyebrows never stay still and her little mouth makes that perfect little oval shape that you just can't help but giggle over. She is getting a bit more hair & it's dark in color. Her eyes are still a very dark, deep blue and they are perfectly round and beautiful! Everyone is noticing that she has the hands of a piano player and takes after mommy with her toes and fingers. They are very long!!

I feel like I'm always snapping pictures and still never seem to get enough of these little girls & their rapidly growing moments in time. I know that if I don't get all the pics taken I'll soon easily forget the little things we've celebrated and laughed about time and again.

Autumn Marie is the best big sister we could have imagined Aubree would have. She never ceases to amaze us and what a kind and loving heart she has. From helping out with laundry, finding a lost binki (which is 99% of the day), picking up toys, throwing away diapers....and a dozen other things you'll always find Autumn helping Mommy out. She will randomly run up to Aubree (and Mommy & Daddy) and give hugs and kisses. I often wondered how you could possibly love another baby/child as much as you love your first. The moment I laid eyes on Aubree I quickly understood. There isn't a shadow of a doubt that I have so much more love for both of these girls now than the day before. With every passing day that love just seems to grow.

It's almost time to start planning Autumn's second birthday party. Going to keep it small this year and let her pick out the theme. Undoubtedly that has already been decided & it's Dora of course! She's bonkers about Dora so that's no shocker!! She's picked out a Dora cake she likes and I'm sure she's going to have a blast. We're still trying to get her eating patterns down which is just about impossible. Never know from one day to the next if she's going to be picky or if she's going to be the endless pit and eat everything in sight.

We put in new laminate flooring this past week and Autumn is just in love with it and how slippery it can be, unlike our old carpet. Watching her roll around and slide around on the floor is hilarious and comical! We have had the house in a disaster of a mess while we complete the flooring project...so you can imagine what a hayday Autumn has had with this. She thought it was a free-for-all and played hide-and-seek all day and night. It'll probably take us years (at least it feels that way) to get everything back in place and we'll be finding things she's hidden for a long time. Come to think of it, Travis left for work today without his work cell phone because he can't find it...pretty sure the culprit of that loss would be Autumn. 1/2 the time you can ask her if she took something & she'll say "yea!" and take you right to it's new hiding spot/home!! Silly girl keeps us on our toes 24 hrs a day.

While we get back into the grove of our day-to-day activities and do a lot of clean up around the house we thank God for the joys in life he gives us each day. We can't imagine what life would be like today without our girls. Even weird to think that it's hard to remember what life was like before Aubree arrived...when it was just Travis, Autumn and I. All I know is things are crazy hectic the majority of the time, there's not a lot of time to rest, the house is usually on the "well lived-in side" and a nice, hot shower doesn't last more than a few minutes (literally)....but I wouldn't change it for anything in the world. (Except for maybe the shower part, every once in a while, lordy that would be soooo nice!!)

1 John 4:8- "He who does not love has not become acquainted with God [does not and never did know Him], for God is love."

Special Delivery!

Been a while since I've made an entry and I've been dying to do so. But once again, time has whithered away and I'm left wondering where it's gone!
Both girls are asleep and I'm sitting in front of a warm glowing fire...so this is the perfect time to blog!

Almost two weeks ago we lovingly welcomed Aubree Claire Schraceo into the world. She weighed a whopping 7lb. 4.1oz and was 18 1/2 inches long! Everyone in the delivery room was in astonishment at how "big" she was. We were all hoping for a mere 6lb. baby and man-oh-man!! Did we get that!

The difference from experiencing labor with Autumn and then with Aubree was like night and day. Not one thing about it was the same...with the exception of the epidural and the labor pains of course. With Autumn I was in labor for almost 19 hours...with Aubree I was in labor only 5 1/2 hours!!  I had an epidural with both kiddos and am ever so thankful that I did. Even though the girls weighed at opposite ends of the scale I really never knew the difference...which is what the doctor told me to expect.

We arrived at the hospital at 7am and they immediately got me all hooked up to the monitors and got the i.v. flowing. I was already having frequent contractions that morning we went in for the induction. By 7:45am they had the pitocin dripping and gave me an extra bag of fluids at "high speed" just in case I wanted to get the epidural faster than I expected. I was dilating at a good speed and they really didn't know how long things would take...but didn't think it would be incredibly long this go 'round. Sure enough by 8am the contractions hit me full force. There was no turning back and they weren't backing off. I was shocked because there was no gradual easing into labor like I did with Autumn...it was just BAMMMMM! This baby is coming and quick!

By 8am the doctor came in and broke my water. I was already dilated a little more than 4 1/2 and he said I was making great progress. By 10am the epidural had finally arrived. I made sure to ask for it early this time instead of waiting until it was too late...I was not going to endure the pain any longer than necessary. A 45 minute wait on the drugs was 40minutes too long for me.

Just as everyone, with the exception of my sister, had went downstairs for lunch right around 12:30pm the doctor came in to check me one last time before he went in to start his scheduled c-section at 1pm. Come to find out he would soon delay his surgery and be delivering our little sweet pea! I was in shock that I had dilated so quickly and she was ready!! FINALLY ready! It was at the moment that I realized it was finally happening & it seemed all a bit unreal. I couldn't believe Autumn was actually going to be a big sister. Seemed like just yesterday we were in the room right across the hall welcoming her into this world. I started pushing with Aubree at about 12:50pm and she was born at 1:27pm. From the first breath she took she was screaming & we knew this girl would have a good set of lungs to her & that she does. She can cry with the best of them! A much stronger cry than that of what her sister had. There was no cord wrapped around her neck & she was a nice color...not purple like Autumn, which was so amazing. It was at that point that I seen her & heard her cry that the water works began. I was able to hold her, love her and caress her before they swept her away to the scale & to be all tidied up.

I saw the huge smile on daddy's face and how much he was already in love with his newest baby girl. That is enough to melt my heart forever! We finally were able to bring Aubree home after a few extra days spent under the phototherapy lights for her high jaundice levels. Autumn and Daddy made many a trek up to the 2nd floor Labor and Delivery. He brought me snacks, dinners, and love from my big girl that I just wanted to hold and kiss sooooo much. This was the first time I had been away from Autumn for that long with out being able to love on her and give her the normal amount of "mommy" time she was used to. She so enjoyed being able to climb up in my hospital bed and sit with me. At night when she went home she gave the biggest hugs I had ever gotten from her along with a sweet kiss.

I look at pictures of Aubree's delivery and of Autumn being in awe of her. I can't believe it's already been almost two weeks. She is changing so much and is already growing a lot. I think I'm a little bit more prepared now in realizing just how fast time was going to go and how much I must cherish and soak in EVERY moment (especially the newborn ones). Who knew you could be so madly in love with someone you've never meet yet would instantly give every ounce of your heart up for and give your life for. There is nothing on earth that could make me more proud than to say I'm the mom of these two beautiful and loving little girls. They make me who I am and I'm indebted to God for that forever.
From here forward we're on a journey and roller coaster with these two kiddos and we're soooooo ecstatic to see where we end up.

Taken the night before I was induced (Jan. 5, 2012)



Right when she was born. I wanted to be the first to hold her!

Her little lungs worked from the get go!

Could not have asked for a better Dr. "Dr. Edwards"

Tanning under the phototherapy lights to get her jaundice levels down.

The expression on Autumn's face says it all. She is in LOVE with her little sister!!

Daddy and his two little girls

It's moments like this that I will never forget & will always cherish.

Sister love...Autumn giving Aubree a hug.

Last but not least...the newest little sweet pea, Aubree Claire.

"Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.  Before you were born, I set you apart…" Jeremiah 1:5