Field Trip!

Playing with Jaylen, one of her best buds at school.

She climbed on top of the wolf to check out his teeth and give him an exam.

Cooking for me at the Mi Pueblito mini -kitchen.

Making me some lunch!

Ella and I got to go on a fieldtrip to Kid Senses with her preschool class this past Tuesday. I loved getting to do something special with just her! We spent the first hour just her and I, and then met up with one of her good friends, Jaylen. I love Ella to pieces!

It's on my heart

We tried for this baby for 14 months. 14 long months. It was super easy to get pregnant with Ella, we were blessed on our first try and expected it to be the same with this baby. During that time we had two miscarriages. I was speaking to my sister a few weeks ago about how miscarriage and infertility are the "uspoken tragedy" that hits so many women. You aren't supposed to talk about it, and supposed to move on. And by the Grace of God we did, and were blessed. That doesn't mean that we don't think about the babies we've lost over our marriage and look forward to the day we get to hold them in heaven. I am amazed by the women I know who have tried longer. How their marriages become stronger because of it (it was difficult on Matt and I). And how they persist knowing the reward at the end.

We have some friends who have been on the journey to parenthood so much longer than we have. For years. They have prayed and wanted a child but haven't been able to have one. Today they took the big step of having two embryos implanted. I beg of you to pray with me for these friends, that God will bless them with a child. And lay out exactly what they are supposed to do if He has other plans. I know the longing that they feel in their heart. And the joy of the reward. And I want for that reward to be theirs! Pray alongside of me for these friends, their two little embryos, and the journey that they are on.

Sweet Dreams Baby Beau

"The Smirk"

"The big smile."

"The peaceful state."

"The deep thinker."

"The cutest little man!"

I took these pictures while Beau was having a vivid dream in his little bassinet. His sweet face was so animated!

Hannah Beth and Ella

Meeting Baby Beau!

We got to meet my new nephew this weekend and it was so incredible to get to snuggle this little man. He is so adorable! He has blonde hair, loves staying scrunched up in a ball, and is a great sleeper. We got to see Hannah Beth too and she and Ella had a lot of fun playing together. This was our only chance to meet him, since I'm not allowed to travel in my 3rd trimester. I'm so glad we got to meet him before he grew too big!

Baby Update

We got a call this week - our C Section has officially been set. And we finally decided on a name!

Luke Steven Siak. We wanted to name him a Hebrew name and it just so works out that Luke was not only a great figure and writer in the Bible, but a Jedi too :) (For the record, I cannot stand the Star Wars movies). We are naming him Steven after one of the greatest men in my life, my father.

Dr Harrington will perform my c-section on April 19th at 7:30 am. I'm thankful to have the first surgery slot of the day, so that I will have all day to enjoy our new blessing and not be tired like I was after delivering Ella late in the day. As long as my pregnancy keeps going as well as it has, we will deliver when I am 39 1/2 weeks pregnant. That Tuesday Noah will be on spring break which would work out for all of us. Continue to pray that the preecclampsia will stay away and that my pregnancy will continue to be blessed. I'm still on track with minimal weight gain, great blood pressures, etc. I know God has the greater plan and that if I deliver earlier it was meant to be.

Either way, we can't wait to meet Luke and know that we will get to see his precious face in less than three months!

Jonas Ridge & Boone

Instead of having a party at Chuck E Cheese or somewhere for Noah's 7th birthday, we went snow tubing and spent the day in Boone with the nephews. The kids had so much fun! Ella was the biggest trooper - she did not stop for a rest, bathroom break, or anything for the entire two hours they got to tube. I always knew when she was going down the hill, because I could hear her little scream! All the boys had a blast, they went by themselves, tied together, and every way else they could. This was an awesome extended birthday celebration for all the guys and we are definitely going back again! Lunch at Macado's one of my favorite places to eat in Boone.
The tubing crew.

The trooper who didn't stop sledding for the entire two hours.

Sweet sledding Noah.

Stopping to have a snack in the lodge.

Dinner at Pro's

We all met for dinner to further celebrate the birthdays for dinner on the Friday of the birthday weekend. The food was fantastic, the kiddos were hilarious, and it was great to get to see everyone!

New Years & Birthday Cake

We spent the New Year's Holiday at Mary & Barry's in Hendersonville (I know, I'm way behind on blogging!) Since we were all there, we decided to celebrate the January birthdays. Jack, LJ, and Mary all celebrated their birthday on the 7th of January. Noah's is on the 8th. We enjoyed the cake, lots of loudness and laughter, and spending time with family!

All Aboard!

We are on day 3 of intense sledding. The kids wait impatiently for daddy to come home to take them sledding every day. We still have several inches of snow on the ground, and it has a nice coating of ice on top of it to make them go super fast. Today they decided to connect their sleds together to make a train. Enjoy!

What's in a name...

We named Noah early on in our pregnancy. I wanted our son to have the faith of Noah in the Bible. A man who built an ark amongst such criticism when it hadn't even rained before. Noah's faith always amazed me and I thought then and now that it was the perfect name for our son.

Now that we are nearing our third trimester I am feeling a lot of pressure to name this active baby boy in my belly. Matt and I have a list and we talk about it all the time. Last night over dinner Matt wanted to do a fantasy football draft - with our baby names. I quickly shot it down. Later while we were talking, I was trying to explain to Matt why naming the baby Luke would be awesome. In the Bible Luke was a doctor, a theologian, a historian. It would be such an incredible name to pass on to our boy. Matt chimed in with "and he was a Jedi." This led to me laughing with my belly shaking (a classic Scoggins trait I own). Matt has said in the past if we did name this baby Luke that in the delivery room his first words to our son will be "Luke, I am your father." So deep down, you all know that if we end up having a "Luke," his name meaning will be different to both of us (ha,ha).

Who knows if he is a Luke, Jacob, Connor, Logan, Grant, on and on... but inevitably within the next 3 months we have to settle on something!

Seven

When I was growing up I can remember catching my mom looking at me with this misty look out of no where every once in awhile. I catch myself doing that with Noah and know exactly what she was thinking. How is this incredible blessing mine? How blessed I am to be the mother of such an incredible boy. How handsome he is. How his dimple and smile automatically make me smile too. How his laughter reminds me of his daddy's. How when I see him showing compassion and loving his sister without being asked to, it makes my heart warm. When I hear him sing I realize what a gift he has. Hearing from others how kind he is at school makes me so proud. I love watching his imagination as he plays with his toys and gets enveloped in a whole different world. How he is respectfuly of others.... I could go on and on. I am so thankful to be Noah's mommy!

This has been a big year. First and foremost Noah became a Christian on Christmas Eve of this year. What an amazing decision and realization for him. I am so glad to be able to watch his faith grow. This year he has lost 5 teeth! His mouth is changing but his smile stays the same. He is "single" which I definitely approve of after a long "relationship" with Emma and he is ok with it. He had his first solo in church. He had a record breaking soccer season. He's gotten taller and smarter. He loves to read and was so excited about his new chapter book he got for his birthday. He loves searching through netflix to find a movie by himself and playing the Wii with Matt. He is having a blast in the first grade. When people try to spell things to me (which you can't do anymore), Noah understand them faster than I do and interprets them for me. He loves his family. Overall, he is an amazing kid. I love him to the ends of the earth and back. And can't wait to see what all year seven brings us! Happy Birthday Noah!!!

Playing with his new stunt set he got for his birthday!

Our new nephew!

Yesterday Rachel and Buck welcomed sweet little Beau Silas Buhler into the world. God blessed her with a quick and easy delivery. I can't wait to meet him in person!

6 Month Check Up

Ella and I trekked over to Asheville for my checkup today. I was reluctant to step on the scale for a couple of reasons. I heard this quote the other day "Christmas was worth the calories." And unknowingly I adopted that slogan over the holidays. I knew I had gained weight this month. And I had heard a horror story of a friend getting a hard time over gaining weight by one of the doctors at my practice. This visit I started rotating with new doctors so I could see each person in the practice before our little man comes.

My BP was 126/80 which was perfect. My urine was clean of protein (no preecclampsia!) My weight had gone up 4 pounds which brings me to a grand total of 9 pounds this pregnancy. The doctor told me that she was not shocked at all that I had gained 4 pounds, since I could gain up to a pound a week at this point, since I hadn't gained much prior to this point, and since I enjoyed the Christmas goodies just like the best of them. My uterus is measuring about a week bigger than it should, but the doctor attributed that to the fact that this is my 3rd pregnancy and everything is "looser" than normal. All of my complaints she smiled at and told me to deal with them that they will get worse before I get the reward of holding this little man in my arms. But I am thankful. I will take these crazy symptoms anyday knowing that my boy will be here in the next 3 months.

This is such a blessed time in my life. I love feeling our son grow and move. We get "quality time" together in the middle of the night when his acrobatics take full advantage of the fact that I'm not moving as much as during the day. I love how much my kids and Matt already love him. Now if we could only figure out what to name this little guy...