contest

so, me and mike are doing two competitions at once right now.I'm pretty excited about them because i feel like change is coming and this is what i need to kick start my life in these areas. I feel as if God has been speaking to me alot lately, it seems like when i read something in a book, i hear it later that day on a cd, on tv or thru a friend. So i feel as if God has been doing some work in me and it's not always easy but God's blessings are showing up in my life because of it. One thing was that i was praying for a crib for owen, and my mother in law and her husband took us to Target to pick out a crib and mattress for him. I was very very blessed. Especially since the week before i felt as if God was saying, that i had this attitude that i deserved things and really i don't deserve anything, anything and everything we have is a gift.

So the two contests' we are doing...one is related to our business. Motivating us to do daily things to grow personally and to see our business grow.
the other is one my mom started with some ppl at church and it's '40 Days to Prosperous Living'
and the goal of that one is to be healthier in our life, physically, spiritually and emotionally. With both of them you get points for doing things ( or not doing things) Like the healthy living you get a point if you don't watch tv, if you don't drink pop or alcohol, etc..You get points for eating so many servings of fruit and veg, glasses of water etc. Spending time with God, exercising.
So Today is the first day of the healthy living one and i feel great already. Me and mike are also counting calories so hopefully i can lose some of this baby fat and he wants to get lean and work out to get muscle. I've already done lots of the things today and that feels great. The hardest one might be the getting 7-8 hrs sleep....:)
wish me perseverance.

the boys

warmer weather

this weekend was gorgeous weather. warm enough for kael to be able to play outside for hours. which was great for me since i was sick over the weekend, mike was able to take kael out of the house for hours and so i could get some downtime. i'm feeling a bit better today but not 100%. i'm excited because this weekend we have our business Conference and John Maxwell is speaking, my favorite speaker. If you haven't heard him or read his books He is fantastic. Also i get to see one of my best friends ever! Jamie is flying in to babysit my boys...which is such an answer to prayer. i'm so grateful she could do it and also soo excited to see her. I don't anticipate i'll be getting much sleep this weekend but i'm looking forward to it!!!

christmas

i know i haven't really posted lately and i didn't really post any pics from christmas..and i found a few that were pretty cute that i thought i'd post anyways.

vision

so.....i have been feeling great lately.I feel like my old self. and it's funny cause i feel like i am coming out of a coma or something, although obviously not as extreme, i'm feeling renewed energy for life. I completed the second half of the training for Restoring the Foundations issue focused Ministry. So, now i (with a partner) would be able to take people through a 3 hr session ministering to them regarding one particular issue in their life. Under the mentoring/teaching of my mom and Diane who have been doing this ministry for awhile now. So i'm excited about that but this is where i feel like the old me. I'm ready to go for it, to jump right in and in my mind i want to jump ahead and see the potential of all of this, what we could do here in the city. I'm also excited because i've been asked to join the worship team at church and it would working with one of my oldest friends again. I am excited about singing again, i even had my guitar out a few times this week.....i feel as if i'm ready for life again. i think because we had kael, left ywam and moving to Scotland at the same time it was really hard for me. i was a new mother, i just left a ministry i had been with for 7 yrs and was kind of burnt out anyways.....now i feel like i've had time to rest, even though i have two kids, it's soo much easier this time, i'm enjoying it more. owen is such an easy baby, he's so undemanding and soooo happy. and i have a community around me and i'm pursuing things i feel passionate about I feel soo much more alive. So of course i'm wanting to be off and running, I feel as if i need to have a balanced life, of being a wife, a mum, being myself, having hobbies, and also pursuing ministry in certain capacities right now....so that's where i'm at. if anyone has any advice on anything i'm all open to hearing it....i feel as if i need to realy talk it all out with someone and maybe think it all through myself what it is i want..what is important etc....how to go after the things in my heart.

New pics below

time is moving fast

So...it's been awhile. i'm not sure if i have any readers anymore and i'm not even sure i want to keep blogging. it's fading......but i thought maybe i'd do another post and see if anyone is reading..
this is what i've been up to....hhmmm....two boys keep you busy. owen is a very easy baby though, easy and smiley, so fun. i'm loving having a baby again, sometimes i just hold him and smell him and just love being his mum.
kael is into everything and so funny, he loves to brush his teeth, although i'm pretty sure it's the toothpaste he loves more than the brushing. ( don't worry i don't let him eat it) and his new thing is using little chairs..he hauls them all over the house to help him get onto the counter of his choice to get whatever it is he's wanting...vitamins, cookies, toast....toothpaste, and the hand soap is now kept in the cupboard as well as he likes to 'wash' his hands.

i've been sewing, i've finished two baby quilts, one for a friend and one for kael. Thomas and then a girl one. also some smaller projects, like a curtain, pillow, small baby blanket, i even hemmed a pair of pants,

i'm still unpacking my house,

connecting with old friends, and making new ones. i'm going a small group on the book Captivating and my two dear friends Shelley and Mary are in my small group as well as other friends in the big group

i am taking a small course that my mom is leading with her friend Diane. they are both trained in a ministry called Restoring the Foundations, which incorporates a few different counseling/ministry/prayer things and i'm attending training so that i can do short ministry sessions with people on specific issues. and so i've attended one seminar and plan on finishing the next seminar next week. it's lots of reading and then three days of teaching and training.

Also some of you know me and mike have our own business and things are really going well and taking off. We are excited about it

So, that's what i've been up to. the baby is now awake so i should go get him

moved

ok. so it's really weird but we've moved to tomahawk and the weirdest thing is that it feels like home.
i'll post more later, still very busy unpacking ..just got home from vacation. our new house is great and i have sooo much to do...we have lots of room so anyone can come and visit me!!!!

We MOVED!!!!

i can't believe it and it's really weird to say it. But we moved back to Tomahawk. it's really weird for me to say it and i think i've been in a little bit of denial about it cause it feels really weird moving back to my hometown but we did and here we are. We are staying with my parents for two weeks, then we go to England for Christmas ( we are meeting up with mike's dad , his wife, her two daughters, mike's sister and her new husband) in Cornwall, England for a week, another city in southern England for another week, then we end up back here and move into our new rental house in January. the place we are going to be renting looks great!!! i'll keep ya'll updated.

here's just the pics we took at the hotel before the wedding..
andy and jen's wedding was beautiful!!!!

off to the wedding

We are leaving early tomorrow morning for my brother's wedding!!! Hope the boys travel well and do well in the wedding. kael will be walking down the aisle with a 5 yr old girl ( hopefully she'll take his hand and lead him down the aisle)
I'm looking forward to it once we get there . I get to see lots of my family and see my baby brother get married!!! how great!

look what i did.

This is what i did!!! i made a baby blanket. My friend Katie is teaching me to sew. So she helped me figure out the sewing machine i have right now ( my mom's ) and we picked out fabric the other day and this was my first project. This little owl baby blanket. I'm very proud of myself. and she's going to help me make a little baby quilt. So i'll let you know how that is coming later ( this week i'm not doing much sewing because there are things to do to get ready for andy's wedding this weekend) So just wanted to share what i did. i'm very happy about it.
actually i have lots to share but will wait for the next post..i'll just do a few more pics of the boys. can't believe owen is already over a month old. it goes soooo fast. even faster the second time.

the simple things.....

today i enjoyed a nap, (actually the whole family napped) and i got up a little earlier than everyone and snuck downstairs made myself a yummy grilled cheese sandwhich (brie and aged cheddar) and a delicious brownie. and enjoyed the moment to myself....and then they all woke up.

hhmm......

So today was a little more 'real'. i felt a little more stressed and frustrated that i couldn't get much done with two boys. Everytime i put down Owen this morning he seemed to only last about 5-10 minutes before waking up and crying, and every time i tried to feed owen, Kael seemed to want to climb right up next to me in the rocking chair ( which isn't big enough for 3 )one time spilling a whole bag of trail mix all over the floor. And when i got Kael to go upstairs with me so Owen could sleep a little, Kael was brushing his teeth and so i thought i'd try to change the sheets on my bed and all the sudden i hear 'splashing' and run to the bathroom and kael is playing with his toothbrush in the toilet!!! lovely!!!
but once again i'm grateful that my husband works from home...so i got a shower and made us breakfast on his 'lunch' (which is around 8-9am since he starts work at 4am) and my good friend Katie came over and made the boys (Georgie and Kael) and me lunch and did some dishes for me. And because mike gets done with work at noon, i went out this afternoon and did some more errands, which is sooo easy when you only have a baby. Although i had to get Owen's passport photo taken (because we are going to England for Christmas) and he cried the whole time and it took a long time to open his eyes...but me and the girl at walgreen's finally pulled it off.
it's funny when i had Kael i wouldn't have thought to go out with him when he was only 3 weeks old on my OWN, but today was no problem. Owen is soo much easier to take out than Kael at this point.
And i even got to fold the 4 + loads of laundry that we hadn't touched yet. And we already had more dirty sheets (thanks to owen spitting up most of his milk last night all over the sheets around 5am) and a few more loads to do.
but hey, we're doing well.

the boys n me.

well....today is my first morning with both boys on my own. (mike has to work occasional saturday's and today is it) So my parents had Kael last week and so he came home last night. And i was soooo glad to see him. It's amazing how quiet the house was without him. It was good for me so i didn't have to lift him but i missed him sooo much.
So, this morning is going well so far. (it's not been long ) But Owen is still asleep upstairs and me n Kael are downstairs and we've already had coffee and breakfast. I even got to clean the kitchen a little. :) so it's a good start for me.
We'll see how the rest of the day goes. i can't believe i have two boys...:)
i'm feeling a little more pain since lifting kael yesterday so i'll have to take it easy today. i dont want to be in pain anymore.....
i love my boys sooo much.

Owen Thomas Oates

Hi devoted readers of Jessi's blog. Mike here writing a post dictated by Jessi...currently in a hospital bed feeding our wonderful new son, Owen Thomas Oates.

Labor started on friday around 12:30pm. After 2 hrs the contractions went from 5mins apart to 1.5 mins apart. When I arrived at the hospital I was 7cm dilated. Contractions became more intense, my water broke and then the doctors expressed concern about the babies heart rate and wouldn't let me move around. I had to stay laying on my right side. After 2 hours of very intense contractions. (mike's hand bare the marks to verify) (jessi talking now...) i got to 8cm, but the baby did not seem to be doing that great. So they suggested an emergency C-section, which i said was fine because i felt they weren't overreacting but were genuinely concerned. So, i was rushed into the operating room, where i was completely put under ( Mike was not allowed in the room either, as it was a rush/emergency c-section not just a routine one) i was out and woke up later in the recovery room pretty out of it, to find out that the umbilical cord was wrapped around Owen's neck three times and therefore if i had tried to push him out vaginally he probably wouldn't made it. so, in this case i am grateful for the C-section, although it is not what i would've chosen, in cases like these where they save little lives i was happy to have my healthy baby boy in my arms. So,
Owen Thomas Oates is the newest member of our family. Weighed 7lbs 6oz. Born on October 17th, 2008.
i'm in lots of pain, but in love with my little boy. And Owen is feeding and sleeping well.......and i think i'll take a nap now.

beautiful fall day

this week has been soo beautiful. sunny cool weather. well actually today was 75 and sunny, so we went to the park with kael and let him run around..:) here are a few pics of us. it's also me and mike's anniversary and it's been a good day, low key, but good. I got a wonderful card and a gorgeous bouquet from my wonderful husband. i love him more and more all the time.
and i love my beautiful son and am looking forward to meeting my other son. :) Me and mike had a big weekend away in september so i'm happy with today and just hope that i go into labor soon.
i love fall..it's perfect, the trees are changing colors, the air is crisp, i crave hot chocolate and yummy desserts.....a perfect season to have a birthday. ( and an anniversary)
i know some of the pics are a bit blurry but i think they are cute anyways.

a little prayer can't hurt

hey ya'll. i am soo ready to have this baby. so if you think of it, send out a little prayer for me that he comes soon.....my mom is here until he comes helping me out which is great and i'm getting some extra rest. aren't mom's the best??? i am enjoying my last few days with kael....he is such a treasure and i can't believe we are having another son any day now. i am very very uncomfortable though physically and really want this baby to come out. thanks for any prayers...also just pray tha ti can have the VBAC i truly desire.....

hhmm.......

i am ready. although i'm nervous as well..its weird that you have no idea when you will have your own baby. no idea at all. could be later today, could be the middle of the night, could be in 2 weeks..who knows....i'm finding everyday i think about it though and hope that i get sleep at night, 'just in case' i go into labor. last night i got less than 4 hrs of sleep, thanks to kael and also just being awake and uncomfortable. my mom is going to come down on friday though because i am having back issues, so from now on i am not suppossed to lift kael at all, or do any lifting. no moving furniture, no major cleaning projects. so my mom is going to come and stay until the baby is born. which is a very big blessing and i'm very grateful.
not sure what else to tell ya'll. not too much going on..just waiting for the little guy to join our family. excited to see his little face and meet him.