My Italian Stallion

Hello all! I keep saying I'm going to get better on posting, and then I let like 2 weeks go by...eeek! I really am working on it, for real :)

My hubs and I do try and get each other a little something for Valentine's Day, and to kick it off he bought me a cookbook called, "The Pioneer Woman Cooks." She is the awesome lady who lives on a ranch with her 4 kids and her husband known as "Marlboro Man." She was a city girl who went country when meeting her cowboy. She has saved my life when it comes to cooking a roast...as task that I hadn't been able to do well in almost 7 years of marriage. I love reading her blog because she's so honest and down to earth, but most of all because she is madly in love with her Marlboro Man and speaks often of him. My husband and I were looking at her cookbook last night, and I said that I should have a nickname for him on my blog. We laughed over some silly ideas and then I told him I have the perfect name for him...Italian Stallion! I know you're thinking, "wow, that's real original!" Here's how I came up with it and why it fits him perfectly.

First off, he is an Italian and I love that about him! He's strong, loud, passionate, opinionated, loves a good meal, touchy feely, and when he loves, he loves you with every ounce and soul of him! When I think of stallion, I think of the most beautiful, masculine, strong horse. We all know dolphins are my first love when it comes to animals, but if I had to choose my second favorite it would be a horse. I love the way they move and I love how sweet and loyal they are. That's my husband, I love watching him walk across a room and I love watching how he is ALWAYS the life of the party. He can control a crazy situation in one second! He amazes me with his physical strength and how much of it he has! He's played hockey since he was 5, and his legs are the best thing ever!! They are the strongest legs I've ever seen in my life! He will forever and always be my Italian Stallion whom I love and I have the privilege to call mine!

Finally...

I know it's been a REALLY long time since I've posted...so sorry! I plan on being more consistent now that all the holidays are over and we're back on schedule!

In the past, the month of January came with much sorrow for me, but today I want to rejoice that in 3 years this is the first January I have felt peace! Be prepared to read, this is a long one! Let me explain...

Back in 2007, we already had our handsome oldest son and decided we were ready to start trying for baby #2. After 6 months of trying, we found out I was expecting! I remember my husband and I being in the bathroom together waiting for what seemed like an eternity to pass, but a few short minutes later we looked at the test and then looked at each other with tears in both of our eyes...we were finally pregnant! We immediately told our family and even our church family that I would be having a baby in mid-January! A few weeks later...Mother's Day weekend in fact, I started bleeding. I was so freaked out and Ted immediately rushed us off to the ER. They did lots of testing and more ultrasounds only to tell me to go see my doctor first thing in the morning and she would read the results to us. It seemed like a lifetime, but we went to the Dr and they did even more blood work and said come back in 24 hrs again. I spent A LOT of time in prayer and reading my Bible. In fact, my best friend gave me a verse that has stuck with me ever since...Philippians 4:8 "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." She encouraged me to only think on those things and to remember that the Lord is in control and only He could bring me comfort. Next day came, and I had to go back to the Dr again! Funny thing is before I got there, I already in my heart knew what happened, but I was holding out for the last bit of hope. The Dr. came in, hugged me, and said she was so sorry to inform me that at 9 weeks I miscarried. I didn't move, I couldn't even cry...I was in shock and devastated! She said she had know explanation for it, that sometimes things like that happen. She told us to come back again when we were ready to start trying again...she said, "please don't give up!" My husband and I spent that night holding each other and crying together. He prayed with me, cried with me, read to me,etc! He was just as devastated as I was, but we trusted the Lord and knew it wasn't His will at the time. I knew people in my life who had suffered miscarriages and was sad for them, but I never in a million years could have imagined how much it really hurts! I wasn't prepared for all the emotions that came with it! I studied out verses on trusting the Lord and over and over again kept meditating on them. I knew that it would only be through Him that I would conceive again.

After trying for a few months we went back to my Dr only to find out I know was suffering from infertility. I was confused because when I became pregnant with my oldest it was a total shocker and unplanned. After finding this new out, I had to begin take fertility drugs and every month I had to go to see if I was pregnant or not. I did that for 4 months and every month was let down until November! It was the weekend of my sister's wedding and I didn't want to take the time out to go to the Dr. My husband told me that I needed to go and not put it off, so I went. My Dr of course wasn't there so I was seeing another Dr in the practice. I remember sitting on the dreaded table and the nurse and Dr coming in with open arms telling me I was pregnant! My response, "Are you sure???" They were VERY sure, I was about 2 months along and would be due in early August! I couldn't wait to tell my husband that after trying for an entire year we would be having a baby! I was beaming and the minute I saw my sister she knew without me saying a word! I then had to go back to the Dr for an ultrasound to make sure we weren't having twins! We decided to wait awhile to tell anyone else until I was further along because of our history. I remember throughout this pregnancy I was constantly battling my thoughts! There were time when I would get scared of the "what if it happens again" thing, but I casted that thought down (2 Cor 10:5) and trusted in the Lord. At 16 weeks I started bleeding, and my husband rushed me again to the ER. Everyone there was treating me for a miscarriage and in my mind that's what I thought was happening too. It was horrible! We went back to the exam room and the nurse said he wanted to try and find the heartbeat. He tried for about 2-3 minutes, and there was nothing! I was crying and I look over only to see tears in my husband's eyes as well. The nurse told us he needed to get the Dr and he'd be back. Ted held me until the Dr came in and started preparing us for the worst! He sat down and decided to try for himself to find the heartbeat, and after a few minutes Ted and I looked at each other and starting crying because we knew what we had heard...our baby's heartbeat!!! They never could explain why that happened, but in my mind I think the Lord was testing me to see if I trusted Him or not! On July 29th our healthy daughter arrived!!! We've been in love ever since...
After all that the Dr told me that I would never be able to conceive again, and if I did the only chance I would have was to take fertility drugs. Well, let me tell you Dr's are wrong, because baby #3 was on the way and we were shocked to say the least! We weren't trying and in our mind thought we were done with 2, but the Lord had different plans for us! In the beginning, I was freaked out about having 3 kids! I didn't think I could do it, 3 kids under the age of 4...crazy! Ted kept telling me over and over that the Lord wouldn't give us more than we could handle, and I believe that with all my heart and soul! Again at 16 weeks the same things happened...bleeding! Off to the ER again only to be treated like we were miscarrying. They never could explain why that one happened either, but on February 24th my sweet baby was born...our family was finally complete!

Every January before I was sad and frankly kept thinking "what if I didn't lose the baby?" We will never forget what happened, and it still makes me cry even to this day! I can finally look back and be at peace! This is the first January that I can look around in my house...see 3 beautiful babies looking at me and know the Lord had it figured out ALL along! I wouldn't have these babies if I would have been able to carry the other one to full term. I was telling all this to my husband the other day and he said, "Baby, we have peace from the Lord!" I couldn't agree more! I'm thankful that it happened in order to bring me to where I am now. I trust the Lord even more today than I did back in 2007. I fell in love with my husband all over again and we connected on a level most will never know in a lifetime. Since then, we've met many people who we know and love who have suffered from a miscarriage and it breaks my heart. I can really say that I know what they are feeling and it even makes my stomach turn a bit. It give me the opportunity to share with them what the Lord did in our life then and now. Being able to do that makes all the pain we felt worth it! The Lord has blessed us abundantly and proven yet again that He's bigger than every thing and can do the impossible!

Our little getaway!

I know, I know...it's been forever since I posted! I promise to do better! :)

A few weeks ago, Ted and I had the privilege of going away with some of our best friends to the Lake of the Ozarks. My bestie turned 30 recently and we have a new pack with them that whenever one of us turns 30...we go all out!!! Jamie's Daddy owns a lake condo so we got away for 4 nights with NO kids! 2 wonderful families in our church graciously watched our 3 kids so that we could have some much needed adult time. All weekend I felt like I was forgetting something because when we would go out all I had was my purse. I'm used to a heavy diaper bag, a baby on my hip and two holding hands...it was very strange. I have only been away from Bobby for 1 night, so that was different as well. We had such a peace about going away and we really enjoyed our time. We missed our kids, but we managed to not call home and just put Ted's and I's relationship on high priority and just enjoy our time together with our friends.

Ted has been working a ton! That's retail for you, long hours and late nights. I can't even begin to explain the joy I had to spend 5 whole days with him and having his full attention. We all stayed up late talking and playing games, and woke up cooking breakfast together. One morning we slept in pretty late...it was awesome, I'm not gonna lie! :)

My favorite part of the trip was when we went shopping at the outlet mall in Osage Beach. Jamie and I have been on MANY shopping adventures together, but we've never had our husbands come with us when we do them since they're usually watching the children. This time, the plan was for them to come with us for just a few hours and then they'd break off from us to have some "man time." We were having such a great time, that they decided to stay with us the whole time! This really was an ALL day affair! By the end of the day, I said, "I'm shopped out!" Ted was cracking up because I NEVER say that! They were so great about going from store to store with us and maintaining a great attitude the whole time. They would find a seat by the dressing room and give us their opinions as we tried on a million different things. It was wonderful! In the 8 years I've known the Alvarez', this was by far my favorite day that the 4 of us spent together. Jamie and I talked all day how our husband's made our day by staying with us. They even found some good purchases too ;)

On a side note, I hit a major goal while we were there. Since April, I've lost a little over 30 lbs making it the skinniest I've been in a LONG time. I was very excited to get a few new clothes that would flatter my new found figure. The first store we went in was Banana Republic, and I wasn't real excited because all the times I'd gone in there before I could never find anything that fit me. Ted kept pulling things for me and telling me to just try them on. I have been in need of jeans for quite sometime now, but they only went to a certain size. A size that I haven't worn since the January 2003, the exact time I met Ted. I was VERY hesitant to try them on, but trusted Ted and tried them on. To my surprise they FIT!!!! I came out of the dressing room and my husband was VERY excited to see that they fit so well, and very excited about the way they looked. I ended up getting them along with a few 2.97 shirts! I hit the jackpot in the very store I could never wear anything in. The best part about the whole story is that the next morning I took off all the tags and put my new skinny jeans on. My husband told me not to throw about the sticker that had the size of the pants on them. I was really confused! My sweet husband didn't want me to throw it away because he now has that sticker on his wallet to be able to see it everyday. It was such a big deal that he wanted to save it to remind us of how far I've come. I'm telling you, I have the best husband! Thank you, Lord for blessing me with the most incredible man!

Jame, I hope we made your bday weekend special. I love you so much, and am blessed to have you. We made so many memories that we'll never forget! I can't wait to see what comes when Ted and I turn 30! :)

The Incredibles!

This was the first time we dressed up with the kids on Halloween. Last year at this time we were living with my parents while waiting for our house to be ready to move into. We were last minute getting costumes ready, and when the day came Scotty was disappointed that we didn't dress up too. We promised him that we would dress up with them the next year.

Every month we have a movie picnic with the kids. They get to choose the movie and we get our tons of blankets, make popcorn and watch the whole thing together. Shortly after Bobby was born, the kids chose to watch The Incredibles for one of our picnics. About half way through Ted said, "I know what we are going to be for Halloween next year...The Incredibles!" Then he said, "We are for sure going to be The Incredibles because we have 2 boys and a girl just like in the movie." So, it was set we were going to dress up as The Incredibles as a family. Luckily, I had plenty of time to search eBay and slowly get all of our costumes. We got awesome deals on all of them and have been looking forward to Halloween for quite some time now.

It was so much fun! The kids loved it, and I know everyone enjoyed a laugh or two watching my husband and I where what felt like nothing. Teddy kept saying, "I feel so vulnerable!" all night long! I can't wait to see what we will be next year!

Hangin Tough!

We've had more craziness!!! Over a week ago my little man was running a moderate fever for about 3-4 days. We weren't real sure what was going on, but we happy when the fever broke! We were ecstatic to have things return to normal...which lasted about 24 hrs. Bobby then woke up with a rash, not bad just not normal for him. We didn't think much of it until the next morning he woke up with red bumps over his ENTIRE body! I ran him into Ted, and said, "this is not normal, right?!?! I'm not seeing things am I?" He reassured me that this was not normal and we needed to find out what was wrong ASAP. We both were thinking chicken pox, and then started thinking, "ok, 3 kids, so what 3 weeks of chicken pox???" Come to find out, my son has the measles!!! Yes, the measles!! Babies are not vaccinated until they are a year old, so he picked it up from some where. When the Dr. was asking if he's had these certain symptoms it was like are you reading my mind??? Yes, ALL of those and then some! My husband said, "Ame, the 1850's called and they want their measles back!" I LOVE that about him, I love his sense of humor! Measles is VERY contagious if you've not had the vaccine, so we haven't been able to take him out for a whole week. He looks so miserable, and I know he feels that way too. He's not eating like his usual self and is sleeping ALL the time. Seriously, today he took a nap from 10am-3pm! We are praying for a quick recovery and we are doing the best we can to keep him comfortable.

The other night I laying down in my husband's lap talking to him! One of my favorite things to do...he rubs my head and reassures me that this to shall pass and we're gonna be ok. Over the course of this year I've realized I'm not as tough as I thought. We've had thing after thing thrown at us. If you were to ask my parents or sister about me, I know they would tell you that I'm one tough cookie. They would say I have a high pain tolerance, hardly get emotional, am quick witted like my dad, and much more. Lately, I haven't felt so tough at all, and you know what??? I'm okay with that! It's been nice to really need my husband for encouragement mentally, physically, and spiritually. It's been nice to not try and do it all like I usually do. There have been some VERY unusual days in my house where there is laundry waiting to be folded, dishes needing to be washed, and the house not spotless. My sweet husband let me sleep in while he fed and dressed all 3 babies and folded laundry. He has been secretly putting my towels in the dryer while I shower and bringing them to me piping hot when I'm done. He has been going above and beyond to take care of me because I have needed that lately! He has been taking such great care of me, and lifting me up in this hard time...hard year really! By him doing all these things, it's given me the extra push to make it through this time. It's helped me see the light at the end of the tunnel. It has made me so thankful to call this man MY HUSBAND! Paul talks about glorying in his infirmities in 2 Cor 12:9, and that's what I'm going to do! That's how I'm going to be tough and hang tough is to glory in these things that the Lord has clearly allowed to happen in my family. I'm going to be thankful for another day to serve Him, and another day to give Him the glory!! I hope you will do the same!

Filled with joy!

Hello everyone! I have like 5 different post I am wanting to do, but for today I want to share something really special with you about my sweet son. Ever since we had our first baby Ted and I have quoted to them FREQUENTLY...as in every day Ephesians 6:1 "Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right." We realize that they didn't comprehend what we were telling them, but we see the bigger picture of desiring them to hide the Word in their heart. We know if we are saying and talking about it all the time, then it WILL be hid in their hearts. We explain to them that when they obey us then they are obeying the Lord. They understand that the Lord is pleased when they choose to obey. Scotty was able to quote the verse by himself by the time he was 18 months, and we are pleased to report that Olivia can now quote it as well. I don't know exactly what age Scotty was when Ted starting spending time with him and teaching him why the Lord has him here on this earth. If you were to walk in my house and say, "Scotty what are we here for?" He would right away say, "To preach the Word of God!" It gives me much joy to hear him say that, and know that from a young age he knows what the Lord desires from him. Ted and Scotty daily ask each other what they learned about in their reading. It's so cool to hear a 4 1/2 year olds perspective on things, such innocence!

Yesterday, our church had the annual picnic at the park. Each person has 1 minute to share a verse that the Lord has laid on their heart over the year. When Ted woke up yesterday he had a HORRIBLE migraine, which is unusual because my husband is hardly ever sick or down with anything. We went to church and he quickly realized that he needed to be home in bed lying very still until the migraine passed. Scotty was SO disappointed because he had been looking forward to going to the park all week. My bestie offered for her family to take him, which I was so happy to be able to focus more on Ted while the other 2 napped. Apparently while everyone was sharing, Scotty decided that he wanted to share something too. Uncle Mike said that was fine and he took Em's bible up with him in front of our whole church. He quoted Eph 6:1 and said the Lord was teaching him to obey. :) Makes me tear up even now thinking of him doing this. He came home and Ted asked him if he did anything special at the park. He VERY excitedly said, "Daddy, I preached the Word of God at church today! I told them about how I'm learning how to obey. Just like I'm here for, I preached today!" Ted and I took one look at each other and we each had tears in our eyes. Happy tears!!! We were filled with joy as we could first hand see the fruit from raising our children according to the Word of God. I still am amazed that my little shy son got up and spoke in front of quite a few people. We have NO excuses! If a 4 year old can comprehend, then we can too!

This encouraged me so much! Remember our children are little sponges and they ARE listening as you speak...make sure it's according to His Word!

Ahhhh....the Rose Garden

Last Friday was Ted's day off...Woo hoo!!! Since we've been back from vacation he's been working really long hours and his days off have been few. Our brother-in-law has a brother who is an amazing photographer, and we've been planning for months to do some family photos. For weeks we've been looking forward to doing this especially since Bobby is changing so much every day! So, Friday was finally here and time for pics! We couldn't decide where we wanted to take our photos and then they mentioned the Rose Garden. Everytime somebody talks about that place it makes me all happy inside. That is Ted's and I's "place." It's the place where his parents got married, it's the place where we would spend many evenings walking and talking about our future, it's the place that he asked me to spend the rest of my life with him, it's the place that we fell in love! So, we were pretty excited to take photographs there...

We started out with a Duff family photo including Ted's family. Then we took many more photos of the kids! Ted and I decided that we'd like to have some special pictures taken together. Chris (our photographer) asked us what spot we'd like to take our pics together, and Ted and I immediately said, "how about the spot where Ted proposed!" As we're walking there, Chris is giving us many compliments on our family and Ted and I's relationship, and how happy he is to be able to photograph us FINALLY! We get to our spot and it was like deja vu! The flowers looked EXACTLY the same as it did the day he proposed and I felt the same butterflies in my stomach that I felt that very night. For those next 10 min it was like time stood still. Chris did some creative poses with us and most of them were us gazing into each other's eyes. I kept thinking how blessed I am to be this man's wife, and how blessed I am to be the mother of his children. 7 years later, 3 kids, and madly in love with each other. When my husband looks at me, it's pure love in his eyes. I'm not kidding when I say that he gives me butterflies...frequently! He makes me feel like I'm the prettiest woman in the world, he makes me feel important, and he gives me a confidence that I wish I had years ago. As we stood in this same place I kept thanking the Lord for saving this man for ME! I prayed for years for my future husband and WOW the Lord gave me BETTER that what I was praying for! We hadn't visited "our spot" for quite sometime, but I'm so glad that we did! I'm thankful for that 10 min that we shared where time felt like it did stand still for us. Having 3 kids under the age of 4 is CRAZY! We're always on the go and Ted and I have to really work hard to make sure there is time left in the day for each other. But in that moment, I felt 19 all over again!! Thank you Teddy for being my leader, my best friend, and my true love!

All this to say, I encourage you to take some time and just BE with your spouse. Be with them in the moment without thinking about babies, dishes, laundry, etc. Be in that moment and thank the Lord for ALL He's given to you!