Every evening after dinner the littles race down the hallway to their bathroom…
to take a “Baf”(as Cliff says) and a “Bap” (according to Harper)!
It always goes a little something like this:

Excited squeals, high pitched laughter and “wook, bubbles!” echo through our house!
You would think they have never been in a bath tub before – the excitement always makes me smile.

His captivating smile…

And the girl’s best “fishy face” are priceless.

Splashes and more squeals.
Pure happiness.

And of course there HAS to be some type of altercation…

…but usually it lasts about five seconds and the simles are back again!

Rub-a-dub-dub!

Wishing you lots and lots of love today!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Ross finally broke down and taught me how to use his jigsaw…
sooo that means I have been going crazy cutting wood!

(note: Safety glasses are recommended)

I ran across this on Pinterest and HAD to have something similar in our entryway:

 {pinterest}

So, I made this:

I must thank my helpers for getting our ”hello” sign hung:

I smile every time I walk in the front door, see a BIG “hello”
and a bright green chair!

Love it!

Now I know our guests will feel welcome as soon as they walk through our front door!

Happy Monday!

This first week of the Spider Program has been awesome and very intense!
I am learning so much about Cliff’s body and the way it works,
especially his “Post Op Rhizotomy” body!

Here is a video of Cliff learning how to stand up properly from a seated position!
He is learning to shift his weight forward so that he can stand up!

It always amazes me how something so simple like standing from a seated position
can be so challenging to Cliff!

This next video is HUGE for Cliff!
You just HAVE to see it for yourself:

As most of you know, Cliff and I are in Birmingham, AL for three weeks so that he will be able to take part in
The Spider Program at Children’s.
His hard work and determination never ceases to amaze me.

The mornings start out with heat packs to warm up their muscles!
(Cliff and his buddy James are so cute together!)

Then a little massage!
(I asked if I could be next… but they weren’t having it!)

On some days,
Cliff gets to swing like Superman aka work on extension and strengthening his core!

…and swing some more…

After swinging, there is more intense physical activities!
Then the boys race down the hallway to get their “Mr. Incredible” suits on!

Cliff getting all “suited” up!

This suit is called the Adeli Suit.
They use an adapted version of this method in conjunction with intense Physical Therapy for the Spider Program.

 This suit is INTENSE.
So intense that they decided that Cliff will only wear the top portion of the suit for the first few days
until he is able to adjust to the suit!

But the intensity does not stop these boys from having fun!
(It warms my hear to see them together!)

Cliff works sooo hard without even knowing it!
Who knew being out of breath and working up a sweat could be so much fun?!

After the Adeli Suit and some more intense activities that Cliff thinks are games,
Cliff puts on his “Super Hero” belt and gets to work on jumping, standing, kneeling, squats and
many other tasks that he usually has a tough time with!

But all that hard work doesn’t stop Cliff from having fun!

Cliff smiles, laughs and jokes around even when he is physically challenged.

We are so blessed to have him in our lives!

And everyday, we thank the Lord for providing us with the resources so that we are able to give Cliff the best opportunities!

Make sure you tune in tomorrow, there will be some amazing videos of Cliff!
(Seriously, you won’t want to miss them!)

I am thrilled to say Pick Your Plum  is one of our fabulous Sponsors!

I just love love love thier fun crafty goodies and amazing prices!

Everyday there is a new deal!

 Pick Your Plum always has something fun for you to get your hands on!

 If you love being crafty then this is the place to get fun supplies at amazing prices!

 Guess what?!?

One lucky JAID reader will win  a $25 Plum Box full of swanky crafting swag!

To Enter:

Like Pick Your Plum on Facebook!
Sign up for their Newsletter!
Follow Johnny In A Dress on Facebook!
Like Johnny In A Dress on Twitter!
Add Johnny In A Dress to your Circle in Google+! (+2 entries)

The winner will be announced Wednesday, February 15th!

Good Luck!

Oll Pick Your Plum links in this post are affiliate links – just sayin’!

Crockpot Buffalo Chicken.
There are no words to describe how this is!

{pinterest}

This is now a “couple times a month” meal at our house!
It is sooo00 easy and sooooo GOOD!

Really, if you are wondering what to make for dinner,
this is IT!

Oh yea…
Come hang out with me on Pinterest!

 Last week I had the pleasure of sharing some fun Valentine’s Day Crafts on WLTX’s Friends @ 5!
As usual, I had a blast!

I just love love LOVE Darci and Andrea!

Segment 1:

Segment 2:

Happy Valentine’s Day!

I am officially 12 weeks today!
Yay!
And yes, I look like I swallowed a basket ball already…
My belly is hard and round and it does not “go away” and come back like bloating does!
And just in case you are wondering, I am in maternity pants… already.
The proof:

Let’s go back 9 weeks to when “Three” was discovered…
(WARNING: you are going to get to know me REALLY well today… so if you just want to know me as a crafty mama that makes stuff pretty stop here!)

I was on birth control – everysingledaynevermissedapill – birth control.
Then I started getting sick every evening after dinner…. and grouchy (all day)…
did I mention the headaches?
So, I took the littles to school and went to the grocery store the following Monday.
Before I knew it I was on the Pregnancy Test isle, tossing a few in my buggy.
I took my time shopping, went home, unloaded the groceries – totally forgetting about THE test…
until I pulled them out of the grocery bag.
Oh yea…

So, I took the test and…

Shock took over.
REALLY?!?!?

Then I called Ross.
He didn’t answer…
So I called my sister and of course she was thrilled!
Then Ross beeped in…
He was calm… and excited!
The next call was to my wonderful OBGYN who is sooo cautious with me.
Why?
Because I am the definition of “High Risk Pregnancy.”

She called in my shots and progestrone.
I had to start them ASAP.

I have a blood clotting disorder called Factor V Leiden.
That means I have to give myself shots twice a day in order to maintain a pregnancy.
I lost two babies before Cliff because we were not aware of this.
The shots are not a big deal, really (I have been through this twice before), but they do BUUUURRRNNN really bad!

My Doctor immediately had me come in for an ultrasound:

“Three” at 4 weeks 1 day!

Too tiny to for a heartbeat yet but two weeks later:

Three’s little heart was beating away and measured a few days ahead!
What a  blessing and the sweetest sight to see!

Then two weeks later:

A healthy little baby!
Growing everyday!
But wait… “What’s that hole in it’s head?!?
I completely freaked out,  the ultrasound tech giggled and assured me that is the baby’s brain developing!
All is looking great so far!

Then a few weeks later:
(One of the “perks” of a high risk pregnancy is that we get to see the baby every other week or so!)

So cute with it’s little foot propped up!

Three was holding it’s foot!
How neat!

In three weeks, the baby and I will really need your prayers.
I will have a cerclage placed because I have a tou (sorry… way TMI, but this is just the way my pregnancies go…) …
We did not know this until it was too late with Cliff.
That’s why I went into labor at 26 weeks with him.
But with Harper, we knew we had to go the cerclage route and it worked perfectly!
Actually it worked so well I was INDUCED at 37 weeks with her because of low fluid (another issue caused by FVL)- talk about ironic!
But after the cerclage was placed with Harper, I was in soooo much pain.
Pain I had never felt before.
Ross and I both though I was going to die.
And we are REALLY praying this will not happen again.
We are not too sure what caused the pain and it only lasted a few hours,
but I am having some serious anxiety about it.

We are thrilled about our little surprise baby who will always be a reminder that God is in control!
We know that this is God’s plan for us.
Please keep “Three” in your prayers!
We have a long road ahead of us.

Happy Saturday!
(I hope I didn’t freak any of you out…)