I saw this poem posted on Katie's blog and it touched my heart. Helps to be reminded that our sweet boy is celebrating with Jesus on His day! Thank you for sharing Katie.

I see the countless Christmas trees around the world below,

with tiny lights like Heaven's stars reflecting on the snow.

The sight is so spectacular please wipe away that tear,

for I am spending Christmas with Jesus Christ this year.

I hear the many Christmas songs that people hold so dear,

but the sound of music can't compare with the Christmas choir up here.

I have no words to tell you of the joy their voices bring

for it is beyond description to hear the angels sing.

I know how much you miss me, I see the pain inside your heart

But I am not so far away, we really aren't apart.

I can't tell you of the splendor or the peace here in this place

Can you just imagine Christmas with our Savior face to face?

I'll ask Him to lift your spirit as I tell Him of your love

so then pray for one another as you lift your eyes above.

Please let your hearts be joyful and let your spirit sing

for I am spending Christmas in Heaven, and I’m walking with the King.

~ Wanda Bencke

Christmas Pictures :)

On Sunday afternoon we met up with Kathy at the arboretum to take Christmas pictures of the boys. This was my first time to meet her - and she is the sweetest thang ever! She was sooo good with my boys and really made us all feel so comfortable :)

She took a ton of pictures of all three of them together and then did some individual pics as well. She has one picture on her website that I am in LOVE with! I can't wait to see the rest of them!!!

Thank you sooo much Kathy! You do amazing work!

These pics are some that I took while we were hanging out - nothing close to how great hers are, but still cute :)

Introducing...

The 2 big brothers patiently waiting...

On the new member of the Rodriguez Family...

born November 3, 2009

at 3:20 p.m.

Cole Frances Rodriguez

8 lbs. 2 oz.

21.5 in long

Isn't that the sweetest face you've ever seen???

The End Is Near...

Tomorrow is the BIG day! I have to report to the hospital at 7:30 in the morning to start my induction. I am hoping that since I am already a 4 it will go quickly! I can't wait to see our new baby boy and hold him and kiss his face!

Wish us luck and keep us in your prayers :)

I will post pics as soon as I am home and able!

Trick~or~Treat

We had a good Halloween yesterday! We met up with some friends for dinner at Casa Ole' before we headed out to trick-or-treat and it was yummy!

After dinner we all headed down to Austin Ave. We parked the cars and started the looooong walk up and down Austin! I wasn't as impressed this year - a lot of houses had their lights off and it was only a little after 7 when we got there :(

Aidan has said he will not be trick-or-treating next year :( Apparently he is too old!

Here are some pics from the night!

Ryan aka Diego & Daddy

Diego with a sword???

The boys waiting in line at one of the few houses with lights on!

Ryan not wanting to get out of his stroller - and still with a sword!

He finally wanted to go up to some houses towards the end of the night and once he started he loved it!

I thought maybe after all the walking we did it would kick me into labor - but as I sit here I am still pregnant! HA!

Hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween! Next year should be interesting with all 3 boys :) Can't wait!!!

I'm Baaack!

Obviously I haven't blogged in awhile! Our computer has been down and we finally got it fixed - so here I am :)

A few updates:

** Ryan is doing GREAT at MDO! He walks right in like he owns the place - loves everything about it!

** I am about to POP! Holy cow - pretty sure the belly can't get any bigger!

I am dilated to a 4 and 70% effaced - so...

I am scheduled for induction Tuesday morning if he doesn't come before then - WHEW! I am so excited and can't wait to kiss his face!

I promise to keep up with posting now :)

Meet the Teach...

Ryan had his Meet the Teacher today at his new school. He has 2 teachers in his class - Ms. Trisha and Ms. Heather. He was a little timid to go into his classroom at first, but he finally did and started to play with some trucks and puzzles.

He got to meet some of his new friends too! I can't wait for his 1st day next Tuesday - should be interesting! I will definitely keep everyone posted :)

Back to School!

Today was Aidan's first day of 5th grade! He started a new school today too - no more elementary school :( It was his first day of Intermediate school! CRAZY!!! How is my first born child 10 years old and a 5th grader??? AGH!!!

I know he will have an awesome year! He is in all Pre-AP classes and I can't wait to see what is in store for him this year :) Good luck, Boo~Boo! I <3 you!!!

Um...

So I know I haven't posted in a while - ok tomorrow makes a month, but who's counting? Anyway - just wanted to throw this out there - 13 more weeks till Cole is here!!! That is if I go to 40 weeks - which I never have before! I have never gone past 38 weeks - so do you know what that means??? YEP! 11 weeks till Cole is here!!! HOLY freakin MOLY!!!

Hear Ye, Hear Ye!

We have finally decided to make it official! We are naming the baby:

Cole Frances Rodriguez

Cole after me! - NiCOLE - you like that?! HA!

Frances after Roy's mom -

And well, the Rodriguez part is pretty obvious! HAHA!

I am so excited to get the monogram tools ready!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

Today is Aidan's 10th birthday! I can't believe we are now in the double digits!!! 10 years has really flown by - I can't believe how fast!

Aidan -

You were my first baby. We have shared so many memories over the last 10 years and we have been through so much together. I always knew I had to stay strong because you needed me. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect baby than you were - I have loved every second of being with you and experiencing all your "firsts" with you. You are such an amazing boy and just the thought of how much I cherish and love you brings me to tears. I am so proud to be your mom. I can't wait to see what the next 10 years holds in your future and to watch you grow into a young man. I love you so, so much! Happy 10th Birthday!

Love,
Mom

Boy Oh Boy!

Yep y'all - you heard me - it's ANOTHER BOY!!! Can you believe??!! I am still in shock! HAHA!!! We had our ultrasound today and he looks so great! The doctor did a complete thorough exam and said he looks totally normal and healthy! PRAISE GOD!!! Of course he had our previous records from my pregnancy and delivery of Alex, and he was so reasurring with us by showing us each parts of this baby's anatomy and explaining how everything looked so good :) I couldn't have asked for a better day!

I know we are so blessed to be having another baby - no matter what the gender - and I just really want to take the time to give God all the glory. He has brought us back from an unimaginable path that He took us down, and through Him we remained strong (if you could call it that) and were able to still see a future ahead.

I pray tonight for each of you who have babies, who are expecting babies, and who long for babies - God knows the desires of all our hearts and He always leads us in the direction we are meant to go. I never would have chosen a path for my life where I had to suffer the loss of my own child - but I know that had I been in charge - I wouldn't be who I am at this very moment.

Praise God for He is good. Thank you Father for blessing us with ALL these beautiful boys and for blessing me with my husband.

Here is a picture of our new baby - he was obviously tired of us calling HIM a girl! HAHA!

Less Than 24 hrs...

Ok - I know - I'm a dork! But I am sooo excited for tomorrow! Are you wondering what for? Well - let me remind you in case you have forgotten...

IT'S MY ULTRASOUND!!! Hopefully we will get to find out if there's a boy or a girl in my belly!

And of course I am most concerned that the baby is healthy!

Please keep us in your prayers! I will update as soon as we get back home!

Movies & Baseball

Yesterday was a good family day! The 4 of us, well 5 ha!, went to the movies to see Up - so cute! It was Ryan's 1st time, not counting infant in carrier sleeping, to the movies and I wasn't sure how that would turn out. He actually did very well and he sat still and watched the whole thing! YAY! The movie was in 3-D, so we all had our 3-D glasses to watch the movie - so funny! (Please excuse the horrible pics, a certain someone - Aidan - broke my camera the other day and I can no longer use the screen, so these pics are looking thru the peephole the size of a pen point! And, I know, SHOCKER ALERT, Roy is wearing a 49ers shirt :)! )

After the movie we came home and rested before Aidan's baseball game. They are playing in the City Championship, which is a 2-game elimination. Last night was their 2nd game - they won the 1 st one 13~1 against Robinson - and last night they played Lorena and won 16~1! GO PROFILES!!! Sorry I don't have any pics from the game - remember my camera - thanks Boo~Boo :)!

Today is a lazy day! YAY! I made omelets for breakfast and now we are just hanging out on the couch watching movies!

And update on Ryan's potty training status - he is doing AMAZING! GO RYRY!!!

And one more thing - 3 more days till my ultrasound! WHOO~HOO! Can't wait!

And The Winner Is...

I know, I know...it's been a while since I've posted - well at least since I've posted anything worth reading :)

Well - get ready for your eyes to blur cause have I got some catching up to do!

As we all well know, my oldest child is, well, a brainiac - no pressure Ryan and new baby - so let me fill you in on the past 2 weeks or so...

To start...Aidan participated in UIL on May 13 & 14. The awards ceremony was held on May 16.

He participated in 3 categories:

Art Smart, Spelling, and Number Sense

He won 1st place in Art Smart, 2nd place in Spelling, and 4th place in Number Sense. Keep in mind - this is for all of 4th grade in Waco ISD!

Could we be any prouder - well - yes, as a matter of fact, we can...

Last Tuesday his school had an end of the year awards ceremony and the day before he came home with a note stating he would be receiving an award. Really - cause he received 4! Seriously?!

He got an award for Highest Overall Achiever in 4th grade.

He got an award for Highest Overall Achiever in 4th grade Gifted & Talented.

He got an award for High Level Achiever for AR (which is Accelerated Reader).

He got an award for being on "A" Honor Roll for the entire school year.

Yep - that's my boy! :)

Oh wait - there's more...

Yesterday we received his TAKS scores back and he made a 100% in Reading, a 100% in Writing, and missed 1 problem out of 42 in Math. Yep - we're proud!

And just to throw this in there too - since, you know, I'm bragging :)

His baseball team won 1st place in their division and are headed to the City Championship! Go Profiles!

Ok, Ok...I'll stop now!

But seriously - we are SOOO extremely proud of him and even more proud to say we are his mom & dad!

Congratulations Aidan! I love you so, so much!

Kris Allen: "Heartless"

Want more American Idol videos? Click here.

WOO~HOO!!!

Can I get a WHAT WHAT for Kris winning American Idol!!! WOO HOO!!! I am soooooooo excited! Love him so much!!!

GO KRIS! YOU ROCK!

George

Man ~ I really want George tickets!!!

11 weeks, 4 days

Today I had an appointment with Dr. Patterson. Had to do the whole pap, cervical cultures, and breast exam ~ fun... But what was FUN was we got to hear the baby's heartbeat for the first time! We have already been able to see it on ultrasound, but hearing it just melts my heart :)

My next appt is in 4 weeks and they already scheduled my "big" ultrasound for 6 weeks from now ~ so ~ on June 10 we might be able to find out pink or blue! Of course, we are getting the more detailed sono due to having already had a baby with a heart defect and cystic hygroma ~ they want to check and make sure this baby is healthy.

I know everything will be fine ~ God knows my strength and I think he's pushed me to my limit :)

I will keep you all posted as things progress!

VOTE FOR RYAN!

Ryan is participating in the Waco Trib's 2nd Annual Baby Contest! He needs your votes!!! His entry # is 141. All votes are 10 cents each ~ so 100 votes is only $10!!! What a DEAL!!! All proceeds go to Newspapers In Education ~ you can learn more about them by clicking here.

Voting starts today and you can vote by going here.

Thanks in advance for all your votes and support!!!

Race For The Cure

Saturday Aidan and I participated in The Race For The Cure down at Indian Springs Park. We joined the team from my work and we all had a pretty good time! Our team name was GYNuinely PINK!!! The rain held off until we were done, thank goodness! It was still kinda drizzly and very overcast, but no pouring down rain! We had to be there at 6:30 am to take our team picture and then the race started at 8:00 am. We did the 1 mile walk - well Aidan ran the whole thing - and was waiting for me at the finish line! HAHA! How did he become athletic??? We had fun and we were so glad we had participated! Aidan says next year he wants to run the timed 5K - have fun Boo~Boo!

Praying For Bentley

Please, please, please go to Crystal's blog and start praying for her sweet baby girl. She was diagnosed with a Congenital Heart Defect at 2 days old and is getting close to having heart surgery in May. Her story tugs at my heart because of what we went thru with Alex. I have promised to become a prayer warrior for her daughter Bentley and I want all of you too also.

Please also keep Miss Emersyn in your prayers as well. She has been diagnosed with stage 4 reflux in her bladder and ureters, which is causing her urine to back up into one of her kidneys. Misti found out yesterday that she will definately have to have surgery after she turns 1, providing that she doesn't get another UTI before then. She has been put on an antibiotic that she has to take everyday indefinately. Please just lift Emersyn up and pray that God will heal her and pray for strength and comfort for Misti and Josh.

Roy Alex Jr.

Today is the 3 year anniversary of our sweet baby boy...

I can't believe it's been 3 years already...

I miss him more than words can express, but I also have a sense of peace now. I feel blessed to know that God chose Roy and I to walk that journey and I now view that part of our lives as a miracle.

Baby Alex is a miracle in our lives and all the lives he touched.

Happy Birthday To You...

Today is Ryan's 2nd Birthday! My how the time flies... Doesn't seem like it's been 2 years since he was born! We had a fun day today, well about as much fun as you can have when it's pouring outside all day! Roy and I both took off from work to spend the day with him. That is something I have always done with Aidan and will always do with all my children. Their birthday is such a special day for me...sometimes I think I enjoy it more than they do! HA! Anyway...we went and had lunch at Applebee's and visited with Aunt Jeannette, and then picked Bubba up from school and went to Jumping Party. The boys had a blast playing and jumping and just running around being crazy boys! Afterwards we met all of our family up at Texas Roadhouse for dinner...YUM YUM! We had the servers come sing to Ryan and he even sat up on the saddle! It was hilarious! He enjoyed the singing, but screamed when I put him on the saddle! Too funny! All in all it was a good day!

Happy Birthday Baby Boy! I love you more than you will ever know!

What A Day!!!

Yesterday we celebrated Ryan's 2nd Birthday at The Mayborn Museum! We had a blast! The party turned out great and we had a lot of friends and family there to celebrate with us! Thanks to all who came and shared such a special day with us!