loved...

I must say, I love my church family. Everyone is always so kind and loving. I can't tell you how many people ask me each week and throughout the week how I'm doing in this pregnancy. They just want to make sure I'm ok and let me know they are praying for me to feel better! Now, that's Awesome! I'm so very thankful!

Yesterday, a dear sweet friend came to me at church. She asked how I had been feeling and I told her. She said on Monday or Tuesday night she woke up in the middle of the night and felt like she should pray for me, so she did and she continued to pray for me the following day. I told her that I had been so sick during that time! I had a viral infection on top of my usual morning sickness, plus I had really been feeling down in the dumps. God is awesome! and my friend is awesome too! When she told me this I felt so loved by her and my savior. God loves me and cares for me so much that he woke my dear sister out of a good slumber to pray for me, ME! Amazing! And now, thanks to all the awesome prayer warriors I'm feeling so much better! God is good!

Remember today that God loves you so, so much! :)

15 weeks!

Pregnancy Highlights----
How Far Along: 15 weeks
Size of baby: baby Fowler is the size of an apple
Total Weight Gain/Loss: I've lost 3 lbs.
Maternity Clothes: not yet, but the belly sure is growing!
Gender: We'll find out March 22, 2011. Yay!
Movement: little flutters here and there
Sleep: not a problem! I stay sleepy!
What I miss: feeling well! ha! this too shall pass! yes, I'm still experiencing morning sickness.
Cravings: This week I've craved Olive Garden alfredo, breadsticks and salad but haven't got to satisfy that craving yet. :)
Symptoms: Morning sickness, the breasts are still a little tender, pressure and fatigue
Best Moment this week: Going to the doctor and hearing the heartbeat, 145 bpm. Dr. Bell says everything looks great and the baby is growing perfectly! :)


Sorry, but no picture this week. I've been sick!


On another note, today miss Beth is 27 months old! She is growing like a weed! I just love her so much and she has been so great dealing with me being pregnant! She's just awesome! She loves playing with her baby Allison, such a little momma, and cooking in her kitchen. She's always bringing me something that she's cooked! I love seeing her little mind at work. Recently she has found a pacifier and likes to suck on it and pretend she's a baby. ha! She never took a passy but I guess since we've been trying to get her to stop sucking her thumb it's the next best thing! :) Which, btw, she's gotten much better about. I really only think she's sucking her thumb in the middle of the night now. This is awesome compared to anytime she wants! We are so blessed by our little girl. She is a delight to parent and a joy to have in our family! God is good!

recent trip to chuck e. cheeses


cheezin' it up for the camera! notice how she has a pen in her front pocket? She likes to be like daddy. He wears a pen in his front pocket of his coveralls. :) so cute!

Where oh where are you second trimester?

Well... I'll be 15 weeks pregnant tomorrow and so far I'm still not experiencing all the second trimester has to offer. My morning sickness, while it's getting better, has chosen to stick around a little while longer. I'm still super tired. And just yesterday I got a fever again! It's almost comical in some ways! My fever is just low grade today so I really don't know what the flip is going on! ha! I do have a bit of a cough and I never cough. Plus Jared has been super sick all week with some awful viral infection. So, I guess it's possible that I'm catching what he has except for the fact that his fever is way higher than mine and he's had it for four days now. Might I add that he and I are totally different when it comes to being sick. Me, I'm a big time baby and want to be waited on and seen about, Jared, not so much. He likes to go on like he's not sick at all. He says he rests at night! So, as much as I try to get him to rest, it's pretty much impossible! I mean he's been running a 101 fever and working his head off! C-R-A-Z-Y! I always say he's like super human or something because for me to do something like that would be near impossible... I know, baby! wah-wah!

Anyway, I'm really hoping that the second trimester will "actually" grace my doorstep soon. Yesterday I told Jared that I've just got to give this pregnancy to God. I can't do it in my strength (which I feel like that's what I've been trying to do). Like I've said before some women are great pregnant, I'm just not one of them. I don't like this about myself and I don't know why pregnancy is so hard on me, but there really isn't much I can do about it. I must trust the Lord to give me the strength I need to make it through each day. A scripture that comes to my mind is Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." But, the thing is, I can't just say it, I must believe it! And sadly that's easier said than done for this gal. God is sooo good and no matter what I go through in this life I want to praise His name! So come what may, whether I experience the goodness of the second trimester or not, I'm gonna keep on loving Jesus and praising His name!

27th Birthday!

I am 27 years old! Wow! I'm so thankful for the 27 years God has blessed me with. He's given me soooo much more than I could ever deserve!

We started off my birthday with frozen water pipes! Yes, it has been that cold around here. We have a filtered water system and the pipes froze where that enters our house. Jared spent the morning trying to thaw them out without having the pipes bust! He did manage to bring home some birthday balloons during that time though. He's always so very thoughtful!

After we got the pipes thawed out Jared and Spicer headed outside to play in the snow. We had a snowstorm the week of my birthday and got around 5 inches. Fun times! Jared bought a Polaris Razor ATV thing the day before my birthday. He said it was my birthday present and I'm cool with that! Those things are fun!!! Jared and SB played on that for about an hour while I napped. Yes, I know, but I'm just so worn out these days. Jared said they did donuts and went really fast. Spicer kept saying, "again, again!" She loves it!

When they were finished playing we headed to my favorite restaurant in FS "Rolandos!" Love, Love, Love that place! We enjoyed a nice quiet lunch. I think we missed the lunch rush because there were only a few people there (which is very rare) and we got our food super quick! That was awesomeness for this hungry pregnant girl! Happy Birthday to me! lol! Then, after lunch, I got word that one of my best friends had her baby! On my birthday!!! Yay! How awesome is that?! I mean, pretty awesome right?! He wasn't even due until the end of the month, but came out a very healthy 7 lbs 13 oz! I think they must have had that due date wrong or something. Anyway, we headed to the hospital to see that sweet bundle of joy and his sweet mommy Beth. They are doing great and Beth is such an awesome momma! :) Can't wait to see him again soon!

Finally, to wrap up the day we headed to Jared's grandma's house. We just love going down there. It's just such a down to earth feel good place where we can get some rest and relax. :)

We celebrated my birthday with Jared's mom and sister on Sunday afternoon and with my family on Sunday evening. Everyone just always goes above and beyond to make my birthday so special and I'm so very thankful! :)

a little birthday celebration!


I got some razor action the day before my birthday! I mean, it is my birthday present after all! lol! :)





Jared and Spicer ready to ride! Love them so much!

14 weeks!

I am 14 weeks pregnant! Yay! I've officially entered the second trimester and very much looking forward to all this trimester is supposed to have to offer! ha! :) I've definitely been much more sick with this pregnancy so the number one thing I'm looking forward to his not being sick in this trimester. I'm praying I'm not one of the few women who remain sick the entire pregnancy. Don't get me wrong, I am feeling much better, but still not completely over the morning, afternoon, and evening sickness! I'm also looking forward to having more energy in this trimester. If there is such a thing! I've read that it is real and felt great in my second trimester with SB, so I'm hopeful! So far I've lost three pounds total and then gained one pound back. So, I'm two pounds under my starting weight. I'm sure I'll be packing on the pounds quickly here in the coming weeks! Some things I've craved... sushi, feta cheese, tuna, olive garden alfredo, pizza parlour pizza, mexican, and just recently my meme's good ol' home cooking! It's been nice when I've actually craved something because most food turns me off completely! I mean the thought of something makes me want to head to the commode. :) Which by the way my morning sickness isn't the kind where I vomit all the time. Mine is the kind where I wish I could vomit! I've only thrown up one time this entire pregnancy, but wish I could throw-up each day. I know, awful isn't it!

SB is getting more excited about the baby growing in my belly. She says she can't wait to tickle the baby when he/she gets here. She always says, "tickle-tickle" in the cutest little voice! I know she's going to be a great big sister!

14 weeks pregnant and growing every day! Praise be to God! :)

:)

We have enjoyed yet another nice snow day here at the Fowler House. It is absolutely gorgeous outside and nice, cozy and warm inside! I have had Jared and Spicer to myself all day and it has been wonderful. The sweeties have played their hearts out, napped, watched some of Spicer's favorite shows and now they are playing again! I, on the other hand, have cleaned, sat, cleaned, sat and cooked dinner. The sitting part comes in after I've been up cleaning and get nauseated. It's like I'm getting motion sickness or something! Wonder why that's happening?! lol! :) I'm super excited to eat dinner. I actually cooked and it smells so good. So, I think I'll enjoy it. It's one of my favorite meals... Cream Cheese Chicken with rice, corn casserole and green beans! Yummo! I'm so thankful for a warm house, my awesome family and a good meal for dinner. These are blessings that I do not take for granted. Thank you Jesus!

Yesterday we went for an OBGYN check up. We got to hear our sweet baby's heartbeat! It was going strong at 157 bpm! I asked Dr. Bell what he thought the baby was (boy/girl) and he said it was a baby! lol! He wouldn't ever tell me what he thought with SB either. So pretty much that was our check-up! :) We go back at 17 weeks and then we'll schedule an ultrasound between 18 and 20 weeks to discover the sex! After posting about the heart rate on fb most people say it's a girl and part of me agrees. Guess we'll just have to wait and see! :)

Today as we've enjoyed our snow day, I've had the joy of feeling the first little movements of our baby! What a miracle! It was around this time of pregnancy that I felt little Spicer move as well and I definitely know what it feels like this go around! :) Feeling the little baby is my absolute favorite thing about pregnancy! I love it! And I'm so very very thankful! :)

Dear Morning Sickness...

Dear Morning Sickness,

It is without hesitation that we inform you that your services will no longer be needed at Fowler Baby Making, effective immediately. Please pack up your belongings and have your office cleared by the end of the day.

While you have been with us, you have definitely put forth full effort in your work. You've made sure that mommy Kerri is sick enough not to eat. Part of this is good, because we don't want her to eat things that are bad for her, but part of this is bad because she needs to feel well enough to eat healthy foods.

Your services were only needed for this stage of our project. You knew from the beginning that your job would only be temporary. We are now moving on to the second stage of the project. We will seek an employee that creates a tranquil environment that fosters baby growth and development and ushers in a strong hearty appetite for mommy Kerri.

Sincerely,

Kerri Fowler
President of Fowler Baby Making :)

Wife and Mommy

Recently I asked a lady in our church to mentor me. She's someone that I've always looked up to and respected as a wife and mom. Her boys have grown into Godly young men and her husband has served as a deacon in our church for years. We met for the first time last week. She just exudes God's glory! and I love it! Oh how I want that to be said of me! She passed along a book to me. We are actually going to do a book study on it. I've already read it because it was so good and such an easy read. The book is Daughters of Sarah by Genevieve M. White. This book has everything you could ever want to know about being a submissive wife! The first chapter we plan to discuss is called "Helper." After reading the chapter a second time, I cringed at the thought of all the times I had not been a helper to Jared. In fact, there have been times where I have been more of a hindrance than a helper! I've still got lots of questions about some of the concepts in the book, but I'm so thankful that God has brought it into my life at such an early stage in my marriage. It's all based on scripture and you can't go wrong there! I'm looking forward to digging into it and praying the Lord uses it to mold me into the wife he wants me to be.

Now for the mommy book... I love being a mom but know that I have so much to learn. I've felt so inadequate at mothering these past several weeks. But, now that I'm beginning to feel much better I feel that I can reassume my role and become a much more effective parent. My SIL gave me the book Bringing Up Girls by Dr. James Dobson, for Christmas. I've been wanting to read it for a while, so I was thankful to receive this gift. I just finished chapter four. This book is not an easy read. In fact, some chapters are packed with scientific studies and facts. But I like that stuff too! Chapter four discusses "Why she is the way she is." One part of it discussed how much girls like to talk, it's a part of their brain make-up. I giggled when I read that part because this is soooo very true of SB. The other day we were driving down the road and Spicer kept talking to me and Jared. When Jared stopped talking, she said, "talk daddy!" lol! Jared said, "man, she's gonna be a talker!" That's right, it's the way God made her! She's a girl! haha! I'm looking forward to all this book will teach me about raising my girl! I pray the Lord will use it to teach me ways I can be the best mommy to miss beth. :)

this and that...

I have gotten so behind on posting things about little miss beth. I guess I have a good excuse though, right?! First trimester of pregnancy got the best of me. lol! Well, now, no more excuses. I'm 12 weeks pregnant and well on my way to the second trimester. Things should be getting back to normal?! or at least i hope! haha! I am feeling much better and so very thankful for that! :)

Recently we went to Mt. Magazine with Jared's family. I know I've said it before, but we absolutely love it up there! So very peaceful and relaxing and of course Jared and I love cabins! We'd love it if the Lord allowed us to steward one someday. I guess if not here, we'll have one up there! :) Anyway, while we were at the cabin we roasted some marshmallows, our favorite! Spicer had lots of fun with that. We also tried swimming. That was not so much fun. SB loved the water this summer but I guess too many months have passed and she has lost that love. She was terrified! She did enjoy the kiddie pool, however. We attribute this fear to an IMAX video we watched in Branson a few months back. It was about fish in the ocean and I think Jared said something like those fish are going to swim with you Spicer. Ever since then she hasn't even wanted to talk about it! I don't know! She did tell us last night that she wanted to go to a water park, while looking through some albums. So, I think we may try and take her to one of the indoor water parks in Branson within the next few weeks. Gotta try and help her overcome this fear. I felt so bad for her.

Spicer is such an amazing little girl. She brings so much joy to me and Jared. We just can't get enough of her! She's constantly telling us she loves us and giving us kisses. She also really likes cuddling with me, not Jared though. I think it's because he's her rough play buddy and she can't sit still with him! lol! They are two peas in a pod! Last week she asked if her friends Aspen and Abe could come over to her house. She said, "I love my friends mommy!" How sweet is that?! Each morning I say, " Spicer did you have a good night-night?" and she says, "yes mommy." Then I say, "Did you have sweet dreams and what did you dream about?" and she says, "yes mommy, I dreamed about baby Jesus!" I'm so thankful that Jesus is already so real to her!

the girl loves cupcakes...


and suckers!





fun times roasting marshmallows...


her great aunt Vickie bought her this shirt at the gift shop at Mt. Magazine and she just had to put it on! I love the way she is!