Locks of Love

Miss Kylee decided that she wanted to donate her hair to Locks of Love so we cut off 10 inches of her beautiful long blonde hair tonight!  She looks adorable with her new hairdo and we are so proud of her for wanting to help other children.  She is a compassionate little girl and we are consistently amazed at the depths of her understanding and feelings.

Fletcher Family Summer 2010

I look at this picture and think WOW! God is so good! It is hard to believe how far we have come in such a few short years!  Kylee just turned 5 and is about to start kindergarten. Jude is 3 and  a half and like his sister so full of life and awe and wonder at all that is around him.  We have a little one on the way that is due to arrive in October.  Kyle taught for 3 years, spent last year doing  an internship and becoming Dean of Students at Chehalis Middle School and this year was hired as the Assistant Principal.  I am the lucky wife and mother of these precious ones that gets to walk through all this wonderfulness with them!  Needless to say there are trials....things aren't always perfect but really we are so incredibly blessed and I am reminded that we have much to give.  Kyle preached this past Sunday and God used him to give a powerful message of the call to love God and love our neighbors.  There are people all around us that need love and support. They need to be cared for, they need help with the most basic needs and we don't want to miss the opportunities to serve those in need.  Our children have such a clear picture of this...they are so black and white in this way.  They don't get bogged down by what is convenient or what the best way would be.  They simply see a man or woman standing on the side of the road asking for money or food and they say, "Mama, he needs help. We should help him."  So maybe money gets tight but the reality is we have more than we need.  We have so much we can do without.  So my prayer is that God would open my eyes to all that I can be doing to love my neighbor!

In order to survive...

The plan was to pack in as much FUN stuff as possible while Kyle was in El Salvador- mission accomplished!  The last 9 days have been a blast and know we are all anxiously awaiting the arrival of Daddy!  I was a bit worried...I am not cut out to be a single mom but really it went well.  God provided everything we needed just at the right time.  The hardest part of all was simply missing the most amazing man I know.  We haven't been apart for this long since the day we got married and I have to say I am not really all that excited to do it again. EVER.  The inability to call him was really one of the most difficult parts!  But alas he will be home in less than 24 hours and we are all looking forward to seeing the pictures and hearing the stories.  It won't be half bad to just set eyes on him really, let alone some snuggle time!  For Jude some no shirt wrestling is in order and well, Kylee, is probably just waiting to talk his ear off!

Some of the fun from the last few days....

74 days and counting

It is hard to believe that Kylee is 5 and Jude is 3.5 and it 74 +/- days we will add a new little Fletcher to the mix!  When I think back to the Labor and delivery of Kylee and Jude I get more anxious for the arrival of this little one.  I have such sweet memories of both previous births.  They were quite different and this one will prove to be just as equally different!  This time around I have chosen a midwife to walk this beautiful path with us, Around the Circle Midwifery is in Olympia and both midwives in the practice are amazing!  They have a Birthing Inn where I can deliver or I can deliver at home.  I have also decided I would love to do a water birth.  Since my labor is relatively short- 6.5 hours with Kylee and just under 2 hours with Jude my goal is to be where ever I have chosen to be and in a birthing tub by the time this little guy makes his entrance.  Prayers would be appreciated to that end.  
As my belly expands and my shirts and pants shrink I can't help but marvel at the growth of this sweet one.  He should be around 3 lbs and 15 inches long right now.  In so many ways this pregnancy has stretched on and on and yet when I think about all his growth it is hard to believe we are this far along.  It is such an amazing miracle.  At 28 weeks I measured 31 weeks- which to be honest was a little overwhelming.  I am hoping we slow down a bit over the next 4 weeks to make up for that growth!  I expect that I will be bigger with him than I was with either Kylee or Jude.  Our last ultrasound predicted he should be about 8 lbs.  I wonder if an ultrasound now would give the same prediction?  Kylee was 7 lb 4 oz and Jude was 8 lb 11 oz. I think it would be great if this one was somewhere in between.
It has been such a joy to share this pregnancy with Kylee and Jude.  Their excitement and awe- their questions have all been such a gift, such a incredible blessing to me.  Jude who asks questions like, "Mama when you take a shower does the baby get wet too?" Or the look on Kylee's face when she felt the baby move for the first time- she was so amazed and he had the hiccups which was just so awesome for her to feel.  She couldn't get over it.  She saw him move before she felt him and again that look on her face...it was a reflection of the same awe I feel when I think about this little miracle growing inside me.