Growing up....

In September 2007, we found out that we were pregnant with our first baby. We did not know yet that we were having a boy or that we would be blessed with our precious Manning. Fast forward, four short years and my first born is in 3K! His first day was Tuesday and he did so well. He walked in 5 steps ahead of me and barely even told me goodbye. He loves his school, his teacher, and his new camo bookbag! Mommy and Daddy are so proud of our little man and we thank God for giving him to us!

Updating

Kevin got elected to be a deacon at our church several weeks ago and he will be ordained next Sunday night. (I am proud wife!) However, when the church secretary called and said she needed and updated picture of the 4 (almost 5 of us), I was completely shocked when I realized that I have absolutely NO recent pictures of all of us together. And since the only one she had was taken when Manning was 6 months old- I figured I needed to do something about this! We have plenty of pictures of the boys, some with Kevin or me with the boys, but none of all of us together. So here you go...the Hatchell clan. Manning-3 yrs, Myers- 16 months, Mommy- almost 18 weeks pregnant with McCann

Advice please....

I am certified to teach 9th-12th grade Language Arts, but I REALLY have a desire to get a Master's in Elementary Ed. I have researched so many online options (which by the way are endless!)
There are countless different programs with different layouts and varying costs. Can anyone give me advice about online programs that are both credible and cost-efficient?Thanks!

1st Trimester Reflection

We are a mere 2 days away from being 13 weeks pregnant with our third precious bundle of joy! I am excited to say that I am already experiencing that beautiful 2nd trimester relief. The first 11 weeks or so if this pregnancy was truly difficult on my body- so different from my first two pregnancies. To start, I started bleeding about 48 hours after my first positive pregnancy test. I will admit I thought the baby was gone. I cried- ok I sobbed. I pretty much surrendered to the idea of miscarriage. However, the bleeding only lasted 1 night and by the next week my blood work showed that I was indeed still pregnant. So we went in for an ultrasound to date the pregnancy. Guess what? There was a yolk sac but no baby yet. They told me it could mean one of two things. Either, I was earlier than they thought or we were experiencing a blighted ovum. A who? Pretty much that would mean that an egg had been fertilized and a baby had been conceived; but had stopped developing very early. So, we had to wait 12 LONG days for a repeat ultrasound. By then we should see a baby and hear a heartbeat if this was a viable pregnancy. If not, the yolk sac would be all we would see. Fast forward almost 2 weeks and I was convinced this baby was FINE. I felt it in my heart- I knew my baby was alive AND perfect. God gave me complete peace over the situation. Kevin and I went in faithful that we would see our tiny baby and hear his/her sweet heartbeat. And we did! Several weeks later we had another ultrasound and we saw it's arms and legs. God is so good ALL the time! Since then we have heard it's heartbeat three times on the doppler and in 3 weeks we hope to find out what we are having! I jokingly say it's a girl because this baby has not only been extremely high maintenance, but also such a fighter. If it is indeed a girl, we will call her Ruby-Kate after my momma, who was the most courageous fighter I have ever known. Do I think it's a girl? Maybe, maybe not. I get asked all the time if I WANT it to be a girl. How do you answer that? I got my wish- I am pregnant- I wanted our baby! We love our boys and would be thrilled to add a third to our bunch. A girl would be a wonderful blessing as well....so we will see!

Funny Stuff

My kids are the funniest people I know...here are just a few of the hilarious things they have said and done this week.

* Sunday night, Manning asked what we having for supper. I said," lasagna." He says, "Janya?" and was quiet for a few seconds. He quickly responded with, "But I thought the whale ate him." HAHAHAHA! No, Manning that was Jonah- but awesome that you remember the Bible story.

*I am bad- REALLY bad at remembering to water my flowers. One day last week we were coming inside and Manning says, "Momma, you need to water your flowers." I agreed but obviously not with as much conviction as Manning wanted because he continued. "Momma, the flowers are going to die if you don't water them." Okay, Okay, Okay. He is a persistent little thing!

*Myers' favorite word right now is ball....but he does not say it the way the rest of us do. He makes it about 30 secs long. BBBBBBBB-AAAAAAAAA-LLLLLLLL-LLLLLLLL. And then he repeats himself. Imagine our ride to school. BBBBBBB-AAAAAA-LLLLL-LLLLLLL. Manning screaming," Mom, he said ball." BBBBBBB-AAAAAA-LLLLLLL-LLLLLLL! Manning, "He did it again!" And repeat over and over!

* I have been pretty sick this pregnancy and the boys have started to notice. The other day Manning told me that he sure hoped this baby came out of me soon! Sorry, buddy, it (hopefully) is going to be quite a while longer.

*We were out of milk the other morning so I gave Myers juice instead. He (with his 14 month old self) pushes the juice cup off the high chair and says, "MIK!" He knows what he wants!

So thankful for my two little guys and so excited about our newest addition!

Baby Hatchell #3

The last few weeks have been crazy busy. We have been on vacation, had a 3rd birthday party, started a summer pre-school (the boys attend and I teach), played t-ball, and found out we were having our third baby! So far everyone I talk to about my pregnancy asks the same three questions:
1. "Was this a surprise?" No, we were trying. We love the age difference (22 months) between Manning and Myers and there will be almost the exact same between Myers and the new baby. We love that our boys are friends. We pray that they will always be close and take care of each other.
2. "Are you sick?" Yes, yes, yes. I felt awesome with boys! I even went so far as to brag about how great I felt when I was pregnant. Everything I said I never had. I have now....nausea, fatigue, moodiness, bad skin, etc. However, all of that is worth it. I know what the reward is and I would be willing to feel like this forever if it meant God blessing us with a healthy baby!
3. The "are you sick" conversation is usually followed up with, "Do you think it is a girl?" Honestly I have no idea. Yes, I feel different this time but it is 100 degrees outside and I am busy taking care of a 3 yr old and a 1 yr old. I truly have no preference. I love my boys so much and I love being their momma. There is a special love between a mother and her son. So yes, it would be nice to experience a girl, but on the otherhand what could be more fun than 3 boys!?

What's your opinion? Will we stay on team blue or will we have a girl this time? We should know in mid-August!

I love my man.

Kevin and I celebrated our 6th anniversary this past weekend. We met on Friday, October 1, 2004. We had dinner at some friends' house (who had set us up) and "watched" a movie. By watched, I mean a movie was playing but we were too busy talking to notice it. I remember the first time I saw Kevin. I walked into our friends' house and at first from across the room Kevin looked short. (Not that I have a prejudice towards short people.) I just didn't want to tower over him so I slipped my heels off just to make sure. (Yes, I remember every aspect of the outfit I wore that night). Thankfully, Kevin is not short, average, but not short. I can wear heels and look him square in the eyes. I like that. In fact, I like pretty much everything about this man. He called me two days later and asked for a second date. That was it. We were together. He started shopping for my ring 2 weeks later and asked me to marry him on November 30th. Sixty days after our first date. I will never forget Kevin praying with me on our second date or the way my momma shrieked with happiness when I showed her my ring. Yes, it was quick. Yes, there is an 11 yr age difference between us. Yes, it was one of the best decisions I have EVER made. He makes me a better Christian and a better woman. I am thankful to be his wife.