The Starks Family is Growing - thestarksfamilyisgrowing

 This week Ava is 3 months and a few days old. She is getting sooo big.  How many three month old's do you know who weigh 17 pounds?  She is still feeding on mommy's milk but by a bottle.  She seems to like that a lot better.  She is smiling, reaching out to touch things, and is holding her head up very well.

Kael is growing, as well.  He has grown 4 inches in 6 months.  His little legs are getting skinnier and skinnier but he eats very very well.

I just took the two to get their pictures taken but Kael decided he was not going to cooperate.  He just screamed and screamed when I sat him next to Ava for a picture.  Nothing I did got him to calm down so you'll be shocked to see I had to sit with them both to get a picture with both of them in it without any tears.  I was totally not dressed right for the picture.  I had on an ugly black sweat shirt and my hair looked a mess.  (Moms I know you know what this feels like).

Over all things are well with the two.

 Today Michelle is 32 weeks pregnant.  Her last visit at the doctors went well.  Everything is going well and the baby seems to be happy in mommy's tummy.  This weekend is Michelle's baby shower.  I am hosting the shower and plan to have some fun things for the guest to do.  Michelle has already got most of the baby's room ready except for a few small details.  I'll update with more on the shower next week.

 On a regular day we all get up, change diapers, eat breakfast and after Walter leaves for work we head up stairs to Ava's room.  I change her, do her hair, and then Kael asks me to sit Ava in his lap or he wants to lay in her bed with her.  The new pictures are them together in her room.  Today Ava is going over to Aunt Scooby's (Michelle) house to hang out while Kael and I go run some errands, oh and we might stop by the park to enjoy the last few days of nice weather.  I'll snaps some pictures while we are there.

 We had a busy but fun weekend.  I worked on my new web-site and company called Diaper Designs.  You can check it out on the page labeled Diaper Designs. 

Walter did not have to ref this weekend so he watched the kids. 

Kael has had a cough now for over a week.  We were really scared because he was gagging every time he coughed.  Please remember to pray for him.  Ava is doing well.  She still is my good little baby.

Sunday, November 9th, our church had baby dedication so we took the kids up on stage and Pastor Lawrence annoited their heads with oil.  We called the church the next day to get the certificates of their dedication.  I would have loved to have known that this was the Sunday for baby dedication because I would have dressed Ava up in the cutest dress. Oh well, the most important part was done.  What a good time to get them dedicated because now Kael is sick. 

Over the last two weeks Kael has been coughing and fighting a cold.  He was showing signs of getting better about 4 or 5 days ago.  The past few days he has been coughing so hard that his face turns red and he gags on the mucous in his chest. (Yeah, I know, to much info.)  Anyway, I have been praying that little Ava does not get it.  We took him to the doctor today and he listened to his chest, looked in his ears, and checked his throat.  He thinks that he had caught a cold on top of another cold.  He did not perscribe anything but said that he should clear up in the next week.  Keep us in your prayers that we all do not get sick. 

I have been working diligently on my web-site for Diaper Designs.  Boy, what a lot of work.  I did not know that designing your own web-site took that much work and detail.    On December 7th at Solid Rock Church there is going to be a Christmas Bazzar inbetween services and after the last service.  I am signed up to have a table there to sell my Diaper Designs.  For the next few weeks I will be making about 20-30 diaper cakes and designs.  Pray that it goes well.  I am signing off for the night.  Check out the latest pictures on the picture page.  God Bless to Everyone!! 

 Okay,you mom's and dad's out there; tell me how hard it is to keep one child healthy while the other child it coughing, sneezing, and throwing up all over the other?  That is what the last week and a half has been like.  Kael came down with a cold that turned into bronchitis.  We took him to the doctor and the very next day we had to take him to Urgent Care because his chest was retracting. 
He got back and the doctor said that it was not curable with antibiotics and that it would have to run it's course.  That night I put baby Vick's on him and ran the humidifier in his room.  The next day he woke up and he was not retracting, but coughing an awful lot.
I kept praying that Ava would not get what he had but the next day she woke up with lots of congestion and she was coughing.  So, now both of them have colds.  I have been cleaning out noses, sanitizing hands, running humidifiers, and doctoring up these kids for the last 2 weeks.  They both are doing okay, except lots of snot and coughs.  Haha!!

I also have been working hard on my web-site Diaper Designs.  I did not know how much work it takes to make a web-site and make it the right way.  I have been working 5-8 hours a day on the computer while caring for sick kids, keeping the house some-what clean, and trying to do everything else in between. 
I have some prayer requests: My kids, this business, and my husband for health and wisdom.

Thanks everyone for reading and keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

Today was Kael's first day at soccer.  He had a blast.  I video taped and Walter played with him.

 I was doing some research on shipping supplies and ran across some information that I thought could not be true.  I read on and the site said that they had been spending lots of money a month on shipping supplies when they soon learned that they could get free shipping supplies from the United States Post Office.  When you ship priority you can get free shipping products from boxes, to envelopes, to address labels.  They also custom make labels for you, as well.  All you do is go to www.usps.com go to shipping/mailing, scroll down until you see priority and click it on.  You then can search through about 60 products that are free and guess what??? They ship it to you for free.  Unbelievable!  If you have any products to send  for the holidays you now know how to get your supplies. Oh, and if you can't wait 7-10 business days, go to your local post office and ask for some materials. 

Other than that, my site should be up by Sunday night.  It has been so much work but I have had fun doing it.  God Bless and Happy Thanksgiving to you all!!!!

 Ava is getting better.  She is getting over being sick and Kael is 100%.  I have been selling diaper cakes at bazaars and craft shows and plan to go to more in March, April, May, and June. 
Walter is reffing wrestling and we are trying to go watch him as much as possible.
Michelle is being induced the day after Christmas so we are excited about that.

There will be more pictures of Walt, Kael, and Ava coming soon so check back with-in the week.

Merry Christmas to all!

Hello all.  Kael just ended his last soccer class of the season.  We have been busy recouporating from our illnesses and finished up some Christmas shopping.  Friday night Walter had off so we loaded up the kids and went to Johnny's Toy Store in Kentucky.  They had a play place inside and lots of toys.  We took Kael straight to the play place and he jumped in the balls for about a half hour and them we looked down every isle for some toys.  We have already got Kael a track, basketball hoop, and some new bath toys.  Ava got a bear that has different light-up features and a doll.
It's funny because when we got back in the car we said to each other, "The things we do for our kids.  We drive thirty minutes, pay $8.00 for Kael to jump around for thirty minutes, and then go toy shopping."  They have it made.
We finished up the night with a split meal at Champps and a Mile High Pie which is actually all ice cream with an oreo shell.  Awesome, but a lot of calories.
Michelle is being induced the day after Christmas and Walter's parents are going to watch the kids. I will post some pictures of Payton's birth when she gets here.  If Walter's parents are reading this I hope everything goes smooth and thank you soooo much for watching them.  Walter will be there as soon as possible to get them.  Ava has been puckering up her lip when she notices someone new and when mommy is not around.  Kael has mellowed out a lot but he used to be the same way, but worse.
We plan to spend Christmas day with Walter's parents and his sister's family.  We always have a good time with them.  It gets very loud with all the laughing and it is usually at the kids.  We just spent some time with them for Aleah's birthday, Kael and Ava's cousin.  She is one month older than Kael.  They are really good buddies. 

That about sums up everything.  If the Popes are reading this Thank You for your phone calls.  I will return them.  It is very hard to talk with everything going on and trying to get all this Christmas stuff done, clean the house, and take care of kids.  I'm sure you understand. 

Well, I hope everyone had a great Christmas.  My kids sure did.  They get Christmas from my side of the family, Walter's side of the family, and then us.  Wow, lots of great gifts.  We looked like Santa Claus with his big bag of gifts when we left peoples houses.

Michelle was induced the day after Christmas.  They started her on Pitocin and little by little she dilated and at 4 am on Saturday morning her water broke.  The nurse came in cleaned her up, checked her and she was 5 cm dilated.  The nurse decided at that time to set up the sterile table for when the baby came.  By 5 or so Michelle was completely dilated and the nurse asked her to give a few pushes because the baby was a little higher than they wanted.  Michelle pushed and the nurse told her that she was going to have to push much harder to get this baby to come down or she could just rest and let the baby come down on her own.  Michelle, of course, decided she was going to push the baby out on her own and with-in the hour she has pushed so hard and worked so hard the nurse was holding the baby's head so she could be delivered by the doctor.  The baby had other ideas, she was coming out and Michelle was not even pushing.  The doctor just made it in to deliver the rest of the body.  Little Payton was born at 5:45 am weighing in at 7lbs 12oz.  She cried but it was so suttle.  Her skin was flawless.  She began getting nice and pink.  I was snapping lots of pictures and video taping as well. 
What a wonderful moment. To go through the labor process, dilate, water break, and push your baby out into the world.  Who ever said there is no God?  That's a miracle in its self.  It was so calm in her room as Jason helped Michelle hold one of her legs and I helped with the other.  The nurse helped guide Michelle through pushing and I encouraged her.  Again, what a wonderful moment. 
 My parents never made it in time to the hospital.  I had texted them at 4 to tell them to prepare to come out but they never got that text.  They were dead asleep at my sisters house. 
I spent the next few hours just looking at Payton, taking pictures, and watching Michelle feed her baby.  It totally reminded me of my little ones at home and how precious they are. 
That the Lord the the smoothest delivery and a healthy mom and baby.  God is a good God. 
Pictures will be on the picture page in a few hours.  Enjoy!

This man died in a plane crash and he saw Heaven and had specific details that no one would ever know or even know how to describe.  Awesome!  It will make you want to repent!