Hey guys!
Matt's on the home stretch! And we are so thankful for his new job. He's been pretty sick this week, so his boss told him to stay home until he's well and his dissertation is done! PRAISE THE LORD! Matt was trying to work through being sick but wasn't making a lot of progress. So, he's hoping to take the next two days off and finish everything. Pray he makes it and gets well - we've all been sick with something....so, just pray for stamina for all of us - but a new lifestyle for the Lytles is just around the corner! Yippee!
Also, one more update is that his dissertation defense has been scheduled for Monday, April 14. Mark your calendars so you can pray!
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Kathleen and Karissa's big day!
I'm a little late posting this since I've been taking advantage of my last few official days of travel before being confined to a 45 minute radius of Rex Hospital :). Yes...I'm now officially 28 weeks...the official cease and desist your travel for a twin mom. So, I've been enjoying Winston-Salem with my sister's family and my parents over the last few days. Ah...it was great! And SO much fun!
But...on to other things. I had the most WONDERFUL baby shower last Saturday. It was so fun, so relaxing, so great. I couldn't have asked for anything better. Leah Finn, Mary Kathryn Lassetter, and Lindsey Isham threw Kathleen and Karissa a "Twist on a Traditional Diaper Shower." For those of you who don't know, I cloth diaper Josh, and I intend to keep up the cloth diapering with the twins. However, I also realized that with THREE in diapers, I was going to need something with a little more speed to it than the traditional prefolds and covers I've used with Josh. So, we're making the switch to the more expensive BumGenius - which are fabulous - but, as I said...more expensive. So, to help us with the cost, the girls threw me a diaper shower.
The theme was double-stuff oreos (I'm going to steal some pics from Leah's blog since I don't have the pictures downloaded from my sister's camera yet :). The invitations were absolutely adorable. Here's what they said:
Two times the love
Two times the fluff
These two little babies are sweet like "Double Stuff"
Two times the joy
Two times the yum
Two times the sweetness
Two times the fun
Join us to celebrate the impending arrival of Kathleen and Karissa
It was precious. Check out the picture of the adorable invitation:
A picture of me with my hostesses
And a montage Lindsey created - thanks girl!
Matt and I are so thankful for everything everyone has done for us to help us prepare for our girls. We now have two cribs in the house (and a third on the way - we're so blessed that people have given us their old cribs so that we don't have to move Josh to a twin mattress on the floor when the girls come - at 15 months...it's still a little young :). Mary Kathryn has lent us all of her girl clothes. Two bumbos that we are being lent. A beautiful nursery set that my Mom is making the girls in purples and greens. And I'm sure I've forgotten many of the other ways God has just poured out his blessing upon us. This diaper shower was just the latest. Yes, we still have some more to get...but, we are just overwhelmed by what God has already provided for us. It's so much fun! And I can't believe that in less than 10 weeks, they'll be here!
We had another ultrasound today. These are becoming a bit uncomfortable since the girls keep getting on top of each other and in the way as the poor technician tries to get all the shots she needs :). But...Kathleen is still breach, and Karissa is still transverse - so, we'll see what happens and if they end up turning before the big day. If not, no big deal...labor will be over a lot faster :)! if we have to have a c-section :).
We're getting so excited and can't wait to meet the girls face to face!
Oh, by the way - dissertation update: Matt has an external reader - MILLARD ERICKSON! That's huge - for those of you who don't know who this is - he's one of the biggest named theologians of our day, and he wrote one of the most widely used Systematic Theology textbooks in use today. And Erickson is so interested in the topic that he's flying in for the defense (not a common thing at all!). So, it's exciting and intimidating all at the same time. So, just pray for confidence and competence on Matt's part as he prepares for the defense. Also, Matt is in the middle of writing Ch. 5 and revising a few sections of Ch. 1-4. He and Dr. Liederbach have a big meeting to go over everything with a fine toothed comb tomorrow - so, pray that they have a really fruitful time together. He's still looking to turn in the completed dissertation on March 18 - so pray that that happens. Also, it looks like his defense will be the last week of April - so pray that the girls cooperate and don't come until after that.
But...on to other things. I had the most WONDERFUL baby shower last Saturday. It was so fun, so relaxing, so great. I couldn't have asked for anything better. Leah Finn, Mary Kathryn Lassetter, and Lindsey Isham threw Kathleen and Karissa a "Twist on a Traditional Diaper Shower." For those of you who don't know, I cloth diaper Josh, and I intend to keep up the cloth diapering with the twins. However, I also realized that with THREE in diapers, I was going to need something with a little more speed to it than the traditional prefolds and covers I've used with Josh. So, we're making the switch to the more expensive BumGenius - which are fabulous - but, as I said...more expensive. So, to help us with the cost, the girls threw me a diaper shower.
The theme was double-stuff oreos (I'm going to steal some pics from Leah's blog since I don't have the pictures downloaded from my sister's camera yet :). The invitations were absolutely adorable. Here's what they said:
Two times the love
Two times the fluff
These two little babies are sweet like "Double Stuff"
Two times the joy
Two times the yum
Two times the sweetness
Two times the fun
Join us to celebrate the impending arrival of Kathleen and Karissa
It was precious. Check out the picture of the adorable invitation:
A picture of me with my hostesses
And a montage Lindsey created - thanks girl!
Matt and I are so thankful for everything everyone has done for us to help us prepare for our girls. We now have two cribs in the house (and a third on the way - we're so blessed that people have given us their old cribs so that we don't have to move Josh to a twin mattress on the floor when the girls come - at 15 months...it's still a little young :). Mary Kathryn has lent us all of her girl clothes. Two bumbos that we are being lent. A beautiful nursery set that my Mom is making the girls in purples and greens. And I'm sure I've forgotten many of the other ways God has just poured out his blessing upon us. This diaper shower was just the latest. Yes, we still have some more to get...but, we are just overwhelmed by what God has already provided for us. It's so much fun! And I can't believe that in less than 10 weeks, they'll be here!
We had another ultrasound today. These are becoming a bit uncomfortable since the girls keep getting on top of each other and in the way as the poor technician tries to get all the shots she needs :). But...Kathleen is still breach, and Karissa is still transverse - so, we'll see what happens and if they end up turning before the big day. If not, no big deal...labor will be over a lot faster :)! if we have to have a c-section :).
We're getting so excited and can't wait to meet the girls face to face!
Oh, by the way - dissertation update: Matt has an external reader - MILLARD ERICKSON! That's huge - for those of you who don't know who this is - he's one of the biggest named theologians of our day, and he wrote one of the most widely used Systematic Theology textbooks in use today. And Erickson is so interested in the topic that he's flying in for the defense (not a common thing at all!). So, it's exciting and intimidating all at the same time. So, just pray for confidence and competence on Matt's part as he prepares for the defense. Also, Matt is in the middle of writing Ch. 5 and revising a few sections of Ch. 1-4. He and Dr. Liederbach have a big meeting to go over everything with a fine toothed comb tomorrow - so, pray that they have a really fruitful time together. He's still looking to turn in the completed dissertation on March 18 - so pray that that happens. Also, it looks like his defense will be the last week of April - so pray that the girls cooperate and don't come until after that.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Dancing with a Dog
Okay - so, I'm sure if you're a mom - you've had them...the toys your child loves, and you absolutely, totally, and completely HATE! We have several. Two of them are fire trucks (neither have an "off" switch). However...the toy that takes the grand prize of the absolutely most annoying toy ever created is a singing dog that "woofs" the song Stupid Cupid. Yes, my son adores it - so, Haley and Bekah - you made his day by giving it to him. However, I can only handle so many times of hearing a dog "woof" "Stupid Cupid," a song which by the way took me months of wracking my brain only to finally have my friend Leah come up with it (it was probably bouncing around in her head non-stop for months since she has to have heard it hundreds of times as well while we're on the phone :). Anyway - all that to say...the dog gets hidden about once a week when Mommy cannot handle the barking anymore. However, within a few days (I'm convinced he goes on a dog hunt), low and behold I will be in the kitchen or sitting at the computer and I will hear the dreaded song begin - alas...my son has found it. No matter the hiding place, no matter how high up and hidden the dog is...he will find it.
However, the dog (my nemesis - his friend) has rewarded me with some adorable moments. When I begin to lose my mind over the singing dog, I remember that my son's face lights up with delight and he dances and sways and stomps his excitement in time with the dancing dog. He used to just do a little stomp dance, but he recently learned "The Sprinkler" from Georgia. So, in honor of my son and the most annoying dog ever created, I've posted my son doing "The Sprinkler" below:
However, the dog (my nemesis - his friend) has rewarded me with some adorable moments. When I begin to lose my mind over the singing dog, I remember that my son's face lights up with delight and he dances and sways and stomps his excitement in time with the dancing dog. He used to just do a little stomp dance, but he recently learned "The Sprinkler" from Georgia. So, in honor of my son and the most annoying dog ever created, I've posted my son doing "The Sprinkler" below:
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Books I've been reading, My First Tower, a Montage with Dad
I love to read, and now that I'm a mom, I find myself less and less entertained unless the novel is exceptional. So, I've been reading some good books, and some I've skimmed and promptly put down because I could tell they were a bunch of mumbo jumbo :). But I have read two books recently that were great.
The first one was called Twinspirations. It's by a twin mom, and she's hilarious. It has all the things that they forget to put in other books - like how do you get the stupid double stroller through non-automatic doors, and can you really grocery shop with twins, etc. So, it was a fun read.
The other one is by Burton L. White and it's called the The New First Three Years of Life. And no, he's not a Christian, but in general, it's a GREAT book. It goes through the developmental stages of the first three years in great detail, and then matches up what toys and household items are the most helpful, etc. It has been a lifesaver with Josh - who has just started throwing massive temper tantrums, and what White did was observe groups of children at various ages and make observations about what types of things stimulated them, upset them, what they could understand, etc. So, it was really good and interesting. And though we still spank Josh for dangerous things, it's given us some more creative ways to teach him too, so it's been great. I highly recommend it! He's also a huge proponent of staying home with your children. It's so neat when you read something that's not even from a Christian perspective, but they prove Christian principles without even realizing that they are doing so. His major push is to raise children developmentally so that they are independent and well-adjusted, but he believes that the parents should be the primary teachers, just like it says in Scripture. So, anyway - there's my tidbit for the day!
Building my First Tower
A Montage of Loving my Dad
The first one was called Twinspirations. It's by a twin mom, and she's hilarious. It has all the things that they forget to put in other books - like how do you get the stupid double stroller through non-automatic doors, and can you really grocery shop with twins, etc. So, it was a fun read.
The other one is by Burton L. White and it's called the The New First Three Years of Life. And no, he's not a Christian, but in general, it's a GREAT book. It goes through the developmental stages of the first three years in great detail, and then matches up what toys and household items are the most helpful, etc. It has been a lifesaver with Josh - who has just started throwing massive temper tantrums, and what White did was observe groups of children at various ages and make observations about what types of things stimulated them, upset them, what they could understand, etc. So, it was really good and interesting. And though we still spank Josh for dangerous things, it's given us some more creative ways to teach him too, so it's been great. I highly recommend it! He's also a huge proponent of staying home with your children. It's so neat when you read something that's not even from a Christian perspective, but they prove Christian principles without even realizing that they are doing so. His major push is to raise children developmentally so that they are independent and well-adjusted, but he believes that the parents should be the primary teachers, just like it says in Scripture. So, anyway - there's my tidbit for the day!
Building my First Tower
A Montage of Loving my Dad
Monday, February 11, 2008
38 days and counting...
Okay...for those of you out there who have have husbands in school...we're in the final countdown! Matt's goal for having his dissertation turned in is March 18 (also my sister's birthday :). So, please, please, please pray that he can make it. He has been working around the clock (literally) to get this done before the girls get here. I am just so thankful for my husband and all his hard work and dedication. I can't believe everything that it has taken for him to get this far, and now...we're almost there! I won't know what it's like to have a husband who doesn't have to write in the evenings, or to have a Saturday that we can spend together as a family! I'm getting misty-eyed at the thought :). But, I'm so thankful that we've done it this way. Yes, it's been a really hard few months, but Matt's prospectus was approved in November, and now, a little over 4 months later - he's about to have a completed dissertation! That's INCREDIBLE! We decided that instead of stretching this out for years, I'd take on the bulk of raising Josh for a few months and just get it done. And Matt's been such a trooper. I can't say enough how thankful I am to have such a diligent, hard-working husband. He's juggled two jobs and almost completed writing a dissertation in 4 months! I'm in awe. And God is so good - there's no way he should have physically had the stamina to do this. So, here's a few prayer requests for the home stretch...
1. Physical stamina for Matt
2. That I will be gracious, encouraging, and not demanding at all during this crazy time
3. That all the people involved in reading his dissertation will have the time to get it back with the revisions and grades really quickly so that he can meet his goal
So, here's the goal schedule - pray that we can meet each one...
Love you all!! Keep us in your prayers!
1. Physical stamina for Matt
2. That I will be gracious, encouraging, and not demanding at all during this crazy time
3. That all the people involved in reading his dissertation will have the time to get it back with the revisions and grades really quickly so that he can meet his goal
So, here's the goal schedule - pray that we can meet each one...
Feb. 9 – Chapter 2 - revision (this one should be ready for submittal tomorrow night - there were a few more resources left to get from the library)
Feb. 16 – Ch. 3 - revision
Feb. 23 – Ch. 4 - revision (and then, turn these four chapters into his mentor who please pray will have the time to read it that week and return it in the midst of his own busy semester)
Mar. 8 – Ch. 5 - this one is the conclusion chapter and has yet to be written – so pray he will be able to get this one done quickly
Mar. 15 – Ch. 5 returned from Dr. Liederbach for Matt to do corrections - again, pray for Dr. Liederbach's time that this will fit with his schedule
Mar. 18 – all final revisions made and dissertation submitted to be approved and sent out
Love you all!! Keep us in your prayers!
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Fun in February
Who would have thought it would be warm enough in February for outside play time without jackets??? Here's a few pics of what we've been up to :)!
I love to read in my OWN rocking chair!
Outside playtime with Georgia and Leah!
My two men!
Playtime with the tractor :)
Helping Daddy put together my sisters' crib...
Whew! I'm so tired after a long day!
I love to read in my OWN rocking chair!
Outside playtime with Georgia and Leah!
My two men!
Playtime with the tractor :)
Helping Daddy put together my sisters' crib...
Whew! I'm so tired after a long day!
Friday, January 4, 2008
We're having...! Christmas, Walking, and other asundry details
Hey guys!
I know, I know...it's been FOREVER since I've posted...but, I hope you'll forgive me when I tell you the news of what we're having. Here's a hint...Leah and I went to the consignment sale at the fairgrounds today, and I bought something that looked like this...
And a set of these, so that my twins can coordinate...
Yep...Josh is having twin sisters! I'd like to introduce you guys to our two beautiful baby girls: Kathleen Rene and Karissa Joy. We're THRILLED!
On another note, my little boy is walking, talking, and into EVERYTHING! Christmas was fun. Josh's favorite toys were the things that had wheels (there's a shocker :), and his books (just like his Mommy and Daddy).
Here's a few cute pics!
Out of my way people! I'm coming through! (That's my niece Katy beside him).
Why are you so impressed with twins people? I've already got one. She's my cousin Kaylin - we're only 3 weeks apart in age!
This is my cousin Katy. She's SO much fun! She has as much energy as I do! When she's around I laugh and laugh and play and play. We LOVE Katy! :)
I know, I know...it's been FOREVER since I've posted...but, I hope you'll forgive me when I tell you the news of what we're having. Here's a hint...Leah and I went to the consignment sale at the fairgrounds today, and I bought something that looked like this...
And a set of these, so that my twins can coordinate...
Yep...Josh is having twin sisters! I'd like to introduce you guys to our two beautiful baby girls: Kathleen Rene and Karissa Joy. We're THRILLED!
On another note, my little boy is walking, talking, and into EVERYTHING! Christmas was fun. Josh's favorite toys were the things that had wheels (there's a shocker :), and his books (just like his Mommy and Daddy).
Here's a few cute pics!
Out of my way people! I'm coming through! (That's my niece Katy beside him).
Why are you so impressed with twins people? I've already got one. She's my cousin Kaylin - we're only 3 weeks apart in age!
This is my cousin Katy. She's SO much fun! She has as much energy as I do! When she's around I laugh and laugh and play and play. We LOVE Katy! :)
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