First grade here we come!

A year ago my sweet girl was graduating preschool and about to embark on her first of many years of "big school" as we call it in our home. I had so many fears and reservations about Sarah Catherine starting school. She would no longer be with me all day everyday.. She would no longer have the security of being right down the hall from my preschool classroom.. She would finally be discovering who she was without her mom there to protect her from the world. I experienced so much anxiety and really had learn to "cut the apron strings." Learning to do this without letting her in on my fears was a hard task, but once again I leaned on Christ for His strength and guidance. I am so thankful Jesus was there with her every step of the way and blessed her with a school surrounded with teachers who have taught her so much. She was so blessed to have Missy Lay to guide, protect, teach, and love her this year! She is an incredible teacher who has a passion for her students and treats them as her very own! Ms. Lay has done so well preparing Sarah Catherine for the first grade.. and for all of this we are grateful! She has done so well academically, and ended this year with the Good Citizenship Award. Proud cannot even describe how Marc and I feel! This year, coming to an end, is bittersweet.. We have so much to look forward to in the upcoming school year and will continue to pray for God's Grace for Sarah Catherine, but for my nerves as well!

I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart.. WHERE???

Several months back we had a lesson in Sunday School about joy. I never knew the difference between joy and happiness, but little did I know this was God preparing my heart for what was ahead!
Spending so much time in the NICU staring at our beautiful 4lb blessing I have pondered so much about that specific Sunday School lesson. It is so easy to pity your child, yourself, your family, your whole situation! But, being here is also very humbling and brings a new perspective to the word JOY!
Joy is finding goodness and happiness in every situation. This has been an INCREDIBLE struggle for me! Growing up I always believed God's purpose for us, as His children, is to be happy.. When in fact that is not the case at all. I have learned that God's purpose is for us to have joy in every circumstance! Having this sort of joy shows God our faith in Him, in any circumstance.. It shows Him we can be comforted by His grace alone!
Before my maternity leave I had been teaching my preschoolers Galatians 5:22.. The fruits of the Spirit... Here again, little did I know this was God preparing me for what was I was about to face! It has been so difficult finding joy while seeing an IV in the top of my babies head, or a feeding tube down her nose, or 10 wires going in 10 different directions, or having to leave my baby daughter day after day in a place that, while I know it's what is best for her, is not my arms! I have to search for a joy only God can give me.. A joy filled with His Grace and Mercy!
I totally believe this is why God's purpose for us isn't to be happy, but to be joyful, why?? Because HE is in control!

Who is your Hero?

I, along with every other woman in America, have become a huge fan of Pinterest. I love looking for ideas on crafts for my classroom, recipes, photography, decorating, etc.. Most of all I love finding new ideas to do with Sarah Catherine! We all can get caught up in our everyday life so much that we sometimes forget to sit back and enjoy our children (or any member of our family for that matter). Recently I came across a link called Pillow Talk Questions for you and your child. It has 20 simple questions, but I was surprised at the (almost adult) conversation it struck between me and my daughter.
I started with question 3 "Who is your hero and why?" When asking her this she looked at me in the rear view mirror puzzled (since this was not our typical after school conversation)... Which then shamed me that I didn't ask more leading questions to my 6 year old. Sarah Catherine sat there looking out of the window thinking about her answer.. Her first response "God." When I asked her why, her response was "because He loves me no matter how bad I act and I can talk to Him anytime I want to." You can call it hormones if you want, but I almost turned into a blubbering idiot driving down HWY 195. It warmed my heart to know that what takes most people a lifetime to figure out, my kindergartener already knew about God's unconditional love, His faithfulness to us and more importantly that His promises never go away. As she and I continued to talk she said "If I picked a human that lives on earth, I pick my Daddy as my hero." Anyone that knows these two well enough I am sure this does not come as a big surprise, seeing as they are attached at the hip. It was her conversation that followed her response that made me so overwhelmed with thankfulness that God placed Marc in my life not only as my husband, but as the earthly father for my girls! They are so blessed to have a daddy that loves them unconditionally and one who thrives on teaching them anything from swimming to hunting, but embraces her (them) for the girly girl that she (they) is(are)!
I hope that anyone who reads this will be encouraged to use these questions to talk more to your child(ren)! They are so creative and attentive, it may surprise you at the responses you receive!

Fall is HERE!!!

This is The Rollins FAVORITE time of year!!

It's A... Part 2

IT'S A.....

Saturday Marc and I were given a blessing by a good friend from church to have a sonar in her home to find out the gender of our baby! When asked Friday night I, of course, was excited but nervousness soon followed! I knew that whatever that sonar revealed would change our lives either way!
Since this pregnancy was so different (and when I say "different" I mean SICK.. Very,very SICK) I was convinced that it must be a boy. Seeing as my pregnancy with Sarah Catherine was a breeze in comparison! I am totally convinced of what my sister in law, Staci, told me a couple of weeks ago.. "God gives you a great first pregnancy so you will want to have another baby later on." My mother was in total agreement and so truthfully stated (as mothers often do) "If you (me) had been first, I wouldn't have had another one." (Thank you for the sweet love Mom)
After the nervous feeling passed, anxiety set in.. I was ready to find out and start nesting!! We are proud to announce that we will be having another little girl! We are so excited and Sarah Catherine is nesting more than I am! She couldn't wait to get the baby things out of the attic and start cleaning and washing everything! She was upset that we decided to paint the nursery the week of Thanksgiving.. She wanted to do it all RIGHT THEN!!!
After finding out Marc really wanted to surprise Sarah Catherine, so we went to the mall and bought a sweet little gown and a matching bib and burp cloth wrapped in a pink bow! Her expression was priceless! We were able to tell her that her baby sister was stretched out on the sonar waving her little right hand and had her feet crossed at the ankles! We were able to see all 10 little toes perfectly and her heart and brain also looked great! God is continually blessing our family and I am so thankful we serve such a BIG God!

Fish Anyone?

Marc took Sarah Catherine fishing today.. Who said fishing was a guy sport??? And she caught with a Hello Kitty bow.. What a girl!!

6 Years Has Flown By

Last Friday was Sarah Catherine's 6th Birthday and with everything that had been going on in the month of September the 28th really snuck up on me! I laid in bed Thursday night watching Sarah Catherine sleep and could still see the resemblance of the baby she used to be. With the absolute madness that goes along with raising an almost six year old and plus Marc being out of town for three weeks I wished for that moment she could be a baby again.. No judgement, no arguing, no back talk, and last but not least NO attitude! I never realized how much of a Daddy's girl Sarah Catherine really is until he was in Georgia finishing his training for three weeks (which really felt like 3 months). Nevertheless, party day had arrived and she was so far past excited!! Not only was her party that evening, but she knew I was bringing cupcakes to her class for snack, but even more importantly, her DADDY was FINALLY coming home that day!
I have no idea what possessed me to make my doctors appointment for that morning (bad planning on my part), but Marc was able to meet me in Birmingham and see the baby's heartbeat (which made his day)! After rushing home, grabbing the cupcakes, I stayed up until 11 the night before baking, and rushing to MPS I saw my daughters face beam with joy and excitement (which of course made all the stress worth it)... After partying like it was 1999 with the Class of 2025 (ok figuring up that year scares me a little) we checked Sarah Catherine out of school early (per the request of the birthday girl) and rushed home to prepare for her party that night.
I am noticing hiding gifts is much harder than it used to be.. Buying things too far in advance is not always a good thing for me seeing as I forget about it or I can't remember where I hid it (aka the toys I hid in the storage under my trunk that will now be used for Christmas.. Lose/Win I guess)!
Choosing a painting party for Sarah Catherine was so much fun! The kids had a great time, everything was included, and the best part.. I didn't spend the week before the party cleaning and two days after cleaning either (WIN/WIN/WIN).. Ginny Robert has a great location for her painting parties and it was all Sarah Catherine could talk about.. That and the gifts! Overall it was a great day for the birthday girl and we are so proud God has blessed us with her (attitude and all.. Ok maybe I could do without the attitude ;) ). Just think this time next year Baby Rollins will be here to party hardy with us!

What is TRUE Integrity

Webster's Dictionary defines the word integrity as "firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values." The Biblical definition of integrity is to "be complete or to be upright." Recently my Father In Law, Johnny, ran in the mayoral election in Jasper. Unfortunately, Johnny was not successful in becoming Jasper's next mayor. But, as I watched Johnny's reaction at each stage of news he received I quickly realized how successful he really was! I saw first hand the definition of integrity! Johnny was successful in running a CLEAN race by being honest, trustworthy, and certainly NOT obnoxious!
Later that night, after putting Sarah Catherine to bed, I told Marc how proud I was to be apart of his family and that I respected his Dad even more for handling himself with TRUE INTEGRITY and Grace! Jim, Staci, Marc and myself are so blessed our children have a Papa that sets such a wonderful example for them! We love you Papa!

A Sigh Of Relief

Monday my Mother went with me to my second OB appointment. I was nervous about hearing a heartbeat, seeing as my last visit we were not even able to see the baby. I know God's will is perfect, but when it comes to our children it can be even harder to understand! As I waited for the sonographer to enter the room I prayed for God's mercy and protection! Not only did he give me both He also gave me comfort! Within just a few seconds I heard the sonographer say "We have a heartbeat!" I cannot express the amount of weight that was lifted from my shoulders! She told me to hold my breath and then we heard a beautiful little heartbeat (or heart beep as Sarah Catherine calls it)! Walking to the nurses station I was overwhelmed with emotion.. The floodgates opened! Of course they were tears of happiness (I am pregnant and hormonal :) ) !! My next appointment is September 28, Sarah Catherine's 6th birthday! More updates to come!!

What A WEEK!!!

Wow!! What a BUSY week this has been!!! With Sarah Catherine starting Kindergarten and Marc working in Opelika for the week I took on the roll of single parent. Let me just say I have a whole new respect for single parents out there! Tuesday I received wonderful news that my blood work came back and my levels had more than doubled!!! This news was a true answer to prayer! I have an appointment next Monday, and we are continuing to pray for a healthy baby! Sarah Catherine had a great first week at Kindergarten! She loves her teacher and is already making new friends and being a helper to Ms. Lay (which is right up her ally). This being the last week before preschool begins I was able to get a lot of cleaning done. A big shout out to my sweet friend Stephanie Burnam and our cousin Patrick for helping me clean out the baby's room!! After four trips to the basement and three trips to the Jimmie Hale Mission I was able to organize closets and cabinets! I know Stephanie probably thought she was on a bad episode of Hoarders (without the bugs of course). I just didnt realize how hard it was to get rid of Sarah Catherine's Preschool work. I love going to my Aunt Cathy's (especially around the holiday's) and seeing how she can still bring out my cousin Joel's artwork for that particular holiday or season. I think it is a wonderful way to reminisce and also be festive! Nevertheless I was able to let go and let Stephanie do her thing!! I am so happy with the way things look and I look forward to finding out the sex of the baby so the decorating can begin!

Sarah Catherine's First Day of Kindergarten

I never thought I would be so thankful for Sarah Catherine's preschool experience at First United Methodist Church as I was the first day of kindergarten! As the three year old teacher I am a little bias to our preschool, but we couldn't have asked for a better experience for our daughter! It totally prepared her for this day, and for that matter, this year!
I thought trying to wake Sarah Catherine up was going to be the hard part.. WRONG!! Watching my bright eyed baby sit at that red table playing blocks, totally confident in her surroundings, was probably the toughest part. She didn't need mommy to stay with her! She was ready
to start her day with her teacher and her new classmates. I was so thankful for the independence that preschool taught her! She had a wonderful first day of school!

Psalm 9:10

Yesterday I went to my first OB appointment. Although I was running on pure adrenaline the whole week in anticipation for Thursday, I was still nervous something may not be exactly right with the pregnancy. It always seems satan takes my worries and feeds me more doubt. After entering the sonar room I prayed for comfort. We saw the amniotic sack and the yolk sack, but no baby. The doctor told me not to worry! He said that the technology in the home pregnancy tests are much more advance than the sonar machines. He also informed me I may not be as far along as I originally thought. I was instructed to make another appointment for Monday to check my HCG level and compare to Thursdays levels (which were over 7,000). He said we are looking for these numbers to double or triple.
Waking up Friday this scripture was in my daily devotion I receive through email: Those who know your name trust you, O Lord, because you have never deserted those who seek your help." Psalm 9:10 I love how God speaks to me through His word! He never deserts me and always comforts me in my time of need! I know that no matter what happens with my HCG levels or the pregnancy in general, God is in control! Please pray for HIGH HCG levels on Monday!

Is that Phil Robertson???

Today Marc, Sarah Catherine, and I had the pleasure of going with our dear friends, The Rhodes, to Decatur for the 75th Ducks Unlimited Anniversary. Normally I would not be interested in the least in going to these sort of functions, but when I heard Phil Robertson, The Duck Commander, was going to be there I was psyched! All I had to do was talk Katie into going (who also would rather be in her PJ's watching housewives.. Or better yet Hutterites.. Wink wink). After replaying my official meeting, to the BIG duck Commander, in my head I was quickly sent back to reality when I realized that about 2,000 other people shared my same dream. Nevertheless I did get some distant pictures of him and Ms. Kay!!! Listening to Phil preach was a blessing! Not at all what I expected to hear. I know they end every episode around the dinner table having prayer as a family, but I had no idea how on fire for God he really is!
We had a wonderful time watching the kids play and even made it through breaking the bad news to Sarah Catherine and Tucker that we didn't win the 2 ton playhouse (seemed like I was not the only one with crushed dreams for the day ;) ) All in all it was a wonderful day with wonderful friends! The weather was PERFECT and the entertainment was great! Definitely do it again.. Maybe they will send Uncle Si next time!!