Pictures of Perdue Summer Fun in August

Jackson and Belle Tubing

Perdue Girls in Lake Folsom

Juliette Cruisin'

Belle wanting to swim more...

Oakland Zoo MOPS Play Date

Ardenwood Farm
Ardenwood Farm

National Night Out at Crossroads

Dave and Megan's Wedding

Perdue Girls at the Park

Belle at the Park

I Love the New Mrs. Perdue!

I didn't get my hair cut or change anything about me,... actually, there is a new Mrs. Perdue-- Mrs. Megan Rose Wadkins Perdue. I'm super excited to have another awesome sister-in-law. She loves Dave so well and it will be neat to see them grow together through the years. Their wedding was wonderful. Megan is a great auntie (or "Tati Negan"), she is really fun to be around, and I love that she can make things silly and also really get to know someone all at once. Also, today happens to be Megan's birthday. I'm so glad she was born. Happy Birthday, Megan!

Modern Day Miracle

We often hear people say, "It's a miracle!" and we may or may not be impacted by those words depending on how we view life or whether or not the event seems that miraculous to us. That being said, I truly believe that the fact that I'm pregnant right now with our third child is a miracle. Life, getting pregnant, is a miracle. So I will call this pregnancy a 'true miracle'.

When Juliette was 3 months old the idea of trying for a third baby came to mind. Juliette is a very easy-going baby, but this is pretty huge regardless of any baby's temperament. When I say it came to mind, I mean that the Holy Spirit (God) put the idea in my mind. I specifically thought (I believe God impressed this in my mind) to try for another baby in May. For any of you that know our current situation, Jackson is a first year (now, going to be second year teacher). We are blessed in so many ways, but having a third baby is so far off of our budget we still don't know how it's all going to come together. At the time, we had no idea if he'd have his job for this upcoming school year. We also had a rough season when Juliette was first born (flea infestation, sickness, Jackson being a first year teacher, etc.) I immediately prayed and thought that there would have to be some big "signs" for this to happen. I eventually told Jackson and he did not have any desire to move forward with this plan. He promised to pray about it, but had no similar thoughts or promptings. As time passed, when we talked about it, we would say, "Okay, maybe if Jackson gets his job for this next school year, that's a big sign" (him getting a teaching job in this current economy is a pretty huge deal).

The day after we found out that Jackson got his job for this upcoming school year, Belle came up to me and said, "Mommy, God wants another baby in your tummy. He just does". I raced to the office to grab a camcorder and the minute I came back, she was making silly faces and the moment had clearly passed. Another day, I made a huge list of the reasons why we shouldn't try to have a baby (this is a very long list) and the reasons why we should (2 reasons-- 1. The joy of another life and 2. I believe God told me to). When Belle woke up from her nap, she told me (right after I made this pro and con list), "God wants you to have another baby in your tummy. He has His own reasons".

Jackson and I continued to pray about this crazy notion which seemed/seems insane to us, but we were still hesitant. What if Jackson doesn't get his job for the next school year? We're tired now, what will it be like with 3 kids (2 of them being 16 months apart)? Do we even want 3 kids?May came and as the baby-making-time (I know no better way to write this, sorry for those of you that are cringing right now) drew near, we basically decided that there's no way we could do this. Then, God changed Jackson's mind. Literally, the day that was the 'first trying day'. Jackson came home, and said, "God basically put the same idea in my mind. More than that, I feel I'd be disobedient if we didn't try. I feel insane, but I know this is what we are supposed to do". We are so glad we chose to 'obey' and listen to what we were hearing. I'm a little over 8 weeks pregnant now. So, 16 days after the day Jackson was "on board" we found out... I'm pregnant!

I share this story with you for one reason only. To give God glory. I feel humbled and honored that God chose us to be Belle and Juliette's parents. More so, that he chose for us to have yet another one to nurture and grow. We have so many dear friends that long to get pregnant and struggle with infertility and I do not write this to tout of our fertility or even suggest that we are superior because we 'heard God and it came true', because babies are God's miracle and regardless of whether or not a couple is fertile, not too many people try and get pregnant in the first month (especially if it's not a timed, every day- sorry again for the details- type of thing). If you're reading this, and you know God, I encourage you to live by His Spirit and ask His Spirit to guide you and the big and small decisions of your life. If you don't know God, and want to know Him more, I'd love to talk to you about how you can. Send me a message. Or, you can read this: South Bay Church's Core Beliefs.

Belle's Soccer Camp

Belle has been participating in a week long soccer camp that started on Monday. It's been... interesting. Day 1, she kept asking if the side line was the goal. Day 2, she met a friend. Day 3, she and friend had even more fun together. Day 4, she is still running around with her friend while the coach (in a really cool British accent) yells, "Guuurls!" (read 'girls' in a cool British accent). She's learned some "cool tricks" as she describes her new soccer move knowledge, but she mostly enjoys playing tag with her friend and kicking the ball around aimlessly. I've reminded Belle to mind her coach which she is doing more, but at the end of the day, I'm happy she's making friends and that she's getting some exposure to sports. Today, Day 4, she seemed to be understand a little bit more. I love my little guuurl.

Father's Day Surprise

If you know me well, you know it's SUPER hard for me to keep any type of surprise... especially if it's a gift. For Father's Day this year, I took the girls (and AJ my nephew came!) to get their pictures taken and we made a surprise frame layout (6 pictures of the girls) for Jackson. Also, both grandpas are getting some of the pictures for Dad's Day... We gave Jackson the frame this morning (couldn't wait). Great gifts for amazing dads.

The Pictures....

So, I still need to order prints, but here are some of the pictures from our trip to Anaheim... Enjoy!

Belle going to Minnie's House...

We had fun seeing the Klings... we spent a day as families on Tuesday and I went up to visit Sarah and her boys for the afternoon on Wednesday. Here's a picture of Sarah and I:

Belle and her cousin, Ashley. They got their faces painted at Disneyland!

Jackson and I... our first trip to Disneyland together. To quote Jackson, "Disneyland IS 1000x more fun as a parent than it was as a kid".

Belle met Cinderella (and Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Belle, and Ariel) at Ariel's Grotto.

Juliette's first pool experience...

Here we are on the Nemo ride. Juliette rode on this ride, the Buzz Lightyear ride, and It's a Small World...

California Adventure!

It's June!?!?

As you can see, I've taken quite a break in blogging... well, a break from this year's blogging that is. I'm not quite sure when or how I'll post all the blogs that I have been thinking of, but here's what I have for now:

- May Madness- May was an insane month for the Perdues. We had a ton of celebrations- a bridal shower, 2 birthday parties, 2 baby showers, a wedding, a retirement party, and 3 graduations to cap the end of that crazy party train. I may or may not post pictures at some point...

- Juliette has about 6-7 teeth AND she did one little crawl on June 4th... :-)

- We had a wonderful vacation- we just got back last night. 6 days and 6 nights in Anaheim, CA. 2 Days at Disneyland. Lots of Daddy and Belle pool time. We got to see our good friends that moved to Glendale 2 years ago- The Kling Fam. We spent a day with Jackson's sister's family and a couple of days with my family. Wonderful memories. More pictures to come of this for sure...

- I'm going back to work! Well, part-time and only for 4 weeks, but man I feel so blessed I am a stay-at-home mom otherwise. I'll be teaching a few periods for 2 sessions at the local junior college for 4-8 graders.

- Last, but certainly not least, my mother-in-law is moving in with us. This will be a big change, but we know that God is at the center of it and we wouldn't be able to make the transition without him.