Merry Christmas!

Perry Family 2010

Our Christmas card for 2010!
Merry CHRISTmas!

Time to PRE-ORDER!!!

Time to pre-order your bumGenius 4.0 diapers from Jillian's Drawers!

http://www.jilliansdrawers.com/products/clothdiapers/clothdiapers/onesize/bumgeniusv40onesizepocketdiaper

bumGenius 4.0!!!!

bumGenius has come out with a newly designed diaper and Jillian's Drawers is having a contest to win some! There are three new colors too! Check it out:

http://www.jilliansdrawers.com/products/win

Isla turns ONE!!!

Holy Cow! I cannot believe our baby girl is one! It seems just like yesterday we were meeting her for the first time at the birthing center. My sweet baby girl is a whole year and she is walking, talking and has a whole little personality behind her little one year old self! She is our little fire cracker! :) Well, here are some pictures of her obviously enjoying the cake that I made her from scratch! Icing and all!

Sick, sick, sick, sick, sick....

That's right, all five of us were sick AGAIN! Now I am battling to get rid of a wicked sinus infection as a result. The funny thing is I never really had any congestion up until the point I started feeling a sinus infection come on. For now I think the actual infection is gone and I am dealing mostly with pain from massive swelling in my sinus passages. I have dealt with this my whole life so I am pretty used to it by now. It still isn't fun though. Ever since I was 14 and had to have polyps removed I remember actually wanting surgery to get my nose fixed. I have an awful deviated septum. It actually is in the shape of an S so it's crooked not just on one side but both, which in turn makes it extremely difficult to breath especially when I have allergies and suffer from all sorts of sinus/nasal/breathing issues. I actually had an ENT look at my nose once and he said it was the worst deviation he had ever seen. That's gotta make you feel good. To boot I have extremely small nostrils and that makes none of my issues any easier. So hopefully someday I can have surgery. I am pretty leery about that though. I think my view on having any kind of surgery changed when I got married and had kids. I know everything would be fine but there is always that small risk that's sitting there in the back of your mind.

Anyway, I feel like a huge complainer right now but today was especially difficult. The pain in my face reached and all time high and I can honestly say besides childbirth and my kidney infections I have NEVER experienced that much pain. It was pretty bad. I was crying with my head in Mike's lap contemplating going to the E.R. I was so afraid to go for fear of yet again exposing myself to a breeding ground of germs because E.R.'s are not known to be the most germ free of places. I called my sister for some suggestions (she is a massage therapist and knows some good pressure points) and what she suggested worked great! Mike helped me with the pressure points and I replaced the heated rice bag with an ice pack to help reduce the swelling. WOW! It worked! I am still having pain but it is knocked down considerably! I keep icing for 20 minutes on/off. I also took a Tylenol a few minutes ago to see if that will take the rest of the pain away so I can sleep. It must be pretty swollen up there in my sinus passages because that was some pretty awful pain! Sheesh! I couldn't function. And I am thankful the worst of the pain was when the kids were sleeping.

Haylie was so cute when she got up from her nap today though. She is so empathetic. She saw that I was in obvious pain and came up, sat right next to me and stroked my hair and asked if I was going to be OK. What a beautiful spirit she has.

Everyone else in the house seems to be doing great right now. I am really looking forward to this break in weather! Hopefully this will mean no more sickies for the Perry family! I am praying for that! I feel like we have been out of the sync of "normal" life for so long! :)

Finally!!!

Ok, so I am finally getting around to posting something new! Life is going by at such a fast pace! I cannot even believe we are into March already! Well, we all pretty much spent The whole first half of February sick. It was awful! First we had this cold/congestion that somehow morphed into a sinus infection for both Mike and I. The kids were ok after just a few days but had to deal greatly with parents that were absolutely miserable. Well not even a few days after that we got hit big time with the stomach flu. Each child got sick starting with Haylie, then Ethan and then Isla. Isla never threw up. She had the unpleasantness coming out the other end... At that point I thought I was in the clear and very thankful because who in enjoys having the stomach flu while being pregnant? Well, I am sorry to say but I was greatly mistaken. After cleaning up after 3 sick kids for and entire week I had the awesome privilege of getting it myself that weekend. It was not pretty! Mike seemed to avoid it all together and take care of me, and very well I might add.

Not much happened after that, just spending the rest of the month trying to recover and avoid getting sick at all costs.

In between those two awful sicknesses we did go and see Elmo live! We had a great time. This was Haylie and Ethan's first time seeing a big show like that. They had a blast and I was very surprised that it held their attention the entire time. They sat very well and thought the show was great! Here are just a few pictures of the fun time we had...

So

hopefully I can keep up on my posting here. All the birthdays are coming and I know I will have lots to post about here in the next few weeks, Especially because Isla is turning ONE!!! I can't even believe that she will be one! She is still my little baby! WOW! Time really does fly...and we are definitely having fun! :)

Tired....

I know I have not posted in about a week and I am due to post some new pics. I will ASAP. I am getting pretty tired as I am approaching my third trimester quickly! Hang in there, I will have something up soon! Love all of you!

~Corrie

You don't even know...

You don't even know what this post on one of my favorite blogs, Inspired to Action, has done for me today. Please take a moment and read this. I felt God speak to my heart when I read this and watched the video. This was just so significant to me...



http://inspiredtoaction.com/2010/02/if-youve-ever-felt-discouraged/

Perry Family Photo 2010

My favorite people...

She has got style! :) My sweet Haylie.

My two favorite guys, Mike and Ethan!

My other favorite little man, Liam!

Mommy and her baby girl, Isla!

I am not organized by nature...

So I have things like this to help and I am forever grateful! :)

http://inspiredtoaction.com/ebook/

and

http://simplemom.net/tools/downloads/

and

http://simplemom.net/7-organizing-myths-debunked/

I am posting these for other moms because they are helping me become organized and be a better mom and person. So if these can help someone else....well then here they are! Enjoy!

My Jesus in Shining Armor...?

I have to admit, I have been struggling for the past week or so. Sometimes life is just hard for a mom...especially a stay-at-home mom who has 3 kids under four and is 19 weeks pregnant. Don't get me wrong. I don't want to throw a pity party and say "Boo-hoo my life is so hard and so bad" because it's really not. I have an awesome life that God has blessed immensely but there are times that each person struggles in their life no matter what they are going through. This past week and into this week was one of those times for me. I have been struggling trying to find time for myself, my husband, my kids, and my God. It seems like I always put God last. It's sad really. In our Small Group we recently finished a book called Crazy Love by Francis Chan. It really transformed my heart and taught me so many things. The basic idea of the book was that our lives and hearts should be so intertwined in Christ that we should have this CRAZY love for Him....that people would look at us and say that's CRAZY but you do whatever you are doing for Christ and sharing His love. Now we are reviewing it over the next few weeks to take a look back. I am telling you this could not come at a better time.
The question I have been asking myself for the past few days is "Do I want Him to rescue me?" One of my great friends reminded me the other day (all the while having struggles of her own) that one of the things Francis Chan said in Crazy Love was that we need to start praying for God to teach us "in" our struggles and not praying to get "out" of them. WOW! So significant! That is so hard for me but when I take that attitude it always seems like the load gets lighter and somehow easier to bare. Why? Because I know that Jesus is there...right beside me. I don't want Him to rescue me. If he did then I would never learn anything in life. I don't want Him to take me out of my struggles, no matter how simple or how difficult they may be. The idea of having Jesus come in on His white horse in shining armor is great but would it ever do me any real good? It's also not reality. If I really think hard about the suffering that not only other people are experiencing right now (especially in Haiti) but the immense suffering Christ went through for me, my "bad" week and a half really doesn't even stand in comparison.
I know I will have hard times ahead in my life and I am not saying that I am not aloud to feel how I truly feel because someone always has it worse off. I am also not saying the things I go through or the things that those close to me go through are by any means trivial, but I am saying we can learn through them and not run away from them. I know God has a plan for my life and the life of my husband and each one of my children. I fully trust Him and put all of our lives in His hands. I trust He has things for me to learn whether it be through the trials and tribulations of life or not. I also trust it will strengthen me to be a better child of God, wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, and woman.
These are just a few thought and ramblings from a broken woman but I am slowly being pieced back together by my Maker. Please don't judge me....God's not done with me yet! ;)

The last 10 years of my life....

I cannot believe it is 2010! A lot has happened this past year. And a ton more has happened this past decade. Let's take a trip together down memory lane...

2000- I remember feeling happy that the lights didn't go out. The hype of Y2K was beyond ridiculous! I don't think I ever had a real fear of anything happening because my dad is a computer guy and he assured us everything was going to be fine. I was a Sophomore in High School. That year I had started at Farmington High School. I had attended North Farmington the previous year for the 1st semester and the 2nd semester I home schooled with my mom. I was very glad to go to Farmington where all my friends were at. I am still not sure why I ever went to North to begin with. BAD. I experienced a very severe kidney infection toward the end of this year and was hospitalized for about a week.

2001- I started my Junior year in a relationship with someone which was pretty much my first serious relationship. I liked being at Farmington with all my friends but I remember I was always the driver....to everything. I had gotten my license a few years before because I had taken 1st grade over. I was always one of the older kids growing up in school. So I got my drivers license at the end of my freshman year. It seemed like everyone wanted to be my friend because I could take them places...in my moms puke green station wagon. I thought I was pretty cool. But so was NOT. Anyway, a lot of that year was a blur because of 9-11. I still remember being in 1st period watching the destruction. We watched the coverage all day in every class. A lot of people were crying. I felt so numb.

2002- I finally graduated from High School! YAY! Class of 2002! Graduation Party, Trip to Florida and started beauty school that year! Very busy year but I think it was a great one! I also went to Hawaii with a good friend and her family. I experienced another kidney infection and was hospitalized again right after I got back from Hawaii. A few months later I went on a trip to Miami with my dance group from school and we auditioned for a bunch of dance schools and programs. That was a blast! I started beauty school in the fall at David Pressley School of Cosmetology. I was also working at a salon as an receptionist on and off and also as an assistant to a hair stylist.

2003- This year started pretty rough. I decided to switch from Cosmetology to Esthetics (licensed skin care professional)at David Pressley School of Cosmetology. The serious relationship I had begun in 2000 was getting rocky and was on and off for the beginning of that year. I was not living my life for Christ and struggled a lot with loneliness and past hurts. I then had another VERY severe kidney infection and spent a week in the hospital. It was so bad. I remember having my body temp climb to 106 degrees, being packed in ice and then not remembering so much after that. That is the moment I gave my life back to Christ. HE TOOK ME BACK! All I had to do was ask. Then we came home from the hospital and almost instantly having the lights go out. The big Black Out of 2003! Almost immediately after that (only within a 3 day span) I signed up to attend Tyndale Bible College. Making that choice would change my life forever but I had not idea how at the time. I met this guy in English 101. He was really nice and I thought he was cute....and loud! LOL! He was also 13 years older than me so I had no idea that there would be anything between us. I dated a few guys here and there. Two guys on a Christian dating site...not such a great idea. After a few months of just being friends this older guy, A.K.A Mike, and I really could not hold our feelings back for one another and we started dating. We didn't let a few years get in out way of dating! We were meant for each other! :) I also started working as a nanny for a great family! I knew them through the salon I had worked at.

2004- Mike and I were pretty serious from the beginning. We both knew that we wanted to get married and it didn't take long for both of us to realize that he was that person for me and I was that person for him. There were nay-sayers but I knew we would prove a lot of people wrong. God had His hand over us and we made the awesome and wonderful decision to get married. We were officially engaged in August! We planned for a June 2005 wedding at my parents house. We soon started premarital counseling through Northridge Church. It was very extensive with all the steps we had to take so we knew we had to start it well in advance. It was very daunting to see all the steps involved in the premarital prep but let me tell you it was SO WORTH IT! I look at it as an investment in our relationship! I bounced back and forth between the family I nannied for and the salon I worked at. Finally I decided to just continue working with the family as a nanny because I made more money that way and we had a wedding to pay for!

2005- We get MARRIED! And it was HOT! I think that is the only thing anyone remembers about our wedding day. One of the best days of my life though! Two days later we leave for Ocho Rios, Jamaica to go on our Honeymoon! It was great! I loved having all the wedding stuff behind me and being off in a tropical place with the love of my life. Coming back home was pretty eventful! A few weeks after we got back from our Honeymoon we moved into our very first place. An apartment in Livonia. It was me, Mike, our two cats and two and a half weeks later we find out it will be baby too! That's right...little did we know the weekend we moved into our new place would be memorable for more than one reason! Right around Thanksgiving we find out we would be having a baby girl and we decide to name her Haylie. What a blessing! We enjoyed being married but were so excited to have a new life coming! I was also continuing to work full time as a nanny still.

2006- I have my baby shower! So fun! We were so excited and Haylie just kept getting bigger and bigger which meant I kept getting bigger and bigger! Finally She came! Four days before my birthday (which ironically was my due date) and it was such a blessing to meet her. My labor was good. Not too complicated but she was BIG (9lbs. 3oz.) and afterwards there was a lot of healing that needed to happen. I had a midwife and my plan/goal was to go completely natural without even so much as an IV. I did it! I met my goal and had her completely 100% natural and I wouldn't change my experience for the world. This is when my love for pregnancy, birth and labor began. I know that might sound so weird to some but it was something so natural for me. Three months later we decide to dedicate Haylie at Northridge and it was so great. She was so cute in her little dedication dress! I was still nannying for the family I had been with for the past few years and I decided even after Haylie was born that I would continue working. Mike's job at Ford was a little rocky and he started to be laid off and there was no overtime anymore. To save money we decided it would be best to move back in with my parents in the apartment they have behind their house. Shortly after we moved back in, at the beginning of August, we get the shock of our lives....we were expecting AGAIN!!! Oh my word! Yeah, the whole "You can't get pregnant when you are breastfeeding" is NOT true! I remember at first Mike and I just looked at each other and laughed in disbelief. We found out at Thanksgiving that we would be having a BOY! Boy, oh, boy! That was another shock we thought for sure we would be that couple to have all girls. Well, God had other plans and I could have been more happy to be getting a son and Mike was so excited he had a legacy! His due date was Haylie's birthday! I started to stress with all that needed to be done in preparation for a boy and having two kids less than 12 months apart. Right after we found out we were having a boy we went down to North Carolina to visit Mike's parents and his sister and her family. Mike's other sister and her husband who lived up here also came down for the visit. She was also pregnant and we were due not too far apart.

2007- I continued to work with the same family bringing Haylie with me. Decided only to work through January because of course I was getting bigger and so was Haylie. My sister and my mom were planning a small shower for me to be able to get some boy things. Ethan had a mind of his own and decided to come two weeks early which happened to be 2 days before my shower for Ethan! I once again had a 100% natural birth and it was a great experience. So we came home to shower that was planned for me! So everyone there got to meet him! Two weeks later we celebrated Haylie's 1st birthday by going to Ritter's and getting her very first ice cream cone! A couple weeks later we actually had a birthday party for her with all our family and friends. We went to the park a lot with special friends and made trips to Kensington to see the animals. We adjusted to two kids close in age and Mike was still being laid off at times.

2008- Haylie starts to get a lot bigger and just before her second birthday learns to go on the potty all by herself. YAY! She was out of diapers! Ethan turns one in March and we have a birthday party for him with all of our friends and family and he devours his cake! :) We then have a small family get together with family to celebrate Haylie turning two. I made Cajun Jambalaya and it was so GOOD! We contemplate getting a house every once and a while but we finally decide to stay put for a little longer. Well, in July we find out that once again we will be welcoming another Perry into our lives! The next few months of the summer and into the fall are consumed with trying to find a house, get approved for a loan and packing up all our stuff! Finally it is time to leave my parents because three kids and living there just would not work! In October we find something very promising! We have an inspection and get packed and prepared to move. One week from closing we decide we will not be able to buy this house. With Mike being laid off, me staying home and the demands of having a growing family we knew we needed something less expensive. Just because the people you are being financed by say you can afford it does not mean that you really can! Big difference. About a month later we find another house that will totally work for us and our family. We then find out we will be having a baby girl again! At first we decide on a name and soon after know that it just didn't fit. Finally we see the name Isla and just KNOW that was it! Then we close on our house and move in in December....in the middle of a snow storm. We had awesome friends, family, and small group helping us! What a blessing.

2009- We start to settle in our new home. It was home to us and we loved having our own space although very thankful for the time at my parents. Isla arrives two days late! Totally unexpected seeing as though I had gone before my due date twice! My water broke in the middle of the night and we make our way to the Birth Center. Her birth was amazing! It was totally natural once again but being in a Birth Center compared to a hospital is so very different. With Haylie and Ethan I was ok with family and friends being there to enjoy the wonderful experience but with Isla we decided to have it be very quiet and more intimate. With just me, Mike and a very close friend there for support and love we welcomed Isla calmly into this world. Bringing her back to our very first home was great! Then reality set in! Two days after being home I was sitting on the couch and Haylie came up to say something to me while I was nursing Isla and she puked all over me and the baby! We spent the next two weeks having the stomach flu go through each member of the family....including me. Then we recovered from that and each one of us then got a very bad head cold. The next few months were rough. Adjusting, getting used to having three kids and never having time for ourselves let alone each other. I knew we just needed to step up and re-prioritize and set some goals but that seemed to get lost in the chaos of life. I wanted to serve and be a leader as part of stepping up and getting my goals in order. I had the wonderful opportunity of becoming a MOPS (Mothers Of Preschoolers) table leader for Northridge! What a great way to serve God and connect to women who are in the same life stage as I am! In October Mike went on an amazing trip to Colorado with my dad to got to John Eldredge's Wild at Heart boot camp. This was his first time going to CO and he loved it, just like I expected him to! He had a life changing experience and he brought back the most breath-taking pictures. Within a few days of Mike arriving home we had yet another surprise. Yep you guessed it...Baby #4! I guess we didn't learn the first time that you really CAN get pregnant while breastfeeding. We had the best fall and winter as a family. Christmas was wonderful and filled with God's blessings! I couldn't be more excited to jump right into this next decade to see what God has in store not only for me but our whole family.

Embarking on a new journey- This year is going to be great! Mike and I have found new ways to connect and stay focused on our relationship with God. We have an amazing Small Group. These people are literally our family! Haylie is growing up and getting smarter by the second. She is turning 4 in April. Ethan is not too far behind Haylie and now he is learning to go on the potty...and he is doing a great job I might add! Ethan will be 3 in March! Isla smiles her way into our hearts everyday! She will be 10 months old next week and she is very close to walking. We found out about 2 weeks ago that we will be having another baby BOY! We couldn't be happier! He is due to arrive in June and his name is Liam. I have been feeling him kick me everyday for about a week now. It is such a wonderful reminder of new life and how precious it is! We love him so much already and cannot wait to meet him face to face! Our goals this year are to set out to praise and honor God in every way, raise our kids to glorify and honor God, to love other people like Christ loved and sacrifice for one another, honor and respect one another. God has given us so much to be thankful for. All the glory and honor and praise go to Him! Here is to making the next ten years even better than the last!