2 weeks and we're making it!

Enjoying some lunch at the "little table"

The craziness of the day!

We've had lots of fun with the kitchen that Emery-Claire got for her birthday from Grandpa and Grandma. We saved it for this time, so it has been loads of fun for the two of them this week!

Today our girl is 2 weeks old! After a quiet and restful week last week, we have definitely entered into nonstop "go" all this week. As I'm just now getting around to posting, and holding a crying baby too! We are surviving this crazy season, though I'm definitely finding the down times are very far and few between---as if they weren't like that before, they are really even more sparse now. When the bigger two are sleeping, then Mary Etta is ready to eat and sometimes fussy. She has done well at night (at least going 3-4 hour stretches, and waking usually once to eat), but some nights she is settling easier than other nights. Which isn't the worst thing ever, but when the other two are up and ready to go at 7 a.m., then the loss of sleep really hits! But all in all we are here, getting by day by day. We know each and every one of these sweet little blessings are so precious, which makes it all worth it that the Lord would entrust them into our care. We are thankful for all 3 of them, and even though there hard moments we wouldn't trade it for anything!

Welcome...Mary Etta Caroline!

Welcome Mary Etta Caroline

Thursday, July 16, 2009
2:24pm
6 lbs., 13 oz.
19 inches long

She is a sweet, sweet baby, and it all seems so surreal since just over a year ago we were in this same place with Emery-Claire. When the kids finally came to the hospital the other day to meet their new sibling it truly was crazy holding my new baby girl and watching my "other" baby be wheeled in her stroller. She just had these big sweet eyes not quite sure what to make of what was going on. I'm sure she wasn't really sure what her Mama was holding and why it was in her place. But she did well, she didn't fuss or whine, she just seemed to first sit there and take it all in. We all ate together and attempted to take a few pictures....they both are hard to sit still for a picture, so below are the best attempts we were able to get for now. Emery-Claire eventually perked up and smiled her precious little smile at me, even cried when she had to leave. I know it's best that I try and recover more this week and just help Mary Etta adjust into her new world--as her siblings are with my family until next weekend. Though with hormones and emotions flying around everywhere, it was a little hard walking into our quiet and empty house today. But I also know soon enough they will be home, and there will be lots to juggle in the weeks to come. We are thankful for each and every blessing from the Lord with these 3 healthy children, and wouldn't trade (though they are so close) the timing of all their arrivals. The Lord seems to be impressing upon Casey and my hearts this verse lately....

"Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them....."Psalm 127:5

It definitely seems to capture our season of life, and where the Lord has placed us right now. We know and trust and rest that He will enable us and sustain us!

Shepherding a Child's Heart

This weekend we had the privilege of going to hear the author Tedd Tripp, speak on his well known book Shepherding a Child's Heart. I've read the book a couple times over the past several years, and definitely had the privilege to see some very godly families around us truly live out it's principals. Though to hear the author speak himself with very personal examples, was so wonderful in really giving Casey and I a deeper vision of how we do want to raise up our children. We've had such great conversation through this of how purposeful and intentful all of our everyday life with them should be. We want to daily be intentional, not only in our formative instruction of the Gospel, but also all throughout the day in our informative instruction as well. One of Tedd's great points he stresses throughout the book and during this conference was how important it is to teach and train our children that by obeying they are within God's boundaries of blessings, meaning they are living a long life on the path toward righteousness. But if they get out of that circle of blessing they are not obeying/honoring not just us their parents, but God Himself....therefore they are headed down the wrong path that leads to sin and death. I just loved that visual picture of the circle and it's been so exciting to share that picture, and talk about with Reed this week. We definitely walked away feeling we have attempted to implement some of these thoughts and principals, but that we also got a bigger picture of what we are doing and desire to do is impact our children for the purpose of the furthering God's Kingdom, in the hopes that they may also influence and impact all our future generations for the Kingdom as well! So may our gracious Father in Heaven continue to enable us and give us strength to teach and train our children in His great and marvelous truths, because I certainly see that in trusting in my own strengths and abilities I fail time and time again. So all the glory be to Him!

Baby #3 Update.....

I thought I would update any of those out there that are interested in knowing that baby girl Willis is probably going to be arriving one week from tommorrow! Yes, it looks as though that would be the soonest (the other option would be probably next Friday). But basically by the end of next week we will be transitioning into a family of 5! Wow! I'm ready in the sense of I'm ready to sleep, feel more comfortable, etc. But definitely very nervous about the reality of 3 children under 3 years of age--and especially the 2 that will be basically 13-14 months apart! I know the Lord is going to sustain us, me, in all of this. I am excited to meet our little gal, but obviously just a little anxious of the change that lies ahead of us. I am just praying that this little one adapts into our family/the world as easily as the other two have. I can't believe it's already that time for her to be here....

Welcome baby Hudson!

Yesterday, we finally got to go meet new baby Hudson! He is now 4 weeks old (was born June 1st) to our dear friends and teamates, the Terrell family! We are so excited for them since having 3 girls they now finally have a sweet boy to add to their family! Reed and Emery-Claire loved playing with the big girls, and Casey and I had some great fellowship with Shane and Brit.

All the kids eating lunch....(left to right) Emery-Claire, Madison (6 years), Macey (4 1/2 years), Reed, and Hadley (2 1/2 years)...since Reed and Hadley are so close we always said we want them to marry, as we would love all being one another's in-laws one day!!

Emery-Claire loved all the attention from the big girls. She is dancing to this little musical toy which they all loved watching.

Macey, Madison, and Reed with baby Hudson....Reed was so excited to see and so sweet with him. I guess a little picture of how he will be this time around with a new baby.

We've got a walker!

Well, here at 13 months we appear to have a walker! On Monday I just stood behind her and held both hands and she so surprised me as she just started going! It seems like just recently I had done the same and she'd always fall to the floor and want to start crawling but I guess Monday she was just ready to go! So we pulled out the push toys and she is having a blast around the house with them. I doubt the steps on her own will be far behind now. Our baby is getting so big! Oh, and as you watch the video the slide show at the bottom of page has a mute button with the music you may want to mute or otherwise both sounds will play at the same time.

13 months and 1 month to go!

I can't say we've been so busy around here that I haven't been able to post. Sure it's busy with a 2 1/2 year old and a now 1 year old (I can't believe I can call her that now!!!) But also being
8 1/2 months pregnant now, I'm just plain tired and not very comfortable these days, as one would expect. And to top it off I have all those "things" I'm racing to do before the baby gets here....and not feeling like I'm making much progress in them either. Which some days I don't really care, and some days I just feel frustrated and overwhelmed that I'm not getting them accomplished! And they probably are my petty things I want done, so then I feel crazy for even caring so much! Besides all that we've been swamped with rain and lots of overcast days around here. But hopefully have a break, finally, in it all! So we're also trying to enjoy the outside while we can, since once baby is here I don't know how much I'll really be "doing." So today Emery-Claire turns 13 months old, and unnamed baby girl #3--(yes, we still have no idea what her name will be) is less than 1 month away now, yikes!


Here's our big 13 month old girl today! Looking so big and happy to eat her lunch at the picnic table out back after a break from swimming in the pool. Just like the bath she LOVES the pool, and will just sit and play in there forever! I didn't get a picture today because when I finally grabbed the camera it was lunch and then I took her in, as her arms seem to look a little pink!

Requesting "more"......not the greatest of eaters we have here, but the few select things she is liking she will eat and eat and eat them! It's so cute as she requests "more" with her hands folded like she is praying and says "mu". She is trying to imitate a handful of words these days--mostly using just some sort of approximation, but that is so much more than I remember Reed even attempting to do at 12/13 months old.

Ahhh, having a big brother means you play with cars, trains, trucks......Of course this little musical car is a shape sorter, so not really that boyish. But she loves pushing all of Reed's other cars, trucks and trains she can get her hands on! And the other day (should have got a picture of it) found her with a blue mouth! Apparently, Reed had left a crayon on the floor (I thought I had picked them all up, but obviously missed one) and she had been eating it! Nice blue wax crayon smushed down in the teeth--nice and fun to clean definitely!

One of the favorite foods being fed by daddy.....cheetos!

Yummy picnic lunch!

Reed's fun in the pool....he's such a big boy these days. Continuing to quote books that he is memorizing, which is so cute! And doing really well with the potty training! We're trying to step it up a notch (he was going on his own all the time without anything on) but now I want to work with wearing the underwear and keeping them dry....so maybe, just maybe we'll be really close to not having 3 in diaper next month!!

Ok, so here is our "red-neck garden"....yes, laugh if you want too! It is in a baby pool...I know! Since we are in a rental and really didn't even think about it till May, we just thought it'd be easier to put the starter plants in something contained....so baby pool it is! But they are growing well and we have a strawberry in full bloom below! So hopefully we'll get some good things out of it!