September Already!?

Whew, it is hard to believe I am nearly 30 weeks and we are only a couple of months away from another baby! I think I am ready to not be pregnant anymore, but I'm not sure I'm completely ready to have 3 children. I have slowly been getting baby stuff out and working on the nursery. It seems kind of surreal that we are going to have a little newborn soon. I'm excited about using a lot of Ellie Kate's stuff again...it seems like she grew out of that stage so quickly! It's fun to get started on the nursery now that the rest of the house is pretty much finished.

Here is what we have been up to lately...

Samuel building legos...but trying to keep EK away too

a little movie star

green eggs and ham (samuel thought this was really cool)

more destruction by our tazmanian devil

first Campus Crusade weekly meeting

wearing bubba's crocs

riding the horsie at big papa's and deedee's

the nearly finished dining room

the office/living room

A New Decade for Me!!!!

So, I turned the big 3-0 yesterday! It feels so wierd to say that! Jeff took me to Birmingham and we met up with some of my best friends who live there! It was so much fun to all be together and catch up. Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of the whole gang. I'm really sad about that! The dining room table and chairs arrived Tuesday and were my big gift! I love having a dining room and can't wait to start entertaining! The bottom right pic in the collage above is of Samuel and Ellie Kate giving me their card (that Samuel picked out all by himself). Thanks to my sweet husband for organizing a fun night and thanks to Jennifer, Carey & Andrew, Catie & Jamie, Meredith & Gary, Deborah & Will, and Kelly & Ryan for coming to celebrate!

The pics below are of when we celebrated with my family last weekend (again sad I didn't get my parents in any of the pictures). Samuel was so excited to have a cake for me and he put 30 candles on it and then even helped me blow them out!

Happy 18 Months!

This crazy, beautiful, hilarious, stubborn, energetic, silly, sweet, friendly little girl is 18 months old today! She is growing up so fast and we are loving every minute! Ellie Kate has 13 teeth, talks in short sentences and says around 80 words, can climb like a monkey, gives the best kisses, finally sleeps with a lovey/stuffed animal, tells me when she has a "stinky," builds legos, plays with Samuel's cars, pushes her dolly around the house, bugs her brother, loves taking baths, does not obey, loves books, and is most definitely a daddy's girl!

Starting to Sink In

So we've been official residents of Alabama now for one month. I even got my shiny new Alabama state driver's license this morning. Just what I wanted to do at 7 months pregnant (my Georgia one expired next week on my birthday)! For some reason, even though I am doing pretty good on my weight gain my face is already swollen and my nose is even bigger. YIKES! Suffice it to say, this is not a driver's license picture that I will be showing off! So this morning was one more step towards the reality that Georgia is no longer my home. People keep asking how the transition has been going and how Alabama is, and for the most part I've been answering the token "pretty good." And that has been true until this week. I think I'm finally really beginning to grieve the loss of a place I really loved, as well as friends and family I miss dearly. Add to that the aches and pains of pregnancy along with lovely hormones and sometimes out of control children...it has not been pretty. I'm overwhelmed with all the newness...

New doctors. New home. New school for Samuel. New church. New friends to get to know. New ministry. New town. New reality of not seeing my parents that much. New baby to prepare for.

I used to think I liked change...but I'm realizing it was in the little things like changing decor in my home, rearranging furniture, new seasons, new wardrobes, etc. All this change and newness has caught up with me one month in and I'm not exactly digging it! I'm having to start over with so many new relationships and that is something that does not come easily to me. I love people and cherish friendships...it just seems harder to get close ones the older you get. In Athens, I had friends I could be vulnerable with and who knew me pretty well. I had a doctor I totally trusted and loved and who also knew me really well. We had history, ya know? I also had my parents 50 minutes away. Now, I'm just overwhelmed at having to start over. However, I really am thankful for the way that the Lord has provided many new opportunities to meet other women my age and people in the community who have made us feel so welcome. It really has been a blessing to already have some natural friendships here. I am hopeful that I will one day like (love might be a strong word at this point) Tuscaloosa nearly as much as I loved Athens. I am hopeful that I will have friends who truly know me and a doctor I truly love. I know it's going to take time and I know from the past that times of pain and heartache will eventually bring me great joy.

Would we know that the major chords were sweet,
If there was no minor key?
Would the painter's work be fair to our eyes,
Without shade on land or sea?
Would we know the meaning of happiness,
Would we feel that the day was bright.
If we'd never know what it was to grieve,
Nor gazed on the dark of night?

"All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness." Psalm 25:10

The Boys

The Akers came for a visit on Saturday and we had so much fun. We set up the slip n slide (pictures below) and the boys loved it! Samuel, Hudson, and Rowen will hopefully always share a special bond as they were all adopted from Ukraine in December of 2005. I hope they will be friends forever! They also had so much fun wrestling and just being wild boys!

Slip N Slide Fun!

Life These Days

The kids are busier than ever! As you can see in the pics, Ellie Kate is a little monkey and climbs on everthing which she thinks is hilarious. Her favorite spots are the ottoman, fireplace, and the top of our big chair. If I take my eyes off her for a minute, she is into something as evidenced by the toilet paper picture. Samuel has taught her how to say "cheese" for the camera. He is so good with her and she still adores him so much!