Opposites

Of course when we figure out our Christmas schedule to see all of our family, we always have to arrange when we are going to celebrate with the Gurgs.

The kids enjoy being around each other more and more every time we are together.  It is just priceless to watch them together.  They both call each other by name now ("Da-is" and "Nanna"), are both so sweet, and do such a good job of highlighting the stereotypical differences in little boys and little girls.  Seriously... 

Sweet Anna is such a girly-girl - so very dainty and gentle, handles toys and objects so carefully, and can make anything a pretend purse or baby.  And Davis is 110% boy - curious and uninhibited, enjoys building things so he can only then knock it down in a hurry, and can make anything a stick or a ball.  It makes us all laugh constantly to see how they are different and gives us a glimpse into what each of our families will be experiencing when our second babies arrive (the Gurgs are having a boy, and we'll be adding pink to our mix). 

Their opposite-ness (totally get that is not a word :) ) is always such a good reminder for me that the Lord sovereignly made us all just to his specific liking, for his wonderful purpose.  We are not all the same.  And Praise the Lord!  Because He will be given glory in how our unique differences are able to come together in Christ.

"You are the body of the Christ, and each of you is a part of it." 1 Corinthians 12:27

"In fact, God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be." 1 Corinthians 12:18

Thank you Anna and Davis for reminding me of this sweet lesson!



Love these sweet kiddos! 

Notice how Davis is turning ornaments into a ball to eventually be thrown and Anna has turned a walker into a stroller for her baby?  Love it!

Sweet hugs for sweet friends!!



Lovin' some Mickey pjs

Aunt Camille and Uncle Trent gave Davis these Mickey pjs for Christmas.  Does he like them?  Well, let's just say, he had to wear them TWO nights in a row!  The actual putting on the pajamas process is usually an ordeal, but not with the Mickey pjs!  Just pure excitement!!  Thank you Aunt Mille-mo and Uncle Trent!!!

Tis the Season

Tis the season for so many wonderful things:  celebrating the miracle of Christ coming as our savior, precious family times, giving gifts to your loved ones, decorating for the Christmas season, and yes, sitting on a man dressed in red's lap.

Here are a few captured memories of the Christmas decorating and meeting Santa.

We got out our Christmas decorations the weekend following Thanksgiving. 

I love that he is fascinated by it all this year.

Just too shiny not to touch

"WOW!" 

I love that this is his comment when we go look at the tree.

Sweet baby (but getting older!)  boy

"Dad, did you see these things up here?" 

And, yes, there are four!

We went this morning to see Santa.  Jared and I figured that lines on a weekend would be crazy.  So he took an early lunch break and we were the second people in line when Santa took his post this morning.  Davis actually did great.  He sat in Santa's lap for a couple of minutes just staring at him.  Then, of course, he got a little anxious.  But I think he knew that we needed a "crying child with Santa shot" for the record books.  After Jared picked him up, he talked to Santa a little more and ended up giving him a high five before we left.  Maybe next year, Davis will bring a list :)

So far so good

I'm scared now, I'm scared now, I'M SCARED NOW!!!

Hard to tell, but the lip is definitely sticking out

High fives for Santa before leaving

Merry Christmas to all!!  Hope the next 15 days are filled with joy and love!

Adelyn Camille

I loved the surprise of not knowing with Davis.  It was really indescribable to find out what our baby was and seconds later be able to see for ourselves.  But, I have to say, this knowing what gender your baby is before they get here is pretty awesome too! 

Here are my top 4 reasons why:
1.  I love using pronouns when referring to the baby.  She and her sound make it seem so much more real than it. 

2.  I love that you can actually buy things beforehand that are not yellow or green.  But also dangerous (yes, I have already bought several dresses :) ).  All I have to say is praise the Lord I did not know what we were having when I still worked at Neiman Marcus.  Seeing how fun it is to buy for your little one while you're actually carrying it, I know I would have been like this with a boy too. 

3.  I love that we are able to call her by name, Adelyn Camille.

Adelyn Camille is also the name that we picked out if Davis had been a girl.  When this time came along, we were both open to looking at other names, but both of us kept getting pulled back to this one.

Adelyn comes from a variant of my grandmother's name.  I adore my Nana.  When I was a little girl, I would tell her over and over that I would name my little girl after her one day.  Nana now has very advanced Parkinson's, but still reminds me of this story.  Of course, I wanted to honor both my grandmother and my word.  But unfortunately, my married last name just does not sound well with it.  I mean Emeline (pronounced Eh-ma-leen) Green sounds unbelievably country as you can't help but break out the twang with it rhyming and all.  So, when I was pregnant with Davis, I searched on the Internet variants of her name.  Coming across Adelyn, it was the perfect match.  It means noble and kind, was a version of Nana's name, and had the Lynn sound in it, which happens to be my sister's middle name.  So, Adelyn it was.

Camille is the name of my very best friend and means virginal, unblemished character.  Camille and I have been best friends since the second grade, over 16 years ago.  She is truly my other sister and regardless of where we live, I cannot live without her.  Camille is trustworthy, kind, loving, beautiful, diligent and hard-working.  All traits I pray Adelyn emulates.  I love that this little girl will carry on a piece of our very special friendship and remind me daily of what a blessing best friends are.

So, Miss Adelyn Camille, I hope you like your name!  I know it doesn't sound like your Daddy had much involvement.  But he does approve!

4.  I also love being able to pray for her by name.
Adelyn Camille, I pray that you become a woman described in Titus, self-controlled and pure, hard-working, kind and gentle, and a reflection of God's will and love as a wife.  I pray that you are confident to stand your ground, and gentle enough to be humble.  I pray that you always find your confidence and strength in the Lord and the heart He produces in you, not by your beauty, as the world will try to teach you it should be the opposite. 
I pray that you are resilient and positive like your great-grandmother, and loving and hard-working like your "aunt".  I pray for a strong little body that is full of good health and a quick smile like your brother's.  And yes, sweet Adelyn, I pray that you sleep as well and as joyfully as your brother too. 
Thank you Lord for the blessing of this sweet girl.  Please convict me daily on how to live so I can be a reflection for her of how a woman should be that is walking in Your footsteps.  AMEN

Baseball to Ballet Recitals

Yesterday, Jared and I travelled to Dallas for my regular OB appointment and the mid-pregnancy perinatal appointment, aka The Big Reveal.

We had not found out the gender with Davis, so the thought that we were actually going to know the gender of this little one when we left was a bit overwhelming for me.  But adding to my emotions was that I really took health for granted when I was pregnant with Davis.  "Of course he would be healthy," spoke my naivety as we went for the perinatal appointment the last time around.  Now that he's here and I realize more and more how miraculous the whole creation is and that health is not certain, I could not help but be anxious to hear the health stats of the newest little one.

Praise the Lord, we have another healthy, strong baby coming our way!  With every check of the baby, I could not help but just be overwhelmingly thankful to the Lord, which of course meant the slow flow of tears. 

It is such a strange moment for the question to be asked, "Do you want to know the gender of your baby?"  It felt like an eternity for me to spit out the words that we in fact do.  When the tech said, "It's a girl," it felt like such a surreal moment.  Surreal that there was a confirmation, that we actually had an insight about this little one.  And the tears began to flow hard...

Praise the Lord for the blessing of two healthy children and for the miracle of their being!

So, here we go...baseball games to ballet recitals!!

The Duck Commander

Evidently, after the introduction of golf clubs, learning how to call ducks is next!

As you can tell, the duck call was a BIG hit!  Definitely makes for an interesting drive down the road!

I wear my sunglasses...

Mickey Mouse, aka Davis

Unfortunately, there was no such luck in keeping the ears or the gloves on.  But this little Mickey had a good time sporting his Mickey shoes and getting to roam around our street to get goodies from neighbors.

As close as the ears got...

Getting some goodies at Mrs. Rath's house (Yes, that would be microwave popcorn.  Good job D!)

Mickey shows off his tail

The cousins - Star Wars Bridger, Peacock Princess Brynn, and Mickey Mouse Davis

Project Pacifier Purge Update

The week of our trial actually went pretty well.  But the outcome of our scientific experiment was that while Davis can take a nap without his little friend, naps without result in a naptime of about an hour and a half, and with the little friend, literally double the time.  About half the week he did not have it at naps, the other he did.  On the days he got it, he got really good at handing me his pacifier when I went into his room after a nap.

So, what's the official verdict, you ask?... (drum roll please)...


You bet, this mama is not crazy!  Davis, you can still have your pacifier at naptime!  Sorry, Dr. B, we'll try the official purge at a later date!

He's BAAAACK!!!!

Praise the Lord!

The upset-at-the-world Davis has taken a back seat to our sweet, loving, social, fun-loving little guy!  As last week went on, I begin to see more and more of the Davis I know back in action.  It was music to my ears when I picked Davis up from Sunday school and his teacher said, "Davis had a great day.  We had old Davis back and we just loved it!" 

Still don't know what was going on with that little guy over the past few weeks, but I love having this smile back!! 

Where did my sweet baby go?

Davis has been 18 months for three weeks, but my goodness something has changed in this little guy!

We've gone from waving good-bye and screeching with excitement when going to "school" or the church nursery, to a bottom lip bending toward the chin and huge crocodile tears.  Mealtimes have never been the best part of the day, but we definitely could get through a meal without a trip to the bathroom for a "talk".  We've gone from wanting to be in the same room as Daddy to wanting to be as tucked into his lap as humanly possible.  Periodic meltdowns were expected throughout the week before, now I would classify them as consistent and daily.  Testing limits seems to be a new game, one that Mom & Dad do not like to participate in.

Three weeks into the second half of Davis' second year, well, I can definitely say I am finally learning how to be confrontational and practice patience!

We have entered the phase of a child's life where they are experiencing an overwhelming urge to be independent, express their opinions, but still need to know that Mom & Dad are right there.  Poor little guy, I know it's a lot all at once.  I hope it gets easier for him, but I am sure it is going to get a little worse before it gets better. 

Now I know where grey hair comes from!

Project Pacifier Purge

The pacifier has been our family's friend.  Unfortunately, our pediatrician is telling us it is time to say goodbye (well, by his second birthday is to be our goal). 

At fifteen months, we started only letting Davis have his pacifier at nap times and long car rides.  We were doing great, but getting 6 teeth in at once and the dreaded stomach bug, we did some major regressing over the past three weeks, however understandable it may have been. 

Jared is always the one of the two of us to "try" new things with Davis.  He has been the one to have the guts to just try the all important milestones and transitions.  And he's not letting me down now!  Jared is off all this week and we have nothing on the agenda other than lots of home time (and a garage sale).  So, Jared decided this is the week for Project Pacifier Purge!  He's right, it will be easier with him around all week to help me distract him. 

Honestly, Davis will probably do better than me.  It's just so much easier in the car or at naptimes (although he has never slept with it at night) to give him his pacifier. 

Here's to Project Pacifier Purge going smoothly!!!   Fingers crossed!

Annual Softball Tournament for the Boys/Arboretum for the Girls (and kids) Weekend

We had our second annual jam packed fall weekend with the Gurgs this past weekend.  This means that the boys play in an all day softball tournament on Saturday (which leaves them sore for at least a week :) ), and the girls take the kids to the Dallas Arboretum for fun and in hopes of getting some good pictures. 

While the picture taking was much easier last year with unmobile kiddos, this year was so much fun.  It was so fun to see Anna and Davis run after one another, and to hear Anna say "Da-is".  The weather was perfect and thankfully we were able to get our time in before the large crowds poured in.  Crazy to think that next year we will have FOUR kids between the two of us!  Not too sure if we'll be able to handle the Arboretum trip without daddys...

Davis - 18 months

The little ham

Walking around by the pumpkin village

One of our attempts to get a picture of Anna (21 months) and Davis together

Someone is upset, and someone looks guilty...

One of the few shots with them both looking at the camera

As far as the boys' softball tournament, they had a good time and are currently nursing their battle wounds :)

Another great time with the sweet Gurg family!  Love every moment!



Week Long Bug...

We've had our fair share of colds, infections, and bugs.  But I have to say this week's bug has moved in to the top 2 of the worst that we've had to experience as parents. 

The "stomach bug" has been going around town with a vengeance.  I had a version of it a couple of weeks ago, and on Monday, Jared and Davis got their turn.  Jared was able to get over the virus pretty quickly, feeling much better on Tuesday.  But Davis, well, it's Friday and we're still not back to healthy.

After 48 hours of vomiting, we narrowly missed a hospital admission for the little man twice.  Praise the Lord for Zophran (an awesome medicine to control vomiting) and a syringe full of Pedialyte at a time (trivia, 6 tsp = 1 oz)!  From Monday morning to Wednesday night, Davis could/would not take a single step nor a single word.  While I knew we were on top of dehydration levels and nothing was life threatening, it was absolutely heartbreaking to see our active little boy want nothing else but be lifelessly curled in my arms for such a long time. 

We have his smile and chatter back and are working up to the normal "running" and should be able to go back into the world on Sunday.  Episodes like this week make me so thankful for the good health Davis does have and that we only have to experience these times in small intervals.  My heart goes to our friends that experience this on a regular basis.

So sad to miss tomorrow's festivities...  Miss you girls!!! 

Here's to next week being full of chasing around a little guy (and getting out of the house!)!

1.5 and -2/3

Our little 1.5 year old is growing like a weed (but still very much a peanut) and is such a light in our lives.  Davis has such a sweet, loving spirit and the past 18 months have been the absolute biggest blessing to Jared and me. 

Here are a few 1.5 stats for little D:
- Sleeps 11 to 12 hours, down to one nap a day of 2.5 to 3 hours.  Positively loves sleeping.  Gets a huge grin on his face and runs to the stairs when you ask him if he wants to go "night, night"
- Super attached to his blanket, only gets pacifier during nap time (and when he's teething...)
- Adores Mickey Mouse and would watch it all day, every day if you would let him.
- "Talks" constantly, saying about 15 words that the rest of the world could understand.  About 10 more that Mom & Dad have to translate on.  Each week gets more and more verbal.
- Very happy and loving.  Almost always has a smile on his face.
- Not such a great eater.  Got pickiness from his mama.  Eats a ton of what he likes, will pass on a whole meal if there is not anything he likes.  That's just called a determined mind, right :) ?
- Goes to "school" twice a week and loves it.  He starts clapping his hands when we pull up to the building and often says hi and keeps playing when I go to pick him up.
- Saves his best "loving" and "sweetness" for Daddy and meltdowns for Mama (sounds about right, huh :) )
- Favorite activities: being outside, coloring at his table, playing with his golf clubs, riding his rocking horse, reading books, playing hide and seek

Our prayer for little D is that he grows a heart for loving and following the Lord.  We pray that he grows to be a loving, respectful, and hard-working man.  While on one hand it makes us a little teary that 18 months have already passed, each day gets more and more fun, with more and more laughs.


Our second little one is now -2/3 (can't help it, I am such a math nerd) and cannot believe we will meet him/her in just 6 short months. 

I only thought I showed early with Davis, but boy this time around happened very quickly.  While the weight gain so far is actually less this go around, this tummy remembers the feeling of being nice and stretched out and is feeling nice and happy to return to its roomy existence.  This pregnancy has been much harder on me physically, but I am thankful for this miracle, and also thankful for the hardest part to have seemed to be over. 

We have decided to find out the gender of "The Sequel" and find myself so unbelievably curious.  I cannot believe that we were actually able to wait last time!  As amazing of an experience it was with Davis to not know until he was born, we are excited to experience the "reveal" before he/she is born.

My daily prayer is for a normal pregnancy, healthy baby, and a smooth transition for our family.  And Lord, please, oh please, a child that sleeps as well as Davis.  The Lord knows how very poorly I operate with little shut eye...  I pray for this child's heart to become full of the Lord, and like his/her older brother, to be loving, respectful, and hard-working. 


We are so thankful for every day, every moment, every fraction of time with these little miracles!

Round Top Rendezvous

Carroll and I headed off to Round Top this past weekend for a weekend of treasure hunting and lots of girl talk. 

So what is Round Top?  Let's just say, Round Top is Canton (the antique and treasures part) on steroids.  The town of Round Top (population 77) and all of the surrounding towns open up pastures and pavilions for thousands of antique and "junk" dealers for two weeks twice a year. 

Carroll and I met in Palestine on Friday afternoon, hopped in the car together, and pretty much talked nonstop until we pulled in to the town of Round Top.  Jared's mom is a Round Top regular (in fact she rents a house there year round) and started the touring of the thousands of booths and tents of antiques just about as quickly as we got out of the car.  Carroll and I quickly saw that we had a lot to see in a short amount of time.

We got up at our regular time (our Davis and Anna alarm clocks went off around 7) and got an early start to the day.  We trekked the grounds of Warrenton and found tons of really cool things, at surprisingly great prices.  This is the place to shop for sure!!  We made our way back up north, stopping at tents on either side of the highway. 

That evening we headed to one of the coolest shops I have ever been to called Leftovers.  Such amazingly beautiful treasures and the way they displayed them was just incredible.  Very much a treat!  After a couple of hours of browsing, we headed to the Fayetteville to see what the vendors had to offer at their "Open to Midnight" sale. 

Although the ending of our weekend did not go exactly as planned, it was such a wonderful weekend getaway for the two of us.  Thank you to our sweet hubbies for letting us get a nice getaway before the two of us add to our families in the spring!

The Contractor

Davis may have found his future career as a contractor. 

Our Curious George continues to keep us on our toes.  Picture frames that have been out since we have lived here have suddenly become very attractive.  Cabinets that used to be of no interest are now full of temptation.  Objects, processes, etc are all very interesting these days.  You get the idea, he is exploring his territory to a whole new level. 

So, when Jared was securing a cabinet in our laundry room (that we have should have done a long time ago), Curious George was right in the middle of it.  He had to be right in the middle of the action.  It seriously looked like he was the contractor on the job, checking to ensure that Dad was doing it just so.  His Paw Paw would be proud :)

So, explain to me what this project is Dad

Make sure you line that up just right....

It's hard to get good help these days.  Is it break time yet?

Drive-bys

One of the things I positively LOVE about living in Tyler is the opportunity for "drive-bys" from family.  I love getting a call from one of our family saying they are around the corner and want to stop by and say hi.  Monday night, Lovey (Jared's mom) came in town to do some quick shopping and stopped by to say hi.  Then, today, Gigi (my mom) and Fairy (my other mom) were in town for a day of fun and called with words I love to hear, "We're on Grande.  Mind if we stop by?"

And, yes, I know that they are not coming by to see Jared or I really, but to get a Davis fix instead.  But I love it for all three of us!  And Davis just eats it up!

Art time with Fairy & Gigi

Trace my hand again Gigi!!

Diapers or hats?

Jared actually called them George Washington wigs.  I can see it :)

Golf club or dental floss?

Gosh, we love this monkey...

First Day of School

First day of "school" (Mother's Day Out) Fall 2010

Davis with his first lunch box

(but much more interested in where his golf clubs must be)

This year, Davis is going to a Mother's Day Out program twice a week.  He loves getting to play with friends and I love that he has some structure.  And, it is also nice to get things done so that I can freely enjoy my time with Davis without thinking of my long to-do list. 

Davis was a little apprehensive at first, but as soon as he saw his pal Bailey, he was excited and ready to play.  He got a great report from his teacher, but he did not partake in the naptime.  Miss Melissa said the Davis was just too anxious to play.  Maybe he will be more open to the idea of a nap on a mat on Thursday!

We decided what we are giving Davis for his birthday...

Davis will become a big brother in April for his second birthday!

We had our first doctor appointment on Thursday and saw a healthy baby with a strong heartbeat.  Praise the Lord!  We are very thankful for this gift and are prayerful for a normal pregnancy, healthy baby, and smooth transition as our family goes from three to four.

With Davis and the new baby's future birthday literally being days apart from one another, Jared and I already know that we will have to be sure to make each day is special.  But what a joy!

Picture time with Mom

Okay Mom, I'll smile for a picture...

But not so many, you're embarassing me!!!  No more pictures Mom, gosh...

Well, okay, one more :)

Angels

The Lord sends us angels in a variety of forms.  Sometimes they are messengers, some are guardians, and some are fairies.

Our family has our own personal fairy.  My mom's best friend, Fairy, is quite simply amazing.  I have known this for the past 20 years, but I've really seen and learned it more and more over the past few days.  Fairy has been by my mom's side a lot over the past few days while my mom recovers from back surgery. And I find myself continually thanking the Lord for her, and just being amazed by her loving friendship. 

Fairy is so generous, positive, and just plain fun.  She can put anyone in a good mood, guaranteed.  Fairy dose not take excuses.  You are going to see the positive, no other option.

My mom and Fairy have done a ton of things together.  Countless shopping trips with hilarious tales, craft projects that go way through the night, watched movies that they knew their husbands wouldn't want to...  But Fairy has also been by Mom's side through a particularly tough year.  But I was so heartwarmingly speechless (is that even a phrase?) to see Fairy, once again, so enthusiastically and selflessly be there for Mom again this weekend. 

It does not surprise me.  I mean I know that is what friends do for one another.  And after all, there is a 20 year history of how Fairy displays her love.  But I just can't explain how it felt to realize that the Lord sends us angels through friendships, through fairies. 

Lord, thank you for Fairy.

"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing."  1 Thessalonians 5:11

And this is...American Idol!

We admit, Jared and I are both American Idol fans.  We have not gotten into it every season.  Really just two years ago when David Cook won and this year.  We enjoy it, and yes, we even vote.

Jared had the opportunity through work to entertain some of his clients, who are also big American Idol fans, by taking them to the Idols Live Tour.  They are such great people and it was such a wonderful time!

This year's winner - Lee Dewyze!

Crystal Bowersox (Carroll's competition :) )

DFW native, Casey James (he was awesome live!)

All of this year's top 10

A big shout out to Brittany and Brandon for keeping Davis for both Sunday and Monday so we could be in Dallas for a few days.  You guys are the absolute best!!!