Adventures with the Ingram's

Truth-filled Reading

2011-10-07T14:47:00.002-05:00

I love to read. :) Especially books that are convicting and full of God-honest truth. I crave "truth"! I know that sounds goofy, but if you think about it, we live in a world that's filled with lies. American culture, pop culture, is constantly feeding us lies about how we should think, live, act, feel, etc. "It's all about me" is the basis of most of those lies, and I've definitely let a lot of it seep into my way of thinking. But, thank the Lord we have His Word to challenge us to look at His truth and follow it, and we have talented Christian's who walk His walk and write all about it.

"Loving the Little Years: Motherhood in the Trenches" is a wonderful book I read this past weekend. It's only a little over 100 pages, and didn't take much to get through it, especially since I could relate to so much of it. I'm grateful for this little book, though. Rachel Jankovich, the author, did such a great job of shining God's truth into the ordinary, but challenging, every-day life of being a mom. It convicted me to really stay focused on God's calling for my ministry as a mom to these little souls. Even when the day is long and full of one challenge after another, it's important for me to remember that my main job is to show them God's love and His ways. And when I mess up, to show them what repentance looks like. I have to say, there are many opportunities to teach that in particular! :)

I also highly recommend this article that Jankovich wrote, Motherhood Is a Calling (And Where Your Children Rank). It's a "truth-filled", convicting article. It made me view my role as a mother very differently, and I'm thankful for that.

So, for all you bored mother's with nothing to do (haha!), check out this book and the article. I would loan you the book, but I think it's wise for me to keep this one within arms length. I need it!

Joshua is 2!

2011-09-28T14:13:00.000-05:00

My little bud turned two today...

I don't know why it makes me sad to say that, but it does. When I found out I was pregnant with this sweet child of mine, I was not happy. No lie. I was so upset! And when he was born he was so beautiful and I just fell in love with him but, the first year was hard. I mean, really hard. And now, I sit here and think about the last two years of my life (and really the last three and a half years that I've been a parent) and I think "Wow! What an incredible blessing to be on this journey of parenthood!" To experience the gift of finding out you're pregnant and have that life grow inside of you and then to meet that baby for the first time. To watch them grow and become and to see God at work in these little lives, and to see how He works in me and grows me during this time. What an awesome gift! It's such a huge responsibility, and it takes so much out of me, but the reward is so great.

Anyway, the real meaning of this post is to give a glimpse into the life of this sweet little guy that's been placed in my care. So, here it goes.

He's big. About 33 pounds big...maybe more. He wears pants/shirts made for three year olds, shoes and socks made for four year olds, and if he has to be carried it's usually on his Daddy's shoulders (which is not a bad spot to be). He loves to sing, especially the song "Deep and Wide". He loves to play the guitar...it's the first thing he grabs when we go over to the Stokely's house. He loves Carley. Yes, he fights with her, but he always wants to know where she is and what she's doing. He loves to eat....all the wrong things: french fries, pizza, cupcakes (cu-cakes), ice cream, cookies, you get the idea. He loves horsies, especially Didi and Pop's horsies. He loves his "Kiki" and his doggie. He sleeps with them every night and drags them around the house during the day. He loves hunting deer in our living room and shooting his bow with Daddy. He loves his Daddy. I'd say he loves him more than he loves me. Don't worry, my feelings aren't hurt. :) I'm pretty grateful that he feels that way.

So, that's our Joshua. We gave him the name Joshua Daniel for a reason, and I always pray that God makes him strong and courageous like the men in the Bible, like the wonderful men he's named after, and like his daddy.

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

Happy Birthday Joshua! You are such a gift and you are so loved!

A little update...

2011-09-26T14:41:00.001-05:00

So, apparently I stink at blogging! :) That's okay, though. I'm pretty sure 75% of other bloggers stink at it, too...so I'll just lump myself in with the majority.

If I attempted to update you on my life since my last post, we would sit here forever. (Or, I would sit here forever and you would exit the page instead of reading through the entire post.) So, I'll spare myself and just write the important things.

Carley is 3 1/2. She is everything that a 3 1/2 year old should be, which means that she drives me crazy to the point of wanting to pull my hair out and I'm crazy in love with her to the point of wanting to hold onto her a little too tight. She loves to dance, sing, play dress up, be a princess, entertain, read books, watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, tell me when I'm not being nice, boss Joshua around, shower her family with hugs and kisses, and tell me she loves me. She's stubborn, slightly defiant, really smart, loveable and sweet, and she's the girliest girl I know. I wouldn't change her for the world...but I might consider the thought.

Joshua is going to be two on Wednesday! (AAAHHHH!!!) Where did my baby go??? I'm getting teary-eyed as I write this, because it's just amazing to me that the first two years of his life have just flown by. He is the most amazing little boy...and he is all boy. He loves guns, feeding the horses with Pop, guitars, hunting, wrestling with Daddy, playing with Sister, singing "Jesus Loves Me" and a lot of other songs, dancing, puzzles, blocks, anything outdoors, and snuggling with Mommy (my personal favorite). He is serious, but funny. He is stubborn, but tender. And he is so stinkin adorable, I sometimes consider squeezing his face as hard as I can. (Don't worry, I haven't given into temptation...yet.)

Logan and I are still together. I know you didn't think it would last, but somehow we've managed to keep the love alive! ;) He is wonderful, and breathtakingly handsome, and he is so patient with my neurotic/irrational tendency's, so I can't help but love him. He's smart, talented, sweet, and is seeking after God with more and more passion as he grow's. And he knows how to work hard...thank you, Lord!

I am a mess. :) A joyful, crazy, happy mess! I have a temper that I pray for God to take away all the time. He hasn't yet, so I figure it's going to do some good somewhere! I am passionate and I wear my heart on my sleeve. I love baking and cooking. I hate cleaning, but love the feel of a clean house. I never turn down a pedicure or a shopping trip, and Tuesday night Bible Study is one of my favorite parts of the week. I absolutely love my family and am so thankful I get to stay home with my kids. I struggle with being selfish and wanting my own time, but then realize that time with my kids is not going to last forever and I try to soak up moments with them. I'm striving after God and His will for my life. My only purpose is to glorify Him, and it looks different everyday. I mess up all the time, so I'm even more grateful for grace. One of my favorite verses is Zephaniah 3:17 "The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." Love. :)

I hope to update this more often, but I won't make any promises.

Does life ever slow down???

2010-04-07T15:26:00.000-05:00

I feel like we have been going 100 miles an hour lately. We've been everywhere, at least it feels like we have. And it seems like every time we put our foot down and think "no more", something else pops up. In two weeks time we went on two major trips and one weekend trip. We've been on 8 different planes and in four different states (sure, one was just during a layover, but it counts).

The first trip was to Tennessee. Logan's grandpa passed away and we went up for the funeral and to visit with family. I believe Grandpa Ingram was around 85 years old and had lived a very good life. It wasn't a time of sadness or mourning, but a time to reflect on "a life well lived" (as the family said). He was ready to go home to the Lord. His body was worn out and he had accomplished everything he felt he needed to. He was ready for his new body and his new home! It was inspiring to know how confident he was in his eternal fate. It's a valuable tool to live every moment knowing that your home is not here, but is eternally in Heaven with our Father. How scary and awesome and wonderful that thought is!

We really enjoyed our time in Tennessee. We loved introducing our kiddos to Logan's family up there. We were able to spend an evening around the campfire just enjoying nature and visiting with one another. I met some new family members, and old ones, that I'd never seen before. All in all, it was worth the effort! We love our extended families! We're thankful for the examples of how to live life for God and take care of your family.

Our next trip was to South Texas for some good old hunting with the Stokely family! It was a great weekend getaway. We met little baby Colton (Joshua's new best friend/hunting buddy) and were able to see Paige master motherhood with two children. Chad and Logan had their precious time together. ;) Logan shot a turkey and Chad shot a hog. Carley and Parker smooched on each other and held hands and we took a lot of pictures so that we can blackmail them in about 15 years. Paige's brother and girlfriend also came, along with Chad's boss and his wife (who cooked up the best ribs I've ever had!!!) We had a lot of fun hanging out in nature, and by Sunday we were all ready to go home.

The last trip we went on was to California for a family reunion on my mom's side. It was a long trip, and it was pretty hard, but it was so great to see my family. We spent time with cousins we hadn't seen in a few years. We showed off our babies. We ate really good food. We drove through beautiful parts of California. We ate In-n-Out Burger (if you haven't had it you're missing out). We celebrated Easter with candy and eggs and family and church. I found out I'm allergic to Aleve (swollen eyes and sinuses for about 12 hours). Carley had a fever and was sick for two days, one of those days being the reunion. We had seven women, two men, a 5 year old, a 2 year old, and a 6 month old, all staying in a four bedroom house. Logan was surrounded by estrogen. (While we were at Steckel Park, where the reunion was held, Logan took off walking in the woods for awhile to gain back his manliness.) The flight home was miserable. The first flight the kids cried the whole time, but finally fell asleep as we were landing. The second flight they were out (thank goodness!) We landed in Texas at 11:45pm, and got to bed at 1:30am. LONG DAY!!! But, it was all worth it!! Don't ask me when I'll do it again, but I'm glad I did it.

So, that's the past two weeks in a nutshell!! It's been a whirlwind, and I'm glad it's over. Are we staying home this weekend, you ask? No! The Beast Feast is taking place and we don't miss out on the Beast Feast! (I'll explain later.) We'll be driving to Magnolia on Friday or Saturday. At least our kids will be adventurous...right??

I have to say, despite all of this running around and craziness that's been taking place, it's been an awesome experience. One of the things that really stood out to me is how wonderful it is to have a partner during all of this. God really has blessed me with a solid marriage. Logan and I could have been picking at each other and taking all of our stresses out on one another, but we stood as a united front! We were a team, and we worked so well together. When we started getting stressed out and frustrated, we talked it through. When the kids were driving us crazy, we looked at each other and said "I love you" and got through it together. I'm so thankful to God for blessing me this way. It's the best gift I could have ever prayed for.

“And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.” Colossians 1:10-12

Super-Mom! (not so much...)

2010-03-17T17:27:00.000-05:00

"The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." Zephaniah 3:17

I feel that sometimes being a mom is about surviving the day! And with two children under the age of 2, it seems like I have a lot of days like that. Some of you know how much of a struggle it's been to get Joshua to sleep at night. I've had so many nights of every 1 or 2 or 3 hour feedings. I can't remember the last time I slept for more than 3 hours. It wears me down a lot at times. So, I have days where it's all about making it to naptime, or bedtime (if naptime is a disaster).

Lately, however, I find myself wanting to do more than just survive the day. I want to make memories with my kids, and I want to end the day with them feeling like they were fully loved by me. I have found that the only way to have days like this is by asking God for them. I know I can't be Mary Poppins every day :), but I can do more than just survive. Recently, I've been asking God (especially after a rough night) for supernatural mom-powers. I got the idea from the leader of my "Mom-to-Mom" group. She prayed that prayer one day and it made complete sense to me! The only way to truly be involved in my children's day, fully engaged with an unnatural level of patience, is for God to give it to me. It's made such a difference. Being a mom is hard enough, but doing it by myself is nearly impossible. Sure, if my only goal is to get through the day, I can do that on my own. But, if my goal is bigger than that, if it is more about showing my babies how truly loved and special they are throughout the entire day, then I need God to walk with me and give me those "Supernatural powers" that only He can give.

It is really amazing what this has done for my level of patience, as well as my level of stress. I've also come to discover through this that God gave me my children so close together in age because He wanted me to truly need Him, and I do. My walk has gotten so much stronger and I grow closer to Him every day because I need Him to make me a better mom than I am on my own. I know that this doesn't mean that I won't have any more days where it's all about survival, but it means that on most days I can be more than just a walking zombie, I can be a godly mom.

As I've mentioned before, I'm reading a lot of different books right now, especially ones that are geared towards marriage and family. I want to share a book that I've recently read called "For Women Only" by Shaunti Feldhahn. It is an amazing book that has opened my eyes to the inner workings of men, in particular, my husband. This book answered so many questions I had about why Logan (and most other men) thinks or acts certain ways, for example: why he doesn't see the messy house that I see, or how confusing it is for him that I ask him to come home when he feels the strong need to work an extra hour, etc. I recommend the book to every woman, married or single. There's also "For Men Only" by Shaunti and Jeff Feldhahn, and it explains the inner workings of women to men. Logan read it and if you decide to buy one, you should go ahead and buy both. :) It's a very interesting read!

My little sister, Christelle, was here with us this past week. It was really awesome to have her. She was such a help and Carley loved to have her "Aunt Stelly" to play with. We went to the park, and had a shopping day, and we went down to San Antonio to eat lunch with Logan. We had a lot of fun with her and hope she enjoyed spending her Spring Break with us.

I brought Christelle back to Houston on Friday and was able to visit with some friends while I was in town. I met my two best friends from high school, Erika and Ashley, at Davids Bridal in Houston where we tried on bridesmaids dresses for Erika's wedding in July. I'm so excited for her!! It was a lot of fun to have that time with my friends and to celebrate this memorable time in Erika's life. I was also able to visit with my friend Dawn before I left town on Saturday. I brought the kids to her house and Carley just took to Dawn immediately. She was resting her head on Dawn's shoulder and was pretty much attached to her hip the entire time!! It was cute, and Dawn was great about it. Dawn also took some pictures of the kids, and I'm just hoping one or two of them turn out (Carley and Joshua were ready for a nap). If they do, I'll have to post them on here for everyone to see. Dawn took some pictures of Carley when she was about 5 months old and we have them hanging up in the house, they turned out great. So, I'm hopeful that we can get some of both of them.

(I should add that I came to home to a nice, clean house on Saturday. Logan spent a lot of his free time scrubbing the kitchen, sweeping and mopping floors, and organizing some of the "kiddie clutter" in our house. That's a pretty good husband!!!)

I'm posting some pictures from Averie's 5th (I can't believe it!!) birthday party. It was last Saturday in the park by my parents house. After her party we went back to Mom and Dad's and sang on her new karaoke machine, which was pretty funny. She's a sweet girl and I'm glad we were able to celebrate together.

Growing

2010-03-12T15:06:00.000-06:00

So, I've decided to get better about my updates. :) I think it would be really neat to have a sort of "journal" for our family to look back at. We'll see how long this lasts. Having two babies makes every little bit of time to myself extremely precious!!

God has really been doing a great work in our lives lately, and it's been an awesome experience to go through. Logan and I have been reading together a lot and putting a lot of effort into the things that matter. We know that our marriage is the foundation for our family, so we've really put a lot into making it the best that it can be. It's been so awesome to watch God work in our hearts and our lives and show us what He desires our marriage to look like. He has truly blessed me with a wonderful man. I have to say that Logan is the type of husband that a girl dreams about loving for all of her life, and for some reason God picked me to be his wife. So, I might as well do everything I can to show Him how thankful I am for such a wonderful gift!!

I've joined a group called "Mom-to-Mom". It meets every Wednesday morning at the Baptist church in New Braunfels (yes, I said Baptist). It's really been a wonderful break for me and it has allowed me to grow a lot in my relationship with God, Logan, and my children. It's helped me to get on a track of making God the center of our lives, and it's made life so good! I want my kids to know God and I want them to grow up in a godly home that is full of love, joy, and forgiveness. So, that's where my focus is every day.

Carley is going to be 2 next month. I can't believe it! I'm so loving this age. She is growing into her own person and definitely making us work hard, but she is showing us how truly sweet and loving she is. She's so much fun and loves to just laugh and sing all the time. I've never seen a little girl sing as much as she does. She loves "Row, row, row" "Jesus loves me" "Twinkle Twinkle" "ABC's".....you name it, she can sing it! She also loves "All the single ladies"! I can't tell you how much joy she brings into our home. She is the cause of many frustrations (did I mention she's almost 2???), but she brings so much laughter into our house, and she's teaching me PATIENCE. :)

Joshua is 5 1/2 months now. He is growing, growing, growing! He grew 3 inches in the last 6 weeks!!! Yay!! He's a pretty chilled little guy. He just likes to sit there and smile. He has such a sweet smile, it can melt anyone's heart. He also has one of the most pathetic little cry's I've ever heard. It's not very manly, so we're working on that. ;) He loves his big sister. He watches everything she does. I love watching them love on each other, it's one of the most precious things. We're working on his sleeping habits, which are the cause of some more frustrations, as well as his serious tummy aches. Other than that, I believe we have a sweet, happy, laid back little boy on our hands.

Logan is working a lot, but we anticipate his arrival at home every day. He's the best part to the end of the day. :) Carley runs for the door squealing and smiling when he turns the key. He's a great help with both of the kids, even after a long day at work. They really love their daddy.

I'm posting pictures from our adventure at the park yesterday and their bath last night. I took the kids for a picnic and to feed the ducks. It was almost a complete disaster....both kids took turns crying, Carley kept getting uncomfortably close to the water, she fell in mud, Joshua was hungry.....on and on and on. Eventually Joshua was fed and fell asleep and Carley was able to run around and have some freedom, so it turned out to be a positive experience. Do these kids require patience, or what??? Good thing they're completely worth all of the effort required. :)

This has become my favorite verse in the past few weeks, and I wanted to share. Colossians 2:2-3 "My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."

Halloween

2009-11-08T14:46:00.000-06:00

Here are some hilights from Halloween. We went and visited our families for the weekend. Nanny came to visit and met Joshua, and we had a lot of fun spending time with her. Uncle Caleb (and his sweet girlfriend Kelsey) also came and spent time with Joshua and Carley. It was a big family weekend! We also went to Woodland Oak's Trunk or Treat and Carley had so much fun. She went with her big cousin Averie (who was the most BEAUTIFUL Tinkerbell I've ever seen!) and had so much fun making a cookie, decorating a pumpkin, trick or treating, and walking around in her lamb costume. I loved her costume! It cracked me up! Joshua wore a little pumpkin hat with his outfit, and looked really cute. He slept through the entire Trunk or Treat, so I guess he had a good time, too!

Family of Four

2009-10-27T22:03:00.000-05:00

Joshua Daniel is here! (Yes, I'm aware it's a little late to post that information.) He'll be a month old tomorrow. I can't believe it's already been a month! We took him to the doctor last week and he had gained 2 pounds and 3 1/2 inches since leaving the hospital. So, he's in perfect health!

Carley is adjusting really well. She's a lot of work now that she's 18 months old and trying to figure out more things. She's testing me a lot more and that adds some frustration, but as long as she gets enough attention, she's usually really good. She loves her brother, so that's a big relief for me. She's tried to sit on him a few times, but I think she's finally understanding that it's not a good idea. She's a sweet baby. :)

We've already taken some trips since Joshua has come home. We went and visited our families two weekends ago. Our church there was having a special Sunday potluck and celebration of a new addition to the building, so we decided to go visit and be a part of that. Then this past weekend we spent some time with the Stokely's down in South Texas. Carley had a blast with Parker and it was nice for us to get away for awhile and be outdoors with our families. This weekend we're going back to visit our families so that Joshua can meet his Nanny and his Uncle Caleb. We're looking forward to it!

All in all, life is good! It's A LOT of work, but it's good work. I'm not going to lie, I have moments of frustration. But, at the end of the day, I know things are exactly how they're meant to be and that Logan and I are extremely blessed to have such sweet (healthy) babies and to have each other. Can't ask for much more than that!!

Big Changes Coming Up

2009-09-03T13:04:00.000-05:00

We're about 25 days away from the birth of our baby boy, Joshua Daniel. I can't believe how fast this pregnancy has gone by. I'm a huge mix of emotions, but overall I'm just ready to have him here. We're still not prepared for his arrival, as far as having everything set up, but it won't take much to get there. He has a crib and dresser (thanks to his Didi and Pop:)), so that helps us feel like we're closer to being ready. :) We've set the date for the C-section on September 28th. I have another appointment next Tuesday and we'll get a definite on the date and some more information.

We bought a new family vehicle this past Monday. It was mine and Logan's first big purchase together, with both of our name's on it (aside from signing the lease for our duplex). We didn't have the parents involved (except for asking advice, of course) and we didn't have any parental co-signers....it was just us! We traded in my Mazda Tribute for an '04 Chevrolet Tahoe. Cheaper payments and a bigger car was our goal, and we got it! We really love it and feel like it's perfect for our growing family. I also LOVE the fact that it has a dvd player, so if we take family road trips we can occupy the kids with their favorite movies. Yay!

Carley is a ball of fire! She is Miss Attention! Everywhere we go she get's tons of comments and oooh's and aaah's from people. She had a crowd of junior high girls around her at church last night as she showed off her animal sound talents. She crowed like a rooster, moo'd like a cow, meowed like a kitty, and a bunch more. They were very impressed. :) It's also quite a scene to take her to the grocery store. The second we walk in, she says hi to EVERYONE we pass. Every single person. Some people respond, and some don't. Sometimes I tell her to just talk to me, instead!!! It's takes more time to shop when you have to engage with so many people! She also has a very different response when I ask her if she's ready to be a big sister....she crowes like a rooster. I guess sister and rooster sound a lot alike, so she thinks they're one in the same. She really is a lot of fun right now, and I can't wait to see her reaction when we bring her little brother home. I have pictures in my head of her giving him lots of kisses and petting his head. I also have other pictures in my head that I won't go into now, because they're more negative and fixate on what will happen when she's not getting enough attention and he's crying and she's throwing a fit. Try to focus on the positive! haha.

Logan's job is going pretty well. They've had ups and downs, of course, but he's doing a great job and he's really confident in the position he's in. I think he was made to do this, and he's got so much of his dad in him that he can be just as good at it. I feel very proud when I visit the office and see him engaging with the employees, he's very professional, but good-natured and I can tell that he's respected. He's a wonderful provider for our family.

The next month is going to be pretty packed. My parents are coming to visit next weekend, and then the church is throwing me a shower on the 20th, so everyone's coming for that, then the baby comes on the 28th and family/friends will be here for a week or two following. Lots of excitement! Please continue to pray for our little boy to arrive safely. Hope you all have a blessed day!

Carley's sweet Daddy playing in the sand with her.

Reading a book together

A day at the Texas Ranger Museum

Enjoying her BBQ a little too much!!

Carley loves bubble baths!

Exploring at the San Antonio Children's Museum

Walking Baby

2009-07-23T15:32:00.000-05:00

We have a walking baby! Carley started walking about two weeks ago and each day she gets better and better. It's a lot of fun to see her try new things and build up more bravery. I'm just glad she decided to do it before her baby brother comes along! Carley also has recently discovered the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. It's on every morning at 7:30, and she is glued to the tv during that 30 minutes. She has her very own "Minnie" that she sleeps with at night, too. She can say "Minnie" very clearly, it's so cute. I also bought the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse c.d. for car rides and now everytime we get in the car she says "hot dog", which means she wants to listen to the hot dog song. She LOVES that song. She has also learned to say thank you, which is really great. She says it all the time. It gives me some hope that I'm raising a polite child, but we'll see. :)

A typical morning with Carley enjoying Mickey Mouse Clubhouse in her tinkerbell chair. :)

We are officially moved in! We absolutely love our new place. No complaints, whatsoever. We feel very blessed to be here and we really like the area. We still have some boxes to unpack (the garage is still in need of some major organization) and there's still more decorating to be done, but we're getting there. The decorating will just have to take some time, I can't do it all at once.

Our bathroom.

The kitchen.

The living room.

Carley/guest bathroom.

Kitchen, again.

Front hallway/entryway.

Mom, here's my new bedding! :)

We've already found a great church here in New Braunfels. It's only about 5 minutes from our house and the people are so outgoing and friendly. They've already put a lot of effort into getting to know us and have really made us feel welcome. They're very active in the community and do a lot to help those in need. Two of the elders came over Tuesday night just to visit with us and answer any questions we have and that made a big impression on us. They seem very genuine and excited that we're here, which is always nice! We haven't placed membership yet, but we probably will in the next few weeks. We're just very grateful that our prayers were answered so quickly by God. Finding a new church home was a big concern of ours, and He really pulled through for us.

There's only about 10 weeks until Joshua Daniel arrives. We're starting to realize that it's time to get ready for this little guy to come. We have NOTHING for him. A few outfits, a bassinet and a car seat is about it. So, I'm trying to get Logan to suck it up and let me go shopping for him! At least this time I pretty much know exactly what we need and won't get a lot of extra unnecessaries like I did with Carley. I'm not too worried though, Joshua will be well taken care of when he decides to join this world.

Logan is graduating this Saturday! I'm so glad this day is finally here, but not as glad as he is. It's going to be really neat to watch him walk across the stage and finally be done with college. He worked really hard and I know he'll feel a huge sense of accomplishment. While I'm really not looking forward to the 9 hour drive to Searcy, being 30 weeks pregnant and having a 15 month old in the back seat, I know it will be worth it to see him graduate. Make sure and tell him congratulations when you get the chance!

Another big event that occurred in the past few weeks is that Chelsea and Scott got married!!! They had a little ceremony at the Justice of the Peace on June 29th. We're so happy for them and glad that Scott, Emma and Sam are a part of our family. I know Averie is really excited. She loves Scott and her and Emma are best buddies. Chelsea found herself a really good guy, so it's a great blessing! They plan on having a big ceremony/celebration next June, so that will be a lot of fun.

Saying the vows.

It's official!

Happy Mom and Dad

Averie was so excited!

Moving!

2009-06-26T12:10:00.000-05:00

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile, but I wanted to let everyone know that we're moving next Friday. We found a really cute place that we absolutely love in New Braunfels, Texas. It's about 30 minutes north of San Antonio, so the drive won't be hard for Logan. We're also 5 minutes from the Guadalupe River and the biggest water park in Texas, 20 minutes from the biggest outlet malls in Texas, and 40 minutes from Austin, Texas. Needless to say, we are excited. We think it will be a great place for our kids to grow up.

Logan finished up his classes today and is headed home to us, so we're also thrilled about that. His graduation will be July 25th. He worked really hard while he was up there this past month, and we're all so proud of him.

Here's a picture of our new place in New Braunfels. Once we get settled we'll let everyone know how we're doing. Thanks for all the prayers and support!

We have a one year old!

2009-05-10T17:00:00.000-05:00

It's taken me awhile to get this post out, I apologize! I've been at my parents house this past week and their computer is "toast" (as my dad would say!). My dad and younger sister went to Arizona to hike the Grand Canyon with my Grandpa. They had a great time and I think they walked away with a lot of fun memories. I stayed with my mom while they were gone, so I didn't have access to a computer. But, Carley and I had a fun week with Mimi.

Carley had her birthday party a couple of weekends ago, on April 25th. It was a little party with mostly family (shout out to Ashley and Josh!:)) Some family/friends that really wanted to be there weren't able to make it, but we still had a great time. Carley was also really sick, but she made it through her party and put on a good show when the time came. She actually got sick on her birthday and had her first fever. I felt really bad for her and it took her about a week to get over it completely. All this to say that it was a good time and she destroyed her birthday cake and got some really great presents. She also got a serious bath afterwards. :)

Nanny and Aunt Laurie weren't able to make it to Carley's party and we really missed them being there. Lindy's dad (Dave Lunceford) has been sick with Alzheimer's for years, and it's really started to take a major toll on him. He's now in a home and he's on hospice care. Lindy's been spending a lot of time up there recently and the family's been staying really close to him. Please keep him and the family in your prayers.

Logan and I are headed over to San Antonio this weekend. We're leaving Carley with my parents. It will be the first time she's been without us overnight. This is the only weekend we could find to go and it's doubling as our Anniversary/house hunting trip. Logan will be gone in June, so we just decided to take this trip for ourselves and find a place to live while we're there. We're really excited and we know we're leaving Carley in good hands.

In case I haven't informed some of you, we decided to name our baby boy Joshua Daniel, after both of our dad's. We figure he has a pretty good start in life being named after two of our favorite men.

That's all the news for now! Hope everyone's doing well. We love you all!

First Easter and Big News!

2009-04-18T15:35:00.000-05:00

Carley had her first Easter last weekend. We had a great time setting out eggs for her and watching her shake them in her hand. That was about all she did with them. :) It was probably a lot more fun for us then it was for her, but that's okay! We also dressed her up in the most precious dress ever! It was adorable. Her and Averie actually wore matching dresses and they were really cute. It was a good day of celebrating with family and eating a lot of great food.

The sermon at church was really awesome and gave some different perspectives on Christ's death and resurrection, at least for me. I always love when a sermon can give me a deeper connection with Christ by allowing me to understand even moreso what He did for us on that great day. I feel truly blessed to know Jesus and to have Him as my Savior and that I can pass that gift on to my children!

Logan and his parents were down in San Antonio this past week and they had quite a week! It was really exciting to get started on the new business and it seems like God is really blessing the opportunity there. We're so thankful that things have gone smoothly thus far and hope that they continue this way....although we know there are probably some rough patches ahead. Logan is really excited and absolutely loves San Antonio, so that makes me feel even better about the big move we're going to make this summer.

This past week we went to the doctor and discovered that we will be having a baby boy in October! This news brought on so much excitement. Logan has said in the past that his life will not be complete without a little boy, so now he can die a happy man (many many many years from now, of course). In the ultrasounds that I've had this baby boy has been very active, constantly moving around. I'm thinking that I need to start preparing for a wild, roudy little boy to come into our lives. It's going to be a lot of fun and a lot of work. I figure we'll have our little princess Carley and our little cowboy. We haven't decided on a name, but we have plenty of time for that. We'll let you know when we figure it out.

This Thursday is Carley's birthday, and this next Saturday is her party. It's going to be a lot of fun with our families and some close friends there to celebrate with us. We'll take a lot of pictures, no worries! Hope everyone has a wonderful week!

Changes

2009-04-10T16:53:00.001-05:00

So, I decided to start a blog for our growing family! I had a baby website for Carley but I was going to have to pay to add more stuff to it, so I decided this was the best way to go. And, since we're moving this summer, I'd like for our families/friends to have access to pictures and our little everyday stories.

I titled this "Adventures with the Ingram's" because I feel like life is one big adventure right now! We left Searcy in December and have been living with Logan's parents for the past three months, we're moving to San Antonio in July, and we're expecting our second baby on October 3rd. Lot's of stresses, lots of excitement, lots of blessings!

We're so excited about moving to San Antonio. Logan is going to be the administrator in his dad's new business, and hopefully I'll be able to get involved a little while after the new baby is born. He actually is going to start working there this coming week. Logan will go to San Antonio with his mom and dad Sunday night and stay there for most of the week so they can get started with the new clinic and he can begin training for his position. The reason that we're not moving there now is because Logan has to go back up to Harding for the month of June to finish his last two classes. I don't feel comfortable being by myself for a month in a city I don't know, so I'm going to stay in Houston area with Carley. Please keep us in your prayers and ask that God bless everything we're about to do and that we keep Him in mind with all of our decisions.

As for Carley, our sweet little girl, she will be one year old on April 23rd. I can't believe a year has already gone by! She has been such a blessing to us and we are so grateful that God gave us such a good baby. She really has such a sweet disposition and she's just happy all the time. She's not walking yet, but I'm totally okay with that. I know it's coming and I'm resting up until then. :) She does get around very well though, she can crawl so fast! I'm already chasing her around every day. She's also saying a few words: kitty, dada, doggy, uh-oh, and she can say hi really clearly and wave. This Sunday will be her first Easter. Mimi got her and Averie matching dresses to wear to church and we plan to have a little egg hunt on Easter morning.

The pictures were taken in the bluebonnet fields in Montgomery. We took the girls up there last weekend before the church Easter egg hunt. Some of them turned out really cute and the bluebonnets were beautiful!