Family of Four

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

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

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!

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!