Walking by Faith: Following the Footsteps of Jason, Tara, Ethan, & Elaina

As Thanksgiving Approaches

2010-11-20T20:21:00.003-05:00

As Thanksgiving quickly approaches, I am mindful of the MANY things I am thankful for in my life. I don't have to stop and think for very long to begin a list of blessings from my Heavenly Father that I don't deserve. Thanksgiving used to be one of those holidays that I only looked forward to because of the plethora of food and time with family, but as the years have gone by, I have begun to use the entire month of November to ponder all the things I am thankful for.

Living far from family during the holidays can be difficult, but God has always provided us with a place to go and celebrate with friends. What would we do without the body of Christ (the church)? Jason and I have depended on the church to be our family since we got married and moved straight to North Carolina. Now we are in Georgia, and we are always grateful for the invitations we receive to the family get-togethers of those who are our church family.

This holiday week, I am going to be 38 weeks pregnant with our 3rd child, Emmarie. I am thankful for a smooth pregnancy thus far, and I pray my labor and delivery is just as great as my last one! This will be the first Christmas that we do not travel up to Ohio/Indiana to celebrate Christ's birth with our families. It would be crazy to travel with a couple weeks old baby! I am thankful that both of our parents will make the effort to come down to Georgia to spend some time with us during Christmas/New Year's. We wouldn't want to spend it "alone"!

I am so thankful for God's provision in our lives! I am thankful for my salvation through Christ alone, by faith alone! I am thankful for my husband and children! I am thankful that I am not in control of this crazy life, but that the Almighty, Sovereign, Gracious, Creator of the Universe is in control of every minute of every day of my life! So much to praise Him for!

North Myrtle Beach Trip

2010-10-13T16:56:00.002-04:00

We headed out on the open road early last Monday morning headed for N. Myrtle Beach, SC. I hadn't been to Myrtle Beach since I was an adolescent, but my parents traded their time share week for a condo with a beautiful ocean view, and they wanted us to come and enjoy it with them. Well, truthfully, they probably just wanted to spend time with Ethan and Elaina....but who can blame them?

Our drive there went pretty smoothly, although we thought we had gotten off the interstate at the wrong time for a few moments. We quickly realized that we were still on the right path, and I apologized to "Maggie"-our trusted GPS because I am quick to blame her if anything goes wrong in our navigation. The kids did well in the car for the most part. The last hour or so is always a little challenging for them, and us. That is when I bring out the secret weapon-the portable DVD player!

My parents were so excited to see us, when we finally arrived. It was around 1:30pm, so we ate lunch together and then started planning what to do first. We wanted to go to the beach, swim in the pool, play corn hole, go to Alligator Adventure, go to a cool putt putt golf place, and spend time relaxing. We actually got to do all of those things, which was super!

The kids enjoyed the beach. Elaina had a few bad experiences with the sand the first time we went out because she tried to swallow a handful of it, which made her gag. She then proceeded to try to suck her fingers that were wet and sandy, which also was not a good idea. She LOVED the ocean! In fact, we had to make sure we were always holding onto her when we even got near the water because she would take off running into the ocean, if we let her go! She had no fear! She would laugh with joy each time a wave smacked against her tiny body! Ethan was quite the opposite. He understood the power and danger of the ocean, so he didn't want to go near the water. We walked him into the water just a little ways, and he would scream and yell that he wanted to get out even though we were holding his hands. He was only okay if he barely had his feet in the water! Crazy boy! He enjoyed building (and destroying) sandcastles with Jason.

In the pool, the kids were both so comfortable. Ethan swam all around with his little arm floaties on, and Elaina just splashed and enjoyed it so much. Ethan never wanted to get out of the pool, but Elaina was usually ready because she would get a little cold.

We went to Alligator Adventure twice, which was really neat. It was like a zoo that mainly had reptiles. They also had some mammals, but their focus was on alligators and crocodiles, of course! They had over 600 alligators in their park! It was pretty amazing, and Ethan loved it!

The putt putt golf place we visited had a train that we rode to the top of the course, and then we worked our way down as we played. It was called Lost Treasure Golf. Ethan kept looking for the treasure expecting to really find some!

The only negative thing about our trip was that Elaina was a little sick through the end of the week. I think she had a virus, but we were thankful she still did as well as she did. We were cautious on the drive home because we didn't want her to get sick in the van, and we made it all the way home with no "getting sick"!

What a fun time! Thank you mom and dad for allowing us to have a fun vacation with you! We all enjoyed it tremendously!

My Return to blogging!

2010-09-29T16:21:00.002-04:00

As you know, it has been almost an entire year since I have updated our family blog! I decided to join the Facebook craze, and because I could keep up with everyone so easily there, I completely neglected my love of writing on the blog.

With the passing of many months, many things have changed in our family. Ethan is now almost 3 1/2, and Elaina is approaching 18 months. We are also expecting our third child December 8th! I am 30 weeks pregnant with our second little girl. Life is never dull around our house! Sometimes I wonder how I will manage to keep things in order around here once we have 3 little ones, but I am always reminded that it is God-the Holy Spirit who works in and through me to accomplish all that He has set before me! We are blessed!

Jason is still serving as the Youth Pastor at Line Creek Baptist Church, just south of Atlanta, Georgia. We have learned so much in these three years...about ministry, about ourselves, and about our passions and gifts. God is faithful and good! We are always excited to follow Him wherever He leads and serve Him with all we have been given. Our journey continues....and it will never end....well, until we are in eternity with Jesus.

I hope to keep blogging regularly, now that I have returned to my love of writing! There is so much more I could say, but that will come.

Where'd November go?

2009-12-06T21:23:00.003-05:00

Wow! It has been a long time since I've taken the time to blog. Some of this neglect can be blamed on Facebook, but most of the blame should be placed on simply being busy and crazy with two young kids, church ministry, and life in general! Don't get me wrong, I am truly thankful for my little family, but times can sure be crazy around here! Ha ha!

Anyway, since I last wrote, Elaina has started talking and crawling. She did both of these things before Thanksgiving. I couldn't believe that she did both around the same time, and I am amazed everyday how much more personality comes out of my petite little girl! She says "Da Da!" all the time, and she has also learned how to wave "Hi." Well, she doesn't wave perfectly, but she raises her left hand in the air and makes a sound that resembles "Haaaaa." It is too cute! As far as crawling goes, she is quick! I put her on the floor a lot, but now it is not so easy to keep her busy without her getting into Ethan's things! Ethan is a good helper, but he can sometimes be a little too rough when I ask him to take something away from Elaina that she shouldn't have (ie. his little hot wheels cars). I'm trying to help Ethan understand that some of his toys he needs to share with Elaina, but others are not safe for her to play with. This concept has it's challenges! It's all a learning process for us!

Elaina is also eating baby food and drinking formula. She's doing pretty well with the baby food, but she is not a huge eater. There are times she eats very well, and other times it is a struggle to get her to eat much at all! Oh well.....as long as she keeps growing, gaining weight, and is happy and healthy!

Ethan is a good big brother. He still loves to play with cars, and one of his new favorites are these action figures we were given by a friend. They are the "Planet Heroes" collection, and he thinks they are the greatest! He has a great imagination, and he and Daddy have lots of fun together acting out Bible stories, playing with action figures, and going on "treasure hunts". They still love playing outside in the woods, but those days are getting fewer as the weather gets colder. Ethan has always been a very good communicator, and his vocabulary continues to grow daily. We are always amazed by his learning and abilities! It is hard to believe how fast he is growing and learning! He has begun to desire to wear big boy underwear, so I am hoping this may be the beginning of real potty training for us. We shall see. I have a more realistic expectation of him this time around, but now he is the one who wants to do it instead of me forcing him, so it may be the right time! I hope so!

Jason and I are staying busy with church activities and youth ministry. We are humbled by the fact that God uses us to do His work. We are learning new things everyday about full time ministry, and we're excited to see what God will do with us in the future. He is so good! It is the only way to live life--following God's leading and seeking to serve Him in everything we do!

We have pictures to post, but they'll have to come at another time!

Elaina's 6 Month Well Check

2009-10-23T15:54:00.004-04:00

I took my sweet girl to the doctor this morning for her 6 month well check. She is doing well, except that she is kind of a lightweight. She weighs 14 lbs 9 oz, and she is 26 inches long. Her weight is in the 20%, and her length is in the 61%. The doctor asked how much Elaina is eating and drinking, so I told her. She said we need to encourage Elaina to eat more baby food, and make sure we're offering her enough formula, since my milk supply is almost gone. I have been supplementing with formula for about a month now, but as Elaina loses interest even more with nursing, my milk production has almost stopped! At least we made it this far!

So, we need to get Elaina eating 2 baby food meals a day and drinking around 24 oz of formula a day. The doctor said she should be able to eat a whole jar of Stage 2 baby food plus some cereal at each meal! Elaina struggles to even finish a whole Stage 1 baby food jar right now! She is just a petite little girl! Well, as long as we're trying.....I guess that's the best we can do!

Zoo Atlanta Trip

2009-10-03T21:48:00.004-04:00

Today we went to Zoo Atlanta to spend some quality time together as a family. They had a New Member Welcome event going on, so we thought it would be fun to be a part of that. It was our second visit to the zoo, but we forgot to take our camera with us the first time, so I made sure I took some good pictures this visit! The weather was gorgeous, the animals were mostly awake and active, and the kids were very well behaved. It was a fantastic day! I couldn't post ALL of the pictures I took because I took quite a few, but I have posted some of my favorites. Enjoy!

Elaina is my content little sweetheart. Here she is at the beginning of our visit.

Jason and me...excited about our day....

Ethan loved the petting zoo area. Here, he is petting a sheep.

Ahh! He is surrounded by goats!

I LOVE panda bears, and today they were all active and eating bamboo. It was so neat to see them so up close and personal. Ethan enjoyed them too!

Ethan and Elaina riding in the double stroller (such a handy invention!)

Jason and Ethan are standing in front of the alligator habitat.....yikes!

Such amazing creatures....giraffes...

We happened upon the elephant during a "keeper talk", so we got to see her up close and personal.....you'll never guess this elephant's name.....it's 'Tara'.....but I'm not sure of the spelling. How funny?! It's kind of strange to share my name with an elephant!

Ethan and me by the gorilla statues

Ethan as a lion...haha!

A family photo in front of the elephant

Ethan LOVES lions....too bad the real lion was sleeping up on a rock, so it was tough to see. He had fun sitting on this statue, though.

My sweet girl at the end of our zoo visit....notice she is still sucking on her fingers and is content. Yep, that's Elaina for you!

After Bath Time...

2009-09-29T15:30:00.003-04:00

This week I managed to take a few sweet pictures of my children after they've had baths. There's just something so cute about little ones with their towels or in their diapers! They are both growing up way too fast! Ethan will be 2 1/2 at the end of October, and Elaina will be 6 months old on October 11th. How could 6 months have gone by already?! I literally feel like I just brought her home from the hospital a few weeks ago! I am trying to take time to enjoy every day I have with them while they're young because I already see how quickly time goes by! One day when they're older, I'll be missing these days.....as crazy as they can be at times!

Ethan with his "dragon" towel...

What a ham! Ethan loves attention!

Little Elaina....so precious...

She's grinning at me...my sweetie...

She has learned how to suck on her toes, but she doesn't do it very often....haha! I think she was just doing that, and I missed catching it with the camera.

Ethan at Haven Hill Horse Ranch

2009-09-26T10:07:00.005-04:00

Yesterday we went to Haven Hill: An Equestrian Farm on a "Field Trip" with the MOMS Club. We had never been there before, so we didn't know what to expect, but we had a great time! Ethan was able to ride on a horse, feed a horse, brush a horse, listen to a horse's heart beat, and examine a horse's hoof. He was so excited to ride the horse until he got into the ring with the horse and realized how big it was compared to him. He was a little unsure weather or not he wanted to ride it at that point, but we encouraged him, and he decided to do it. We were so proud! Once he was up on the horse, he said, "I'm a knight. Where's my sword?" Haha! I just laughed. He and Jason go on imaginary adventures all the time, and so he already has a very vivid imagination and a hunger for adventure. He did a great job!

One of the other moms was so kind to take pictures for me because, once again, we left the house without our camera! I am so grateful for these photos!

Jason and Ethan looking at the horses

Me and a staff member helping Ethan listen to the horse's heartbeat

Ethan feeding the horse a treat

Ethan riding the horse, "Yee haw!"

A staff member leading Ethan around the ring on the horse

Ethan touched the horse's nose before getting on to ride

Both of the staff members were trying to encourage Ethan to touch the horse's nose, so he would be more comfortable riding.

Us-At the Youth Film Day

2009-09-22T15:57:00.002-04:00

This past Saturday, Jason filmed a movie with his youth group at the church. Although it is tough, Melanie and I were both there with all our kids. The youth seemed to have had a great time, and Ethan and Jake enjoyed running around the youth building playing together. We captured some silly moments between them with the camera. That was definitely an exhausting day, but God gave us the grace and strength we needed to make it through. I am looking forward to seeing the finished product once Jason gets the movie edited! He's becoming a great "film maker". Haha!

Okay, so these pictures are backwards because this is Ethan, Elaina, and me resting on the couch watching Veggie Tales after the busy day.

Here are Melanie, Grayson, Elaina, and me getting ready to head home from the Film Day.

Jake and Ethan love to make silly faces for the camera. They also like to make silly faces at each other! Such love!

Say Cheese! Yum, Ethan has a potato chip in his hand!

Okay, this looks like an angry face....I'm not sure why it's blurry...

Just Some Random Pictures

2009-09-17T15:30:00.002-04:00

I took some random pictures of the kids these past couple of days, and although I can't think of anything really exciting to say, I just wanted to share the pictures with my blog readers. We have been stuck inside for the past few days, and by the looks of the 7 day forecast, it will continue to be rainy and humid until sometime next week! We spend most of our time reading books, playing with Thomas the Tank Engine, crashing trucks, racing little cars, tickling, and laughing. We try to have fun, although we have our times of disobedience and frustration too! Anyway, enjoy these photos!

Ethan showing me his goldfish crackers, yum!

Elaina doesn't say on her play mat. She's too busy rolling all over the floor. I have to be careful what is near her too because she will grab anything she can and put it in her mouth!

Ethan always wants to get on the playmat with Elaina, even though I don't really like him doing it. Sometimes I just decide to use it as a photo opportunity.

He was kissing on her a lot this morning...

This was taken a few days ago. Jason was feeding Elaina baby food for the first or second time (I don't remember if he had done it once while I was out.)

We wanted to include Ethan in the pictures too!

Yummy!

Our Trip to the Zoo

2009-09-11T12:33:00.004-04:00

My mom was here visiting with us during Labor Day weekend. While she was here we decided to go to the zoo on Monday. The crazy thing is that we forgot to take our camera with us! I was so upset at myself for forgetting such an important item! The only thing that made me forgive myself was the reminder that we do have a zoo membership, which means we'll be going to the zoo many times during the year. We will get lots of pictures, I'm sure. Unfortunately, we missed the opportunity to take pictures with my mom and the kids together.

Anyway, Ethan loved the zoo! He especially loved watching the elephants pick up things with their trunks! He can't wait to go back again! Elaina was such a good girl, as usual. She just laid in the stroller most of the time, not even realizing that she was missing all of the exciting animals. We were there from 10:45-2:30pm. It was pretty crowded, so we look forward to going when there are less people there. We packed sandwiches for our lunch, and we ate near the Giant Panda Exhibit. I was really proud of my mom for walking around with us. I know it is hard for her to be on her feet for that long, especially when it starts getting hot. We all had a good time, and we're glad we went.

Ethan and Elaina slept in the car on the ride home. Unfortunately, Ethan woke up when I tried to put him in his bed to finish his nap, and he didn't go back to sleep. Our friends, Jamie, Melanie, Jake & Grayson came over that evening to have hamburgers and hot dogs with us. It was good to spend time with them because they had been on vacation last week. We were due for some "hang out" time! Ethan and Jake had a good time playing together. We enjoyed their company!

Ethan was patiently awaiting Jake's arrival...

Ethan and Jake didn't want to pose for a picture, so we got them to make silly faces instead.

Jason and Ethan's Haircuts

2009-09-05T15:56:00.003-04:00

Today I buzzed both Jason and Ethan's hair. I do this on a regular basis for Jason, but Ethan used to be scared of the clippers. Well, he had been getting better at going to the hair cut place, but I didn't expect him to be willing to let me buzz his hair so soon! Today when I was doing Jason's hair, Ethan kept saying, "Do mine, Mommy! Do my hair!" So, once I finished with Jason's I told him we would try it, but once I got started, he had to let me finish. He was such a good boy. He let me do the entire thing, and he didn't mind the clippers, he just got upset because of the hair falling all over his face, neck, arms, etc. He kept saying, "I wanna shower, Daddy!" I was SO PROUD of him! This is going to save us a TON of money!

Anyway, since this was the first time I have used the clippers on Ethan's hair, it was an experiment. I think it looks decent. It makes Ethan look so much older, and he looks kind of funny in this picture because he's making a "cheese face". Haha!
Here are some photos of my two handsome guys:

Pictures of Elaina's 1st Cereal

2009-09-05T15:45:00.003-04:00

Our first cereal experience went great! She is more than ready to eat solid foods. In fact, after the first 2 or 3 bites, she began grabbing my hand when she saw the spoon coming, and she pulled it towards her mouth! It was so funny! She ate all that I had prepared, and she was just so happy to be sitting at the table and doing what her big brother does. She just adores Ethan! I wanted you to see how sweet my little girl was during her first solid food feeding....

Here she is in her high chair enjoying her fingers....like usual...

Yum! These fingers went into her mouth after every spoonful!

Ethan wanted his picture taken too, of course!

Mmmm!

This is the very first bite of cereal.

She's wondering what it is at first....

Isn't that a precious face? Haha!

Time for Baby Food!

2009-09-02T15:29:00.002-04:00

It is so hard to believe that Elaina is almost 5 months old already! Wow! How time flies when you have two children....especially when the 2nd one is such a sweetheart! Anyway, Elaina is showing some definite signs of being ready to start some baby food. I put it off as long as I could, but I think the time has come. I will probably introduce her to baby oatmeal tonight and just give her a little bit to see how she does. She has been more hungry lately, and I have been debating whether or not to start supplementing with formula or start her on baby food. I think I am going to get the baby food started, and just make sure I am still nursing her as much as I do now. If she still seems hungry, I may need to add formula too. We will see. I just want to make sure she is gaining enough weight and keeps growing well. She is long for her age, but she is a light weight!

I hope she does well with the cereal. Here we go on another adventure and moving to another milestone! Wow!

My Sweet Girl

2009-08-27T19:35:00.002-04:00

Elaina is just as physically mobile as Ethan was when he was 4 months old. She can roll both ways, and she is now working on getting her knees under her so she can scoot around the floor. She doesn't stay on her play mat or a blanket when I put her on the floor to play. I know it will only be a matter of time before she is crawling. I really don't know what I will do then! God will have to give me lots of grace and strength! Here are some cute pictures I took of her today while she was playing on the floor.

What a pretty smile!

"What is all of that flashing Mama?"

Look at those big eyes.....we always get comments about how big her eyes are. It doesn't surprise me or bother me because we always got the same comments about Ethan. She will grow into her eyes, and besides, it is a good thing to have nice, big, beautiful eyes!

Toilet Troubles

2009-08-27T18:58:00.002-04:00

Well, after a pretty successful 8 days of potty training, Ethan has decided he doesn't want to cooperate anymore. It started yesterday with him refusing to go sit on the potty seat. He then had a couple of "accidents" during the day. I thought maybe it was just a bad day and today would be a better day, but that was just wishful thinking. Today was even worse than yesterday! ARGH! I got pretty frustrated with him today because he knows what he needs to do, but he was not going to do it. We have decided to keep pushing it for a few more days to see if he will get back on track, but if it continues to go badly, we might wait another month or so and then try again. I know boys are difficult, but I just thought we could get it done all in one attempt. Sometimes my optimistic approach to life gets trampled by reality! Haha!

Another issue that makes potty training a challenge is that I also have a 4 month old who needs my attention. It is definitely exhausting to spend so much time sitting in the bathroom with Ethan while trying to make sure Elaina has everything she needs. She's so content that she doesn't fuss much, but I feel badly about leaving her in her bouncy seat or on the floor for so long! There are times I just run to the bathroom with her in my arms. We will see how Ethan does these next couple of days. I pray he does well or we will have to revisit this in another month!

Elaina's 4 Month Well Check

2009-08-21T16:00:00.003-04:00

I took Elaina to the doctor today for her 4 month well check. She got a good report! She is 25.5 inches long (90%), weighs 13 lbs. (25-50%), and her head circumference was 40.5 cm. I think. Her head was in the 50%. So, I have a long and lean little girl! She just isn't a very big eater. Sometimes I feel like I have to force her to eat or encourage her to eat longer. She is a very content baby. She sleeps well during the day and really well during the night. She sucks her fingers and just keeps herself happy. I am so blessed! Ethan was a pretty good baby, so I thought I would have a more challenging child the second time around, but truthfully, Elaina is even easier than Ethan was! What will be in store for us if/when we have a third child?! The thought is a little scary...not having a third child, but what he or she will be like! We will go back to the doctor when she is 6 months old for another well check. I also need to start giving her cereal and fruits soon. That is going to be fun! Hopefully, she will be a good eater!

Potty Training Ethan

2009-08-21T15:46:00.002-04:00

We are in the midst of potty training Ethan. I must say, I think it is going better than I expected it to. We started really working at it on Monday. There is a method of potty training where you basically let your child go around the house bottomless to help them recognize when they need to go. It sounds crazy, but I decided that I would give it a try because I know boys can be difficult to train. So, Monday he was bottomless for just a little bit during the day, and he wore pull ups the rest of the day. Tuesday, I decided we would do this for real, so he was bottomless all day except at nap time and when he went to bed. We did the same thing Wednesday, yesterday, and today, and out of all these days being "naked" from the waist down, he has only had 2 accidents. The 2nd time he started to pee, and then he said, "Oh man!", and he stopped it, then we ran to the potty seat where he finished peeing. I was so proud of him for being able to stop and go to the potty seat like we're supposed to! Overall, I haven't really had to clean many messes, and he is actually starting to tell us now when he needs to go to the potty seat. I had been taking him about every 30 minutes or so to just get him to try to go, but today I am trying to go more on his cues. It helps that he's starting to tell us too! I am SO PROUD of his progress so far. He still wears a pull up at nap time and bed time because he goes pee A LOT while he sleeps. I learned that it takes a little while before kids are capable of staying dry while they sleep. If we can get him wearing real underwear during the day, it's going to be so great!

Anyway, I hope I didn't give all of my blog readers too much info, but I just had to share what we've been up to this week. I forgot to mention that he has also gone poo poo in the potty seat 3 times! I'm thankful he's not scared to go like some kids are! We have been rewarding him with M&M's too. One M&M for pee pee and two M&M's for poo poo in the potty seat. I pray that he continues to do well and that I can continue to be consistent with him. By the middle of next week, I plan to put underwear on him! Hooray!

Pictures from Courtney & Daniel's Wedding

2009-08-17T17:56:00.002-04:00

As always, when I uploaded these pictures, they got out of order. I'm not sure how to put them into chronological order now that they're on the post, so I'm just going to leave them as they are. I hope you enjoy seeing a glimpse of the beautiful wedding we attended last week! God was truly part of the wedding celebration!

Elaina dancing with her Uncle Adam at the reception

Courtney, me, and Elaina at the reception

Jason with Elaina, who was entertained by the jars that we drank out of...

Ethan made it down the isle, and when he got to the front, he yelled, "I did it!"

Ethan and Ian walking down the isle as little ring bearers

Daniel and his groomsmen-Jason is the third from the left

Courtney and I posing for a picture before she had her dress on

Ethan with his Grandma Howell trying to get ready for the wedding

Ethan was a stud in his little tux! Here he is before the wedding started.

Road Trip to Indiana

2009-08-15T22:08:00.003-04:00

We have had a very busy month so far! We were in Indiana/Ohio for a week for Jason's brother's wedding. We left on Wednesday August 5th at 5:45am and started our drive to Tipton, IN. The kids actually did very well considering the length of time they had to spend in car seats. Elaina had two crying bouts that lasted for about 10-15 minutes each because she was tired, and there wasn't anything I could do to comfort her except sing "Jesus Loves Me". Ethan was a big help. He actually joined me in singing to Elaina, which did calm her down. He is a very good traveler. We arrived at Jason's parents' house around 4:00pm or so. Our visit with Jason's family was filled with busyness and joy. We tried to help Jason's mom and dad prepare for the Rehearsal Dinner, while being pulled between our two children. At the rehearsal, Ethan thought it was playtime, so he goofed off and threw the little pillow in the air. He was a mess! I was pretty concerned about how he would do at the wedding. The dinner afterwards went well, and everyone had a good time.

Saturday, August 8th, we spent almost the entire day at the bride's house because Jason was a groomsman and Ethan was a ring bearer. We all had to be there at 1:00pm for pictures. I was SO PROUD of Ethan for putting up with wearing a tux in 90 degree weather for hours! The wedding started at 4:30pm. Both the wedding and reception were outside, and everything was beautiful. Daniel and Courtney are so happy, and we could feel God's presence there! Right before the reception started, Jason's dad got Ethan changed out of his tux and into his shorts/polo shirt while I was busy nursing Elaina. The timing of everything seemed to work out really well. Praise God! Ethan had to go the entire day with only a 20 minute nap on the way to the wedding, and yet he did exactly what he was supposed to as the ring bearer. I was more than proud of him! He made it through the reception and did well until the end. He became pretty tired, so we left and headed back to Jason's parents' house to put Ethan and Elaina to bed.

Jason preached at his home church on Sunday morning, and the wonderful thing was that some of his family from Illinois were there. It was a sweet time to see family that we hadn't seen in years! After church and a yummy lasagna dinner, we drove 3 hours to my parents' house in Cincinnati, OH. This was a really tough drive. It must have been the timing of it, but Elaina probably cried for 2 of the 3 hours! It was miserable! At one point, everyone in the car was crying except Jason. I didn't know whether we should stop or just keep driving. Eventually, we did stop so I could try to feed Elaina. I thought she would be happier after she had been fed, but as soon as I put her back into her carseat, she continued to cry. How miserable!

We had a nice little visit with my family. My parents invited all of my relatives who could make it to their house on Monday evening. It was so great to see family that I hadn't seen since Christmas! They all loved meeting Elaina and seeing Ethan again. We got up at 5:00am the next morning (Tuesday) to drive back home. I was a little fearful that Elaina would cry in the car, but she slept almost the entire car ride home! It was a blessing. In fact, we only stopped once, so what is normally about an 8 1/2 hour drive only took us 7 1/2 hours. It was so nice to get home!

So, after a couple of days of catching up on sleep, bills, chores, etc. I think we are settling down again into our normal routine. I have pictures to post, but that will come another day. Let me just say that I am not looking forward to another long car trip anytime soon. It is exhausting, not only for the children, but also for their parents! Whew!

Elaina Loves Her Feet!

2009-08-02T22:29:00.000-04:00

My precious baby girl just loves her feet! These pictures show the position she has loved being in since she found her feet. Actually, she has now moved into the rolling all around stage. It won't be long before she's crawling, I'm sure. She thinks she has to keep up with her busy big brother!

Fun times holding her feet!

Nana's Quick Visit

2009-08-01T22:07:00.000-04:00

I am a little behind on updating the blog, so I'll probably post a couple to catch up. In mid-July, my mom came down to visit with us for a few days. We had a good time. Ethan and her always have fun together. I wanted to post a few cute pictures of Nana with the children as well as a few random cute pictures of Ethan and Elaina.

It was about the 2nd week of July that Elaina really started grabbing her feet.

One of Ethan's new favorite past times is to take horse rides on Daddy.

Nana with Ethan and Elaina

Nana holding Elaina....so sweet!

4th of July Celebration

2009-07-29T16:02:00.000-04:00

As is becoming our yearly tradition, we celebrated the 4th of July at Jamie and Melanie's house. We did the festive thing and wore red, white, and blue. We grilled hamburgers and let the boys have fun playing in the kiddie pool. Jake and Ethan have a blast together, so it's always nice to let them play. After dinner, we walked down the sidewalk in their neighborhood to watch fireworks. Jamie and Melanie's neighbors shoot real fireworks in their backyards! I am talking about the big ones, too! We enjoyed them, but Ethan thought they were too loud. He was okay as long as Jason was holding him. By the end of the fireworks, both Ethan and Elaina were asleep. I'm still not sure how they were able to drowned out the loud booms to go to sleep, but I guess they were exhausted!

A Family Photo

Ethan playing with the bubble machine

Jamie made Jake's little slide into a "water slide", and Jake seemed to like it better than Ethan.

Me, Elaina, Grayson, and Melanie sitting on their back patio enjoying the shade!

Ethan and Jake were doing something with little "water balls", and Jason was supposed to be chaperoning! Haha!

Swimming at Janice's House

2009-07-26T15:33:00.000-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, Ethan, Elaina, and I went to my friend Janice's house to go swimming. She has an above ground pool much like my parents'. I was anxious to see how Ethan would do in a big pool because it had been a year since his last experience in a "big pool". He did pretty well, but he didn't want me to let go of him. After we were in the water for a while, we did get him to kick his legs, and he got a little more confident. I told Janice we need to keep coming over so he can get more and more comfortable in the water. We all had a really good time. Ethan had a great time "fishing" with a little toy shark tied to a jump rope. He kept throwing it in the water and pretending it was going to get us. It was funny! Elaina didn't get in the water, but she was so cute in her watermelon bathing suit! I had to post these cute pictures of my children!

Ethan was looking for the little shark on the end of the rope.

My sweet little Elaina....she was too cute in this bathing suit!

Me and my girl!

Ethan, Elaina, and me enjoying the day together....

Ethan felt much more confident in this little baby pool that Janice had set up on the deck. In fact, when we were in the "big pool" he kept saying, "I want to get in the little pool!" Haha!

At Jamie and Melanie's House

2009-07-03T22:17:00.000-04:00

On Friday night, the week that Jason's parents were here helping me, Jamie and Melanie invited us over to their house for dinner. We wanted Ethan and Jake to have some play time together. We took some really cute pictures of all the children together, so I had to share some of them! Grayson and Elaina are growing so quickly! Ethan and Jake continue to be best buddies.

Jake was checking out the babies after our little "photo session" ended

A miraculous moment in time.....all 4 children posed for a picture and looked pleasant!

Grayson and Elaina-what a sweet smile little buddy!

Elaina wasn't quite sure what to think about all of the pictures being taken.

I don't know how else to describe this picture, but to say "They are too cute!"

My little girl and me!

Jake and Ethan having a blast in the play room

They were playing musical instruments as if they were in a band together. It was so cute!

Ethan played the drums, while Jake pretended to take pictures!

Pawpaw holding Elaina and Grandma holding Grayson

Help Has Arrived!

2009-07-01T21:59:00.000-04:00

From June 22nd through June 27th Jason was away with the Youth Group at a youth summer camp in South Carolina. It was about a 4 hour drive for them to get to the camp, which was held at North Greenville College. Because I have my hands full with two little ones, I greatly appreciated Jason's parents' willingness to come and stay with me during Jason's absence. I know how tough it is for me sometimes just during the day with my two sweet children, so I couldn't imagine spending almost an entire week night and day parenting alone. I can't begin to describe how much of a help Jason's parents were to me! I didn't get as many good pictures this time because I was so busy with all that was going on, but I did get a few that I'll share.

We had a really good time together. Ethan loved having people to pay attention to him and play with him while I was tied up taking care of Elaina. Praise God for my wonderful in laws! (I know that is not a phrase you hear very often!)

Grandma and Pawpaw Howell with Elaina

Me and Ethan

Pawpaw and Elaina (She really seems to like Pawpaw.)

Ethan was being a silly boy wearing my strainer on his head.

Ethan and Grandma putting a puzzle together

Bath Time with Elaina

2009-06-28T20:08:00.000-04:00

Bath time is such a precious time with my children. Although, it can be a challenge with Ethan now that he tries to get as much water on us as he can! I wanted to share some pictures we took of Elaina enjoying her bath. They are posted in reverse order, so the last picture is actually the first picture we took. She is just such a content and happy little girl! I love her smiles and her coos. She usually enjoys her baths, except when the water isn't warm enough or she gets cold.

She's all wrapped up after a nice warm bath!

She has started this new thing where she sucks her bottom lip in. It's probably a way to deal with teething, which I think she is just starting. Here she is laying in her tub.

My precious smiley girl! This is just before I put her in the tub.

She wanted to see what Daddy was doing....

A Visit from Grandma and Grandpa Great

2009-06-25T22:08:00.000-04:00

Last week, from Tuesday through Thursday, my grandparents from Ohio came to spend some time with us. They arrived in the late afternoon on Tuesday, and they took us out to an early dinner at Chili's before Jason had to go back to the church for a meeting. On Wednesday, they spent the day playing with Ethan and admiring Elaina. Ethan had a great time playing cars with them! He loves having new playmates because I can't play with him constantly like I used to. Things change when you add a second child to the family! Anyway, on Thursday, we spent some time with my grandparents in the morning and for lunch, and then they had to leave to head to South Carolina for a few days.

We're so glad they took the time and energy to come down for a few days. It really meant a lot to us, and it was so good for Ethan to have that special time with them. I took lots of cute pictures, but I'm only posting a few of them.

Grandma Great, Elaina, Grandpa Great, Ethan

Elaina enjoying some special time with her Grandma Great

Grandpa Great seemed to really enjoy Elaina too!

Another group photo, but I took this one the first day they were here.

Lovin' the Star

2009-06-22T17:18:00.002-04:00

We have a Baby Einstein mat that Ethan played on all the time when he was a baby, so now we have passed it down to Elaina. I just loved the expressions she made as she watched the little star light up and play music. I had to share these pictures with all of our blog readers!

A little grin

The beginning of a smile

Oooo! What is the star doing?

A gummy laugh!

Ethan holding Elaina (He asked me if he could hold her, so we put her in his lap. He loved it until she started to get upset.)

Uncle Zack's Visit

2009-06-18T20:46:00.002-04:00

Last weekend, Uncle Zack (my little brother who is now 21) came to spend the weekend with us. It really meant a lot to us that he would take the time to come down and spend some time with us! He flew down late Thursday night, and he left early Sunday morning. I actually had some things I already had on the schedule to do that weekend, but Ethan and Jason got to spend a lot of quality time with Zack. They played in the woods, played cars, played trains, shot arrows, and went to the park together. Ethan really enjoyed having Zack around to play with. Ethan loves to play constantly! Zack was impressed with how much and how well Ethan talks. He thought Elaina was beautiful, and I think he enjoyed his visit. I posted a few photos of Uncle Zack with Ethan and Elaina.

Elaina, Ethan, and their Uncle Zack (I had just come home from taking Elaina to her 2 month well check.)

Uncle Zack holding Elaina for the first time

Ethan with his playmate, Uncle Zack

Sunday Best

2009-06-17T20:34:00.000-04:00

Two Sundays ago, I had put Elaina in a really pretty white dress that someone had given us. I couldn't help but take a few pictures of Ethan and Elaina together before we went to church that morning. Sometimes they are just too cute! Again, I wish I had taken the time to post these pictures right after I took them, but I guess better late than never! Enjoy!

Ethan and Elaina posed for a quick picture just before we went to church.

A great close up of my sweet little girl

Finally, here is a picture of me holding Elaina. It is quite funny that I spend the majority of my time taking care of Elaina, and yet there are not many pictures of me with her. This particular Sunday morning, I had Jason take a picture of me with my pretty girl.

Swimming Ethan, Smiling Elaina

2009-06-17T10:46:00.002-04:00

Here are a couple of pictures that were taken a couple of weeks ago. I'm always slow in posting them on the blog! Elaina enjoys her bouncy seat, which is a good thing because she spends a lot of time sitting in it. Ethan loves to go swimming in his little pool, so when my parents were here visiting, he got to go swimming!

My content little girl...

What a happy face!

Ethan loves to splash and play in the water.

The only bad thing about letting him swim is that he gets pretty upset when we tell him it is time to get out of the pool!

Elaina's 2 Month Stats

2009-06-12T14:35:00.002-04:00

Elaina and I went to see the doctor for her 2 month well check this morning. I knew she had grown a bunch, but I was still surprised when the nurse gave me her stats.

Weight: 11 lbs 7 oz 75%
Length: 24 inches 95%
Head Cir. 38.5 cm 50%

My little girl is bigger than I thought! She may end up being tall when she grows up! Anyway, the doctor said she looks really good. She is strong, and she's doing everything she should be at this age. We did get some shots today. It is so tough trying to figure out what the best thing is for my children, so I read, I pray, I ask people I trust, and then I make a decision. We did get most of the recommended shots today, but I still declined the Hep B shot. I just don't think it's necessary for a baby to have that one. We'll probably end up getting it when she's a little older.

I'm thankful for a happy, healthy baby girl!

A Strong Little Lady

2009-06-10T15:19:00.002-04:00

Ethan was a very strong little baby. He did many of the physical milestones earlier than other babies his age. It looks like Elaina is not doing things quite as early as Ethan, but she is still a strong little lady! Yesterday, during her play time on the Baby Einstein mat, I had her on her stomach to continue to strengthen her upper body muscles, and she pushed herself from her tummy to her back! I remember Ethan doing this around 4 or 5 weeks old, and Elaina is 8 weeks old, so she's just a little behind what her big brother was doing at this point. I am kind of glad she's a little more laid back than Ethan! She's also rather difficult to control when you're holding her up on your shoulder (like in the burping position). She is constantly lifting her head and bobbing it all around. It's kind of funny to watch!

Today while she was laying on the play mat on her tummy, she scooted herself from facing the couch to facing the fireplace. It was almost a 90 degree turn! I know it will just be a matter of time before she is mobile! What will I do then? I enjoy only having to keep up with one little one right now, so when they are both moving around......oh dear! I'll need even more grace and strength to get through each day!

Siblings' Love

2009-06-04T14:20:00.002-04:00

Ethan often wants to take part in whatever Elaina is doing, whether it be laying on the Boppy pillow, playing on the Baby Einstein Mat, or even just doing "tummy time". He also loves to talk to her and kiss on her. He is usually in her face. In fact, it surprises me how much he wants to interact with her and love on her. I have heard from other parents that the older sibling will sometimes ignore the new baby or be angry towards it. Ethan is definitely not that way, for which I am thankful, but there are occasions when I wish he would just leave her alone. Haha!
Here are a couple of pictures I took of Ethan and Elaina just being adorable.

Ethan insisted on laying on the Boppy pillow once I had picked Elaina up off of it.

Here he was having a conversation with her, and she was totally into it! Look at the eye contact!

My two sweet children!

Ethan was standing to Elaina's left, which is what she was looking at.

I just love her sweet little face!

Visitors from Indiana

2009-05-31T15:05:00.000-04:00

On Memorial Day weekend, Jason's family came down to visit with us. Grandma & Pawpaw Howell, Uncle Adam, Uncle Daniel, and (soon to be) Aunt Courtney all drove 10 hours on Friday to arrive around 10:30pm Friday evening. They stayed until Monday morning, and then they had to head back to Indiana. It was a short visit, but we're so glad they came!

Jason, his dad, and his brothers got to spend some quality time together playing Capture the Flag in our woods, learning to shoot arrows with Jason's homemade bows and arrows, and going to the Atlanta Braves game. It was all in celebration of Daniel getting married. They had a blast!

Here are some photos we managed to take:

Daniel and Courtney holding Ethan & Elaina

From left to right: Jason, Daniel, Ethan, Courtney, Adam

Adam & Daniel playing "Cars" with Ethan (he loved having them to play with)

Uncle Adam with Elaina

Pawpaw & Grandma Howell with Ethan & Elaina

Uncle Daniel with Elaina

Soon to be Aunt Courtney with Elaina

Elaina's Faces

2009-05-30T14:55:00.000-04:00

At about 6 weeks old, Elaina began interacting more with the world around her, especially other people. She gets very happy when myself, Ethan, or Jason talk to her. She seems to really enjoy lying on her changing table, so one morning after I changed her diaper, I decided to talk to her and get a few pictures of her facial expressions. A couple of the pictures are fuzzy, but you can still see her smiling.

the start of a grin...she may have been trying to talk to me

there's a pretty smile

Wow! That's a big smile! She may have been trying to laugh here.

She was cooing at me and attempting to laugh again. It sounds more like a cough when she tries to laugh sometimes.

my sweet & content little princess (Jason's nickname for her is "his little princess")

Ethan's Cool Shades

2009-05-29T14:13:00.000-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, Ethan, Elaina, and I went to Walmart to buy Father's Day cards, and I felt compelled to buy Ethan some new sunglasses for the summer. His Grandma Howell bought him sunglasses when he was about a year old, but they are now too small for his head. We looked at all of options for children's sunglasses, and I bet you could guess what theme we ended up buying....yes, Lightening McQueen and the Hot Rod cars from the Cars movie. He is still loving that movie and its characters! I wanted you to see how adorable he is sporting his new shades!

A nice close up shot! Do you see the little cars to the right side of the shades? That is what he loves about them!

He still enjoyes pushing his bubble mower, so I encouraged him to wear his sunglasses while he mowed the yard.

My Sweet Children

2009-05-28T14:52:00.002-04:00

I know this picture is similar to the one I just put at the top of our blog, but I just had to share it with you anyway. Ethan adores Elaina, and I love to capture their interactions on camera!

It's hard to believe that Elaina is 6 weeks old already! She is smiling and following things with her eyes now. She definitely recognizes me, and the fun is just beginning! I have more pictures I have taken recently that I need to upload, so stay tuned, and I'll post them soon!

Elaina's Baby Dedication

2009-05-22T15:59:00.002-04:00

On Mother's Day, our church always has a Baby Dedication, which is a time when parents of young children and babies come forward and promise to raise their children in a Christian home where the Bible is taught and the Gospel is preached. Our church (and all Southern Baptist Churches as well as many other denominations) do not believe that infant baptism is biblical, as we believe in "Believer's Baptism", so this ceremony (if you want to call it that) is what we do instead. Although it is called a "baby dedication", it really would be more appropriate to call it a "parent dedication" because the purpose of this occasion is for the parents to stand before their church family and commit to do all they can to teach their children about Christ, have them involved in church, and raise them in a biblical manner to the best of their ability. We had Ethan dedicated when he was just 2 weeks old at North Wake Church in Raleigh, NC.
Here are some pictures of that special time for Elaina:

Pastor Bobby taking Elaina from my arms to pray for her and for us as we raise her

Here Pastor Bobby was saying something to the congregation, and Elaina was sound asleep.

He prayed for each child that was being dedicated, as well as their parents.

This picture was taken before Pastor Bobby began praying for each of the children. At first, all of the parents respond by saying "I do" to specific promises about raising and teaching our children about the Lord.

Here's a picture of all of us parents standing in front of the congregation. I believe there were 5 children dedicated that day. To the right are our good friends Melanie and Jamie, as they dedicated Grayson.

Cute Pictures

2009-05-18T14:42:00.002-04:00

These photos were taken on 4-29-09. I used the last picture for Elaina's birth announcement. I just love the pink overall outfit she's wearing! I wanted to share the picture of Ethan and Elaina together because most of the time, that is what Ethan does when she's awake. He wants to be close to her and love on her. This is a good thing, but sometimes he is a little too close! I must say, I am so blessed to have to beautiful, healthy children! I praise God everyday for my undeserved blessings!

Tummy Time!

2009-05-18T14:22:00.002-04:00

When I first had Ethan, the pediatrician made it very clear to me how important "tummy time" is for a baby.....even as early as a couple of weeks old. I was very good at making sure Ethan had his "tummy time" a couple of times every day. I am not quite as consistent with Elaina because things are a little more crazy, but I wanted to post some pictures of her enjoying some "tummy time". She is just as strong as Ethan was at such a young age, but she seems to be a little more laid back about things. I wonder if she will be mobile as early as Ethan was? Only time will tell.

Taken on 5-9-09 Elaina was experiencing her "Boppy Tummy Time" mat for the first time.

Here she is lifting her whole upper body! She's a strong little girl!

Taken on 4-27-09 Here is Elaina at about 2 weeks old. She was lifting her head off of the floor.

Just another shot of her trying to move. She looked like she wanted to crawl because of the way she would push with her legs....

Elaina is 5 Weeks Old!

2009-05-16T17:13:00.002-04:00

I know it's hard to believe, but our little girl is already 5 weeks old today! How can it be? It seems like we just brought her home from the hospital yesterday! She is doing very well. She had a good report at her 1 month doctor's appointment. She already weighs 9 lbs 12 oz and is 21.75 inches long! She is nursing about every 2 1/2 to 3 hours, and she is a much more "dainty" eater than Ethan was. She seems to be a pretty content little lady most of the time. We are so blessed by her! She is doing well at night too. She has trouble going to sleep at the start of the night, which is usually around 10:30pm or so, but once I nurse her and get her to go to sleep, she doesn't get up until about 2:30am or 3:00am. Then she'll sleep until about 5:30am or 6:00am. Overall, I think she's doing well for as young as she is. Hopefully, things will keep getting better as the days go by.

Ethan also got a good report at his 2 year well check. He weighs 29 lbs and is 34.25 inches tall. His communication skills are above average, and the doc said we should try potty training towards the end of the summer. We'll see how that goes! It would be great to not have 2 in diapers! He and Jason spend lots of time in the woods doing "guy things". I know Ethan loves it, and it's so good for him! I have gotten used to them being out there, so I worry less! He also loves music, singing, reading, any vehicles, Thomas the Train, Cars (Lightning McQueen), and wrestling with Daddy. He is a very sensitive little boy, and he loves his little sister (sometimes too much!). We're very proud of him!

Grayson and Elaina

2009-05-05T17:42:00.002-04:00

I was very blessed to be pregnant at the same time as my good friend Melanie. Her due date was 2 weeks before mine, but she was induced the week before her due date. I was induced the day before my due date, so Grayson and Elaina are 3 weeks apart. Melanie, Jamie, Jake, and Grayson all came over to visit with us a couple of weeks ago, and I am just now posting the pictures we took of our two newborns together. They are so sweet!

Grayson was getting hungry, and Elaina was sleeping away...

This is a good picture because they're both facing the same direction!

Grayson and Elaina are destined to be friends!

Here is a picture of Melanie and me with our little ones. We are so proud!

Quality Time with Grandparents

2009-04-29T10:59:00.002-04:00

Ethan and Elaina are extremely blessed to have all 4 grandparents alive and well. They even have 3 great grandparents too! I wanted to post some of my favorite snapshots of Ethan and Elaina spending time with their grandparents when they were all here. Enjoy!

Grandpa Weyant loving on Elaina

Grandpa Weyant playing outside with Ethan....they were digging in a hole in the tree...

Nana Weyant with Ethan and Elaina

Grandma and Pawpaw Howell with Ethan and Elaina

Elaina's First Bath

2009-04-27T17:19:00.000-04:00

We gave Elaina her first bath on Wednesday evening, I think, after coming home from the hospital on Monday. I am a little slow in posting all of these pictures, but bear with me. I will keep posting as I have a few extra minutes (haha)! Again these pictures are backwards according to how they were taken....

After her bath....all wrapped up in Mama's arms...

She actually didn't cry nearly as much as Ethan did during his first bath. She got upset towards the end because I think her patience with being cold had worn thin. She seems to be pretty tolerant, though.

Here I am cleaning her all up. I love the way babies smell right after a bath!

Celebrating Ethan's 2nd Birthday

2009-04-24T17:02:00.000-04:00

Jason and I wanted to make sure we celebrated Ethan's 2nd birthday despite bringing home a newborn pretty close to his "big day", so I thought it would be best if we did so while all of his grandparents were here (even though it was a couple weeks early). I ordered a cake from Walmart, and everyone brought gifts for Ethan to open. We decorated a little in the back yard with balloons and table cloths, and we had ourselves a little birthday party. I wanted to share some pictures of that time with all of you. The pictures are in the reverse order of the way I uploaded them.....but oh well....

Ethan loving his new bubble mower from Grandma and Pawpaw Howell

Ethan with all 4 of his grandparents,Grandpa and Nana Weyant & Grandma and Pawpaw Howell

Here is Ethan enjoying some of his birthday gifts...

Opening presents....notice in the background, I had to nurse Elaina during the celebration...

Ethan loved his Thomas the Train cake!! It had a mini Thomas that actually went around a small track on the cake! He still plays with it!

A close up picture of the birthday cake...

First Few Days Home with Elaina

2009-04-20T19:04:00.000-04:00

I have wanted to blog about our new arrival for several days now, but as you can all imagine, I really don't have much "free" time to do what I want. When I do have a few extra minutes, I usually lie down and rest to help me get through the rest of the day. Overall, I think our transition from one to two children has gone really well. It definitely helped having all of the grandparents here to keep Ethan company and help him not to feel neglected. He has been really sweet with Elaina for the most part. He wants to be close to her, and I really have to watch so that he is gentle when he touches her. He still doesn't like it when she cries. Sometimes he'll yell at her, "Stop crying baby!" We've been trying to help him understand why she cries and that yelling at her will not make it better.

Elaina has been a really good baby so far. She'll be two weeks old tomorrow, which is so hard to believe! She seems pretty content most of the time, and she is easy to please. I can already see some of the differences between her and Ethan in their personalities. One major difference between them is how dainty of an eater she is. She still nurses well, but the way she nurses is completely different from the way Ethan nursed. Let's just say it's easier on me this time around! My mom says she looks just like me, which I think is really neat. She certainly is a little doll!

Well, there is so much more to write, but I'll have to post it later. Please keep praying for us as we're really beginning to see Ethan "acting out" more in these last two days, whether it's because he's turning 2 or because he's starting to struggle with Elaina needing so much attention, I don't know, but it's very frustrating! We'll get through it, by God's grace!

Wednesday, April 15th-Elaina was hanging out in her pack 'n play wearing a very cute froggie sleeper....I just couldn't resist taking another picture!

Red roses from my sweet husband and a ducky flower pot with pretty yellow flowers from our Sunday School class at church...

My parents arrived on Tuesday, April 14th to visit little Elaina and of course play with their favorite grandson, Ethan.

Elaina and me were waiting for my parents to arrive....we'd only been home from the hospital for two days....

Ethan and Elaina

2009-04-13T19:34:00.003-04:00

I (Jason) took almost identical pictures of Ethan and Elaina in the hospital. Take a look at how much they alike in their profile.

Ethan David Howell

Elaina Dawn Howell

Coming Home

2009-04-13T18:49:00.004-04:00

We came home today (Monday) with a baby girl. Here are some pictures of the next step in our adventure of life.

Elaina Dawn

First Family Picture

Mama and Baby

Coming Home in the Car

Elaina at Home in her Purple Dress.

Everyone at Home

Ethan touching Elaina

Ethan holding Elaina
(with some help)

Elaina Dawn Howell

2009-04-11T19:09:00.005-04:00

At Tara's Doctor's appointment on Friday, she decided to reschedule her induction to Saturday morning. We came to the hospital at 9:00 AM and they induced her at 10:15 AM. She received her epidural late, which only worked on her left side. Around 2:15 PM, they told her to start pushing and she only pushed 1 and a half times and the baby came out on her own.

Elaina Dawn was born at 2:25 PM. She weighs 7lbs 3oz and is 20 inches long. Ethan is enjoying his little sister. I (Jason) enjoyed watching him look at his new sister.

Tara is doing well and looks great. Pawpaw and Grandma Howell are enjoying time with both their grandchildren. Thanks for your prayers. Praise God for this precious baby.

39 Weeks, 5 Days

2009-04-10T14:37:00.002-04:00

I went to the doctor this morning with high hopes of hearing a different number than I have heard the past 3 weeks, and I did! I have had some cramping the past few nights, and I was sure something was happening in there. The doctor confirmed that I am now 2 cm dilated and 50% effaced. I have been struggling with what to do because I want Elaina to come while we have Jason's parents still here, and I have been praying for wisdom and peace. I woke up this morning feeling kind of down, and that I needed to seek what God would have for me to do at this point. I also knew that I probably still had a ways to go before I would be going into labor on my own. So, I went to the doctor with a couple of options in my mind to help things along.

Once the doctor examined me and told me where I am now, we both thought it would be a good idea to "strip the membranes" to encourage my body to go into labor on its own within the next 24 hours. I had him do that, and he said it's about a 50/50 chance that the procedure would put me into labor. So, now we are hoping and praying that I am in labor sometime tonight! We will see. I also jokingly asked him if he could induce me today, and he said, "Well, would you like to be induced tomorrow?" I looked at him a little surprised, (doctors normally only schedule inductions during weekdays), but I said, "Okay". So, he called over and asked if there was room in the schedule for an induction, and the hospital staff said yes. I guess if I don't go into labor on my own today or tonight, I'll be going in at 9:00 am tomorrow morning to be induced. I'm hoping either way it happens, my labor will go quickly, and I'll be holding my sweet baby girl in my arms soon!

Keep praying for baby Elaina and myself as we prepare for this adventure! I am still praying that God's hand would be upon all that happens. He knows how much I want to honor Him, and how much I've been wrestling with the decision to wait or to be induced. I trust that He is in control no matter what I do. Thank God for His sovereignty!

New Home Tour - Part 2

2009-04-03T15:21:00.002-04:00

38 Weeks, 5 Days

2009-04-03T15:02:00.002-04:00

I'm sure you're all wondering what the doctor said at my check up today, especially after my last blog post. I didn't mean to worry you, Mom and Dad Howell! Well, as I suspected, I am still the same that I have been since 36 weeks. It is getting kind of discouraging to hear 1 cm and 50% effaced every week, but the doctor told me not to be frustrated. She assured me that it doesn't determine whether or not I'll be going into labor soon. She said I could be at 1 cm today and at 3 cm on Monday! There is just no real way to know or determine when little Elaina will want to come out and grace us with her presence! She also said most women who are pregnant with their second or third babies usually have them naturally between 39 and 40 weeks. I am trying to think positively about it and cry out to the Lord with my desire to have her this coming week! I trust that she will come in God's perfect timing. I also decided to go ahead and get an induction scheduled just in case she doesn't come on her own. I have done a lot of praying about this whole induction thing, and I feel at peace about scheduling one after her due date has passed. I am actually due on April 12th, so I scheduled an induction for April 15th, at 10:00 am with my favorite doctor. Keep praying for me! We'll see how this all turns out soon!

Rainy Days

2009-04-02T15:40:00.002-04:00

We have had so many rainy days in a row lately, that I'm beginning to feel like we're drowning! Sure, we probably still need the rain, but I'm ready to see the sunshine for several consecutive days now! These last two weeks of my pregnancy have been going by pretty slowly because the days seem long when Ethan and I are not able to go play outside. The poor little guy gets pretty frustrated about having to stay indoors, and I feel the same way sometimes! After we've played with his toys and read books, it seems like it's just easy to resort to allowing him to watch a Pixar or Veggie Tales movie. I'm obviously not against small children watching some TV, but I do try to limit how much time he spends in front of the "black box" everyday. *sigh* As we speak, he is watching the Cars movie because we're both at the point where we don't know what else to do! If any of you moms out there have some good ideas of things to do on rainy days, I would love to hear them! Unfortunately, being creative is NOT one of my gifts!

A side note: I have not been sleeping well at all these past two nights. Tuesday night I just felt uncomfortable no matter how I was laying, and I also had a real contraction. I remember that I woke up and thought, "Oh, wow, I have forgotten how these cramps feel." So, that was kind of exciting to think that I'm getting closer to going into labor. Last night, I had lots of trouble falling asleep, and when I did go to sleep, I woke up every couple of hours. I don't remember being in a lot of pain or anything, but I just was so restless! I have started to have some cramps (more mild) this afternoon, but I'm not going to get too excited unless they become really intense and regular. I've also been having what I think are Braxton Hicks fairly often this week. All in all, I think my body is doing some preparation for labor. Keep praying for me and that little Elaina will come on out in God's perfect time. I am ready to meet her! Thanks in advance for your prayers!

Ethan vs. Chest of Drawers

2009-03-29T16:26:00.003-04:00

So, on Tuesday afternoon, Jason and I were trying to answer a few more questions for the accountant doing our taxes (he's in NC). We were looking through last year's taxes, etc. All 3 of us were in Jason's and my bedroom, and Ethan was being his little ornery self, of course. We had our backs turned on him for probably about 5 seconds, when out of nowhere we heard a crash and him crying. I turned around and saw my little boy buried under our chest of drawers. The entire piece of furniture was laying on top of his little body! Jason helped me remove the drawers off of Ethan, and I scooped Ethan up into my arms and just held him. My heart had stopped for a few seconds. I thought the worst....like that he had broken ribs or punctured a lung or something horrible! I lifted his shirt to look for signs of injury such as bruises or anything abnormal, but he looked fine. I held him for a few minutes, not only to calm him down, but because I had just witnessed a really scary sight! He actually calmed down pretty quickly, and we had a talk about not climbing on the furniture. I assume he had pulled out a few drawers, and he was beginning to use them to climb up the chest of drawers.

Later we noticed that he had two little bruises on his face. One was on his forehead and the other was on his right cheek. I realized that the bruises were from the picture frames we have sitting on top of the chest of drawers. My poor child was probably whacked in the head with picture frames! When I think about what could have happened in this little incident, I am so thankful that God protected my little boy. Those picture frames could have poked him in the eye or done much worse damage than they did! It was so scary! I know we'll have many more accidents in the life of our adventurous and determined little boy, but I continue to pray that God will keep a hedge of protection around him as he grows and learns!

37 Weeks, 5 Days and Counting

2009-03-27T13:45:00.002-04:00

Well, I went to my weekly OBGYN appointment this morning hoping to hear that I was making progress and heading closer towards having my sweet baby girl, but that's not what I heard. The doctor told me that I'm still only 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced. This is what I was told last week and the week before that. Needless to say, I left feeling a little bit discouraged. I'm just so torn about whether to be induced to make her come a few days before my due date (for convenience sake) or to let my due date pass and schedule an induction for sometime during the week following my due date. I really want to see if I will go into labor on my own, but on the other hand, I don't want Jason's parents to miss out on Elaina's birth. They will be visiting with us the week of April 5th-10th. I have been praying and seeking God's will, and I think He has told me just to wait. Sometimes, we don't like God's answers to our prayers! Please continue to pray for me and baby Elaina as we wait these last 2 weeks or so. Pray for Jason and Ethan as well!

At the Park with Nana

2009-03-22T21:54:00.000-04:00

On Friday in the late afternoon, we all went to the Newnan Utilities Park to enjoy some time outside in the beautiful weather. We had a great time! Ethan was a little timid at first, but once he warmed up to the place, he had a blast! Here are some snapshots of the fun things we did there:

Yes, that's me (about 37 weeks pregnant) on a swing

Ethan was taking a juice break...

Jason and I enjoyed a few moments of swinging together...

There's Ethan on a big person swing! He wanted me to swing with him, which is why I originally got on one!

Now, here is Ethan on a little swing, and this was the first time he actually enjoyed it!

Me, Nana, and Ethan

Jason and Ethan going down a slide...

Jason, Ethan, and Nana on a "wooden car" that Ethan loves to drive...

Me giving Ethan a push on the little swing...

Nana Came to Visit!

2009-03-21T15:43:00.000-04:00

My mom, Ethan's Nana, flew down to visit with us on Wednesday night. She arrived after Ethan was already in bed, so the real fun didn't begin until Thursday morning. Ethan knew she was going to be here because we prepared him for her visit, so he was excited to see her that morning. We had a good day on Thursday. We went to BabiesRUs to get a few more things I needed before Elaina arrives. While we were there, Ethan spotted a Thomas the Tank Engine Coal Mine set that goes with his wooden train set. I was not going to get it for him, but his sweet face was too much for Nana to resist, and she bought it for him! He was thrilled, and when we got home, he played with it for a long time!

Here are some pictures of Nana and Ethan enjoying some time together while playing with his Thomas the Tank Engine set.

He had so much fun watching the trains go down the hill and through the tunnel.

Cheese! He's getting really good at posing for pictures (when he feels like cooperating)!

Prayer Requests

2009-03-18T14:03:00.002-04:00

I thought it might be a good idea for me to share with you (my blog readers) what some of my prayer requests are at this time. I am drawing near to my due date, as most of you know, and I am both excited and nervous about bringing home our baby girl. I have so much to praise God for: an easy pregnancy thus far, the blessing of having a boy and a girl, a loving and godly husband, a wonderful home, a great church family, supportive friends and family, my health, my sweet (and sometimes ornery) toddler, and so much more.

I also have some prayer requests that I would love for you to pray with me about:

Pray that the last 3 weeks of my pregnancy go just as smoothly as the rest of it has.
Pray that Elaina will be ready and willing to come out when she's supposed to.
Pray for wisdom regarding the option of being induced during the week before my due date.
Pray for a quick, painless, and easy delivery. (I know that sounds crazy, but God can do anything!)
Pray that Elaina will be healthy and strong.
Pray that Elaina and I will have an easy time with nursing.
Pray for Ethan-that he will adjust quickly and happily to the new member of our family.
Pray that Jason and I will learn to manage and maintain as much structure as possible with 2 young children.

Thank you so much for loving us enough that you keep up with what is going on in our lives! We love and miss you all (since most of you are far away). Thank you for any prayers that you remember to lift up to our Heavenly Father on our behalf during this time!

Ethan's Solos

2009-03-16T16:01:00.001-04:00

Listen to Ethan sing.

Jesus Loves Me

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

My Belly at 35 weeks, 3 days Pregnant

2009-03-12T16:01:00.002-04:00

I thought some of you might enjoy a few side shots of my pregnant self since I haven't ever posted pictures of how I have progressed during this pregnancy. Well, I am not really into displaying how big I am, but I had Jason take these pictures yesterday while we were outside playing. You might notice that for being so close to my due date, my belly itself isn't that big, but I have kind of gotten wider all around. Yuck! I guess that the is stereotypical look for a pregnant mom who is having a baby girl. Although it's hard to see my body change in negative ways, it is all totally worth it to bring another precious life into the world! We can't wait to meet her!

I was kind of looking towards the sun, which didn't make for a very good pose...

This is a little better....

Playing in the Backyard

2009-03-12T15:48:00.002-04:00

Our weather has definitely moved from snow to spring in a hurry, and we are so glad! We've been having mid 70s temps this week, and so we've been taking every opportunity to play outside. I thought all of our blog readers might enjoy some fun pictures of our family playing in the back yard. Here they are:

Ethan and I playing hide and seek around the tree...

An action shot of Ethan doing what he loves most....playing with sticks....

Jason and Ethan playing peek a boo around the tree....

A precious picture of Ethan with his hair blowing straight up in the wind and his tongue sticking out...oh the joys of raising a little boy!

Here he was trying to give me a smile, but the sun was in his eyes, so he looks funny....

Jason was having a "reminder talk" with Ethan about how we don't hit people with sticks....those things are just so tempting to use as weapons!!

Snow Pictures

2009-03-11T15:38:00.000-04:00

If you remember my previous post about the "big snow" we had on March 1st, you will be glad to see that I have finally gotten those pictures uploaded. I hope you enjoy seeing our Georgia snow! Keep in mind, the snow stopped coming down around 5pm or so, and it began melting right away. It sure was pretty while it lasted! Now we are having very warm spring weather!

Ethan was looking out our living room window and watching the snow come down.

Haha! This is a picture Ethan took of himself when he got a hold of my camera!

This is our front yard just as the snow began to fully cover the grass. We did end up getting a little over 3 inches that day!

This is the view from our back door looking into our backyard. Isn't it beautiful with all the trees covered in white?

My Little Singer

2009-03-07T22:08:00.003-05:00

Just this past week or so, Ethan has really started to sing along to different songs that he hears frequently. His two favorite songs to sing are "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and "Jesus Loves Me". He knows just about all the words to Twinkle Twinkle and can sing it on his own, but I usually have to help him a little more when he's trying to sing "Jesus Loves Me". It is the cutest thing ever to see my sweet little boy singing! We have got to get him on video doing it! The best part about listening to him sing is that he gets most of the notes correct too! He is just getting too big! It's hard to believe that in less than two months, he will be 2 years old!

Real Snow in Georgia!

2009-03-03T21:47:00.000-05:00

Some of you may have seen on the news or the weather channel that the southeast received a huge hit of winter weather last weekend (Sunday, March 1st). I told my friends here that I wasn't expecting to see much snow; after all, we are in Georgia! My motto down here is "I'll believe it when I see it." Well, this time the weather forecasters were telling the truth! On Sunday morning around 10:30 am huge snowflakes began to fall, and I watched as in only about half an hour the ground became white. I was impressed! I mean, this was the kind of snow you see in Ohio occasionally, but rarely do we see snow like this in Georgia! A friend of mine who has lived here her entire life told me that she hadn't seen snow like that in 12 years!

Well, the weather people predicted we would get around 1-4 inches, and we probably got about 3 or 3 1/2. If Ethan hadn't been so sick at the end of the week, I would have taken him outside to play in the snow, but I didn't think that would have been very smart considering I was trying to get him well after having that yucky virus. We stood at the window and watched the snowflakes come down, and he kept saying "no no", because he leaves the "s" off of the word "snow" when he says it.

Needless to day, everyone here was amazed by our snow experience, and our evening church services were canceled. By dinner time that evening, the sun had been out a little bit and a lot of the snow had begun to melt. I was so tired of being at home that I just wanted to go somewhere and get out of the house. Jason, Ethan, and I decided to brave the roads to go get Chinese food for dinner, and we found that the roads were just wet. All of the snow had already melted off of them, so we had no problem getting there. Of course, there were VERY FEW people out on the roads that night! Haha!

I have a few pictures I took of our snow, but I will have to post them later....

A Virus Got Ethan

2009-02-28T16:27:00.002-05:00

My sweet little boy is almost finished battling a virus of some sort. Wednesday night after church, he seemed pretty warm to me, so I took his temp, and it was 101.5. I gave him some Motrin before he went to bed, and he woke up in the middle of the night extremely hot. At that point, his temp was about 103, so I gave him some more Motrin because it had been 6 hours since his first dose. He continued to run about 102-103 degree fevers all day Thursday and Friday until last night around 8:00pm, when he began acting a lot more like the Ethan we're used to. I was hoping the fever would be gone for good, but I gave him Tylenol before he went to bed just in case he got hot during the night. He didn't end up getting high fever during the night, but he still didn't sleep peacefully, so I woke up in the middle of the night to make sure he was okay. This morning his temp was only 100 degrees. I was so happy! I took his temp again around noon to see if it had gotten any higher (I hadn't given him any drugs yet today), and it was about 100.8 degrees. This is a good thing because I think he's almost finished with the fevers and fighting the nasty virus! Yay! I gave him some Tylenol before his nap, so he could sleep well, and he is still napping! He went down around 1:45pm, so I need to go wake him up soon!

I did take him to the doctor yesterday afternoon to have him tested for the Flu. From what I had heard, it sounded like he fit the symptoms, but they tested him for both Strep and the Flu, and both were negative. I was glad, but I also knew that meant he had some virus that we just had to let "run its course". *sigh* I think when children are sick it is the toughest time for their parents! Anyway, praise God that he seems to be getting better!

A "Real" Haircut for Ethan

2009-02-26T22:34:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I took Ethan to get his haircut at Snip-Its, which is a haircut place just for kids. He is almost 22 months old and had never had a "real haircut" until this one. Don't get me wrong, Jason and I have been cutting his hair at home since he was like 6 months old! He has always had lots of dark, quick growing hair! I have just come to the point where I really am tired of wrestling him to stay still while trying not to make him look awful, and so I decided it was time we took him and had his hair professionally cut.

The place was great! I mean, it was so kid-oriented that as soon as we walked in the doors Ethan found things to play with and feel comfortable. We didn't have to wait at all, which was nice. I thought Ethan did fairly well during the haircut until the lady brought out the clippers or "buzzer" as we call it at home. He doesn't really like it when Jason uses it, so I knew when she pulled it out that we were in for some tears! He did get pretty upset, but I was able to help hold his head still for the lady to do the finishing touches around his ears and the back of his neck. Boy does he look so handsome now! I'm sure you're expecting to see some before and after photos of his new hairdo, but I forgot to take my camera with me! I was pretty bummed. I did take a couple of pictures with my cell phone camera, but we don't have internet access on our phones, so I doubt the pictures are going to be able to be transferred. Sadness!

Anyway, once we were all finished, the lady let Ethan put a token into a big colorful machine, and a bouncy ball popped out. He really liked that! He still holds the ball and says, "Lady give it me ball..." That is his exact quote! I'm not joking when I say that my child is already speaking multiple word phrases really well! (I'm just a little bit proud of his language skills...)

So, that was pretty much how our haircut experience went. I will definitely take him back there, but not for a little while. It is a little expensive, but it's pretty much worth it to make your child's haircut as pleasant as possible!

Valentine's Weekend with Grandma & Pawpaw Howell

2009-02-20T16:59:00.002-05:00

This year's Valentines weekend we were blessed to have Jason's parents come stay with us! Jason's mom had President's day off, so they came and visited with us Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, then they left Monday morning to drive all the way back to Indiana. We had a pretty busy schedule while they were here, and I hope they still enjoyed their visit anyway! Friday night we had our Coffee House for the youth group, which is when we turn our kitchen into a little coffee house and all the youth and their parents are invited to come have free drinks. It is a lot of fun! Saturday at lunch time, we went to the Seniors' Valentine Banquet at the church because we had a special invitation from Ms. Connie. We enjoyed some GOOD food there! Then, later that day, we invited Melanie, Jamie, and Jake to come over and enjoy a honey baked ham with us. We also watched the movie, Fireproof. It was a good time! Sunday morning and evening we were at church, and during the afternoon, Jason's mom worked hard to help me get Elaina's clothes washed and her bedding all ironed and put together. She was a lifesaver! Here are a few pictures of Ethan with his Grandma and Pawpaw Howell...

Ethan and Grandma Howell...whom he loves to read books with...

Ethan with Grandma and Pawpaw Howell

Ethan with his Pawpaw....whom he loves to go outside with...

Church Baby Shower for Elaina

2009-02-15T16:25:00.000-05:00

Our wonderful church gave my friend Melanie and I a double baby shower on February 7th (yes, it was also Jason's birthday that day). It was so much fun, and I was beyond thankful to get so many wonderful things for little Elaina. I think we had between 30-35 ladies come to celebrate with us! Melanie and I are just 2 weeks apart in our due dates, with hers being March 30th and mine being April 12th. It has been great to have a close friend to go through these 9 wonderful months of pregnancy with! Melanie is having her second little boy. Anyway, I just wanted to share some pictures of our fun day celebrating with our church family.
(It frustrates me that every time I upload multiple pictures, they are posted in the reverse order of how I selected them! Oh well!) Enjoy!

Melanie and I opened lots of gifts. Here we are opening some together.

A good action shot of Melanie...

Yay! I got a pack of newborn diapers!

Here's a shot of some of the ladies standing in line to get some yummy food. Boy, was it good!

A cute picture of Melanie and I standing next to the cake table...

Isn't the cake cute? It had two babies on it and both Elaina and Grayson's names too!

This is a shot of my gift table before it was filled. In the middle of the table was a diaper cake, which I love, made by our church's financial secretary, Cindy. Melanie and I each had our own gift tables, and they were both filled so full that some of the gifts had to sit on the floor! We are so blessed! Thank you Line Creek!

Happy 27th Birthday Jason!

2009-02-07T21:43:00.000-05:00

Today is Jason's 27th birthday! Hooray! The funny thing is that I also had my baby shower at the church today, so I got to open lots of presents for our baby girl. It seemed kind of backwards for me to be opening so many gifts and enjoying big a party when it is Jason's birthday. But don't think I would let my wonderful husband go without a celebration....I had a special evening planned for him so we could celebrate his big day.

Our good friends Melanie and Jamie were willing to keep Ethan for us for a few hours while we went out to dinner at the Tokyo Japanese Steakhouse and to Barnes and Noble to browse for some of Jason's books. We enjoyed a delicious and entertaining dinner as the chef prepared our food on a large stove right in front of us. He loved to play with fire, and he also liked getting reactions out of those of us watching him. It was great! Then, we went over to the bookstore to see if we could find some more books that Jason wants to add to his fiction collection. Unfortunately, they didn't have two of the three books he was hoping to find, and the one he did find was bent up and not worth buying. He was kind of bummed, and so was I. I suggested he go to CBD.com and try to order them there.

We enjoyed each other's company and loved having some quiet time to ourselves, but the night went quickly, and we decided we had better go pick Ethan up and get him to bed. Jason said he had a good birthday, and what made it extra special was the fact that Ethan kept saying
"Happy Bee-day to you, Daddy". That is exactly how he pronounced it, too! The best part was that Ethan actually tried to sing it to him! Imagine his sweet little voice trying to sing happy birthday! I LOVE IT!

Ethan's Big Boy Bed

2009-02-06T20:04:00.002-05:00

Well, today marked a big milestone for us and our little man! We have officially moved Ethan into his "big boy" bed! A wonderful couple from our church had an extra twin mattress, box springs, and frame at their house, so they so generously gave it to us. We are in the final 9 weeks of my pregnancy, and in the anticipation of Elaina needing the crib, we thought we might as well get Ethan all comfortable with his new sleeping arrangements. We have been talking to him about moving into a "big boy" bed for a couple of weeks, and this week I tried to make it sound like a really exciting thing.

We decided while Jason took apart the crib and put together the twin frame, it would be best if Ethan was not in the way, so I took him to Babies R Us to get a couple of things. We still needed to buy a bed rail, and we were almost out of diapers, so I thought it would be good timing to get those items while Jason did the hard work at home. Ethan and I didn't take long to do our errands, and when we came home, Jason had everything ready! He grabbed the camera and then told Ethan there was a surprise in his room. Below are some pictures of Ethan's reaction.

I love this face he makes when he thinks something is "cool".

He's testing out the comfy-ness (I made that word up.) of his new bed.

He kept saying "Oh! Cool!" He definitely liked it!

Here he is standing next to it, but Jason put the comforter on with the wrong side facing out, so we flipped it around. The striped side is actually on the outside now.

I was glad Ethan was so excited, but I was nervous about how we were going to keep him in a bed. The crib was barely enough to contain him as it is! This morning Jason walked in and Ethan was almost crawling over the crib railing! Sure enough, at nap time, we told him our expectations (that he doesn't get out of his bed unless Mommy or Daddy are there to help him), and I had to enforce them several times. There is a bed rail on his bed, which helps some, but he knows how to get down. I tried to calm him down and get him to go to sleep for almost 40 minutes before I gave up and told Jason it was his turn to try. I knew Ethan was tired, but he was too excited about his new bed and such that he refused to give in and go to sleep. Jason laid in the bed with him and told him a story, and he actually fell asleep! He took a good nap and didn't seem to have any problems, which was a relief.

We hope night times won't be as difficult because he is always cooperative and ready to go to bed at night. Please pray that we can work through this transition and that he will obey and adapt easily.

Let's Catch Up...

2009-01-31T13:18:00.002-05:00

I wanted to give you a few updates about how Ethan is doing these days. He had a visit to the doctor a couple of weeks ago, and here were his stats: Height: 33" Weight: 27 lbs
He is growing right on track, and we've noticed a growth spurt here recently because he can reach everything on our table, desk, etc. We have to put things up higher now! He is also able to climb up on the chairs and couches by himself, which he used to have trouble with because of his short legs. He is now 21 months old. He is very friendly and outgoing, and he loves to talk. He is getting a little better about playing independently and using his imagination. He can recognize about 20 of the 26 letters of the alphabet, and he is almost able to count to 10. We are so proud of him! We hope he adjusts well when his baby sister comes along!

Speaking of little Elaina, she is also doing well. At my doctor's appointment on Friday, everything looked really good. She is currently in the breech position, but we don't have reason to worry because she has until around 36 weeks to turn around. The doctor also told me that if she decides not to turn, they can manually encourage her to turn to prevent me having a C-section. I hope she just decides she's ready to come out when it's time and she gets in position! It's hard to believe I am 30 weeks pregnant already! We still have a lot to do to be ready for Elaina to come! We have to get Ethan into a "big boy" bed so we can move the crib into Elaina's nursery and get it all set up. Our church is throwing a double baby shower for me and my friend Melanie this coming Saturday, which will be lots of fun, and I'm excited to see what I get there. I've had lots of baby girl clothes already given to me, and that has made me even more excited about having a girl.

Well, the months have just flown by. Pretty soon I will be the mother of two! God is so good to me! I know He'll give me the grace to manage two young ones at the same time!

Pictures from Christmas 2008

2009-01-20T14:55:00.000-05:00

I wanted to post some pictures from our Christmas celebration, but they are not in chronological order. I'll just label each one of them accordingly, so you know who is in the picture and where it was taken! I hope it gives you a snapshot of what our Christmas was like this year!

This was taken at Jason's parents' house. From left to right: Courtney, Daniel, Adam, Natalie

This is at my Grandma and Grandpa Weyant's house on Christmas Day. From left to right: Courtney (my sister), my dad, my mom, me, Ethan, Jason, Zack (my brother

This is at our house after we returned from our Christmas trip up north. Ethan had a few presents to open from us.

Here he is opening his stocking at our house.

This is back at my Grandma and Grandpa Weyant's house on Christmas Day. They are holding Ethan in front of their Christmas tree.

Here I am hanging the stockings at our house.

Jason and Ethan were admiring our Christmas tree the night we put it up.

At my Grandma and Grandpa Weyant's house, my mom had a special few moments holding Ethan.

This was taken at my parents' house on Christmas morning. We gave them an 8x10 and a 5x7 picture of Ethan to hang on their wall.

This is at my parents' house in front of their Christmas tree. From left to right: my Grandma Boyer, Courtney, me, Ethan, Jason

A Brief Update...Christmas Trip

2009-01-12T12:58:00.000-05:00

Wow! It sure has been a long time since I have been able to access the internet to update our blog! I really enjoy writing on the blog, but until we have the internet at home, my ability to update it is not very good. Anyway, I know I haven't written since Thanksgiving, so there is a lot to tell.

We had a great Christmas celebration in Ohio and Indiana. We spent about 3 days with each side of our family, and then we headed back home. We spent the first part of our Christmas trip in Ohio with my family. Ethan had a really good time with his Nana and Grandpa Weyant, and he loved getting to play with Aunt Courtney and Uncle Zack. He recieved lots of gifts, and most of them were centered around the Cars movie. That has been one of his latest obsessions! Luckily, we are getting him to move past watching the DVD every other day, and back to watching Veggie Tales. Haha! (I prefer Veggie Tales because I know they are teaching biblical morals and values.) We also spent Christmas Eve at my Aunt Tammy and Uncle Greg's house. We did a gift exchange there and ate lots of yummy food. Ethan got him first Thomas the Train set. He loves it! My cousins and my Grandma Boyer all had a blast interacting with Ethan. They can't believe how much he has grown and how much he knows!

The next day, Christmas Day, we had our traditional gift opening at my parents' house, and then we all headed up to my Grandma and Grandpa Weyant's house (Ethan's Great Grandparents). We always have a wonderful time together, eating lots of good food and opening lots of wonderful gifts. It was so nice to see all of my aunts and uncles that I only see about once a year now! Ethan did really well surrounded by unfamiliar people and being taken from place to place. We left my grandparents' house late that evening and drove all the way to Tipton, Indiana to Jason's parents' house. It was almost midnight by the time we arrived. What an adventure!

We had a great time with Ethan's Grandma and Pawpaw Howell, but we always eat too much when we're there! Ethan just loves to play trucks with his Pawpaw and read books with his Grandma. We celebrated our Christmas with them and had a fun time playing games and watching movies. It was fun to visit with some of Jason's home church people, and they were all amazed by Ethan, of course! Haha! We left on Monday morning and drove 10 1/2 hours back to our house. Ethan has been a super duper car passenger on our long trips! I couldn't have asked for him to do any better!

We sure were glad to get home, though! We spent all day Tuesday celebrating our own little Christmas, putting away all of our gifts, and getting our house back in order. It was definitely a day of much needed rest and recouperation after a long and busy trip! I will have to post some pictures as soon as I am able!

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas as well!

Thanksgiving in Indiana

2008-11-27T12:17:00.005-05:00

This year we decided to make the trip up north to spend Thanksgiving with Jason's family. We made a pit stop at my parents' house on the way up because their house is only about 8 hours away, while Jason's parents' house is about 11 hours away, and we definitely wanted to see my family for a little bit too. We left our house on Tuesday morning around 9:00 am, and we made it to my parents' house in Cincinnati, OH around 6:00 pm. We did take about a 45 minute lunch break about halfway through the drive to stretch our legs and let Ethan run around. Ethan was an angel the whole way! I couldn't believe how quiet he was!

We had dinner with my family, spent the night, and had breakfast with them in the morning. Then we hung around for a little while so my sister and her boyfriend could come see Ethan for a little while before we left. She hadn't seen him since May! Around noon we headed out on the road again to go north to Tipton, IN where Jason's parents live. We arrived at the Howell's at about 3:00 pm, and we plan on staying here until Monday morning. Then we will get in the car to drive all the way back to our home in Sharpsburg, GA.

Whew! We're blessed to be able to spend Thanksgiving with family this year! Below are a few pictures we took while we were at my parents' house...

We're having a baby....

2008-11-27T12:09:00.002-05:00

I apologize it has taken me so long to blog about our baby on the way. We did have our big ultrasound on November 20th, and we now know which gender we are having! So, to avoid keeping you all in suspense much longer, we are going to be adding a baby GIRL to our family! That's right....we now have one boy and one girl! What more could we ask for right?! The tentative due date is still April 12, 2009, and everything looked good on the ultrasound. Please keep our sweet baby girl in your prayers, though, as she continues to grow and develop. Yay! God is so good to us! We're looking forward to experiencing life with children of both genders!
We do have a name picked out, but I'll mention that in a later post.

Ethan's Illness

2008-11-26T10:37:00.003-05:00

Well, last week was a really tough week for Ethan and me. Last Sunday morning he woke up with a 102 temp. He was miserable, and I could only imagine what he might have come down with! The fever was pretty relentless, and it lasted for a total of almost 5 days. I took him to the doctor, of course, only to learn that his ears were clear, his chest sounded okay, his tonsils were swollen, but his strep test was negative. The doctor told me to call her back if his fever lasted 72 hours, which it did, so I called and ended up having to take Ethan for chest x-rays and to have his blood drawn. That was NOT FUN! I think it was more traumatic for me than it was for him! Because I am pregnant, I couldn't be in the room when they did the x-rays, so I had to leave my sweet boy alone in a room with two complete strangers! He was screaming "Mommy! Mommy!" the whole time. It was pitiful! Ah....after all of that craziness, we found that all the tests came back negative, which meant that he just had a really bad cold virus. By Friday, he was finally fever free. Praise the Lord!

He has been slowly getting back to his normal energetic and happy self these past few days. I don't think I could've survived much more of the sickness. It is so hard to have a sick little one!

Baby #2 Update/Ethan at 18 months

2008-11-11T13:22:00.003-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, I went for my 16 week check up, and we heard the heartbeat this time. The heart rate was in the 150s range. As far as we know, everything is going well with the baby. We will be going for our "big ultrasound" on November 20th, which is next Thursday! That is when we will find out whether we are having another boy or a little girl! We are just beyond excited to find out! I am also anxious to see the baby's organs and all of his or her details. I have been feeling the baby move quite a bit this week. It is so wonderful! We will definitely keep everyone posted when we find out the sex of our baby!

Ethan is doing very well. We recently had his 18 months check up, and everything was great. He weighs 25lbs, is 32 inches long, and is doing everything and more that a little guy his age should be doing. He is very verbal ( I wonder who he got that from?), and he seems to learn new words everyday. We are so proud of him!

I wanted to share a cute story real quick with all of you: This past Sunday at church Ethan saw a new little boy come into the nursery, and so he walked towards him and said "Hello." Then, later on one of the little girls sneezed, and Ethan said, "Bless You". When Jason and I went to get him, all of the ladies in the nursery were telling us how sweet and entertaining he is. They kept talking about how he greeted the new little boy and was so polite to the girl who sneezed! It sure made me proud to be his Mama!

I want to apologize for the large gaps of time between our blog posts. We do not have internet access at home, and so it is very difficult for us to keep up with our posts. We hope to get internet/cable after Christmas, but we'll see what the budget allows! We love you all!

Baby Update

2008-10-16T16:30:00.003-04:00

We recently (October 3rd) went to the doctor to hear the heartbeat. The doctor could not find the heartbeat and offered to do another ultrasound. So we got to see the baby again and the picture was much more clearer. We could easily see the arms and legs and Ethan came and saw the baby as well. (I apologize that I do not have those pictures available.)

The Adventure of Vacation

2008-10-15T16:13:00.000-04:00

My (Jason) Dad and Mom sent us some money to help us go on a vacation. We chose to rent a cabin at Amicalola Falls in Dawsonville, GA for a couple of days. On Wednesday, we drove up there and it rained all day. We tried to grill some brats but I could not start the fire. And we could not get into the cabin early to cook our food. So we ate cheese sandwiches for lunch in the car. We also forgot to take cooking spray and had a difficult time cooking burgers and pancakes for breakfast.

We drove to the bottom of the waterfall and enjoyed a beautiful sight that God created. We had the brilliant idea of hiking to the top on the stairs (425 Steps, Difficulty: Strenuous). By Step 134 we realized it was an unintelligent decision. Ethan is 25 pounds extra on my back and Tara is pregnant, my poor family struggling up those steps. Well we did it and inspired other adults by our tenacity to climb the steps.

We also spent a few hours on Friday at the outlet stores and had some lunch a Pizza Hut before spending time in stopped traffic in and before Atlanta. So there were some low points, but it was nice to get away and not work and enjoy cable for once. But my family is happy to be home. Thanks Mom and Dad for your help!

Nana

2008-10-14T16:08:00.000-04:00

Grandma Weyant (Nana) came to visit at the beginning of October for a couple of days. We had a fun time with her. She brought Ethan some fun gifts like a small jacket that belonged to Tara (the red and white jacket). Nana also enjoyed holding Ethan during a nap time. She took Tara and Ethan out for lunch at Mellow Mushroom Pizza.

The County Fair

2008-10-13T16:03:00.000-04:00

We all went to the Coweta County Fair for the first time. Ethan really enjoyed all of the farm animals such as the cows, chickens, rabbits, and donkeys. He also got to play in the fire truck. He loved seeing all the lights on the rides. We also saw a couple shows with monkeys and a kangaroo.

Our Signing Son

2008-09-10T13:36:00.000-04:00

Some of you may know that we began teaching Ethan sign language when he was rather young (probably about 5 months old). We did well with it for a couple of months until we went up to Ohio/Indiana for our Christmas vacation. I guess with the stress of the traveling and different environments, we just got lazy with it and then eventually stopped signing altogether. I felt guilty that we had “failed” at something I had really wanted to do with Ethan and our future children, so we just never picked it back up.

Fast forward to toddlerhood when Ethan is 16 months old and very expressive, strong-willed, and quick to learn. We experienced a pretty nasty tantrum a couple weeks ago on a Sunday morning that all started over cereal. Then of course we experience small frustrations everyday when he is making sounds and “words” that we don’t understand while we’re trying to figure out what he wants or needs. Some of these frustrations have become less frequent because I have taught him to say “yes” or “no” when I ask him if he wants something. This has helped, but in light of wanting to communicate even better, Jason suggested we relearn sign language and begin teaching it to Ethan again. I thought it was a great idea, so last week we began signing to him.

We started with the signs that we were most familiar with (the ones we used when he was a baby), and then we began adding new ones on to that. We have a very helpful book that we bought way back when that teaches you how to sign and how to teach your infant or toddler. Well, Ethan was very quick to repeat the signs that we taught him. In fact, he would repeat the sign and use it appropriately the same day we reintroduced it to him! We were amazed! We know he is a quick learner, but we didn’t expect him to catch on that quickly! We thought it would take him a few days or a few weeks, but we have just been enjoying watching him learn the signs and use them to communicate with us. He can sign dog, milk, more, finished, drink, cookie, ‘hooray’, eat, light, and a few others that I think he’s only signed once or twice. Here lately he has been expanding his speaking vocabulary rapidly too! I love to hear him repeat after me when he’s learning to say a new word!

Needless to say, we are enjoying picking the sign language back up, and we would encourage other parents of young children to give it a try!

Tara's New Hairdo

2008-09-09T13:33:00.000-04:00

Tara wanted to do something new. She said she was tired of always pulling her hair back, so she got a haircut on Friday. She decided to go short, and it’s really cute. Here is a picture for you to see!

Baby #2

2008-09-04T16:34:00.003-04:00

We went to the doctor's today and had an ultrasound. There is only one baby, no twins. The baby is 8 weeks and three days along and the projected due date is April 13th. And below is a picture of the baby.

Uncle Zack Came to Visit!

2008-09-02T20:37:00.002-04:00

Ethan's Uncle Zack (Tara's brother) came to visit with us for a few hours yesterday evening. He and his friends had spent the weekend at Grandma Boyer's house in Florida, and on their way back up to Ohio, they stopped at our house. It was so nice to see them! I hadn't seen Zack since Christmas! We ate some pizza for dinner, watched a little of the Cars movie, and then played outside in the front yard until they had to leave. They had already been on the road for almost 8 hours, and they had about another 8 to go until they reached home! I think they all loved playing with Ethan. Here are a few pictures of us together:

From left to right: Jay, Jodi, Kelsey, Zack, & Ethan

Zack, Tara, Ethan, & Jason in our front yard

Zack & Tara (I can't believe how old my brother is! Being the oldest of three, I still think my younger siblings should stay the same age while I get older!)

Fun at the Park

2008-09-02T19:14:00.003-04:00

Yesterday Jason and I took Ethan to the Newnan Utilities Park (since Jason had the day off) to play for a few hours. We were kind of taking a chance because it definitely looked like it was going to rain, but we thought we would just try it anyway. We actually enjoyed the clouds because they kept the temperature from being too hot, and luckily it didn't rain on us!

Ethan had a great time climbing up and down and all over the different fortress-like playground equipment. He is learning how to do "steps" pretty well now. We don't have stairs at our house, but it is a good thing for him to learn!

After we left the park, we stopped by Chick Fil A (my favorite fast food place) to get some free lunch because we had two coupons for free meals. Yummy! We ate kind of quickly because we knew Ethan wasn't going to last much longer, as he was getting way past his nap time. Sure enough, towards the end of our meal he got really fussy. We left just in time for him to throw a fit in the car, and then a few minutes later, he was sound asleep. What a fun morning!

Jason and Ethan driving the wooden car (Ethan LOVES steering wheels!)

I put Ethan inside this tire thing....I'm not sure what it was...

Ethan and me enjoying our "snack at the park"

Jason blowing bubbles

Ethan blowing bubbles (He really can blow bubbles! We are so proud of him!)

We're Expecting!

2008-08-31T21:25:00.003-04:00

I have been waiting so patiently to write about our exciting news on the blog, but I felt like I needed to tell our parents, grandparents, and siblings first. I also made sure to email the news to some of our "out of town" friends and family that I just didn't have the ability to call right away. So, yes, we are expecting our second child sometime in April 2009! I actually found out I was pregnant on August 3rd, so I've been waiting a long time to spill the beans to the whole world! (Okay, so it might not sound like a long time, but for me....it felt like forever!) Guessing by my calculations, the due date will be around April 12th. I will be going for my 8 week ultrasound this coming Thursday to see my little peanut, and then I'll have a more exact due date. I'm looking forward to seeing that precious tiny heartbeat! God is so good!

I am also very blessed to have a friend at church who is pregnant also! In fact, she and I are only about 2 weeks apart in our due dates! I am thankful God has allowed me to have someone to walk with through the joys and trials of pregnancy and eventually life with a newborn and a toddler! I know I'll need encouragement and a listening ear when life gets twice as busy and crazy as it already is! Please pray for our family as we prepare for this addition to our family. Pray for mine and my baby's health throughout this pregnancy, and especially pray for Ethan as he will have to adjust to not being the one and only in his Mama and Daddy's life anymore. That's going to be interesting!

Our Broken Air Conditioner

2008-08-29T21:51:00.001-04:00

We have had an adventurous and HOT past couple of days as our air conditioner decided to quit working. We just suffered through it on Thursday, although it was about 86 degrees in the house by early evening, and I left to have dinner with a friend. By Friday morning, I told Jason that it was definitely not going to come on, which meant we needed to figure out what to do pretty quickly. We were heading into the holiday weekend, and the weather forecast was calling for 90 degree days! We called a guy from church who used to build houses and remodel old homes because he seems to know a lot about everything. He was very kind to come over right away and assess the problem, and when he did, he found that we at least needed a new heat pump motor (or something like that). He said he wasn't sure of all of the issues, but that was a major one that needed to be fixed. So, next we needed to figure out who to call to fix this air conditioner without costing us hundreds of dollars!

We have only lived in this house for a little over two months, and we did get a one year home warranty, so I knew we had that option to try. I called the company to get the scoop about what was really covered and what the cost would be because I don't trust insurance companies. Sure enough, it was going to cost us at least $100.00 just to have a service guy come out and assess the repairs needed. I think all of the parts would have been covered. The other thing I didn't like about going through this home warranty company was that she said the contracted air repair man had until Tuesday to call me and schedule a time for him to come out and fix it! I asked her if there was anyway to make it more urgent than that, and she said no. I thought.....okay, so I'm supposed to just allow my toddler to sweat profusely during his naps and be hot all day long? I don't want to wait that long!

We decided to go ahead and put in a work order, but we began trying to get a hold of another guy from our church who has his own heating and air business. By God's grace, he was at home doing yard work, and he was able to come over right away. He found that we also needed some other part, and he knew exactly what to do. He went to Newnan (about 15 minutes away) to get the new parts we would need, and he ended up having to make two trips back and forth because the first motor he brought back shorted out on him! He said that happens every once in awhile...unfortunately. After he finally got the parts replaced, we felt air coming out, so we thought it was fixed. We decided to go out to dinner at Olive Garden and use a gift card we had so we could enjoy some air conditioning. When we got home a few hours later, the house was just as warm as it was when we left! Oh no! I asked Jason nicely if he would call Jimmy again (our friend who fixed the AC), and he reluctantly did so. Jimmy and his wife happened to be going out to the store, so they were headed in our general direction anyway! They stopped by and agreed that something still wasn't right. He found that there was a heater thing also blowing air into the house, which meant that our AC/Heater was trying to both cool and heat the house. No wonder it was staying the same temperature! He basically disconnected the heater thing, since we won't need it for another couple of months anyway, and said that should work. Praise the Lord! We now have cool air! He'll have to take care of the heater thing at a later date, but we are so thankful to have our air conditioner running again!

I did call the insurance company and cancel the work order I had put in earlier. I didn't want to mess with all of the potential "red tape" when we knew our friend could help us out.

Praise God for how His people take care of one another!

A Weekend with Grandma & Grandpa Weyant

2008-08-25T21:27:00.002-04:00

My parents came down to visit with us this past weekend. They could only stay for a very short time, but we are so glad they made the trip! They flew down on Friday night, and then they flew back to Ohio on Sunday afternoon right after church. Ethan had a good time playing with them, and I wanted to post a couple of pictures I took of their time together. I apologize for the couple that are blurry....Jason actually took those, and I'm not sure why they turned out like that!

Ethan watching Grandpa Weyant's cell phone

Here Ethan is opening some gifts his grandparents brought for him....my mom loves to give him things!

Ooo! It is a Tonka truck coloring book! Ethan's first one! Notice the brace on my mom's knee...well, she hurt it at work back in May, and it hasn't completely healed. She ended up turning it the wrong way at the airport, which made her barely able to walk! Ethan was really curious about the brace, and my mom told him it was a "boo boo", so from that point on, Ethan would point to his grandma and say "boo boo". It was hilarious!

Ethan and his Grandma Weyant enjoyed coloring together in his new coloring book!

Yay! He did a good job coloring, and he was so excited about his work!

Enjoying Cooler Weather

2008-08-21T20:59:00.003-04:00

With tropical storm Fay swirling around Florida, we've been experiencing some clouds and wind these past couple of days. Today was especially cooler in the morning hours, so Ethan and I decided to take advantage of the opportunity to play outside without getting all sweaty. Usually, we will play out side for a little while in the morning after our daily walk, but it isn't long before we're both dripping with sweat. I can't wait for the weather to be cooler like it was today on a more regular basis! *Sigh* I thought it would be fun to post some pictures of Ethan enjoying the outdoors. He would seriously be happy if we just let him spend all day outside!

He likes the feel of these little prickly plants growing in front of our house...

Just give the boy a bucket and he's happy!

Ethan actually posed for me to take his picture while he was sitting on our front doorstep!

He loves to point out the letters on our welcome mat. We've been trying to teach him his alphabet. It's coming along slowly, but surely.

I'm not sure what he was trying to do to this tree, but it makes for a cute picture!

Speak English, Please!

2008-08-18T11:26:00.000-04:00

Jabber, jabber, jabber....that's what my adorable little toddler does all day long. Lately, he has been able to say more words if I ask him to repeat me. I think some of his new favorites include: car, juice, cracker, yes, koala, cow, duck, hippo and several others....I just can't remember them all. Most of what he says is not in a language that I understand. I am working at getting him to try to tell me what he wants with words instead of making noises or whining. We have also started to work on learning our ABC's and numbers. He is interested some days, and other days I don't think he cares at all about letters or numbers. I'm just going to do what I can when he is interested. These are such fun days! Ethan is just a sweet little guy who now also loves to give kisses and hugs to those he loves. I am savoring each one! (don't let me fool you....he also hears the word "no" quite often and he tends to throw a bit of an attitude when he isn't getting what he wants sometimes) He's not a perfect child, but none of us were or are even perfect adults, which is why we are in need of Jesus as our Savior. Praise God for his mercy and grace!

Little Buddies

2008-08-12T17:39:00.002-04:00

Today Jake came to our house to play with Ethan while Melanie ran some errands. We had lots of fun together. First, we played inside for awhile, then I decided to take the boys outside to enjoy the nice weather. We played with our little sports thing for a little bit, and then I gave the boys a wagon ride. They really enjoyed that! After that I brought them in to have a snack and watch some Veggie Tales. I wanted to post some cute pictures of the boys playing together, so here they are....

Jake and Ethan were learning to take turns with the little red ball because it is the only ball small enough to fit down the basketball hoop hole. Here is Jake wanting to take the ball from Ethan...

They tend to do more parallel play than actual playing together.

Here they're trying to figure out the basket ball hoop thing.

And finally, here they are enjoying a wagon ride...I am amazed that I actually got them both to look at the camera! (I made really silly noises to get their attention and then snapped the picture real quick!)

Some Quality Time with Grandma & Pawpaw Howell

2008-08-10T21:52:00.002-04:00

Jason's parents came down to visit with us one last time before his mom had to start back to teaching. They arrived at our house on Wednesday evening around 7pm, so we left Ethan home with them while we went to youth small groups. He was still napping when they arrived. They fed him dinner and played with him outside until Jason and I came home. Thursday we had a great time just hanging out together and playing with Ethan. We went out to a nice dinner at Olive Garden after Jason came home from work. Friday, I left to go to the women's conference around 4:30 pm, so I'm not sure what Ethan got to do with Jason, Grandma, and Pawpaw while I was gone, but from what I heard, he had a good time. He didn't throw any fits, and I think I might have missed him more than he missed me. Unfortunately, I didn't take very many pictures this time they were here, but here are two cute ones...

Pawpaw & Grandma adoring their precious grandson

Grandma loving on Ethan...how sweet!

First Night Away from Ethan

2008-08-09T21:48:00.002-04:00

I went to the Extraordinary Women Conference in Griffin, GA this weekend with a group of ladies from our church. We left at about 4:30pm on Friday afternoon, and I didn't get home until about 5:45pm tonight. This was my very first night away from Ethan, which I thought I would enjoy, but you know how hotel beds can be! Lets just say I didn't get a whole lot of sleep last night! I started missing Ethan pretty intensely this morning. I almost felt out of place without my busy little toddler running around me! It's interesting how much I had been looking forward to this weekend "away from Ethan", only to find out that after just a little while of being away, I really missed him and all of the responsibilities I am used to taking care of everyday. Being a mom is so ingrained in my heart that I barely made it a little over 24 hours away from my sweet little boy without getting all weepy. Haha! It makes me laugh! The love I have for my child is a love I've never experienced before. I LOVE my husband and I love my family, but there is a special kind of love between a mother and her child, and I felt that love strongly as I was away from him for an extended period of time!

I learned a lot at the conference, and I am so thankful for the time I was able to spend with the women from our church. God seemed to really be speaking to all of our hearts this weekend. I learned to trade in the "ashes of my past" for God's crown of beauty. I learned that the people I love need my time, my touch, and my testimony. I learned to thank God for everything He gives me everyday. I was reminded in some pretty intense ways to be thankful for the time I have with my sweet son, even in the tough and frustrating times. I was reminded to not "wish away" the early growing years of my child just because it it not easy. I have so much to learn about being a godly wife and mother, but I am so eager to keep learning. God is so good to me and so full of grace and mercy that as I mess up (which is also called sin), He continues to pour out more love and forgiveness. I praise Him for the woman He is shaping me into, and I continue to pray that I will be humble, flexible, and always be ready to hear His teaching in my life.

15 Month Check Up

2008-08-04T19:07:00.003-04:00

We had Ethan's 15 month well baby check up today, and boy am I glad it's over! Let's just say that Ethan did not enjoy his doctor appointment! Something happens to sweet little boys when they hit around 15 months called, "I want things to be my way, now!" Yeah, well, Ethan did not like having to lie down or having the doctor poke around on him or anything else she had to do. Our doctor visits have never been this stressful in the past. Dr. Warren assured me (as I apologized for his screaming) that his behavior is VERY typical for a toddler his age. I told her that I hope it gets better as he gets older, and she just gave me a grin, which makes me think that I'm a pretty naive mom who is doing a lot of wishful thinking!

Ethan's 15 month stats:

Length: 31" (50%)
Weight: 23.6 lbs (25-50%)
Head Circumference: 48 cm (75%)

Ethan also had to get shots today, and I've almost finished reading The Vaccine Book by Dr. Robert Sears as was recommended on a wonderful blog (written by Christian mothers) that I read. The book is VERY informational. It made me wonder how many moms really look into what goes into their children's bodies when they are vaccinated. Well, I have come to the conclusion that most of the shots are a good idea, but exactly when they are given and how many are given at the same time can be altered. So, I told the doctor that I didn't want Ethan to get more than two shots at any given appointment. He is due for something like 5 different shots, but I only allowed him to get the Hep A and the PcV vaccines today. Ethan did not get the MMR at his 12 month appointment as recommended, and I think we decided to delay it until his 24 month appointment, unless I change my mind and want him to get it sooner. He still needs another dose of the DTap and the HIB, which he will probably get at his 18 month appointment. All this fuss about shots and their possible side effects can be so overwhelming. I am thankful for The Vaccine Book, but even after reading it I've come to the conclusion that there is no real right or wrong answer. I prayed about my decision and felt that it was a good one.

Phew. I'm glad we don't have to go back to the pediatrician for another 3 months! We have a very healthy little boy, and I'm so grateful!

Sweet Boys

2008-08-03T17:35:00.000-04:00

Saturday we had our annual Grill and Chill event for our youth group at our new house. It went really well, and we think all the students had a good time. While they were all playing frisbee golf and capture the flag out in the hot sun, Melanie and I kept our boys inside. After playing for awhile, Ethan really wanted to watch Veggie Tales (surprise, haha), and I decided it would be okay for them to do so. Here are some cute pictures of Ethan and Jake sitting on our new couch! It's a shame I put the camera away after I took these pictures because a few minutes later, Jake laid his head on Ethan's shoulder. It was SO precious!

Mud Pie Anyone?

2008-08-01T22:03:00.006-04:00

Those of you who know Ethan (or who read our blog) understand that he is a very active, curious, smart, and headstrong little fellow. You probably also know that he LOVES the outdoors. He asks to go outside several times a day, and it is usually the first thing he wants to do when he wakes up in the morning. Well, Ethan and I go on a walk everyday after breakfast, and when we return from our walk, I allow him to play outside for awhile. We have to play outside in the morning because it is blazing hot in the afternoon!

Today was like any other weekday, except on Fridays Jason is home, but he had some painting to do inside. I thought it would be a good idea for Ethan and me to go on our walk to keep him out of Jason's way. The walk went well, and once we returned to the house, I let Ethan out of the stroller, and he began to explore, as usual. Well, this past week or so he has been fascinated by this blue bucket we have in the garage. I let him drag it around the yard and put stuff in it because it makes him happy and it's pretty harmless. I have been pulling weeds every morning because our front yard has really nice landscaping that I'm trying to keep looking nice, but it seems like an endless task. So, typically Ethan is dragging around the bucket while I'm pulling weeds. I try to get him to help me by allowing me to put my weeds into the bucket. This works pretty well...until he dumps the bucket out and I have to pick all the weeds up!

Today he was being really good and just digging in the dirt with a stick for awhile, but it wasn't long before he thought it might be a good idea to try tasting the dirt. Now, this isn't the first time he has tried to eat various things outside (leaves, sticks, rocks, dirt, etc.), but this time I didn't catch him before the huge clump of dirt was fully in his little mouth! Ewww! I did get a good bit of it out of his mouth, but I could hear him chewing the gritty texture of the remaining dirt particles (which is more like sand in our front yard). The crazy thing was that after a few more minutes had passed, he did it again! He must have not minded the muddy taste or sandy texture! Silly little boy! Ugh! Oh well, I guess that is life with a 15 month old who loves to get dirty and explore his surroundings! I hope he didn't eat anything that will make him sick!

Say Please!

2008-07-29T21:28:00.003-04:00

We have been working on teaching Ethan to say please when he is asking for something he wants. He used to constantly make his "Ahhh ahhh!" noises whenever he was trying to get us to understand what he wanted, but we've been working to change that. Now, Ethan will still sometimes start out by making his whining noises, but as soon as I say "Ethan how do you ask nicely?" or "Ethan, can you say please?", he will say it! There have been times that he will really really want to do something like watch a Veggie Tales DVD or go outside, and he will start out by saying "Please". It is so cute to hear him be polite, but in the event that I don't want him to do whatever it is that he is asking for, it's more difficult to tell him no. Haha!

He is also starting to answer my yes and no questions with correct verbal responses and body language. I am so proud of how well he's communicating with me! He will actually say "yes" and shake his head up and down to let me know that I understand what he wants. The funny thing about him saying "no" is that he really only does it when I say "no no no" to him with a certain tone of voice! It's so funny to hear him repeat it that sometimes I bust out laughing! It seems like he is saying more words everyday. I am amazed at how much a 15 month old can understand! Oh, speaking of 15 month old....we are going in for his well baby (or should I say toddler?) check up on Monday to see how much he's grown, how much weight he's gained, etc. I'll post an update on his stats for all of our blog readers, so stay tuned for that!