Whoa, baby....

Have I mentioned that I am thankful that Ellie ONLY weighed in at 7 pounds, 10 ounces?!?! Check this out!

Sweet pictures of our new little sweetie....

Thought you might enjoy seeing our sweetie's hospital pictures.

Click HERE.

Isn't she LOVELY?!?! :)

Thankful Thursday....

Today, I am thankful....

1) For a sweet, healthy, baby girl! Ellie has been an absolute joy.... of course, we are missing sleep, but she is worth every minute of it!!!
2) For an incredibly generous and helpful hubby. I couldn't get through these first couple of weeks without him. Recovering from surgery.... crazy hormones.... adjusting to sleepless nights.... two busy boys. He has been absolutely amazing!
3) For amazing friends and coworkers who have been so great about keeping my family fed since Ellie arrived. One of Scott's coworkers organized meals for us, and they have all been SO YUMMY. Also, the website: Take Them A Meal has been an incredible blessing! I highly recommend it!
4) For gorgeous, September days. I love this weather.... it's been perfect "new baby" weather, too.... perfect for sitting outside and enjoying lovely evenings with all of my boys and my new baby girl!
5) For the fact that God is WITH US through all of the ups and downs, highs and lows, good times and bad times, of life. We're in the midst of an incredibly interesting season here at our house, and I am always SO THANKFUL to know that we are not alone.... He is PRESENT, and we are LOVED! :)

Have a blessed day! With much love!!!

Two Weeks

It's hard to believe that it's been two weeks already....

At two weeks old, Ellie....

-Weighs in at 7 lb. 13 oz.! 3 oz. over her birth weight of 7 lb. 10 oz. (she gained 10 oz. in the past week! Hoorah!)
-Loves to eat, but often, has to be awakened by mommy to nurse
-Usually likes her baby papasan seat and her swing


-Went to Target with mommy for the first time today... and even found some cute things for next summer on the clearance rack (hoorah.... mommy can finally drive again!)
-Likes her carseat on most occasions
-Still sleeps away most of the day
-Has a favorite time to be awake: midnight to 1:30 AM Thankfully, daddy is very helpful at times, too, and says that he is catching up on his late night TV viewing! :)
-Still seems to be getting the hang of a pacifier.... we keep trying different kinds!
-"Watched" her first Colts game last night!
-Is absolutely adored by her big brothers! Aaron continually says, "Mom, I REALLY love her!" Isaac asks to hold her a lot but only for short periods of time.

-Will sometimes do 3 1/2 hour stretches at night.
-Has actually smiled, FOR REAL, two or three different times. Not gas pain smiles.... REAL, purposeful smiles (I promise that I know the difference.... after all, this IS baby #3!) :)
-Speaking of gas pains, we KNOW that Ellie is not an Italian at heart.... she HATES garlic (uh oh, and her mommy LOVES garlic!) :(
-Finally lost the yucky umbilical cord thingy a few days ago! Isaac continually says, with excitement, "Her ouchie is all gone!!!"
-Has some of the most adorable clothing awaiting her because of the awesome packages that have arrived in the mail!

Crazy about my God.....

....and enjoyin' some worship, too....



Yep, sleep deprived mommas NEED some great worship!

Whew....

Pardon me for not posting for nearly a week.... I've been a little distracted by a new little beauty in my life....

SHE is here!!!

Yep, you read that correctly.... we have a precious, sweet, adorable, baby girl! Ellie Lyn was born at 10:11 AM.... 7 pounds, 10 ounces.... 21 inches long! PRECIOUS! She is doing awesome! Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers....

Ellie means "shining light".... we're so excited to see how God chooses to use this precious child to make an impact on our world and pray that she always has a heart for Him! God is so good! Praising HIM for abundant blessings!

Today's the DAY! :)

Would welcome your prayers today.... c-section is scheduled for 9:00 AM, and Aaron starts 1st grade!!!! I've been up since 3:20.... Aaron's been up since 5:30.... we're all pretty excited around here!!!

Love to all! We'll keep ya posted! :)

BOYS!

Can I just say.... I love raising little boys! Oh my goodness, having grown up with only sisters, I do feel like I am ALWAYS getting an education, but it is so fun....

This was the scene from our new deck the other night....

I've gotta admit, these pictures make me smile.... thinking about coming FULL circle on things. When Aaron was little, I was completely the "anti-toy gun" momma.... and then, much to my dismay, he started turning legos and sticks and every toy in the toybox into a gun. And no, it wasn't because of watching VIOLENT television shows (even though a random momma at the library once decided to lecture me about the VIOLENT shows that I was allowing my kiddo to watch.... ahem.... she said to the mother who has never even allowed her kiddo to watch SpongeBob or Phineas and Ferb..... geez.... thanks for your opinion, lady....). So.... we now have Nerf GUNS at our house. Right or wrong.... my boys love 'em. And obviously, all of the neighbor kiddos are pretty fond of having nerf gun wars at our house, too....

Thankful Thursday...

(a little late.... 3:25 AM on Friday to be exact!)

Today, I am thankful....

1) FOUR DAYS! FOUR DAYS! FOUR DAYS! We are all so excited around here!
2) For a fabulous and mostly free weekend ahead with my boys.... just connecting and having fun before the big day!
3) For cool opportunities.... Scott is preaching at The Chapel on Sunday! Can't wait to hear what God leads him to share regarding families.... if you're interested, our church does a live webfeed every Sunday.... 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM.... here's the LINK. (there should be a button that you just click at the top at those times on Sunday). Or you can always come back to the site later in the week, and they will post his message online (and yes, there is a back up plan in case I go into labor early!)
4) That THIS is in my freezer after a couple of cooking afternoons last week....
5) That one of Scott's amazing coworkers has already arranged meals to be delivered after baby arrives! Hoorah! And seriously.... if you are ever arranging meals for someone, you HAVE to check out this website.... Take Them A Meal. Seriously, amazing.... we know exactly who is bringing what and when! I guess that the website even sends reminder updates to people. Very, very cool..... such a huge blessing!
6) That THESE are on my counter after my hubby surprised me just to be sweet.
Have a blessed day, everybody! Hope that you enjoy your long weekend! :)

Incredible....

ONE WEEK!!!

One week from today, we will be holding a baby in our arms.... gazing into his or her sweet little eyes.... touching the softest, sweetest baby cheeks with our fingers.

I can't wait.... I have tears just thinking about it....

"Give thanks to the Lord, FOR HE IS GOOD. His love endures forever" (Psalm 136:1).