Waterbug.

Kenna LOVES water. If there is water somewhere, she is sure to not only find it, but strip everything off and jump in (this includes rain, even if only a sprinkle!).

During a really warm rainy day a couple of weeks ago, I had a very antsy toddler on my hands. So I filled up a rubbermaid container with water on the porch, added some dish soap for bubbles, and put all kinds of "scooping" toys in it (bucket, shovel, large spoon). Next thing I knew she had stripped off her diaper and gotten in it like a little bathtub. I had to take a picture because of how perfectly she fit!
It makes me sad to think that she won't fit in it like this next year when it is warm enough to do this again, but happy to think there will be two babies splashing around together next summer! The major upside was that the dish soap was slightly apple scented and Kenna and the entire porch smelled awesome when she got out! (ps- I have also seen this done with a bag of sandbox sand instead of water to make a little tiny sandbox! You can just snap the rubbermaid lid on and protect it for next time.)

We have never bathed Kenna and the dog together like this before because we weren't sure if the dog (or Kenna for that matter) would go a little crazy with unexpected bathtime company. But when Matt and I were both home to supervise and Kenna and Pontouf both needed a bath, we thought sure why not. Kenna thought it was awesome to get to dump water on someone besides herself, and Pontouf just sat and looked demoralized as she always does in the bath:
Poor Pontouf has been demoted from "practice baby" to "dog." And there again, when there are two babies I doubt we'll let the dog join in!

Welcome, Fall!

October has a knack for always being a really busy month for us... it starts with our anniversary and seems to slide right through to New Year's before we know it! This year is no exception, and maybe even more so than the past few years!

The first weekend in October we celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary! We tried to think of something more original than dinner & a movie, but after about 5 minutes of discussion, we decided a baby-free meal and a chance to just chat with each other and then go out and do something we rarely do anymore sounded more than just fine! Matt's parents graciously offered to keep Kenna even though they were already keeping Beckley, which was great because she was happy as a clam playing with grandparents and a cousin! (Thanks Nana B & Granddaddy!)

We went to Outback since we hadn't been there in forever, and I was craving both a bloomin' onion and their baked potato soup. It never disappoints! We almost didn't know what to do with ourselves, having an uninterrupted conversation! After that we headed to see a new Ben Affleck movie called "the Town" about a town in Boston that produces a family legacy of bank robbers... terrible language, but a very interesting story and awesomely acted! One of my favorite things about Matt is sitting and discussing a movie after we've seen it- in fact, we've been known (before kids, of course) to finish one movie in the theater and then turn right back around & go in for a second one! We love movies around here. This one especially had a very good story with a very conflicted main character who wants to be redeemed from the evil he has done, but doesn't know how to get out of it. If you can kind of "tune out" the language, I thought it was a really great story.

Here is the only picture we got of us on our anniversary:

This weekend we are heading to Boone for a friend's wedding- Matt is actually performing the wedding and I'm so excited for him! We love going to the mountains in the fall and seeing the leaves change. We're hoping to have a little window of downtime to find some mountain apples or maybe take Kenna for her first out-of-utero trip to Mast General Store. Here are some pictures of our trip 2 years ago right before Kenna was born:

8 months pregnant with Kenna!

Beautiful fall colors!

Can you imagine a 2 year old seeing all these candy barrels? Heaven!

When we get back into town, first thing Monday morning we have our 2nd trimester ultrasound where we should hopefully be able to find out baby B's gender! I'm so ready to start planning and decorating!

I am so excited that the leaves are changing and some fall weather is here. Kenna and I have been putting up fall decorations around the house, and I have been craving pumpkin everything under the sun! This is my absolute favorite time of year. Also when we get back from the mountains, we plan to go back to Hillridge Farms to pick a pumpkin... yay! This is a really fun place to go with kids that we have made one of our fall family traditions. This too, I think will be more fun now that Kenna is a little older to enjoy. Here we were last year among all the orange pumpkins:
I'm hoping we'll be able to go to the NC State Fair again this year (another fun tradition- maybe on canned good day!) and our church has a wonderful Fall Festival that is always a great time! Then we will blink an eye and it will be mid-November... my Dad is coming to town, we are going to Florida to see my grandparents, then coming home quick in time for Kenna's birthday, Thanksgiving, and then my birthday... then it will be December already, more family in town, Sunday school parties, putting up a tree, and hopefully some cookie exchanges, and then Christmas! Whew! See what I mean?

For now, Happy Fall! Go get yourself something pumpkin to eat!

A Thankful Day.

So today is just another day, nothing special or "blog worthy" other than the fact that God has really been working on my heart about the little things... being faithful in the little things, being patient with the little things, and being thankful in the little things.

After a rough night with Kenna not going to sleep easily and waking up twice screaming her head off, she slept in (which meant I slept in!) until 10 am.

I'm thankful for that.

My husband went to class on just 2 hours of sleep because he places so much value on learning more about the word of God.

I'm thankful for him.

We were able to conveniently drive through Burger King for quick bite to eat without even having to get out of the car.

I'm thankful for that.

My diaper bag got locked in the nursery room on Sunday night, and was not only there when I went back to get it, but the lovely ladies of our church had tucked it safely away in an office drawer to protect my wallet inside.

I'm thankful for that.

I picked up a prescription for prenatal vitamins at the drugstore that was unexpectedly quite expensive, but the really nice pharmacist took a few extra minutes to redeem a coupon from my OB and a competing drug store's coupon for a free $25 gift card that we can use on diapers later.

I'm thankful for her time.

When I got groceries today and saw pouring rain, an employee brought them and put them in my car for me while I quickly got Kenna inside.

I'm thankful for his help.

I put away several bags of groceries, including cleaning supplies, diapers, and fresh fruit for Kenna because God has continually stretched our budget.

I'm thankful for His provision.

While Kenna and Matt nap in a quiet, peaceful home, I'm emailing a lovely friend that I don't get to talk to often enough.

I'm thankful for that.

I hate to think of all the days that I have struggled to find something to be thankful for, when the truth is that God's blessings envelop me daily. Truth is, this is not some revelation of just today, but something that God has had to break down my pride and selfishness to be able to realize just how perfectly He has provided for us, and how faithful He has continued to be... even sometimes in my own unfaithfulness.

"... being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." -Phillippians 1:6

"And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well." -Luke 12:29-31

17 Weeks and a 22 Month Old.

Our little stinker turned 22 months old yesterday... the countdown to a 2nd birthday is officially on us! I took her to get "18 month" pictures last week... we have only really taken her for the professional ones about once every 6 months, somehow the 18 month ones really got away from me! I'm realizing now I didn't even blog about her 6 month or 12 month ones that we combined with our Christmas ones if you want to see them! I will blog more about these because it was a kinda funny story.
And the pregnancy:
How far along:
17 weeks and starting to feel quite pregnant!

Size of Baby:
I think this week is a turnip.

Total Weight Gain/Loss:
5 pounds, trying to keep on track!

Maternity Clothes:
In addition to the things I wrote about last week, I'm so grateful for maternity clothes this week. My sister-in-law let me tag along to a consignment sale with her and shop on her consignor's number so that I got 75% off of everything I bought for myself and Kenna! I got 6 pieces of great condition maternity clothing, mostly nice sweaters, for only $8!! Then last night I stopped by the share shop at school before my class and found several more pieces! The share shop is such an amazing ministry at SEBTS- it's like a goodwill/thrift store that students and others donate to and then seminary students can "shop" there for free. We have been so thankful for them this past year. I found several great maternity tshirts and almost cried when I found a pair of corduroy pants from Target in my maternity size brand new with the tags on! Praise the Lord!

Gender:
Can't wait to find out- I'm ready to be able to plan what we'll need for the nursery & how much of Kenna's stuff we can reuse!

Movement:
I can feel little one hanging out around my belly button recently. He or she must have lots of room to wiggle because I've been able to feel him/her gently rolling around the past few days. When I lay very flat on my back with my belly stretched out, Matt can feel him/her too!

What I miss:
Nothing, really. I'm ready to actually look pregnant though, not just like I'm putting on weight.

Sleep:
Still having crazy and slightly disturbing dreams. I've been waking up once a night to use the bathroom, always exactly between 5 and 5:30 am... you could set a clock to me.

Symptoms:
Nothing new, but still lots of cravings. Apples, plain potato chips, and barbeque sandwiches.

Best Moment this Week:
Feeling the baby roll over, and Matt being able to feel him/her already.

What I'm looking forward to:
Knowing which gender to plan for and name!

Family Dinner!

Last week we went out for a family dinner to celebrate Nana B's birthday (which was actually this week, happy birthday!). We were going to try out a new Italian restaurant near Wakefield, and we got a call from Granddaddy right before we left the house... we were supposed to get there a little early and be ready to sing happy birthday because Nana was getting an extra special surprise birthday gift:

a new car!

The faces in this next photo are hilarious... Kenna is pointing at the car, Nana didn't realize right away that it was for her, and Sandy had driven up in it just minutes before she got there! (Granddaddy looks like maybe the surprise didn't quite go like he thought?)
After all the excitement, we went inside and enjoyed a delicious Italian-bistro style dinner and lots of fun cousin and grandparent time! Love these girly girls:
Check out that cheesy pizza!
A little mister also had a September birthday! Beckley boy turned 2 on September 10th!
Kenna enjoyed helping herself to Granddaddy's chicken parm and sweet tea... luckily he is always gracious enough to share!
Coloring with Nana B:
After dinner we each got to take a little spin in the parking lot in Nana B's new toy... Happy Birthday Nana B!

Wordless Wednesday: Professional Pictures

Feeding the Fish

Recently we went to Shane's Rib Shack for lunch and when we were almost finished, the manger came and asked if we'd like to feed the fish. He handed us a piece of bread and took us out to the pond near the patio at Triangle Town Center and tossed a few small pieces in. Moments later, 20-30 big fish were swarming around little pieces of bread that Kenna was throwing in. Kenna was laughing and screaming and we all had such a great time that we went in and bought a few more slices of bread. $0.87 was well worth all that laughter!

Some of our new aquatic friends:
Kenna kept yelling "pish! pish!"
It made for a very fun afternoon!

16 Weeks and 21 Months!

So as you can tell, I'm not very good at this weekly update thing... skipping from 11 weeks to 14 weeks to 16 weeks! But this pregnancy really does feel like it's going twice as fast, which is good because I feel about twice as big as I did with Kenna at this point. I'm grateful that it feels faster though, because I think I very much underestimated how much more energy it takes to be pregnant and have a toddler around!

How Far Along: 16 weeks! Almost halfway done.

Size of baby: the size of an avocado, plus its "bubble wrapping" as Matt says.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I think still just 2 pounds, although the OB said I had lost a pound since my last appointment.

Maternity Clothes: A sweet friend from church loaned me a big bag of maternity clothes, and another one gave me a Motherhood Maternity gift card almost the minute she found out we were expecting- so grateful to these generous ladies! It's SO nice to have some wardrobe options.

Gender: Our appointment is set for Oct. 5th- praying that little one will cooperate!

Movement: There have been two times I've thought I've felt movement, but it's hard to know for sure this early.

What I miss: Sleeping in!

Sleep: Still lots of strange dreams, and having a hard time getting back to sleep after I wake up to go to the bathroom.

Symptoms:

I think I have officially entered the clumsy stage that I knew was coming-twice this week I've dropped Kenna's yogurt on the kitchen floor & it exploded everywhere (including some on the dog). I've been extra weepy the past few days, and have had trouble sleeping for several weeks because my nose gets so stuffy at night. Weird!

Cravings: Apples, apples, apples! I've been eating apples, apple chips, and apple juice like it's going out of style!

Best Moment this week: Getting an unexpected look at our baby this week at the OB- they couldn't find the heartbeat with the doppler because the baby was "hiding" behind my bladder, so we got to do an ultrasound instead! And baby still looks nice and healthy.

What I am looking forward to: Looking more pregnant- not just like I've gained 15 pounds or something. Also, getting the nursery set up & Kenna switched over to her big girl room!

Kenna is growing in leaps and bounds- it seems like each day she is doing a new task that we didn't know she could do or repeating something after us that we've never heard her say. 20 to 21 months has been a big boom for her as far as word acquisition.

Recent words she's been saying:

-cheese

-juice

-doors

-trash

-hi, howareya (she got this from imitating me on the phone, and says it all as one word)

-yuck

-bubbles (sometimes comes out "bubs" or "bobbies" if she's really excited)

-Loola (our nickname for our dog)

-Ash (our neighbor's dog)

-why?

-puppy

-stop

-no ma'am!

-hi, bear! (said to her teddy bear when she found it in the dryer)

-bye bye Loola (whenever we leave the house)

And new tasks:

Recognizing/pointing out family members by name in photos on the fridge, saying "Nana" when we drive up to Nana B & Granddaddy's house, etc.

Talking on the phone... she will babble for ages when there is someone on the line to listen to her! It is hilarious to see her walking around with the phone, talking with her hands, not letting the other person get a word in!

She will go get us things we ask for (such as a diaper) or go put something in the trash if we hand it to her.

Recognizing the difference between hungry and thirsty, and telling us yes or no about things she wants to eat (usually if she says yes she really will eat it.)

Opening the fridge and getting something for herself (sometimes a bad thing... we were putting away groceries yesterday, and she was trying to tear into a block of cream cheese & eat it like a cheese stick!)

Has enough teeth to eat "big foods" that you bite into, such as apples, and will usually help herself to one if she can find one.

Making animal sounds (moo, baaa, etc) for cow, sheep, pig, dog, horse, and sometimes a duck.

As the weather changes into fall and the weather gets a bit chillier, I keep remembering being on "the countdown" to having her this time two years ago... and now she will be turning 2 in less than 2 months and becoming a big sister in less than 6 months!

Here's a cute video of her playing with a bubble machine on our porch. Thanks to Aunt Leanne for helping us find the good kind that makes the bubbles automatically!

Little Red Boots.

When I was about Kenna's age, we lived in Fort Hood, Texas where my Dad was in the Army with the 1st Cavalry. My brother Jason and I each had our own little pair of Texas boots... mine were a little red pair. As family legend goes, I loved these boots and never wanted to take them off. I can only imagine now that I may have looked a little silly running around the neighborhood in my boots paired with the elaborately handmade, hand-smocked dresses my mom loved to make me. Here is a picture of me from that time period that my Grannie was sweet enough to send me, around 1985:

I also am so excited to still have that same dress I'm wearing, one of the many my Mom made during that time, for Kenna to wear (and have her picture taken in!). And just for a little sibling revenge, here is one of me and my brother at the same time, to prove that he was once cool enough for cowboy boots:

I searched high and low through my house and basement to find this picture. Unfortunately, the boots aren't showing (they were just like mine but brown), but hey... he did have the hat. And we had the 80s-riffic lunchboxes.

For as long as I can remember, I knew my Mom had saved those little red boots through the many moves we made over the years, "for my daughter someday." Last summer when my Dad consolidated his and my mom's house after her death, it was a long and emotionally exhausting ordeal for all of us as a family. Lots of sorting, packing and unpacking, and lots of bittersweet memories. I was so worried that things from my childhood would be lost, yet I couldn't really put a finger on what specifically I was wanting to save. One thing that I definitely knew I did want was the red boots. Box after box was unpacked... and no boots. I was getting really worried, and as silly as it sounds, to lose the boots felt like losing another part of my mom and my childhood, one more thing I was "supposed to" be able to share with her that I couldn't.

I struggle with being a "hopeful pessimist." I know I am supposed to be hopeful and always want to believe that good things can happen, but I have to work hard to convince myself of that sometimes because I am a realist at heart. I really struggled over these silly boots. I wanted to trust God that even if the boots didn't show up, He would help me let go. Finally, in the very last box that we unpacked, my Dad and Matt were unpacking it together, and they found the little red boots wrapped in paper under some family pictures.

Since then, the boots have been sitting on happy display on the dresser in Kenna's room, waiting for her to be able to fit in them.

Then, two mornings ago when Matt went to get Kenna out of her crib, she came clomping into our room wearing the boots. If I ever looked half as cute as she did in them, I can see why my Mom wanted to save them so badly! She walked around in them all morning saying "shoes!" and yelled no whenever we tried to take them off.

After she went to bed, I put them right outside the door of her room to put them away. This morning she found them and immediately put them on again.

So, even though it may sound silly, I am so happy and proud to see my baby girl in her "heirloom boots" as my aunt called them, the ones her Nana (and Papa) worked hard to save for her, and to see her enjoy wearing them- 24 years after her Momma enjoyed wearing them! Praise God for even the very, very simple gifts that we can rejoice in- how comforting to know He cares about the tiniest details of our lives!

14 Weeks!

How Far Along: I totally missed 13 weeks, I'm actually at 14 weeks as of this past Friday... the days are slow, but the weeks are flying by! We're already starting the 4th month!

Size of baby: Baby B is now the size of a lemon.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Up 2 pounds, and trying to keep a close eye.

Maternity Clothes: I'm still able to button my regular shorts, but nothing feels quite normal. Sports bras have become my best friend!

Gender: There's only about a month until we can find out!

Movement: None but I can start to feel the baby's little "bubble" especially when Kenna decides it's fun to sit on my belly.

What I miss: Having energy.

Sleep: Lots of strange dreams, but waking up less frequently.

Symptoms: Still feeling like I have no energy. Not so much sleepy anymore, but just no "get up & go." I've been getting a really stuffy nose at night which makes it harder to sleep, and been feeling like I can't catch my breath which is a little scary at times... weird pregnancy side effects.

Cravings: Salad and fruit, SO thankful to be craving something healthy! I could honestly eat salad at every meal recently, although I did feel the distinct need for a big, good burger the other day.

Best Moment this week: How excited Kenna has been about babies recently! I don't think she understands yet that we are having one, but she points them out very excitedly everywhere she sees one, even in books & family pictures.

What I am looking forward to: Knowing which gender to buy for at consignment sales!

And just for fun, here is an impromptu picture of 2 months and 3 months. I guess the old adage is true that you do start "showing" earlier with second pregnancies! Matt made me promise to make him take pictures instead of these bathroom mirror do it yourself numbers... I'll work on that. (PS- Tara and Leah, I stole your number in the picture idea! I didn't label my belly pictures with Kenna and it was a pain later trying to remember which was which. Your way is much easier!).

2 months:

3 months:(Edited to add: I replaced the photo with a non-mirror one, so this is really 3 1/2 months.)

Wordless Wednesday: Big girl teeth!

"Lazy" August Days

For three years now in August we have gone out to Cary for a craft show/street festival called Lazy Days (we barely took a single picture that first year, except for this one I posted on my craft blog!). It has become a fun family tradition now because the highlight of the afternoon is getting lunch and a cupcake at the deli/bakery that made our wedding cake almost 6 years ago (wowza! 6 years?) called Blue Moon Bakery. I will always remember sitting in their cafe area with Mom tasting about 20 different cake/icing/ganache filling combinations, and then settling on plain old vanilla cake with vanilla icing because it was just so good. It is especially fun to have taken Kenna with us for her second year in a row. We even got to say hello to the owner and tell her that we got our wedding cake from them and are now bringing our almost-two-year old daughter to get cupcakes... and she remembered delivering our cake to us! (I guess our odd last name is fairly memorable).

Even though it is always incredibly hot in August, it was not too bad this year. There are several different places where there are "misting tents" set up to cool things off, which Kenna LOVED. She is a pretty big fan of anything involving water or water being sprayed at her. I had thought that she would enjoy the festival part of it a little more this year since she was old enough to enjoy all the little kid freebies and such... which she did, but the combination of hitting it right at nap time, the heat, and not being able to get out and walk very well was not a winner with Kenna.

She did however, enjoy spinning the wheel at the Chick Fil A booth and winning a cow pez candy dispenser which she adorably kept calling "moo" and also got a hat!
Last August our sweet little cupcake eater was a wee little 9 month old:
And this year she is a big 21 month old! (And ate the whole cupcake by herself):
Barely a crumb left:
Between the heat and all the fun things to look at, our little one conked out hard in the car on the way home. We thought she was so sweet, still clutching her juice and her two balloons:
It was hard to show self-restraint amongst all the lovely and interesting handmade things! The one thing we got was this adorable little apple dress for Kenna. It caught my eye and Matt agreed that it would be perfect for her. Since Nana can't be here anymore to make the beautiful handmade dresses she made for me when I was little, we thought this would be the next best thing. She wore it to church the next day, and we got a few pictures of her in it:
The back is my favorite! I love a little girl in a sundress- she just looks so breezy and comfortable and little-girly!
And since we didn't get a single one of all three of us at Lazy Days (which I really wish we had now that it has become a tradition!) here is one of Kenna and Daddy at church:

Fearfully and Wonderfully!

Last week we had a 12 week appointment where we unexpectedly got another glimpse of our little one through ultrasound. What an awesome thing for God to give man the ability to develop such a technology. As amazing as hearing that little heartbeat on the doppler is, nothing beats seeing your little one move around in "real time" and know that they are healthy, happy, and safe in his/her little bubble. What a blessing that I by no means take for granted.

The pictures were a little fuzzy since Baby is just now big enough to start showing up on a belly ultrasound versus an internal one. However, we did get to see little one wave at us very clearly! How incredibly amazing to see an 11 week old baby, still developing inside the womb and barely the size of a fig, wave so clearly. To make the same kind of motions that our almost-two-year old does... when I stop to think about the incredibleness of that, I just have to praise our amazing Creator. I mean, a fig is tiny little fruit.

It brings so much meaning to some very familiar verses, Psalm 139:13-16:

"For you created my inmost being;

you knit me together in my mother's womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place.

When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

your eyes saw my unformed body.

All the days ordained for me

were written in your book before one came to be."

How unbelievable to know that the God of the universe, that created all the mysteries of how we work and who is the only one that can breathe life into us would care to know us at all. As much as I love Kenna and this second baby, both of whom are part of me and have lived inside of my body, knowing that my heavenly Father loves me infinitely more, and is in fact the very definition of perfect love, is pretty intensely incredible. And to know that he desires to know and be known by each one of his creation, as flawed and crazy as we are in our sin, makes that love that much more awesome.

Seeing such liveliness so early on the ultrasound, such a strong little heartbeat, makes me wonder how anyone can doubt that life begins at conception. I remember hearing an interview on the radio with a planned parenthood director who had left her job after watching abortion on an ultrasound. She had always been told that the fetus was not a life, couldn't feel anything, and that it didn't hurt them. She watched as the tiny person reacted in obvious pain to the procedure and she had a "change of heart." I read since then that she was one of 8 abortion industry workers that left their jobs around the same time period, and that one clinic in Montana closed due to "decline in business."

We are coming up on 13 weeks this Friday and headed out of the 1st trimester. Praise the Lord for a healthy baby!

Wordless Wednesday: Bejeweled

11 weeks

Today I'm exactly 11 weeks pregnant. I've seen these little surveys on several people's blog, and I thought it would a good way to remember all the little fun details as we go. Being a second child myself, one of my big priorities for this pregnancy is to relish in an record as many little details as possible... not letting everything slip right by because I'm so busy and tired with a very active toddler. Matt surprised me with a second copy of the same little "belly book" I used with Kenna, which I loved for how fun & detailed it is. I really like the symmetry of having the same book for both pregnancies- I love looking back and comparing and seeing how many things there are that you notice right away with the second since you have a little better idea what to expect after having the first (ie: knowing what you're feeling when the baby first starts to move). Hopefully you're like me and like to hear the nitty gritty of other people's pregnancies... if not, we'll try not to get too baby-centric around here!

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 11 weeks

Size of baby: the size of a fig- last week we called he/she "Baby Kumquat" and this week we've graduated to "Baby Fig!"
Total Weight Gain/Loss: no weight gain yet
Maternity Clothes: regular clothes, but going for my more flowy shirts
Gender: can't wait to find out!
Movement: none so far
What I miss: feta cheese
Sleep: lots of crazy dreams (I told Matt I should write them down & sell them as movie plots! They are that weird & crazy) & lots of getting up to pee already

Symptoms: tiredness is starting to wear off just a little!
Cravings: just hungry all the time

Best Moment this week: starting to move Kenna's stuff around to her big girl room- her room will stay the "nursery" for #2

What I am looking forward to: knowing boy/girl so we can start planning!