By the end of the day, we will be gone on vacation!!! Our family is taking a much needed getaway to Florida, where we will stay with Grammy, enjoy some family time, swim, eat, read, sneak away for time alone in the Word and prayer (hooray for Grammy), and enjoy the outdoors. We even have a few top secret surprises up our sleeves!!!
Memorial day was spent outside! The kids had fun playing on the slip 'n slide, chasing each other with squirt guns, and tossing water balloons, while Daddy grilled BBQ chicken.
This is a picture of Philip and Braewyn hiding under Madeline's bed because they don't want to go home.
Jonathan's family (Ruth Ann, Matthew, Kim, Philip, and Braewyn) came for a visit over Memorial Day Weekend. We had a wonderful time watching the kiddos play, enjoying the nice weather, visiting the new exhibit at the Imagination station, playing games, and worshiping together. Here are some pictures from our visit. (Click on the collages to enlarge)
Hanging out:
Visiting Daddy's new exhibit; Flip It, Fold It, Figure It Out:
An attempted photo session with the cousins. You can see Braewyn hiding on the porch:
Sometimes it just doesn't work out! :
Yes, it's another girl! We are all very excited that we will be adding our third sweet girl to our family in early November. Yes, that's her bum--clearly showing that she is a girl. We were so comforted by the ultrasound which revealed a healthy baby with all of her parts. When the nurse had listened for her heartbeat before the ultrasound she could not find it; and, the 3-4 minutes it took her to find the baby felt like an eternity. Dr. Ferguson said the baby looks great and I continue to measure on track for early November. We are so grateful to God for another beautiful blessing-- now if He would just write her name on the wall for us. We are very picky with girl names and always struggle making a list of suitable options. Though we have had a boy name since we were first married, I don't have a clue what we will name Baby Girl. So, we will accept your suggestions (both humorous and serious). Our dear friend Tim was the clear winner when we were contemplating names for Madeline. He gave us suggestions such as, Tiomthena Alana Brooks, Medussa Hester Brooks, Xena She-ra Batgirl Brooks, and the creative Biblical option-- Meggido Laodicia. While we don't have anything we really need to purchase, we will spend the next few months fixing up Baby Girl's room, preparing the girls for a baby, and of course coming up with a name. We continue to praise God for His goodness and pray for a healthy baby, mommy, and delivery.
Tomorrow is the big day! God willing we will find out the sex of the baby during our ultrasound tomorrow. So, cast your vote-- what do you think it will be?
With my first trimester under my belt, I finally feel like I am back on my feet again. Once my all day nausea subsided a few weeks ago, I experienced almost 3 weeks of daily headaches. I am happy to report that I finally feel better on all counts-- no more nausea and no more daily headaches. It has taken me a while to get back into the swing of things, having forsaken my daily routine, housekeeping, and role as executive chef for so long. With a sudden burst of energy and an urgent desire to clean, I spent all of last week deep cleaning, crossing items off of my Spring Cleaning "to do list," and preparing for a visit from Jonathan's family. And, for the first time in weeks I got the camera out and captured a few pictures of the girls playing. They have been enjoying the outdoors and playing "mommy" to newborn babies-- who must be swaddled tightly (I think this is in anticipation of baby's arrival).
I am so happy to be feeling like my old self again-- plus a few (quite a few) extra pounds and a significant baby bump.
