Thanksgiving and Church Baby Shower!!

Some children's ministry volunteers and friends and staff had a baby shower for Hope on Sunday, Nov. 24th.  When they set the date I was grateful it was so close to Thanksgiving because that made it possible for Mom to be here for the shower as well as Thanksgiving! So Mom and Gary came on the Saturday before that and we all went to church the next day and stayed after for the shower. Like I said, it was a small shower with just some volunteers and staff mainly.  It was nice though and I was glad Mom was able to be a part of it as well!

Here is a friend of mine, Alina and me comparing baby bumps... :) It has been so great sharing pregnancy with her.  She found out she was pregnant after trying for 8 YEARS!  Love this lady!

Then the week following the baby shower was crazy!  I ended up getting sick during the night on Monday night. I was real nauseated and Tuesday I had flu like symptoms.. could not move, no energy, fever, nauseated, and vomited.  Adam ended up taking me to the express care clinic per MD OB recommendation since my fever went up to 100.5.  At the doctor that night, I was out of it too because I felt SO bad and had taken a phenergan for the nausea.  They gave me another nausea med that I could tolerate better and an antibiotic and by the next day I was already feeling better. Just dragging some.  

Thursday, I was able to help Mom cook and we had our Thanksgiving dinner but by that night and over the next few days, I also discovered really bad acid reflux.  So I was off and on really sick with this as well. I started taking Prevacid for this and in a couple of days this was helping a ton as well.  Despite all of this, I managed to do some Black Friday shopping with Mom on Thursday night :) and Friday I did work.   Of course, Mom and I LOVE to shop together and it was a successful shopping trip!

Here are a couple more random pics... the first with Grace in her school spirit attire.. :) and some others in some Christmas outfits that Adam's cousin Joanne sent Grace. 

More Fall Fun and Trick or Treating

We ended up having such a good time trick or treating on Halloween night as a family. It was a nice change.. we did not have any thing to do on Halloween night so we started our night by greeting trick or treaters at our door and Grace LOVED holding the bowl and going to the door to pass out the candy. Then we walked around our neighborhood and trick or treated as well as got in the car and went up the road a bit to another neighborhood and trick or treated. When it was all said and done, Grace had accumulated WAY more candy than we ever needed but we had fun! :) The weather was so mild it was perfect walking around outside this Halloween. 

 We've had some other Fall fun. We were invited to one of the boys at our church, birthday party.  His Mother is also a faithful volunteer for the children's ministry at our church and we love their whole family. Anyways, they live on some GORGEOUS land and had a bonfire with a hayride. The kids got to see some of their animals and we ate on the tables outside chili, soup and hot dogs and the kids just had a blast playing on their beautiful land!

We have also started to go to a home group that started up from our church.  We were invited and since we do not have a lifegroup because we are always in the children's area it has been SO nice to get to know some people close to our age and get 'plugged in' with them and do a Bible Study in different homes on Friday nights.  So far we have went twice.  We were going to go tonight but we are having winter icy weather today and we are all stuck at home. :)  But the first time we went, they were also celebrating a birthday and we had a bonfire that night as well and roasted marshmallows and hot dogs on the fire and had some other yummy food. 

These pics below are from the first birthday party..

Halloween and Fall Fest 2013!!

We have been invited to a small group that started a home group a few weeks back. It is a young marrieds/ young families group that meets on Friday nights in different homes.  We had not been able to make it for a few weeks but went for the first time this last Friday.  It was great!! It was a special night because they were also celebrating a birthday of one of their children and we had a bonfire outside complete with roasting hot dogs and s'mores and other yummy food.  This was so good for us because we got to meet and spend time with some people our age and get to know them. Since we have been at Crossgate Church we have been so involved in the Children's Ministry that we haven't really gotten to know that many people outside of the Children's Ministry area.  All of these families were so nice and welcoming to us and it was great to make new friends!! We will be joining them more!

As for other festivities.... we have already had plenty of Halloween fun.  First we went to Magic Springs for the final day of the season to the Magic Screams (Halloween event) on Sunday evening.  Grace dressed up in her Halloween costume and even Daddy got to go with us! She loved it.  They had little games and Trick or Treating and of course she rode some rides with her Daddy.  I got in on the Carousel.. :)  The weather was perfect!

Then on Monday, she had her dance class since she normally goes on Thursday and that is Halloween, and it was combined with another class. In the other class is her friend Michelle who she has missed so much from St. Luke's School.  They were thrilled to see each other and they had a special Halloween party that night and wore their costumes as well!

Then last night was the BIG EVENT... something Adam has been planning for a long time.  He headed up organizing a Fall Fest event by our church, Crossgate Church, to be held this year at the Boys and Girls Club of Hot Springs.  This was to reach that neighborhood as well as open to all families.  It was a HUGE success thanks to so many volunteers! After the count about 900 people came and the kids had lots of fun with games, had candy, LIVE praise and worship music, face painting, inflatables, food, door prizes, AND got to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ! It was awesome!  Very proud of Adam too, for pulling such a HUGE event together!!

 By the way, we got Grace's hair cut some, not sure if you can tell :)

The video gives you an idea of what is was like in there... Tonight for Halloween we are planning to just take Grace Trick or Treating on our road and then just be home for the Trick or Treaters to come to our house. 

Birthday Parties Galore..

Grace's friend Kendall had a birthday party and we got to celebrate it the Friday before last.  They had a Pancakes and PJ's party for her and it was a lot of fun.  Of course, Grace loved the pancakes and everything about that evening!! Kendall's whole family is special to us!

This Saturday we have 2 parties to go to.  One is Grace's friends, Josiah and Grayson (who are brothers) and are having a joint party and then another party that evening for a older boy friend Cline.  They all go to our church and their families are special to us as well!  The party Saturday evening is suppose to be on all of their land and involve a hay ride and some 'Fall" fun as well!! Looking forward to it!

Update on Pregnancy and Hope..

Well I am 30.5 weeks pregnant now.  WOW!! It's flying by.  These days Hope is kicking really hard! We can just sit and watch the kicks.  In some ways, I feel like I had forgot some things about pregnancy or maybe this one is just a little different.  I notice some days Hope feels really high like she is pressing on my diaphragm and I have to take deep breaths, especially after a meal.  :) I also, feel like I am a little slower this go around.  Mom says its because "you are 5 years older, and that makes a difference". I guess she's right! :)  I go back this Friday for a check up. I am down to every 2 week visits now.  They have all been great!

I have been working hard on my off days to go through all of Grace's old clothes and sort out what I was not going to keep (which I took to a consignment shop) and the things that will work for Hope.  We got Grace's things moved in to the extra bedroom and she is proud of her 'big girl' furniture and room now.  It is just the extra bedroom furniture we have had.

 Since this pic, we have gotten some throw pillows for her bed too.

This is all becoming more real to Grace too as Adam put the crib together last week in what will be Hope's room and we moved all of the furniture around in there. I washed the bedding and got it in the bed as well as hung up all of the baby clothes through the first year in the closet that could possibly be used as long as the seasons match up.  I also organized the dresser/ changing table with things we will use like sleepers and blankets, baby socks and bibs that I pulled out. Adam also pulled out the big stroller and Grace had her baby in it pushing it around the house and was just "little Mommy".  We still have some work to do in the nursery but it is coming together!!

Some church ladies are graciously putting a shower together for me that is going to be on Sunday Nov. 24th.  Very thankful for these sweet friends and that Mom will get to be here for that too!

My last real belly shot was from 28 weeks...

Visits with Grace's Grandparents

Adam's parent got to come here the end part of September going in to October for a visit. They stayed 2 weeks this last time but they brought their motor home and stayed at Lake Degray State Park this time. This is the first time they have done that but it was fun.  We got to go to their camper some of those nights and enjoy the peace of the woods as well as the sights.  We took a Moonlight Cruise with them the first Friday night they were here and watched the sun set over the water. It was a beautiful night!  Grace even spent both Friday nights there with them in the camper just with Granny and Papa!  We also went to the airport for the car show. We missed the hot air balloon show.  We also spent our Saturdays watching football together at our house and of course, eating!  :)  We even stopped by a little festival in the town of Bismarck and Grace got to ride her first horse! The second Friday night Grace spent with them (which SHE LOVED staying in the camper), Adam and I had a date night and went to Little Rock and ate at a restaurant called Chuy's which was good and a neat atmosphere and walked around this outdoor shopping area (which had closed but we enjoyed the walk around the area).  The previous weekend we actually went out to breakfast the next morning for a little date while Grace was gone since we got in kind of late after the moonlight cruise.  It was a great time and Adam's parents were  here for Adam's ordination service as well which was special!

 
The next week, Mom or Grace's Nana decided last minute to make a quick trip with her and Gary to come see us. They came for a long weekend. We spent quality time at home and shopping ;) and watching the AL football game.  They went to church with us on Sunday and Nana got to go to Grace's dance class on Thursday (and Granny did too while she was here) and then Adam, Grace and I went to Grace's FAVORITE restaurant Chick-FIL-A with Nana and Paw Paw that night and then another favorite of hers... The Purple Cow on Sunday.  Of course ice cream was involved including the purple ice cream from The Purple Cow. She loved that treat! 

Things I Never Want to Forget...

Just a couple of special things about Grace... I want to always remember how Grace loves to draw and color now. Especially here in the last about 6 months.  With that, she has been drawing pictures and wanting to hang them on the walls to display or signify something.  This is what used to be the extra bedroom below.. (which we moved Grace into just a couple of weeks ago), she and I colored and drew these pictures and she posted them for decoration for what was going to be 'her' room.  :) 

She also has been posting names on the outside of our doors. She now has a label that she wrote "Grace" and taped it to her door post and then one for "Momma and Daddy" and now one for "Hope".  Sometimes I just look around and see her drawings that she posts or those laying around on the tables, and I just smile.  I know that even though I tell her we can't keep every single piece of paper she draws or colors on and the papers do mount and Momma has to clean them up, I realize this is just for a season and I don't want to forget this little time!  :)

Her newest thing is reading.  Since she has started Kindergarten, I am AMAZED at how quick she is learning to read.  She is really sounding out words and her writing is getting to be so neat with correct capital and lower case letters! She has the 'reader' books she brings home about 1 a week and has to read to us and we sign that she has read it. Of course, it is very simple but we even cover the pictures so she can not see that and she still reads it and if she gets hung up on a word she can sound it out! We got her first 9 week report card and went for the Parent Teacher Conference and she is doing well. Got all A Honor Roll.  Proud of our girl!  

 Grace also lost her SECOND tooth.  This happened all in the same week as the last one in the first week of this month! 

Dance!!

Grace loves to dance and loves music.  I have been wanting to get Grace involved in some kind of extracurricular activity for a while and we ended up going with dance.  Grace was more than excited when we asked her if she wanted to start dance class!  She is taking Ballet and Hip Hop.

These girls are too cute..

Why the Name?.. Baby has a NAME!

I never really realized how tough it is to come up with a name for your child before having one of my own.  It becomes real when you actually start thinking through the names and realize the name is going to define her (so to speak) for the rest of her life.  It is what she will be called EVERYDAY. So many factors play in to it for us and we definitely wanted a name with a meaning behind it!

So she will be....

Hope Eliana Brown

She will be called Hope.  So, we decided on Hope for the obvious meaning of "our hope is in Christ". He is and ALWAYS has been in control.  We never thought we would have Hope but we truly trusted and had 'hope' in HIS special plan for our family AND for our lives!

Eliana, was harder to come by.  Middle names are hard for us.  But when we found this one, we KNEW it was it!  ELIANA means in Hebrew.. "Our God has Answered". (El- God, Ana- Answered). We prayed for God's plan for our family and God truly answered.  As you all know, we were in the midst of an adoption, and God spoke and said "we have a little different plan for you"... :)

We are forever grateful!

So there you have it!! :)

I'm Growing TOO

This was taken about 1.5 weeks ago.. but here you go...

He is Ordained!!

This past Sunday was a very special day for another reason.  Our church held an Ordination Service and ordained Adam, and two other guys.. Tracy and Jared.  This is something that just not had been done for Adam but we were wanting to get this done.  Our church was so gracious to us!  It was SUCH a special service. They all had a time to share their testimony in front of the church that night (which they all did great), and the pastor spoke about Adam before Adam got up in front of the church. Then at the end they had the families come up and stand behind the guys as the elders and deacons prayed over Adam and our family.  Grace was in on the whole service and did wonderful even on stage the entire time!  Adam's parents got to be there for this special occasion as well!  We felt so much love and support from every one.  It was really great and encouraged me further in our walk together in ministry and just living out what God has called me to do!

I did not get many pictures since I was on stage with Adam during the main part but here is just a couple on stage when he was giving his testimony.  I hear other church members got some pictures that night.  Hopefully, I can get a copy!

It's a BIG event.. She's Growing up!

This sweet girl is getting too big for this Momma. On Sunday, Grace lost her FIRST TOOTH!! We knew it was loose and her last visit to the dentist with x-rays revealed it wouldn't be too long before her bottom two teeth would be coming out.  Well, she lost one on Sunday and the one right beside it is SUPER loose and literally just hanging there, it is about to come out too.  Her first one she lost it while eating some graham crackers.  This other one, is hanging on a little more and she does not want to pull it or let us pull it. Imagine that!! The first tooth freaked her out a bit when she saw there was blood. I don't think she expected that. So she is eating out of the side of her mouth. LOL So we are waiting.. :) 

 

Does she not look so BIG!!!!