Legacy

Beautiful words that Kyle wrote for his Great Grandma's funeral today, since we were unable to attend. I love this man. I love his heart and all of the wonderful traits that have been passed down from so many generations!

Legacy - anything handed down from the past, as from an ancestor or predecessor.

There has been much that has been handed down by my Great-Grandmother, who we simply called Grandma, and her dear companion Pop-O. They have passed down their love, their tears, their hugs and kisses, their love for family, their love for one another, and what it truly means to have a marriage. I think they may have also passed on their love for the Gaithers….but that is another story entirely. I will never forget the legacy that they shared as a couple, as it sets the example for my life daily. 70+ years of marriage is a high bar to set. As we remember Grandma today I want you all to think of the sweetest memory you have of her….mine is the way she loved to make German Chocolate cake, and eat it with her family. Now take that memory, and multiply it 10,100, 1000, 10000 times and you fail to reach the joy that she is experiencing now. More than anything else, more than her family, more than her children, grand-children, great, and even great-great grandchildren….and yes even more than POP-O Grandma love the Lord. She would always tell me that she thought of me often, and that she prayed for me every day. My grandma taught me how to pray, and what it means to live a life that is truly dedicated to the Lord. I only hope that I live a life that when it is done impacts and changes 5 generations.

As I close, and hopefully my dad has made it through this ok, I want to leave 2 thoughts here

Proverbs 17:6 “Grandchildren are the crown of old men, and the glory of sons is their fathers.”

How neat is it that they were able to see and to meet their great-great grandchildren.

Grandma and POP-O have left a legacy of love. I can guarantee you that my daughters will be told stories of the woman their daddy’s Grandma was, and how much she loved her Heavenly Daddy.

I love you Grandma. Thank you for your legacy!

Deadline is up!

Alright, I gave myself the deadline of Friday, and it's here! Drum roll please.... I choose the Moby! Well, it's not an actual Moby, it's really a wrap from a great store called Lovey Duds, on Esty.com who design Moby's with organic cotton and you can customize the fabric panel! So, here is the one I choose:

I am SO excited about this purchase!!! It was actually half the cost for the Ergo, which is a carrier I also still want, so I will save the other half of my money and purchase it after Christmas, but for now, I liked the idea and versatility of the Moby. To me, its seemed like having all of the options to wear Brenley (and Ryland) were better then just choosing one. So, I have a sling from when Ryland was an infant, now I will be getting the Moby, and in a few months I will get the Ergo. Great plan, I know... as Kyle rolls his eyes in the distance... he just doesn't get it.

So, thanks to all the advice I got on my blog and on Facebook, it really helped me decide what might work best for me. I will be posting pictures of all my baby wearing accessories as soon as I have baby to wear and not taking up my lung space! :)

I know... it's Monday...

OK, I know, we did not actually take this picture on a Monday, but this is exactly how I feel on Monday mornings. :( Kyle goes back to work, the house is usually in need of a good cleaning, there are errands to run that I have been putting off, and really, I just don't like Monday mornings.

Maybe this sweet face will cheer me up this Monday morning.... she has a cunning way of doing that to me! :)

Baby-Wearing Help!!!

Baby-wearing is something that I did a lot with Ryland and this I will do a LOT more with Brenley. I just think it will be so much easier on everyone to wear Brenley while I am chasing after Ryland, whether we are out and about or just around the house. So, the question... which sling/wrap/carrier do I purchase?!?!? I am actually really stressing about this, which might seem silly, but its a lot of money and I feel like I need to decide on one and stick with it. My sweet in-laws gave us the money to buy the Ergo Carrier, which is what I thought I totally wanted, but now I am not so sure. So, the money sits here waiting for me to make a decision. Please help!!! If you have been a baby-wearer or know someone who is... I would like any and all input!!! Here are the possible choices I have:

This is the Moby Wrap. I have heard great things about this wrap. But to be honest, I was a little intimidated by the wrapping effect and how difficult that might be. But, after watching the how-to videos, I think I could get the hang of it rather fast. The thing that I like about this option in that it distributes the weight a little more evenly then the one-sided sling. There are also tons of different ways to wear the baby.

There is actually another version of this wrap that I like better then the Moby, but for some reason I can't post the picture for it. It is more affordable and a lot cuter. It is made by Lovey Duds and probably my #1 choice at the moment.

This one is a reversible sling from the Small Wish Etsy Shop. I can customize the fabric... which I LOVE. It is just like the popular Hot Sling, but more affordable. This is the cheapest of the choices and one that I know I am already comfortable with. My mom gave me a sling to carry Ryland with and I LOVED it. Although, after wearing it when she got a little bigger I realized that it did not stretch much and had an ribbon to tie instead of being one continuous ream of fabric. I will definitely use the one I have with Brenley when she is small, but I might want an option like this to use when she gets bigger.

This is the ERGObaby Carrier. It was my first choice. But now I am not so sure. The great thing about this one is, its pretty much the only one in the running that is gender neutral which means Kyle might actually use it. It also can be used as a back carrier, which might be very nice.

OK.... so.... I NEED your HELP!!! Please tell me your thoughts. I am giving myself the deadline of this Friday, 8/21/09, to make the decision... so get to commenting!!! Thanks!

Video shot with our new camera!

New Camera!

We got a new camera yesterday and I am totally in love with it!!! Here is just one picture, but I am sure there will be more very soon as I am figuring out all the features. We got a Sony Cyber-shot and the main thing that sold me on this camera is the "smile" feature. It actually can detect when someone is smiling so it will take the picture at the right moment. We have had a heck of a time getting Ryland to smile for the camera these days, but with this feature, we are sure not going to miss as many smiles!!! Yay!!!

No news...

So, I was hoping for a birth possibly soon... but I am beginning to think that I was hoping for nonsense. On Thursday I went to the Dr and I am already dilated to a 2.5... but he said that could mean I go into labor that day or weeks from now, just depends on how my body wants to handle it. I kind of wish I never knew that, because before that appointment I was perfectly content to wait until the end of the month to have this baby and now I am like "come on already!" So, who knows. Last night out of the blue, Kyle predicted that she would be born on August 13th. He doesn't have any reasons for that day, so who knows!

I will keep you posted... hopefully sooner rather then later!

A Day At the Arboretum