Photo Shoot at Stuido 23

Here are a few of the shots we got of Brenley and one with Ryland from our photo shoot this weekend at Studio 23 in McAlester, OK. The session was great, both girls did about as good as any 20 month old and 1 month old would do. But, the pictures came out beautifully! I wish I could post all of them on here, but these are the only digital copies we have.

Thoughts...

God has really been working on my heart lately. I am not quite sure what He is doing, but I know He is convicting me in almost every area of my life. I know we are on this journey of progressive sanctification. That is, He continually seeks me out, not just the moment of my conversion, but always, everyday seeks me out and wants me to answer His call. This morning as I was reading in 1 Timothy - its says, "Have nothing to do with irreverent or silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness." 4:7. Did you read that? It says TRAIN yourself. It did not say, do whatever make you feel good... whatever you have 'time' for... whatever everyone else says you should do... whatever you want to do... whatever 'fits' into your life... it says TRAIN yourself for godliness. What I take from that is exactly what it says... I am to TRAIN myself to do the things and act in the ways of Him.

Now, train to me is almost like a four letter word. I despise training. It brings me back to the days that I used to run track in high school and how many long hours we would spend running, working out and sweating, just to run some more at a track meet. I hated track. Don't get me wrong, I was actually quite good at it and my coach had me pegged to win the state track meet my junior year of high school... but I hated it. My dad even tried to bribe to to run by offering to buy me a brand new truck if I did win state... but I still hated it. I had a horrible coach and I was in the middle of my "great rebellion" but none the less, I still hated it.

I am not sure I have ever met anyone who really enjoys training. But, we are commanded to do it. As our pastor has said, "you must beat your body into submission." And that is what I feel like I am doing. Trying, desperately to beat my body into submission. I don't want to confess my sins, both publicly and privately. I don't want to wake up early to read the word of God. I don't want to ask for forgiveness where it's needed. I don't want to see myself as wicked and evil. I surly don't want others to know that I am wicked and evil. I don't want to give up the things that distract me from Him. But... I am training... I am working out my salvation... I am letting God sanctify me... because ultimately what my soul longs for is deep communion with Him. To know Him intimately. To desire Him in ALL things.

As he feverishly seeks me out, so I want to seek Him.

Sisters

Soon

We sang this song at church on Sunday and man... it broke me. What a praise song and what a thought, for our "souls to be satisfied." Great song!

Just pictures

Sorry, I'm not in the mood to write, too tired I think. So, here are some pictures. :)

Nap Time

The New Normal

We are officially a family of four now... still seems a little surreal... but it's our new normal and we are finding our way. My wonderful parents spent all of last week at our house, cleaning, cooking, shopping and most importantly keeping Ryland completely entertained. It was so great having them here. My mom flew in a few days early and was able to attend the birth of Brenley, just like she did for Ryland. Such a miraculous moment, to watch the birth of a baby. How can one doubt the existence of our Creator after such a moment!?!?

The first day without my parents was a little rough. Ryland had been the center of attention for over a week and did not want to go back to a normal day. She was grumpy and over all not happy all day, which is SO not like her. But, the past two days have been quite different and she is settling back into her routine, or maybe her new normal as well. She is so sweet to Brenley. She always wants to know where she is, why she is crying and she even helps me by taking dirty diapers to the trash. It is amazing to watch her grow up right before our eyes and take on the role of big sister so graciously!

Brenley, so far, is the easiest baby I have ever met! She never really cries and is sleeping 3 to 4 hour stretches at night. She is so laid back. I am praying that she stays this way, but even if she doesn't, she is still so unbelievably cute that I wouldn't care. :)

Kyle goes back to work this Thursday, so then we will really begin our new normal, but so far the addition of one more to our family has proven to be a great fit for us!

Love this shot!

My sister took this shot of Brenley and I love it! You can really see her hair color in this shot, I am totally in love!

Brenley Grey

She's here!!! Born August 27, 2009 at 5:06pm. She was 8lbs 12oz and 20 inches long. She is perfect!

For more pictures you can check out our album on Facebook by going to this link:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2007677&id=149101268&l=eea92d1a79

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!!!