Brown Family Update

Hi there. Remember me? I'm the one who's supposed to be keeping people updated with what's going on with our family. The reality? I've become a total slacker when it comes to blogging. What made me want to get the ball rolling again? That would be reading all the posts from when I was pregnant with Riley. There weren't a ton, but it was enough to help jog my memory on some things that I'd forgotten. It's nice to be able to look back and see what was going on at different points in our lives. I will do better.  

For those of you who don't know us "for real," life is wonderful. Riley is 19 months old and keeps us laughing and quite busy. She's talking all the time, running all around, and quite attached to three measuring "pucks" from her play kitchen (weird, right??).  

In July, we found out that baby # 2 is on the way. I'm currently 20 weeks and 3 days pregnant. On Wednesday we found out the gender; Riley helped us make the "big" announcement. About 30 pictures and 20 minutes later, this is the best we came up with (just glad it's a horse and not one of the cups in the picture):

Riley doesn't quite understand the whole baby concept yet (as evidenced by the fact that she thinks there's baby in her belly), but she does love little ones. We're hoping she's very excited when the time comes and one is actually living in our house. David and I absolutely can't wait for little Caroline Elizabeth to join our family. 

I'm feeling great! In the beginning, I wasn't able to sleep very well. Since that passed, I've been feeling normal. If it weren't for my growing stomach and the pokes and jabs I'm getting from the inside, I wouldn't feel pregnant at all. I'm doing a lot more this time around to stay in good shape. I never quite lost all my baby weight from Riley, so I started a little bit behind this time. My goal is to weigh the same when I give birth to Caroline as I did when I give birth to Riley. Now probably wouldn't be a good time to admit that I'm probably going to the fair today, would it? Greasy french fries and powdered sugar covered funnel cakes are totally going to be calling my name. Hopefully the apple I just ate for breakfast will help balance everything out.  

And now, so you can see how we're doing, here are a few recent pictures. Unfortunately, the last good one of all of us is from Riley's birthday.  

Riley Update

Let me start out by saying this:  I have been a failure at keeping up with this blog since Riley came into this world.  Not only have we been spending all of our time with our precious girl, I've been busy with other things, too.  Before this sounds like a pile of excuses, let's move on to this "between months" update.  

I can't begin to explain how quickly our girl is growing.  The things she learns never cease to amaze me.  She can blow kisses, do the signs for "thank you" and "more," clap her hands like it's going out of style, locate YOUR nose and her own head and hair, obey many simple commands, etc.  She can tell the difference between a dog and a bear when you hold up the cards in front of her (this only works with certain pairs of animals... sometimes it's obvious that she just likes the butterfly better than the dolphin because she goes for that every time).  She can melt your heart and she can try your patience (you moms know that your babies do it, too... I'm just being honest).  

David and I are constantly talking about how much fun she is.  I knew I would love being a mom, but I have to admit, I never dreamed I'd love it this much.  Having her smile at me, lean in to give me a big, sloppy kiss, and thousands of other things make me stop and thank God for the little one he's put in our care.  I hope we remember to tell her that we go into her room EVERY SINGLE NIGHT just to look at her, watch her sleep, and talk about how big she's getting.  Every night we talk about how time goes too fast and we can't believe that she's going to be one so soon (less than a week!!!).  

On another note, I'm happy to announce that I won our first major battle of wills (the parenting books don't tell you how early those start unless you're reading "To Train Up a Child.").  Lord helping me, I'll keep winning them, no matter how big or how small.  I had to call three people to help me "stick to my guns" and reassure me that I was doing the right thing but it paid off in the end.  I try to tell myself that I'm helping to prepare her to respond to God's offer of salvation.  

Let me just tell you, it's so much easier to give in.  I would have much rather stopped the training session, picked up my little girl and showered her with cuddles and kisses.  I'm thankful for a godly husband, father, and friend who encouraged me to do what was right rather than doing what I felt like doing.  

Photo Ramblings and Vacation Notes

We had a wonderful time on our trip to KY and AL.  We were able to visit with nieces and nephews (and other family members, but we all know the kiddos are the important ones), hear some fantastic teaching on the KJV, make new friends, and enjoy some quality family time.  Enjoy these photos from our trip and be on the look-out for the over due 11 month update.  My baby is going to be 1 in 10 days.  I'm not ready for that.  

Vacation

We're taking our family vacation early this year, and I'm so excited! We're leaving on Monday and won't be back until the following Tuesday! After a brief stop in Alabama to see family, it'll be just David, Riley, and me for almost a week! (Can you say "major overuse of exclamation points??!!??" Every sentence in that paragraph ended with one.)

After our stop at David's parents', we're heading to Danville, Kentucky where we'll be going to a meeting that Sam Gipp is preaching on the King James Bible. I'm hoping Riley does well in an unfamiliar nursery because I'd really like to get to hear the preaching. I know what Bible I believe, and lots of the reasons why I believe it, but I'm excited about the opportunity to learn even more. I told David that if the nursery thing doesn't work, he can take Riley out since he's heard Bro. Gipp before. We'll see how that one goes.  

I can't wait to share pictures and stories from our trip. Our vacations are known to be fun and eventful. This year, we'll be traveling with a Uhaul trailer on the way up to deliver some books for a missionary... I can see that providing much entertainment and frustration along the way. It also means that David will be doing all the driving on the way up. I don't see myself being comfortable driving the Jeep with a trailer.  

Photo Ramblings