Growing Pains

"Wait a minute! You mean I'm not the baby anymore?!"

She's Official!

Karis has her very own monogrammed towel! :)

The big sibs.

The little sibs.
I was hoping to get Karis a peach-colored towel, but no such luck. Instead, she got "sunburst," and it's bright!

October 25th, 2012

Our sweet Karis Alethia. Her names mean "grace" and "truth" in the Greek language.

So special that my mother-in-law could be at Karis' birth! And my mom delivered her! My mom has delivered 3 of our 4 children--what an incredible blessing and joy!

Our girls are so blessed to have Luke as a big brother.

Sweet big sis!

Adalyn loves her baby sister!

Family of six! We are so blessed!

Karis Alethia was born on October 25th, 2012 at 3:06pm. She was our biggest baby, weighing in at 7 pounds 13 ounces and she was 19 inches long. I am so thankful that God blessed my desire for a vbac (vaginal birth after cesarean). Karis and I both tolerated labor well and we were both safe and healthy. Praise God! It was a joy to have my mom deliver her. It is really an incredible experience for us to share together.
We are now adjusting to the busy life of a family of six! More pictures to come...someday. :)

One Down...

Luke woke up this morning and showed us that he had a VERY loose tooth. He wiggled it back and forth for about an hour and a half .... then he pulled that little tooth out all by himself! He's such a big, brave boy!
He quickly moved on to talking about compensation...



 

Travels Galore

In late August and early September, Dan and I embarked on two separate journeys that would keep us apart for nearly two weeks. We were both very blessed--with safe travel, loving family, new experiences, God's beautiful creation, and the joy of being reunited.

Dan had the incredible opportunity to travel to Turkey with his dad and Aunts Mary Esther and Ruthie. He travelled to multiple cities, including Midyat, Instanbul and the ruins of Ephesus. He researched and discovered amazing things about his great ancestors, and was able to stand in the very places where some of those ancestors were martyred. He saw beautiful churches, landscapes and architecture. He stood in the Tigris river and ate Turkish delicacies right on the river's banks. He survived crazy travel experiences, major time differences and lingering jet lag....but it was more than worth it.

These pictures don't do the trip justice, but they give a little taste...

Grace family--visiting with the Farley's

Shmayaa Hotel, where Dan's great-grandmother was martyred in the early 20th century

John's favorite part of the trip ;) the food!

The "Site" -- where hundreds were martyred and where Dan, John and his aunts gathered to pray

Bethel Church--Dan's great-great grandfather was involved in starting/building this church

Minaret after minaret line the city skyline, but this steeple at Bethel Church stands at the highest elevation in the city--cool!

Another shot of the Shmayaa Hotel

Hagia Sophia--one of the largest churches in the world, later converted into a mosque

While Dan was exploring his Turkish roots, Luke, Ellie, Adalyn and I joined Mimi and Papa in Hilton Head. We had a wonderful time, and were incredibly blessed by Mimi and Papa. They generously provided a flight for me and Adalyn, a roomy condo to stay in for a week and a half, yummy food, late morning sleep-ins (woohoo!), and lots of fun activites. Papa even taught Luke how to dive!

 

We had a lot of fun--Luke can now swim without floaties! Luke and Ellie successfully shared a bedroom while we were there, and Adalyn continued to use her signs and learn new words. Most days we spent the morning at the swimming pool and the evenings at the beach. Mimi and Papa took the kids on lots of bike rides and Papa even paid Luke and Ellie for helping him find golf balls on the golf course behind their condo.

 

 

 

Home Stretch

Today I am 28 weeks along and have officially entered my third trimester! Woohoo! October still seems so far away. 90 degree temperatures day and in and day out make October seem like a world away. But being able to say that I'm now in my third trimester makes becoming a family of six so real and exciting!

My gestational diabetes has proved challenging, and I'm trying to exercise more regularly to help manage my blood sugars. Your prayers would be greatly appreciated--that I would exercise regularly despite my fatigue and aches and pains, and that I could avoid going on medication.

We're still thinking about baby girl names, so if you have any suggestions feel free to pass them along! We're also trying to decide if this little girl should get a flower middle name like her big sisters, or if we should go a different route. We don't want her to feel left out, but giving all our girls flower middle names wasn't initially our plan, so we're thinking of other names as well.

28 weeks, baby!

Spiderboy

See that cereal box on top of the fridge? Yeah, he makes his own cereal these days ;)