Thanksgiving 2012

It is now December 15th and I am 29 weeks pregnant...hard to believe!  I figured before we get to Christmas, I should post our Thanksgiving photos.  It has been very busy around here.

I accidentally spilled boiling hot tea on my chest and stomach last week.  It was incredibly painful, but I am thankful I am finally beginning to heal.  I am also thankful for the wise counsel I have received from friends and family.  They reminded me that God is in control of ALL things and I need to use this as a learning experience.  I used to drink hot tea all the time.  With two little ones under foot before long, this has taught me to be much more careful.  I let it cool at the back of the counter and do not drink it near Zeke anymore at all.  I am continuing to seek God for lessons to learn from this incident!

We spent Thanksgiving at my parents' house in Alpharetta/Johns Creek.  It was a nice relaxing time spent together.  I pray you all had a special time with family and/or friends too.

 

Now, as we get ready to celebrate Jesus' birth, I am excited to be able to talk about the reason for this beautiful holiday with Zeke.  He understands much more now, and tells me about Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus.  He is learning to recite John 3:16 at church, "God loved the world so much, He gave is only son."  I will try to record him saying it and post it here.

I plan to write more about Christmas and all that God has been doing in our lives later.  I pray you are all well!

Our little model!

I wanted to write a brief post to show the pictures from Adalynn's modeling debut (in my tummy, of course)!  We got to be a part of the Izzy Maternity Holiday Fashion show again this year.  Zeke and I did this 3 years ago when he was in my tummy!  The proceeds went to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  It was a fun night of getting pampered and dressed up in really cute maternity clothes, while raising money for a good cause...

Zeke and my mom came to see the show.  It was hard to believe that it had been 3 years since the last time. He watched the show with Wynna and was very well behaved!

Photographer, Stuart Hasson, donated his time and photos.  Here are a few of the pics he took of me in one of my favorite Izzy Maternity outfits...

I pray you all have a Happy and blessed Thanksgiving!

Fall Family Photos!

Ecclesiastes 4:9

"Two people are better than one.  They can help each other in everything they do."

 

We had a great time at Red Top Mountain State Park taking photos for our Christmas cards this year.  We had to take them early because of Gregg's busy travel schedule, which allowed us to catch the leaves at the perfect time.  There is nothing like fall in Georgia!

 

 

Zeke has really been enjoying his Sunday School class where he gets to see Miss Jackie and Miss Niki.  He gets to make a craft and see a skit related to that particular week's lesson.  He also has a memory verse that changes each month.  This month, it is the above verse from Ecclesiastes.  I will never get tired of hearing his little voice say, "they hep each udder!"

 

 

 

It is hard to believe, but I am 24 weeks along now!  We have been busy visiting my parents while Gregg has been traveling.  We are still so thankful to be able to drive an hour and see Wynna and Papa! 

My mom and I also got to spend a day at Melanie Scott's wedding (my mom's dear friend, Terry's daughter).  It was in Rome, Georgia, and could not have been a more beautiful wedding.  The focus was on the couple's relationship with Christ and it was a joy to witness!

Zeke is still full of energy and wonder.  He loves puzzles, words, and balloons.  I will leave you with this photo that just makes me smile!

Berry Patch Farms

I couldn't resist comparing these adorable "pumpkin" pictures of our little man.  I can't believe how quickly he is growing and changing.  We are so thankful for him and can't wait for him to become a big brother!

We decided at the last minute to go to Berry Patch Farms in Woodstock, GA.  We headed there this morning so that Zeke could pick out a pumpkin (a baby one)!  They had hayrides, but we just enjoyed walking around the property on such a beautiful Georgia day.

It is hard to believe that next year, we'll have two little ones to enjoy the fall fun.  I am 20 weeks today (halfway)!

Below are a couple of recent photos of Zeke just being silly.  We hope you are all enjoying beautiful fall weather wherever you are.  God bless!

Happy Fall Y'all!

We have had a fun and busy time since my last post.  I will be 20 weeks this coming weekend, but here is a shot of my 16 week belly:

Our entire family was thrilled to welcome Harper Nomachee Stargel into the world on September 19, 2012.  Kariss and Sophia seem to be amazing big sisters and we are all thankful for a healthy, happy little girl!  Jared and Jami are adjusting well to having three little girls to care for and love!

 

 

I got to bring Zeke up to Jared and Jami's house meet her.  He smiled from ear to ear and had a great time playing with the older girls (and Wynna) too!

 

During Gregg's travels, we were able to spend some time at my parents' house and with friends.  My mom also came to stay with us to help me organize some of Zeke's old clothes.  He continues to show us that he is funny and silly like his Daddy:

 

We enjoyed the quality time with Wynna, Papa, Jared, and his family!

 

We also were excited to have some time with our friends Dena, Luke, and Ryann!



Zeke is officially potty trained...yay!  It may seem minor, but for us, it's a big accomplishment.  We followed "Toilet Training Without Tantrums" by John Rosemond.  It required patience on my part, especially since Gregg was traveling for most of the time, but we are finally there.  With Adalynn, I will start training before the age of 2 since Rosemond suggests it is much easier at that time. 

In the next week or so, I will be changing the title of this blog and the background.  Now that we know we are having a girl, "Mini Man Memoirs" just doesn't fit!  I'll keep you posted on the changes.

God bless you all and thank you for your continued prayers for Zeke, Adalynn and our family.  We feel truly blessed!