Feeling More Like Home

And just because she's cute...

Logan and I started putting up some more pictures/art yesterday in our entryway. It's amazing how a few pictures can make such a BIG difference! It's obviously not complete, but we think it's a pretty good start. I'm hoping to add a bench underneath the pictures to give this spot a little "umph."

Stay tuned for more updates!

Kidney Crisis Averted

         After Emmie's (and our) battle with her urinary reflux for the past year, her urologist has decided that surgery is in her best interest. As scary as that is for us as parents, we are so thankful that the reflux hasn't affected her more than that UTI last summer and taking antibiotic every night.
         Sooooooooooo.....on August 26th, we head to the hospital for E's surgery. It should only be 2 hours, and we should only have to stay one night. We would love your prayers as we approach this huge step in Em's recovery from reflux. The surgery is 99.5% successful at curing it, so we are confident that she will be able to live out the rest of her life without having to worry about taking an antibiotic every night to protect her kidneys!
         
We'll keep you updated once the surgery happens!

It's a.....

BOY!

     We found out on July 29th that our little family of three will be welcoming a BOY on December 27th of this year! We could hardly believe our ears! Emmie went with us to the ultrasound and was so very excited to find out that she was going to have a "bruh-der." As exciting as it is to add a boy to our family, it's also a very anxious time for us too.

How will a boy change the dynamic of our family?

If I thought Emmie was a mess on a daily basis, what does that mean having a boy will be like?

Etc.

      Logan and I have sent up SO many prayers already asking God to lead us in our parenting of a boy. As a stay-at-home mom, it's more intimidating for me than for Logan. I mean, I know how a girl's mind, body, personality, etc works. However, boys are a whole other animal. God be with me as I embark on this eye-opening journey!

      Like I said before, we have some apprehension about bringing a boy into our family just because we don't know what that will be like. However, we are thrilled that God has granted us with this little man to love, nurture, and help raise in Him. 

     Our sweet boy will be named Andrew Armstrong Powell and be called Andy for short. 

Andrew is after my brother Drew. Drew and I have been incredibly close for a very long time. I hope that Andy and Drew share a similarly special bond. Armstrong is my mother's maiden name. My Papa has one son (who has ALL daughters) and my brother as the boy descendants on that side of the family tree. I have always had a special bond with Papa and did not want the Armstrong name to die out. Thus, Armstrong for the middle name. Papa is BEYOND thrilled that he will have a great-grandson that shares his name....especially because it's been 23 years since there was a boy on our Armstrong side!!!!

Please pray for our family as we transition to a family of four and that we will shepherd this little boy's heart to the best of our ability.

Can't wait to meet you, Andy!

      

Mischief in McKinney

We headed to the McKinney square this past weekend for a fun little photo shoot. Here are a few of my favorites: (the rest are on Facebook)

Hope you enjoyed seeing our sassy girl!

The Big Move

I have a LOT to catch you up on, so let me take a deep breath and dive in! Don't worry. My ramblings will NOT be one big post. You would either die of boredom or stop reading after hour 2 of trudging through my life this past month!

THE NEW HOUSE.

     The weekend before the 4th of July Logan and I loaded up ALL of our stuff (too much stuff, if you ask me) and headed for "the 'burbs." Yes, folks, we are officially in full blown family mode! After 3 years of marriage in THREE different apartments, we now own a home. Gulp.

      Logan was more than a little intimidated by the idea, but not Ms. Optimistic over here. Nuh-uh. I was thrilled to say "good-bye" to apartment living and "hello" to more space and a chance to have a real home! I think the real reason Logan was so nervous about taking on so much responsibility was that he wasn't in an apartment all the time with a toddler to quell all that worry about money. Yep. That MUST have been it.
      Anyway, the move was hot (of course), but we had movers. (Thank you, Logan.) With all of my morning sickness and having a toddler during the move this time around, it was miserable enough packing boxes. I can't even begin to imagine what it would have been like to do the move without movers. Thankfully in only 4 hours, our stuff was out of our old  apartment and into our lovely new home. Logan and I decided to head to lunch right after the movers finished. It's exhausting watching someone else do all the grunt work! ;) 


**Also, let me interject that Emmie had had a STOMACH VIRUS the night before our move. Needless to say, none of us got much sleep before our long day of moving. You may pity me now...thank you.**


      After lunch but before making the trek back down to his parents' house to get Emmie, we/I decided to get Emmie's room all unpacked so that it would be as easy of a transition that evening as possible for her. (Thank you, Lonna and Milton, for keeping our sickly sugar pie. It was SO much easier without having to worry about her recuperating with movers, boxes, and the heat!
      Upon returning with our sweet girl, we thought she would be SO excited to see her new room. It's pink, has flowers, and is such a perfect room for our little girly-girl!! 

(Disclaimer: this is not Emmie's stuff. This is a pic from the real estate website advertising the house for sale.)

We took her up and opened the door ready for her to squeal with excitement.......THEEEEEEN.....waaaaah waaaah (picture SNL "Debbie Downer" music). She took one look inside, turned around, and headed for the bookshelves we had set up on the landing with ALL of her books. After pulling 95% of them to the floor, my little bookworm was in heaven! At least she was excited about something! :D 
      Emmie, Logan, and I continue to fall more in love with our house, our neighbors, and the area that we are in more every day. We are so blessed to be able to live in a beautiful home. I promise that I will post pictures of how we have decorated as soon as possible.


Until next post!

My Songbird

(Just had to share this sweet story about my Emmie.)

For the past week or so, I have been having a hard time sleeping at night. One of those lovely pregnancy side effects from having to change sleep positions from stomach to side. Argh. First trimester exhaustion + not being able to sleep at night = one exhausted mommy.

Since Emmalyn didn't get a terribly long nap yesterday, I thought I'd take her to my bed so I could rest and just MAYBE she would fall asleep. (yeah. right.) I didn't expect much, but I thought I'd give it a shot anyway. After she jabbered on for a little while-telling me a story in her own little language-, she decided she wanted me to hold her. I told her that I was tired and wanted to go night night. So here we are lying in bed with my arms wrapped around her, and she starts to softly sing. My sweet, angel of a baby is trying to sing me to sleep! And ya'll. She sings for FORTY FIVE minutes while I drift in and out of sleep! I'm sorry...but if that is not the most precious child...I don't know who is. God has blessed me with a daughter who is so thoughtful and loving at such a young age. My cup overflows.

To my sweet songbird,

Thank you for loving me so sweetly. God has blessed you with an amazing heart, and I hope you get to share your heart with a daughter like you some day.

And Dear God,

I wouldn't mind having another girl! Cause You know, there'd be no way to have a restful 45 minutes like that with a boy!!!!

MIA Mommy

Hello, lost blogger world!

I literally have not TOUCHED my blog in over 5 months! How is that possible?!  Well, let's see. I've never been a great journal keeper--online or otherwise--and there have been LOTS going on in the last 5 months. Here's my list:
-I've visited my family a few times.
-Logan got a new job.
-Logan graduated with his MBA from SMU.
-We bought a house and are currently packing up to move.
-My brother got married.
-And...ya know...a little thing like a NEW BABY is on the way!!! More on that a little later

I've been so focused on my family, blog stalking, and dealing with incredible amounts of nausea that I haven't been keeping up here. Ridiculous, I know.

Here's a pledge to you....those few people that read my blog. I will not let my blog go that long again without being updated! So here's to a new pregnancy, a new adventure, a new house, and a new lease on blogging!

A few pictures to satisfy those that just like to look at my baby....

And now our new baby....due Dec. 31st...but should make an appearance by C-section on Dec. 27th!

Da, Tia!

***As much as I'm behind blogging, I decided this little snippet couldn't wait. It was hilarious at the time, and I want to remember this for when Emmie's older.***

2010

(A little background for you--my sweet baby girl is in love with my sister, MacKenzie, or "Tia" as Em calls her. Over Christmas break Tia and Emmie danced countless hours together and formed an incredible bond it seems. After we came back from our visit, Emmie asked for her Tia for DAYS.)
        For the first time in a LONG time, Emmie and I skyped with my mom and sister yesterday. We were both thrilled to see them both, but Em seemed to be over the moon about her Tia being right in front of her again! They both giggled and communicated as best a 14 month old and a 14 year old can. :) Tia was trying to get Emmie to dance, so she decided to show her how first. Oh my. I have laughed and laughed over my sister "skype-dancing" with my sweet Emmalyn! It was absolutely hilarious, and Emmie LOVED every minute of it. We had to end our conversation but decided to get back online later and do it again so my dad could see Em.
         During our second call, Emmie was signing and saying (her version) of "please." I hadn't understood what she wanted, so I asked her again. She looked at the screen and said, "Da, Tia!!" --translation: "Dance, Tia!!"She evidently had enjoyed Tia's "skype-dancing" even more than the rest of us! So commences my sister dancing like a goofball over skype. Again.
        Those of you that know me well know how much I adore my family. My sister is no exception. My love for her is so overwhelming. To see her loving on my daughter and cultivating such an amazing relationship early on is music to my soul. Watching her with Emmie constantly reminds me of how it was when she was so little, and I'd dance around and make up choreography to get her happy or to laugh. MacKenzie has gone from the sweetest little girl to the most amazing teenage girl I have ever met in my entire life! I know that my relationship with my daughter will have its peaks and valleys as she grows, matures, changes, and becomes more independent. However, I know for certain that Emmie will always be in awe of my sister. Because I am.

2006

Shameless

Okay, ladies. It's now time for my shameless plug for Baby Boot Camp. As a lot of you know, I became certified to teach a few months ago to take over for the instructor when she went on maternity leave.

FIRST--Starting mid-January, I'll be teaching MY OWN classes on Tues/Thurs at First United Methodist Church in Richardson! I'm SO excited! Baby Boot Camp "StrollFit" classes are for pre- and post-natal mommies. If you don't have a baby in a stroller already, want to take the class without baby, etc, that's just fine! We welcome mommies of all stages! If you're interested, leave a comment, call, email, or message me on Facebook for more information.

ALSO for you runners out there, I'm heading up the 5K training program with Baby Boot Camp as well. This program is geared towards moms that have never run on a regular basis, but we will amp it up for those of you that are old pros and just want to get back in the swing of things! P.S. DADS are invited too!
 Here's the link to register: http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=ipje9ecab&oeidk=a07e36n20cw1608f78c&oseq=a01csg7pg7rvr

ANOTHER class you might consider is Restore the Core. The owner, Melanie, will be teaching starting in January. This is a GREAT class! I can speak from personal experience. If you want to just lose weight in general, StrollFit is right for you. If you're looking to tone and tighten that mid-section. THIS class is amazing!
Here's the link if you're interested in that class:
http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=ipje9ecab&oeidk=a07e36n0qqoc23171ec

Baby Boot Camp has helped get me back UNDER my pre-pregnancy weight and has provided a social outlet for me as well. I'm so glad I can set a good and healthy example for Emmie so young AND provide her (and myself) with the opportunity to meet some incredible kids and moms!

I hope to see you girls there!

Caroling with Santa

                             Silent Night                                                     

Do you hear what I hear?

Sigh. Maybe next year we'll get "Holly Jolly Christmas."

Happy Christmas, Harry!

**For those of you that are not Harry Potter fans, you cannot fully understand the strong feelings of excitement and awe with which I write this post.**

Last week Emmie and I flew to Orlando to meet my parents and sister. MacKenzie was the keynote speaker at a student convention there, and they decided they would visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I got a call a week or so later from my mom telling me they had a free plane ticket and would make admission to the park, etc my Christmas present. Being the OUTRAGEOUS Harry Potter fan that I am, I immediately jumped at the opportunity to spend two days pretending I was a part of a world that I've loved for so long. And let me tell you, it did NOT disappoint in the least! It was truly magical! I teared up (scoff if you must) on numerous occasions.
                                                          Oh, how I wish it was a real place!
                                                                         (the entrance)

Hogsmeade

(My breath caught in my throat. It was SO much like the book/movies.)

Hogwarts

I want to be a student. There. I said it. Laugh all you want. I don't care. ;)

So Kenz and I 'became' students! Gryffindor, naturally.

We even ate at The Three Broomsticks!

The Lewis kids have always had great imaginations, so we knew we'd be perfect candidates if, in fact, Hogwarts did exist. 

MacKenzie and me waiting in line for the ride in the Hogwarts School!

Kenz and I accidentally wrecked the flying car over by Hagrid's place on our way to the Dueling Dragons roller coaster. At least it wasn't in the Whomping Willow!

The Lewises are evidently not the only huge fans of Harry Potter. This is Kurt Fuller. He's the dad on the new show on Wednesday 'Better With You.' Crazy!

We took a break from our magical world to enter into a super silly one. Emmie got to visit Seuss land!

She even got to ride on Horton and Gertrude's baby on the carousel

and a flying fish!

We had an amazing time. It was so nice to be a kid again, even if only for a moment. I'll leave you with this incredible snapshot as we said goodbye to the magical world of Hogsmeade on Thursday night--with frozen butterbeer in hand.

Happy Christmas, Harry Potter!

Emmalyn's FIRST Birthday!

(I'm finally getting around to doing this! Sorry, baby girl; you're keeping Mama super busy now.)

What an incredible feeling to experience your own baby's first birthday! It's indescribable. I had such a range of emotions that day--from being giddy about showing her off to all of our friends and family to holding back tears and trying not to fall apart. I felt as if I had turned around, and my teeny tiny baby was ONE!

                                                                           Then

Now

         We had dinner with Milton and Lonna (Mimi and Gunpowder to Emmie) the Tuesday before her big birthday celebration. They got her clothes, some toys, and she even got one of those Hallmark recordable books from Lonna's mom. So sweet.

         On Wednesday night (with VERY little sleep gotten by Logan) headed to Tennessee to start Emmie's birthday weekend!
                                         (After spending all night in the car, she's still so sweet!)

 Thursday and Friday were spent spending time with family and preparing for the big party on Saturday. THEN on Saturday afternoon we had friends and family from all over middle TN come to celebrate our baby girl. Lonna and Milton even flew in from TX! So Emmie had an aunt, uncle (and soon-to-be aunt), BOTH sets of grandparents, both sets--on my side--of great-grandparents, and her GREAT GREAT GRANDMOTHER! Plus my aunt and her family, Jill and Joe, Allison, the Ayres, and Rob! It was quite the party!

          She got SO many cool presents: a tea set, Spanish/English maracas, great clothes, books, a handmade bag from Nana, a singing/dancing penguin, a witch puppet(to start her Halloween collection)......and the coolest gift ever, a Smart Trike from my parents!! 

While Emmie was opening/playing with her gifts her friend, Connor (who we have already decided is going to be her future husband), gave her a HUGE birthday kiss. She was a little scared. ;)

Next came the cake, and Emmie wasn't quite sure about it either. She played in it but didn't like how it tasted. No sweet tooth?!?! Are you SURE she's my child?!

It was such a great day! I'm so thankful we were able to be around so much family and so many close friends. We couldn't have asked for anything more. Everyone got to love on our sweet pea and fall even more in love with her.

Emmalyn Faith,

Your daddy and I cannot believe a year has already passed! You have grown up so quickly, my goober girl. You are almost walking everywhere by yourself. You are saying TWELVE words. TWELVE! It's amazing to watch those little wheels turning, and you learning like crazy every minute of every day. You have such a sweet demeanor (with a streak of stubbornness) and charm everyone we meet. We can't even leave the apartment before you have your hand up in the air ready to wave at anyone within your line of vision. Your "hi" is truly a southern "hi". It lasts for such a long time! You wave hi and bye-bye. You give kisses and LOVE your baby dolls. Sometimes I feel like I'm going to BURST with love for you! I cannot wait to see how God works in your life and uses your gift with people to further His kingdom.

I love you, Emmie girl.

Love you to the moon and back,

Mama