I recently came across two wonderful articles on the Desiring God blog about motherhood. They were posted within a few weeks of each other, but the timing of their arrival has been just perfect for me and the encouragment and conviction I needed in the moment. I pray that if you are have a good day as mother, a hard day as a mother, or just a mediocre day as a mother, that you will read these to uplift your soul and give a fresh breath to your calling as a Momma.
Click below to read each article by Rachel Jankovic:
Motherhood as a Mission Field
Motherhood is a Calling and Where your Children Rank
I plan to read and reread these over and over again!
Monday, July 25, 2011
Friday, July 15, 2011
bradshaws + johns = fun
I wanted to post some of the pictures from my family's visit last weekend. As I mentioned in my earlier post, we spent Friday night together down in Market Square! It is one of our favorite places ever in Knoxville. There is just so much to do, and I can't fail to mention that we love several restaurants down there. My mom insists on going nearly every time she is in town, and we are always happy to oblige. So, this night together, we loaded up the van and my parents' car and headed that way.
While Emily and Hillary checked out a few of the shops, Nora and Liam played in the fountains. Liam always starts out a bit skittish, but if Nora helps him out, he quickly warms up to the idea of getting soaked by the water.
After playing awhile in the water, we were ready for supper. We decided to eat at one of our favorite places Cafe 4. We enjoyed quite a feast...everyone ordering something different and sharing with each other.
After our dinner, Stella decided she wanted some supper of her own:
So we took the opportunity to play and get a few family photos:
All of the girls:
We later wandered over to Mast General Store where a few of us couldn't help but act crazily:
On Saturday, we conquered Dollywood, but I didn't bring my camera. But, on Sunday, I actually remembered to grab my camera on our way out of the door to church. I managed to capture a few pictures, but I did NOT get any of Stella in her beautiful new dress that Nana bought her. Nor did I manage to get a family picture of all of us on that special day. Nora and Liam posed a bit for me in their new outfits, but you can imagine how difficult it is to capture a perfect picture with those two!
Finally, I did manage one shot of Stella as Aunt DeDe held her after church:
We had such a great weekend together as a family! Can't wait till we are all together again.
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| The Girls (minus me and Stella) |
 | ||
| The boys (plus Nora and Stella) |
After playing awhile in the water, we were ready for supper. We decided to eat at one of our favorite places Cafe 4. We enjoyed quite a feast...everyone ordering something different and sharing with each other.
 |
| Emily-- our city girl. |
 |
| Patiently waiting for her supper. |
 | |
| Our silly boy--always trying to make others laugh! |
So we took the opportunity to play and get a few family photos:
 |
| Such a handsome little man. |
 |
| Tree hugger |
 |
| Hillary and Stella being silly. |
All of the girls:
 | ||
| Being silly--even Stella participated. |
On Saturday, we conquered Dollywood, but I didn't bring my camera. But, on Sunday, I actually remembered to grab my camera on our way out of the door to church. I managed to capture a few pictures, but I did NOT get any of Stella in her beautiful new dress that Nana bought her. Nor did I manage to get a family picture of all of us on that special day. Nora and Liam posed a bit for me in their new outfits, but you can imagine how difficult it is to capture a perfect picture with those two!
Finally, I did manage one shot of Stella as Aunt DeDe held her after church:
We had such a great weekend together as a family! Can't wait till we are all together again.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Pure Talent
I have tons of pictures from the weekend my parents were in town! We had so much fun! While we were hanging out down at Market Square and the kids were playing in the fountain, I happened to snap a few pictures of my parents as they sat together.
It started out innocently:
But things started to get a little out of hand as I tried to give them some direction.
Show me PENSIVE:
Give me ANGRY:
Show me DEVASTATION:
Let's have PURE ELATION:
And finally, give me your interpretation of SURPRISE:
All in all, they are quite talented (and weird), but I sure do love them! Even if they try to gross my sisters and I out with their constant PDA!
It started out innocently:
But things started to get a little out of hand as I tried to give them some direction.
Show me PENSIVE:
Give me ANGRY:
Show me DEVASTATION:
Let's have PURE ELATION:
And finally, give me your interpretation of SURPRISE:
All in all, they are quite talented (and weird), but I sure do love them! Even if they try to gross my sisters and I out with their constant PDA!
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Playing Catch-Up
It's been a while since I've caught up on what we've been up to. The summer is flying by, and even in "newborn world," things are pretty busy for us! It's funny how life doesn't slow down even though we have a new little person. Stella does a great job of keeping up with our family activities....maybe that's why she is such a great nighttime sleeper!
So....here it goes!
Nora took two weeks of swim lessons over at UT Aquatic Center at the end of June. We did this last summer, and I was so pleased with the program over there. It's super-affordable, and the classes are grouped according to age and taught by UT college students. Nora loved it last year, and we decided to do again this summer. My next-door neighbor Anne lovingly offered to take Nora for me since Stella was just two weeks old at the time. Anne's little boy, Dillon, is in the same class as Nora, so it worked out great. Funny Story: Anne was blown away by how talkative Nora was on the car rides to and from swim lessons. She said Nora didn't stop chatting the whole time, and Dillon seemed a little put out by the fact that he had to listen to the girls "talking" the whole time. Nora apparently asked Dillon too many questions, so he got to the point where he just tuned Nora out because it was too much for him. HA HA! Anyway, shortly after swim lessons were finished, Jonathan was in the pool with Nora and she started "swimming" to him without her life jacket on. She can move her hands and feet at the same time and is able to swim farther and farther without assistance! I'm so proud of her and thankful that our kids love the water so much. Seriously, Nora is our little fish, and Liam is getting braver and braver, too.
My entire family was in town this past weekend. My mom, dad, and two sisters arrived late last week, and we got to spend an entire three days together! It was wonderful. My parents and youngest sister, Hillary, drove up from New Orleans last Thursday. When they got into town, we greeted them with one of my dad's favorites from up here: Dead End BBQ. It was so fun to gather around the kitchen table, eating a meal together, and just spending some quality time with them. This was my dad and sisters' first time to meet Stella, so they were all eager to hold her and love on her as much as possible. On Friday, we hung out at our house in the morning, then hit up Steak and Shake for lunch. While the kids took a nap, my dad and Jonathan went to pick up my middle sister, Emily, from the airport. She lives in Brooklyn, NY, and came all the way down to see us for a short visit. That evening, we went down to Market Square so the kids could play in the fountains and we could eat dinner at one of our favorite places Cafe 4. On Saturday, we did the unthinkable--we headed to Dollywood. It was a bit more crowded than we've experienced in the past, but we hadn't been in the summer or on a Saturday since last year. It was super hot, but we all had a great time. Stella did awesome! I wore her in the Bjorn most of the time, and we took several trips to the air-conditioned Infant Care Room for feedings and to cool off. Nora and Liam skipped their naps so we could get as much out of the day as possible. We left there around 4 pm, drove home, changed clothes, then went to our favorite Mexican restaurant for family dinner. It was a long and exhausting day, but we all had a blast! On Sunday, everyone went to church and Jonathan and I had the privilege of dedicating Stella. To dedicate a baby is an opportunity to declare before the Lord and before our church family that we are committing Stella to the Lord and that we as her parents are dedicated to raising her up in the Lord. Our prayer is that we will raise all of our children in a way that is pleasing to God, and we acknowledge that it is by God's grace alone that we can do that and that only He is capable of opening their hearts and minds to Him! My entire family was there and Jonathan's parents came too! I'm so thankful it worked out that way! My parents left as soon as the service was over, and Emily flew out Sunday evening. It was such a fun weekend together, and it makes me sad how rare those times are these days since we are all so spread out and in such different phases of life.
Stella is just growing like a weed! She is filling out and as of today, she is officially out of Newborn diapers and into Size 1. Sad day!!! She is such a wonderful night sleeper. Last night, she had her longest stretch yet. I nursed her at 10:00 last night, and she woke up for her next feeding at 7:00 am. That's 9 hours! I cannot believe it. I have never had a baby sleep such long stretches this early, but I am very thankful and am just letting her take the lead. I know she will let me know when she is hungry, and my milk supply is keeping up since she seems to make up for the lack of nighttime feeding during the day.
I can also say that I am officially loving the newborn stage. I don't think I "loved" the newborn stage with the other two....maybe I was too stressed out or too exhausted to fully appreciate it, but that's not the case now. Stella is such a joy, and my moments of holding her and rocking her are not as frequent as I would like. My favorite time of the day with her is the last feeding of the day when we sit in the rocker in the dark and I can just hold her and stare at her. She smiles more and more each day.
Liam is just as every two-year-old boy should be. He's into EVERYTHING and such a mess! His vocabulary grows every day, and he surprises us all the time with what he says and comprehends. The other day, he recounted an entire story to Jonathan about something that happened to him. It was not super clear, but since Jonathan already knew the story, he could tell what Liam was trying to communicate. Too cute!
One funny thing about Nora and Liam:
Liam says "Yeah" all the time. And he says everything in a very deep, nearly monotone voice. Nora--Little Miss Verbal--tells Liam, "Liam, you say 'Yeah' all the time!" Liam's response to her: "Yeah." It may not sound funny, but it's so cute. Just something I want to remember, more than anything.
Ok, my time has run out! Crazy kiddos to tend to. Till next time.
So....here it goes!
Nora took two weeks of swim lessons over at UT Aquatic Center at the end of June. We did this last summer, and I was so pleased with the program over there. It's super-affordable, and the classes are grouped according to age and taught by UT college students. Nora loved it last year, and we decided to do again this summer. My next-door neighbor Anne lovingly offered to take Nora for me since Stella was just two weeks old at the time. Anne's little boy, Dillon, is in the same class as Nora, so it worked out great. Funny Story: Anne was blown away by how talkative Nora was on the car rides to and from swim lessons. She said Nora didn't stop chatting the whole time, and Dillon seemed a little put out by the fact that he had to listen to the girls "talking" the whole time. Nora apparently asked Dillon too many questions, so he got to the point where he just tuned Nora out because it was too much for him. HA HA! Anyway, shortly after swim lessons were finished, Jonathan was in the pool with Nora and she started "swimming" to him without her life jacket on. She can move her hands and feet at the same time and is able to swim farther and farther without assistance! I'm so proud of her and thankful that our kids love the water so much. Seriously, Nora is our little fish, and Liam is getting braver and braver, too.
My entire family was in town this past weekend. My mom, dad, and two sisters arrived late last week, and we got to spend an entire three days together! It was wonderful. My parents and youngest sister, Hillary, drove up from New Orleans last Thursday. When they got into town, we greeted them with one of my dad's favorites from up here: Dead End BBQ. It was so fun to gather around the kitchen table, eating a meal together, and just spending some quality time with them. This was my dad and sisters' first time to meet Stella, so they were all eager to hold her and love on her as much as possible. On Friday, we hung out at our house in the morning, then hit up Steak and Shake for lunch. While the kids took a nap, my dad and Jonathan went to pick up my middle sister, Emily, from the airport. She lives in Brooklyn, NY, and came all the way down to see us for a short visit. That evening, we went down to Market Square so the kids could play in the fountains and we could eat dinner at one of our favorite places Cafe 4. On Saturday, we did the unthinkable--we headed to Dollywood. It was a bit more crowded than we've experienced in the past, but we hadn't been in the summer or on a Saturday since last year. It was super hot, but we all had a great time. Stella did awesome! I wore her in the Bjorn most of the time, and we took several trips to the air-conditioned Infant Care Room for feedings and to cool off. Nora and Liam skipped their naps so we could get as much out of the day as possible. We left there around 4 pm, drove home, changed clothes, then went to our favorite Mexican restaurant for family dinner. It was a long and exhausting day, but we all had a blast! On Sunday, everyone went to church and Jonathan and I had the privilege of dedicating Stella. To dedicate a baby is an opportunity to declare before the Lord and before our church family that we are committing Stella to the Lord and that we as her parents are dedicated to raising her up in the Lord. Our prayer is that we will raise all of our children in a way that is pleasing to God, and we acknowledge that it is by God's grace alone that we can do that and that only He is capable of opening their hearts and minds to Him! My entire family was there and Jonathan's parents came too! I'm so thankful it worked out that way! My parents left as soon as the service was over, and Emily flew out Sunday evening. It was such a fun weekend together, and it makes me sad how rare those times are these days since we are all so spread out and in such different phases of life.
Stella is just growing like a weed! She is filling out and as of today, she is officially out of Newborn diapers and into Size 1. Sad day!!! She is such a wonderful night sleeper. Last night, she had her longest stretch yet. I nursed her at 10:00 last night, and she woke up for her next feeding at 7:00 am. That's 9 hours! I cannot believe it. I have never had a baby sleep such long stretches this early, but I am very thankful and am just letting her take the lead. I know she will let me know when she is hungry, and my milk supply is keeping up since she seems to make up for the lack of nighttime feeding during the day.
I can also say that I am officially loving the newborn stage. I don't think I "loved" the newborn stage with the other two....maybe I was too stressed out or too exhausted to fully appreciate it, but that's not the case now. Stella is such a joy, and my moments of holding her and rocking her are not as frequent as I would like. My favorite time of the day with her is the last feeding of the day when we sit in the rocker in the dark and I can just hold her and stare at her. She smiles more and more each day.
Liam is just as every two-year-old boy should be. He's into EVERYTHING and such a mess! His vocabulary grows every day, and he surprises us all the time with what he says and comprehends. The other day, he recounted an entire story to Jonathan about something that happened to him. It was not super clear, but since Jonathan already knew the story, he could tell what Liam was trying to communicate. Too cute!
One funny thing about Nora and Liam:
Liam says "Yeah" all the time. And he says everything in a very deep, nearly monotone voice. Nora--Little Miss Verbal--tells Liam, "Liam, you say 'Yeah' all the time!" Liam's response to her: "Yeah." It may not sound funny, but it's so cute. Just something I want to remember, more than anything.
Ok, my time has run out! Crazy kiddos to tend to. Till next time.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Stella Marie: One Month Stats
Well, I ventured to the doctor this morning with all three children to take Stella for her one month check-up! It was quite an adventure with all three, but they did really well. I made Liam and Nora hold hands practically the whole time, and I may or may not have bribed my children with the promise of a sucker at the end of the visit, but at this time I can neither confirm nor deny that fact. Regardless, all four of us made it out of there alive, well, and smiling. Two of us had a Dum-Dum sucker on the way home, and one of us stopped for a White Chocolate Mocha from Starbucks.
Little Miss Stella is surely growing like a weed. Here are her one month stats:
Weight: 9 lbs., 2 oz. (50th-60th percentile)
Height: 21 1/4 inches (50th-60th percentile)
Head Circumference: 36.9 cm (90th percentile)
Dr. G said that she is growing great, and it appears that her head has officially reached Bradshaw status. Last appointment, her head was about average (which is small for our children), but she is now right up there with her brother and sister with a big ole noggin! I'm just glad that she waited until AFTER delivery to have that growth spurt!!
For the past 4 or 5 nights, Stella has been doing some really long stretches at night. After her late evening/dream sleep feeding, she has gone up to 6.5 hours. That's like 5+ hours of straight sleep for me! (cue the Alleluia Chorus) I am so thankful for a good sleeper, and I know that she will most likely fluctuate with her sleep lengths, I am just praising the Lord for rest because it is definitely helping me during the daytime when I am caring for Nora, Liam, and Stella all at the same time. Also, I want to document that Stella has started smiling. Her first smile was for her Geegaw last Friday afternoon, so she was just over four weeks old. I have been able to capture just a few for myself, but it seems like she saves most of her smiles for her Daddy! (She knows the key to his heart already).
As a reference to compare Stella to Nora and Liam at one month, I looked up what both Nora and Liam weighed and measured. Here are the comps:
Stella: 9 lbs., 2 oz. and 21 1/4 inches
Nora: 8 lbs., 6 oz. and 21 inches
Liam: 9 lbs., 14 oz. and 22 1/4 inches
It seems like Stella's right in between these two size-wise!
The picture above is a few weeks old, but I just found it in a mix of pictures that Jonathan downloaded from his phone. This will give you just a snapshot into what the kids think of Stella! They love her and want to be around her constantly. Many of our feeding sessions look just like this....do you think they know the meaning of personal space!?
We are so blessed with our precious baby girl. It's hard to believe that she is almost 5 weeks old already! Time is going by so quickly this time. Whew!
Little Miss Stella is surely growing like a weed. Here are her one month stats:
Weight: 9 lbs., 2 oz. (50th-60th percentile)
Height: 21 1/4 inches (50th-60th percentile)
Head Circumference: 36.9 cm (90th percentile)
Dr. G said that she is growing great, and it appears that her head has officially reached Bradshaw status. Last appointment, her head was about average (which is small for our children), but she is now right up there with her brother and sister with a big ole noggin! I'm just glad that she waited until AFTER delivery to have that growth spurt!!
For the past 4 or 5 nights, Stella has been doing some really long stretches at night. After her late evening/dream sleep feeding, she has gone up to 6.5 hours. That's like 5+ hours of straight sleep for me! (cue the Alleluia Chorus) I am so thankful for a good sleeper, and I know that she will most likely fluctuate with her sleep lengths, I am just praising the Lord for rest because it is definitely helping me during the daytime when I am caring for Nora, Liam, and Stella all at the same time. Also, I want to document that Stella has started smiling. Her first smile was for her Geegaw last Friday afternoon, so she was just over four weeks old. I have been able to capture just a few for myself, but it seems like she saves most of her smiles for her Daddy! (She knows the key to his heart already).
As a reference to compare Stella to Nora and Liam at one month, I looked up what both Nora and Liam weighed and measured. Here are the comps:
Stella: 9 lbs., 2 oz. and 21 1/4 inches
Nora: 8 lbs., 6 oz. and 21 inches
Liam: 9 lbs., 14 oz. and 22 1/4 inches
It seems like Stella's right in between these two size-wise!
The picture above is a few weeks old, but I just found it in a mix of pictures that Jonathan downloaded from his phone. This will give you just a snapshot into what the kids think of Stella! They love her and want to be around her constantly. Many of our feeding sessions look just like this....do you think they know the meaning of personal space!?
We are so blessed with our precious baby girl. It's hard to believe that she is almost 5 weeks old already! Time is going by so quickly this time. Whew!
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