Our Prince Has Arrived!

WITH JOY UNSPEAKABLE AND GRATEFUL HEARTS WE ANNOUNCE THE ARRIVAL OF OUR PRECIOUS BABY BOY!

ASHTON PARKS

8 . 28. 08

11:12 p.m. 

8 pounds 14 ounces

21 inches long

11 days early

We have been blessed..........

Fall Giveaway Winner

We have a winner! Congratulations to Cal Mom over at The Running Tide! Just send me a comment with your e-mail address and I will get your mailing address for the subscription. Domino Magazine should arrive in a few weeks and I hope you enjoy! Thank you to everyone who entered and thank you so much for all of your sweet comments! Happy Fall!

Diamond Blogger Award

That Darling Jill over at Peep Toe Pumps and Pearls sent over something very sparkly today and I feel like Mrs. Thurston Howell III! Thank you so much Jill for thinking of me and sharing such a special award! You made my day! 

Here are five bloggers that I would like to pass on the award to- in no particular order.

1. Granny Smith Green~ Love her. She is an absolute D-O-L-L and she is a praying woman.

2. Adventures of a Southern Newlywed~  I call her the source! She knows how to do anything blog related and she if full of tips, treats, ideas, recipes and always leaves the kindest comments ~ Oh and she is a praying woman too. Love her.

3. A Journey To Our Daughter~ She is an incredibly gifted blogger and a very special person. "The gifts" flow out of her like rivers of living water.  Love, Kindness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and on .  She is a blessing to know and I call her my friend.

4. Deep Inside My Heart~ Denise is a Mama. There is a big difference in having children and becoming a parent and having children and becoming a Mama. I love the way she loves her family. Love is a verb. It has to be demonstrated. Denise demonstrates love for her Daughter, Mother and her entire family in very special ways. She is a beautiful soul.

5. Southern Sugar~ She is the ultimate girl- pink kitchen-aid mixer and all. She is ultra feminine, dainty,  delicate and girly and she loves Rachel- the one and only. As in Rachel Ashwell of Shabby Chic fame! Viewing her blog is like walking into a beautiful store...

Fall Giveaway

I thought I would host a giveaway in honor of the upcoming change in seasons! I will be giving away a one year subscription to one of my favorite magazines- Domino. I love all of the paint colors, fabrics and gorgeous decorating ideas! Just leave a comment if you want to be entered in the drawing! The children will draw for a lucky winner on Mon. the 25th!

The Ninth Month

I can't believe that this pregnancy is almost over. It has absolutely flown by. We have had quite a year with lots of events and lots of change but I have done my best to enjoy and embrace each moment of this pregnancy just as I have all the others. I absolutely love being pregnant. As the saying goes, it is the only time one gets to assist God in a miracle. I love to watch my belly grow each month. I love the excitement buzzing around the upcoming birth and the anticipation and many, many questions from each of the children. I love feeling him kick and turn and somersault. I love when people ask me if it's my first. (love that) And then I love watching their mouths drop open when I say it's my fifth. Love it even more when they ask me how old is the oldest? Glory to your name Lord. You get all the honor. Having said all of that. Yes, I started out each pregnancy with months of morning sickness. Do not love that. Yes, I get extremely tired, worn out and frustrated. Don't love that either. I have days where I feel overwhelmed and discouraged and like I'm not doing enough or doing everything "right".  Don't enjoy those days at all. I order take out when I'm too tired to cook-even when my heart is to give my family a home cooked meal. I have many, many sleepless nights, which means my husband does too. Feel badly about that. In spite of all of that , I still love being pregnant and every single wonderful, miraculous moment that goes along with it. I am truly enjoying these last few weeks. Capturing in photographs and words what my heart is feeling. Thank you Father for calling me Mother once more. I am so thankful.

Pixie Lily

This is my absolute favorite for newborn babies. There is nothing like the soft cotton and heirloom design. We brought Bella Grace home from the hospital in a Pixie Lily gown and blanket. Then when Bennett was born we photographed him in a gorgeous white Pixie Lily day gown set. Then when Emma Pearl was born her Nana gave her the most gorgeous white gown with tiny pink rose buds which we used during the photo shoot for her birth announcement. Today the Prince was blessed with a huge package of gifts from his Nana. Each one wrapped in the most beautiful paper and packaging, as well as sibling gifts for everyone. It was like a baby shower in a box! Inside one of the gifts were two gorgeous Pixie Lily gowns and a matching blanket! One is white trimmed out in baby blue tatting with baby blue tassel drawstrings-stop the press! The other one has tiny baby blue birds and little nests printed all over it- this one with a matching blanket too. It's all going with us to the hospital! Yes, I take my own baby things with me to the hospital. As soon as they can get the newest family member dressed and in my arms, I am undressing him or her and putting something else on our new baby. This would include gown, blanket, booties and a monogrammed hat. It is a bit of a joke with our family and friends! I can't help myself and the hospital clothes and blankets are so stiff and unattractive. Besides, I don't want all of the hospital pictures to look the same! Thank you so much Nana for all of the gifts and for thinking of us and being such a wonderful grandmother. We can't wait for your upcoming visit!

Preparing A Place

I just ordered this Sausalito moses basket from Serena and Lily for the Prince. I just love the colors and textures and how absolutely darling it is. We have a bassinet for him but I wanted something additional that we could tote around the house or take with us when we go to visit friends. I cannot wait to photograph him in this little boy boat bag!

And Just Like That

And just like that you are all grown up.....

At 5:00 this morning you left for college. Your car was packed from floorboard to ceiling and I'm sure my heart was in there somewhere.  No more ball games where I get to be the cheerleaders- cheerleader or asking you to clean your room, only to have you tell me that it is clean. When I point out that there are still clothes lying around everywhere, I will miss you telling me that those are your "options" for the week. I will miss hearing your contagious laugh and your beautiful voice calling for me. I would know your voice in a crowd of a thousand.

I will miss your music, your dancing, your antics, your silliness and your great big personality that is larger than life. I will miss watching you with your siblings and admiring the way you love them and the way that they love your in return. I will miss your walking into the house and it being like a super star walked in with all of the children running to you and calling your name.  I will miss waiting up for you to come home- or falling asleep waiting for you to come home. Most of all, I will just miss you , your beautiful spirit, and your great big presence that changes the atmosphere every time you walk into the room. I'm counting down the days until you get to come home. I miss you already my precious first born gift......

One Month

One month from today this precious girl will be a big sister again.

And this sweet boy will have a brother to know and to love.

One month from today Pearl will no longer be the baby

And there will be one more gift on this train.

One month from today- you will be here sweet prince

and there will be joy unspeakable- times five.

And our arms full of tiny ones to love

How blessed we are...

We anxiously await your arrival-our sweet baby boy.

The fifth gift due

9. 8. 08

Hugs from Heaven

"Mommy, you can't see Jesus, but I am holding His hand." This is how my precious Bella Grace

greeted me this morning. I looked at her with mouth wide opened and tears in my eyes. As I looked down she was holding her hand as if He truly were there in person. I said, "Oh honey, I can see Jesus, every time I look at you." She smiled and hugged me and then said," Can Jesus have a turn to hug you?" - and hug He did. Through the love and affection of a beautiful, spirit filled five year old. I am amazed at how He knows exactly how to minister to each and everyone of us.

Southern Comfort

Look at what the Lord has done! After months of praying, seeking and asking for His perfect will- we found out about a month ago that He has made a new way- an even better way for us to have a deep desire of our hearts. One of those deep desires was to move once our oldest graduated from high school. This past spring He made a way but in our hearts we new it would not be a permanent move since we ultimately wanted to get back to the deep south. This was exciting and exhausting all at the same time! The thought of moving this big family now and then eventually moving again left me feeling very unsettled. We wanted to get somewhere and make our permanent home and felt that the children really needed that stability. So we are looking forward to our move and making our permanent home in the southeast and will no longer be moving to Texas. I wanted to thank all of the wonderful readers who left comments offering to help us with their knowledge of the Dallas area. It seems like such an incredible place to raise a family- our hearts are just connected to the southeast. We are looking forward to taking the children to SEC football games and tailgating with all of our old friends, being within a few hours of our favorite beach spot- Seaside, and just enjoying all the comforts the South has to offer.  I am ready to get to our new home and plant trees in our yard for each of the children as well as show them where their Daddy played college football, visit with lots of friends, start a supper club, join a ladies bible study and watch my children play outside 9 months out of the year! We are so excited and so thankful for this opportunity not to mention my husband is beyond grateful to say goodbye to his very long commute. He will be able to be home with us each day by 4:00 or so. This has been such a desire of his heart as he wants to help coach t-ball and soccer and be present for Bella Grace's dance classes and just be home every night in time for a much earlier dinner with the whole family. We also wanted to be closer to Macey while she was away at college. It was ripping our hearts out to have her so far away from home. Oh how He truly knows the desires of our hearts!  

Chief Imagination Officer

There are so many things going on here at once in our house that I truly feel like a CEO! Only I would like to change my title to CIO- Chief Imagination Officer!  In my imagination- here is a perfect example of how I would like things to look here each day! The above picture would greet my children on the breakfast table each morning. Please note the watering can topper. That would be filled with orange juice and instead of cupcakes, there would be flower muffins with cream cheese frosting. There would also be a monogram in here somewhere- perhaps on the watering can. This is completely opposite of how things really are right now of course, but a girl has to dream.....

photo credit: Martha Stewart

A Letter To My Son

My Precious Son,

How long we have waited for you! You are already loved beyond measure and you are filled with the gift of hope, love, life and His Spirit. You have such a place in this family and in this world and we are each one praying for you and for your safe arrival each and every day. You are already blessed and highly favored -even from the womb and we are anxiously awaiting the moment that we can hold you in our arms. You are blessed with a family who already loves you so. We are awaiting your arrival with prayers and thanksgiving and preparing your place here in your new home with great joy and anticipation. I am on my knees son, praying for you- that you would arrive healthy and whole. Seeking Him- that I would raise you up in the admonition of the Lord. Asking Him- for wisdom, guidance and supernatural grace that I would train you up in the way that you should go.  Trusting Him- that He will be there with me as you are born and in the years to come. Believing Him- that you, my sweet son, my fifth gift are a blessing to this world, a world changer, a counselor, a warrior, a servant, a treasure within an earthen vessel. 

I am on my knees with gratitude to be called your Mother....

Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.- 1 Corinthians 2:9