Ella Marseille

Ella is almost 2 weeks old. We are so in love. Here are a bunch of pictures, hopefully I'll have some time to write about her in the next few days. 

This girl

When did this girl get so grown up?  She will turn 10 a week from today.  I really don't want her birthday to be overshadowed by the new baby.  10 is a big one.  Double digits. 
I was thinking back to when Haley was the youngest for so long.  For 7 years she reigned as the youngest child! For a long time, we thought that she would always be the youngest.  And now, we have Lily and I'm a day away from having another little girl.  Things are definitely different than we would have guessed back then.  But, so wonderful. 
It's so fun seeing Haley be such a good big sister.  She and Lily really have a special bond.  They love each other so much.  Lately, Haley has been planning "school" for Lily and she will keep her busy and engaged for 2-3 hours at a time.  It is so fun to watch them together.  They are so lucky to have each other and to soon have another little girl to play with. 
I am so blessed to be Haley's mother.  She teaches me and inspires me and pushes me to be better.  She is stubborn and strong-willed, but sweet and helpful at the same time.  She's always trying to do the right thing and take care of everyone.  I love her so much and hope she has the best birthday ever.

Instagram pics

Lily waiting for me during my doctor's appointment.   Everyone loves her there.

Our friend's goat had babies.  So cute!

Breakfast for dinner.  Yum!

Crocheted hearts for Valentine's Day. 

After seeing the Lego Movie.  We all loved it! 

Lily loves to dress herself. 

We've been having such nice weather lately--70's and 80's.  Beautiful!

Me Lately

I'm starting to really get excited for this new baby. (I think we finally decided on a name.)

I'm reading The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks and loving it.

I'm enjoying cooking and cleaning lately (WEIRD!)

I'm re-reading the Old Testament and it makes me think A LOT.

I'm loving learning about the stock market with Britton and we just started a new investment strategy on our game and it's going really well.  I may be a bit obsessed, checking our stocks all throughout the day. 

I'm embracing the slow pace of our lives these days.  I know it won't always be this way, so I'm trying to enjoy the fact that most days I don't have anywhere I have to be or anything I have to do except spend time with my kids.  It's glorious really.

I'm grateful for my in-laws and the time they just spent visiting us.  And looking forward to when my mom gets here for a visit in a couple weeks. 

I'm appreciating the times when my kids play well together.  They love playing "survival" games.  They just built a hammock in Haley's room and take turns pretending they are out in the wild. 

I'm soaking in the good weather that just arrived today.  We've had a cold spell the last week or so.  Today was shorts and t-shirts weather and it will be in the 80's by the weekend. 

I'm doing a Facebook fast this month and it is so nice.  Maybe it will be a permanent thing. 

I'm dreaming about buying a house so that we can stop renting here. 

I'm looking forward to Valentine's Day tomorrow.  We are starting a new tradition going on a fancy family date.

I'm thankful for the abundance of work that Jason has right now.  He works so hard and is great at what he does.  

Surprise Baby Shower

Last Saturday my friends here threw a surprise baby shower for me. It was so much fun and they all were so generous and completely spoiled me!  I am blessed to have such great friends here. 

Less than 4 weeks until my due date!  I can't wait to meet this little girl!

Another one from Lily

Last night Lily said something about Sleeping Beauty.  So, I said, "Are you my Sleeping Beauty?"  She answered, "No, I'm just an awake beauty."

Love that girl.

The other day these three were snuggling while I was reading to them. I'm so lucky to be their mom.