Brecken Lynn

April 24, 2013....the long awaited due date!  This sweet little bundle was just nestled all snuggly in my belly.  Although I was dilated to 3cm for a few weeks, she didn't want to start to come down....so thanks to some pitocin and an awesome epidural.....we evicted the baby!

Here's my picture as I was about to lay in the bed the morning of the induction.  I carried this baby straight out in front of me....very different than before!

 Once I had gotten all checked in and things were going smoothly, my parents and Jerry's parents brought the kids up to see me.  We had lots of discussions about what Mommy would be wearing, what the room would look like, that I would be hooked up to a computer, that I would have an IV, etc.  They were super prepared, and did great!

 Sometimes you have to bribe a boy.....this time it was, "do a picture with 1 good smile, then we'll do a silly one" HA!

 The excited big sister and big brother!

 Last picture as a family of 4

At 4:00 PM, Miss Brecken Lynn entered the world.  While waiting on the doctor to arrive, the nurses all agreed that this baby had a big head (in case you're wondering....it wasn't my favorite thing to hear as I was mid-pushing with my feet in stirrups....thank you Lord for a great epidural!)  I just blew them off, but when she was born, Dr. Sarver held her and said, "Whoa, I'm guessing a 9 1/2 or 10 pounder"! I knew at that moment this baby was big!  

So, we didn't know what we were having going into this day....and Jerry and I both agreed that we thought we would meet our baby boy.  I was beyond shocked to see my chunky baby girl!  I was so in love the moment I laid eyes on her.  She was 22 inches long, and had a full head of hair (I kept joking throughout the pregnancy that I was going to give birth to a kid with an afro based on the amount of heartburn I had....)

Then it was time for big brother and big sister to meet their little sister!

 They were SO EXCITED!!!

 They even brought Brecken a present :)

 Thank you Lord for my precious, healthy, and happy family.  I still tear up thinking about how blessed Jerry and I truly are.

.....more to come!

LB3's Nursery Makeover

LB3's room has been a guest bedroom for the past 2 years.  This was our original nursery for Anniston and Treyson.  When we moved Anniston upstairs and Treyson down the hall 2 years ago, we slid the King bed into this space to have our "grandparent room".  I used the same crib bedding for Anniston and Treyson, but this time I just needed a change.

Here's the Before: (yes, our grandparent room didn't match for anything....but we weren't going to do anything major because--at that point--we weren't sure if we were done having kids!)

 My super sweet and super-duper talented friend, Amanda Reed (who owns Bibs and Cribs--look her up on FB) helped me come up with a very sweet, neutral vision that I am now totally in love with.  The first project was to re-do the lower half of the room by creating faux panels.  Thank goodness my husband is so handy :)

 My engineer hard at work.  He had everything sketched out and planned to a "T"

 We then bought a French Provincial dresser at a resale shop, and Jerry and the kids painted it to then later be distressed with paint.

 We got a fresh coat (of the same color) paint on the top half of the walls, then had the bottom half painted a glossy white.  I just LOVE how it turned out!  Amanda distressed the dresser and added in the accessories.  There are a few blank frames above the changing table/dresser that will be filled in soon!

 We got this crib (for free) from a super precious family who just wanted it out of their garage.  I''m so thankful that our friend Sarah got us into contact with this family.  We are so thankful!  It was already a ivory color, so Amanda just had to distress it, then we sealed it.  To the left are the 2 tubs of newborn clothes (1 boy tub/ 1 girl tub)......the Grandmas are going to wash these for us while we're in the hospital :)

 The built-in.  Still a work in progress, but I'm loving how it's coming along.  We are using some Childcraft books that were in my house as I grew up (non-internet/Google days).

 Dana Zirkle of Pish Posh Creations (website and FB) made the curtains and bedding.  She also made our first crib set.  We went to church with her.  She moved away to Kentucky, and now Nashville....but she is super talented and reasonable....I'm so glad she was able to make these curtains for us!  I love them!!

 The rocking chair!  We got this at a store in Rogers and spent way too much on it....however, I had a glider rocker before and my arm would get very uncomfortable while sitting in it to nurse in the middle of the night, so I knew I wanted something more comfortable.  Going with a deep brown will allow us to move it out into the living room some day. (excuse all of the bags on and to the side of the chair.....we've been packed for the hospital for a couple of weeks since I've been dilated to 3 cm....no such luck with the early delivery--ha!)

 I know a little boy and girl who are SO EXCITED to wear these shirts!!  I had so much fun making these for them :)

1 more day till we meet our little bit!!!  We are beyond excited!

Father/Daughter Dance 2013

Anniston's elementary school hosted a Father/Daughter Dance Friday night.  The theme was "Hollywood", so I explained to Anniston that it was meant to be a fancy dance.  She was so excited to go shopping for her dress (a couple of posts ago).  We completed the ensemble with new wedge shoes (her idea), and a flower to match.  This girl knew EXACTLY how she wanted to dress up, down to how her hair should look!  

I picked her up Friday, and we immediately went to work.....she showered, we dried her hair, painted her toes and fingernails, then worked on her up-do.  Once the look was complete, she got dressed and had me add some "sparkle" to her eyes and lips.  She looked so grown up!

Anniston decided that she wanted to hide upstairs so that Dadoo didn't see her until it was time to go.  Jerry got all gussied up and looking SO handsome in his suit (Anniston asked him to wear a tuxedo, but settled for his fancy suit).  

Then it happened.....the doorbell rang.....Dadoo got a glimpse of his princess, and he was BESIDE himself :)

NOTE: NONE OF THESE PICTURES WERE SCRIPTED.....THIS IS JUST ME SNAPPING AWAY AS THE MOMENT PLAYED OUT.....UGH, MELT ME!!!!

 Dadoo got down on one knee to put on her wrist corsage

 Pure love!!

 (ok, these were most definitely scripted!)  A few outdoor pics before they left for their dance!

Jerry, this moment you gave Anniston absolutely melts me into mush!  You are such an amazing Dadoo, and these kids are so unbelievably blessed that you are their father.  What an example you are showing for not only Anniston as to how a man should treat her, but also to Treyson who witnessed everything you did for Anniston.  That is how he will learn to treat a lady, and be such a wonderful man, husband, and father (just like you!).  I love you more with each passing day!

Anniston, I hope that you had a wonderful time with Dadoo last night.  He was just as excited as you were to attend the dance.  He's been waiting for this since you were born! You are certainly his precious baby girl, and he is so proud of the sweet, loving girl that you are.  You'll always be Dadoo's sweet baby girl! I love you!