Pumpkin Patch

sneak peak and our little surprise

We had another ultrasound today and got to see baby girl's little face! Yes, that's right, no parts grown and she still appears to be a girl. The ultrasound tech said that sometimes she doesn't like to do the 4-D ultrasound so early (21 weeks) simply because the babies usually still look scrawny (I think her words were "sea monkey") and parents don't always understand this fact and freak out when they see their baby live! But, she relented and let us look and I'm so glad she did. We got a great shot of her face! The tech right away thought baby #2's lips looked just like her big sister's. Grace really loved seeing the baby. Our little surprise is that we are pretty sure that we have a name picked out, but we're not telling! We've decided it would be fun to announce her name when she is born. And, it's not a name like we have discussed with others in the past (we've ruled out Faith, Charity, Hope, and other names of the sort), but we found a different name we both really love. Can't wait to tell you! Kevin says I have to be strong because I usually cave and spill the beans, but we decided this would be fun to wait and tell. Let's see if I can do it because I REALLY love this name!

Nana and Pappaw's visit

Kevin's parents drove up to visit us this week, and we had a great visit! We're looking forward to their visit in November, too, and at that time they will be bringing Aunt Kimberly along (Kevin's little sis), who gets back to the US this week after spending 3 years in North Africa! Cute picture taken at a local park

In the background, you can see the hospital where baby #2 will be born!

Here's Grace playing in what will be her "Fall Festival" costume. :) She loves to dress up these days. Nana and Pappaw bought her a bath toy fishing game while they were here, and Grace seems to believe the bath toy should be played at any time of the day. So, sometimes we put a little water in the tub and let her "fish."

Baby Evyn

My dear Kristen gave birth to Evyn May this past Wednesday. She's a beautiful baby with all sorts of dark hair! I'm looking forward to some fun playdates with Kristen, Carter, and Evyn now that Kristen's on maternity leave for several weeks. What great timing!! Evyn arrived on Oct. 22, weighing in at 6 lb. 13 oz. and was 19 1/2 inches long. Big brother Carter is so sweet and smitten with her!

in Oklahoma City

Before and after 2 separate conferences, we got to see my brother Chad and his wife Erin and their 3 sweet kiddos. They were gracious to let us stay with them, including one night while Grace was sick. (Erin, hope we didn't share any germs!) We also got to celebrate my mom's birthday together. We're looking forward to more time together at Thanksgiving, when my sister and her family will join us, too. Grace and her cousin Jake are just 2 1/2 months apart! Granna with 4 of her grandkids At a conference in OKC, Grace made a new friend who was kind enough to share her princess play clothes!

catching up - part 1 - in Lindale

Wow am I behind in my posts! We are back in Lubbock after 3 full weeks of travel. Correction, Grace and I are back in Lubbock while Kevin is on yet another speaking engagement. I've decided there's only so much travel that one can possibly handle with a toddler! Actually, Grace transitioned pretty well to all 5 places we stayed, with the only major drama happening in Oklahoma City. Some dear friends were waiting on us at a Mexican restaurant while Grace decided to have the worst meltdown I've ever witnessed. You know, the kind where your child is crying so hard she sounds like a barking dog and people are stopping and staring in horror! But Grace did have loads of fun in 2 different childcare settings and made some new little friends. Our travels took us to Lindale (East Texas), Oklahoma City, and Virginia. Here are some pictures from Lindale and the fun we had with Nana and Pappaw. Here are some pictures from the Tyler State Park. Nana and Pappaw's dog, Buddy, was definitely a highlight for Grace. I'm not sure who was walking whom... This girl would swing for an hour straight if we let her! One evening we drove to meet Kevin's brother Steve and his wife Crystal at Red Lobster! Tyler has a fun zoo...

Of course Grace's favorite part of the zoo was getting pulled in the wagon But watching Pappaw feed the birds was fun too! Our dear friends from SWBTS, the Hoffmans, drove from Athens so we could spend some time together. It was a blast catching up but way too short! Most of our favorite memories from seminary days in Ft. Worth include Jason and Amy. We used to sit on our front porches at night and eat ice cream together! It's hard to believe Haley is already 6 years old. What a sweetie! And little James is an absolute clone of his daddy! Fun!