Meet Lillian Mabel

So, I am very late in getting our blog updated. Lillian (Lilly) Mabel arrived March 18th, at 10:42 am. She was 7 lbs. 8 oz., 20 1/2 inches long. Here are some pictures from the hospital. Norah was very excited to meet her, and wanted to hold her right away!

We came home on the 20th. We were greeted by Norah and my mom. We were very thankful Mom came to stay here with Norah, so Norah didn't have to leave and go somewhere else. They had lots of fun. Here are some pics of coming home, around the house, and a visit from Great Grandma Mabel!

And here are a few more cute photos. Lilly is 3 1/2 weeks old now. We are still adjusting. But love having two girls! So thankful for how God has blessed us.

Waiting...hoping...trusting

We are so anxious to meet our baby girl! We've been waiting 38 weeks, hoping for a healthy pregnancy, and trusting the Lord to work His will in our lives throughout this pregnancy! Norah was born at 37 1/2 weeks, so I'm already past the point I was with her.

Here are some pics that Lance's cousin took for us a couple weeks ago. I was just over 35 weeks in these pictured. Thanks, Kaylin!

I am hoping to deliver soon! But, again, we are trusting that God is in control, and He knows when this baby will come. Waiting is sometimes hard, but I am trying to make the most of this time with Norah. She has a cold right now, and had a bit of a traumatic experience yesterday, so she's been really lovey and 'huggy' as she told me today! Yesterday, she fell off a chair as she was trying to climb up by herself. I'm pretty sure one of her bottom teeth cut right through, just underneath her bottom lip. She hasn't complained much about it, but it doesn't look good.

Wanted to get another belly picture, just in case I would deliver soon! This is today, 38 weeks! Baby seems to be very healthy, and is very active! It's pretty amazing to think that there is a full-term baby inside me right now! Maybe the next time I blog, we will have a baby!!

Getting close

We are getting excited to meet our new little girl. I am 34 weeks right now...so, realistically, baby could come at any time! Norah affectionately refers to her little sister as Baby Cookie! The nickname has stuck with all of us. We don't quite have Baby Cookie's room ready yet, but we're working on it! Norah seems excited, though I'm sure it'll be a big transition for all of us.

Here is a quick recap of the past few months.

Lance, Norah, and I had a great week in Ogema, celebrating with lots of family during Christmas. Here are some pics of her and her grandparents (and our family Christmas picture).

Norah loves to get outside. But, unfortunately, Mommy doesn't take her out much. So she has to wait for the weekends when Daddy can spend time with her outside!

A couple weeks ago, Lance was in a wedding for a high school and college friend. Norah was with us for part of the time, and really enjoyed the dance floor.

And here are some baby bump pics. 

I have been so thankful for the recent Bible study we went through at our Thursday morning Women's study (at our church). God has been teaching me so much, about waiting on His timing, being still before Him, being desperate for Him, and the importance of being in His Word daily. I have really been hungering more for His Word, and spending time with Him. We have talked about the fact that we WILL face trials in our Christian walk, but the Bible says, "In this world you will have trouble. But take courage, I have overcome the world" John 16:33. What a comfort to know that God has it all under control. Nothing that happens in our life is by chance. He knows it all, way before we know it's coming. One of my life verses is this... Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." I am so thankful for my Heavenly Father, and the fact that I don't need to worry, because He's got my back!

Just an update

This is a fun, and busy time of year for us! Lance took the week of Thanksgiving off, so we went to visit our families and Lance hunted. We hopped from one house to the next, and enjoyed some wonderful time with our families! We have so very much to be thankful for! It seems fitting that I read this verse yesterday, just to remind me...Psalm 118:1 - Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. We are so blessed! Thanksgiving is a time to remember/celebrate that, but truly, we need to be thankful all year long! This is something I am trying to dwell on more often than I do...even the 'little' blessings like when Norah takes a long nap, or when Lance gets home from work early! :) There are so many 'little' blessings every day, and focussing on those, rather than the negatives of the day, makes for a much happier mommy and wife!

Here are a few pics from the past couple of months. I haven't done well with pictures, or blogging. I'm just not a great blogger. But...to catch you up... I am 23 weeks. We found out at the beginning of November, that Norah will have a baby sister! She affectionately calls her baby sister 'Cookie'. Not sure where that came from, but it's cute, and we're sticking with it! We are working with her to try and remind her of how to treat babies, that we're bringing a baby home with us in a little while, and that she's going to be a big sister! I don't know how much she understands, but she seems to get it at least a little!

Norah keeps us laughing and smiling most days! She continues to surprise us with the hilarious things she says! The other day I was telling her I loved her soooooo much, and she replied...grandma loves me to pieces (my mom often tells her this)! She has a very funny sense of humor and brings us so much joy! She loves her puzzles, babies, and recently has gotten interested in play-doh and cutting paper! She sings all the time...it's amazing how many songs she picks up from Sunday school or Puggles! Here are some silly pictures from the past few weeks...

Tomorrow we go to get our Christmas tree. Norah is excited, and we are too! Both Lance and I love having the house decorated, and enjoying the lights!

Fall is here

The last couple of weeks have been busy for us. We  celebrated Norah's birthday a couple weeks ago (I barely got any pictures that day, but the pictures we have on here are what my mom took of the cake time)! We had a fun afternoon with our family, and Norah really enjoyed her 'Bob cake'! :) I had asked her quite awhile before her birthday if she wanted a Veggie Tale party, and she clearly responded that she wanted a Bob cake! So, that's what we did...a Bob cake, and Bob cake pops!

 Norah got her first haircut last weekend! She had a bit of a baby mullet, and I was ready to get rid of it. Though we can't get cute pig-tails in very easily anymore, she looks like a big girl with her hair all one length! Now we are ready for it to start growing!!

We have tried to get outside with the beautiful fall weather we've had. My mom came for a visit last week and we had fun doing this photo shoot with Norah. She did a great job smiling for us!

Today we went downtown to the Harvest Fest. It was a very chilly day, but it was nice to get out. Norah enjoyed the swings and slide the most...but she also seemed to like the animals and pumpkin patch.

That's a quick update on our lives for the past couple of weeks. We are really enjoying this stage with Norah. She is lots of fun...and so interactive and talkative!

She's 2

Two years ago today, our precious little girl came into our lives! We can't believe two years have gone by. She has grown up so much, and has brought us so much joy. We praise the Lord for His goodness, and blessing us with this busy, fun, energetic, silly, and tender little girl. Happy Birthday Norah! We love you.

It's been awhile

I have not done very well this summer, keeping up our blog. There will be lots of pictures to post from our summer, but here's a bit of what we've been up to since our last post.

Norah loved to be outside (at least at the beginning of summer). We spent a lot of time playing in her pool (especially early on in the summer when we had such beautiful weather). We decided to put her little slide into the pool, so she could slide in and splash. It was lots of fun! She and Lance play outside most days when he gets home from work. Daddy is much more fun outside than Mommy!!

We enjoyed lots of visits from Grandmas and Grandpas, aunts and uncles, cousins, and friends!

Norah enjoyed a few trips to the library for story time. It's such a great program that our library offers. They would read a story, then sing a song, and repeat that a few times. We didn't know anyone there, but Norah had lots of fun anyway! We also made multiple trips to the pool and the park...two of Norah's favorites this summer! Norah had fun at a small petting zoo that Wausau had at the Balloon Rally and Glow. She loves animals, and doesn't have much fear around them.

At the end of July, we found out I am expecting!!! I am almost 12 weeks, and we are thrilled. I am due March 28th. Norah thinks the baby is a boy...time will tell! I had a few weeks of laying low and not doing much, and Norah was a trooper. She did well with just hanging out with Mom and reading LOTS of books. This girl LOVES her books! She often reads to herself if we are busy and not able to read to her!

Lance ran in a 1/2 triathlon again this year. He cut 13 minutes off his time from last year, and felt really good afterwards. He is really enjoying running right now...running a few days a week, and running long runs on the weekends!

I am enjoying the change in weather, and getting into a routine again. Fall is my favorite time of the year...the crisp weather, caramel apples, changing leaves, apple cider, pumpkins, and wearing sweatshirts again! I also am really looking forward to our Women's Bible study starting up again this week. I love that our church has such a great Women's ministry, and I'm so thankful for the teachers/facilitators He has placed in the group!

Norah just started in the Awana program at our church...she is a Puggle. For anyone who doesn't know, Puggles is for 2 year olds. She had a great time last week and has been talking about it constantly. Even at 2, they teach the kids verses. The day after Awana, Norah was saying something to me over and over...I couldn't understand her, so asked her to repeat it. She said, "God made everything, Momma"! :) She remembered her verse from the night before, and that melted this momma's heart! I love that she is learning God's Word at such a young age. (Picture below is her first night of Puggles).

Norah is at such a fun stage right now (also a very challenging stage)! :) She is talking up a storm, and remembers so much. She loves books, Veggie Tales, chapstick, swinging, and most recently puzzles!  She is sometimes snuggly at bedtime...we take advantage of those times!

A couple weeks ago Norah told me she loved me for the first time. It was very sweet and made me tear up. (She was very clever to say this when I was getting frustrated with her for not eating her breakfast)!

I so love being a mom, and I'm very thankful for how God has provided for us to allow me to be home.