Could our daughter be any more beautiful? Don't think so!!

As many of you already know, Ella Marie was born on August 4th at 3:59pm. She did not come on her own, it took a little coaxing with some large doses of pitocin, but eventually, she caved. We started the pitocin at noon and after some time in a rocking chair, a little swaying and a big red birthing ball, (which I highly recommend to anybody attempting to deliver without an epidural!) She came very quickly after 2 pushes. One would think that would be a good thing, but the poor little miss got quite bruised and battered from her fast delivery.



























She weighed 8 lbs and 5 oz and was 21 inches long. Not the smallest baby I've had, but also not the largest either. Here's some shots of Ella and Daddy.




























By the next day, a lot of her bruising and swelling had gone down. They brought her to us that morning with a precious little bow glued to her head. Who'd have ever thought we'd be so excited to be able to glue something to our baby's head?!




























The boys were pretty excited to come and see her. Maddox liked the fact that she had a lot of dark hair like he did when he was born.





























Ella and Grandma












Before we knew it, it was time to take our new daughter home. Here she is all strapped in for her first car ride. Having not gotten to leave the hospital the last two times with a baby sure makes you grateful for being able to take one home with you!

Here are a few images of Ella since we've brought her home. We think that she is the most beautiful daughter we've ever had. The first picture is Ella in an outfit that we bought right after Caden was born. We were sure the next one would probably be a girl and since we loved the outfit so much, we went ahead and bought it. It really felt good to get to use it!

She is such a wonderful little baby. She eats and sleeps so well. What a wonderful gift that the Lord has given us!!

First Day of School!!

This past Monday marked the first day of school for Caden and Maddox. Caden is now in second grade and Maddox started Kindergarten. I cannot believe how fast time is flying by. It was a very emotional time around our house lately anyway, but sending Maddox to Kindergarten DID NOT help the situation at all!





Caden has Mrs. Manner for his teacher. We went last Thursday for him to unpack his backpack and find his classroom. Here is a picture of him in front of his locker.
















That same night Maddox got to meet his teacher, Mrs. Andrews. She did a really good job of helping him to feel more comfortable that night. Maddox had been getting a little nervous about going to Kindergarten and not knowing anybody. He was also pretty sure that he was going to miss preschool. Well, that has not been an issue since!




















Monday morning did not go exactly as we would have liked, but it went as well as it could have. When Caden went to Kindergarten, we all walked down to the end of our cul-de-sac and saw him off on the bus. For Maddox, it was not just raining, it was POURING! So, we drove down to the end of the street, waited for the bus in the van, then sent them out running for it as I snapped a couple shots of them from behind.
















Then, just as we had done for Caden, we drove to the school to take pictures as they unload, the Kindergartners are grouped off by class, and then parade into the school, waving and blowing kisses. Of course this could not go as planned, so instead Bob got a couple pictures of them getting off the bus and then we all went into the gym, where they met their class and then headed off to the first day of their academic careers!

I Love My "Kids"

As the hours tick down to when we finally get to meet our daughter, I find this to actually be a little exciting and sad at the same time. Don't get me wrong, I am so excited to experience raising a little girl. But at the same time, I've come to love my role as a "Boy Mom." I remember back to the day we were told that Caden was a boy. I hate to admit that I cried for days. I recall saying to Bob, "What am I going to do with a boy?" Well, I quickly found out -I would love him terribly. With each son came a fear that I may never get to experience the mother/daughter relationship. However, I also learned that I had such special relationships with my sons. No, they aren't necessarily the same that I expect to share with Ella, but wonderful and special in their own right. I love that they have an innate desire to want to protect and serve me, which will one day be showered upon four wonderful young ladies. I love that I get to help raise up these boys to be strong Christian men. The Lord has bestowed such on honor to me as to make me responsible for helping shape the lives of these four boys who will someday be the leaders in their homes. WOW! What a blessing!

So, I just ask for prayer for our transitioning family. Tomorrow is when our house of blue officially gets its splash of pink. I will move from Boy Mom to Boy/Girl Mom, and we will now have "the kids" instead of "the boys"!

I will update as soon as we get home with pictures of our beautiful baby girl!!