The Last Few Weeks

Hey all! Well, I've decided I'm not so great at this blogging thing , but I'm trying to improve! 

The last few weeks have been a lot of fun! Craig and I celebrated our 3 year wedding anniversary by going to St. Louis and seeing Coldplay! We loved every second of it except that we literally waited 45 minutes in our parking spot after the concert without moving an inch! haha But other than that, Coldplay was fantastic. At one point in the evening, they got off stage and came directly behind us to perform. AMAZING!  I was not ashamed to stand up on my seat to make sure I got the best view! They literally were only like 10 feet away from us....so awesome. Craig and I really enjoyed ourselves. I still can't believe that we have already been married 3 years. It seems like just yesterday I was walking down the aisle, but agh now I'm pregnant. That is still so surreal for me sometimes. I can truly say I am more in love with Craig though than ever before. I never really understood people when they would say that but now I get it. I love all of the ways he "gets" me...sometimes it is even scary how well he knows me. We laugh with each other a lot, and I am just so thrilled about starting a family with my hunk of a man! hehe

We also went back to Conway for the last time before me move this past weekend! Talk about weird. Only three weeks until we move back, and we are both mixed with a lot of sadness and excitement. It really hit me when I got back from our weekend there that I will be leaving behind some dear friends and a place that has truly fostered so much growth and truth in my life here at Doulos. It will be really hard to leave this place, but I know moving back to Conway is where the Lord has us. There will be a lot of transition and change in the months to come which isn't always the most exciting, but I am truly hopeful and expectant of the many ways the Lord will richly provide for us in Conway! 

One piece of exciting news is that WE BOUGHT A PUPPY! We have been looking for a while now for a labradoodle puppy, and we found one in Brinkley, AR. So this past Saturday we made the trek to Brinkley and played with our to be puppy! He was a little skittish at first but got really playful after a while. His name is Oscar, but wee have decided to change his name to Brinkley because we love the name and he is from Brinkley! Like on You've Got Mail! Craig has never had a puppy and I have been dying to have one for three years, so we can't wait to pick him up in three weeks! We like the idea of Brinkley and Ethan growing up together! :)

   

Little Ethan is doing well! He is kicking a whole lot which is fun! I will be six months next Friday....time has flown by so quickly! Well, I will try to get better at blogging so when I do they aren't so incredibly long! Much Love!

   

Ethan Asher Conner

Let me just tell you there are so many names out there! Sadly though, Craig and I had a name picked out like a month ago, okay maybe like two months ago....  We both love "E" and "C" names, so ever since we found out I was pregnant, we have been mulling over name choices. I know your are probably thinking we will be those people that send out Christmas cards and our whole family will have "E" or "C" names... and you will want to gag yourself. haha. Well, let's be real it just might happen, so don't judge us! But i give you free reign to make fun of us!

On a serious note, one of my old mentors Stephanie Qualls talked to me one time about the importance of the meaning behind a name, and why her and her husband decided to look at names that they not only  liked but that had a deeper significance, so that they could pray over their child based on the specific meaning of their name.  That really resonated with me, so Craig and I were on a mission to find an "E" or "C" name that had a special meaning as well! We officially decided on Ethan Asher Conner! Ethan means strong, firm, optimistic, and enduring, while Asher means fortunate, blessed, and happy!  Both names are Hebrew, and Ethan in the Old Testament was a member of David's court and wrote Psalm 89. The first part of the psalm says, 

               

  "I will sing of the Lord's great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations.  I will declare that your love stands firm forever, that you established your faithfulness in heaven itself."

We pray that our little Ethan will grow up to be a man who deeply knows the Lord's love and faithfulness in a way that will bring hope and light to others! The Lord has already used Ethan to deepen our understanding of the Lord's deep and committed love for us, so I can't begin to fathom how He will use Ethan to share love with so many others! 

It's a Boy!

  As our first blog, we thought it fitting to announce we are having a little baby boy! After a cancelled appointment two weeks ago, we have been reeling with anticipation and excitement to find out the sex of our baby, and today we did! We officially knew the baby was a boy when the ultrasound tech announced, "Look there is his little turtle!" Hilarious! I'm sure he will blush every time he hears that story when he is older!

  Craig and I were completely overjoyed to see our little man today! We watched the monitor in awe as  our little one moved around in my belly! He yawned, kicked, and even sucked his thumb for us...so precious! The 3D/4D ultrasound was incredible! We could see his eyes, nose, ears, fingers, and toes. It is so hard to believe that after only 20 weeks God has created such an intricate precious human being .  We truly feel thankful and blessed! We spent most of the day talking about him and dreaming about him, and we even bought him his first Cardinals t-shirt...Pujols of course! The first of many, I'm sure.

   Today was such a great blessing!  As I sit here reflecting on it, I am amazed at the many ways God has already been using our little baby boy to teach us and love on us! Craig and I have both been learning so much during this season of pregnancy about deepening our trust in God's unwavering character! So many fears and circumstances have pulled at us to try to take away our joy in this season, but the Lord keeps showing us that we must put our hope in Him, not in fear or circumstances because there will always be things to fear. I truly feel so much more aware of the Lord's presence in my life through this little one! I can't believe there are only 4 more months until we get to meet our little guy! That blows my mind! 

   We are excited to see what the rest of this pregnancy journey will bring, and we feel so blessed to have incredible friends and family to walk alongside us in the process! We love you!