BOYS all around!

We are excited to announce that we have a precious little BOY on the way! He is healthy and we are so thrilled that Ethan will have a little buddy. A lot of people have asked me how I feel about having another boy, and I can say in all honesty that I am PUMPED! I think one day I would like to have a girl, God willing, but I am beyond blessed to think about having two boys! I truly have such a heart for raising our boys to know God's truths and show them that they aren't defined by WHAT they do but WHO God made them to be and the purposes He has for them and the gifts He has uniquely placed in them. I think the Lord has placed this on my heart, as I have seen the way our culture encourages men to let go of their true purposes and God given talents all for the sake of status, money, and societal "norms." I truly cannot wait to see the plans that God has for this new baby and for Ethan! I get giddy thinking about it!

I thought I would devote this blog to Ethan's quirks and favorite things! It cracks me up at how such a young age he already has a full personality and so many opinions about his world....i love watching him interact with others and his surroundings!

He Loves:

-Cuddling! This is one of my favorites. He cuddles with Craig and I all the time and he loves giving kisses. I know this won't always be the case, so I am soaking it up! He really does have such a loving nature.

-Balls, balls, balls-He is pure little boy and carries a ball around with him everywhere we go or if he sees a ball in a store or a kid playing with it, he becomes obsessed with figuring out how he can get to it.

-Playing outside, rain or shine. I have to drag the child inside when it is raining because he doesn't understand why it is too cold or wet to play.

-Giggling. A good book, veggie tales, hide and seek, mommy and daddy tickling him or chasing him around prove to be good ways to get him to giggle.

-Tickling others feet. His Mel Mel taught him how to do this at a young age, so now when he sees toes, he goes straight for the tickle.

-Macaroni and Cheese, Chicken Nuggets, Pineapple, Peas, and Goldfish are some of his favorite foods.

- Cell phones! Sad but true. He is always grabbing for ours, so we finally gave him an old one of ours and he walks around with it having "conversations". Hilarious!

- His blankie. His blanket goes with us wherever we go because it is his comfort blankie. Luckily we have two, because it gets dragged, spilled on, and chewed on constantly. He looks like a little Linus.

-Flirting with older girls. I'm not so sure about this one, but it sure is cute. He manages to bat a flirty smile at most girls he sees.

-Sour candy like me!

-Obsessed with balloons and any sort of animal!

-Music- He will start pumping his arms and bending his legs to just about any type of music.

-Being Adventuresome- He enjoys hanging upside down or trying out any new little game we come up with. He is always up for a new adventure

Quirks and Mannerisms:

-Calls telephones, "Hellos". Anytime he hears one ring, he says hello!

-Wants to wear his snow boots ALL the time

-Says "Uh Oh" anytime one shoe comes off

-Saying, " Hello and Bye Bye" automatically to anyone we see at the store

-Puddles up "his" blankie in a neat little pile and then lays his head on it before he goes to sleep

-Blows kisses all the time, even when we are just driving down the road

-Pointing up at the sky and saying "airpane" anytime he hears a noise that resembles one

-Dipping anything and everything in ketchup

-Loves sips of my morning coffee

-Likes to "pet" people. He doesn't quite know how to respect personal space, so we tell him to be gentle and since we started out teaching him gentle with our cat and dog, he pets kids when we tell him to be gentle....very funny.

-Tries to charm his way out of time-out or being disciplined by coming up to me and giving me kisses

Gosh, I could go on and on! I just love learning my little boy. He is so very special and unique, and I can't wait to see the boy he grows into!

Another Conner on the Way!

I am 17 weeks preggers! Most of you reading this probably already know that I am pregnant, but I figured I should go ahead and make it blog official as well. The last few months have been full of ups and downs for me as we were not expecting this little bundle, but God has been so gracious and gentle with me, and I feel like slowly I am getting more and more excited about this little baby inside of me!

We find out on April 19th what the sex of the baby is! I am convinced it is a girl because this pregnancy has been so different from Ethan's, but Craig is convinced Conner men can't have girls. We shall see! Ethan obviously doesn't really understand that I am pregnant but he sure has fun with my belly button sticking out! He is obsessed with belly buttons right now. I am so excited to see him as a big brother because he is very thoughtful, playful, and observant at such a young age. We went to see Beka, Clint, and their new little baby Rowin a couple of weekends ago and Ethan just thought the world of baby RoRo. He was very gentle with him and tried to sneak him a potato chip..:). Very cute!

I truly can't believe I am old enough to be having another child. It seems very surreal in so many ways. I am excited for the new adventure though. Ethan has blessed our lives more than I could ever have imagined, so I am eager to see what God has in store for our family through this new little bundle!

December in Review

December came and went in such a blur!

We celebrated our little man's birthday on December 3rd, and we had a fun safari birthday to celebrate with friends and family! Everyone tells you that time flies when you have a child, and it truly does. I think back to the very first day I held him and all the precious moments our first year brought us..the first time he smiled, the first time he laughed, the first time he crawled, the first time he said "mama and dada", and the first time he started gaining the confidence to walk. How sweet our precious life is, and I am so thankful for my Ethan Bear. He has so much strength, handsomeness, joy, and determination at such a young age. I am excited to see the purposes God has for him, and I truly can't wait to experience the many blessings a new year with him will bring!

December brought my last day of work as well. It was hard to say good-bye to all the children, volunteers, their families, and my sweet co-worker and bud Hilka, but I truly believe quitting and being at home is where the Lord is calling me to be at this season in my life. One closed door opened another, and I started Simply Shabby Designs(home decor made from vintage windows, doors, and such) in an effort to channel my crafty side and find a way to make a little bit of extra money for the family once I started being at home full time with Ethan. It was scary for me to take a risk and put myself out there, but it has been so much fun and I have seen the Lord bless my faith in doing so. Ashley Holden graciously allowed me to sell my stuff in her downtown Conway store Anything and Everything Design. I ended up selling over 10 items in December and getting a few custom orders!! I was so blessed by the business I had in December, and I can only attribute it to the Lord's graciousness. I have been having a lot of fun channelling my crafty side! I started a facebook page as well, so you can see my stuff there or visit the Conway store!

What else...ahh yes! Christmas. We were so thankful to have 2 weeks together as a family with Craig off from school! We made the most of it for sure, and one of our favorite past times became taking Ethan to PlayWorld during happy hour when it was half price admission! Craig loves goofing around, going down the slide, and chasing him around in there...so cute! Christmas with a child is so much fun even though Ethan really didn't know what to make of it. I just loved watching him interact with family. He really enjoys making others laugh, so he was definitely hamming it up and soaking up all the attention he could get! He got some of the coolest 1 year old gifts I have ever seen...mini 4 wheeler, b-ball goal, tent and tunnel, and oodles more. He is a blessed little boy that is for sure. He has lots of family and friends that enjoy showering him with some loving!

Well, that is it for now! I just wanted to give an update and put in some pics!

Ethan's 1 year pics!

At his 1st Birthday party!

Christmas 2010

Simply Shabby Designs...some of my first designs

Writing from the Heart

I'm not even sure I have any readers out there, considering I haven't posted since April, but I was inspired to write this morning. I was drinking my morning cup of coffee and thinking and praying. I was thinking about insecurity. Insecurity is something I have struggled with most of my life, but I am so sick of it being my companion. I've been insecure for too long, and this morning I feel the tug to let go.

Insecurity has robbed me of so many things over the years. It has kept me from taking risks. It has made me focus so much on myself that I have lost sight of others and their needs around me. It has made me hunger and thirst for others constant affirmation. It has made me look at facebook to see how many people have commented on my photos. It has made me wonder if I have a get together at my house, would anyone come. It has caused me to be too sensitive to others needed criticism. It has led me to consistent emotional waywardness. And worst of all it has convinced me too many times that I am defined by my insecurities.

But this morning, I'm ready to be free of it. As I was in the craziness of my head, I felt the gentle whisper of God telling me "Erin, I define you. I have made you perfectly imperfect. Your weaknesses glorify me. Your gifts exhibit me. I have given you strength and dignity that nobody can take away unless you give it to them. Rest in me." Precious words to my spirit this morning.

I think the timing of all of this is so impeccable. You see, I put in my resignation at work effective December 31st this week. After a lot of thought and prayer, Craig and I felt like it was the right decision. I have worked as the Community Program Coordinator for Big Brothers Big Sisters since February. While I have loved working with the volunteers and families in the community, I have felt burnt out and stressed for quite a while. Over the past few months, my desire has been to spend more time with Ethan, tap into my crafty side, and start meeting with women at church more. All things that I feel like God is pushing me towards, yet the night after I resigned, I was gripped with fear and insecurity. Shocker. I don't know why it surprised me. I started having all these thoughts about others thinking I am a failure for quitting, what if we struggle financially, etc etc.

The reality of me quitting is that we are trusting God with our finances in a way we never have before. While it is exciting, it is also scary. In an effort to try an make some supplemental income, I have been working on some vintage art and someone has graciously told me I could sell it in their store in downtown Conway, but I have been so intimidated to take it up there or let others see for fear of rejection. Why? My insecurity. So, I'm at a crossroads. I can either keep living in this chaos or let go.

I want to be the wife and mother and friend that God created me to be, not the person that others want me to be. So in an effort to have some accountability, I 'm letting go of my insecurity this morning. My hope and prayer is that those of you out there that struggle with insecurity would not let it rob you of any more precious moments. Let's take a stand for our God given dignity and strength and press into the very grace and love of Jesus.

More Pics

We celebrated Ethan's 4 month bday and Easter by going to Wye Mountain last Saturday and taking pics in the daffodils! It was beautiful and so much fun. Enjoy the pics!

Where do I begin......

I cannot tell you the number of times that I have thought about sitting down and writing this blog. What once was a week after his birth, quickly turned into a month, and a month turned into 4! You know how it is after you keep pushing something aside time after time-it becomes more and more daunting, and eventually seems impossible! I even thought about deleting the blog because it felt too overwhelming to sit down and write a blog post! haha isnt that sad?! Alas though, I finally sat down today to document the past four months of our Conner family life!

Well, as of Saturday, Ethan turned 4 months old! Man time flies by! Ethan was born December 3rd, 2009. He weighed 7 lbs and 10 oz, and I had a fairly quick and easy labor. He is such a precious little boy and his presence in our lives has blessed us more than I ever could imagine! His smile makes my heart melt, and I have just adored watching him explore the world. He coos all the time now and smiles at every opportunity. He now weighs 15 lbs, 6 oz. He is a strong and happy little boy, and I truly can't even remember life without him.

I will say though that the adjustment has been beautiful and messy all the same time! I have learned so much about life, God, and myself the past 4 months. At first, being a mommy was hard for me. Not because I didn't love Ethan but because I didn't really know how to do life with him here. Everything changed when he arrived! The first month he was here, I felt like Craig and I operated around him rather than as a family with him. Being on a 3 hour schedule was hard for me when I was used to operating on a schedule for just Craig and myself. Life was all of a sudden very different, beautiful, crazy, fun, yet different.

The truth is I was in a routine before Ethan. Deeply entrenched in my set ways, unknowingly how set in all honesty. Then little Ethan walked into my life and God has just been teaching me so many wonderful things. Here are some of the things I've learned....

1. Focus on the Eternal- I've learned to stop running from task to task, and enjoy the moment where I'm at by focusing on what matters...Ethan and people in my life. Not having a clean house all the time can be killer, but I realize it is just for a season.

2. I can't have my cake and eat it too -Wow...so hard to accept. I used to have my house clean, laundry done, phone calls made, and blog written. Now, Im lucky if I make dinner at night and take a quick shower/bath before bed!

3. I'm not, nor ever will be a perfect mom, and that is ok!

On a less serious note.....

1. Live near grandparents

2. Change diaper as quickly as possible. Ethan likes to go pee pee on mommy and daddy! :)

3. Never leave home without a pacy, change of clothes, and bulb syringe for boogies!

I am enjoying being a mommy! It is an adventure and life is very different but so good. I wouldn't change a second of it! I truly feel blessed!

Much Love, Erin