As of late

Life seems to be whizzing by.

I can't believe I am only 3 months away from my due date. We are about 99% sure we will be naming our little man Corey(will let you know for sure when we decide). He is kicking lots, and I find myself realizing more and more that I will actually be having another baby, which brings up a lot of excitement but also a lot of fear, so Im starting to process through all of that. I feel as though I am getting quite large....probably because I am eating one to many ice cream sandwiches, but I just can't resist! I'll blame it on the heat. :)

Ethan is officially 18 months today, and I feel more and more like he is a little man rather than a baby. He keeps me on my toes, but I wouldn't have it any other way. His laughter, energy, and zeal for life really challenge me to keep life's difficulties in perspective. He is saying lots of words now... among his faves "Oliver(our cat)", "Bye-Bye", "Ju-Ju(juice)", "Choo-Choo(train)", and "airpane(airplane)". He also started to mimick us a lot more, so we are learning to watch our words more carefully....always a good thing. :)

Craig will be done with his first year of teaching Pre-Cal/Algebra at NLR High, and I could not be more proud of him. He absolutely loves his job, and we are very thankful that he has a job where he feels very purposed. I must admit I am kind of giddy about him being around more this summer! Ethan won't know what to do with himself with daddy around more during the day....pretty sure he will be Craig's shadow this summer because he is definitely a daddy's boy.

We head to Key West for our own little Conner family vacay in a few weeks! Woo hoo. We have plans to be lazy, eat a lot of seafood, and just have fun as a family. No real agenda. Not too excited about lounging around with my big belly in a swimsuit, but I will get over it!

Craig's brother Clint, his wife Beka, and their little baby Rowin will be moving back to Conway from Memphis in a few weeks. We are beyond thrilled that they will be closer because we adore them and love that Ethan's cousin will be closer. Ethan takes such an interest in RoRo. I know he will be the best cousin to him!

We are in the last phases of finishing our house in Vilonia that we are flipping with our friends the Darnells. We've had several kinks in the road. The latest being tornado damage from the April tornado. Our damage was minimal compared to others, so we were thankful for that. We are in the process of hearing back from the insurance agency and then we can move forward on repairs and HOPEFULLY, put it on the market by July or August! We never in a million years thought the house would take this long, but it has really grown our friendship with the Darnells and we have seen God's provision throughout the process in neat ways. I am definitely ready to be done with it though.

Well, enough for now! Sorry...no pics. Much Love!

Night Light Moment

So Im not the best about documenting cute stories about Ethan, but he did the cutest thing last night in his "big boy bed" that I just had to jot down! We set up his mattresses on the floor a few nights ago and set up his bed but still left the crib in the room in case it was a disaster! Luckily, it went really well. Only a few minor falls onto his pillows and by the last two nights, he's mastered it. (Naps are another story for some odd reason). He loves reading on his bed and having all his snuggle mates up there, Pooh Bear, Bear Bear, and Brinkley our dog! So fun.

Well, last night I was going to check on him as I always do. I had gone in his room at midnight and he was doing well. I heard him rustle around at 4ish, so I went to his room and peaked in, and he had turned his lantern on beside his bed. It was such a precious moment! He didn't fuss or anything. I guess he just woke up and it was too dark, so he turned it on like a big boy. I know most of you are probably reading this and cracking up that I am making such a big deal out of it, but I just thought it was the cutest thing and I had to write it down! I took a pic of it on his nightstand this morning!

So proud of my little man! He typically takes to new experiences pretty quickly, which I must admit is a blessing, but also kind of hard on momma because it seems like he is growing up too quickly. It seems like just yesterday I was moving him from the bassinet to his crib. And now he's moving from his crib to a big boy bed. Many more moments like this to come! :)

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.