Family Update

Chrissy and I thank God for the strength that he has given us. I have taken the week off to be with Chrissy. My prayer is that we can use this time together to transition ourselves and Ella. We are adjusting to the lack of sleep. The biggest transition of all is getting accustomed to the baby boy changing of diapers. We didn't realize just how easy changing a little girl is compared to little boys!

Hudson is nursing extremely well.

He is truly a blessing to us. His little cry melts our hearts.

Ella's love is growing for her little brother. Her crying spells have ended... she now just wants to kiss Hudson all the time. Her energy seems to have jetted upwards. She is into everything. Her new favorite word is "HELLO". She grabs our cell phones and says.. Hello! Hello! Hello!

I have been trying to keep her busy to give Chrissy some needed rest. We have been taking daddy and daughter shopping trips. We seem to visit Target and Walmart the most.

Chrissy and I were just saying tonight.... "We can't imagine life without OUR Little Ella! "

First Doctor Visit

Today we took Hudson for his first doctor's visit. He has gained 3 ounces of his body weight back that was lost during the hospital visit. He doesn't have jaundice! The doctor said he was perfect... and healthy!

Ella looked surprised.... having a baby brother ride beside her in the car.

Headed Home

Good news came our way on Saturday morning... we were able to leave earlier than expected! We were so excited to be taking our little boy home!

Take Home Outfit Photos

Ella meets Hudson

Ella arrived to the hospital dressed for the occasion.... she had on a "Big Sister" t-shirt given to us by her Aunt Staci.
At first Ella enjoyed kissing her new brother.... then....
things became very interesting.... Ella wanted to pull his ears....wanted to touch his eyes. Chrissy and I had to use caution with Ella. She didn't enjoy the boundaries that were set for her in regards to Hudson. This photo gives you a good idea of the end result.... Ella was in tears.
We were able to get Ella settled down. She enjoyed touching Hudson's hands and feet.
In the end... we were able to get somewhat of a good family photo!

Hospital Visits from Family and Friends

Chrissy, Hudson and Becky with her daughter Ava Reese.

Family friend and children's ministry leader, Jane Ann.
Derrick's mom and Dad... Nana and Papa
Chrissy and Tammy
Chrissy and I with Beth and Caelene
The Jack's Family
Our close friend's Jason and Becky.

Chrissy's brother- Uncle Grant.
Chrissy's mom- Glo Glo
The Andrews
Our friend's Tony and Amy Robinson's daughter- Leighton
Chrissy and I with Will and Anna Claire

Ella's Final Days As The Only Child

Realizing that Ella's days as an only child were numbered, Chrissy and I took Ella to a church spring fair. Ella loved the fair... they had an egg hunt...rides... and popcorn (Ella's new favorite snack). As you can see in the photos below Ella enjoyed most the church playground.

He's Here!

Born @ 2:09, 8 pounds 21 inches long! Chrissy is thanking God he was 2 weeks early!

8:30.....

It is now 8:30 and we are waiting.... We arrived at the hospital @ 6:00 this morning. We have two of the best nurses named Shay and Mallory. Upon our arrival they were waiting for us, they greeted Chrissy with a smile which gave her great peace. Chrissy's mom, Gloria, and brother Grant are here with us. Ella is with a neighbor who came to our house @ 5:30 this morning! Thank you Lisa!

Our close friend Tim, the doctor, broke Chrissy's water at 7. Chrissy is doing well..... not in any pain yet. Her contractions are becoming closer.... they exspect Hudson to arrive sometime between 11-12:30.

We will keep you posted....

A day delayed

Last night we received a call stating that Chrissy's inducement in the morning had to be moved. There seemed to be an influx of babies. So here we are waiting.... If things go as planned Hudson should have his birthday on March 27th. We'll keep you posted....

The clock is set...

The clock is set... and time is ticking as we prepare for the arrival of our little boy.

We had hoped that Chrissy would have went naturally over the past Easter weekend.... seeing that you are reading this blog.... I guess you can figure out that did not happen!

So, it looks like March 26th it will be.

Just a little Reminder: :)

For our friends in the wonderful city of ATL and Philly...... we will be induced @ 7:00 a.m. your time.

In the next 7 days.....

Chrissy and I can hardly believe that in less than 7 days we will once again be new parents. Over the past month we have been watching the t.v. series "Lost". Chrissy's brother Grant sent us the 1st and 2nd season.... and we bought the 3rd season. We have become addicted.... it seems as if we don't watch anything other than "Lost". Now that we have the 3rd season almost completed... we sat last night thinking of how different our lives will be with two kids.

Words cannot express the excitement and anxiety that we feel. Ella has been such an easy child. We can only pray that Hudson will be the same.

So here we are waiting... knowing that in less than 7 days our family will be larger... our hearts will be fuller... our responsiblities will be greater... our lives will once again be blessed. Chrissy and I thank God for what he has given us. We realize that everything we have has truly came from Him. He has truly given us the desires of our hearts... and today we thank Him.

Considering God does not allow Hudson to come naturally before.... Chrissy and I will be arriving to the hospital at 6 a.m. next Wednesday morning (March 26th).

Please keep our family in your prayers....

Please pray for a safe delivery.

Ministry Update

In May of last year Chrissy and I felt that God was leading us to Metro Church in Birmingham. Much of this leading was due to the opportunity for me to creatively make a difference in Metro's Children's ministry. As many of you know, I enjoy change. Change for me is a doorway of opportunity for using creativity.

For Metro, change was immediate in my arrival. From the first day on the job I began to contemplate the change that God desired for me to do. I knew that I had to do something with the white walls and something also had to be done to the worship room. There were many other things that needed to be done but these two items stood out most.

The biggest project ahead was the total overhaul of the kid's worship room. The stage had to been completely disassembled and relocated. The lighting, carpet and air vents had to be torn out. Creating Metro's "Big Adventure" (this is the name of the new children's ministry) was one of the biggest projects that I have ever taken on. Now, 5 months after completion, I look back at how God guided me through this project.

This is our new welcome area and lobby. The colorful beach images create a nice oasis in the mist of a often crazy children's ministry.

Our "Big Adventure" worship room gives children a feeling of being on a Caribbean island. The set includes a tiki hut, "Big D's Surf Shack, and a crashed airplane (with moving propeller).
The story line of the set resembles something like the hit tv show "Lost".

The kids favorite part of the set.... the airplane.

Hearing from you....

I am sure that some of you will be glad to know that you can now post own our blog without having a blogspot account. We would love to hear from each of you!

Ella's Old Blog

Many of you already know this.... but some of you may not..... Ella has had her own blog for the past 17 months. We just began this new family blog a month ago. You can visit Ella's old blog to see pictures of Chrissy's pregancy with Ella. There is also pictures of Ella's birth, her nursery in Atlanta, and many other life long memories. Ella's old blog is www.little-ella.blogspot.com.
(To view that various photos, you must click on the months which are located at the right of the screen. )

Easter Fun Part 1.... Ella's 1st Hunt

Ella was invited to her 1st egg hunt last week. One of our close families from the church, Brody and Jane Ann Stone, have a yearly egg hunt for their entire neighborhood. The Stones did a great job pulling the community together. We were so glad to be apart of the egg hunt....Ella loved every moment of it.

We have been working with Ella on drinking from a cup. Chrissy wanted to make sure that Ella was hydrated for the big event.

At first we had to coach Ella in the object of putting the eggs in the basket.

Ella learned quickly... but the hunt ended once she found this blue egg. The one blue egg was obviously all she wanted.

We put the blue egg in the basket.... Ella went searching for it.

In the end... Ella realized there was a prize in the egg. As you should guess it was candy.... we were glad that she didn't know it. She was content with just hearing the crackle of the paper.