Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

What an amazing year 2010 has been for our family. Some of the top things we are most Thankful for are...

The newest addition to our family! Isabelle Grace

Davin's new position at Roswell Street Baptist Church (He starts after the new year!)

Our Health and growth this year! The Lord has been so faithful to grow and prepare us for what He has planned for us!

We love you all and hope that you have an amazing Christmas celebrating the birth of our Savior!

Fall Family Fun Day

Last weekend we went to Mercier's Apple Orchard in Blue Ridge Ga to pick some apples, drink apple cider, eat pies, and enjoy the Fall weather. Here are some pictures from our day. They post in reverse order...sorry about that!

We ended the day at Chick-fil-a where they were having Space Night. Here Davin is with Darth Vader and some Storm Troopers.
Hudson and the Storm Troopers...

My personal favorite! Hudson and Chewbacca...

These costumes were really spectacular. They even had sound effects in them. Needless to say, Naomi was terrified of them so she visited with the Chick-fil-a cow inside.

Okay, so onto the orchard...Here the kids are U-picking some apples. I guess I better get to baking, because we have quite a few apples around here.

When you don't have sunglasses on you just have to improvise!

Naomi picking her first apple off the tree.

It was a lot of fun. We rode the tractor through the orchard, and picked several different varieties that were in season. The weather was perfect and the kids had a wonderful time.

Here I am with the girls. Sorry you can't see Isabelle, got to keep a new baby covered!

Happy Birthday Naomi!

Naomi is 4!!!!

Our sweet girl is turning 4 today. Here are my top 4 favorite things about Naomi...

4) She has the sweetest disposition. Always kind and loving.
3) She loves to help take care of her baby sister and her big brother!
2) She is beautiful on the inside and out!
1) She is always thinking about others.

We love you so much Naomi! Hope your day is extra special!

One happy Big Brother!

Just thought I would share this photo of Hudson with his new baby sister. Love is an understatement here. He adores his 'Isabelly' The first thing he wants to do after school is hold her. I'm so glad that Hudson and Naomi love their new sister. She has definitely been a wonderful addition to our family. If you look closely you will notice that Hudson gave himself a haircut while we were in the hospital...nice, huh? Especially since picture day was just around the corner!

She's here!

Isabelle Grace

Born September 30, 2010

at 1:02 am

weighing 10 lbs 9 oz

20.5 in long

We are so happy to have Isabelle as the newest member of our family. She is doing great! Sleeping and eating well! She looks a lot like her brother and sister, and is generally a great baby.

I will post more details later. I'm sure if your on facebook you've heard the news and seen the pictures. Leave me a question or comment and I'll try to answer them on the next post!

Thank you for all your prayers...It has definitely made a huge difference!

Happy Birthday Hudson!

Our baby boy is 6 years old!

Here are some photos from the party we had for him earlier this month. He wanted a police party so you can see him with some of his police gear.How cool is this. My brother, who is a police officer, made a very special shadow box for Hudson with some police gear inside. Here is what we did for his cake. We wanted to keep it low key since I was 9 months pregnant. I made him a cupcake police car and cupcakes with chocolate police badges that had all the kids initials on them.
Since Hudson is 6 here are my 6 fun facts about Hudson....

6. He is all boy.
5. He loves school, and is doing very well.
4. He wants to be a police officer and a deer hunter when he grows up. (and I have no idea where this comes from!)
3. He is quite the engineer and loves to put things together.
2. He is a forward thinker...always thinking and planing for what is next.
1. He is always smiling. Love his big grin!

Happy Birthday sweet boy!

Wordless Wednesday: Our fashionista

39 weeks...still pregnant!

Okay, so I know that I am being a bit dramatic and a little impatient...but look at this belly! Trust me if you were carrying all this around you would be ready to give birth too! Just saying...

I know what you are thinking, so I'll go ahead and answer some of my most asked questions...

Yes, I can still fit behind the wheel of the car.

No, I'm not carrying twins. (even though this is a very reasonable question considering my size)

I would assume that the reason I am so large is all the water I am retaining. Hudson was a 10 pounder, and I wasn't even this big! Do you see my belly button...that is a first for me. I am very swollen and really uncomfortable. The doctors have checked everything out and it's just water retention. I have been trying to just stay off my feet and get as much rest as possible. I was really hoping to go a little early, but those kind of things are out of my control despite the foot rubs and eggplant Parmesan.

Some positives are that my mom is off this week, so she can help me get groceries and take care of the house. Baby Isabelle seems to be doing well and has great movement...I mean who wouldn't! My next appointment is on Tuesday so we'll see about inductions and such.

Thanks for checking in with me...I plan on having the computer and camera with us at the hospital so I can keep the blog updated.

38 week update...

Today I am 38 weeks pregnant and I couldn't be more ready to have this baby. I am measuring ahead of schedule (no surprise there!) I had an ultra sound last week and they said that Isabelle looks good and there is plenty of fluid! I can definitely feel that one. They also believe that she is around 7 lbs. 10 oz. There is no need to induce for size or fluid...I've just got to hang in there. I have also had some major swelling, but since my blood pressure and protein are fine there is nothing to be concerned about... just trying to stay off my feet as much as possible. My doctor did say that we would discuss inducing sometime during week 39. It would be nice to have her that week since Hudson and my Mom will be out of school. But as we all know you can't always plan labor/delivery that smoothly. Just pray that I can get some rest and hang in there until she is ready. I also am hoping to go into labor on my own!

We went ahead and celebrated Hudson's birthday yesterday... I can't believe he is 6 already! I'll do a separate post for that one. Just wanted to keep everyone updated on how things are going. I will have to post a pic!

Happy Birthday Davin!!!

Happy Birthday Davin!!!!

We sure do love you!

I thought it would be fun to post 31 fun facts about Davin for his 31st birthday. So here we go...

31. He was born in Atlanta, Ga.

30. He has roots in San Antonio, TX. (his father's side)

29. He is an only child.

28. He married a woman who comes from a larger family. (I'm one of four kids)

27. He grew up in Acworth, Ga.

26. He loves the Lord more than any other person I know!

25. He attended Ga Tech before pursuing God's call on his life for ministry.

24. He was going to be an opthamologist...God changed that!

23. He graduated from Liberty University.

22. He is called by God to be a Pastor.

21. He is a gifted speaker/ communicator.

20. He met me before he left for Seminary in Jan of 2003.

19. He decided he was going to marry me in August 2003.

18. We were married in December 2003.

17. He is the proud father of three children.

16. He is adored by his children!

15. He is tall.

14. He is dark.

13. He is handsome. (okay, so I had to put this in here:)

12. His favorite sport to play is basketball.

11. His favorite sport to watch is football.

10. He can't sit through an entire game...He stands up to watch TV.

9. He is quite athletic.

8. He loves to eat healthy.

7. He is neat and tidy.

6. He is a rule follower.

5. He is very bold when it comes to sharing his faith.

4. His love language is words of encouragement...so leave him a message!

3. People will seek him out for advice and counsel b/c they know how much he loves the Lord.

2. He is extremely smart!

1. He loves chocolate.

I hope you enjoyed these fun facts about Davin.

Happy Birthday sweetheart!

Our Dancing Princess

Naomi started "Ballerina Class" this week. To say that she is excited, is a huge understatement! Here she is after having her hair pulled up in her first Ballerina bun. Mom may need some help perfecting the hair-do, but she loved it. I could tell she felt like a princess. Here she is outside before class. I didn't even ask her to hold her skirt that way...

Before class...

She was very excited and very serious about dance class. She was concerned that she wouldn't know the steps. I told her that no one would know the steps and that she was there to learn. I had to keep reminding her that this is for fun. She did a great job listening to her teacher, and was able to do all the steps. I had fun watching the whole lesson in a parent viewing room. Let me tell you...She did great!

After we got home she decided to set up a stage and have "Ballerina Class". She brought out her stereo, water bottle, and her pink slippers. She didn't learn these moves in class, but she sure seems like she knows what to do!

Wordless Wednesday

33 Week check-up

poor Naomi...She looks scared to death in this photo! I guess I can't blame her!

I went on Friday for my 33 week check up. Before I tell you what he said here is a little background info on my previous pregnancies...

Pregnancy #1

• Hudson was full term 40 weeks and 5 days.




• He also weighed 10 pounds at birth.




• I gained a total of 50 pounds with him.

Pregnancy #2

• Naomi was born at 38 weeks after the doctors discovered that my fluid was low, while doing an ultra-sound to check her weight...we didn't want another 10 pound baby, can I get an amen.




• I gained 40 pounds with her. I also worked very hard at trying not to have a 10 pound baby. I was never quite as large with her as I was with Hudson.




• When Naomi was born she weighted 6 pounds 12 ounces. (big difference) We just assumed that I did a better job with the pregnancy, or she was a girl he was a boy...I mean they are all different.

So onto pregnancy #3...It has been much more similar to Hudson's pregnancy. I felt like I gained a lot of weight in the beginning and I feel like I am just bigger like I was with him. I've already gained 45 pounds (yikes, I know) Even though I try not to over eat and make healthy choices, I have a hard time not gaining weight. I haven't worked out... I've just been too sick.


So, I say all of this because up until this last appointment I have been measuring right on target. Even though I feel like I am large. Well, Friday I measured 36 cm...that means I am measuring large. Normally your measurements correlate with your week of pregnancy. I'm 33 weeks so that would mean I am measuring 3 weeks ahead of schedule all of a sudden. I do think that Isabelle has turned and is head down now...could that change anything? What really struck me as interesting was that the first thing the doctor said when he saw me was "Your fluid isn't low" I guess he could tell I grow 'em large. Then he told me that low fluid means there is a problem with the placenta. That the placenta controls the amount of fluid and also if there is a problem it can mean a smaller birth weight. So, his conclusion was that Naomi's placenta wasn't functioning properly and that is why there is such a big difference in the birth weights. He said that it had nothing to do with me or what I ate or how I exercised. He also felt my belly and tried to guess that Isabelle might already be 6 pounds or so. He said I am on track to have another 10 pounder, and really there isn't much I can do about it. I'll go for an ultra-sound in 4 weeks to check her weight.



You know, with Naomi they thought she might be large too...But I guess it is a great thing that Hudson was so large, because they may not have checked me so soon with Naomi. God works in ways sometimes we just don't understand. So, if you are out there and have had a large or small baby and any of this makes sense leave me a comment. I can't wait to hear what the doctor has to say next time...

Hudson's First day...

While Hudson was at school today, Naomi and I met Mimi at the Tea Room in Woodstock. It was something that she wanted to do. Here she is posing with Cinderella. She had a great time, and who wouldn't she had several cups of hot chocolate and everything else was either dipped in chocolate or had chocolate chips in it.

So, I thought that I would record Hudson's first response to Kindergarten. I started video taping him when he got in the car. I have to apologize in advance. I have this thing where I think that if I turn the camera sideways it will record properly, and well...it records sideways. This isn't the first time I've done this.

He was like Fort Knox with me, but when Davin came home he spilled the beans on his day. I asked Hudson later why he didn't want to share all that with me...I mean am I not a good listener??? What gives? He told me that he just prefers talking to boys than girls...well okay.

First Day of School

After almost 6 years of being home with mom, Hudson started Kindergarten today! We were all very excited and a little sad. He was ready. We went yesterday and met with his teachers and got to see his classroom. He told me this morning that he was excited. His main prayer request for today was that they would get to have two recesses. I really believe this is going to be a great year for him! I look forward to getting to know his teachers and some other mom's in our local community.
Here I am making my first ever school lunch... This morning I got a picture of him in front of the door ready to go...and yes he chose that shirt!

Walking into school...

In his classroom, at his table...

I asked Hudson this morning if he needed a kissing hand. (it comes from the book The Kissing Hand) He said that he didn't need one because he was brave! He was very excited about school, and in case you were wondering no tears were shed...a few watery eyes, but no tears. I think Naomi has been the most emotional of us all. I plan on taking her to a special lunch today to help soothe the pain. Also, she is taking dance. I tried to find things for her so she doesn't feel left out!

I know many of you will wonder, 'why aren't you homeschooling?' That's a great question! Yes, last year we did PreK at home. It went really well, and I LOVE the concept of homeschooling. I feel like we were able to move Hudson along, and help him mature enough to be ready for school this year. After I got pregnant, let's be honest, homeschooling took a nose dive! I was just so sick that I wasn't able to keep up with everything. As we began praying about school for this next year we felt like it would be best for Hudson to attend school away from home. We prayed and prayed and searched out all our options. We looked at the public school, private schools, and half private/half homeschool. As we began searching we felt like the public school system in our area exceeded all our expectations! We definitely had a peace about sending Hudson there. Of course we will take everything year by year, and we will evaluate what is best for our family and children. I definitely plan on being involved with the school as much as possible. I also look forward to my days at home with Naomi and Isabelle(when she arrives).

Naomi's first haircut

Yes, folks you read right...her first haircut! I've just loved long hair on Naomi, but this was becoming too long for a number of reasons. Here is her before...

Here she is getting a haircut...

And this is the after...

Much better:)

The stylist did a great job and even braided the front of her hair and and added pink glitter to her new do.

What's in a name?

With only 8 weeks away we have finally made a decision about our new baby's name. She will be called...

Isabelle Grace

Davin and I have always taken our time when it comes to choosing a name. There is so much to think about! For me I believe that a name means something and that you will most likely live up to it. We named Hudson Lee after the missionary to China Hudson Taylor. He also has Davin's middle name. I've never really found a true meaning behind the name Hudson. We just know that it is a strong name and so far our Hudson has lived up to that!

When I was pregnant with Naomi I discovered that Naomi means delightful and pleasant...Who wouldn't love that! I figured after my strong-willed child I need a delightful and pleasant. She has definitely lived up to her name! Her middle name is Elizabeth which means consecrated to God...we pulled out all the stops on her!

After Naomi was born I began thinking of names for our other children (hoping we would eventually have more!). I really liked the name Isabelle. I thought it would be cute shortened to Belle as well...which in French means beauty or beautiful. Get it...Is a belle? Anyway, so as we were deciding what to call this little bundle of joy we really struggled with her name.

1) because Isabelle is very similar to Isabella (which is the most popular girl name for 2010)

2) there are multiple ways to spell Isabel...Isabelle???

3) Would it be easy to pronounce? When you have names like Davin and Alisia and a last name Benavides, you realize the benefits of having a name that is easy to say and spell.

So with all that being said we have chosen a name and a spelling. So now I can say only 8 more weeks until our Isabelle makes her appearance!

Oh! and in case you were wondering, Isabelle comes from the word Elizabeth so it means concecrated to God.

Pregnancy #3 The Thrid Trimester

Here I am at 30 weeks along... Did I mention that I don't like having my picture made...I know one day these will be priceless to me.
So here we are in the final leg of this pregnancy. Here are a few more questions...

1) Have you picked out a name?

Yes, I will have another post on that later...We could use your help on the spelling!

2)How much weight have you gained?

Really? I guess I want to ask this of other pregnant women too. My favorite response was from one of my dear friends who said after 40 pounds she stopped counting, and just let everyone know that it was over 40 pounds...
So, over 40 pounds...What can I say I grow them big and healthy! Speaking of big...I am measuring exactly where I'm suppose to...go figure??

3) When is your due date?

September 26...the day before Hudson's birthday. I won't complain if she comes a little early.

4) How are you other kids handling it?

They are very excited. Hudson is glad that he doesn't have to share his toys, and I think he will look forward to playing with his new sister after school. Naomi is so excited! She hugs my belly and tells me she wants to help feed and dress the baby. She will do everything, but change poopy diapers, or so she says.

5)What are you looking forward to most?

Honestly, not being pregnant! And of course seeing our new baby girl and what she will look and act like.

6) How has this pregnancy been different?

Almost everything has been more difficult. Some of the things I've experienced with this one that I didn't with the other ones are...

• Restless Legs at night
• Sleepless nights
• numb arms
• difficulty breathing
• dizziness
• weird places on my eye/vision problems

I guess I should name some positives too...

• Having two kids that understand what is going on and are excited about their new sister.
• Knowing how sweet it is to hold a newborn.
• Looking forward to caring for her, and teaching my little mommy to care for her sister.
• Knowing that Naomi will have a sister...really that means the world to me!

7) What do you have left to do before the baby comes?

I have to finish putting together the girls room. Okay, so I need to start this project, but none the less, I would prefer it be done before she's born.

• Get Hudson situated in school (that will be another post)
• Paint the front of the house. (okay, so I may not get to this one)
• Purchase a few baby items...thankfully we saved everything...and I mean everything!

I will leave you with a few things you should not say to or about a pregnant woman!

1. "That's a big baby."
2. "She's not fat, she's pregnant."
3. "Are you sure there aren't two in there?"
4. "Wow, 10 weeks. Do you think your going to make it?"

If for some reason, I didn't answer a question you wanted to know about then feel free to leave me a comment and I will add that to one of my later posts...I still have 9 weeks you know!

Pregnancy #3 The Second Trimester

Sorry, I know you've seen this picture, but this is really all I have...
Here I am at 4 months pregnant...


This photo was taken at 5 months pregnant... Did I mention that I'm not real fond of having my picture taken.

So anyway, the second trimester...

Well after about 16 weeks I was finally feeling better! Being so sick really made it hard on me to get up and get going again. It took a while to get back into a routine...okay so I'm still working on getting back into a routine. Here are some things I experienced during the second trimester...

• 
  you can get dizzy, black out, and even pass out and still be considered normal



• people will look at your belly, but are still afraid to ask if you are pregnant(I think this is a good thing)



• We found out that we were having a girl! (and yes, I was surprised, again)



• I celebrated 31 years of life (see 5 month pic above)



• I began resuming some of my normal activities...cleaning, cooking, bread making...



• Davin took a second job with Roswell Street Baptist Church. Good thing I was feeling better!
• Feeling the baby kick and move around...That is something we all look forward to!

My new craving for this trimester is jalapenos. Yes, I was afraid to try them at first, but really enjoyed them and to my surprise they weren't hot at all!
And yes, McDonald's, your mayo still calls my name...

Pregnancy #3 The First Trimester

So I thought I would break down this pregnancy into three different posts. One for each trimester. There aren't any pictures with this one...they will come. So keep checking back!

I'll post all the details by answering commonly asked questions...

1) Were you trying to get pregnant?

No. In fact we were completely surprised.

2) How did you find out you were pregnant?

I went in to see my doctor. I was having a few issues I needed checked out. During the visit I was in a lot of pain, so she sent me for an ultrasound. During the ultrasound they saw something on one of my ovaries. They wanted to rule out an ectopic pregnancy so the next day they sent me for some blood work. SURPRISE! I'm pregnant. I was completely shocked. After two rounds of blood work and three ultrasounds they discovered that I had a normal pregnancy on my hands. (or in my uterus)

3) Did you have morning sickness?

NO, I had all day can't get out of bed sickness! I was soooo sick. This pregnancy has been the worst of all three. I was so sick that all I could do was rest in the bed. I would get up and feed the kids and then go lay back down. Davin had to take care of all my normal duties like cleaning, cooking, bathing the kids, and putting the kids to bed. It got so bad that at one point we considered day care until I could get up and get going again. We were greatly blessed by our Sunday School class. They brought us meals and even came and cleaned the house and washed our clothes....You know it's bad when you are willing to let someone clean your dirty clothes. What a blessing. I think everyone needs to be involved in a great Sunday School class. Praise the Lord for the body of believers!

4) What foods could you eat? What made you sick?

At first I had a hard time eating anything. I had really bad indigestion so only bland food for a little while. And McDonald's mayo...I know that is really gross for some of you, sorry. Not sure what they are putting in that stuff, but it is good!
Coffee has been something that has made me nauseous with all my pregnancies. I made Davin brew his coffee in the garage for the first couple of months. Now I am back to having a small cup in the mornings with lots of cream and sugar...I mean a lot of cream and sugar!

No pictures for this post. Somehow I managed not to have a photo taken of me laying in the bed with out make-up on looking all gamey...trust me, you didn't want to see that anyway!

Stay tuned for the Second Trimester and belly pictures...