Getting Ready for Halloween

From Halloween 2009

From Halloween 2009

From Halloween 2009

To get ready for the twins' Halloween party at school, Carlisle, Jackson and Will decorated mini pumpkin cupcakes. It was a mess but the finished product was perfect and they seemed to have a great time! This was also an opportunity to introduce Evie Claire to the Eldridge family - she was just sweet as can be! While the big kids decorated their cupcakes, Evie Claire hung out in her bouncer - thankfully she did not get decorated by falling sprinkles!

From Halloween 2009

Later that evening, Carlisle got to hold her baby sister for the first time. She has been amazingly gentle with Evie Claire - she loves to pat her and giggle, it could not be more precious to watch.

From Evie October 27 and 28

Today, we celebrated Halloween with a party at school. Carlisle donned her honey bee costume without too much fuss... Jackson just wasn't in the mood so we left him in a Halloween tee and he was ready to go. Yes, I am reusing their costumes from last year and not feeling a bit guilty about it! The kids had a good time playing games and eating snacks, though the party hit right before nap-time so the room was filled with wailing kids who were nearly ready to crash. On the whole, it was a great time and the kids had a great time with thier friends. Hopefully Saturday's trick or treating will go well, too!

From Halloween 2009

I love this picture - Will and Jackson began "circling the wagons" and eyeing the cupcakes way before snack time!

From Halloween 2009

Evie's First Days at Home

Well, honestly, it has been a wonderful week! We've been blessed with a very laid back baby who loves to sleep - we're not sure how long this will last but we're enjoying it while we can. Evie rarely cries and loves to look around with her big eyes (when she is awake!). She is eating really well and seems to be putting on a little weight. She loves to lay on her back and kick her legs and she nearly rolled over last night in Kendal's lap! She is truly a beautiful baby and it has been truly amazing for me to be able to sit and really enjoy her. It's been a great thing to have "man on man" coverage this week with my mom still in town. I'm trying not to think about soon having three kids by myself while Kendal is at work! Until then, I so appreciate all the help we've received.

From Evie - First Days

The twins are getting used to "having her around" we think. Jackson asks often about "Hebby Claire," especially if she is napping in our room. He is just amazed by the fact that he now has two sisters and he is the big brother. Carlisle is already showing her mommy side. All week she's been paying extra attention to her baby dolls, and tonight she hopped up on the couch next to Evie Claire and just had a blast playing with her! This was the first "real interaction" they have had and Carlisle loved every second of their first playdate. GanGan and I were so excited to observe and of course I had to get a few photos! Here are a few more:



We're enjoying a series of firsts, too.....

First Bath....

From Evie - First Days

First Visitor (Meghan - who is now living in Italy!!)...

From Evie - First Days

First Friend (Alice!)...

From Evie - First Days

First Trip to the Doctor... (we love Dr. Ward!)...

From Evie - First Days

She's Here!

From Evie 2009

Evie Claire is here! We knew she would make her debut this week, but didn't think it would be on Monday! My water actually broke at work (a horrifying, classic+ needed-a-pickle-jar-in-my-purse, movie moment since I couldn't be drama free). The contractions came on so fast my doctor in Little Rock advised we stay in Arkadelphia, so major change of plans! Luckily, a fabulous new OB/GYN, Dr. Michael Carozza, just opened his clinic in town and he stepped in as my doctor. We cannot praise him enough - an amazing, gentle doctor who spent tons of time with us as we prepared for the birth, kept us calm and even prayed with us. Kendal even got to cut the umbilical cord this time and he was the best coach in the world (and the best husband and dad - wish I had a pic of his face when he saw her for the first time!!!) The nurses were also fabulous and we couldn't have had a better experience! My water broke a little before 2PM and Evie Claire was here by 6:30 - so pretty good timing! AND the epidural worked, so great all the way around!

From Evie 2009

On Monday, my amazing friend Mary Elizabeth watched the twins all afternoon - I have no idea how she held it all together! Her son Will is the twins' best friend so what a perfect day for them! Somehow, M.E. managed to take the kiddos on a walk, entertain them, feed them dinner, bathe them AND have them ready to go to the hospital to "meet" their new baby sister when Nana, Papa and Aunt Shannon got into town. She is truly Super Woman - I could not have prayed for a better friend and I am so grateful for her.



Nana and Papa watched the twins all day on Tuesday (and cleaned the house - it looks spic 'n span!) while Kendal helped get the nursery ready for Evie. I got to hang at the hospital, rest a little, visit with some friends who called and stopped by - and even watched four episodes of the Kardashians on E! (I would not recommend getting into that show, btw). GanGan and Big Daddy got in from Hattiesburg around 5 and helped us check out at 6:30 - just one night in the hospital, yay!!!! We then went home and enjoyed a yummy dinner prepared by Nana and Papa and cookies from GanGan while the kids officially met "Hebby." They were definitely unsure at first, but warmed up once we put her in her basinette. This morning, Jackson has been a little tentative but Carlisle has sidled right up to her, even giving her a balloon! Too sweet and such a gift.

From Evie 2009

Evie 2009

Pumpkins!

I love, love, love the fall! And - with Evie Claire just "hanging out" for the time being - we've had some great family time to enjoy it!

From Pumpkins 2009

A few weekends ago, we went to the Manchester Pumpkin Festival, one of my favorite events. The kids wore their LSU togs and we headed out. They were a little (okay, a lot) clingy for much of the visit, but they warmed up once it was time to eat some Halloween cupcakes and pick out their very own family pumpkin! Jackson Camper was convinced he could carry it himself, but daddy was happy to help in the end :)

From Pumpkins 2009

Last night, we headed over to the Eldridge's house for soup, pizza and pumpkin painting. The painting was very short lived, though Carlisle was engrossed for longer than I expected. I'm hoping this will become an annual tradition!

From Pumpkins 2009

A good day!

Amazingly enough... Homecoming is over and we finished the day with "no rain... no baby..." our team's mantra for the week. Here's a quick belly pic as I don't think I've posted any - Evie Claire is getting bigger by the day but she's still active and mom is feeling really good! I'm exhausted from a long week, but it's really a blessing to work with people who are so supportive. I even had a number of "baby-sitters" who literally followed me around campus all day to make sure I sat down and didn't go too crazy (thanks, Keisha and Rebecca!). Both staff and students pitched in today to make sure our on-campus festivities were a success! God is good! Now, we just need to get through next week as my doctor (who is fabulous, fabulous) is at Disney with her family! Eek!

Kendal was too wonderful and brought the kids out to Ouachita today to surprise me. They came at the perfect time and we were able to enjoy lunch together with some of our friends. It was freezing (low 50's - that's not normal for Arkansas!) and overcast, but dry! We also got to introduce the kids to the LIVE TIGER we brought to campus (who, thankfully, did not eat anyone, but did spray a few guests) and they got balloons to tote around campus. Just seeing my family made all the stress melt away for a few moments - I am so grateful for them! And, grateful for Nana and Papa who came in this week to watch the kiddos while I had Homecoming events and Kendal had Presbytery meetings (where he preached and BROUGHT IT!). They even cleaned our house from top to bottom - wow! We also think the addition may be finished by the end of next week. There is a real chance we could be IN the addition before Evie arrives, but I'm trying not to get too cocky!

Here are just a few pics from today (courtesy of Dr. Kluck) - Ouachita is a great place to work and I'm grateful for the opportunity!

OBU HC 2009

Waiting and Congratulations!

HUGE CONGRATULATIONS! My sister Anna is engaged! Yay, yay, yay! We love her fiancee Matt so much and have gotten to know him well over the years they have dated since college. They love each other unconditionally and are each other's best friends and my family is thrilled to welcome him in. As you can see from the photo, the boy is smart - he proposed at the Eifel Tower in Paris.... Can you get any more romantic and picture-perfect?! Sigh.....

Well, so far so good... Miss Evie Claire is "staying put" as mommy runs her "marathon week" at work - Ouachita Homecoming! I've been told repeatedly (especially by my doctor) to "take it easy" - really, what does that mean?! Thankfully, I have a number of amazing friends helping make this week a success (Chris, Keisha, Philip, Meagan, plus Nana and Papa are coming tomorrow) as well as the best husband in the world - to to mention totally kissable, huggable kids at home. Saturday is our big day and Kendal is helping host a fundraiser for Group Living on Sunday, so we're all praying the baby waits another week to make her grand appearance! Though, we can't wait to finally meet her!! We're so interested to see if she's a mini-Carlisle, or if she will have dark hair like her namesake, my grandmother Bessie Diket (hence the "Bess" as one of her middle names).