Fun with Aunt Courtney!

We were so blessed to have Justin's sister, Courtney, come and take care of Karis for us when we went to the hospital to have Noah. Karis was so excited to see her and had a great time hanging out with her "Aunt Courtney." Here is are some pictures that tell of all their fun!

Karis was still all about the leaves when Aunt Courtney came, so they played in the leaves some more on Saturday.

Karis went to wake up Aunt Courtney after her nap.

Courtney and Karis are putting together a foam train for Christmas. Karis really enjoyed this project and has been playing with it ever since.

While we were in the hospital, Courtney did a lot of fun things with Karis, like have her paint a cross that you put in the window. She did a good job!

They made reindeer cookies and brought us some at the hospital.

Karis liked playing make up with Courtney! She likes to pretend that she is putting it on!

When Courtney and Karis came to the hospital to visit, Karis wore her BIG SISTER shirt that was way too big. They had a play ground at the hospital and Justin and Courtney took her to play for awhile after she visited me.

Karis got to watch her own zoo come to life in foam animals in the water. She is still playing with those animals now.

Courtney, thank you for coming and taking care of our precious Karis. I know that she had a wonderful time with you. You spoiled her and made her feel very special during this huge change in her life, not being the only child. You were a very big help around the house and cooking dinner. The chicken fried steak was so yummy! We are blessed to have you in our lives. We love you!

Catching Up!

I can't believe that Noah is now 10 days old. It has been a roller coaster for me, trying to nurse and not getting much rest. I am so thankful that my parents are here. I don't know how I would manage without them. My mom and dad have both been wonderful and very supportive of me in my decision to stop nursing and bottle feed. I had issues with Karis at four months and was always wondering if she was getting enough milk. Those issues have not been far from my mind during this attempt at nursing and it was literally consuming my thoughts. After much prayer and other difficulties nursing, I decided that bottle feeding was going to be the best thing for our family. Thank you Justin for being supportive and allowing God to teach me through this. You are such a blessing, and I don't deserve you. Thank you Mom and Dad for always giving me your unconditional love and support and your opinions on things. You are all a treasure to me.
We still have almost five more days with my parents before they leave. It continues to be a wonderful visit and a time of joy with them celebrating the birth of Noah and playing with Karis non-stop, thanks Dad, as Karis always says, "Papa John, come play with me!"

Noah John

Noah John Childers was born today at 1:30pm. He weighed 8lbs 11oz. I'm recovering great and am thankful for God's grace to us. Thanks for your prayers.

The Big Day & Leaves!

Well, tomorrow is the big day! We will meet our son, Noah John tomorrow sometime after 11:30. My c-section is scheduled for 11:30 am. I honestly cannot believe it is already time for us to meet him. Tomorrow seems too soon, but I am very excited. Karis is already enjoying her time with Aunt Courtney, who flew in yesterday. She cannot get enough of her. I am so thankful to have her here to take good care of Karis while we are at the hospital. I am also thankful that Justin will be able to stay with me at the hospital. This will be my last post for awhile, Justin or Courtney will post pictures after Noah is born sometime tomorrow or Tuesday. Thank you for all your prayers.
Here are a few pictures of Karis and Justin's play day in the leaves. They had a great time yesterday, as you will be able to tell.

Picking up leaves is fun!

I love this picture! Throwing leaves is more fun!

Karis helped Justin rake up the leaves with her sandbox rake! It was funny to watch her.

Then, she and Justin wheeled the leaves to street to be picked up. She thought she was flying high, riding in the wheelbarrow! What fun leaves are for little ones and big ones!

Baby Update: Only 5 days left!!!

Monday, Justin and I went to the doctor for my last visit until my c-section on Monday, Dec. 10. I cannot believe I only have about 5 more days until I get to hold Noah! (that is unless he comes earlier). Everything is still very good, except that I had lost almost 5 pounds because of the stomach bug Justin and I had the week before. It was not fun, but at least that is more weight I don't have to lose later! This week, Karis and I are doing some fun, memorable things since it is our last official week by ourselves before baby brother comes. I am so excited about meeting him and God adding to our family. Please continue to pray for me as Monday approaches, I am getting a little anxious because of the c-section. Thankfully, I know that God is sovereign, and no matter what "He holds all authority over my doctors, Noah being born, my recovery, etc."(Matt. 28:18).

Baby Update: 37 weeks

I went to the doctor yesterday for my 37 week check up. Everything is still good, and we have finally decided on a name for our son: Noah John Childers.

My husband wrote a wonderful prayer for our son. You can read it if you click on the link. Thanks for all your prayers and please continue to pray for me as I will be having a c-section.

Thanksgivng with the Tombrellas!

Wednesday the Tombrellas arrived at our house. We had the pleasure of having them here for Thanksgiving and Robbie preaching on Sunday at our church. Wednesday through Sunday was filled with many new memories and spent remembering old memories back from our college days. Justin and I are so blessed to still be so close to our college best friends. The kids did a good job playing together and having fun. Thursday, Michelle and I spent most of the day cooking for our Thanksgiving meal. It was all very yummy. Friday both the girls and the boys got to go shopping a little bit. We then took the Tombrellas to lunch at Dick's Hot dogs, our famous place to eat in Wilson. Saturday we took the kids to Chuck E. Cheese, and they seemed to really enjoy themselves. After their nap, they helped Michelle and I put up all the Christmas stuff and decorate their own tree. Sunday we were so blessed to have Robbie preach at our church. He did an awesome job!

Joel, Samuel, and Karis sharing a snack after they went to the park.

Karis putting the star on top of the tree she and the boys decorated.

All the ornaments ended up on the same side of the tree and on the same two branches!

Karis is putting on the last ornament.

Joel sat down to rest after all his hard work on the tree. He really seemed to like Calvin, I know Calvin enjoyed having more "little" people to chase around.

Thanksgiving is such a blessing and a time to remember all God has done for us and His many blessings. It is also a time to focus on our Savior. We were so thankful to spend time with the Tombrellas and have Thanksgiving with them.

Baby Update: 35 weeks

Justin, Karis, and I went to the doctor today. Everything is looking great. We went by the hospital to see where we are supposed to go when the baby is born, so now we are ready in case little "John" decides to come early. We are still unsure of a first name for our little one. My blood pressure is still great, and I only gained 2 pounds this time, much better.

Thank you for all you prayers as we await the birth of our first son!

Big Bows and School!

For those of you who know me well, you know that I am not into BIG bows for my little girl. I have always made fun of my friends when they put BIG bows in their girl's hair, thinking that the little girl's head would tip over from the weight of the bow! My best friend Laura has always just laughed me off, so this post is mainly for her. I have now entered the world of BIG bows, at least to my standards. I went to get Karis a brown bow the other day and the next size from what she usually wears was all they had in brown. I must say, I think it looks very cute, but I do not for see the bows getting any bigger!!
We have also been doing what we call "school" about two to three times a week. She likes it very much and asked to do it more often than that. Usually we do something with numbers, talk about a letter and its sounds, use a certain color, etc.

Karis is concentrating very hard as she counts the dots of each index card. She then put the number in order from 1-10. This is the best picture of the bow.

Here is just a front picture of the bow and her telling me she was all done!

She has learned how to draw an A. I am so glad that she enjoys school now, we will see how it goes from here on out!

Laura, I hope you enjoyed Karis' bow pictures. I bet Jaime would enjoy seeing Karis is a BIG bow.

Carving a Pumpkin!

Here are a few pictures of us carving our pumpkin with Karis. She actually helped this time, sticking her hands in the gooey mess!

Karis is helping Justin clean out the goop!

I know I didn't do a very good job carving this pumpkin, but Karis was very proud of it.

Karis loves to say "cheese" when we take her picture, thus the expression on her face.

We had fun carving the pumpkin, but we had more fun watching it "melt" the next couple of days. Karis enjoyed seeing the pumpkin melt to the the ground. She would say, "why is the pumpkin melting Mommy." I didn't really have an answer for her, imagine that telling your child you don't know, it is not the first time for me and I am sure it won't be the last.

Book Review: Love That Lasts

I recently finished reading Love That Lasts, when Marriage meets grace, by Gary & Betsy Ricucci. The book continually reminds us that marriage is about offering grace to your spouse. Grace is the only way that we can grow in Christ and together. Each chapter depicts a certain aspect of marriage. I will give a brief summary of each chapter.

Chapter 1:The Journey of a Lifetime (Where it all begins)- This chapter tells us what marriage is "Marriage was created by God and belongs to Him and exists for His glory."

1. "God's grace is constant everyday of our marriage."

2. The local church is vital for any marriage to grow. "It is the local church-Christians living a shared life biblically before God and one another-that will ultimately secure the place and role of marriage and family from generation to generation."

Chapter 2: Leading with Love (The Role of the Husband)-"We see in Adam and Eve that man and woman are equal in value, yet different in their roles of submission, ordination, and leadership, following the very pattern of the Godhead."

1."The role of the husband doesn't begin at the altar-it begins with the atonement...at the cross."

2. Husbands are to: love her graciously, love her sacrificially, love her redemptively, love her with understanding, and love her with honor.

3. Husbands are to lead their wives, this isn't just a position-it is a service husbands are to provide.

"Our role originates in the gospel, is empowered by the gospel, and is perfected through the gospel."

Chapter 3: Walking in Wisdom (The Role of the Wife)-

1. Here are some ways to cultivate a heart of love for our husbands: pray for him and with him, learn to understand him, communicate in ways that serve him, demonstrate physical affection to him, and enjoy shared activities with him.

2. We are to respect our husbands in public and private. There are practical examples of respectful thoughts and deeds we can do for him.

3.Great quote:"Submission is our divine calling, designed by God, not man!" When we submit joyfully to our husbands, we are being like Christ who submitted joyfully to his father.

Chapters 4-6 Deal with Communication and Conflict Resolution

All three of these chapters are gospel driven and based. We must be willing to forgive, to offer grace to our husbands. We must communicate with them about our desires, needs, and spiritual walks. We must be willing to humbly listen to their counsel, advice, and leadership about all these aspects of our lives. We must not let pride get in the way, which is the biggest temptation in marriage. We need to allow each other the freedom to probe and analyze our attitudes and motives in the light of God's grace and truth. The gospel must be the center of our resolution.

There are many practical examples of how to resolve conflict and check motives and attitudes.

"The gospel reminds us that nothing done to us, no matter how wicked, will ever surpass the wickedness done by us, to the holy Son of God."

Chapters 7-8 Deal with Romance and Intimacy

These two chapters are very practical about how to romance each other and the beauty of sexual intimacy. They provide us with examples of romance and intimacy straight from the Song of Songs and things that get in the way of both. I like how we are reminded that romance is something to be practiced and learned throughout your marriage. Dating each other is very important, and I am glad to have someone point out the necessity of it.

This book is a great read for any married couple or engaged couple. It offers Biblical and practical help on all the issues of marriage. I would strongly recommend this book to everyone.

Karis' Scooter

Two Saturdays ago, Karis and I participated in the Walk for Life for our Crisis Pregnancy Center here in Wilson. We raised money and walked 2 miles, actually Karis only walked a little but she got to help raise money. I asked her why we were walking, and she said, "to raise money to help people like Mommy." I tried to explain to her what a crisis pregnancy center was. I told her that some women don't want their babies, and she responded with, "Why wouldn't she want brother?" It was very sweet and innocent to hear how she understood what I was trying to explain to her.
When you participate in the walk they have drawings for different prizes. Karis won a $25 gift card to Target. Justin and I took her to Target the next Monday and let her pick out a toy. She has never done this before and of course she picked out the first toy she saw, which was a toy for 6 months plus. She then decided she wanted a Dora scooter instead of a bike with training wheels.

Her first ride with Daddy helping. She got a little frustrated at first.

She got much better as the day went on. In fact, now she can ride it by herself and turn as much as she wants. It is fun watching her. What a big girl she is!

Baby Update: 32 weeks

My check up went great today. The doctor said everything looks great and said that after I come back in three weeks it will be getting very close to time! Believe me, I know that!

Blood pressure: 112/59

Weight: gained 4 pounds, 23 total

I don't remember his heartbeat, I am not sure if the nurse told me or just wrote it down.

Thanks for all your prayers and please continue to pray for me as I am becoming a little nervous about another C-section. God is in control but having time to really understand what they are going to do makes me a little nervous.

Fun Surprise!

Two weeks ago, Justin, Karis and I painted the baby room. I went to the YMCA to work out before we started and when I got home, Karis and Justin had painted me a message on the wall. I am very blessed to have such a wonderful, loving husband. As you can see, Karis left her mark on the wall, saying she was writing her name! Pictures of the baby room will be coming soon, I am still in the process of washing and getting things organized.

Our Painter!

Karis has recently been asking me everyday to paint. She has just really started enjoying it, especially when she uses her easel, like a real painter. She also gets excited about wearing her painter's shirt (one of daddy's old shirts).


After she dips her paint brush in the cup, she likes to mix all the paints together before she paints on the paper. She looks like she is really concentrating in this picture, look how precise her hand placement is. She cracks me up all the time, she is really growing up!



Karis thinks that saying cheese means pursing her lips like that. Every time we take her picture she wants to look at it!! You can't see her painting creation, but I a sure that it was great!

Thanks Aunt Courtney for the easel!

Visit from the Tombrella's

Last week, my dear friend Michelle and her two boys came to visit us. They are currently living in Maryland where Rob is going through the Pastors College for Sovereign Grace. We were so excited that they would be only about five hours away from us if only for 10 months. Michelle and Rob are our closest and dearest friends from college. We have grown together in the last nine years, and we are blessed to have them so close to us, in spirit and distance. Justin was very busy last week so it was nice to have Michelle here to hang out with. They arrived on Tuesday and left on Friday morning. Here are a few pictures of our fun together.

Michelle, Samuel, and Karis enjoyed drawing on the driveway.

Samuel, Karis, and Joel playing on the sidewalk too.

On Wednesday night, we let the kids watch the movie ROBOTS after they took a bath. As you can see, they are all very captivated by it. I thought it was pretty cute, I hadn't seen it before.

Thursday the weather was so nice. We took them to the park. Karis thought swinging on her belly was so fun!

Samuel and Joel look like they are in prison! Sam wouldn't let go of the basketball for anything.

It was a great time for Michelle and I to be able to talk and see how much God has done in each of our lives in the last few years. I am thankful that even though we have lived many miles apart for the last four years that God always allows us the opportunity to see each other at least once a year, sometimes twice. I have seen God mold and shape Michelle into a godly wife, who loves and adores her husband, a mother, who is diligently teaching her children the gospel with by her love and discipline for them, and a friend, who goes above and beyond to walk beside me as we grow in grace together. Thank you for all you are to me and for being the woman God has called you to be. I love you and can't wait for you guys to come back at Thanksgiving. Who better to have here to celebrate Thanksgiving than you guys!

Happy 8 Year Anniversary!

Today is our eight year anniversary. I was remembering this morning all that God has done in our lives in these last eight years. We graduated college, moved to Ft. Worth for seminary for two years while I taught and coached (we moved twice there), moved to Beaumont for Justin to be a youth minister (we moved twice again) and Karis was born, moved to North Carolina to be the pastor of a church plant (we have moved twice since being here also). I see a very distinct pattern here. Hopefully our house moving is in the past for a while now!
God has been so good to us. I look back on the past eight years and cannot imagine life without Justin. It seems like just yesterday that we standing in front of God, our family, and friends and pledging our love and life to each other with Christ's help. The Lord has changed both of us so much since that day. He has continued to mold us into His image by His grace. Justin, I am so honored and blessed to married to a man who loves Christ most of all, who desires to see his wife and children grow in Christ and leads us with great joy and by example, who loves me beyond what I deserve, who can make me laugh, who holds me when I cry, who humbly gives me wisdom, who is such an amazing Father, and who leads our church in the power that Christ supplies. Thank you for all you do for me. I love you today more than ever. I cannot wait to see what the next eight years have in store for us.
My cry will continue to be, "Glorify the Lord with me, let us exalt His name together."
Psalm 34:3

Baby Update: 29 weeks

Karis and I went to the doctor today for my check up. She was very good and enjoyed hearing her brother's heart beat and weighing herself like Mommy. Everything is looking good. I go back in three weeks.

Heartbeat-140

Weight gain-5 lbs, total 19 (it seems to be increasing a lot!)

Blood Pressure- 109/60

Thank you for all your prayers about this little boy. I can't believe I only have 10 weeks from today left until I meet our precious son, unless the Lord has other plans and he comes sooner.

Karis' Big Girl Room!

When my mom and dad came, my mom brought the letters she painted and decorated to match Karis' new bedroom. I was so proud of my mom, neither one of us are very creative or crafty, but she did a great job!

We hung the letters up above Karis' new big girl bed. Mom did an outstanding job not making them too girly!

This is Karis' new bed and quilt that her Aunt Courtney made for her. I really like it because it is pink and not too girly, hence no BIG flowers!

We also got Karis a new chest er drawer. It is nice, and she likes it. We put up a wall of family photos at her level so she can see all our family often. When we get the baby room painted and set up, I will post pictures. We are having a garage sale on Saturday so after that we will be able to paint the room and get things organized.

The County Fair

We took Karis to the county fair with my parents on Friday night. Here are some pictures of our very fun time!

Karis had a great time feeding the goats, but she was very scared of this intrusive camel. Anytime the camel got close, she would move away from feeding the goats.

Karis finally bent down and feed the goats by herself, as soon as Papa John held the camel back! Thank goodness for Papa John!!

Amma and Daddy had to ride all the rides with Karis because I couldn't. Karis enjoyed riding the train with Amma.

You don't get much sweeter than this smile sitting by Amma!

We got to see the pig races while we were there. They gave Karis a hat to wear. She was very patient while we waited for the races to start. We saw a pig race, a duck race, and a goat race. It was a neat experience.

The last ride that Karis rode was the elephant ride with Amma. She is beaming here. My little one likes to ride rides like her Mommy. Maybe next year I will be able to ride with her. We had a great time, and Karis really loves having her Papa John and Amma here to play with. The funnel cake and apple jacks were pretty good too!