Baby Girl #2

This post is a direct result of Jennie's comment, though I'm sure others would like to know too!

Our second baby girl is due July 9th and we've decided to name her Ella, which means "Shining Light". The doctor's say everything looks good - praise the Lord! I do hope she decides to come a little early as I feel huge this time and the tops of my legs keep falling asleep if I stand/walk for too long. Other than that, this pregnancy has been just as easy as the first. The Lord has definitely blessed me in this way! Really, I think He knows that if I had the sickness that some of my friends have had, I probably wouldn't have any more children!

Grace and Ella will be less than 2 years apart, which I'm sure will make things busy early on. However, I hope that it also means they will be close friends as they grow up. Grace has learned that Ella is the baby in mommy's belly and when I ask her to say Ella's name she repeats it then pats my belly and says she wants to see. She probably still doesn't understand that we are going to have a baby around 24/7, but at least she's aware of some things. We need prayer for a smooth transition for Grace and that we would know how to help her feel special when it seems like things are all about Ella. We will have lots of help for the first month after Ella's due date with different family members coming to town. We are so thankful that each of them is able to make the long trip out here!

Just last week I had to switch to a new doctor. My doctor, who is also pregnant and due about a month after me, has had to go on complete, hospitalized bedrest. Please pray that the rest of her pregnancy goes smoothly! The new doctor seems alright, but it is hard to get used to someone so quickly. Thankfully, with this being our second child in less than 2 years, we already have a good, realistic idea about what to expect.

We are definitely excited about Ella's arrival and pray for a smooth labor and delivery!

Yellowstone

Old Faithful

We had a 4.5 day weekend for Memorial Day and decided to take advantage of our proximity to Yellowstone National Park. The park is only 7.5 hours away (nearly 10 with a child who's not yet 2!) and we felt we might not get another chance to go in the near future. So, we packed up and drove to Missoula the first day. While there, we met up with the Swisher family, www.brooutdoors.com, from Memphis, who moved out here in 2007 to start a new ministry. We all enjoyed some good Southern-style veggies at Cracker Barrel and great fellowship! The next day, we drove on to West Yellowstone, MT and checked in to our cabin. We were definitely lucky to find such a great place on such short notice! Saturday and Sunday were spent exploring Yellowstone which meant a lot of driving and several short hikes.

One of Daddy & daughter's favorite stops

Grace was a trooper the whole time, even doing a couple of hikes on her own. For the others, Daddy carried her in the backpack. Not a bad deal!

Mud Volcano boardwalk trail


Souvenir Yellowstone caps