apple picking

This past Friday Evie and I went apple picking with my mom at her husband's house.  We picked Yates and Fuji's.  My mom rode us around in their four wheeler and I would stand up in it and hand down the apples I picked for Evie to put in the bucket. She wanted to eat them straight off of the tree, so we let her.  That night I made two lattice top apple pies from scratch.  It doesn't get more homemade than apples right out of the backyard and a homemade buttery flakey crust with Plugra butter.  

I just love that fall is creeping in.  The mornings are perfect here but by 3 it's normally 79 or 80 degrees.  I'm so excited for when it cools down for good.  I love that October starts tomorrow.  That means so many good things are coming: my birthday, General Conference, holidays, fall weather, oh and WE ARE HAVING A BABY!  This could be the week!

Here are some polaroids from our apple picking.

the plan

A few weeks ago we received some amazing news that we had been waiting for, Mr. Murphy has gotten into the University of Georgia!

 He will be finishing his bachelors and Masters there as an accounting major.  We hope to be able to get it all done in about 3 years.  I am so proud of him and can't wait to see what this new adventure holds for us. 

We will be moving our little family of four back to the country and into my mothers house. When she got married in February she moved out to Douglasville with her new husband. So now we will have that big beautiful home and land all to ourselves.  I loved raising Evaleigh there for the first 9 months of her life and I can't wait to do the same with Avett.  Our days were spent outside swinging under trees, playing in the barn, and laying out on blankets in the pasture.  

We will make the move at the end of October a few weeks after Avett is born.  It will be a hectic time to pick up our family and move but we know it's the right thing.  I feel sad about leaving the city that I love so much and in my heart I hope we will be back in the future.  We have so many wonderful friends here and we are grateful for the love and support they have shown us.  John has been with the same company for the past 4.5 years and he has learned so much, it has been wonderful for is. We are grateful to have had the opportunity to be with them for as long as we were.

We are so excited to move along to the next chapter in our lives. We are a little nervous about going back to the student life but it's also exciting to do it together! So, that's the plan, and we can't wait to get stared!

(Back in 2011 when we moved in for the first time)

after the Italian vacation

Yesterday I went for, hopefully one of my last, OB appointments and John and Evie went with me. Since we switched doctors so late in the game John hadn't met him yet and he wanted to before it was go time.  It was a very unusual appointment in that our wait time was about an hour. Normally I'm in and out in 30 minutes or less, but since the doc had just returned from his Italian vacation the waiting room was packed with appointments.  As we were waiting Evaleigh was being pretty patient and trying to make friends with a few people around us. She definitely had most of the attention in the quiet waiting room. Then out of the corner of her eye she sees a nude sculpture of a mother and baby.  She gets really excited and starts pointing at and touching the naked breasts and very proudly starts exclaiming over and over again, "Boo-boos, boo-boos, BOO- BOOs!!"  All I could do was look at John and hide my giggle then congratulate her for naming the correct body part and quickly move on to something more appropriate like elbows or eyes.  I looked around in the quiet waiting room and most everyone else was smiling or laughing too. 

She has great timing....

the end is near

I can't believe how fast this pregnancy has gone. I feel like we just found out and now here we are.  I can't go out in public now with out comments like, "About to pop any second now huh?" "Is it twins?" "Don't drive over any railroad tracks."  I didn't really know what that one meant.  Monday I had a woman who thought she could guess how far along I was and the gender of the baby.  I let her try and she was wrong on both accounts.  According to her I was only 8 months along and having a girl. How much bigger did she think I could get?!

Yesterday my mother came over and helped me rearrange our bedroom and get the bassinet situated by the bed.  It's the same one we used for Evie when she was little before we began co sleeping with her.  I feel like I blinked my eyes and she was out of it and now we are getting ready to put Avett in there! 

So here I am at 38 weeks and 2 days.  Large, in charge, and hitting men in the head in the pew at church in front of me with my belly.

june & joan

Evaleigh likes to tell us stories all of the time.  Lately she has been talking a lot about June, Joan, and Nancy.  Although Nancy does not appear in this story, its still a good one.

Dear Avett...

We are down to mere days before your arrival.  I'm not really sure if it's even hit me yet.  Your sister has loved me carrying you around in my belly.  She hugs and kisses you all of the time and says, "baby!".  Every morning when your dad and I bring her in to bed with us I get a kiss, daddy gets a kiss, and you get at least two and a hug. 

I can't believe that you are almost here. I have prepared for your arrival more than anything else in my life.  I'm so excited for how you will come in to this world and I pray every day that my body will be able to bring you here safely and naturally.  We have our hospital go bag full and ready to go.  Anytime I make a face or stop in my tracks over a twinge of pain or Braxton Hicks your dad jumps right up and flips out just a little.  Keep it cool dad...

Despite the discomfort I have loved being pregnant with you.  It's been a little harder this time around because I've had your sister to chase around, but knowing what is on the other side of all of this makes it so incredibly worth it.  I can't wait to see you with your sister.  I've been feeling a little emotional about adding you to our little family of three but I know that there are so many sweet moments waiting for us when you get here.  I am excited to soak in all of your newbornness.  I probably won't want to put you down because I know how quickly all of that passes.  I am beyond thrilled to see you with your dad, you already have him wrapped around your finger.  He gets so giddy thinking about you getting here and calls you his little sidekick.

Take these last few days to do the rest of the growing that you need but please come out soon, we want to meet you. We love you!

saturday mornings...

...are for Sublime Doughnuts.

I woke up this morning with an intense craving for doughnuts.  We had Sublime catered at our wedding but never had a single bite of even one, they were gone so fast! So, this morning we decided to introduce Evie and Avett (through the womb) to Sublime. It was delicious and Evie made her own little friend who played with doughnut toys with her until we had to go. I love you so much Atlanta.

We got the:

Nutella Doughnut

Maple bacon

Chocolate Bannana Fritter

A-town Creme

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Filled

Dulce de Leche

All of them fantastic.

e & a's shared nursery

So, truth be told it really made no sense to even create this room except for the fact that my nesting instincts were off the charts.  I told myself early on that I was no going to change around Evie's room before Avett came.  But when my mother purchased this toddler bed for us and CJ created their quilts, I literally couldn't stop myself.  I don't know what was driving me other than shear hormones.  Seeing that we are moving in two months Avett will most likely never even sleep in this room. However, now that I satisfied the urge to rearrange and redo 'their' room I actually sleep better at night. I don't toss and turn with crazy pregnant lady thoughts of how to decorate for Avett and make a space that is all his own. Not that that even makes sense since he will be in a bassinet the whole time we finish living here. Geeez pregnant ladies are nuts....

The only two new purchases were:

Crib sheets: Land of Nod

Rug: Ikea

vanilla italian soda

This weekend we tried to soak up the last bits of summer.  John and Evie and I had a pool day on Saturday and then when he got her down for a nap he said, "Why don't you go to Target and get a new maternity shirt and do some shopping!"  OK!   So I did just that but before coming home I stopped to get us a summer treat to sip on the porch as the sun went down.  I am ashamed to say I had to resist from buying a cinnamon broom though.  Even though I am craving fall, it can wait a little while longer.  I learned this fun trick from a girl from my church at our playgroup last week.

Vanilla Italian Soda:

Torani Flavor Syrup (any flavor)

Club Soda 

Half & Half

Ice

Fill up a big mason jar up to the 12oz line with ice.

Pour in Torani syrup to the 4oz line.

Add club soda to just under the 16oz line.

Splash in just a bit of half and half to top it off to the 16oz line.  Then stir it all up.

I was able to get the Vanilla flavor at Kroger but there are a lot more options for different flavors at World Market.

Enjoy your last moments of summer!

birth...

*This is a sensitive topic for me just because of how incredibly personal it is.  However, I feel the desire to document each step of this pregnancy journey.  So, I proceed to describe my feelings on this subject as tenderly and honestly as possible.*

As some of you know, who have been long time readers of this blog, I really struggled with the way things progressed with my birthing process with Evaleigh.  I had always desired a natural birthing experience and when I was faced with a c-section, due to her breech presentation, I was devastated.  A big part of me felt like I was missing out on an earthly physical experience that I knew my body was capable of.  I felt confused and frustrated with the pressure of making the decision about what to do with Evie's birth but ultimately decided to have the c-section after countless attempts to turn her.

Looking back on my c-section experience I have very little complaint.  It was truly a sweet experience, my recovery was really a breeze, and after all Evaleigh Joy was born healthy.  Its hard to have regrets about how the most wonderful thing that ever happened to you came about. So for that, I will confidently say that I would change nothing about how Evaleigh came in to this world.

But that didn't mean that I haven't been incredibly desirous to change this birthing experience with Avett.  I recently had a friend tell me this, "I think every woman needs something different to make her birth experience special, I feel every mother deserves to look back on the birth of her child and say the entire experience was a blessing and a miracle, not just "at least my baby was healthy."  It is for this reason that the idea of trying for a VBAC has not left my mind for a single day since I found out I was pregnant on February 8th.  

For the most part of this pregnancy John and I planned on a repeat c-section.  I did this reluctantly but mostly ill-informed.  First let me say that I adore my OB.  I mean, I want to have her over to my house and cook her dinner and talk for hours and be her best friend.  But I knew something wasn't right when she first began telling me that she would not do a VBAC and described the risks involved.  They seemed dramatic and somewhat like a scare tactic.  I trusted her and have for over 2 years.  But there was a little voice in my head telling me to look further and do some research on my own.  At the end of one of my first appointments with this pregnancy she gave me the number for a doctor in Atlanta who does VBAC's and said that I would have her blessing if in my heart I did feel like a VBAC was something I needed to do.

It took me 5 months to summon the courage to contact that doctor.  When I finally did she informed me that she no longer practiced privately in ATL but gave me 3 other referrals.  After that it took another 2 weeks to get the courage to contact them.  I set up one appointment for this past Monday and with a blessing from my husband combined with many prayers I hoped I would know what to do.

When Monday arrived I felt like it was the first day of school and I was the new kid.  Part of me felt like I was cheating on my OB but the stronger part of me knew that if I didn't do this I would really be cheating myself. 

When I walked in to that doctors office a feeling of peace immediately washed over my body.  I looked through a book on the table full of pictures patients had sent of their newborn babies and notes they had written to the doctor about how amazing he was and how much he inspired them and changed their lives.  Tears filled my eyes.  When I finally met with the doctor it was an instant click.  He treated me like I was the only pregnant woman in the world and spent time answering every single one of my questions.  There were so many things he told me that were reassuring.  He said that with VBACS he does not induce, he will not use pitocin, he wants me to labor moving around and standing or walking for as long as I can.  He wants me to try to get to a 6 or 7 with no drug intervention.  He suggested Bradley and Hypnobirthing.  Then he had me stand up and he put his hands on my hips and said, "Well from where I'm sitting, these are just about the most perfect birthing hips I've ever seen."  I was in love.

He owns a practice with a staff of 24 midwives that deliver for uninsured immigrant woman as well as his private practice.  And to top it all off it turns out that my other OB had delivered all of his grandchildren.  I felt such a kinship to him and by the time I left he popped up to shake my hand and said, "Alright kiddo, peace."  I just about bear hugged him right there.  I knew immediately that doing a VBAC and delivering with him was the right decision for me.

This new decision has put a fire back in me about this birthing experience.  I went to the library yesterday and checked out two books on VBACS and Ina May's guide to childbirth.  I am already soaking it all in and trying to learn as much as I can.  I have started some online training with Hypnobrthing.  My goal is to go natural and to be open to what this experience has to offer.  I couldn't be more excited about this and I can't wait to bring our Avett in to this world.

I am open to learning as much as I can in these last few weeks and would love to hear what worked for you mothers who delivered naturally.  Thank you so much already for those who have been supportive and encouraging to me through this journey.  I am excited to experience the, "empowering beauty of childbirth that is woman's amazing gift for people-ing the earth." -Alice Walker

to ej

To our only child.  

To the one who can sit endlessly on our laps.  The one who can color with a pen tirelessly. The one who says, "pleeeease" with the most perfect inflection. The one who must gather all of her blankets and animals before exiting her bed in the morning. The one who gives the longest and sweetest hugs after a cup of milk while laying in bed with mom and dad before the sun comes up. The one who loves to put little puppies down her momma's shirt.  The one who loves to lip sync to any song possible, even if there aren't words, with a furrowed brow and her head shaking side to side. The one who loves to be chased around in the nude while giggling.  The one who is a stubborn nap taker. The one who has dance parties with dad every morning and momma every afternoon.  The one who waits by the door for her daddy to come home and then expects a full on wrestling match when he walks through the door.

We love you.

Soon we will become a family of four and you will share our laps with someone new. You will learn to love him and I know we will wonder how we ever lived with out him.  But for now we will soak in every minute of you being the only one.

strip quilt

We have gotten a lot of special things for this baby boy but this is probably my favorite.  My soul friend Lisa's mother handmade this incredible quilt for Avett.  I had this idea to throw a bunch of fabrics together in strips without any thought of a color scheme.  I pulled fabrics from things I had at home and then CJ let me go shopping in her fabric stash! We cut fabric strips together for 4 hours one day.

The blanket is so special because we can look at it and say "That fabric came from an antique shop in Colorado when I was shopping with Aunt Makayla when she was pregnant with McKenzie."  Or, "These are scraps from when I accidentally made backwards Z's for Jenna's wedding."  Or, "These were pajama pants for Karen and this was the leftover from Lisa's linen pants."  

Every piece in there has a story.  And let me just tell you how amazing CJ is.  When you thought it couldn't get any sweeter she goes and makes a matching small version of the quilt for EJ to play with for her baby dolls.  They are both something that we will cherish forever, thank you CJ, we love you!