Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Selah Grace - Fall Photo Shoot

Selah and I went out for a little fall photo shoot yesterday.  I just love this little girl so much!  Her laugh and smile is infectious :)
Enjoy peeking at some of the pictures I took of her!












I also have these posted on my photography blog.  Click HERE to see the larger files :)

Monday, November 21, 2011

Hide & Seek

His Name!

Have you heard?  We are having a BOY!  We are so very excited :)

For Andrew and I, naming our children is one of the biggest joys we have had in our marriage.  We both feel that names carry such meanings and pray that the names we name them will carry such weight in their lives.

James Sterling Wagner

Doesn't that have such a magnificent ring to it?  You may not think so, but we do!

James - Origin is Hebrew / Meaning is Supplanter.  It is also a family name carried down by the first born Wagner men. 

Sterling - Origin is English / Meaning is little star, stellar, genuine, and of high value. 

I pray that he will become a stellar little star that carries a character in his soul that is considered of high value to those that he meets.  Andrew and I have already started discussing the things that we will teach and show him.  I've never been a Mom to a little boy, but I hear that they will melt your heart.  I'm excited to experience that kind of love.

We are still hoping that the meaning of Selah Grace's name will stick with her one day :)  She isn't very "still or peaceful" right now, but her smile is smothered with Grace.

Rainy Monday Morning

Good soggy morning to ya...
It is currently 65 degrees in Nashville right now and the sound of pitter patter on our skylight is making my bed look so inviting.  But the constant to-do list running in my mind is keeping me from cat napping.  This is what my boring morning has looked like so far...

Praise the Lord for nap time...

Now, it's time to clean up the "Selah Grace Disaster Zone"

Clipping Thanksgiving Day coupons :)

I may or may not have eaten a piece of pumpkin pie for breakfast...

Lots and lots of rain

My to-do list is about two miles long!

I have been a terrible blogger the past few weeks!  Nothing too exciting has been going on just life as normal and doing lots and lots of photography jobs.  Also, I am slowly growing, growing, growing in to my maternity clothes and trying to get Selah to rapidly grow into her 12 month clothes.  We move in about 2.5 weeks and are SOO ready to move.  We have outgrown our space and are getting VERY antsy to get a move on!  The past couple of weeks have been filled with paperwork and packing boxes.  Nothing really blog worthy. 

I have been making a whole bunch of crafty things, but cannot post them.  They're Christmas presents :)

I'll keep you updated on the move.  It is going to be a whirlwind just a couple of weeks before Christmas... have I mentioned how ready I am to move??

Here is a little sneak peek of some of the iphone pictures I have snagged the past few weeks.. just to catch you up on the cuteness that is known in our house as, Selah Grace.

Do you spot something green?


Loves chatting with herself!

Passed plum out..

Shoe shopping with Daddy :)

That's a whole mouth full of teeth..

Love my little girl

Messy girl

got her slippers on and now ready to take the dog outside

Good morning Mom!
I love my simple life with my dramatic little girl!

Enjoy your rainy Monday.

Friday, November 4, 2011

Trunk or Treat

This year for Halloween, Selah Grace was a bug.  A really really cute bug!  I was a cat and Andrew was a bum... he won't dress up for nothing!

We had a great time watching Selah at Trunk or Treat.  Next year I am sure she will be more into the whole "candy" thing. 










Guess what?

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Early morning promise

I can't sleep...

Whether it be due to the amount of sugar I stole from Selah's Trunk or Treat bag, or the fact that baby no 2 woke up ready to party at 3am. I'm guessing one led to the other :)

As I lay here, I feel like I have been pregnant for as long as I can remember. The past two years have been fast, wonderful, and jam packed with tough life lessons. I know I should be forcing myself to sleep because in about 3 hours I will have to be awake and alert, ready for another day with my one year old.

Life with Selah is so enjoyable. That kid makes me smile and sigh all at the same time. She's a mess. Half parrot, I'm convinced. "No", is a new word she has learned recently. Selah come here, please... No. Please eat your green beans... No. Do you love Mommy more than Daddy... NO!

That child is a typical first born female. Independent and thinks she owns the world. I can look at her and see massive amounts of potential for such an amazing life. I daily think about my petite shadow and how she mirrors me. Lord, help me to show her the right way to harness all that independence for you.

My favorite thing she has learned this past month is how to "play" with Ginger. Teasing her relentlessly with toys and chasing her around and around the dining room table. I caught them playing a hard core game of tug-of-war with one of Selah's baby dolls yesterday morning. I swear that doll was screaming for help from across the room. "Baby" was almost decapitated. Poor thing. Her smile now rests a little crooked since Selah has learned to walk.

I guess my mind has had a hard time shutting off in the stillness of the night due to our recent decision to buy a house and move. We are excited to wrap up the long process of buying a house and actually start living in it :). We haven't really told many people that we've been looking. Just praying and seeing what God has for us.

Over time & now being pregnant with (technically) baby number 4 my heart has become a bit guarded against getting too excited about things or giving away too many details to everyone. I'm learning that the rather unfortunate side of life as a woman can include the nasty and all too familiar bitter heart. There are lots of ways your heart can become bitter. And when you feel tired and weak, bitterness will try and take over. Bitter words, bitter actions, and bitter thoughts. There is nothing more unattractive than a bitter woman.

I can spot one from a mile away! And I can, because many times I have been one. You can hear the tone in her voice and the look in her eyes as she spots another woman who possesses loveliness that pokes a knife into her already cracked and bleeding heart. Oh, I have been that woman. And I refuse to let her take me over.

So as I am forever aware that my petite shadow sees my actions and hears my words, I WILL NOT live a bitter life. It will not be perfect and I will have to really depend on God to not let life and the nasty evil twin of mine named "bitter" live my life for me.

As the sunlight approaches the horizon and my alarm clock gets antsy with anticipation, I will make a promise in the quietness of my home. With the hum of gentle snoring coming from Andrew beside me and Selah on the baby monitor, I will promise God that my day will begin with a whole heart. One that has not been beaten to death with bitterness.

I will begin my day in that way so that I can be an example to my husband, children, family, and friends. God gave his only son for me, so that I could live eternally with him in joy, not so I could live in bitterness.

This week, I have another doctors appointment that I seem to be nervous about. Trying to fight off my fleshy worries and live boldly, no matter what the outcome. Every doctors appointment I have, each child of mine floods my thought process. Bitterness tries to stake it's claim on past hurt and the potential for future hurt and loss.

There goes my alarm clock.., time to play lots of tug-of-war, pack lots of boxes, have a Christmas dance party in my living room, and teach Selah Grace the word, "Yes".

Wish me luck :)