It's a ...

GIRL!

She's 8 lbs-1 oz, 20 1/2 inches long, born at 1:33 today, and her name is

Miranda Skye Marlow!

Mom and daughter are doing great. No complications. Miranda is VERY quiet. We'll see how long that lasts. :)

We're told that by consensus, she's beautiful. :)

One very proud big brother!

One very tired big brother

One very upset big brother (that his picture was taken being tired) :)
(After all, yesterday was July 4th and fireworks can take their toll on a boy)


And One Very Proud and Loving Big Sister

More pictures to come later...

Caribbean Cruise

January 2009

Scott & I were blessed to go on an 8-day cruise during January. We've been wanting to go on a cruise for a long time but the timing was never right. This time we were pushed over the edge b/c it was actually an internet marketer's cruise- so b/c it was business related, it only seemed right to go! :) My dear sister Jen & her husband Al helped my Mom keep the kids in KY. We are VERY THANKFUL for them serving us in this way since they have 3 kids of their own!

Our Carnival cruise went to the islands of St. Martin, St. Kitts, & Tortola. We had a marvelous time. The islands were just beautiful. We took a full island tour of St. Martin & enjoyed the beaches on every island. Instead of staying on Tortola, we took a speed boat to nearby Virgin Gorda. The scenery there was breath-taking. Out of all the places we have been, including Fiji, I think this was the very most picturesque!



All the pictures on this post are from Virgin Gorda. If you would like to see more pictures, please check out my photo album on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=752745096&aid=103720

Do I Dare?

Just like Ariana trying to decide if she should push-off to slide down the slide, I'm trying to decide: Do I dare start blogging again? It's been since September. It's funny how in life you go through spurts- spurts of doing a particular activity, then you stop for a while, and then you pick it back up again. In my life that would describe my exercise routine & blogging! So I'm not making any promises here, but I will try to blog a little now and hopefully somewhat routinely in the future. I mean, how can I not blog after finding such a cute new background?... :)

Fun Times In KY

June-July 2008

It's hard to capture all the fun that we have during the time we spend in Kentucky. We are usually there for a full week & it is a FULL week. We tend to get up early because our children mandate it, and like children ourselves, we "adults" stay up until the wee hours of the morning talking, giggling, scrapbooking or playing the wii. By the time we return home we are exhausted! Here's kind of a modge-podge of pictures from the week.

We were excited to be in town for Anna's 1st birthday party! Isn't Anna adorable, not to mention the cupcake she is about to devour?! Karen did a fabulous job decorating! It was first-rate! :)
Double-first cousins with our precious little girls. Oh how the years go by!

Happy party attenders! Don't know where Ariana put her smile...

Since my Granddaddy died in 1983, my family along with Uncle Tom, Aunt Lois, Sam & Karen (who lived about 45 min away) have been having dinner on Tuesday night with my Grandmother. "Tuesday Night Dinners" have always had a special place in our hearts. There is nothing like being with family. And even though many of us kids have moved away, those who are still in the area continue to gather together for dinner on Tuesdays. So when we visit we try, if at all possible, to be in KY on a Tuesday night so we can join in the fun.
I bet you wish you could attend too for this quality of free entertainment! Uncle Tom is known for doing hand-stands after he delivers babies. Of course John David, Luke, & Austin are soaking this all in....and wanting to try it for themselves! Isn't Austin doing a great job?! :)

Jen & Al bought a kiddie pool for the kids to play in. The water was a bit chilly, but that didn't stop my boy! He was excited to show off the "swimming skills" he had learned in class the previous week.

Luke found a way to have fun without getting wet! :)
Later the boys (& the flys!) enjoyed a picnic supper on the porch.

The cousins later enjoyed a BIRTHDAY PARTY! We decided it would be nice to celebrate all the little ones' birthdays since it's not possible to make it to all their individual parties.
John David cracked us up by trying to extinguish his candle by blowing through his nose! He was quite determined!
Ariana LOVED Grandma's new swing set. Swinging is definitely one of her favorite activities!

My sweetheart!

Thank you Lord for my family!

Ariana's First Hair Cut

June 27, 2008

I will state the obvious. Ariana needed a hair cut. For some reason her bangs decided to grow much faster than the rest of her hair. But, like most mommys, I had a difficult time agreeing to cut her hair. I don't know why- there's just something about that first hair cut,- but boy does it look better after you bite the bullet and do it!!!!
Scott wanted the honor of cutting his daughter's hair. Grandma agreed to be the anchor.
Ariana did a great job letting Daddy trim her bangs and the little "fly-aways" over her ears.

I think Scott did a terrific job! Ariana was quite elated to be able to see the world again with clear vision!

Introducing Claire Elizabeth

June 28, 2008
We were excited to meet sweet little Claire for the first time while we were in KY. Claire is almost a month old in these photos.Isn't she adorable! She looks just like her daddy!
Claire with her big sister Catherine.

Claire with all of her cousins (cousins Austin, Ariana, John David, Luke, Lucy & sister Catherine)- welcome to the family Claire! We saved a seat on the couch for you! :)
My little sister Johnna with her little baby Claire.
We love you Claire- & so does your big sister!

Farm Living

June 30, 2008
Austin had a BIG time with Granddaddy on the farm!
The boys were thrilled to ride a little piece in Granddaddy's big 2-ton truck.
Granddaddy showed the boys the farming equipment. They got to climb up on the huge John Deere tractor,
ride on Granddaddy's "new" bulldozer (this really thrilled Austin- he is at the age where he is SO excited everytime he sees a bulldozer or other construction vehicle.),

ride the tractor lawn mower (funny as it seems, I think this was one of the biggest thrills for Austin & Luke. They got to steer it around Great Grandmother's yard),
climb & play in the back of the pickup truck,
ride in the huge combine,
and help Granddaddy feed the cows!
Farm chores were never so fun!!!

Take Me to the Tee-Ball Game!

June 30, 2008

While we were in Kentucky, Luke had a tee-ball game. It was my first tee-ball game to attend- probably the first of many- especially if I get to eat ice cream after each game!

What an athlete! That's my nephew!
Ariana cheered from the stands. She will definitely make a great cheerleader one day with her volume!
Granddaddy shared some quality reading time with the Austin & John David (there's a lot of down time in baseball! :) ).
One of the best parts was the yummy ice cream we enjoyed at McDonald's after the game. Mmmm!
There goes Grandma spoiling her grandbaby again!