6 Years and Counting

Year number 6 began with celebrating John David's 2nd birthday.  Ella had a great time riding his motorcycle and playing with his gifts.  Shortly after that KJ left to go to Brazil with a group from the University of Mobile.  Ella and I went to Arab for the week, and I could not believe how much I missed KJ.  This was the longest we had ever been apart since getting married (10 days), and I was a pathetic mess, crying the first two nights without him.  We weren't able to talk on the phone but instant messaged through Facebook.  I was really glad to finally pick him up from the airport.  

KJ with a group of students in Brazil.  I love how people in every country he visits love to throw out a peace sign.

Ella loved her souvenirs.

Kameron and Olivia got engaged in June, and we found out we were expecting a son.  We were very excited about James Harrison's arrival.  My ultrasound revealed that my umbilical cord only had two vessels instead of the normal three.  There are some problems that can be associated with this, and we had to have a special ultrasound done to look for any birth defects.  That was a somewhat frightening time, forcing us to put our trust in the Lord yet again.  Coming on the heels of my miscarriage, it gave us added fears, but we were so thankful to learn that our baby boy was completely healthy with no sign of any problems.  We celebrated the Fourth of July at KJ's parents with the Kizziah family, as well.  Ella had her first experience with sparklers and learned to recognize the American flag, which she called for several months, the "Obama flag."  KJ had told her who the president was when he was speaking on the news one night.  Of course he was standing in front of the American flag, which evidently made Ella equate the flag with Obama.  We have finally succeeded in getting her to call it the "American flag."  Katie and I were shopping for baby bedding and trying to get ready for the babies coming in the fall.  We also got to go shopping for a wedding dress with Olivia and her mom and sisters.

It was an extremely long and hot summer for me.  I could already tell that my son was a big boy.  The only possible issue the doctor thought I might have with the two-vessel cord was a low birth weight baby.  I was beginning to feel like that would not be a problem.  Finally it was September and time for Ella's birthday and only one more month until James' arrival.

Labor Day weekend we met my family in Birmingham and enjoyed barbecue at Jesse's new furniture-less apartment.  Dad took Ella to the Galleria to ride the carousel, which she absolutely loved.  A couple of weeks later we welcomed baby Claire into the world on September 24, 2009.  That same day I got the okay to be induced the following Thursday, and I was ecstatic.  We welcomed sweet baby James on October 1 at 12:57 p.m.  He exceeded all expectations in the weight department, weighing in at 8 lbs. 9 oz.  He was perfectly precious from the beginning.

Even though everyone exclaimed over how "big" he was, he felt small to me.

He was perfect.

1 week with 2 week-old baby Claire

One Month

We traveled to Arab when James was 6 weeks old and had a great visit.  He was a much sleepier newborn than Ella was, so he made it much easier on me.  We also spent Thanksgiving in Arab with the whole Murphy clan.  It was another very cold Thanksgiving.  James had to stay wrapped up for the family picture.  Ella adjusted very well to her new role as big sister.  It was a bit harder for me learning how to juggle two different schedules and meet both Ella's and James' needs at the right times.  KJ was a great help, too, letting me sleep in before he left for work every morning.

6 weeks

Thanksgiving

Christmas was fun because Ella was so involved in everything, putting up decorations, wrapping presents and watching Christmas movies.  She quickly grew to love White Christmas and still asks to watch it now and again.  Jesse graduated from the Birmingham Police Academy as well as proposed to Sandy Habrial, so we had another new addition to our family party in Arab.

2 months

Christmas shopping with Debo

2 1/2 months

Christmas in the Park (in Arab)

2010 started with KJ's 27th birthday (wow!) and James' 3 month birthday.  Later in the month we were able to take a trip to Disney World with the Pugh family.  It was so much fun introducing Ella to the Magic Kingdom.  She had such an enchanted time, and James did really well riding in the infant carrier.  We were also able to visit with KJ's grandparents at Lake Santa Fe on the way home.  I spent my 28th birthday in the car.  It was a very long day driving back home.  But we really did have a great vacation in Disney World.

Everyday life is so busy with two small children it is hard to remember every detail, but I think February passed uneventfully apart from the day-to-day.  We had the chance to attend our church's marriage retreat in Gatlinburg in March (with our children, of course), and that was a lot of fun.  It was fun to take a little trip together, and KJ's mother kept the children so we could go out together and to a teaching session.  We really enjoyed the spring weather that arrived just in time for Easter, although our time outside made James sick.  It is hard to believe that summer is upon us already.  We celebrated our 6th anniversary at Kameron and Olivia's wedding, which was a worshipful and beautiful celebration.  

4 months

February Snow

5 Months and 3 1/2

James first fake smile

Gatlinburg Trip

Making biscuits with Hillary

6 Months with Big Daddy

Easter