Calyn, Emma, Samantha, and Levi together for the first time!
To say our families grown this year is an understatement wouldn't you say? :)
November 2, 2013
Cousins
We finally have all the cousins here that were due this year, so they had to have a photo op over the past few weeks.
Levi and Emma together. There's 10 weeks difference between them.
Back together again 3 weeks later and changed already!
Emma's other cousins are Boone and Oliver. Oliver is 6 weeks older than Emma. Boone's not so sure about a girl on the stomping grounds, but I'm sure they will be a load of trouble when they all get together when they're older!
Happy Halloween
We didn't get Emma a Halloween costume this year. I figure next year will work just fine for a first costume year. Instead, she just celebrated with a festive shirt and a tutu that my friend Ashleigh made her. I thought she was adorable as if she had dressed up!
Our friends, Blake and Ashleigh, have a daughter who was born right before Halloween so her party was Halloween themed. It was a dress up party, but we kind of dropped the ball on that one. My nephew did and they were adorable!
Cute cute cute. Told you..adorable!
We finally got a family picture that didn't include a hospital gown.
I must say we are cute too! ;)
Next year...we'll do better next year!
Meeting the Greats
Emma is officially 6 weeks old and has met quite a few people in that time frame. She has finally met all of her great-grandparents. She met my grandparents the week she was born, but getting to Sam's grandmas was not as easy as you'd think.
My Memaw Peggy and Papaw Joe (my dad's side) came to see her practically right after we got to the house. 
My Memaw JoAnn and Papaw Jack (my moms side) came later that week.
We took a trip to West Virgina while I'm on leave seeing that I will only have 5 days to take off when I get back to work and it was a whirlwind! Let's just say Emma didn't mind the trip up there but coming home and riding in her car seat another 9 hrs was not on her "I like this" list.
Emma and Grandma Shrewsbury, Sam's dad's mom. To say she was excited to her is an understatement.
I love that Emma has great parents to love on her on both sides of our family. I only remember one of mine and I don't think Sam ever met his. I'm glad to have the memories in pictures for Emma to have when she gets older!
September 27, 2013
Emma Rose
On Thursday, Sept. 19th our world changed drastically! Coming at her own speed and showing us early who was boss, Emma finally decided to grace us with her presence at 6:13 pm. She came in at a decent size of 7 lbs. 8 oz. She had tons of family and friends waiting patiently for her arrival and made there way to see her as soon as they could. 
We've been a family of 3 now for a week and are adjusting pretty well. It helps that little bit has been an easy baby this far. Now that I say that she's going to show me otherwise! :) We've been blessed this first week with people bringing us meals, so that's one less thing we've had to deal with.
We have one alert and bright eyed little girl. I am sure she's going to be a handful as she gets older, especially if we've got a mini Holly on our hands. :)
July 27, 2013
Nashville Dancin'
Back in the day it was called Dancing in the District, but I guess to make it a little different it's now called Nashville Dancin' and that's exactly where we were Thursday night. Sam and I are all about free entertainment, so the chance to hang out on the riverfront and listen to some music for free was right up our alley. We've been crazy busy, so the chance to have a really cheap impromptu date night was really appealing! Of course not everything about the night was free because I had to have Jeni's ice cream! 
I love this place and was a must get when I saw their food truck on the riverfront. If you haven't been, you should make note that you need to try it out!
We made it to listen to a couple of bands, neither of which we knew, but we still enjoyed each others company and the view on the river. It was such a nice night having had these unusually cooler July nights!
July 19, 2013
One of two...
One of two of my nephews that were due to arrive this summer has made his grand appearance. Sam's sister had her third child, welcoming a healthy baby boy. After two girls, they needed this new baby to be a boy to bring some testosterone to the home. 
Levi Jameson is his name. My sister is due in a few weeks with another boy. A few weeks more to wait after the little baby Hampton makes his debut and we'll have our little diva here!
July 16, 2013
Atlanta Mini Vacation
The reality of a vacation getaway to a beach was just not gonna happen this year. It was actually starting to seem like a vacation if any sort this summer wasn't in the cards when my doctor told me I couldn't travel past 2 hrs out of Nashville. I still have 2 months to go before little bits expected arrival so this seemed a bit early to put all travel plans aside. This past week Sam and I decided to take an impromptu trip to Atlanta to see the Braves play and go against the doctors recommendation. There's plenty of hospitals in Atlanta if something unexpected were to happen...she just wouldn't get paid. ;)
It wasn't a beach vacation, but it was still a perfect mini vacation for the two of us. Trips are going to come few and far between with little bit in tow so we were excited to take advantage of the time we have. We went to two games vs the Reds and did a little shopping at Ikea. It's a must go to when we are in town.
Now we are back to reality. Sams back at work and I'm getting ready to start getting my classroom put back together to start the school year in less than a month. This summer has flown by, but it just means we are getting that much closer to meeting Emma Rose so I won't complain too much about it going fast! :)
July 4th
This year we decided to do things a little different from our normal 4th of July plans. The past 4 years we've gone to Nashville and set up a spot to grill and hang out until the fireworks. Luckily, this year we changed plans since it decided to be crazy rainy!
We went to a friends house to grill and hang out. We played cornhole and shot off our own fireworks. This was a lesson learned. We are better off going to Nashville. No one gets in harms way with fireworks when we just watch them in Nashville. It was nice to change things up...and have access to a bathroom not Porta John...but we've decided that change isn't always a good thing! :) 
Chicago Getaway
I haven't posted in decades it seems and we've been pretty busy. I had the goal last year of completing a half marathon and did it! This year Sam made the goal of doing a run called the Tough Mudder. This is a 12 mile run with about 25 obstacles to complete during the run. He started training in January for the run in May that was in Chicago. I got a trip to Chicago out of the deal. :) Sam and I got there in time to go to Wrigley Field too.
I am a huge baseball fan and while I might not be a Chicago Cubs fan, going to see Wrigley is on any baseball fans bucket list. It was pretty chilly, but we had a great time at the game. Our friends Melinda and Dan met us up there later Saturday night to enjoy the rest of the weekend. Sam and the team survived the run while Melinda and I survived a day full of shopping. It was fabulous! I found a new love of public transportation after walking everywhere. Buses and L trains are awesome! My CTA card was amazing and got my monies worth out of it. Before we made the trip home, we took a little scenic trip around town and saw the Bean and Buckingham Fountain along with Lake Michigan. I loved Chicago and would love to go back! Here are some pictures from the weekend. 
April 23, 2013
February 24, 2013
Patience
In August last year, Sam and I experienced what anyone wanting to start a
family doesn't want to go through. We found out we were expecting, but
soon after learned that the timing wasn't God's plan. My doctor had
found a polyp in July, but didn't think that it was anything to be
concerned about, but turns out it was too big and in just the right spot
to keep our baby from growing. At the time, I questioned why us. We
waited and planned and did everything "right". I had plans of how I was
going to tell Sam and our family, but those plans didn't come to life.
The months of August and September were two of the most difficult months
I have experienced. I was mad, hurt, questioning what I did wrong, what
I could have changed, etc. I had to go for countless blood
tests..sitting in a waiting room with newly pregnant to ready to pop
women, each time being told everything looked normal. We were told to
wait. I know that I was learning a lesson in patience, but at the time I
just wanted it to end and every call made it that much harder. In
October, I had surgery to remove the polyp that caused the miscarriage
and again was told to wait just a little longer. It hurt to see everyone
else being able to go about their lives and add to their families while
we waited. In November, we found out that we would be an uncle and aunt
again and while I wanted to be overjoyed and happy, I was
reminded that it wasn't our time. We finally got the clear in December
and while we were waiting again (this time to find out if we were
going to be parents), we found out that we were going to be an aunt and
uncle again this year. Again when I should have been happy, I broke down
in the middle of Target telling Sam I just wanted to be a mommy. I was
tired of hearing everyone else's happy news and not being able to be
genuinely happy for them...for my own family to say the least. My
patience was wearing so thin and I didn't know the person that I had
become but God had a plan. A week after finding out my sisters news, I
found out that I had news of my own! We were hesitate to get our hopes
up. I waited for the worst...and continued to wait. I wouldn't let
myself get attached and make big plans. When we went to the doctor, I
waited for them to tell us bad news, but the bad news never came.
Instead, we saw a tiny little peanut with a strong heartbeat. We told
our families when we were 8 weeks and that was the hardest secret to
keep! I didn't talk to my mom leading her to think she had made me mad,
but I just couldn't let the secret slip! :)
Introducing baby Shrew!
Jeremiah 29:11
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