Bailey is Here!

We got ourselves a precious baby girl!
We couldn't be more excited.
Bailey Pope Doster! 7lbs 9oz born at 9:01 Monday morning January 26th!
All day we kept saying, "I can't believe we have a girl!"
Brooks was so excited when he walked into the hospital room, we told him it was a baby girl and he said "it's just what I wanted!"
Brooks took pictures of Bailey for show and tell on Friday at his school.
Baby Bailey, you are so loved, your brothers love to come check on you in your baby swing every time they come in the room.
You are so lucky to have big brothers, I know they are going to love and protect you so well!
We are so thrilled to get a little pink around here.
Your daddy is going to be so smitten!
Bailey, I hope one day you will know what a treasure you are to this family!

We are in for a wild ride with 3 kiddos under 4 but we are so blessed. Tired, but what a full life that I wouldn't trade for anything. At times I wonder how I am going to juggle it all, especially when Trip goes back to work but I know we will get through this season and there is so much to look forward to.
Trip is the best dad and husband, he is so helpful and making this transition so much easier. I can't wait until I am fully recovered from my c-section.
 I Hope Bailey has a husband like him one day and I hope the boys grow up to be husbands like their daddy!
God is good!
A few pics of the first few days with Bailey, we see a lot of Brooks and Ford in her…...

First viewing

Headed home

Here we go……….

The night before you were born

Tomorrow is the big day for our baby #3's arrival.
I am so excited and nervous at the same time.
I am thrilled to meet this precious one, but nervous of lack of sleep and juggling 3 kiddos.
I know God will carry me through this season. I pray I could find peace and rest in the Lord, I pray I wouldn't miss what God has for me during this time.
I can't wait to see what God has in store for this family!
We've only just begun!

Dear Baby, 
We thought you might come early and we have been waiting every day for a possible arrival but you have made it to your scheduled c-seciton day!
 Your precious birthday will be Jan 26th 2015.
We are so thrilled for your arrival. 
We have been anticipating it for months and we are ready! 
Your brothers are so excited to meet you,
Brooks hopes you're a girl but we know he will be excited if you are a boy that he can play with.
He has been tellings us "2 more sleeps until the baby, and 1 more sleep until the baby…."
I think Brooks and Ford are going to be great big brothers.
We have notified all our friends and family for the big day and they are so excited to meet you too! 
So many people are anticipating your arrival and praying for you little one.
We can't wait to meet your face and call you by name.
We know God has knit you together perfectly.
We dropped off your brothers at memaw and d-daddy's and we got to have a nice date at Houston's tonight before your big arrival!!
You are what we have prayed for and you will always be dearly loved and tomorrow we will never forget how you entered our world.
Here are some pics of your brothers in the weeks before your arrival!
xoxoxo

Brooks at Young Life club! Little one, he really is so thrilled to meet you!!

Ford at one of my last doctor appointments of this pregnancy

"Dr. Ford", you're going to love him little one!

Ford's 2nd birthday

Brooks at Ford's 2nd birthday party

We have had a lot of rainy days little one, and this was finally a day of sun so the boys washed the windows

The new trampoline is a huge hit in our backyard!

This Season

Well, here we are in December. I have thought a lot about this blog but haven't put my thoughts down in a while.
I don't want too much time to pass without writing down some thoughts of this season of life and parenting our little people.
I know there are so many things I will forget if I never write them down.
I am 33 weeks pregnant.
This feeling feels so familiar after already having a January and a February baby.
I feel like I have been pregnant a lot during the holiday season.
The anticipation is exciting!
Just like Christmas!
I love this season so much.
When I think of Christmas, I like to think of hope.
The hope of the birth of Christ is what I treasure most.
I can't imagine walking through this world without hope.
Without the hope of eternity in heaven.
Without the hope of a God who cares for me regardless of what I do.
Without the hope of a God who is perfect and sovereign.
Without the hope of a perfect God who holds me and my family in the palm of his hand.
Without the hope of a God who gives me reason.
Lately I have felt drained from this parenting gig.
It's hard.
It's the best thing in the world.
but it's self sacrificing every day.
It's good for me, to be in a place of dependence on God and a place that requires me to give up my own agenda EVERY DAY.
I think that's why I treasure this hope found in the birth of Christ at Christmas time.
It helps me get through the day.
It gives me a greater purpose amidst the mundane.
How on earth do you walk through this life without it…..
I just don't know.
And while Ford is at a hard age, with tantrums and lack of communication skills and unable to sit and do anything for a period of time, and taking him anywhere feels like mission impossible,
I still find so much joy in being his mom.
Although being at home with them every day is very hard some days.
I still wouldn't have it any other way.
I still love that Brooks tells me that he loves when I pick him up from school and that he loves spending the day with me.
It makes it all worth while.
And when Ford wants to crawl up in my lap and have me read him the same book over and over,
I am thankful that I am here, with him, and I can have the time to do it.
And they are just so cute,  I mean, thank goodness God created them so stinkin' cute, it's a redeeming quality that is much needed some days!
It's been really fun to watch Brooks and Ford start playing together.
Brooks LOVES it when Ford is around, he asks me all the time to wake him up from his nap so that they can play.
So far he is a really great big brother, he is usually really sweet with him and wants him around.
I hope they will always be able to enjoy each other.
Ford follows him everywhere and copies everything he does.
It will be fun to watch this relationship grow as Ford gets older and is able to communicate more with him.
And Brooks is so into Christmas, everything about it. It is SO FUN!!!!
I want to freeze his joy and excitement and innocence and belief, it's the best!!
I can't wait for Christmas morning.

decorating the tree

Snow in Highlands over Thanksgiving

Ford kept saying "cold, cold"

Just to make a note to remember these days:

Ford is almost 2 and really into cars, and trains, and Brooks!

He isn't too picky yet.

He loves his lovie blankets but when he says it he sounds like he is saying his "fluffy".

He sucks on them when he is tired and it soothes him to sleep, I love it!

He is a great sleeper, usually enjoys going "nigh nigh". 

He is hot or cold, either really upset and throwing a tantrum or so so happy with mouth wide open.

He enjoys saying "hi" to people and usually doesn't mind being left at church or the gym or with sitters.

He loves being read to.

Brooks is nearing 4 years old.

He is so fun, he is so sweet and very much a pleaser,

he wants to do right and hates to get in trouble. 

His teachers say he is always eager to participate and follow instructions.

He loves being around friends and cousins. He gets so excited when we meet others for playdates or when he sees other kids in the neighborhood.

He is sensitive.

he is so picky with food!! 

He is cautious.

Loves spider man and other super heroes! 

Loves the dawgs and went to two georiga games this season (his first two).

He loves playing with his dad and has been to every Young Life club on monday nights this semester.

He seems to love being home, perhaps a bit of a homebody, he loves school when he goes and is always happy when I pick him up but sometimes gets upset to leave the house in the morning. 

I love discovering who God has created in these two boys! They are different for sure, can't wait to see what baby #3 is!!!!

Brooks keeps saying it's a girl.

We are prepared for another boy :)

xoxoxo

I'm back

I may have been MIA lately but this blog is not forgotten.
Life has been happening and I have not been putting it in writing.
I am no scrapbooker so this is my only hope at documenting these early years with our kiddos.
To recap.
We moved
We went to Italy
We got pregnant
Trip has been on Sabbatical
and did I mention that we moved?
Oh yea, and we moved.

Moving with kids bites.
A couple months later and I think I feel settled, I think, a little bit.
We moved on up to the burbs to be closer to our Young Life area.
So that we can really root ourselves in the community.
No question that God has been all over this.
There is a lot behind this move, a journey God is taking me on.
The journey is far from over, in fact in a lot of ways I think it's just the beginning.
Both feelings of excitement and an overwhelming feeling of "new beginnings" are both present.
What am I learning?
A lot of different things.
But one that comes to mind is about comfort.
God is teaching me about what it looks like to live an uncomfortable life ( at least at times).
Our life slipped into a comfortable stage for a little while. We were settled in our home, settled in work, no pregnancy, and no newborn baby. Relatively speaking we were "settled" and "comfortable".
And then God tugged on our hearts and nudged and answered some prayers that we have been praying for a long time.
So we moved.
And it hasn't been comfortable.
And we have the least amount of $$ we have ever had,
and it's not comfortable,
and I am pregnant again,
and it's not comfortable.
But we are thrilled at the same time for what is happening in all these areas.
Because my faith journey would be a few steps back if I hadn't  felt uncomfortable.
If I had no tears, if I had no questions, if I had everything I needed, I wouldn't feel the great need for a savior.
If you look all over the bible, God's people led very very uncomfortable lives.
Rarely were they ever in "ideal" situations. But this is where life change happened.
I want life change for me and for my family.
I don't know what that looks like day in and day out.
Comfort suites me well,
I am a homebody, I like my routine, I like my old friends that know me, my friends that are like me, I like the familiar, I like predictable,
and God can be found in all these things,
but I think God's greatness is found in the unfamiliar, unpredictable, uncomfortable things, unfamiliar people.
So I am trying to find God in the uncomfortable.
He is showing up in all kinds of ways and I am constantly reminded that God is for me, not against me!

Pictures to recap the last few months.
I am terrible lately about taking pics on a real camera so just iphone pics for now.

on our way to Italy

Last Day at Wee School with Luca

last day with Daye :( 

Athens to watch SEC Tennis with dad

just hanging at the playground

Batman helping us unpack boxes in the new house

The beach, first time in the fountains

Great cousin time!

Highlands in June, heavenly weather

sharing a snow cone

4th of July

4th of July at the beach club

hanging out in the new house with stripes and plaid

Braves game with new neighborhood buddy, Campen

the Zoo, Ford's first time

Brooks first time at Stone Mountain Laser show, awesome!

Real life at 18 months old

my epic getaway for two nights in Utana by myself,  filling up my dry cup!

And  baby number 3 coming the end of January! We are so excited. 

And I am thankful to not be throwing up anymore. Praise the good Lord!

"Give us today our daily bread"

One thing I am most thankful for with having my boys is the way God shows me through them,
 in hundreds of ways,
 how much he cares and loves for me.
Lately life has felt heavy, through some of our own life circumstances as well as through the suffering of some of those around me.
I feel like I am in the midst of God breaking and transforming my heart for the better,
and I am thankful.
These words "Give us today our daily bread" found in Matthew 6:11 jumped off the page at me a couple weeks ago as I was reading in this fabulous devo,

In exodus, God  literally dropped bread from the sky for the Hebrews

while they were wandering in the desert and he gave them explicit instructions for them to go out and gather enough bread for that day only. 

He didn't say to hoard and save up enough for the coming days but only take what they would need for that day alone. 

Think about how desperate you would be to hoard as much as you could after wandering in the desert for 40 YEARS!!!!

Heck we hoarded bread for the POSSIBILITY of POTENTIALLY 3-4 DAYS without power when it snowed!!!

The trust they had to have is unbelievable.

God is begging us to not obsess about tomorrow, or 5 years from now, or 10 years from now but to trust him in the present. 

He is saying, enjoy this "bread" today or enjoy it never. 

I had a couple of hard days recently and the next morning I went into Ford's room to get him out of his crib, 

his huge grin on his face,

standing with his arms out towards me,

I thought to myself,

he has no idea what yesterday was, 

he doesn't care what tomorrow brings, 

he just knows that right now, 

his mom is coming to get him.

I looked at him and said "Ford, today is a new day".

There has never been a day that I have not provided Ford with what he needs.

Everything I do for him each day is out of an act of love for him.

To make him grow.

to give him what he needs.

I have never done anything to make him believe anything otherwise.

And my God feels the same towards me.

He looks at me and says, 

"Rebecca, when have I ever not given you what you need?

when have I ever not given you your daily bread? Everything I do for you is out of an act of love for you, to make you grow, and give you what you need, I have never done anything to make you believe otherwise".

So I am resting in the fact that he will give us THIS DAY our daily bread. That's enough.

I trust him.

I may not always like what I see,

but I trust him.

Brooks Turned 3

Brooks Turned 3!
We had a great time celebrating his 3rd birthday a few weeks ago.
He really got excited about it this year.
We celebrated with family and a few friends at the Varsity!
He asked for a spiderman cake this year, so spiderman it was.
He got ninja turtles and a nerf gun.
3 years old is a lot of fun.
He's saying the funniest things,
he still LOVES watching Mickey,
he loves going to YL with daddy,
loves "watching" sports on tv.
He loves talking about Aaron Murray and Georgia Football.
He is taking swim lessons and doing well!
His best bud at school is Luca.
Loves hot dogs and french fries.
Loves to dig and use his garden tools outside.
Not taking a nap anymore on most days. :(
We love you Brooks Doster, we love you just because, it doesn't matter what you do or what you don't do, we just love you!
Thankful for 3 years with you!

waffle house the morning of the bday with daddy

cookie cake for school