Easter

Check out the following song: Arise my Love by Newsong. It reveals the true meaning of Easter not the following pictures.

This outfit and remote are from Mama C and Pop. Charles loves playing with this remote, and pretty soon he will be sporting this outfit.

Charles' first Easter basket: his outfit for church, a onesie t-shirt "I not chubby, it's all muscle," a sippy cup, and a rubber duck.

The following pictures are of us all dressed up at church to celebrate God's son.

All the excitement made him fall asleep on our way home. The trip home is less than 5 minutes! I wish I could fall asleep that quickly.

Present

Dear Auntie M, Uncle Andrew, Tru, and S.S.,
Thank you so much for my LSU outfit. Mommy says I will be wearing this for games and for my 1 year pictures. Love y'all lots.

Love,
Charles

Gifts of Love

We are extremely blessed beyond measure with wonderful family and friends. Charles is going to be spoiled rotten and I am okay with that because I know he is loved and cared for by many. We are so thankful for your gifts of love.

These precious burp cloths and wash cloths were handmade with love by Audrey. I absolutely love them. They are too cute. (I have a dream of one day being able to sew). I would just like to point out the one with the airplane a special add on that will match his room. I know the detail was not easy-so thanks!

Mrs. Pam sent us some really cute little outfits, a sleeper that says "I love mommy," and a cute little burp cloth.

Stanley and Judy sent these cute sleepers and onesies. Thanks so much.

I believe we are going to have to step up our outfits to be presentable with our cute little boy:) LOL. Thanks again and I hope everyone is receiving the thank you cards we are sending.

Baby Stuff Virtual Shower Continues

Cute clothes from Heather. Thanks so much for the monogrammed outfit and onesies.

Thanks to the Taylor family for all the cute baby items. All of these things will be used when Charles arrives. Especially the disposable changing covers during those early days home from the hospital.

Eat, Sleep, and Stroll

Our stroller! Charles is going strolling in style. Thanks Mrs. Pam and Heather.

Our High Chair all together. Patrick had lots of fun putting this together. It said no tools required but they were wrong:) Thanks to Andrew, Mandy (my big sister), Tru, and S.S.. Charles is going to get a lot of use out of this chair.

Bibs my sister sent. The one on the left is his LSU bib, and the one on the right speaks for itself.

A cute little outfit for Charles to wear. Thanks Mrs. Autumn and Carlton.

A burp cloth with his initials. Thanks Dana! I will be taking this to the hospital.

A cute shirt from St. John (USVI) that my mom picked up. It says snacks, sand box, and bottles.

My mom and grandma sent me this cute gown for the hospital. I'm packing things as I can so that it is not a big rush when Charles decides to make his grand entrance into the world.

My big preggo belly at 37 weeks. The doctor's appointment this week went really well. I was told Charles probably will not come anytime this week. We both got great reports.

Showers of Blessings

We are so thankful for the gifts and sweet cards from friends and family. Here are the newest arrivals:

A hand held color monitor so we can hear and see Charles when we are in separate rooms. Thanks Chris, Katy, Dustin, Erika, Matt, Jessica, Liz, and Michael.

A boppy, onesies, and burp clothes. Thanks Nita and Christy.

A basket for the changing table, fitted crib pad, and fitted crib sheets. Thanks Mr. Dayton and Mrs. Doris.

Virtual Shower

This sweet towel is from Nita! I can't wait to see my little baby boy in this cute towel. I am just looking forward to seeing him period. We are extremely thankful for all of the wonderful gifts our family and friends are blessing us with during this very exciting time.

Week 35: I am wearing this same outfit in the last belly bump picture. Oh well.... at least you can compare.

Loot for Baby Charles

Thanks Teresa, Melissa, and Angela for the bottles, personal care kit, and ear themometer.

We would like to thank Aunt Debbie & Uncle Bill, Uncle James & Aunt Nell, Valerie & Guy, and Spratt & Sallie for all these great goodies.

One Busy Weekend

Update on my knitted blanket: I am now at 18 3/4 inches. I have to get to 40 inches. I have a goal of having it finished by June 15th. Thanks Pop and Mama C for a precious soft blanket for Charles. I know it was wrapped before you got to see it so I thought I would post it for you.

This Weekend we celebrated graduation in Carroll. We are very proud of our seniors. Best wishes for very bright futures. Thanks for inviting us to share in your special weekend. Here is Patrick with some of his graduating Seniors.

Side note: I am 28 weeks here.

Patrick's backyard project.

Books and Babies

This is one of the coolest inventions ever! I can keep wearing my regular pants now without feeling uncomfortable. The lady at the store told me I might be able to use this up until I'm about 24 weeks. I am loving this and I recommend other preggos to check these out.

I am showing off my 12 week belly in this photo. Right now I just look like I'm chunky not pregnant.

This cute little lion is the first baby gift our little one has received and it is from my sister. I know our little one will enjoy cuddling with this lion, and it is very appropriate that it is a lion because my sister wants to be called Auntie M like off of the movie The Wizard of Oz. So we are thinking of naming this lion the Cowardly Lion/ Ward for short.

Books I have recently finished and recommend:

1. The Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti is about a Nazi youth that stands up against the Nazi regime. A young adult book.
2. Shooting the Moon by Frances O'Roark Dowell takes place during 1960's the main character's brother is sent to war and she notices through the pictures he sends home for her to developed that war is not a game they used to play in the yard. A young adult book.
3. Return by Karen Kinsbury is about the youngest Baxter and how he returns to his family and faith. Book 3 in the series.
4. Rejoice by Karen Kinsbury is about Rejoicing even in the toughest situations. The oldest Baxter little girl is in an accident and faces many struggles as she recovers. Book 4 in the series.
5. Reunion by Karen Kingsbury is about the mother of the Baxter crew wishing for a big family reunion and it becomes increasingly important to her when her cancer returns. Book 5 in the series.
6. What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell is about a teenage girl in the 1940's right as the soldiers start coming home from WW2. The girl faces many challenges about love and sticking with family no matter what. A young adult book.