Here is an e-mail I had to share:
Being a Mom We are sitting at lunch one day when my daughter casually mentions that she and her husband are thinking of 'starting a family.' 'We're taking a survey,' she says half-joking. 'Do you think I should have a baby?' 'It will change your life,' I say, carefully keeping my tone neutral.'I know,' she says, 'no more sleeping in on weekends, no more spontaneous vacations.' But that is not what I meant at all. I look at my daughter, trying to decide what to tell her. I want her to know what she will never learn in childbirth classes. I want to tell her that the physical wounds of child bearing will heal, but becoming a mother will leave her with an emotional wound so raw that she will forever be vulnerable. I consider warning her that she will never again read a newspaper without asking, 'What if that had been MY child?' that every plane crash, every house fire will haunt her, that when she sees pictures of starving children, she will wonder if anything could be worse than watching your child die. I look at her carefully manicured nails and stylish suit and think that no matter how sophisticated she is, becoming a mother will reduce her to the primitive level of a bear protecting her cub; that an urgent call of 'Mom!' will cause her to drop a soufflé or her best crystal without a moments hesitation. I feel that I should warn her that no matter how many years she has invested in her career, she will be professionally derailed by motherhood. She might arrange for childcare, but one day she will be going into an important business meeting and she will think of her baby's sweet smell. She will have to use every ounce of discipline to keep from running home, just to make sure her baby is all right. I want my daughter to know that every day decisions will no longer be routine. That a five year old boy's desire to go to the men's room rather than the women's at McDonald's will become a major dilemma. That right there, in the midst of clattering trays and screaming children, issues of independence and gender identity will be weighed against the prospect that a child molester may be lurking in that restroom. However decisive she may be at the office, she will second-guess herself constantly as a mother.Looking at my attractive daughter, I want to assure her that eventually she will shed the pounds of pregnancy, but she will never feel the same about herself. That her life, now so important, will be of less value to her once she has a child. That she would give herself up in a moment to save her offspring, but will also begin to hope for more years, not to accomplish her own dreams, but to watch her child accomplish theirs. I want her to know that a caesarean scar or shiny stretch marks will become badges of honour. My daughter's relationship with her husband will change, but not in the way she thinks.I wish she could understand how much more you can love a man who is careful to powder the baby or who never hesitates to play with his child. I think she should know that she will fall in love with him again for reasons she would now find very unromantic. I wish my daughter could sense the bond she will feel with women throughout history who have tried to stop war, prejudice and drunk driving.I want to describe to my daughter the exhilaration of seeing your child learn to ride a bike. I want to capture for her the belly laugh of a baby who is touching the soft fur of a dog or cat for the first time. I want her to taste the joy that is so real it actually hurts. My daughter's quizzical look makes me realize that tears have formed in my eyes. 'You'll never regret it,' I finally say. Then I reached across the table, squeezed my daughter's hand and offered a silent prayer for her, and for me, and for all the mere mortal women who stumble their way into this most wonderful of callings. Please share this with a Mom that you know or all of your girlfriends who may someday be Moms. May you always have in your arms the one who is in your heart.

Two months old!

My sweet girl is two months old yesterday/nine weeks today! Brynne weighs almost 11 pounds and is 22 inches long. She is full of smiles, when she is not colicy that is. A friend suggested a new formula for colic that has worked wonders in the past few days...hope it keeps up! Moral of the story - never judge a mother who can't get her baby to stop screaming...pray for her!

Make it stop!

She loves her bath time! They way she kicks around, it must remind her of the womb, or atleast how she kicked me in the womb!

Sporting our cute outfit for the Superbowl

Our beautiful aunt Amanda and boyfriend Jackson

Jackson getting to try the joys of salt and butter

Pooped after a hard day of being cute

Last friday I had to clean out clothes from Brynne's drawer that no longer fit. Didn't I just birth her? How in the world is she already big enough to be growing out of so many clothes? She is definitely taking after her daddy - tall and thin. All her clothes are baggy, but ready for a flood. She has had so many fun outings lately, we had to share some pics with you!

Cutie pie

Me w/ mom & pops!

I'm getting longer!


My mom sees this tonsil too often! Colic hurts.

Who turned out the lights?

Brynne had a very eventful weekend w/ her grandparents being in town! She is growing fast - over 10 lbs and almost 21 inches long!

One month old

Rocky has become quite protective of baby!

My friend Anna came to meet me. We had tons of fun!

She is getting so big! She loves to sit in her bumbo and look around (sort of). We're working on head control!

Brynne turned one month old on monday...so hard to believe! The time has flown by - it's scary how fast. It's hard to remember to cherish each moment when it happens so fast.

more Christmas pics

My mother has too much fun putting me in these silly outfits! This is my warm pink bear outfit.
Being held by my Mimi
I got tons of presents, though I'm not sure what they are!

Merry Christmas!

What a wonderful Christmas! This year we celebrated life - the new life we have in Christ and the new life God has given us with Brynne. She looked precious dressed up in her Christmas outfit. We had trouble keeping her awake long enough to get a good pic though!! Hope you had a great holiday!

Brynne Has Arrived

Brynne Avery came into the world friday, Dec. 15th at 10:57 a.m. , weighing 8 lbs, 9 oz! She is the most beautful thing ever! What an amazing miracle and blessing to experience one of God's new creations first hand. I am forever humbled and grateful!

She looks just like her daddy!

Her favorite place to be!
Touchdown! Must be the daddy's girl of a coach!

A lot to be Thankful for

Happy Thanksgiving Friends!!

We have so much to be thankful for....

1. an intimate relationship with Christ that brings joy, peace, and purpose to our lives

2. an amazing family, marriage, and a precious baby on the way

3. a home, jobs, food, clothes, friends, and the list goes on and on.....

Psalm 107:8 - Let them give thanks to the Lord for His loyal love, and for the amazing things he has done for people!

Couples Baby Shower

What a blast - having friends over to bar-b-que as Amanda and Amy hosted a couples shower for us. It was a ton of fun and so neat to have all our worlds come together! We feel truly blessed for every one of those friends and can't even describe the wonderful friendships we have with Amy & Amanda. They are both such a God-send, with hearts for the Lord that encourage, sharpen, and love me in ways that turn my heart to God in praise. I pray that everyone finds friends like them.

Brynne is coming soon!

We finished up Brynne's room this weekend. Here' some pics for the distant family and friends to see. It's so exciting that she is almost here. We have made many futile attempts to prepare our spoiled lab for what is about to happen. The dog trainer has said to use a doll to train him - but between him liking it to death, jumping up to lick the feet, and pulling off the doll clothes when we're not watching, we have been failing miserably. Beau says labs are the best child dog their is, it's just going to take time. However, we had a victory this weekend and I had to share. Rocky actually feels the need to protect us when I rock her and this doll cries - which sends Rocky into a fussy to protect it because something is wrong! I'm looking forward to the days when Brynne will be able to cuddle with Rocky like we do. Right now, he's the prince of this house and rules it to no end. The spoiled puppy is in for a rude awakening in 6-7 weeks!!

Dallas Shower - Oct.

My mother-in-law's friend through a beautiful baby shower in dallas! We were blessed!

29 weeks

Here's a pic of the tummy for you Missy!

Rocky Oct. '06

He's up to 70 lbs now!

Roommate reunion weekend

How fun to all get together...and to now all have kids!! The boys are going to show Brynne the ropes one day soon.

houston baby shower

First baby shower - it was beautiful...and a blast!