Recent pictures & stories ...

One of Lily Kate's favorite things to do also is to read. We read all throughout the day and she loves just looking at books herself too. She will point to the words and "read" and then point to the pictures and say everything that is in them. The other day while we were grocery shopping she got a box of shake-n-bake from the cart and was "reading" the ingredients. It was so funny! One of her favorite places to read is in her rocking chair in her room. She'll say "rock rock" and get a pile of books in the seat and "read." I just love watching her.

Last week Stephen was on the patio grilling and of course Lily Kate had to be out there with him. She LOVES being outside. I hear at least 10 times a day "side" because that is where she wants to be. Probably her favorite thing to do outside is play with the water hose. So, Stephen let her help him water the flowers-it was just too cute!

Lily Kate always has to have her animals to sleep with at night. She either asks for her dog or baby or bear (or all of them!) before she goes to bed. Last night as she was telling Stephen "nite nite" and walking to her room she said "bear" and went back in the living room and got all three of her bears that were in there. It was so cute. They were about bigger than her but she picked all three up and carried them to her room to sleep with. I wish I would have gotten a picture ... I've got to do better! At least I am blogging about these cute things though! :)

Those were the days ......

Today Stephen preached in chapel at Southeastern-the college we graduated from. First of all, I am so mad at myself because I grabbed my camera to take with me and then I set it down again and ended up forgetting it. :( I was so ready to get pictures of our day and already thinking about blogging about it. Oh well ....

We were excited to get to spend time with my brother, my brother's fiancee, Stephen's brother, and the kids from our church. I also always enjoy getting to go back and see my professors and getting to remember "the good ole days." It's amazing to me to think about all the Lord has done in my heart and life since my days at Southeastern. It was hard not to reminisce about my college days as I sat in chapel today.

I went to Southeastern in the fall of 2002. I decided to go there my junior year of high school during a youth conference with my youth group-I knew that Southeastern was the college the Lord wanted me to attend, even though I had fought that decision for a long time. Deciding to major in elementary education with a profiency in music wasn't that difficult of a decision. I knew that I would love to teach and enjoyed playing the piano & singing and so it made the most sense.

The Lord was so good to me while I was there. First of all, I learned so much more about Him and His word through my classes, chapel messages and different revivals or meetings. It was the perfect enviroment to grow in the Lord and to learn more about Him. I truly believe it was a time where the Lord was molding & shaping me into who He wanted me to be, preparing me for the ministry that He wanted to use me in. What a wonderful time!

I also met some of the best friends I've ever had at college. Since I didn't have a sister growing up, living with a dorm full of girls that I could stay up late talking to, shop with, and share clothes & jewelry with was a dream come true to me! I have so, so many great memories of crazy pranks in the dorms, shopping trips to Target, crying sessions over our love life or school schedule, and serious talks about life or whatever. I can't thank the Lord for the friends He blessed me with-many whom I keep in constant touch with ... talking to some almost daily. They are truly like sisters to me.

And of course .... I met my husband Stephen at Southeastern. I'll save all the details of our dating life for another post but, I can honestly say looking back on those years it is amazing how the Lord was already preparing us for our lives in the ministry. We grew so much as a couple spiritually and were already there for each other to encourage & edify the other. As any couple does, we had our ups & downs but the Lord used each one to grow us. I'm so thankful for the godly husband that the Lord sent me.

I guess all of these thoughts and emotions hit me today while I was sitting in chapel ... the same chairs that I occupied over 4 years ago. And I was overcome with a heart of gratitude and amazement. When I sat in those chairs while in college I had no idea what my life out of college would hold. Sure, I hope to be married to Stephen and be in the ministry and have a family but, I didn't know how wonderful it would feel to come back to Southeastern and see the kids that we influenced and loved be in the same seats we were in. I couldn't ask for more!! I am so thankful that I had just a small part in God's plan to influence their lives in finding God's perfect will for them. And not just them, but my brother too. I consider it a miracle that he is getting ready to graduate from Southeastern because until a month before he started college he was away from God and headed down a bad road.

I obviously realize that Southeastern is not where everyone in America is supposed to go ... but I do know that it is a special place to me that helped get me to where I am today. I'm so thankful for those times when you can look back on your life and just be in awe at the work that the Lord has done-I know it is only by His grace & provision that I am where I am today.

"Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to his power that worketh in us" Ephesians 3:20

Flashback Friday: Lily Kate's Birth

*** Warning .... extremely long post - read at your own risk of boredom! ***
Ok - so ...... since I was such a bad mom and didn't start a blog until Lily Kate was 20 months, I decided to do "Flashback Fridays." On most Fridays I am going to go back to either an important event in Lily Kate's life or maybe a picture of her wearing one of my favorite outfits so something and blog about it. This is going to be my attempt to remember some special times in her life. So, I thought the best one to start with would be the story of Lily Kate's birth. First of all, I promise not to be too graphic- ha! Second- this will probably bore the majority of my 5 readers out there but this is more for me than you! :) So .... here we go.

Well, first of all I would like to tell the story of how I found out I was pregnant so I don't have to do a separate post. It was Monday, May 19, 2008. Me & Stephen were getting ready to fly to Alabama the next day for his sister's high school graduation. I thought it was a slight possibility I might be pregnant and thought that if I was then it would be nice to tell his parents in person since we would be down there. So, I went out and bought a test and took it. Oh, did I mention that I hadn't told Stephen any of what I was doing! :)

I got home from Walmart & took the test and it was positive. I remember I had a Coke in my hand when I found out and I went straight to the trash and threw it away because I didn't think I was supposed to be drinking caffiene. Then, I went and looked at my dog, Sadie, and then looked at myself in the mirror and said, "I'm pregnant?!?!" I guess I just needed to hear it out loud. Haha! When Stephen got home for lunch, I met him at the door and told him to come to the bathroom with me. I walked him to the bathroom and showed him the pregnancy test. He picked it up, looked at it, put it down and then looked at me and said "Did you pee on the that?" Haha!!!! I hope I never, ever forget him saying that or the look on his face-it was priceless! I told him I didn't pee on the end he touched and then he asked me "So, does that mean you are pregnant?" I still remember telling him, "I guess so." And then he asked me if it was an offbrand pregnancy test - of course it was! Well, he didn't think that it was for real until I got a digital one!

So, I went back to the store, got a digital one, took it and then went to the church to show him. He was just in shock! We took a picture with the digital one and I put on the picture "We're having a baby." That's how we told our parents -by giving them the picture. We told my parents that night because we were flying out the next morning for Alabama and there was no way I could keep it from them for that long. They were beyond shocked. We told my Papa & Gran the next morning before we left and then told all of Stephen's family that Wednesday morning before breakfast. It was such an exciting time for us! Lily Kate is the first grandchild on both sides and the first great-grandchild on my side, so everyone was so happy for us.

We told a few close friends our good news but waited to announce it to everyone until I was about 10 weeks. I felt like I was just finding out all over when I got to tell everyone I was pregnant. I had a very normal pregnancy. I wanted to eat ALL the time ... and basically I did! :) I was sick (not throwing up sick, thank the Lord) from 7 weeks to 17 weeks. I still remember laying flat on my back in my bed with a mirror above my face trying to put on my makeup for church because I felt so bad. We found we were having a girl at 17 weeks. We already had decided on a name too. I had known for a long time that if I had a girl I wanted her name to be Lily Kate. I also knew that I really wanted a girl first. I had settled in my heart that the Lord knew best and whatever child He decided to give me I would be so thankful for .... but I was really wanting a girl! (And now, I don't want anymore girls - just boys! :) )

My due date was January 28. I measured right on my weekly mark every time so I had no reason to think that Lily Kate would come early - my mom often reminded me that I was 10 days late! So, the weekend of January 16, my Mom, Gran, and a cleaning lady my mom had hired came to our house to help me get my house in perfect condition-ready for our little girl's arrival whenever she decided to come. We cleaned and organized like crazy that Friday and part of Saturday. I still remember the Saturday night, Stephen & I went out to Outback. We talked about how we wouldn't get many more dates like that, just the two of us. We had a normal Sunday ... I still remember wearing my red high heels to church-yes, I wore high heels up until the day I went into labor, and I'm proud of it! :)

That Sunday night before we went to bed I told Stephen that I felt different. Well, about 3 am I woke up feeling some pains. I didn't wake Stephen up until about 5 am. They weren't consistent, but just something I hadn't felt before. I called my parents around 7 am just to let them know what was going on. My Mom was coming to my house that day to help me finish my decorating my china cabinet and I asked her if I still didn't feel right if she would go to the doctor with me. In the meantime, we turned the morning news on to find out that we were about to get a big snow. That got me thinking ... I live about 45 minutes from the doctor I was going to and the hospital where I had decided to deliever so, I really didn't want to get stuck at home in a snow storm. So, I called my doctor's office around 8:30 and told them what was going on. They told me to come in at 10:45. Stephen said he would go with me and so we got ready and packed our bags-just in case. (We didn't even get the car seat. Luckily, my mom was able to grab it before she left our house.)

On the way to the doctor I remember telling Stephen that if I wasn't in labor then I wasn't looking forward to it because I was really starting to feel some pain. By the time I was in the doctor's waiting room I was in some serious pain. But, this was my first pregnancy and I didn't really know what was going on and what labor was supposed to be like - I laugh when I think back to how dumb I was! When I got to the examining room my doctor came in and checked me. I still remember how big her eyes got and she said "You are 3 cm dilated -we've got to get you to the hospital!!" They had already hooked me up and were tracking my contractions and Lily Kate's heartbeat at the doctor's office. We headed straight to the car, kind of stunned and in awe, and called our family. The hospital was right across the road so we didn't have to go far. I remember I was mad because I hadn't really eaten breakfast and I was hungry but knew I wasn't supposed to eat.

We went to the hospital and checked in and my Dad got up there first to sit with us. They hooked me up to all these machines to track my contractions & Lily Kate's heartbeat again because they had noticed her heart rate dropping while we were at the doctor's office. After we were there about 30 mintues, they gave me Patocin (not sure if that's how it is spelled). Next thing I knew I was having some serious contractions with no pain meds - it was rough. Before things got much farther my doctor came and talked to us and said that Lily Kate's heart rate was dropping during the contractions and that I needed to go in for an emergency c-section. She told me I would be in the operating room in less than 20 minutes. My Mom hadn't even made it to the hospital yet! I was so shocked and didn't know at all what to expect. I had skipped over all the chapters about c-sections in the baby books because I just knew that I wouldn't have to have one!

Next thing I knew I was being wheeled back into the operating room, and getting an epidural in the middle of serious contractions. That was rough. Then, Stephen came back to the room looking like he was the one doing surgery on me! Haha! By the time Stephen got back there, they were already cutting me open and trying to get Lily Kate out. Basically, she was trying to come out but got stuck and they had to use some pretty serious force to get her out. It was scary. But, at 2:38 pm on January 19, 2009, Lily Kate Kimbrell came into the world. I still get emotional thinking about hearing that first cry. There is nothing in the world like that sound. She weighed a big-ole total of 6 pounds 7 ounces and was 17 1/2 inches long.

It was such an emotional time. This child I had carried around for 9 months was finally in the world. Stephen was able to go back into the room with her. By then my Mom, brother, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, and cousins were there. They all got to spend some time with Lily Kate while I was getting put back together. :)

When I finally was able to hold her, I remember thinking how perfect she was. I could already see how she would take after Dad - dark skin, dark hair, and dark eyes. She had such long eyelashes and the most adorable nose and full lips.

It snowed the next day. It was so beautiful to look at out the window. Stephen's parents got there the next morning and spent the rest of the week with us. We went home from the hospital on Thursday. It took a while for me to heal and feel back to normal. But, those first few days with Lily Kate were so, so special. There is nothing like a newborn!!

Well - if you read this whole post, you get a prize! :) It feels so good to have all of these memories written out. I'm sure there are things I left out that I can go back and change.

Family Night at Union Point

Tonight after dinner our little family went to Union Point. I love going out there. It is so relaxing and beautiful. Well, that is, if you can ignore all the high school couples making out on the park benches ...we just had to dodge two tonight. I love feeling the breeze blowing off of the water and it is just so peaceful out there. Lily Kate loves it too. As soon as we pulled up she was pointing to the swings. We walked over to see the ducks first. Of course, Lily Kate-in her "quiet" voice-yelled "duck" and "quack" forever. It was so, so cute though. And then she loved pointing to the water and saying "water" over & over like she had never seen it before.

After walking around close to the water for a little bit and Lily Kate scaring away a make-out couple, we went to the swings. Lily Kate was so cute because she was holding on so high up the chain, but she was loving every minute of it!

I can't thank the Lord enough for blessing me with such a wonderful husband, who is an awesome Dad to the precious little girl He has given us!! I hope I will always remember nights like this ... the ones where we didn't do anything extra special, just spent time together having fun.

I can do it myself ... or can I??

Do you ever feel like you can do things on your own, with no help from anyone? My mom loves to remind me that one of my favorite sayings when I was young was "I can do it myself." (Unfortunatly, I can see that attitude coming out in Lily Kate already!) Sometimes I feel like I still have that attitude toward God. Isn't it amazing how many times He promises us in His word to give us strength but yet we still think & try to do everything on our own. I was reading in Isaiah 40 this morning and became so convicted over my thinking that "I can do it myself". The passage talks about how awesome God is to have created the earth and that there is no one that is like Him to or that He is equal with. And then, it says that this God who is so awesome "...giveth power to the faith; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength." Why do I want my strength when I can have God's? Then verse 30 tells us that on our own we will faint, be weary, and utterly fall. How many times has that happened to me? Too many to count! Especially on those frustrating days with Lily Kate or a stressful Sunday when I have a lot of responsibilites at church or dealing with problems in my family or life in general. Wow, I faint a lot ... and most of the time by the end of the day I am weary - and yes, if I'm going to fall, it will be a bad one. But, I love verse 31 ... "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." Can I get through a day or a problem on my own? Yes-but why should I? The Lord promises strength that I can not even get close to. I want & need that kind of strength. I must make it a priority in my life to stay close to the Lord on a daily basis so I can be the best Christian, wife, mom, youth pastor's wife, friend, daughter, sister, or whatever else that I can be! So maybe my new saying needs to be "I can do it myself, but I don't want to!"

Alabama vs. Duke ....Roll Tide Roll!!!!!

Stephen & I had the opportunity to go to the Alabama/Duke game last Saturday. We had SSOO much fun. We joined by many of our friends & family that are Alabama fans as well. We stayed with our friends David & Ashley Geci on Friday night before the game and stayed up way too late playing Tetris ... but it was SO much fun!

Saturday morning we painted our signs and got ready for the game. Nathan & Ryan Taylor rode with us to the game. Of course, mullet & afro wigs were a must to help us enjoy our day! Ha!!

We met at a great bbq place in Durham for lunch before the game. Then, we started to travel to the stadium. We were shocked to see how many Alabama fans were going to the game. Even though it was at Duke, it was at least 60% or more Alabama fans there! We got to the stadium about 2 hours before the game started and it was HOT!!!! But, we had great seats in the end zone. Stephen, Mark, Nathan, & Ryan put on their wigs and were doing their best to get on TV before & during the game .... let's just say they got a lot of attention from everyone there! The Alabama fans LOVED them!

The game was AwEsOmE!!!! The final score was 62-13 . It was such a good day. I have to thank my wonderful husband for introducing me to the world of Alabama football-there is truly nothing like it! I'm so glad that we got to spend a day doing something we both love! We are looking forward to a wonderful football season and hopefully back-to-back National Championships!! ROLL TIDE ROLL!!!!!

Lily Kate is 20 Months!!!

I can't believe Lily Kate is 20 months today!! That puts her closer to 2 - and I can't even think about that yet!! Lily Kate is wearing size 5 shoe - size 4 diaper - 18 month clothes. She weighs 24 pounds.

One of her new "tricks" is to imitate everything Sadie does. She loves to pant like Sadie & bark like Sadie. We had one of our teenagers come to the house the other day and Lily Kate was barking at him at the door just like Sadie does. Even though Lily Kate loves Sadie, the feeling isn't mutual. Sadie runs from Lily Kate - and then Lily Kate thinks Sadie is playing with her so she chases her. It's just too cute!

If I had a dollar for everytime I heard the word "snack" throughout a day I was be so rich! Haha! Lily Kate loves to walk in the kitchen and point to the snack bucket and say "snack, snack, snack" all day! I try to only give in once a day and let her eat a snack in the living room ... mainly because my little priss pot has turned into the pickiest eater. I've had laot of moms tell me it is a "phase" but I'm not enjoying this phase at ALL!

Lily Kate loves, loves, loves books. We read all day long - and then I let daddy take over when he gets home!

She loves calling the animals by the sounds they make, not their name. She loves to play in whatever room I'm working in - she does great playing by herself and I'm so thankful for that!

Lily Kate - I love you more than I ever dreamed I would and you bring so much joy to my life. Even though you have such a strong will & already know how to test my patience, I wouldn't change one thing about you. You already know how to make me & your daddy laugh so hard and I just love that! I love you - Momma

Myrtle Beach Trip

On Monday-Wednesday of this week, Lily Kate & I went to Myrtle beach with my friend, Emily, and her two girls-Kennedy & Brooklyn. Emily & her husband, Channing, are some of our very close friends that used to live in New Bern. I kept Kennedy one day a week while I was pregnant with Lily Kate. We formed a very close bond and she still calls me "Lala." Kennedy was the age then that Lily Kate is right now.

Everywhere we went we loaded all three girls up in Emily's truck. It took alot of energy to load 3 girls from place to place. Me & Emily talked several times about how we don't know how Moms of mulitples do it!! Kennedy is 3 1/2, Lily Kate is 19 months and Brooklyn turned 1 last month. We got many looks everywhere we went- I'm not sure if it is because we have the most beautiful children they had ever seen or because they could hear us coming 50 feet away! haha! We had such a great time with Emily & the girls and look forward to another trip soon!!!

Finally ......

I have been wanting to start a blog for a long time .... I really don't know what has been holidng me back and I could kick myself for not starting sooner. Ok- actually, I do. I couldn't think of a name! Haha!! I love reading blogs-blogs written by moms about their children, blogs written by decorators about their projects, blogs written by Christian women about their relationship with the Lord .... And they all have such cute names. I want a cute name - but all I could come up with is "Lauren's Life." How original! Maybe I'll think of something a little more creative one of these days.

Honestly, I want to blog now so that years down the road I can look back on these days and remember what was going on. Right now I stay home with my sweet Lily Kate and she does the cutest stuff everyday - I want to remember these things years from now. I want to be able to share these things with her and our future children (Lord-willing, and if Lily Kate doesn't drive me too crazy!).

So-here we go!!