Weekend Update and first house guests

This weekend the Fishing River Association was held at our church, hosted by another church in the association. We had a wonderful time seeing friends we hadn't seen in a year or more. It was great to catch up with friends and to share our pregnancy news with many of them. The meeting was held Thursday night through Sunday early afternoon.

On Thursday night we had the pleasure of having our first overnight guests in our home, Thomas and Elaine Bond. It was so great to have them in our home and be able to visit with them for the two nights they stayed. We hated to see them go, but hope to see them again soon!

Saturday was a sad day for George and I. We attended the morning service, ate lunch, but then it was time for George to leave again. We had 4 short days together after his 17 day trip. This time, he is to be gone 21 days in Houston. October 17th he is suppose to be home for 5 days, then away again, for another 21, do the math...we are getting close to Thanksgiving at that point. Today he called with the news, that he may have one more deployment after that, which puts us to the beginning of December. For now, it is quite overwhelming to think of all that time away, so I am just taking one trip at a time. Please continue to pray for him as he will be working very hard and long hours while he is away.

Today was the conclusion of the meeting and I took kid duty while Ben and Julie helped carry things to cars and clean up the fellowship and sanctuary area. Hannah and Abby are both at such fun ages. We played inside for awhile, but the weather was so nice we headed outside to play. Both girls love playing in the rocks and grass. It was a perfect day to get out the camera. Hannah is finally smiling for the camera instead of grabbing for it, but sometimes her smiles are a bit forced. Abby laughs so much these days. It make me giggle just thinking about it. She is so curious and expressive, and very photogenic.

Overall, the weekend was filled with wonderful fellowship, and fun!

The Bonds heading out on Saturday

Who knew a box of Eclipse mints could be so entertaining!

Brittney and Whitney, two of Hannah's favorite people at church.

Abby is figuring out how to uses a straw, unfortunately all the water doesn't usually get swallowed, as seen by the puddle around her.

Curtains for the guest room

I've become fascinated and very entertained by making curtains, or maybe I should say, window mistreatments. For those of you unfamiliar with window mistreatments, you can read more about them on this blog, look on the side bar for more posts labeled "window mistreatments. Of course she is much more talented than I. None the less, with a new house, we have lots of bare windows, and treating them is quite pricey.

This is my attempt in the guest room of dressing up the windows. It involved nothing more than two fabric patterns, some trim, hot glue, safety pins, and a little fabric glue. They aren't exactly perfect, maybe a little bit too wide...but for now they are up, and will stay up, even with their little imperfections.

Project for the Guest Room

On our honeymoon I had purchased a poster that I loved. It looked kind of antique/vintage, and I loved the flowers and coloring of the poster. Well, of course our honeymoon was about a year and half ago, and the poster has stayed rolled up in the closet...until now.

I started thinking about different things I could do with it. I knew I didn't want it just in a basic poster frame or stuck randomly I the wall. I was looking for a little more of a statement than that.

Here is a photo journal of what I did...

The poster...but then I cut apart the flowers.

5x7 canvas tiles from a craft store.

Matched each flower to a complementary piece of scrap book paper.
Glued the scrap book paper onto the canvas, then roughly centered the flower picture.
Arranged all 12 tiles in an eye-pleasing design. Then affixed small ribbon loops to the top.
And lastly, nicely asked husband to measure, level, and hang them on the wall. The larger space in the middle was an accident, but as I told George, I think it was a good accident. Eventually, there might be some extra decoration between the columns of pictures, some small saucer-type plates maybe?

I am very excited with how it turned out. Not too bad for a $3 poster. Plus it kept me entertained for a few days until George got home.

IT'S A ........

Baby York is staring right at the camera.

Five toes on that foot!

Baby York with an arm and hand up by it's head.

...STUBBORN child. Yesterday we had our sonogram. We are now passed 22 weeks in the pregnancy. We had hoped it would be very clear whether our lives would be filled with pink or blue the next few months. Baby York had other ideas; putting it's legs over it's head, and refusing to reveal what we needed to see to make the determination. For over 30 minutes we poked and prodded trying to get the baby to wake up. At one point, briefly, the technician thought she saw "three lines" which indicates a girl. She gave us 75-80% chances of a girl, because with what she saw, and that boys are usually more apparent by this stage in pregnancy. So for now...we are saying we will have a beautiful daughter come January/February, but we are holding off on painting or purchasing anything. We laugh saying, we either have a very modest daughter, or a very sneaky son. Next month, on October 20th, they will do another quick ultrasound to see if she is in a better position we can have a little more confirmation.

The good news is, developmentally speaking, she looks very healthy and strong, weighing in at just over a pound. Her spine, brain, and heart looks great and we are very thankful that everything appears to be on target. We are confident that our parents may find it that justice may be served by us having our own stubborn child. Most know that Baby York will come by it honestly.

Answered Prayers

Just a quick update...

George is not home yet...but Lord willing, will be leaving Baton Rouge very early (Between 4- 4:30am) to drive to New Orleans, return his rental car, and catch his flight home Tuesday morning. Our appointment is in the afternoon, and his supervisors have been gracious enough to let him come home a few days earlier than they had originally wanted. George will be home for about 5 days, then likely to leave again, this time to Texas. We are exceedingly thankful that he will be home for the appointment and at least a portion of our weekend church meeting this weekend. In the next few days we hope to post the big "boy or girl" announcement.

Thank you so much for all of your prayer, thoughts, and kind words.

York family update...

Getting used to the unexpected...for those that know me well, know that I like to have things very planned and organized. I am very schedule oriented. After traveling for the last 3 weekends, George and I had been looking forward to a weekend at home to get a little more settled in the house. As we counted down the days until Friday we anxiously awaited the weekend. Friday at lunch I got a call from George, and I knew it could only mean one thing...he would be leaving. Where to this time? New Orleans, to assist in assessing/training at the site of Hurricane Gustav. Thankfully, we had until Sunday afternoon this time to prepare, doing laundry, getting packed, and even having a special date night of dinner and putt putt mini-golf.

So on the official "halfway" point of the pregnancy, 20 weeks, George flew south for work. Unfortunately, he came down with a horrible head cold less than 12 hours prior to leaving. So please pray for him that he will either recover quickly, or be able to locate a doctor for some antibiotics if needed.

At this point, the plane ticket was a one way ticket. When asked if he was willing to go...he replied, "sure...as long as I'm home by the 23rd"(the ultrasound date). His supervisor said, "I think we can do that", but of course, no promises were made. Hurricane Ike is heading toward the Gulf tonight, and that could have a huge impact on what's ahead for George. Please just pray for his safety, and a speedy return.

Dear Baby York...Letter #2

Dear Baby York,

You've been quite active this last week. Mommy is beginning to feel you fluttering around inside. Sometimes the feeling is so very slight, and sometimes it is stronger. Daddy hasn't been able to feel you yet, but with time, you'll get bigger and stronger, and Daddy will feel your movements too.

We had another doctor's appointment this week to check up on how you're growing. Unfortunately, Daddy couldn't make it with us this week, but he'll be able to come again next time. After a long wait in the waiting room, with mommy fighting off the afternoon nap she wanted so badly, we got to see the nurse. This month we couldn't get in to see the doctor, but Cindy checked you out instead. She was quite nice, and quite impressed with your cooperativeness. She checked mommy's blood pressure, weight, and tummy measurements, and all looked good. Then she began searching for your heartbeat with the special doppler machine. Mommy laid there, a little nervous, waiting to hear the precious sound again. Last month seemed like so long ago. Then, in just a few minutes Cindy found your heart beat on the machine. And even better...you stayed still so we could listen for a long time. Just like last time, it was right at 143...then it jumped up and down a bit from 141-146. Cindy said it's good to have variety like that though. Mommy giggled at the sound of your heart, so anxious for your arrival, and with mommy's giggle, you moved, and we couldn't hear your heart beat anymore.

Our next appointment, on September 23rd, will be a very special one. We will get to see you via an ultrasound again...and this time...if you continue to be cooperative, we will find out if we will be blessed with a son, or blessed with a daughter. For a long time, mommy was sure you were a girl, now mommy isn't sure at all. Daddy still thinks you're a boy...but of course we will both be very excited either way.

We love you very much...and feel so very blessed by your presence in our lives.

Love,
Mommy and Daddy