A Year in Review

Happy New Year! In preparation for writing this post, I went back through my pictures from each month of 2011. It was fun, yet also very humbling. Fun because I was able to see all of the incredible things we were able to do and how much Riley grew and changed throughout the year. Humbling because as the Psalmist said it so well in Psalm 8,

³ When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,

   the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
⁴ what is man that you are mindful of him,
   and the son of man that you care for him?

He has blessed us so much this past year, and we are so unworthy! How thankful I am for God's steadfast love and mercy! And now for a walk down memory lane...

January

In the first month of the new year we experienced our 2nd snow of the season

 And participated in a snowman contest with some of Daniel's family who live in Arkansas and Tennessee (his uncle in Singapore was the judge)

February

 In February it snowed yet again and we celebrated our 1-year anniversary at FBC Hughes Springs

 I was also able to travel to Newton, MS (a day late because of the snow, I might add) to see great friends from Seminary, Shannon & Jonathan McDuffie and their new baby, Cole.

 Later in the month I got to chaperone a youth girls' retreat to Lake Charles, LA

March

  Thanks to a wonderful church member who traveled to New Orleans on business, we were able to enjoy a delicious King Cake

 Gigi also came for a visit!

 And we celebrated my 32nd birthday, but there aren't any pictures of that, for some reason.

April

 My best friend and college roommate, Kristen, and her boyfriend at the time (husband now), Richard, came for a visit. We drove down to our Alma Mater, Baylor, and had a great time reminiscing about college days.

Riley participated in his first Easter egg hunt. After finding his first egg, he opened it and realized there was candy inside. He was so excited about the candy that he didn't care about looking for more eggs. We had to do some looking for him!

Every April our town and 2 other towns nearby hold the Wildflower Trails celebration. There's always a parade, and this year, Daniel and Riley got to drive a tractor! Riley (and Daniel!) was in heaven!

Much to our surprise, we found out another Bramlett was on the way!

And after Easter we headed to Mountain Air, NC for a much-needed week-long vacation in the mountains with my parents.

May

Our first glimpse at Baby Bramlett #2

We spent a lot of time outside this month...building a garden (which burned up in the drought), working on the yard, and just having a good time together.

June

In June we sent our first team from FBC to Peru. Daniel and Riley didn't go, but we were there bright and early in the morning to see them off.

Summer arrived in full force and we spent as much time as possible in the water! Thankfully, several of our church members have pools that we're able to use.

Daniel started to feel a little left out, so he decided to share in the pregnancy fun :)

July

We attempted to find out whether B.B. #2 was a boy or girl, but he/she would not cooperate! We did find out we had a healthy child, which we were thankful for, but we were a little disappointed we'd have to wait several more weeks before trying to find out again.

On the 20th our big boy turned 2!

And my parents made a trip down from Maryland to help celebrate his birthday.

August

After many years of praying, I was finally able to go on a mission trip back to the land I love - South Africa and Swaziland

September

Wildfires broke out close to our town and in our county and the county next to us around 60,000 acres burned

Daniel turned 31 on the 8th and he requested I make an Easy Skillet Apple Pie

We said goodbye to Daniel for 9 days as he led a team of 4 back to Peru

To break up the monotony while Daniel was gone, my friend Shannon & her son Cole (who was now 9 months) came to visit us.

And the greatest excitement we had in September was finding out B.B. #2 was a GIRL! Elizabeth Grace (Ella) Bramlett would be her name.

October

My best friend, Kristen (on the far right), was getting married in November. Since I would be 36 weeks pregnant on her wedding day and unable to travel, I went to Jacksonville, FL for her wedding shower in the middle of October. I'm so sad I missed the wedding, but I'm very thankful I was able to be there for this special time.

The happy couple

On this same trip I was able to spend one night with two of my best friends from high school, Summer (right) and Liz (left)

And then, of course, there was Halloween! We don't have any good pumpkin patches around us, so Riley and I had to settle for going to the local grocery store to pick out some pumpkins. He still had a blast!

For Halloween we dressed up as an oven with a bun in it (me), a baker (Daniel), and a loaf of bread (lil' man)

November

Daniel had Veterans Day off, so we took a quick trip to a nearby Christian camp, Sky Ranch, and had one final getaway before welcoming Ella into our family.

Some very sweet ladies in the church gave me an amazing baby shower

I took what would be my last preggo shot (unbeknownst to me at the time!) - 37.5 weeks

We met Daniel's Mom and Grandmother in Texarkana on Black Friday. We walked around the mall for several hours. None of us knew then that the very next day Ella would grace us with her presence!

At 38 weeks, Ella Grace was born! 

November 26, 6 lbs 11 oz, 19 inches

My parents came a couple of days after Ella's birth and were able to stay for 2 weeks. They were such a huge help!

December

We decorated outside

And inside for Christmas!

Brotherly/Sisterly love and quality time

Family Christmas pic 2011

And Ella turned a month old!

 

What a year! I never dreamed at the beginning of last year that we'd get to experience even half of these things! I especially didn't think I would be sitting here with a 5-week old! I can't help but wonder what this next year will hold. No matter what it brings, I know the God of the Universe is in control of it all, and He will walk beside us day by day.

...in your book were written every one of them, the days that were formed for me...

Psalm 139:16

Working hard for his $

In 2006 Daniel bought a small shark vacuum. It has been one of the best things (materially) he has brought to the marriage! We have dark green carpet in our house (think 1980's), and it shows everything! If I don't want to pull out the big vacuum cleaner and drag it all over the floor, the shark comes out and picks up the crumbs in no time at all.

A couple of weeks ago the handle on the shark broke. Boo! Instead of just buying a new one, my Mr. Fix-it husband thinks he can somehow rig the handle back on. In the mean time, we're shark-less. However, last week Daniel spilled something on the kitchen floor, and instead of using the broom, he decided to get on his hands and knees with the handle-less shark and pick up the crumbs that way. Riley observed the whole thing, and in true 2-year-old fashion, he wanted to be included in the fun! Thankfully the camera was close by...

This video is only a few seconds long, but believe me when I say he did this for at least 15 minutes! He was so proud of himself when he finished, and we had a clean kitchen floor!

A Month Already?

Ella Grace, I can't believe you're already a month old! What an absolute blessing you are to our family! I prayed and prayed for a happy, healthy, content baby, and God saw fit to say "yes!" to all of my prayers! Everyone told us that if your first child was easy, your second would be a nightmare. You are proving every one of them wrong, and we are so thankful! You're an excellent eater and sleeper. You usually eat every 3 hours, but at night you typically have two 4-hour stretches between feedings. Love those! The only times you cry are when you're hungry or have some gas. You love to be swaddled, and most of the time when I swaddle you, you fall fast asleep soon after being wrapped up. My favorite part of the day is our afternoon naps we take together in the recliner. I love holding you on my chest while we both recuperate from the morning with big brother. Speaking of him, Riley absolutely adores you! He loves to kiss your head, help feed you, talk to you, play with you on your playmat, console you when you're upset, and tell you he loves you. I knew he would be a great big brother, and he has definitely surpassed our hopes of how he'd treat you! I believe the two of you will always have a special relationship.

We are so thankful the Lord chose to add you to the Bramlett family! I know He has big plans for your life, and I am excited to be able to walk with you as those plans unfold. Happy 1st month, baby girl! I can't wait to see all of the changes and developments each month will bring! We love you, Elizabeth Grace!

B-A-Y-L-O-R

Well, they did it! The Baylor Bears are the newest champions of the Valero Alamo Bowl! Woohoo! Thank you, ESPN, for streaming the game live on your website! Not all of us have cable or satellite, so it was wonderful to be able to watch it on the computer! I didn't stay up for the whole game, though, because lil' bear likes to eat a couple of times a night, so I try to get sleep when I can. :) I just finished feeding her (1:40 am), and I read the good news about the Bears winning! I'm so proud to be a Baylor Bear!

Favorite gifts

Without a doubt, this was my favorite gift this Christmas! I am so thankful for our healthy baby girl. It's currently 4 am, and I just finished feeding her. I am bleary-eyed, completely exhausted and wonder when I'll get another full-night's sleep. BUT, this miracle from above is worth every bit of it! Thank you, Lord, for blessing us in this way!

Thanks to Ya Ya for the bow and adorable shoes!

And this was, by far, Riley's favorite gift this year...

Since this video was taken, we've fixed (or should I say, Daniel fixed) a strap for him so he doesn't have to worry about it slipping down anymore.

After seeing his guitar, he was content and decided he didn't need to open any more gifts (literally - we ended up opening the rest of his presents for him!). Since Christmas morning, he has woken up every morning asking where his guitar is. As soon as he finds it, he says, "Do you like my guitar, mama?" He's so precious with it! Can't wait to see how God uses this little musician of ours!

Merry Christmas!

As I shared in my last post, we haven't had internet at the house for a while now. I tried to be patient for so long, and then I finally lost it last week. Blame it on postpartum hormones if you want, but Daniel realized pretty quickly that it was time to take action. So, my Christmas gift from him was a booster which allows us to pick up the internet from the church all over the house (whereas before I had to sit in one certain spot and sometimes hold the computer up in the air, depending on the weather). I am currently sitting in a comfy recliner, holding my baby girl, and typing away...love it!

 

But, the real reason for this particular post is to wish you all a very Merry Christmas from the Bramlett crew!

Riley got a guitar for Christmas and it had to be in the picture because it's now a permanent fixture in his hands :)

  

This was taken last night before the Christmas Eve service (don't you love the cheese face??)

We have so much to be thankful for this Christmas - 2 healthy children, a wonderful church, loving and helpful family - but most importantly, we're thankful for our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. We are nothing without Him, and every good and perfect gift truly comes from above! Happy Birthday, Jesus, and Merry Christmas to all of you! We love you!

Alive and well

Yes, I am still alive! Between not having internet at our house and Ella deciding she wanted to come a week and 2 days early, blogging has been impossible lately. But, I wanted to take a quick minute (as I sit on the floor in the hallway at church) to introduce you all to the newest miracle at our house...

For those of you who don't know, our sweet Elizabeth Grace (Ella) was born on Saturday, November 26th at 4:17 pm. She weighed 6 lbs 11 oz and was 19 inches long. We were in the hospital 2 days and then headed home on Monday, November 28th around lunch time. Ella is a precious little girl. She looks a lot like her brother when he was born - around the same weight and length, yet has a petite frame that screams, "I'm a little girl!" :) I can't seem to kiss her adorable cheeks enough!

The original plan (and we all know that only God's plans are the ones that really unfold, so why do we even plan?!?!) was for me to go in for a C-section on Monday, December 5th at 7:30 a.m. My parents were going to leave Maryland on the 1st and drive down so they would be here in plenty of time for the birth on the 5th. Daniel's mom and grandmother were going to come down the 4th and spend the night so they'd be here too.

Saturday morning (11/26) as we were beginning to decorate the house for Christmas, I felt something strange, yet knew I had not wet myself. I calmly went to Daniel and said, "Not to alarm you, but I just had some fluid come out." He got the deer-in-the-headlights look and said, "What do you mean fluid??" So, I called the doctor and waited for a call-back since it was the weekend. My doctor happened to be out of town (of course), so I spoke to the one on call about 30 minutes later and she said to wait about 30 minutes and if nothing else happened not to worry about it. I went ahead and got in the shower (just in case!), but 3 hours passed and nothing happened. We continued decorating for Christmas and I figured it must have just been a fluke. Then, around noon, it happened again. I called the doctor back and she said I better come on in and get checked just in case it was my water breaking. So, Daniel and I quickly called the babysitter (who was already on alert from earlier in the morning), packed our bags and headed to the hospital. We got there around 1:30 pm and after checking me, the nurse confirmed that my water had broken and we would have a baby that day! So much for our plans, right?! Ella decided she didn't want to be a December baby, and she was coming whether we were ready or not!

We began calling family members and friends, and thankfully, Daniel's dad and brother were able to jump in the car right away and head for the hospital. We also had several church members come to be with Daniel after the birth. A little before 4 pm I was wheeled into the operating room and at 4:17 pm I heard Ella's first cry.

right before I was taken to the O.R.

Meeting Ella for the first time

"Mama, why did you have to disturb me? I was so warm and cozy inside you!"

Miracle from above

Proud big brother holding his baby sister

I'm still in shock she's here, but I'm so thankful! Several weeks ago I spent a long time praying and giving the labor and delivery over to the Lord. I knew if I didn't I would be a nervous wreck the closer it got. I told Him that I knew He knew the timing of everything and how it would all work out. I certainly didn't expect the plan to unfold in this way when I was praying, BUT I know His plan and timing are perfect, and Ella was born exactly when she was supposed to be. What a faithful and loving Father we serve!

I'm not sure when I'll be able to update the blog again, but hopefully sooner than later! I'm thankful I had these few minutes to introduce you to our sweet miracle and share a few pictures. To see the whole album, go here.