Asheville Anniversary Trip

This year for our anniversary trip (celebrating 8 wonderful years of marriage) we decided to go to Asheville.  Asheville is only about an hour drive from our house and we knew the leaves would be beautiful in late October!  The beautiful scenery definitely did not disappoint.  

Our anniversary is December 15th, but after 6 years of saying we wanted to take an anniversary trip and never being able to make it happen in the wonderful but busy month of December, we decided to celebrate our anniversary with at least a one night stay somewhere in October!  This is our second annual anniversary trip and it was the best yet!  

We left Greenville just before lunch and enjoyed a fun afternoon in downtown Asheville.  We had a great lunch at a great little restaurant called The Early Girl Eatery, stopped in a few of the shops and did a little Christmas shopping, and just enjoyed walking around the cute town.  It was mid 70's and an absolutely beautiful afternoon.  

We finished out our afternoon with some hot chocolate at a local shop that is famous for their sweets. Bert had coffee of course, but my hot chocolate was one of the best cups I've ever had. It definitely didn't come from a packet!

This was our view from our hotel room.  We just loved it.  It's hard to tell from these pictures but it was so beautiful to look out and see the mountains and trees all different colors.  

We went to a Japanese steak house for dinner.  One of our favorites!  

On Saturday after checking out from our hotel we headed over to the Biltmore House. Neither of us had ever been and we were so excited to be able to check this place out. It was beautiful and fascinating at the same time.

These next couple pictures were taken of the beautiful landscape behind the house. Gorgeous.

Touring the gardens was one of our favorite things that day.  The picture below was just a small piece of the huge gardens.  Everything was so beautiful.  We've heard that we should come back in the spring because the gardens are just gorgeous then.  We don't doubt it and we'd love to make that happen at some point, although probably not this spring with the arrival of sweet Abigail.  

The detail throughout the house was amazing.  

The audio tour through the house was my favorite part of our trip to Biltmore.  We walked through room after room and when we got to each room we held up the little audio player to our ear that told us a few interesting facts about that room.  The tour lasted about an hour and forty five minutes and was so great to see so much of the house.  My favorite rooms were Mr. and Mrs. Vanderbilt's bedrooms. I just thought it was cool to see their own personalized space in the big ole house.  Bert's favorite was the library.  We also got to see the kitchen, indoor bowling alley, indoor swimming pool, guests rooms, servants quarters, and so so much more.  They were in the middle of decorating for Christmas the weekend we were there.  One of the ladies that worked there told me they had already been decorating for 2 weeks and they had 2 more weeks of decorating before it was complete.  Most rooms that we went in had at least 1 if not 2 beautifully decorated Christmas trees in them. Each tree was so unique.  I can't imagine what it looks like after two more weeks of decorating...I'd love to see that sometime too!:)  

After we left the Biltmore we enjoyed one more more yummy meal (it ended up being more like "lupper"), ran by one store, and then headed back to Greenville to see our babies.  Thanks so much to my mom for driving up to Greenville to keep our girls.  While she was there she managed to clean my whole house top to bottom, take the girls to the park, and cooked me a meal that I could use for Sunday. Thank you so much for spoiling your pregnant daughter, Mom!

It was only about a 36 hour trip, but it felt like longer and it was wonderful to have some one on one time with my best friend and favorite person on the planet! 

Pumpkin Carving

The girls had fun helping us pick out a pumpkin this year.  They also each got to pick out a tiny pumpkin (much smaller than the ones E and H are holding in the picture below) to keep in their rooms.  They have loved playing with them over the last week or so!  

It was such a pretty day Emily suggested we do the first part of the pumpkin carving outside and Bert and I thought it was a GREAT idea! 

Last year Claire was 9 months when we were carving our pumpkin and she pretty much just watched the action.  That was definitely not the case this year.  She was all about diving into the pumpkin and getting those seeds out.  

Emily preferred to use a spoon.:)  

The kids took a vote and decided they wanted Olaf on their pumpkin this year and their Daddy made it happen!  I think he's got some serious talent as a pumpkin carver.  Alison, Bert's sister, also carved an amazingly impressive pumpkin this year, so maybe the skill set runs in their family.  Either way, the girls were soooo excited about Olaf!  In the picture below Emily was saying "Olaf" when I snapped the picture!  

It is 4 days before Halloween and I don't know what Emily or Hannah are going to be for Halloween, but we have a bin full of dress up clothes that will work just fine.  I should probably work on that at some point though.  Happy Halloween everyone!!:)  

Our Little Pumpkins

Last Sunday at church the children's ministry team took a few fall pictures of all the kids so that they could update the bulletin boards.  I thought the pictures of our little pumpkins were cute so I wanted to post them here.  

I've had a couple people recently ask me if Claire was just loving the two mornings a week when both of her sisters are at school and she has the house to herself.  She's happy, but I honestly think she misses them. She asks me where they are a couple times each morning, even though she knows.  She says "Where Ahhh??" (Hannah) or "Where Ehh??" (Emily). Little cutie. She's just letting me know she loves them! 

20 Weeks

I finished my 20th week last Saturday! (I'll be 21 weeks tomorrow.) Woohoo!  Over halfway there...less than 20 to go!  The halfway point sounds exciting and I know it will fly by, but March 5th sounds like a looooong way away to me right now.

I had my 20 week check up on Monday morning and Abigail got a great report!  Everything on her ultrasound looked great!  She had a strong heartbeat of 149 bpm.  She was kicking and moving all around during the entire ultrasound.  She had her hand up to her mouth at one point and it looked like she was sucking her thumb.  If she wasn't sucking her thumb, she was trying to find it.  It will be interesting to see if she follows in her sister Hannah's footsteps and is determined to suck her thumb despite my best efforts to get her to take a paci.

I felt a tear roll down my cheek while I was watching her move around on the monitor.  The ultrasound tech was checking her anatomy and I was just in awe of the little person inside of me.  We got to see her brain, 4 chambers of her heart, her spine, kidneys, stomach and so much more.  She is beautiful and perfectly made by her Creator.  I'm thankful to get to carry her for these 9 months.

Abigail was measuring a week bigger than she should have according to my due date of March 5th.  The ultrasound tech told me it was no big deal and that they wouldn't change my due date or do anything about it.  I did talk to my OB about it just to make sure and he said they definitely wouldn't change my due date and that there was "no obstetrician in the county that would be worried about her measuring a week bigger at this point."  Ha!  Well alrighty then.

I've regretfully started sleeping on my side at night as they say that by 20 weeks it's important to do that.  It's not my favorite thing, as it is so much easier for me to fall asleep on my back, but I'll do anything for my baby girl. I'm having some heartburn and just general pregnancy aches (especially if I've been walking a lot in a particular day), but overall I'm feeling great!!  Really enjoying this second trimester!

I've had a few cravings.  I'm not sure if you want to call them cravings because I haven't sent Bert out at 10pm to purchase these things, so maybe we'll just call them deep loves.  I LOVE chips and salsa, guacamole, popcorn and homemade pimiento cheese.  These things definitely make this pregnant lady happy.

I've started feeling her kick some.  When I do feel her, it is so so light that I have to be completely still to actually feel it. They told me at my 16 week ultrasound (and again at my 20) that my placenta was actually anterior (on top....or between my stomach and the baby) this time and that Abigail would have to kick harder in order for me to feel it (through my placenta).  My placenta was also in this position when I was pregnant with Emily and I was about 25 weeks along before I really started feeling her.  Claire and Hannah's placentas were both posterior and by this point in my pregnancies with both of them I was feeling hard, strong kicks from both of them.  I looooove getting to feel her kick, but I'll be patient while I wait on her to get a little bigger and stronger so that I can feel those good strong kicks.  Right now I'll enjoy the sweet little flutter kicks that I do get to feel while I am perfectly still and paying attention.

We love you sweet Abby!!  Your sisters tell you "good night", "hey" and "bye" many times a day, while putting their mouths right to my belly.  They're so excited about meeting you.  If you ask Hannah when the baby is coming she'll say "First fall, then winter, then the Abigail comes!!"  Hannah is also quick to "correct" us when we call the baby Abby.  She'll say "Her name is Abigail." :)

Abigail, we are so thankful to God for your great checkup and for allowing us to be your parents! You are a precious gift!

Fall For Greenville

Every year Greenville has a big fall festival called "Fall for Greenville."  I think I may have come to it once when I was a student at Clemson, but I haven't been in years, and Bert has never been.  So this year we decided head downtown to see what it was all about. We had so much fun!!  It was a beautiful evening, which always makes any event better. 

Hannah and Emily took turns riding in the stroller.  This double stroller is a little big for going in a store or for a quick trip somewhere, but absolutely perfect for stuff like this. There is all kinds of storage room underneath, plenty of cup holders for everyone, and the girls love it!  

We even stopped by to say hey to the Tiger.  Go Tigers!!!  6-0 so far this season!!:)  

We let Emily and Hannah pick one ride and this was their pick.  I caught this picture mid-ride and thought it was so cute.  

After their ride we only had enough tickets left for Bert OR me to get dinner downtown (the girls had eaten pizza earlier in the evening). I suggested we just split something, but Bert insisted that I get dinner from one of the vendors and he would eat something for dinner at home.  You might think "well of course he wouldn't let his pregnant wife not eat", but he would have insisted I eat the yummy food even if I wasn't pregnant. He does stuff like this all the time.  He loves me well.  All the time.  And I'm thankful for him.  

In the picture below I was sitting on a bench eating my yummy dinner and watching Bert play with the kids.    

I loved my view.  I love these people.  I remember feeling so thankful as I was sitting on that bench that I wanted to snap a picture.  

Our Baby Girl's Name

When we found out that we were going to have a new baby, both Stephanie and I immediately knew that we would be blessed with another sweet daughter. After three beautiful girls, we couldn’t imagine anything else!

As the time got closer for us to have the ultrasound to find out for sure, I always smiled when people asked me if I wanted a baby boy. More than anything, I just prayed to God to take care of the baby that He was creating in Stephanie’s womb. I knew that we would be full of joy over whatever He blessed us with!

When we found out that our fourth baby would also be our fourth daughter, Stephanie and I could not have been more excited and joyful! We love our girls and we love that they get to grow up with sisters close to them in age. And for me personally, one of my greatest joys in life next to being a follower of Christ and a husband to Stephanie is being a father of daughters. I wouldn’t have it any other way than exactly how God’s planned it for our family!

The joy that our daughters and our newest daughter bring make her name all the more fitting.

For our new baby girl, we have given her the name:

Abigail Kate Watts

Abigail means “father’s joy.” We hope she knows the joy she brings us and that she brings our Father in heaven!

And like her sisters before her, we’ve given her a family name for her middle name. We’re giving her the name Kate in honor of her aunt, Stephanie’s sister Katherine, who Stephanie calls “Kate” just as much as Katherine. I don’t know many other people who love Jesus, love their family, and bring joy to others like Katherine. And as I watch Stephanie and Kate’s friendship as sisters, I couldn’t want anything more for our girls, that they would have deep, lifelong relationships as sisters who are also close friends, encouraging, loving and serving one another in every way possible. We are so thankful for Katherine, and all our daughters’ aunts, who we can trust to serve as incredible examples for our girls as they grow to be young women who love others and follow Christ.

For each of our girls, we pray “Lord, bless our daughters, that they may know You, trust You, follow You and love You, and be used by You to be a blessing to others.”

We pray for Emily, whose name means “one who strives; a hard-worker; a leader”, that she would be one who leads others to follow Christ with her, following the example set by her mom, her Mimi, and her great-grandmother, who all share her middle name, Jean.

We pray for Hannah, whose name means “grace”, that she would know and experience Christ’s grace and extend that grace to others around her, like her Mimi (Stephanie’s mom) Beth, from whom Hannah gets her middle name, Elizabeth.

We pray for Claire, whose name means “clear” and “bright”, that she would shine like a bright light for Jesus, just as He commanded us to “let our light shine before men so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” Her middle name is Kaylin, from Bert’s mom’s name, Linda Kay. We pray that she’ll serve the church and serve others as a light for Christ just like her Grandmama.

And, of course, we’re praying already for our new daughter too! We pray for Abigail to know that she brings joy to the heart of her father (and mother!) here on earth and her father in heaven. We pray a prayer of thanks to our God who gives her to us as a gift of joy, just as He has done with each of her sisters. We pray that she’ll bring joy to others around her as she shows the love and kindness of God to them just like her aunt Katherine.

We love you, Abigail Kate Watts! We’re praying for you and we’re excited to hold you in our arms very  soon! 

Team Ressie

Our niece Ressie was born 6 weeks early and was the "ambassador baby" for this year's March of Dimes in Toccoa.  March of Dimes is a national organization that raises money and awareness to help babies that are born prematurely and also try to lessen the number of premature babies that are being born each year.  Their slogan is "A Fighting Chance for Every Baby." 

We arrived Friday night so that we could be up bright and early and ready for the March of Dimes Walk.  We enjoyed a great meal at Los Amigos (which my Mexican-food-loving child in utero appreciated) and then came back to the house for a little play time and bedtime.  

Papa reading a book to Emily.  She looks happy.  

My little dog lover loves playing with Tiger.  

Claire gets to pull out all the tuperware (over and over) when she's at Mimi's house.  She loves this activity!

Saturday morning we were up and excited about being a part of Team Ressie!!  

Hannah and Jacob were having a little chit-chat with Batman, who just happened to also be at the Toccoa March of Dimes.  

Mimi and Papa with Ressie Roo.  

Katherine and Brett both spoke for a few minutes.  They told a little about their story and thanked everyone for supporting the March of Dimes.  They did a great job! 

They had a 5K race and also a walk.  Most of us on Team Ressie participated in the walk, but there were definitely a few runners on Team Ressie as well (Brett's brother and two of his kids and a few others).  

Dad and the Sanders led the walk in the convertible.  Jacob was in heaven riding in the front of the convertible and Ressie napped the whole time.  We were all walking right behind the car and it was soooooooo hard for Emily to understand why she couldn't have a turn in the car.  

Stanley got up bright and early and drove up from Atlanta so he be a part of Team Ressie!  We were excited to see him!  The picture below was taken in the second half of the walk.  Hannah needed a little break from the walking, so Uncle Stan took over pushing Claire.  

After the walk and race was over Papa Stan took Emily and Hannah and Jacob on a ride around the field in the convertible.  You can see from the smiles they were SO excited!!  

Team Ressie!  

We had a fun morning!  Ressie was an awesome ambassador baby...adorable as always.  We are so thankful for all the doctors, nurses and staff who took such great care of her in those early weeks in the NICU.  Thanks to March of Dimes for all you do!