Dakota Rae Clark is here!

December 21st at 11:38pm, Dakota Rae Clark was welcomed into the world. Kristen and Jared are close friends of ours that happen to be family as well! ha Jared and Andrew are first cousins, lived together during some of their college days, and our relationships actually began and developed around the same time. We love them dearly, and already love this precious little girl just as much! Congratulations Clark family!

P.S. Christmas Shoes count: 6
P.S.S. Sort of funny, I know someone with a birthday on the 21st of every month between October and February now.

Busy busy busy

It has been a busy couple of days, but lots of fun! Saturday afternoon, Ceilidh starred in her third Nutcracker. ha I was very proud of her. She actually stayed on the stage the entire party scene with her friend, "Henley." They were adorable! I think she was oblivious to the audience. She was mesmerized with what was going on, on the stage. She even started dancing, and mimicking what the dancers were doing. I have to admit, I cried a bit. ha! Only b/c she was having so much fun, and doing such a good job at having fun! ha Leigh, next year all the "mom" dancers will have to have babies, b/c Graeme and Natalie will have to make their debuts!







After all the stage fun on Saturday, Ceilidh went to a birthday party for Jesus at church on Sunday morning. She talked about this party ALL weekend! She had so much fun. While we were eating breakfast that morning, we had a pretty hilarious and sweet conversation. She kept insisting that she needed to take a card with her to the party, and I finally realized she thought that the guest of honor would literally be there. We then had a discussion about the fact that baby Jesus was the same Jesus that grew up and died on the cross for us. "Ohhhh,ok" was her response. ha! How sweet that she wanted to give baby Jesus his card in person!

At the party she made a few ornaments for the Christmas tree. She has made a few others during the last couple of weeks and we always let her hang them. Somehow they always end up on the lower right quadrant of our tree. In fact, I'm a bit worried it might tip over. wink In all seriousness though, I can't bring myself to spread them out to be more aesthetically pleasing b/c it is so cute. Therefore, if you see our tree anytime soon... that is why the snow man looks like he has a wreath hat, and our tree might be tipping a bit to the front and to the right. ha



As well as not being able to move her ornaments, I can't move the bag of books and blocks on our living room chair either. Since we don't have a fireplace in our apartment, we have "hung" the stockings on the back of our chair. Ceilidh has literally packed a bag of books and blocks for Santa! I mean really... what other kid leaves a bag of books for Santa Clause! So apparently Santa will be taking a reading break at our house on Christmas Eve! ha



Ceilidh, Graeme, mommy, Zion, Aunt "Widia," and ZZ went to the Carolina Inn today to decorate Christmas cookies. We had a blast eating more cookies than we decorated! ha I will post pictures of this extravaganza after I get them from Suzanne. Thanks for the treat ZZ and Pops!

And last but not least, the next post will be about Dakota Rae Clark arriving!!! Kristen is working hard as we speak to get this sweet baby here!

A good Advent post

Thanks Rachel for sharing. This is beautiful.

http://www.aholyexperience.com/2009/12/pains-of-true-christmas.html

A little Christmas shopping with the Tarheels

So Andrew and I have definitely left our Christmas shopping to the last moment; but with him being home in the mornings now, we can get out before the crowds which is good. We decided to run by target for a few essentials while we were out, and happened to run into the men's basketball team! ha We walked in and Andrew said, "Hey, that's Joe Holiday." Two seconds later he said, "Look there's Roy." Roy was standing at the end of an aisle when we walked by. I told Ceilidh that he was the Tarheel bball coach, that played in the Dean Dome behind our house. She said, "Oh," and walked right up to him and waved the biggest wave ever. He asked her if she was a Tarheel, and she said "Yes," and proceeded to give him a high-five! ha They talked a little more about Santa coming soon and that was that. No fear, no inhibition. That is our Ceilidh. She was told that he was a Tarheel, and that was good enough for her! ha The entire team was actually at the store, probably shopping for needy families as they were all carrying wish lists and filling their carts to the brim. I don't think I have ever seen target employees so eager to help customers. wink I don't think I have ever seen so many really tall men in Target at one time either. ha Oh, and Roy's championship ring is monstrous. It is one of the biggest rings I have ever seen. Ok, so enough musings.... but it was a cool afternoon.

Graeme update:
Graeme had his 2 month checkup yesterday and he is still 12 lbs, 7oz, but now 24 inches long. He is in the 50% percentile for weight and 75% for height. He is doing perfectly other than his little cough and congestion. They keep assuring me that it will subside soon.

New experiences for mommy

Obviously when we found out that Graeme was going to be a boy; we knew there would be many differences in their personalities and childhoods. One thing I was not anticipating though, was how many more times I would have him in the Dr.'s office than I did Ceilidh. Poor little boy has already had two pretty rough colds, whereas Ceilidh didn't go to the pediatrician for ANYTHING other than her well-checkups until about 14 months. They keep telling me it is normal; he is a Fall baby where she was a spring baby, he is a boy and she is a girl (boys apparently statistically have higher premature rates and higher childhood sickness rates), and she is bringing all her germs home to him that she can fight off but he can't. Why are children magnets for germs?! Thankfully, his cough sounds worse than it really is and she told me he looked perfect. Our sweet boy is now a big ole' 12 pound and 7 ounces! Yet again another difference as Ceilidh didn't weigh 12 pounds until she was several months old! ha Most of our new experiences have been fun to learn... this one not so much. Other than his yucky cough and congestion though, he is a "happy go lucky" little boy!

Oh, and baby watch 2010 has just increased to 15!!! I read on FB this morning that a friend of ours from UNC is expecting in June. Congratulations Uncle Parker and Aunt Rachel on the newest niece or nephew! I am so happy for Jonathan and LauraLeigh!

"Christmas Shoes" = 5. This will be a new addition to "These are the Good Days." I know I will probably get hate mail for admitting this on the world wide web; but I HATE the song "Christmas Shoes." I mean, really hate. I have never really enjoyed it, but my distaste only increased thanks to my home church growing up. Let me explain. Every year, and yes I mean EVERY year, our pastor's son would sing this song during our Candlelight Service on Christmas Eve. Not "O come all ye Faithful," or "Emmanuel," or "Hark the Herald Angels Sing;" but "Christmas Shoes." Really?! To be fair, I did sing some traditional Christmas hymns; but every year without fail, we would hear "Christmas Shoes." It got to be a joke with my mom and me. We would walk into this quiet, candlelit sanctuary; and have to stifle laughter every year as we opened the program to see Special Music: Christmas Shoes. Was it a special request every year, was it the only song Josh knew, or did they not think we had heard it enough that season; I will never know. So now, every year I count how many times I hear THE song. The other day I heard the first two words, switched the dial, and caught the last two words on another station! AHHHHH I am actually kind of shocked my count is only at 5 and it is December 10th; but not sad about that at all.

"Nothing could be finer..."

Ceilidh (mommy and daddy too! ha), got a neat treat this afternoon when we attended her first Carolina Kids Club event. Thanks to a Grappy and Granddaddy Christmas gift; Ceilidh is an official member of the Carolina Kids Club now. Tonight there was a Men's Basketball meet and greet at the Dean Dome and she has been excited for about a week now! ha Daddy has finished his first semester of graduate school (woohoo), so he was able to go with us. Standing in line to check-in, we ran into a family that I babysat for during my senior year. It was wonderful to see the Copelands and see how big Benton and Riley have gotten. I definitely felt the oldest I ever have, as I remembered changing this now handsome eight year old's diapers, and watching the now 5 year old grow from infancy to toddlerhood!

At check-in, we got a calendar (for autographs), signed photo, and a CKC jersey. Ceilidh wore it the whole night and asked me if she could wear it to bed over her PJs! She wasn't old enough to go to the floor and get autographs, but I don't think she really cared. She was much more into the Sprite we let her drink than anything else. That and the Coldstone Ice cream. They had a nice spread of Jimmy Johns, Cold Stone, and of course coke products. She ate a very nutritious dinner consisting of the largest cookie I have ever seen in my life, ice cream, and sprite. Its the holidays, right?! wink

Hopefully Roy's Boys can live up to all the autographs they gave tonight and make something happen this coming April! Go Heels!

Oh, and Nicole, I was thinking this would make a perfect gift for Hudson. I don't think Tim would mind, do you? HA!


Fake sleeping with Graeme


She tucked Graeme in b/c it had been a long day. He is already proving his masculine security, as he is sporting the ballerina sheets.


Yummmmy... cookie






This wasn't even all the kids


Thats right baby


THE Sprite. ha

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

I LOVE Christmas!!! We decorated our tree last Monday, and let Ceilidh drink hot chocolate (hot tea as she calls it! ha) while we were doing it. She was hilarious. Every time she would take a sip, she would say, "yummy! I love this drink!" She made an angel for the top of our tree this year and it is precious. I have to say that I am pretty impressed as well. I told her she could draw her face and she all by herself drew two eyes and a mouth. Her snowmen even had noses. Albeit, they may be a little lop-sided; but they are cute.

Last night we went to the annual tree lighting in the village of Pinehurst, and then went to have cookies and more "hot tea" with some of my friends from the dance studio. Ceilidh was very excited to be going to "Henley's house," and we got to meet Leigh's baby, Natalie. Natalie was born just two weeks after Graeme. I have to say I love Chapel Hill, but I really miss my Moore County friends.

We also got a special treat tonight, as Andrew's Aunt Angela and family gave us a dinner, free Ceilidh babysitting, and a trip to see the Carolina Ballet's production of The Nutcracker. Angela very smartly gave us a "welcome Graeme gift" of time together, knowing we had all the "things" we needed for him. It made it doubly special, b/c Angela's middle child dances one of the gingerbread cookies and one of the infantry mice this year. The backdrops were incredible and Martha did a wonderful job. Graeme was perfect through the whole performance. He slept the entire time! ha THANK you so much Gary and Angela!!!!

Just a few pictures of our tree and friends!


Jeanne and Kenley








Ceilidh's angel

Happy 2 months!

Graeme was two months old today! We don't go for his 2 month check-up until December 14th, so I don't have all his stats. Here is a cutie picture of our 2 month old though!

Thankfulness

I have so much to be thankful for this year. I could go on and on; but for simplicity sake; lets just say I am most thankful for Christ and his finished work on the cross, my incredible husband, my two beautiful children here with us on earth, and our son we are excited to meet in Heaven one day. We had a GREAT weekend of eating with both sides of the family, and then getting our Christmas tree!!! I am super excited the Advent season has started; and I am going to take the challenge from church today to praise him like I never have before.

Just a few pictures from Graeme's first Thanksgiving.

One more post tonight

I know I just posted but I feel like I want to post again tonight. And the last post was about a song, and this one is as well. I mentioned several weeks ago that everyone needs to leave your house now and buy Steven Curtis Chapman's "Beauty Will Rise." I am still urging that by the way! All of the songs have spoken familiarity, truth, and encouragement into my life recently; but I have been grappling with one in particular.

"Beauty Will Rise"

It was the day the world went wrong
I screamed til my voice was gone
And watched through the tears as everything
Came crashing down

Slowly panic turns to pain
As we awake to what remains
And sift through the ashes
That are left behind

But buried deep beneath
All our broken dreams we have this hope

Out of these ashes beauty will rise
And we will dance among the ruins
We will see it with our own eyes
Out of these ashes beauty will rise
For we know joy is coming in the morning
In the morning, beauty will rise

So take another breath for now
And let the tears come washing down
And if you can't believe, I will believe for you

Cause I have seen the signs of spring
Just watch and see

Out of these ashes beauty will rise
And we will dance among the ruins
We will see it with our own eyes
Out of these ashes beauty will rise
For we know joy is coming in the morning
In the morning

I can hear it in the distance
And it's not too far away
It's the music and the laughter
Of a wedding and a feast
I can almost feel the hand of God
Reaching for my face to wipe the tears away
You say it's time to make everything new
Make it all new

This is our hope
This is a promise
This is our hope
This is a promise

It will take our breath away
To see the beauty that's been made
Out of the ashes, out of the ashes

It will take our breath away
To see the beauty that He's made
Out of the ashes, out of the ashes

Out of these ashes
Beauty will rise
And we will dance among the ruins
We will see it with our own eyes
Out of this darkness
New light will shine
And we'll know the joy that's coming in the morning
In the morning
Beauty will rise

Oh, beauty will rise
Oh, oh, oh, beauty will rise
Oh, oh, oh, beauty will rise
Oh, oh, oh, beauty will rise

This concept of beauty for ashes has always been a favorite of mine; in both aspects of the beauty of the second coming (we will become new creations), as well as beauty that sometimes comes out of our earthly trials and sufferings. Shane and Shane have a pretty incredible song called "Beauty for Ashes" as well. There have been plenty of songs written about this idea; but I can't seem to quit listening to this latest one. I have never heard a more authentic cry from the heart than I do while listening to this CD. In fact, he even states in the CD jacket, that they released voice recordings from a impromptu voice session in a hotel room one night.

I can't help but wonder, where is the beauty in Kenan's death? Are we even promised tangible earthly beauty from every "pile of ashes" in our life? What has come out of that situation that I can call beauty? Learning Christ is the only thing you need or want when you hit rock bottom is definitely beauty, but I can't honestly say I live in that daily. I "head" know it all day long. I "heart" know it 98% of the time, but there are days when he isn't my one and only desire. Therefore, is that really beauty if I haven't attained that yet?

No matter whether the beauty just hasn't been seen yet, or hasn't been created yet; I'm ready for it to "take my breath away," once I find it.

Here we go again

I think last year, my CD player could have played Bebo's latest Christmas album without the CD actually being in the player from memory! ha Well, this year I don't think it will be much different. There will most definitely be some Bebo, Alan (Sus, I am excitedly awaiting our annual car ride!), and of course the classics like Frosty and Rudolph. The only difference this year is that we will be adding Downhere to our repertoire. All you musical gurus (aka, the entire Clendenin family plus my sister); may have heard of this group before; but they are new to me. Andrew and I heard them on the way home from church the other day and I'm totally and utterly hooked. You know me and my month long jags of one CD; well this one might be a multiple months jag!

My absolute favorite so far is the song "How Many Kings?" Ummm, amazing lyrics AND I love the sound of this song. Look it up on youtube. I don't know how to post the video, but you NEED to hear this song.

DOWNHERE LYRICS – How Many Kings

Follow the star to a place unexpected
Would you believe after all we’ve projected
A child in a manger

Lowly and small, the weakest of all
Unlikeliness hero, wrapped in his mothers shawl
Just a child
Is this who we’ve waited for?

Cause how many kings, stepped down from their thrones?
How many lords have abandoned their homes?
How many greats have become the least for me?
How many Gods have poured out their hearts
To romance a world that has torn all apart?
How many fathers gave up their sons for me?

Bringing our gifts for the newborn savior
All that we have whether costly or meek
Because we believe
Gold for his honor and frankincense for his pleasure
And myrrh for the cross he’ll suffer
Do you believe, is this who we’ve waited for?
It’s who we’ve waited for

How many kings, stepped down from their thrones?
How many lords have abandoned their homes?
How many greats have become the least for me?
How many Gods have poured out their hearts
To romance a world that has torn all apart?
How many fathers gave up their sons for me?
Only one did that for me

All for me
All for you
All for me
All for you

Football team anyone?

So, Susanna thinks the "Clendenin" family is trying to make our own football team! ha We found out last night that Paul and Lydia are having a boy!!! We are so thankful to hear that baby boy Collins is healthy and already a BIG boy. I told Lydia she sure knows how to grow them! ha We are so excited and thankful for this precious babe of Lydia and Pauls! We love you guys. Congratulations!!!

Bob, the Plump and Perky Turkey

Ceilidh has decided she is naming her Thanksgiving turkey, "Bob, the Plump and Perky Turkey." I have no idea where Bob came from, but she has loved reading the book entitled "The Plump and Perky Turkey." ha I have been trying to explain to her the origins of Thanksgiving and decided to make an Indian Headdress the other day. She looked adorable. She even begged to wear it to biblestudy the next morning! The nursery workers didn't know what to think when I dropped her off! ha

Yesterday my friend, Karie, invited us over to make Tom Tom cupcakes. ADORABLE!!! She always has such cute ideas! Ceilidh enjoyed making them, and I enjoyed eating them! Thanks for thinking about us Karie!


Just a cutie picture of Andrew Jr. ha


Graeme during the cupcake decorating


Benjamin enjoying the spoils of cupcake decorating


Karie's adorable model


Ceilidh's cupcake




Emma's cupcake




Karie