Hey Baby

Congratulations Manning Family! Avery Lee Manning was born on 9/18 and is such a pretty girl!

So two weeks ago we went on a nice hike with the Mannings in order to encourage their fourth baby out.


And then a week later, bam, a baby!
We were so glad that we were able to watch the kids while Joel, Steph, and Avery were in the hospital. We even took the whole crew to Sunday School and church with us. It was exciting. We really tuckered the kids out and had a lot of fun.

Pictures of You

Oh dear. Has it really been a month? Well folks, for the past three weeks I've worked every day, so that's gotta be worth something. Anyway, time for a long overdue report on the Baby! I am 21 weeks along - more than halfway - and feel great. My appetite is up, up, up and the 15 pounds I've gained thus far prove it.

My belly definitely popped out in a big way, but it makes sense since it's housing an active, growing baby in there. This baby is busy! Owen used to get really rowdy at night, but Baby #2 is a mover and a shaker throughout the day. Baby's strong enough for Zach to feel him or her moving, which is nice since then I don't feel like it's all in my head. We had an ultrasound two weeks ago and everything looked great. The technician really took her time, and both Zach and Owen got to be there, so it was quite special. No, we didn't find out the sex, but feel free to make a random guess like I do every couple of days. I've been reading birthing books as much as possible because I love the whole process and I'm getting really excited. Lots of great granola stuff like Birthing from Within, Instinctive Birthing, and Ina Mays Guide to Childbirth. Don't even get me started on birth stories and theories because I will not stop. Seriously. Just ask Zach.

Fortunately, I won't start now as we've got a big Labor Day extravaganza coming up. We're going on a big road trip (which we love) and will get to see some friends and go camping. But, I will leave you with some delightful pictures before departing. Some are even helpfully labeled for your viewing pleasure. This one with the hands just kills me. Sweet baby.Note the dark abyss next to the knee, containing...well, we don't know.

A Holiday at the Sea

On to the Ashton Family visit! We were delighted to have Zach's parents and brother out for a week. We got in a couple trips to the beach and even taught them how to play Settlers. Best of all, Zach was able to finagle his schedule so that he was home the whole week. Once again, I think the pictures will give you a better idea of the visit than my rambling could do.

Uncle Nolan carries O. to the beach on an unusually cold and rainy day.

Owen chased a seagull halfway down the beach before turning back to laugh.

Queenie and Mantis with Owen at Leo Carrillo

Exploring the caves and tidal pools

At the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library

Checking out Air Force One

Just joshing

We took a day trip to Solvang

Solvang being the Danish Capital of America

A lovely meal back home

Sea Monster Mantis

Almost immediately after we got to Santa Monica, Owen got brutalized by a wave.

He was distraught.

Before departing, the Ashtons took Owen to Toys R Us for a shopping spree.

He really got into his new toys.

I'm Glowing and You're the Reason

Hey friends.
I promise I've been working on a big, picture-laden post reviewing all the family visits. And then I thought, hey Anna, you never told your blog friends the big news.

I'm pregnant! Baby #2 is due on January 13th. Zach and I are delighted. We had been hoping to have our kids about two years apart, and they'll be almost exactly two years. We're so grateful to God for another little miracle (and I don't mean that in a cheesy manner...seriously, this baby's such a gift. Feel free to ask me about it, lady friends).

It was the same old story as last time...
Me: Um, Zach? Can you pick me up a pregnancy test on the way home? I'm not pregnant or anything, it's probably just the flu, but I haven't felt good for like a week.
Zach: Sure!
Me: I mean, let's not get our hopes up or anything, but we might as well rule out pregnancy, right? Then I'll go to the doctor tomorrow.

So, I took the test - our little family (bigger than we knew at the time) checked the mailbox - we came back - and then we all gathered around the pee stick. Positive!
We're going for a midwife in a hospital this time around, and I'm a big fan of this option. At 16 weeks, everything's going well so far and I've even felt the baby move! Owen is also delighted with the news, though he has little to no idea what's going on. Despite the late start on sharing the information - we wanted to tell our families in person first - I plan to keep you updated as my belly grows and grows and grows.

Family Functions

The visits continued, as my parents and Jason and his family arrived. A few days later, Rachel and co. got here. It was the first time we'd all been together in three years (since my wedding) and it was crazy how many kids were there. We had a great time: going to the beach, hiking, playing volleyball and of course, lots of eating. The siblings and spouses even got a night out without the kids and it was delightful and memorable.

Rather than give you a play by play, here are lots of pictures from the festivities.

In order to fit all 21 people for dinners, we had our meals outside.Owen got baptized and the whole family got to be there!

Happy Father's Day, Dada!

The happy losers of the sibling vs. spouses volleyball game

Some of my cute nieces

Cousins playing on a big tree in Beverly Hills

Theresa feeding Owen. She was so sweet.
This warms my heart.
The playroom saw a lot of use. This is before the Brauns even got here!
Gramma rocked Owen to sleep on the beach...on two separate occasions.
Jib-jawing on the beach and assuming someone's watching my son.
Group shot: Pre-Brauns
Hiking with my whole side of the family
Owen destroyed every attempt at a picture of all the cousins
Seriously Owen?

Friends They Are Jewels (cont)

Next up on our visitor itinerary were a few highschoolers (not pictured) from Memphis who came to sing at our church. They only stayed one night but I picked their brains on being homeschooled and Owen wooed them with his adorable jabbering.The next day brought a family we knew from the Calvary Chapel we attended in Texas. Kevin was on tour for his band, so we got to see his wife and two kids for the weekend as well. Owen loved following after their three year old boy, and we got to meet Maddie, their youngest. We had a fun time at the caves at Leo Carrillo and finally got to play Settlers of Catan with the people who had first told us about the game. It was great to catch up with them and see their growing family.
No bib + Go-Gurt at the beach = Trouble.

I improvised protection using my bathing suit top (too cold to swim that day...but brought it just in case). Owen was not pleased.

Friends They Are Jewels

Let the summer of visits begin! We are excited for all of our visitors, and have enjoyed those who have already been here. Here's a recap:

Our first little visitor was Arden, the 11-month old son of our friends from church. They went on an anniversary trip, so we got to have Arden for the weekend. We were delighted, particularly Owen. Turns out Owen is a huge cuddler. It is so cute seeing him hug Arden, who is very patient with him. Fortunately they're about the same size since Owen's such a peanut, so Arden can handle it. The boys thought it would be hilarious to alternate taking naps, so we had a pretty calm Saturday. Then we went to the park and Owen got to play in the water playground there. He loved it, which makes no sense since he hates having water on his head during bathtime.


Owen joined Arden in crawling all over the house, and they ended up in all sorts of places. We had a great weekend together, and Owen definitely loved having his buddy around.