Hello again, Mr. Blog!

Why, hello!

So much has changed, golly gee! I don't even know where to start, maybe a list?


Mr. Fishy - Back in May, the family acquired a family pet. Of which Evalyn aptly named Fishy.  He's rather beautiful, if you can call a male fish beautiful. Caleb and I being the Marvel buffs we are, wanted to name him Steve, seeing as how his coloring reminded us of Captain America. But Evalyn insisted on just good ol' Fishy.

There's a Little Sister on the way - As of today, I am 23 weeks along with our newest addition to the family. Big(gest) sister excited, and soon-to-be middle sister Mia just isn't sure what to think yet.

School - This Summer I enrolled in Summer classes and I'm in my last week of the semester. It's been a tiny struggle to keep up with the acceleration that Summer classes pose, but since I had the New Student Seminar and Art History online it helped out bunches! I'm ready for Fall classes, but it sure will be fun being due the day before Thanksgiving with our little one.

Preschool - Evalyn is looking to start preschool soon, and she's excited to grow and learn. We've played around a little with ABCmouse and she loves the thought of going to school. We're in final stages of getting everything set up, and I think I'm just as excited as she is for school. I'll miss her during the day, but I'm excited for her to learn. Amelia will miss her buddy, too.

As you can see, we've got a lot going on. I'm happy to be healthy again. I spent some time in the hospital a couple weeks ago for kidney stones, severe dehydration, and when admitted I was contracting every 2-3 minutes. It was quite a weekend, but I'm glad that's all over! As of the last couple weeks, water has been my friend, rather or not I'm overly excited to drink it. I'll treat myself here and there to a Coca-cola or a Pepsi if I've been good on my water drinking. Mostly to keep me going through the day on the little amount of caffeine.

I'm excited for what is to come this fall.

Happy Monday everyone!

-Elizabeth

Momma Went A'Bloggin',,,

And she did write, uh-huh.

Tonight I'm in one of those goofy moods that require an upkeep of sugar to keep me balanced. Christmas is all around and I honestly think that the Christmas spirit I lacked in past years from my childhood that became filled with "gift greed" that most naive children get at a young age, has passed. As many have called it, we are the "entitled" generation.  With this year being what it was and finding myself to be a little more forcefully frugal, I've found myself wanting to gift experiences rather than gifts no one may use. Oh, I can't wait for some to open their gifts this year. I have found that with raising children comes a new sense of the hope I thought I lacked as a child, but I see now that every Christmas I ever had was filled with hope and traditions I now hold so dear to my heart. I thank Dee so much for setting our traditions for the 10 years I lived with her, because it is precisely what I want for my girls. I want them to have that sense of hope and love and bewilderment that comes with Christmas.

I can't wait until the girls are a bit older to understand it all a bit more, Evalyn is starting to. She sees the lights and hears the music that comes with this time of year, and she loves it. She loves the tree, the lights, the bells, and the family togetherness. I would love for my girls to be closer to my family. I know right now that can't yet happen, but maybe one day it will. Evalyn gets so excited in the morning when she says "Tree, On.", and I get so excited because I go and plug it in and my eyes light up just as much as hers. Amelia loves being by the tree, and she smiles at the lights.I've ran into distant family and they love meeting my children and quickly reminisce about when I was Evalyn's age.

I've been listening to the Pandora Bluegrass Christmas station, and does it bring back memories! Dad would be overjoyed to know that Bluegrass has grown on me some. But I've really only gone as far as his CD's and Christmas music.

And tonight on Facebook I thanked Google and Youtube for teaching me how to blanket stitch and crochet a baby bear beanie. I'm SO loving this years homemade Christmas! Even though no one else in the family is really doing it, I am, and I love it!


Til next time!

Amelia Rae.

Meet Amelia Rae Kekona Drake.

Miss Amelia was born on October 6, weighing 7 pounds and 9 ounces and was 20 inches long. She is such a good baby! Just like her sister. :) Evalyn is taking her sweet time getting used to Amelia. She is no rush to get used to her just yet.  We are still mastering sleep schedules and managing bed times with Evalyn, but we'll get there eventually.

Just keeping this post short and sweet. :) Both girls are asleep, so this calls for momma to get some sleep!

Baby of Mine

My blog has gone neglected for some time now, Since March, my schedule got so crazy since I started to work, now that I'm not, my schedule has become quite open. I haven't posted here, but we're expecting our second baby girl in September. 

photo taken by my wonderful friend Erin at Whitehorse Design

 

 

 I am so excited to meet this little girl, and if she is anything like her sister, she'll probably be here in 3 or so weeks even though she isn't due for arrival until September 25th. We still haven't decided on a name, but I think it's finally getting narrowed down.

I also got to have a photo shoot last weekend with a great family friend. Hopefully, once I get more edited I can start putting those up. I may just have to keep this as an open post and add some more as I get them edited. Here's a sneak: 

Bad blustery rainy day isn't helping, I could have taken some pics of Bean again today, but with them impending weather, and her taking a nap now just maxed out the afternoon. Last night was super crazy, Caleb and I were up in Indy last night. We've been holding onto prayers for the families of those who lost loved ones in last nights horrible accident at the Indiana State Fairgrounds during last night's Sugarland concert.

So for now we are taking our time and enjoying the weekend. I hope everyone has a happy Sunday. As I'm closing this we are finally getting some sunshine. 

Happy Weekend!

Love.

I know it's been since October since I've posted, I have been so busy! This Winter I've been trying all I can to get inspired.

It's a little hard.

Indiana winters are so dreary...All I want to do is just stay huddled in. I wish I could take Eva more places. She is getting a bit destructive lately. But I guess that's to be expected of a toddler.

Yeah, Evalyn is quite the nut. But sometimes she is such a comedian, and she can't even talk. I figure that I don't have much to say today, it's been a long week.

Goodbye for now.

 

Blessed...

I am blessed.

Blessed to have a wonderful husband.

A beautiful, lovingly quiet daughter.

And a family that even at their worst moments, that I couldn't imagine being any different and any more loving then they are.They have a special love, a love that others may not see, but I know it's there. A love that shines is more challenging moments.

I sat here thinking tonight about how so many take for granted what they can not truly see in others. The parts of those others that they always expect to be there.

I was thinking about all the precious moments that I have with Evalyn that Caleb may never see or may have never had to this point. I have a memory of us sitting in our hand-me-down Lazy Boy- that has many years before us on it, but it is still just as comfortable- and I was reading a book my grandmother got for Evalyn on their trip to Kauai last year for the Kaohi family reunion called Popoki, it's a beautiful story- and just a few pages short of the end of the book, I looked down to see Evalyn fast asleep. A first and a last since then, and it still makes me so proud to be her mother. 

She is such a tame child. So curious is every aspect. She wants to know everything. She is slowly learning to talk, but has just about mastered walking. I talk to family who haven't seen her in a while and they can't believe how much she has grown.

I am so bewildered that this time last year I was, unknowingly, two weeks away from giving birth to this beautiful being. It is amazing how time has flown. I think this time last year I was sitting on the floor wasting time waiting for Caleb to get off work, while I meticulously tried to spend my hours perfecting a chipboard baby book that my mother and I had picked up from a little shop in Little Nashville. Which I covered in pink paper and prepared for this little ones arrival. 

Some days I think that she knows just how special she is. And she looks up to the skies, and thanks God and the angels for sending her here.
While I do just the same.


In the Shutterfly book I made her, the last words say "This is just the beginning."

I do believe it is just the beginning of a beautiful story that she has to tell us.

october sky.

It finally comes down to those last three months. October, November, and December.
It also happens to be another time of the year that I love.

My baby is turning ONE!
I can't wait! We are having a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Party and it's going to be fun! I finished the invitations Tuesday night and now I have to mail them out.
And yesterday, as we bid farewell to September...we took these...

It was heavenly. Yesterday was so beautiful, and I sat today and watched at several multi-colored leave fall to the ground. This is just about my favorite time of year, and now that I have a daughter, it makes it that much better.
There are some days when I think about certain words: daughter, mother, husband, family. And I imagine what they mean to me.
My daughter, wow. She is mine. I love her more and more everyday and I see how much she and I have grown together. I have grown a lot in meeting this part of me that now exists. She is mine, and I won't let that go. I remember when I was pregnant with her and I would write her letters telling her how old she was then, how beautiful she was, that she was going to grow big and strong like her daddy and mommy, and letting her know how much she was loved. I guess all of this kind of ties in with the word "mother", but that word also never ceases to amaze me. I have caught myself looking in the mirror and telling myself that I am a mother, and it still shocking me to this very day. But it's all I've wanted to be and more. It's shown me to love so much.
And then there's "husband". Boy, is he handsome. I love him. And he knows it. That's another word that never ceases to amaze me. Our wedding day was beautiful. I was 7 months along with Evalyn, and it was an amazing time for me.

I love my family! Love is a strong word and we are a strong family.