Celebrating Baby Boy Bruce

 Some friends from church threw me a fun girl's night baby sprinkle at Fireside Pies.  I loved the woodland theme that goes with the nursery. 

My friend, Nancy, made this amazing leaf garland with 19 scriptures to speak and pray over our little boy.  One morning I took some time to journal and pray them over my son.  It was really special to be able to focus on him like that since I have not done that as much with two little ones always with me.  The garland is now hanging in his room and I imagine I'll be using these scriptures to get us through some sleepless nights.  This was truly one of the most special baby gifts anyone has given to me.

 Ashley is known for her cakes and cupcakes and they were as beautiful and delicious as always.

 

Julia and I

 

Lauren coordinated everything and made the adorable diaper wreath (and took all these pics!) and Carmen made everyone salt scrub favors to take home.

 

My sisters!  Sandy, Courtney and Karri

Ashley and JoAnne

Camille and Marci

Carmen and Nancy

Lori and I

Thanks to all these girls, I got just what I needed - lots of boy clothes.  I have to admit, the boy stuff is growing on me.  I'm looking forward to dressing him in little converse with jeans and plaid button downs.

Belly Shots

I don't want to forget this special time of my baby boy growing inside me, so I have had Brad take some pictures of me before church a few times.  These shots were at 34 weeks.

Both girls talk about their brother and hug and kiss my belly all the time.  Anna makes a point to give him a hug and kiss every night.  Haven also likes to try to playfully hit it.  She is not trying to hurt me or baby brother, but I think in a way that is how she is wanting interact with him.  Should be interesting to watch those two as they grow up together!

Here I am again at 37 weeks.
(On a side note...these girls...how precious are they?.  I often ask them "are you really mine?".  Four years of being a mom and sometimes I still can't believe what gifts I have been given.)

The other day I there was a very pregnant lady in the line next to me telling her cashier that this was her third pregnancy and she was immune to any comments people make to her.  That same day I had one person tell me that I looked so small for being 37 weeks and a different person ask if I was carrying twins!  I don't mind the comments - good or bad - because I realize it is not everyday that you see a woman who is 9 months pregnant.  It is special sight to see because it is a sign of new life and it is worth talking about!

Since I am hoping to be able to do a VBAC, it is important that I go into labor at or before my due date.  Anna was just a day late and Haven was 6 days late, so this pregnancy I started taking evening primrose at 36 weeks.  If anything, pshycologically I feel like I am helping the baby come by my due date.  :) At my 37 week check up, I was already 2 cm dilated and 70% effaced so who knows! 

Home Away from Home

In July, we went to Austin for a weekend and were so refreshed by time with old friends and family.  As content as I am to live in Fort Worth and grow deeper roots with each passing season, Austin just still feels like home when we go there.  I don't know if that feeling will ever go away and I think that is o.k.  I'm glad we live close and have plenty of reasons to visit!

We hung out with my college roommate Rachel and her family the first day, but I failed to get pictures.  I wish I had because she has the most smiley little boy I have ever seen.  The girls loved Henry!

The next day we saw our friends who we were in a church homegroup with nine years ago!  At that time, none of us had kids and we all lived in Austin with no extended family around so we really bonded.  These are still some of our closest friends and our group has been through a lot together - infertility, premature babies in the hospital, moves and job changes, and even a heart transplant.  God has been good through all of it and now we have added 7 (soon to be 8) kids to the mix.

They wanted to celebrate our baby boy and had a little baby sprinkle for us.  

Frank made the creative cake - the Garcia's are know for their cakes. :)

Watching some Wildkrats so the adults could have a few mostly uninterrupted minutes to talk.

Jean got these stick on moustaches for all the kids and they lasted long enough for a couple pics.

Are these babies really four now?

 

The main reason we went to Austin was to celebrate my niece, Jeri Anne, turning one!

I tried taking pictures of her, but she is hard to keep up with.  She started taking steps around 9 months and has not slowed down!  She is such a curious and confident little thing.   

Helen had a cute balloon theme and her friend made this adorable cake.

Sweet little Jeri brought our whole family together which doesn't happen very often.

Jeri, you are so full of LIFE and we are thankful for you!

Lucy Merle Bruce

On the morning of July 25, 2013, Brad's grandma passed away, just one week after her 98th birthday.  Thankfully, Brad was able to visit her a few months ago in Missouri.  She was recovering from a broken pelvis and was very weak and tired.  Brad had a moment alone with her and in his words "asked her what she had learned about life and just generally gave her an opportunity to share words of wisdom with me".  He said that in that moment she had great clarity and energy and this is what she chose to say:

1).  Appreciate your friends more.  They are so important.
2).  People are so important, [so invest your time and energy in them].
3).  If you move around a lot, you really miss out on some deeper relationships that you could have had.  I don't like to move much because I don't want to move away from my friends and miss out on those deeper relationships.
4).  But, of course if you're a Christian, you always have friends no matter where you move to because the church is everywhere and you'll always be welcome in church.  I really don't know how people live without the church.
5). At times you might feel neglected and passed over, but that's because we're naturally selfish and spoiled.  :)
6). We hardly ever live like we're claiming the promises of God...first you have to spend some time learning what the promises of God are, and then you have to memorize them...and really that's one and the same.  [Then, claim them and live like it!]
7). I like to think about Live and Let Live, and there is some truth to that, but more and more I think about Helping others to have a good time living.  Other people will mostly accept help ... in fact they normally accept help...Sometimes they won't like it because they think you are trying to control their lives, but ...[do it the right way, and they'll accept and really appreciate your help].

Wisdom is with aged men, With long life is understanding. ~ Job 12:12

 Four generations of Bruces photographed in May 2009, just after Anna was born.

I will let her words speak for themselves to tell you of the woman that she was.  

We can only imagine what she is experiencing right now and look forward to the day when we will be with her again!

Summer Swimming

We spent a lot of time at the pool this July since both of the girls took lessons.  They asked everyday if they could go to swimming and gained so much confidence in the water.  Swimming was my sport at one time and it is fun for me to see the girls enjoy it while improving their skills.

Also, the cover-ups, flip flops, matching suits and swim caps are just too cute.

 

 Haven was obsessed with watching Anna when she was not swimming herself.

   

 Anna started to learn how to do strokes side breathing.

 

 Haven's lessons focused on skills as well as safety, and she learned how to turn to her back to breath and then kick to the side of the pool.

 

The swimming pool has also been a sanctuary of sorts for me this summer.  It is such a good exercise when you are pregnant because you don't even feel pregnant (except when you have to heave yourself out of the pool if the lane with the ladder is taken).  I really have not had much discomfort during this pregnancy and I attribute it to swimming.  I read that the breaststroke especially helps to strengthen muscles that can counteract the misalignment that can occur as your body changes during pregnancy.  Also, it increases oxygen flow to the baby and I've noticed that he gets more active when I'm in the pool.  I'm so thankful for the YMCA pool and childcare!

Scenes of Summer

This summer has been pretty laid back with lots of little activities around Fort Worth rather than any big family trips or kids camps.  It has been the perfect way to spend the last few months as we wait for baby brother to join the family.  

Back in June, Anna went to Vacation Bible School for the first time and had a great experience.  Her cousins Marcus and Lucas and her friend Andrew also went, which made it more comfortable for her since it was not at the church we go to.  She still sings some of the songs and the other day when I mentioned I was worried about something she quoted a song and told me "mom, don't worry about anything, instead pray about everything". 

When Monsters University first came out, Brad really wanted to take the girls to see their first 3D movie.  We talked it up for a week and they were so excited to go.  Well, we have two sensitive little girls who aren't used to watching movies on the big screen.  They got scared by all the action and loud noises during the previews and then after the way they reacted when a dragon appeared about 10 minutes into the movie, we knew we couldn't stay.  We came home and watched a Tinkerbell movie and they were happy as could be. 

Anna's school was open for six weeks this summer and she went on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  It was nice to have that alone time with Haven since she will be a middle child soon.  In July, they learned about the United States, so on one of the last days had a Red, White and Blue Parade. 

We made it out to our favorite spot in Fort Worth, Burger's Lake and the girls loved it.  For the next week, Haven asked everyday if she could go swimming at Burger's Lake.  This is the closest we will get to sandy beaches this summer, so Brad and the girls built a sand castle.  Hopefully, we will get to go a couple more times this summer.

 One day we met up with all the Bruce cousins to paint pottery at a cute, reasonably priced little studio that Aunt Courtney found.  Two year olds and four year olds definitely have different approaches to painting pottery. :)  Afterwards, we ate lunch at Subway and were quite the scene with three moms (one who was very pregnant) and nine kids between us.  We got lots of stares and a few comments like "you've got a whole soccer team there".

 

 

 

We have been reading all summer and have taken advantage of the reading programs at Half-Price Books and Barnes and Nobles to get free books.  We have also been going to our very favorite library in downtown Fort Worth where the girls read, and play with puzzles, blocks, puppets and dress-up clothes.  The best part is, it is never crowded.  

 After Haven goes down for a nap, Anna and I have been reading chapter books together before her quiet time.  She keeps track of what chapter we are on each time and sometimes asks to sleep with the book we are reading.  One of her favorites was Beezus and Ramona.  After the first chapter she told me "I like Beezus the best, I don't really like Ramona".  This comment was so funny to me because knowing how her little personality is developing, I wasn't at all surprised by it. 

 

 

 

We are lucky to live near the Cultural District of Fort Worth and have gone to a few of the free family friendly events that have been put on by a couple of the museums.  One evening, Gigi, Anna and I watched a Ballet Concerto performance at an outdoor theatre on the Trinity River.  I love events like this!

 The girls have really benefitted from my pregnancy cravings (or just an excuse for lack of self-control) and have had more gelato, frozen yogurt, blizzards and milkshakes this summer than they ever will again! 

 Of course, some of the best moments of this summer have been those spent just hanging out at home and in the backyard (until it reaches 100 degrees and the mosquitos come out!).