Well Gary and I have finally decided on names. It always takes FOREVER because Gary doesn't want to talk about names before the baby gets here, and I want to have names picked out before we find out the sex. Not to mention, he doesn't like almost anything, especially for boys. Ever name is either too long or too fancy or sounds or looks like a made up name. Did I mention how picky he is?


For a girl we've settled on Ashley Ruth. It's a name we've had picked out since high school. I love the name Ruth, and her story in the Bible is a beautiful story. Gary of course approved it because it's short, seriously though, he likes the story too. Ruth means friend, and my best friend in highschool was Ashley and I always thought the two names went really well together. On that note, Ruth was my mother's best friend in school.


For a boy, we've settled on William David. Will was the top of my list from the get go. It's a name that has been used alot in my family, it was Granddaddy's grandfather's and great-grandfather's name. It was Grandmother's father's name. It would have been Nicholas's name if Mother and Daddy could have agreed on Will or Bill (thank goodness Daddy lost on that one). It's a really pretty, old fashion name that means strong defender. For a while we debated James or David. James was my pick once again it's a family name, and I've always liked the name. In the end though we decided to leave it on the off chance that James and Heather try for one more down the road and have a boy. Plus after Bro. Clifford Gowens sermon at the Gulf Coast Meeting, I've been really sold on the name. David of course means beloved of God.

Both names mean something we really want to convey. We wanted a biblical name for each of our children and names with meaning. We have talked about Britt's name before. We know that names don't predict what your child will be like, but we hope to give them names with meaning and to be role models. We won't always be there, but a name is something we are giving them for life. For Ruth we hope to have a girl that puts the Lord first and is a friend to His people. Ruth was beautiful, compasionate, and a hard worker. (Ashley I will admit has no real meaning.) For Will we hope to have a boy who will always defended the truth no matter the cost and no matter how hard it maybe, whether one stands alone or with others, the truth is what is worth defending. We hope that he will be willing to stand up for others when they cannot stand for themselves, because that is what a real man is. David means beloved, and while I already love him very, very much, we hope that he will be the kind of person whose walk endears to the Lord as well. A person just like David who as a shepard boy would stand against Goliath for the Lord, who though he was small and just one person realized nothing was impossible for God.

or "It is possible for one little boy to eat so much sand that he's too full for supper"
or "It is possible to spend an entire week at the beach and not get burned"

This is what Britt woke up to find in his Easter basket. I would have like to have given him a book, but maybe next year. (In my family every holiday is an excuse to get books.) His Daddy picked him out his very first Chocolate bunny, and late last night I dyed eggs (first time for me), and we put together his basket. He also was very excited to get to eat two pieces of chocolate before Church - a mini reeses cup and a krackle bar.He wasn't quiet sure what to think of it all. He liked his bunny best, and carried it around all morning (it's probably a melted mess now). Before rushing off to Church we had to get a family picture out in the front yard, because everyone knows afterward that child would have been a disasterous mess. After Church we headed over to Uncle Hank and Aunt Pat's for the Varnum get together. There was tons and tons and tons, and did I mention tons of food! We sat and visited and ate, and visited and ate, and laughed and talked, oh did I mention that we ate. Seriously, there was alot of food there.

Since I missed last weeks post and will miss this weeks post, I thought I would updated tonight on the baby, then I seriously have to go and dye Britt's Easter eggs. (Gary seems to think it's a necessity.)

We think we might have decided (almost) on names. We are in agreement on Ashley Ruth for a girl. But we aren't quiet sure about a boy. After Bro. Clifford's sermon last weekend, I really was leaning more toward William David. Today after visiting some with James and Heather, they think that they might try for a boy a few years down the road, so we don't want to use James, since he wants a James Daniel Jr. Gary also really liked Michael David earlier in the week, and that one is growing on us. So a boy will probably be Will or Michael, and a girl will definitely be Ruth.

The sickness is starting to ease up a little, there are still some days that I feel horrid, and don't really want to eat, but I seem to have quit throwing up, so maybe that means I will be done with morning sickness very soon. This baby still moves very differently from Britt. The movement is getting a little stronger, but for the most part this child just doesn't move much, and when she does it's still that soft sweeping motion, not the kung-fu that Britt did. We will find out on Wed. April 14, at our 20 week appointment for sure but Gary and I are still guessing girl. (Feel free to go and guess on our poll to the top right of the page.)

Our child is somewhere between the size of a bell pepper and a BIG tomato - in other words between 5 1/2 and 6 inches long and 7 and 8 1/2 oz. She can hear and see some now, she will turn away from light if I shine a flashlight on my stomach, she can taste her amniotic fluid, and smell (though what you can smell in water in there is beyond me. She grows bigger and stronger each day, and we are nearly halfway through this pregnancy. Hard to believe how fast it is going!

Last weekend we were blessed to be able to go to Crestview Florida and attend the Gulf Coast Fellowship Meeting. After all it was about half way between home and here, and Gary needed to fetch me back, haha. Elder James Conley is the pastor there, and he and the church did a wonderful job of coming together and hosting the meeting.
We were able to stay in the home of Bro. David and Sis. Shirley Cadle. They were ever so sweet and took wonderful care of us. We hope to repay the favor if they ever come down this way for a meeting. There were a total of 27 ministers there too many to use all of them, but we had a wonderful time hearing the Word preached and visiting with many of them. I can't wait to get copies of the sermon, it's just not easy to get everything with a squirmy one year old. I especially appreciated the sermons that Elders Clifford Gowens and Mike Montgomery preached. Bro. Clifford preached a very moving sermon on David and how he is a picture of Christ, particularly when he slays Goliath. Bro. Mike Montgomery took the final 5 verses of Romans 3 and gave us some proofs for determining if a man was preaching a true gospel. It was a blessed weekend!

So long Alabama, it's been a great visit! We've been home for 2 1/2 weeks, and while I wish I never had to leave, I'm super happy to be seeing Gary tonight. Rather than getting easier the more often we do this, it gets harder and harder to be away from him. Today we are traveling down to the Gulf Coast Fellowship Meeting at Crestview Florida, where Elder James Conley is the pastor. Hope some of you will be there for the weekend.

We've had a wonderful visit, from snow days to sunny days outside. We've seen family and all sorts of Church friends. Britt has chased cats and run from lick-ity dogs. We've shared our exciting news (thank goodness, because I couldn't have kept that secret much longer), and talked about lots else beside. It's always good to come home, it's like recharging your batteries.

Here's a few of the highlights from our trips, see you all again next week...

(The last minute is a pretty funny clip of Britt with a singing fish. He's gotten to where he's not as scared of it, but he still doesn't like it much when it goes to swing it's head around and sing to him.)

Well, today makes 17 weeks with this little one. She (yep, that's my guess, and that's what I'm going with until someone tells me different) is 5 inches long, almost as long as a normal ink pen. Long and lean right now, she'll start putting on that cute baby fat soon. She weighs about as much as a turnip (5 oz). She has all her organs formed, but they have a ways to go before she's ready to meet the world and her bones are starting to harden.

She's still way calmer the Britt was, at night when I'm very still I can feel her rub her little hand or foot back and forth, very cool, and very different from how Britt moved. Morning sickness is still hanging out with me, though I'm seriously hoping that it's going to go away any minute now.

Gary and I have been talking about names, and we are finally starting to narrow the list down. His top two picks for a boy are William David and Michael Connor. And even though, he's sure that we aren't having a girl, his top two picks are Ashley Ruth and Laura Grace. All of those have made my top 5 list. I am liking William James (after my grandfather's great-grandfather) and Michael Connor for a boy. For a girl, my top two names are Ashley Ruth and Rebecca Joy. I hope to have decided on something when we go for our ultrasound exactly 3 weeks from today.

Momma is letting me blog a day early because I have so much exciting news to share. As we were finishing up my haircut we looked out the window to see snow, as big as quarters flying furiously down. By the time we got to Grandmother's, the snow had picked up speed and lost some of its size.

Then I stood at the window a while and watched as the snow flakes got smaller and smaller. A few of the roofs were starting to get white, and a little snow stuck to the ground, but since it was 36 outside it didn't last long, but boy was it fun while it lasted.

I trimmed up Britt's hair on Monday after his birthday. It was a nightmare, that I swore never to repeat. All I managed to do was cut the ends in the back and a line over his ears. It wasn't straight, it didn't look great, and it was stressful. Not that he was bad, but he just kept turning his head to see what I was doing, and I just knew he was going to lose an ear.

Bro. Charles Carlton will be having surgery a week from today. First, he will be having a fairly minor procedure to close up the remaining hole from his trach. Next, he will need to be openned back up so that they can remove the old wires from his old heart surgery and scrape the bone. They have determined that the staff infection has gotten into the bone. This is a very needful surgery, but especially with him being so weak it is a very serious surgery. I please continue to pray for him, and for the family, especially Aunt Patricia who is responsible for so much of his daily care along with taking care of her house, husband, and kids. She really is a super woman these days.

I haven't updated in some time on Little Nate Ferrel. He has been sick quiet abit over the winter, which is always hard on his little body, but he has recently been through his spring round of test, and everything looks very good right now. They still have a few appointments coming up, and of course the big trip out to Houston the beginning of April to meet with the Mito Specialist out there. The goal right now is to get him to gain some weight. Amber is helping to organize a Mito conference here in Florida and if anyone is interested in helping or donating money please get in contact with her, or go here for more information.

Isn't he stinkin' cute in his bluejeans and boots. Mother informed me that he couldn't be wearing Wranglers and boots, it made him look too old. Of course I told her when she's going to have two grandkids, she must be old, haha.

One of the reasons that I came home this week was because my most favorite red-headed sibling was acting in his last play at UNA. He really wanted me there, and I didn't want to miss it. Besides, I love Shakespeare, and they were putting on Hamlet. It's a really exciting story of murder, mystery, and revenge. Complete with 9 deaths it's an exciting play full of twists and turns.

I wasn't quiet sure what to expect when they billed it as a post-apocalyptic time, where a struggling theatre troop finds an old copy of Hamlet and decides to act it out, but it was spectacularly done. With modern, yet very Renascence-y clothing and a simple but beautiful set it wasn't too out there. There were some very modern touches, such as a virtual reality sword fight and one slow-mo death that made it a little more funny than serious. All in all it was a beautifully staged play.

I was excited to see several old faces: Mark from high school playing the evil Uncle (and he pulls off evil roles so well for such a nice laid back guy), Kat as the Captain, and of course Matthew in the third best role in the entire show, a role that he was PERFECTLY suited for Polonius.

Polonius has some of the best lines in the entire play, and many of the sayings and advice that we have come from him in this very play: "For the apparel oft proclaims the man" (from which we get the clothes make the man), "Brevity is the soul of wit" (from which we get the idea that it is better to say little and leave more to the imagination), and "Neither a borrower nor a lender be" (which of course orginally comes from Proverbs in a slightly different form), and his most famous line "And this above all else - To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man." Almost all his best lines come in the way of advice as his son goes off to France. It is a very complex role, as Polonius is cheif advisor but he is also behind the scenes as cheif manipulator. He is considered wise by some and a "tedious old fool" by others. Eventually, though by accident he is murdered by Hamlet and his death leads to Hamlets own death by the hand of Polonius's son in revenge. Matthew played the role well, as if it was made for him. I was very impressed, and I don't say that just because he's my brother. We had a great time!

Sis. Ann Tucker past away a week ago, please continue to remember her family.

They have confirmed that Bro. Charles Carlton's infection, has gone into the bone and wires from his previous surgery. The only way to correct this is to open him back up remove all those wires and mesh, and scrape the bone. They don't have a time yet when they will plan to do this. Also, Bro. Charles's hole for his trach has never completely healed up, so they are looking into two different options for closing that the rest of the way up.

Grandmaw Bea has been seeing the doctor to be sure that all the issues with her blood clot have resolved. She's trying to get all the test and information taken care of before they plan to go back up to Kentucky sometime in April.

Parker Allen had his accident down at Auburn two years and a week ago today. The weather was terrible, and high winds pushed his car up against a curb where he blew out a tire, and then the car rolled down the embankment there. It took emergency crews 45 minutes to get him out of the car, and then at the hospital the prognoises was very serious. He had a collapsed lung, a blood clot in his brain, and many, many broken bones. The doctors never expected him to come out of a coma or come home. Since that time Mrs. Allen has retired from teaching out at East Lawrence and takes care of him. He has overcome alot, but still cannot, walk or communicate much with his family. There was an article about Parker in the Decatur Daily a few days ago, and he is currently going through pool therapy which has helped his mobility and helping him gain strength. His family still remains very hopeful that in time he will recover, but it's a long slow road. Please continue to remember them.

Additions to the prayer list are Meagan Weaver (Gary's first cousin) who is expecting, I've been meaning to put here on the list for months and keep forgeting. And us, since we are expecting a new one on September 1st, though our favorite Brother Randy Miller is insisting this one is a girl and will arrive at 4:37 am on Sept 2.

So last night we finally made it to Ahna and Grumps house, and I had lots of things to tell them. I just talked and talked, but no one understood me, but during supper after they took off my coat they got my message.
Yep, that's right folks. I'm going to have a little brother or a little sister, sometime around Sept. 1st. Momma is 15 weeks along, and still a little sick, but the medicine helps alot. Ahna and Grumps were really surprised, they weren't expecting that news, but they are excited too. I'm not sure that I'm excited. I might lose out on some attention, I'll have to see how this goes, and what I think about this.