We're Growing in Numbers!

Most of you probably already know by now… but we are expecting another addition to our family! I had to chuckle to myself the other day in the mall when a man behind the counter said, “You are so busy with those two! Where do you find your patience???” I spared him the details that another babe was cooking in my tummy for fear that he might just pass out. :)

In all honesty, we consider each of our children to be a blessing and we have prayed over the decision thoroughly each time before we have decided to try for another. Life is busy with these kids, but Eli and Hailey have brought us so much joy over the past few years! We also know in a world that can be filled with so much darkness at times, it is a pretty special honor to attempt to raise these kids up to love God, love those around them, and bring the light of Jesus in where it is needed most.

Well, without further ado….Meet our newest baby!

Baby #3 at 11 weeks

I am now a few days away from 14 weeks. Our due date is set for January 31st. It is hard to believe the first trimester has come and gone so quickly. Eli in particular is very excited about this new baby. I think he gets the idea a little more this time around. He often whispers things to the baby or puts a pillow on top of my tummy so that the baby "can go to sleep." I think he is going to be a good little helper. Hailey doesn't really get it but that's ok. She can just follow big brother's lead when the time comes. She is however doing really well with potty training which I am so excited about! She won't be two for a few more months, but she has caught on really quickly already. I will savor any diaper free months that I can get. :)

Thanks for sharing in this joy with us. We'll know in another month whether the boys or girls in this house will dominate in numbers!

July 4th in Peoria!

We have now been in our new house for two weeks, but I am still making it "home" and trying to catch up on some blogging. We moved into our house the afternoon of July 3rd and almost had our entire house unpacked and situated by 11 pm! It was amazing having a moving allowance this time which enabled us to hire people to pack, load, move, and unpack. It was truly a blessing. So, we decided to finish up the morning of the 4th by hanging pictures and such and then relax for the rest of the day. Marc's parents kept Eli and Hailey for us during our two days of moving (THANK YOU!!!!) and brought them back to us in time for dinner on the 4th. We set up the kids' pool (which we were thankful that after a year in storage it still inflated) and they had a ball.

 Eli decided to try out the neighborhood sidewalks...he just makes me smile. :)

I tried to get a good picture with their July 4th attire, but,...well...

at least Eli had a winning smile for me!

After dinner, Marc's parents headed home and we loaded the kids up to make our way to the river downtown for the fireworks show.

It was a great show!!!

We didn't get the kids to bed that night until 10:45, but it was so worth it. Eli talked about those fireworks for days! I hope you all enjoyed your 4th celebrating this great nation we live in.

Quick Rewind

We got our Internet connected today which means I no longer have to get the latest news from CNN on my phone. :) It also means that I am back to blogging. I somehow feel I can no longer vividly remember life's events if I don't have a blog post to look back on. :) So here is a quick rewind of the past few weeks...

I really wanted to time my trips to Arkansas just right to hopefully catch my new niece being born. I had planned time in Arkansas from June 14th to the morning of June 19th. And then another quick trip again on June 22nd-23rd. My niece was born on the 20th! We were in Illinois at that point looking for a new home and enjoyed getting play-by-plays all day long via text. :)

Stacey at 39 weeks, a few days before Bailey arrived

Bailey Gene Feagans weighed 6 lb. 15 oz. on her birthday

Eli is quite fond of his little cousin. He at one point told me that he had a "Baywee" in his tummy, too.

We made a mad dash from Arkansas on Saturday June 23rd back to Wichita for Marc's graduation. We got home at 4:30 and were dressed and out the door by 6:00! It was such a crazy day that I didn't take a single picture that night. I can testify that Marc did graduate from the International Medicine Fellowship and is officially DONE with his training. Woohooo!!!

Then on Tuesday, we loaded up everything we own onto a moving van and officially said goodbye to Wichita. We have made so many great friends over the past few years in Wichita and are thankful for all the memories that we are able to bring with us as we start this new chapter. We will miss everyone and hope to visit again.

Our next fun event was getting to watch Marc's youngest sister get married. Jamie made a beautiful bride and was so calm and collected throughout the entire weekend. It was really special for us both to be apart. Michael is lots of fun and loves Jamie so well. We are happy that he is now a part of the family!

This is the only picture I have of Mr. Eli in his cute tux. :)

Congratulations Jamie and Michael!

Busy Days

Well, we hit the ground running when we arrived home on June 9th and we haven't stopped since. Hence the reason for a lack of the blogging these days. :) We have bounced around between Kansas, Arkansas, and Illinois for the past two weeks and won't stop moving until we relocate our family the beginning of July to our new home in Peoria, Illinois. The kids have readjusted really well, and I think Marc and I have just been so busy that we really haven't had much time to process all that is different about our lives these days. I have moments where it hits me hard and the tears come out of no where. Sometime they are tears of gratitude for the many blessings we have that we previously overlooked, and sometimes they are tears of sadness when I think of all the despair we left behind. Maybe when the pace slows a bit I will write out some more about all that I have learned.

We certainly have found some new appreciations in our day to day life here. The best part by far has been soaking in the beauty of the green landscape everywhere we go. We have spent so much time outside these past few weeks. We have gone for walks, frequently visited parks, and let the cool grass rub between our toes. Everyone around us seems to think it is too hot to sit outside for very long in the heat of the day, but we are simply loving it.

Here are some recent pics since we have been home...

Marc was working on Father's Day so we celebrated a few days early with a dinner to Abuelo's. With all the eating out we have done in the past two weeks we shouldn't have any problem regaining the weight that we lost. Between eating out and visiting family, I haven't cooked a meal yet since we have been home. :)

 Pool time in Arkansas!

Papa D protecting Eli from Uncle Brandon :)

Nana made snow cones

 Feeling grass beneath their toes was so exciting to them

 Some fun in the sprinkler

 Enjoying some time with the cousins in Illinois

Eli is a good big brother on most days ;)

 Where did Eli go???

 Hailey found him!

Oh, these two keep life fun. Never a dull moment.

So, tomorrow we leave Illinois to briefly head back to Arkansas to meet our new niece. Then, we head to Wichita for Marc's graduation and to pack up our apartment. After that, we are driving back to Arkansas to see family for a few days before we head up to Illinois for Marc's sister's wedding. Then, a few days after the wedding we are moving to Peoria which will become our new home. Marc starts the second week of July with his new job. Whew! It is going to be a whirlwind. I will post a few updates when I'm not napping. ;)