birthdays

Ella Grace Broach...minutes old

Daddy gets to know Ella

Eden and her buddies collecting pinata candy

Blowing out the candles for the third time.
(Pete decorated that mermaid cake!)

on october 19th eden a. dockery turned three. i would have preferred her to stay 2...but I suppose I really don't have a say in matters of time and aging. we were flying home from Hawaii on her actual birthday, so we had chick-fil-a that night and celebrated with ice cream and playing on the slide. we had a big el paso style party last saturday with a bunch of friends and family. my parents were able to fly out for the occasion, and we had tons o' fun. we grilled some hot dogs and hamburgers, crock potted homemade charro beans, and pete wowed the crowd with his cake decorating abilities. the kiddies jumped in a bounce house (jumping balloon, whatever you want to call it), and then hit a princess pinata until candy filled the grass. it was a crazy, wonderful night. eden was overwhelmed with gifts and love and we were incredibly grateful.

among the guests were our friends brandon and emily broach. sweet emmi had to sit down most of the time because she was so very pregnant with little ella grace. ella was due a week and a half from then. I was thinking she'd be late. little did we know that two days later she'd be perfect and beautiful in her mother's arms. in the early hours of october 26th emily's water broke. she texted me...but my phone was on vibrate. I got the message around 7am, talked to emily and brandon...figured I'd have awhile to find someone to watch my girls and the little boy that I keep every morning. first babies, they usually come slowly. around 9am emily was dilated to 7cm! whoa baby. I threw on clothing, said goodbye to my parents, strapped children into their carseats, dropped them off with sweet friends...and broke all speed limits getting to the hospital. emily was already pushing when I got into the room (YES they let me witness the birth of their firstborn child!). A few pushes later, at 10:54 a.m., a gorgeous baby girl was screaming and bringing air into her lungs. It was a moment I will never forget as long as I live. It gives me chills just typing it all out. I was snapping pictures like a crazy woman...watching this new family of three.

throughout ella's birth and first minutes of life I thought about the birth of my own beautiful daughters. the warmth of a baby freshly born. the excitement and shock of becoming a parent. the incredible love that instantly invades your soul, and keeps growing and growing and growing. how beautiful the gift of children truly is. how I will never be able to thank God enough for letting me birth and mother Eden and Charlotte.

So. happy birthday to Eden Adeline. my spectacular firstborn. you are such joy. I cherish you.

and happy birthday to Ella Grace. I am so honored that I was able to be present the moment you came into God's great earth. I will love you forever.

10 things I love about Maui...in random order

1. laying charlotte in the sand...nudey.

2. going on a real date with this guy

3. listening to charlotte talk to papa. our sweeties live 1500 miles from any grandparent.

4. the view outside our condo. seriously?

5. watching my family play in the sand

6. how the air smelled like these white flowers

7. going to a real luau! hula girls... singing...dancing...fire throwers...buffet!

8. the way eden's hair curled up in ringlets

9. hula pie. one of the most delicious desserts of my life.

macadamia nut ice cream piled high on a chocolate cookie crust, topped with fudge, whipped cream, and more macadamia nuts. as big as my head.

10. macadamia nut and pineapple everything. coffee, smoothies, syrup, pancakes, you name it. heavenly.

i am so grateful we were given the gift of this trip. it has been refreshing, relaxing, and too beautiful to describe.

the BEST playdoh

I got this homemade playdoh recipe from my sister a few months ago. I must must must share the recipe because it is indeed the BEST playdoh EVER. I made some weeks...months ago, and it is still soft and moist and wonderful! way better than store bought...and it's just fun to make it with your kids. so here's the recipe:

1 cup flour
1 cup boiling water
2 tbsp. cream of tartar
1/2 cup salt
1 tbsp. oil

  Food coloring

just mix all that together and then add the food coloring when it looks and feels like playdoh. 
I just keep ours in ziplock freezer baggies. 
have fun.

Bible reading with Eden

after eden and I ate scrambled eggs for lunch, she brought me one of her bibles to read to her. it's a children's one with pictures and abbreviated stories...but more grown-up than a board book one. it has 300 or so thin, pretty pages.

so....we begin in Genesis. she is fascinated that adam and eve are in the garden of eden. we've told her this before, but today it seems to really click. her eyes twinkle and she says "like me! dockery! I'm EDEN dockery! and God loves dockery! can you believe it, mom?!" yes, eden, I can.

we read that God made all the animals and she reaffirms her love of aquariums. and going to them with Jackson (her cousin).

we keep going and she asks what is happening on each page.

we get to pharoah and he is illustrated as a bald guy....she asks "mom, is that charlie brown?"

we see the plagued nile river turned bloody...she shouts "what BEAUTIFUL red water!"

on to the arc of the covenant..."is that baby Jesus in there?"

daniel with the lions, mean kings, moses in the basket. she just can't get enough of the stories.

then we hit the new testament. she is thrilled, as always, to see baby Jesus amongst the cows and lone donkey. she says "there was nobody at their church that day". well, sort of, eden.

Jesus gets baptized and "the fishies were watching". I bet they were.

then He eats the last supper with His friends. I show her the cross and He's hanging on it. He died so we could go to heaven. she says she misses Him and wishes He could come to her house. I told her He is always with us and He's coming back to get us. we look at the picture of Him in the sun shiney clouds. she says she's going to hug Him and that would make Him happy.

I have no doubt it would thrill Him.

then she learns we are supposed to tell other people this story.

my greatest prayer is that she does. and that I don't screw up trying to teach her about Him.

I want to raise little world changers. and by God's grace and love, I'm gonna.

seriously embarrassing to me...

I had to post this so that my family could see charlotte being so cute and trying to sing/talk while having the hiccups. I sound so ridiculous that I can't even handle it. but, it's just mom voice. so I'll get over it.

a word from charlotte...or maybe just a pretty noise

our little talker...ready for halloween in her glow in the dark skeleton onesie (thanks walmart).

sweet moriah

hey everyone!

we have some very sweet friends that have a little girl named moriah. she was born just days after charlotte (and was also an upside down breech baby!). on thursday, september 24th, she will be having surgery to repair two holes in her heart. just wanted to ask you blog readers to please pray for her and the winchell family. their blog is called team winchell and is on my blog list over here ---->.

we love you moriah pearl winchell!

sorry, but...

...they are just so durn cute.

lovingly with adoration and splendor

The last few days have been rough. But, that isn’t at all surprising, because I knew today was coming. September 3rd. I try so hard to focus on good things, remember his voice and smile, and not that horrible night. But…most times that just doesn’t work. I have to allow myself to remember the worst…get down into the dark times, and then emerge into my memory of the sweet ones. And dream of life now and what is to come.
Seven years ago, today, I lost my first love. Part of my heart and being. To a drunk driver. A drunk and high driver, rather…who was unable to realize he was driving down the wrong side of the road.
I was supposed to be with Doug that night, but decided to stay home and study greek. Greek, for crying out loud. And for a long while after his death, I wished that I had been in that car, because the grief of staying here in this life without him seemed too great to bear.
But the thing is…I wasn’t with him. He was taken. I am still here. And while I don’t still kiss his picture every night before bed, or sleep with his shirt, or smell his bottle of cologne…I miss that tall, brown-eyed boy every day. The strangeness of his death and absence never goes away.
So much has happened in seven years.
I have…
sat in Greenwich cemetery for hours, felt alone, cried, questioned my God, loved my God, read, written, wondered, prayed, been angry, traveled, learned some French, painted, made new friends, cherished my old friends, taken off a ring, fallen in love again, put on another ring, married that love in the pasture, become a Texan, worked in Mexico, become a nurse, stared into the eyes of my children.

How his life and death have molded my life is immeasurable. How fresh the memories of his crooked bottom teeth, long, messy hair, tall frame, laughter, and beautiful mind are in my soul. For that I could not be more thankful. Every now and then I let myself watch a movie of him moving around and talking just to see him.
I don’t have much more figured out about life than I did seven years ago. I still don’t know why --and have accepted the fact that I won’t while I am here on earth.
What ultimately gets me out of the pits of the anniversary of Doug’s earthly death is Jesus. Because of Him, Doug isn’t dead. Seriously. He isn’t. and I know that better than anything. oh what a day it will be when I see them both together…Jesus and Doug that is. When I join them. I get chills just typing that.

Douglas Michael Shippy, a life lived fully, to the hilt, and in this sin soaked world a life cut short. Our best friend, our beloved.
To a life lived with brilliance, humor, and clever wit.
To every companionable silence, every insightful conversation, to an almost irrepressible mirth.
To a voracious appetite for good books, swiss cake rolls, and grand ambitions.
To an uncompromising loyalty to the people he claimed as his own.
To an unpretentious faith.
Redeem us restore us, ransom us all, until we come again into a knowledge of him not through this glass darkly, but face to face
(written by jenny martin)

If I weren’t breastfeeding I’d smoke a cheap cigar for you tonight, my douglas. Perhaps I’ll settle for pineapple and pepperoni pizza…another one of your faves. Here’s to you. Here’s to life. Life with no death.

Lovingly with adoration and splendor,

abigail

growing and gains

yesterday, eden and I took charlotte to the pediatrician for vaccinations and a little check-up. turns out our little 6lb 11oz, 19 1/2 inch wonder has grown quite a bit. she now weighs 10lbs 6oz and is 21 1/2 inches long! whoa baby. chub-arific! the doctor said that she looked perfect and to keep doing what we're doing. eden watched intently as he checked her out...she sat right next to her on the table and chatted it up with the doctor. we only had one cry fest...while charlotte was screaming and getting shots, eden fell off of a chair and landed on her head. I was holding charlotte's arms so they wouldn't be in the nurse's way, so I had to wait to scoop them both up in my arms. some breast milk for charlotte and a tinkerbell sticker for eden, and they were both good as new. one more adventure in mothering. I just adore those two girls.

in other news...pumpkin spice lattes are back at starbucks. hallelujah. amen.

when she smiles

happy girl

discovering her bunny friend

our playdoh family

well, sweet charlotte smiled at me for the first time on her 49th day of life. she had been smiling at fans and trees prior to flashing one at her mother, so it was quite a thrill to watch her little eyes twinkle at me. she has changed so much in the last few weeks with developments such as a double chin and multiple thigh rolls :). her personality is coming through as she seems to be a bit impatient when it comes to meal time. wonder where she gets that? eden adores her and literally smothers her with affection. she can't wait for charlotte to "get teeth" so she can feed her goldfish. I mean, what more is there to look forward to in life than a cheese flavored fish cracker? we we are loving life as the dockery 4 and I feel much more adjusted to being a mom to "willy and charlie", as their daddy calls them.

we can hardly wait to go home to georgia in a week to introduce charlotte to her family. we gotta expose our little tex-ican daughters to their southern heritage as much as possible :)

flower baby

one of charlotte's favorite places to be is outside. today we sat on the porch while eden was taking a nap and I noticed the pretty purple flowers that had fallen off some of our bushes. so...I thought I should take some pictures when the sun went down and it wasn't so hot. here they are...

one funny is that eden kept bringing charlotte marigolds the whole time I was taking the pictures. I didn't realize she picked every single bloom off of one plant! daddy wasn't too happy with me! oh well. I love typing my daughter's names in the same sentence...that they have each other...that they are sisters.

happy birthday sarah belle!

now, before you think I am just a birthday posting fool...it REALLY is my sister sarah's birthday today. July birthdays in our family occur on the following days: 1, 7, 10, 11, 12, 20, 29, 30, 31. seriously...it's a crazy celebratory month.

anyhoo. happy birthday to my beautiful sister sarah. one of my closest friends, my kindred spirit, the brave. she is the big 3-0, and I don't think she'd mind me posting that. it's just a fact, and I am only 3 years behind her. I actually like getting older and seeing what life brings, and I know she does, too. because by the grace and peace of our Father we have beautiful lives.

happy birthday gorgeous. have a great one.

(that picture was taken in the hospital the day after charlotte was born)

happy birthday patty sue!

59 years ago today, my beautiful mother was born. I love her so very much and hope she has a wonderful day today.
here are some fun facts about patricia sue jenner harbin:
she knows every bit of trivia about the movie "the wizard of oz"
she makes the world's best biscuits
she has 5 lovely children...the 4th one being a rare beauty
she has 8 grandchildren and one on the way
she loves to sew and sing soprano
she once had her hand broken by a run away burro
she is a known "baby whisperer"
if she tells you she won't "say another word" don't believe her
she is a yankee, but you wouldn't know it
she is a lover of ketchup (even going so far as to dip green beans in it and "pretend" they are french fries)

charlotte awake!

a rare moment in the life of charlotte...she is usually sleeping, eating, or pooping!

sisters

eden decided to sing to her baby sister this morning. too precious.

Welcome to our lives, Charlotte Mae

miss charlotte mae dockery made her appearance at 12:20pm yesterday, july 7th. She has tons of dark brown hair, that of course was styled into a mohawk by the nursery staff! she was 6lbs 11oz and 19 1/2 inches long. she looks a little like her big sister, but we are still waiting to discover all of her features. I am doing ok and feel much better this morning. Last night was a little rough...the contractions and after pains are definately stronger and worse after the 2nd baby. I don't remember that kind of pain at all with eden. I have been up and walking around and am getting stronger each time.

we are so happy to have charlotte in our family. she is a beautiful tiny wonder. miraculous.

I will post more pictures soon!!

tomorrow=baby day!

hi everybody! we found out a few hours ago that we will be having a c-section tomorrow afternoon. our baby is in the breech position and my amniotic fluid is low. we were hoping the baby would turn, and hoped to give it more time...but with the low fluid levels the c-section seems to be the best choice. I will be 38 1/2 weeks tomorrow. so, 7/7/09 will be the next birthday I will always remember. another july birthday to add to the ever growing list in our family. this will be the 10th!
we will post an update as soon as we can. we would appreciate your prayers for a safe delivery of a healthy baby boy or girl...and a healthy mama (who heals up quickly).
guess I'd better go pack a suitcase??!!

belly shots

our good friend brittany came over and took some shots of our little family with baby inside. they turned out so wonderfully! I didn't take that many pictures when I was pregnant with eden and regret it so much. now, I at least have evidence of this pregnancy. only 28 days left until the due date!

every day.

every day I wake up to this little girl climbing into my bed. she usually has a sleeping beauty in one hand and little mermaid in the other. her curly hair is a beautiful mess. a cup of strawberry milk later and an episode of dora or two and we're good to start the day. she is my dream girl and I'm not quite sure why I am allowed to be her mother. thanks be to God. here's to you eden adeline.

an overdue update...

Eden telling Daddy how it is
Wheeling my niece, June, and Eden around in Mexico

My first sewing project

Eden's new friend in Mexico

we're getting close!

well, I thought that I would become a better blogger after I graduated...but it looks like that hasn't come true. many things have happened since my last bloggery. I GRADUATED from nursing school at the university of texas at el paso. it feels wonderful. I take my state boards soon, so keep me in your prayers. I have been enjoying every minute of taking care of my little girl and being at home. I don't have any plans to work any time soon. we have a little less than 6 weeks until this new little baby comes along and I have zero desire to rush into a job.

pete has been super busy building homes this summer. we are so happy that some teams aren't scared away by the violence or swine flu, and are still coming to build homes for families that need it so desperately. eden and I got to go on a build 3 weeks ago with my home church. it was a family affair that included my dad, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, brother, and 2-yr-old niece. we built two houses for two sweet families and were treated to a home cooked meal by both families in appreciation. I LOVE mexican food and could it eat 3 meals a day. good thing, I guess. eden loved playing in the dirt with the kids and sleeping in her princess sleeping bag! the 3 of us slept in the church nursery and it was cozy and sweet.

we've been trying to get ready for the baby little by little. we got a double jogging stroller and a bassinet. eden and I walk 3 miles every morning and I am hoping that the new baby learns to like walks faster than eden did. I have also been learning how to sew, so I can make my sweet babies clothes. It is a lot harder than I thought, but very fun.

So....there is our update. eden continues to amaze us with her memory and singing abilities! I will post some movies of her singing soon.

how is it the end of april?

well, I am officially 2 weeks away from graduating from nursing school. so that is a definite hallelujah. I have been enjoying spending time with my precious daughter as I finish up everything to do with this last semester. I feel free and easy and thankful. now I can do what I like best....stay at home. stare at eden. not have to wonder what she is doing without me. bake. make pete his favorite treats. all without worrying about what paper is due next or what test I need to pass. I do have one *minor* thing left... passing the state boards, but I'll worry about that another day.

Eden has been doing wonderfully. She reads and reads all day long. She can memorize a book faster than anyone I know. her favorites are of course anything to do with a princess. she also likes this book that her aunt natty gave her about a baby being born. I think she is pretty geared up to play the part of big sister. I can hardly wait. We had an ultrasound last Monday and baby #2 looks great. It weighed 2lbs 4oz. I am 28 weeks now and feeling great. I am so grateful to get to carry this baby around and take care of it's big sister on the outside.