Name the baby and you get a prize!

We are really struggling with a girl name (in case it is needed), so post any names you like here! I am up for ANY suggestions. A few guidelines we like to follow for the first name.... short(6 letter max), nothing starting with an "M" (as Mark and Meredith is enough M's for this family), and a more unique name. The middle name will be one of a few things we are still debating, but it will be a name from a loved one (at this point, it is likely to be Stephanie). A lot of my friends are laughing about my guidelines (which I have more really, lol), but hey it is my kid! Oh, we are set on a boy's name.. just struggling with another girl name. Give me some ideas!

Carrots, Toys, Tool Chest and iPod...

This sort of sums up our Christmas! Kaya was both so cute and funny to watch throughout the whole process!!! Christmas Eve, she opened her book and ornament (Mickey Mouse one that she loves).... then we put carrots outside for the reindeer which she just thought was the coolest think as she kept saying "reindeer like carrots".... then milk and cookies for Santa on one of her plates and one of her cups... she enjoyed giving Santa a head start on both the cookies and milk, lol.

Then Christmas morning... she was just so dang cute.... a lot of "wow" and "I love it" and just total amazement with the whole thing! Grandma, Mark and I enjoyed watching her and it really made for a wonderful Christmas!! It is hard for me to even remember Christmas before her... it is just not the same without small kids!! I have not downloaded pics onto the 'puter yet. Currently, I am downloading songs for my awesome iPod that Mark swore he wasn't going to get for me, lol. Then I need to tackle the whole pics thing as I have credit with Shutterfly that expires in a few weeks... that would be a waste! At any rate, I will post some pics soon. Then I have GOT to update Kaya's site!! I have to get that updated before this new one comes, lol.

Oh, I am an aunt again... my sister Jolene had a sweet little baby boy yesterday. He was 8 lbs, 8 ozs (smallest one in the family of all 6 grandkids besides for Kaya, lol) and 21" long. His name is Cole Michael Ryan. As my mom says, we are like rabbits, lol. Now she has 3 grandsons and 3 granddaughters.... in April, the balance will be off yet again, lol. I can't wait to meet the newest member to my family. I think I will sneak in a trip soon... hmm, likely February as I have little desire to fly much after that point. Note to self... talk with Jolene about a good time to come and book flight!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!!! Happy New Year's to all! I still have my Christmas letter that needs editing... then I will get all the cards in the mail, lol. With a new year will bring lots of new changes for the Lovell family (who am I kidding, we seem to make lots of changes every year, lol). This year just went by in a blink for me.. and I will be making serious changes to help 2008 last a bit longer (well at least I not be at a computer desk working a mindless job for most of it, lol). We are starting the year off with a trip to Iowa in a few weeks to see my really good friend get married and celebrate a late Christmas with all my Iowa family. I have not seen all of them since Thanksgiving of 2006, so it is definately overdue. It is nice to be able to see so much family in one trip, lol. In the end, there is nothing like your family to help keep you focused on things in life. Hmm... I need to be reminded of that right now, so the trip will be perfect timing!

Merry Christmas to All and to All an Early Morning...

Yes, I was the first one awake this morning!! So far it has not failed... I am still a little kid on Christmas morning!! Grandma and I were betting on who would wake up first... I won, LOL.

Everything is ready for sweet Kaya on her third Christmas morning!! I am very excited for her to wake up... or get woken up (I can't wait for too long, lol). This Christmas feels different for many reasons. This is our first Christmas in our own house. My mom is here, as we were with her Kaya's first Christmas. I am thankful to just be able to be with my family and have another child on the way. My heart is very heavy as I think of Jenna and her family. With the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season (this year especially), it has turned out to be a wonderful Christmas with some unexpected joy!

Friday night, Mark and I had our first night away from Kaya since she was born. I rented a hotel room in Nashville as part of his Christmas present. Even for one night, it was really good to just "be" with my husband. I have not being the easiest of people to live with lately... between the hormones of pregnancy and my overall unhappiness with working, so I needed that night more that anything to help just be Mark and Meredith. Then Saturday, Grandma and I were off for her to get part of her Christmas present... a salt glow at Nature Nook. She was so happy and really thanked me a lot for being so considerate (what, me?). Saturday night, we went to the living nativity story at New Vision Baptist Church. This really moved me... it was cold and windy (some like I imagine it was on the very first Christmas Eve for Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus and all present at the birth. There were four different parts to the story (the Prophets, the Wise Men where we learned there were not actually three wise men that night, the Shepard's and the the Manger). As we rode from scene to scene on the hay ride, we were all moved by the sense of real-ness. I felt very blessed in that moment to be with my husband, my first born, second born in my womb, and my mother. There was no need for anything else.... life was complete just how it was... something I try very hard to remember every day. Life is what you make of it... and your destiny is in your hands. Rest, be Joyful, and Just Be.... sounds good to me!

Sunday afternoon, we went to the Rockettes at the Opry House... then to see all the lights at Opryland. The Rockettes show was really beautiful and yet again, they had an amazing Manger scene with animals and everything. Another moment of true peace and joy. Another reminder of the real meaning of the season. Then seeing all the beautiful lights in Opryland made me just happy!

So.. my lesson learned for this Christmas... be Still in Everything you do! Be Joyful in all you do! Be Blessed for what you have NOW! Be YOU and all is GOOD! Merry Christmas to ALL... with Love and Peace!

Coming up for air.......

That is the truth!! Since my last post, a LOT has kept me busy!!! We are all moved in... YEAH!! The garage still has a good numbre of boxes that say 'un-pack me' when I walk by them, lol. My only real goal for myself with un-packing more stuff now is to ge the car in the garage, and likely with some rearranging that could happen now. My mom was an incredible help while she was here!!! I really don't know what I would do without my mom... I love you so much... she is such a trooper too! She says she will never clean again, lol. She definately did the bulk of the cleaning before and as we were moving in. Did I say we got a hell of deal on this house?? Thus, nothing including at close. The house was pretty dirty (not as dirty as one rental we had years ago, but close) after sitting vacant for 6+ months and having had a single man live in prior. Little things like the blinds being caked with probably years of dust... but they are clean now.

I LOVE this house so much!! Really, I feel like a kid when I look around and find myself smiling! While it still seems like it is not ours (well, it is the bank's, lol) at the same time it completely feels like ours!! I went over to our rental house last Friday just to do one last look around and gather a few things before I turned over the keys, and that place didn't feel like home at all. Mark and I have always said that home is where we make it... as we have made a few less than wonderful places home..... but now I say.... this is really home and feels like it was all meant to be. From our first picture of this house online to when walked around for the first time, it just felt right! There is a lot of character and charm that we were looking for in a house, and then there are things we can do to improve the house some and make it our style. I have not started a list of things to do... as that list would be a bit overwhelming at this point, but there are a number of things we want to do... but that is the wonderful part about it, we CAN do those things whenever and however we want!! While my mom was here, we (again mainly her with some trim work help by me, oh and Mark) got Kaya's room painted. It is a beautiful purple... a darker purple, hard to describe the exact color... I need to take some pics which I will do soon and post. The walls are ready for some butterflies and flowers courtesy of Uppercase Living... that will come soon!! Mark is going to be making a headboard and footboard for Kaya's new Bed (that she doesn't have yet.. she is still in her crib because it contains her and she doesn't climb out of it, but soon after the new year she will be getting her new bed). I have decided that I love how her dark wood furniture looks against her walls, so I am going to hunt for an unfinished dresser, so we can stain that along with the headboard and footboard to match. Then the crib and dresser will be ready for the baby's room... that room will get painted after the little one is born while Grandma is here visiting... poor Grandma, she is labeled as the painter for all her grandkids room's, but she loves doing it for them!

Today, I had my ultrasound and it's a........ boy or girl, LOL! Nope, we did not find out the sex of the baby... we stuck to our guns... Mark was trying to peak though but the ultrasound tech was keeping an eye on him! Kaya came with us (even though she is pretty sick right now.. was home yesterday and today). She thought it was pretty cool and was able to recoginize some body parts as she named them off. She seemed to be a little protective of me wondering if I was ok with this probe thing on my belly, lol. Then she kept wanting to clean up my belly from the gooey stuff. She kept saying "clean up Mama's belly"... it was cute!!

Well... I went on a 3+ hour shopping excursion tonight starting at 8:00... I am tired from that... so a few more things to do then off to bed. We have a busy day tomorrow. Peace to all and to all a good night!!!!