[ on motherhood and many faces ]

I had another euphoric-loving-mommy-hood moment, a few nights ago. When I nurse and rock Breck to sleep every night I hum a lullaby and 95% of the time he falls asleep to it. (Every time it do it, it takes me back to the first night in the hosptial... when Breck would fuss, my natural mothering instinct kicked in and I just rocked and hummed to him through the night.) As I was rocking Breck a few nights ago, it dawned on me... I'm not just humming to Breck, I am humming to two babies. Breck and the new baby. One who has heard my voice in the womb for nine months and has heard my voice outside of the womb for nearly one year, and the other who is just seven weeks along in my womb, but still hearing the same Mama's voice. AMAZING. Just like Breck recognized my voice when he was born, this baby will know my voice too from all the talking, singing, and humming I do to his/her older brother! Just blows my mind, and puts me in a state of worship and awe of our all-knowing, perfect Creator. Pregnancy, the human body, the tiny daily developments of a growing baby in the womb, the family bonds... only something that HE could think up. 

Pulled this treasure out of my jewelry box to wear again the other day! BrettRyan gave it to me when I found out we were pregnant with Breck. It is a side profile of a pregnant Mama. I love it.

Signed our first card with FOUR signatures on it the other day... that felt strangely cool! 

Love, BrettRyan, Amber, Breck, and Baby.  Now that - says a growing family.

Love the many Breck expressions... just can't get enough of them!

Oh, and this face. This face... I just could EAT HIM UP when he makes this face. It's just so kissable. We call this is Lasley face or his Mamaw face... Whenever Mom is concentrating on something, whether she is writing, (especially balancing her checkbook or writing a check... I have very vivid memories of her doing this!) or sewing, or whatnot, she has her mouth just slightly hung open to concentrate (or her right big toe strait up in the air! Breck and I both do this too!). I also remember Grandma Lasley doing this when she would write. I've been told it has been passed down to me too, I don't notice it though. ;) 

It must have made it's way to me, since Breck's got the trick too... and it looks pretty much like this! Bet you wanna kiss those lips too, huh?

Oh Breck, 

"You're my Honeybunch, Sugarplum

Pumpy-umpy-umpkin, You're my Sweetie Pie

You're my Cuppycake, Gumdrop

Snoogums-Boogums, You're the Apple of my Eye

And I love you so and I want you to know

That I'll always be right here

And I love to sing sweet songs to you

Because you are so dear."

- The Cuppycake Song

[ first things first . big brother ]

First things first. Rewinding to a week ago today, last Monday January 10, 2010...before there were party hats, gathered family, birthday presents, and brightly iced cupcakes... there was this. A normal morning of me and my baby playing together. A morning where all I knew to love was this one baby. My first baby. The baby who will always be our eldest. Unbeknownst to me there was another baby I would soon learn about that evening and begin to love. These were the last pictures I took of my sweets before I had ANY idea I'd have another baby to love in a fast forward of nine months.

I was "running behind" a week,  and having nearly constant headaches. BrettRyan said to me, "Do you think you're pregnant?" I was so taken by surprise and hadn't even entertained the thought... I quickly responded "Nah. I doubt it!" I couldn't stop thinking and wondering about it once he questioned me. I honestly wanted to put the idea aside and not even take a test until after Breck's birthday. For some reason I felt like, if I was pregnant, I didn't want the two celebrations to mesh. I wanted to focus solely on Breck in the coming weekend and after his party, then I would take a test. (And I had my share of guilt over feeling this way, for sure!) Not sure what I was thinking, because why not celebrate one life and another life in the making in the same weekend together?! Daddy was working late last Monday, and Breck and I were eating dinner, when I just couldn't get it off my mind... the debate in my mind as to if I was pregnant was so dominate. So, at 6:45pm we called it quits to dinner and headed upstairs to test... and yep. Sure enough. There it was. Not one, but two little red lines. Little red lines that speak VOLUMES. (And as if one test could be faulty... I had to take two just in case.)

Since Daddy was planning to be home at 7:00pm, we only had fifteen minutes to prep our surprise for him. A few months back, we knew how we wanted to tell the grandparents once we were pregnant, and I had picked up a super cute iron-on decal for one of Breck's onesies. After taking a few deep breaths and pacing for a second. I unloaded the ironing board and got the iron piping. 

Surprise Daddy!!! 

Daddy was just as giddy and teary as when I told him I was pregnant with Breck! 

We immediately had to share with family... 

So we had a little Skype surprise for Mamaw, Papaw, Holly, and the boys...

Breck and Daddy dialing Mamaw and Papaw's skype...

Priceless, priceless, priceless picture of their faces once they read Breck's shirt! LOVE it.

And we headed over to Grammy and Poppa's too... they were surprised and happy as ever too! :)

We are so happy to be welcoming our second child into the world September 2011. Welcome Baby B #2! We can't wait to see you kick, hear your heartbeat, see your ultrasounds, meet you, hold you... and love you to peices like we have your older brother! We can't wait to find out if you'll be a little boy or a little girl... either way... it will be fabulous!!! So amazing to think that God chose you for us. You are a special little someone who we are dying to meet already and who will be a perfect addition to our family!

A couple of pictures I took the next morning as the news was still sinking in and I was trying to wrap my mind around the fact that I now will have two babies to love, nurture, protect, and care for. 

What an honor and a blessing from God. 

[ 1st birth.day celebration ]

...is today! Banners are hung, cupcakes sprinkled, hats assembled, and family are here! I will try to refrain myself from taking too many pictures, but when the human being that made me a Mama turns the mile marker one year old... it has got to be cherished, documented, and relived, baby.

Here's to the theme of our party... Color, because this boy has brought so much color into our lives we never knew existed until him!

[ trunks in the snow ]

Before heading to playgroup today, I found myself brooming six inches of snow off the top of my car while wearing my bathing suit underneath my clothes... now, that was strange. Thanks to Mr. and Mrs. H we were able to hold playdate at the Y today. It was SO fun. All the kiddos loved it and I must say it was nice for the Mommas to wade in the bath-water-temperatures too. It made all the carting two diaper bags and a bumbo and changing out of wet, spandex-y bathing suits and wearing lil swimmers pool-diapers worth it. Darn the Y's rules cause these are the only pictures I have from today to prove we swam in January. No cameras allowed at the MCA. :)

  

[ nice and quiet ]

No big plans. All low-key. No deadlines, just being together. That's what this weekend was... and it was splendid. Love it when the Honey is spontaneous and suggests things like randomly going to ice carving festivals. We headed out to Rockford to see some ice sculptures. It was pretty stinkin' cool to see the dam frozen over too. I still need to see Lake Michigan in it's solid state... now, that would be a sight. I hear the crests of the waves freeze in place. Yes, that's what we Northerners do when the white falls. That's the beauty of the seasons here... we soak up every one of them. 

Ice Carving Festival 2011, Rockford, MI

Joe was his name. 

We came upon the Twisted Vine at just about the time we realized our fingers, toes, and tips of our noses were froze. We hopped inside to warm up with some of their soup of the day: Cherry Peach Pumpkin Chili. (Check out the recipe: HERE.) If you think that sounds unappetizing, you've been mistaken.  It was heaven... a little sweet, a little spice, a little tart. The deli was precious. It was the kind where every little nook had samples of their own private label of dips, jellies, and preservatives for customers to try. Breck may have sampled a few himself. :)

Love these candids Daddy captured after our lunch. 

That soup may have been heavenly... but these pictures, I have to say, are even more delicious to me. 

Later that evening, we jammied up and headed out to relax among friends. Love it that they are the kind of friends we can show up at their front door clad in the jam-jams, and they greet us at the top of their stairs wearing the same comfy things.  

And look who's standing like a champ! J-baby, good job!!!  

[...................................................................]

This picture was from this past Friday, but I wanted to make sure I included it in a post. He is sharing like crazy lately... and I caught him nonchalantly dropping string cheese pieces to his buddy. 

Buddy is no exaggeration.

Here's to a relaxing weekend! 

This week we're gearing up for birthday party week and out of town family! Whoohoo! 

[ can't get enough ]

Lucky for Momma... Daddy snapped this while we were out at the Rockford Ice Carving Festival yesterday. And I just can't get enough of it! It's frame material because it's so typical Breck and Mommy. We made him laugh and he was so overwhelmed with bashful giggles he burried himself into my chest and I lost it in laughter. Love it.

[ happy 1st cousin, bro ]

Happy 1st Birthday Broderick Cole Lawson! 

Lots of hugs and kisses to you from Michigan today! 

Love, Aunt Amber, Uncle BrettRyan, and Cuz Breck

[....................................................................................................................]

Dear Cousin Bro, 

It all started back when we looked like this.

(Left: Brody, Right: Breck, Christmas 2009)

Our Mommies found out about us on the exact same day, May 5th, 2009. Mommy and Aunt Holly had so much fun being pregnant together! My mommy and your mommy were due with us two days apart. You wanted to be older apparently because you surprised us two weeks early! And now, we've come a whole year! And today, you are one! Happy 1st Birthday, Cousin! It's been so fun experiencing our first year together. You've always been about a few weeks ahead of me in hitting the developmental milestones, but for the most part we've been doing similar things around the same times! And it's kind of fun getting to be your "for-fun" pretend twin, or at least that's what our families like to think when we're together! :) Here's to many more fun cousin memories we will make together in the future! 

I love you! 

Your cousin, Breck!

Here's when you made your appearance! 

(And I wasn't even present yet, you beat me out!)

Our first time to meet! This was your first visit up to Michigan!

Only the beginning of SO many pictures together! 

...sweet boy

Oh, the things they've made us do!

We got to go swimming together last summer!

And go to the beach together...

And take baths together...

My, how you've grown!

Christmas 2010