A Big Day!

It's going to be a big day, and we are very excited about the happenings to come over the course of the afternoon...

First of all, our sweet Baby Weston is coming to Martin to visit... I'm not sure who's most excited... Granny, Grandmother and Granddad, me and Russ, or the big cousins, Lawson and Emmitt!!  You can count on pictures! ;)

Secondly, it's time for the "big" hair cut.  If you remember, back in May of 2011, I shared the plans my sister and I had made to donate our hair to Locks of Love, in honor of Sweet Hailey.  You can read about her journey here, here, and here.  The time has come, and although I am nervous about my new "look", I am excited about packaging up my locks and dropping them in the mail in the hope of boosting the self-esteem and confidence of a little girl or boy as they travel the journey of chemotherapy or another illness resulting in the loss of their hair.  As Amber cuts my 10 1/2 inches today, I will be thinking and remembering that sweet little girl, Hailey Ann, as she is now a beautiful angel in Heaven.

If you're wondering about my sister, Julie Anne, she will continue growing her hair as she lacks about 3-4 inches.  She looks so pretty... I love when she wears it curly!  :)  I will also keep you posted on the donation of her locks.  And you can count on pictures from today!!

And lastly, I am excited about the fact that our house is slowly coming together.  FINALLY.  The light is at the end of the tunnel.  Tomorrow will officially be the last day of my stay-home-mom career as next week Lawson begins school full-time, and Emmitt will be cared for by various girls over the next 11 days as he awaits for his "spot" at The Children's Center, {which he remains adamant that he is NOT going to school}.  I will begin working at school, and attending various inservices next week.  A huge adjustment is on its way to our house!

That's all... although my head is full of swimming thoughts that are overwhelming, we are excited and thankful for the many opportunities for our family in the coming weeks.  Lots will be happening and lots of pictures will be shared.  Have a great rest of the week, and an enjoyable weekend!

Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips will praise You.  Psalm 63:5

Wordless Wednesday

Visiting Baby Weston

So, the past two days were really special.  We headed to Nashville to see Baby Weston on Tuesday afternoon, arriving around 7:30 pm... within the first 30 minutes of us being there, we were able to lay our eyes and our hands on this sweet baby... it was so special.

He is just beautiful and perfect in every way.  The prettiest little face, hair, and big boy hands.

Lawson was allowed to go back to see his baby cousin, however Emmitt was not old enough.  At first he didn't seem to notice, but the second time was not so easy on the little brother.  Bless his heart.  He will hopefully get to see him soon.  And kiss his head. :)

Uncle Jim, Lawson, and Baby Weston

Kissing his head. :)

My fave... dad's hand on this beautiful baby's head.

Isn't he beautiful and perfect?

love.him.so.much.

While we were there, the boys thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful hospital.

These butterflies welcomed us each time we got off of the elevator.

They are labeled with the hundreds whom have made donations to Vanderbilt Children's Hospital.

A pretty good shot for 11:30 pm... :)

Aunt Erin is looking great, too!

*Notice the plethora of stickers on Lawson's shirt?  The NICU nurses loaded us up with lots of stickers!

They were so sweet!

I loved this art wall.  

Would love to have one of these in our playroom and in my classroom... maybe someday soon.

This was a pretty wooden statue, carved into a horse and little girl. 

Of course, Emmitt really liked it.

Here is a wall of mosaic shapes, located in the cafeteria area.

The first night we were there, we ate supper with Jim and Erin at 10:30 pm.  

There, of course, was no one there but us, and a few workers; less than ten people including us.  It is a large area, and the kids had it all to themselves.  They were hilarious mimicking the 20+ characters on the wall.  The next day during the lunch rush hour, however, was NOT the time to be mimicking.  We couldn't keep them away from the wall, and thank goodness they didn't trip someone as they played all around the wall.

The lobby was also all to ourselves the first night.  They had so much fun, and ran off lots of energy before our beyond-midnight-bedtime.  

There was a really cool stage area, and they put on quite the show for us...

We took a break from the waiting room with Grandmother and went outside to the patio area.  It was a little on the humid side, but getting a breath of fresh air was certainly needed.

Although waiting rooms are typically not designed for children, and in comparison to the other areas of the hospital it wasn't as kid-friendly, but nonetheless they did a great job overall.  We were very pleased and proud of their behavior.  Lawson plays games, {pbskids, disney jr., and nick jr.}, very well on the computer... he was so kindly sharing with, and helping Emmitt on the computer.

They are finally beginning to play together... except with little brother decides to HIT big brother... what to do with these terrible two's?  School will be so good for him.

That's all of our pictures from our special time at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital.

More importantly, Baby Weston... he is doing so well.  We just received a phone call, and as of now, they are hoping to take their bundle of joy home in the next 48 hours!!  Your prayers, along with MANY others, are being answered!  And I, along with our family, thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

We are very encouraged by his progress, and ask that you continue to keep him, Jim, and Erin in your prayers.  We also are thanking God for answering the hundreds of prayers that have been spoken on his behalf.
He has been so good to us.  Our faith has certainly been strengthened.

To Him be the Glory for great things He hath done!

Now therefore, our God, we THANK YOU, and PRAISE Your glorious name... 1 Chronicles 29:13

Baby Weston : update & a pic

Good Morning,

Here is this sweet baby... proudly introducing:

 Weston Reed Bragg

This was taken early this morning after arriving at Vanderbilt.  

Isn't he precious?  Oh, how we love him!

He looks much more peaceful than he did when we saw him on Sunday... prayers are certainly being answered.

As of now, all we know is that he had a stroke.  Jim and Erin are currently waiting to visit with doctors to determine further treatment.

I will keep you updated.

Until then, will you please pray for our sweet nephew... we appreciate your prayers more than you know.

See you soon, Baby Weston... we love you!

Be strong and let your heart take courage, all you who HOPE in the LORD.  Psalm 31:24

Baby Weston

It's with a heavy heart that I write this post tonight... you see, our precious Baby Weston needs your prayers.  His special birthday was July 6, and after a long day for his mama and daddy he arrived with his umbilical cord around his neck.  He has experienced some complications, and endured many tests.  Tonight, as I type this, he is being airlifted to Vanderbilt's Children's Hospital.

We are unsure of what's to come, but we are sure of prayer... and we believe that it is mighty powerful.

I know many of you very well, followers and readers, alike... however, I know there are many of you whom read that I do not know.  And tonight, I ask you to please join me in praying for our precious, precious nephew, Weston, and for his mama and daddy, too.

In addition to his health, I ask that you please pray for safe travels for our family members as we drive back and forth to support this sweet baby and his parents.

We love them dearly, and pray for complete healing, along with a peace that surpasses all understanding.

We thank you in advance for praying, and I will keep you posted.  I am hopeful to have a picture of this beautiful little boy soon... trust me, it's the sweetest little face you've ever seen... melted my heart.  Russ and I are most certainly a proud uncle and aunt, and we have two proud cousins at our house.

Baby Weston... WE LOVE YOU, and can't wait to see the big things you're going to do.  God's got you in His hands, sweet boy, and so many believers are praying for you... 

Humbly, I thank you, once again, for praying.

Love, 

Selena

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.   Mark 11:24 

Half-Bath Update

Another update for you... the half-bath.

This bathroom is located in the hallway, it is a small space so we began with removing the lovely green and aqua blue tile. :)

And here are a few updated pictures... everything is new! 

A new American Standard pedestal sink with a brushed nickel faucet by Delta, and a new Kohler toilet.  

We went with a basket-weave tile.  This was one of Russ' choices, and it turned out so nicely.  We are very pleased with it, and can't wait to finish it up.

A new light, mirror, and accessories will complete this bathroom, and once that is complete, I will share final pictures!

Thanks for reading, stay cool, and have a Happy 4th of July!

5th Grade

Good golly, lots has happened over the past few weeks, and I didn't realize quite how much until I downloaded my pictures... almost 200 new pictures were on my camera!!  Where has the time gone?!

Life has been super busy with the move, tee-ball games, birthdays, our anniversary, AND answered prayers... While there are many pictures and lots of stories to share, today I am going to share only one picture, and an answered prayer.

You may remember last August, I posted here about my love for teaching and the overwhelming feeling of sadness that came about me when I discovered the back-to-school section while shopping in Target... well, my friends, after much prayer, I will be teaching 5th grade in August!!!  I am SO EXCITED, and feel so good about this new journey...

Here's how it goes...

- I will get to teach in my hometown and home county where Russ and I also went to school, except it's a new building.
- I will be teaching in the same school with Mrs. Jane, my mother-in-law; she teaches 3rd grade. 
- I will be teaching with a great girl with whom we went to school, grades K-12.
- BOTH of our boys will get to go to UTM's Children's Center every day, receiving some of the best care in Weakley County... and although it's going to "rock" the boat here at our house, as we are used to the stay-home-mom schedule, {or lack thereof}, we are very excited about what's to come.  Emmitt doesn't want to go to school, and is quite adamant about it, but it will be so good for him.  He is finally saying, "my turn", when attempting to share with his brother, but a daily structured routine, among other boys and girls, will be great.  And we're pretty sure he will love it once he gets there.

So, that's all for now.  I just wanted to share our good news, and praise God for answered prayers.

Here's the one picture I mentioned above...

Russ was out of town when I received the call from the principal, and sent me these beautiful flowers... it was such a sweet surprise.  He's the best, I tell ya.

The next few weeks are going to be be very busy with the continual unpack here at the house, welcoming Baby Weston just any day, preparing for my new 5th graders, and enjoying the last few weeks of my stay-home-mom career.

Thank you, so much, Lord, for this opportunity... the best is yet to come here in Martin!  

Have a great week, everyone!