We're having a GIRL!

Well, this picture is pretty clear. Two legs, a bum and dark space between those legs. Our ultrasound tec had no doubts that that we are adding a new little princess to our household! We are absolutely thrilled! I've always wanted Emma to have a sister close to her in age. I have loved growing into a best friendship with my sister Amber and I will be praying the same for my little daughters. We've already decided on a name: Chloe Paige. Travis is hoping for a boy at some point, but He knows that God's design is perfect and that he was meant to be these little girl's father. The picture after the gender picture is a 3D shot of little Chloe's face with a few fingers up by her nose. Those 3D ultrasounds are so amazing! The next one is a 3D profile of her with her little mouth open, probably swallowing some amniotic fluid. My mom and Travis both think they see my profile in her, we'll see. After having a little Travis clone, it's hard to picture us with any other combo of genes. God is amazing in the way He knits us together. Now we're just so excited to meet this little angel. The next picture is a 2D picture of Chloe's profile. The one after thatis a rather skeletal picture of her face. It's amazing how much better those 3D ultrasounds can capture what the baby looks like. These final two pictures show Chloe's little fist and thumb, the tec said it was a thumbs down to dad, "no, I'm not a boy!" and then the bottom of her little foot. Little Chloe is a picture of health according the the doctor who also checked things out. I was impressed with how thorough this exam was. We feel so blessed, that's the best way I can describe it. "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." - James 1:17. We love you all and look forward to all your latest updates as well. Thank you for letting us share our journeys and experiences with you through this blog.

Sarah

Courtney Davis went home to be with Jesus on April 2nd at 7:00pm. Thank you to all of you who have been praying for the Davis family with us. It's so hard to understand why the Lord lets the life of a child end, but one thing we know is that little Courtney's life, though short, had such great purpose. Our God is sovereign and nothing happens outside of His will. Her story has touched so many lives, including mine, and changed them forever. I cannot fathom what this family is going through right now, but it's so good to know that the Lord carries us through the things we cannot bear and gives us peace when having peace does not make sense. How anyone goes through any of life's challenges without the Lord is beyond me! When I reflect on the lessons I've learned through sharing in the Davis's pain and struggle and watching their amazing faith, the key point that stands out is that we are all like Courtney. Our lives are all but a breath on the timeline of eternity. We haven't been promised a certain number of years on this earth and we haven't been promised that there would be no pain or suffering. In fact, it's the one thing we know for sure, living in a fallen world. But what does this fact mean in our lives? It means, we should not waste a single moment living for momentary pleasures or self-centered pity, but rather, we should live our lives in joyful service of the Savior of our souls, drawing closer to Him with each passing day! For it is with Him that we will spend eternity, if we have accepted Him as our Savior. He has called us into a personal, daily, life-altering relationship with Him. That is where we find salvation, that is where we find fulfillment, and that is the ONLY place we find our eternal purpose. What else have I learned? That every blessing, one of the greatest of which is our children, comes from our Father in heaven. We should relish every moment we have with them, recognizing that they are not ours, they are the Lord's. We have been entrusted with their care and raising, what a tremendous gift and responsiblity! But they are not ours, they are in far better hands. So I must pray for my children, love them, guide them, teach them, and live my life as a living example of what it means to abide in Christ. But the hardest part is, I must lay them at His feet, recognizing that His plans for them may not be mine, and His plans might tear my heart in two, but He is worthy of my complete trust. Please continue to pray for the Davis family, the hard days ahead of them. The body of Christ is an astounding family that I'm so glad to be a part of. If you do not know the joy of knowing Christ, it is my prayer that the Holy Spirit will soften your heart to the truth through Courtney's story and other stories of His love.

Amen

Reading Time

"What mom? Can't you see I'm busy?" Althought Emma isn't quite ready for potty training, she doesn't have a real desire to actually use the potty, but she loves to pretend and practice. I don't have to tell you who she's imitating reading this magazine while on the pot. Monkey see, monkey do, need I say more?

One little monkey, jumping on the bed

Emma's favorite place to play is on Mommy and Daddy's bed while mommy gets dressed in the morning. She's quite the gymnast up there, complete with pike jumps and jumps with two feet off the bed. She also likes to be tucked in and pretend she's sleeping in the big bed. The simpliest moments create the greatest memories and give me the most joy. I feel so blessed to be able to stay home full time and not miss a single moment

20 months

Grammy just had to take me for a free picture at Kiddie Candids when we were at the mall. I love to smile for the camera, so that was no problem. Aren't I such a big girl? And look at all my teeth! I'm cutting my first molars, so that's not fun, but before I know it I'll be chomping on all kinds of yummy foods that are hard to eat now. Mom says I'm entering the terrible twos, but she says I'm the greatest joy of her life most of the time. My favorite things to do lately are "this little piggy", color wonder finger paints, reading books, and doing puzzles. And I love to dance while mommy sings "Jesus love the little children" or just about any song. Talk to you all soon. Emma

Grammy's Visit

We had such a great time this past weekend when Grammy Connie came for a visit. We went out to eat, went shopping, all the things we wish we could do together more often, but we'll take what we can get and treasure it in our hearts. She did such a great job flying all by herself for the first time, we were very proud of her. We're counting down the days until both she and Papa Lee come again in May! Emma misses her "Gammy" already.

I sure do love my Gammy, she gives great hugs and is so much fun to rough house with! She even gives me horsy rides on her legs! I sure wish I lived closer to her, I know she'd have me spoiled rotton! Nana comes next month and will stay for 10 whole days, I can't wait! Aren't I lucky to have two Grandma's who love me so much? Thanks for coming Gammy and I'll see you real soon. Love, Emma Gracie xoxoxoxo

16 weeks and blooming!

Yep, another month has passed and my belly just keeps on growing! I'm still not feeling very frequent movements, but those little flutters are reassuring when they happen. We will be able to find out what we're having in a little less than a month, we're very excited! I can't believe we're that close to the halfway mark. I am daily in awe a the miraculous creation that is happening inside my body. One might think it loses it's joy the second time around, but that just hasn't been true for us. We are just as excited to meet this little one as we were to meet Emma.

A Man on His Firm Foundation

Well, here it is! Our foundation and driveway! It's a two pad driveway, even though we only have a one car garage, a benefit of living on the end. Framing begins this week, and from there, we should be moving in mid June. We're so excited to see our new home take shape. We'll keep you posted as the progress continues. Thank you for all of your prayers and support as we move towards two big transitions in our lives, home ownership and becoming the parents of two children. We love you all!

Siblings, Friends!

This picture was taken over Christmas break, on Christmas Eve in fact. Don't even ask me what Travis said to get us all to have such a genuine laugh. Our family gatherings in the Golovach house get pretty rousing and hilarious! The best part is, we're all great friends, not just siblings, and I don't know what I would do without them. We're all at different places in our lives, but what we have in common, our love for each other, crosses all those boundaries.


Ah, the guys. These guys are like brothers in every sense of the word, even though they all have different parents. Our kids sure are lucky to have a brood of uncles and fathers like these men right here. They are all kids at heart and yet the hardest workers with great heads on their shoulders. We make the most of our time together, that's for sure, and always look forward to the next time we will hug each other's necks!

Giggling Little Girls!

Emma just loves playing with her friend Kylie! She came over to our house today for about 3 hours and the two of them just giggled and played the whole time, I didn't have to do any entertaining. I can tell miss Emma will be more than ready for preschool, she's just such a social bug now. We'll have to tide her over with play dates until then.

Something sure is funny! It's probably the simple fact that I'm staring at someone my own age who is doing things that I do, that just cracks me up! Laughter is the best medicine right! Emma is learning to share little by little, but sometimes it's still really hard to watch someone else play with her toys.

Miss Gracie initiated this kiss. Friends sure are great aren't they! I'd say they're like peas and carrots, but it looks more like chocolate and vanilla. Ah, the innocence of childhood. I sure do treasure these days, I want to capture every moment, not just on camera but in my heart. Before we know it, our little peanut will be going to school and my heart will be breaking. I wish I could bottle these toddler years!