And her name is going to be........

What do you know? I found our daughter's ultrasound pictures, right where grandpa left them over a month ago. What kind of mother am I?? I'm just thankful they weren't accidently thrown away. These are the pictures of baby at 20 weeks, when I had my ultrasound. She sure is cute, and small :-)

We have decided on a name, AINSLEY ELISABETH IRELAND. I have discovered I am partial to either Scottish or Irish names. Ainsley means, "my own meadow" and Elisabeth means, "consecrated to God." Elisabeth (or Elizabeth) is one that I think is not only a pretty name but it is also my prayer & hope for this little girl. I pray that she will grow into a young woman who loves the Lord and desires to serve Him wherever he leads her. It is exciting to think that God already knows our names, before they are "chosen" by our parents, and has a plan for each of our lives before we make our entrance into the world. Psalm 139 is a wonderful reminder of that.

Catching up..

Now that the holidays are over, things are somewhat settling down around our house. We had a great Thanksgiving with Chad's cousin, Dave & his family in Fayetteville. Over Christmas, we had a full house, and then some, with my parents, brother Chris & his girlfriend Teresa coming down from Michigan. My grandparents came UP from Florida, and then my cousin & her family came from North Carolina. Most of our pictures this Christmas were actually videos, but here are a few "stills" we had on our camera.

Collin actually opened a few gifts on his own this year (and helped Grandpa "pass" out the gifts...which means, he was chucking them at people). His top favorites were his cool four-wheeler from great-grandpa & grandma, his basketball hoop from Uncle Chris & Teresa, a race track (& lots of matchbox cars) & the movie, Cars (which has started a new obsession).

Grandpa trying to put the Santa Claus hat on Collin.

Uncle Chris & Collin playing with his Matchbox car track.

Shooting some hoops

Eating at the big kids table with Alexis, Denielle & Hayden.

It was a blessing to be surrounded by family this holiday. Living "far" from everyone, we know that we will not always have family with us to celebrate. It was a simple year as far as gifts in the Ireland family, but Chad & I had so much joy watching Collin enjoy what we had picked out for him. And he was certainly spoiled by the rest of family! Next year, with another little one, who knows what adventures we will be in for!

Speaking of, for those who have not heard, we are having a GIRL!! I think I misplaced our ultrasound pics, but they are around the house somewhere. She is a healthy girl, who is pretty active. This pregnancy is going very well, I'm out of that super tired phase, and a little more appetite (not out of control, which is helpful). I've had weird dreams this time around, almost every night, which is an interesting experience. I'm looking forward to getting the nursery started, and decorating "girly." Hopefully, soon, we will share the name we have picked..its a big commitment, and we want to be 100%. I'll keep looking for those ultrasound pics, but in the meantime, here is my belly progress at 24 weeks. YIKES!

My First Haircut

It took Collin over a year to grow any substantial amount of hair, and before we knew it, he had a "full" head of hair. The back grew much more quickly than the front, so it was looking alot like a mullet! Mama gathered all her nerve, and decided to give it a trim. Dada distracted Collin, as Mama cut her baby's precious locks. Collin did a great job, and never really knew what was going on. Here is a look at the before & after.

Crazy Hair

Handsome boy

Fall Fun continued..

We took Collin to his first fair, here in our own hometown of Cumming, GA. He was a little too small yet for rides, but we did take him to the petting zoo.

Here are daddy and Collin on the carousel.

One of Collin's favorite games at our church's fall festival- anything that involves throwing, of course!

Collin, Collin, pumpkin eater. Momma carved a pumpkin for Collin, and he tried to eat the insides. Yuck!

Collin's halloween costume. Too small for candy and trick or treating, but he had fun wearing his moo cow outfit!

Fall Fun

Finally an update, sort of, more like a flashback to the end of September and October. I had good intentions of keeping up to date with our blog, but of course, things came up! Good news for those who have not yet heard, we are expecting baby #2! I am due May 4th, and hopefully in December we will find out whether the baby is a boy or a girl. I will definitely update the blog then! :-) Here are some pictures of what has been going on during our autumn.

A Trip to Michigan (Sorry the pics are so small- they were transferred from Facebook!)

Collin and I (Momma) went to Michigan for a little visit. I had my High School reunion (ten years!), so I thought it would be a good chance for us to spend time with friends and family.

Collin at Great Grandpa's farm

A sweet picture of Collin & Grandpa

Friends

Friends for even longer- since elementary school!

Visiting with the Halls

First Family Vacation

These cute little sandy feet say it all - we had a wonderful first family vacation in Florida!
We were blessed with the opportunity to 'getaway' and spend time in Panama City Beach and then take a trip to visit my grandparents (Jenny) in Clearwater Beach. It was a lot of driving, but it was overall a relaxing time together. Here are some highlights from the week:

Collin is ready to hit the beach for the first time. (This is probably the longest amount of time he wore a hat on his head!)

Look at Me!

Collin found throwing sand to be very entertaining. He was scared of the waves, which were pretty strong that first day at the beach. He stayed on the shore most of the time.

Check out my sweet ride. He looks so grown-up in this picture!

A picture of us with the 20,000 lb bull at Angelo's Steak Pit. Good food!

Collin likes to "strike a pose." Overall, he was a good traveler. He looked at his books, ate some snacks, and napped. But we experienced first hand that active little boys don't like to stay put too long!

Flying high over the Gulf. Notice he is pointing at something as he is being tossed in the air. Silly guy!

Waving at the camera. Funny story from our trip, earlier we were out in the water with Collin and told him to look at the waves. And he started waving!

At the Clearwater Beach playground.

I like to swing...but it is hot out here!

Here's another cow picture at Sam Seltzers.

Collin didn't want to hold still for a picture with his Great Grandpa.

We were able to go to some place new - Panama City Beach and visit a place more familiar- Clearwater Beach. Spend some time as a little family, and also see extended family..my grandparents were able to see Collin in action. Go to the beach and to the pool..Collin loved the pool at PCB..very family friendly! Eat in & eat out...yum yum. Not so much sleeping in..but that the life with a toddler, right? We tried to keep it as simple as possible, not just for the wallet's sake but realizing that Collin probably will not remember his first vacation. However, Chad & I will...and we will be (and are) thankful that it went off without a hitch!

Bubba

Yes, one of our nicknames for Collin is Bubba. The nickname did originate before we moved to the South! The nickname takes different forms such as bubby, chubba bubba, chubs, bubs, etc. Anyway, I have received a few requests for updated pictures of our growing boy. I will try to upload some more videos soon. Enjoy!

Collin's first high school football game. He wasn't quite sure about it at first. But he soon had fun trying to spot the ball, and cheering with everyone else.

Getting into the game

"I'm getting tired..its waay past my bedtime"

I like to "play" the Wii

A "Wii" Obsession

Helping Puppa with the dining room