short, simple and to the point...

i was at a mary kay event tonight,
and a few people asked me if we had a name picked out for this little boy inside of me yet.
and it hit me that the truth is...
we've had this name picked out for 6 years now.

we always go back and forth with girl names, but our boys were set in place long before they were even born.
levi was levi from the moment i married brian, we knew our first born son would be levi.
when i was pregnant with alivia, if she was a boy her name was going to be shepard,
then when i was pregnant with nataley, she would have been shepard.

and finally, God is giving us our shepard.
little boy, i've been praying for you by name for 6 years now...

and after 6 years, i know...
our family is truly complete with you in it :)

fyi....
shepard means shepard,
and pierce was picked out because your daddy wanted to call you "shepard pie"
so i found something that rocked both our worlds...
it was only after we picked it out i learned that pierce means rock.
so you, my son whose not yet seen the light of this world...
shall be shepard that leads his flock to the rock...
you name speaks great things!!!! :)

a week not so far away...

ok...
so i am totally a sentimental type of girl, seriously, brian laughs at the things i choose to keep simply for their memory value.
and while we only went 10 minuets down the road from where we live,
i was overwhelmed with sentiment this whole week.

first of all...
i took in every second with my husband,
and learned to love him on a level i haven't really thought about before.
being part of his family's business i have learned that it's just that...
more then a "job" to him, but family as much as the kids and me.
so, from the very beginning of "us" i've shared him with the restaurant.
but, for a man who works no less then 10am-11pm 6 days a week,
i can honestly say... HE KNOWS HIS WIFE, HE KNOWS HIS KIDS.
while i think i have known this fact about him for forever, i really got to appreciate it this week.
he always takes his time to love each one of us the way we need to feel his love, and there is no question in his head as to what it takes, he just knows. god truly gave me a precious gift in the man i married, and i, in the most simplest of words; adore him. :)


the main talk of the week was awe and amusement that i have been going to that very condo for as far back as i can remember. with each new thing we did, one of the kids would ask if i did it "just like that" when i was a kid. which actually brought up a bigger conversation and thought when we picked up our dog at nana and papa's house last night.

i remember coming down to florida on vacation my whole life, although i never really knew the whole story.
but, levi was interested and asked my dad the second we walked in the door. and now i know...

right after i was born, my mom wanted a simple vacation, something where they wouldn't have to pack up and do a ton of activities with their 5 kids and a newborn. so my dad asked around and heard that siesta key was a beautiful place. ironically, they took one trip the summer of 1982, and never went on vacation anywhere else again.
and i actually remember complaining about never going anywhere other then florida for vacation. but, i realized last night, for the first time...
that them finding the condo in 1982, buying it in 1984, visiting yoder's for the first time the summer of 1986...
was the path that lead me straight to where i am now.
married to the greatest friend i have ever had, mother to 3 of the most amazing kids, and another on the way.
living the most blessed life i could possibly imagine.

and i can't help but think...
what steps are brian and i taking right now that will one day shape the life of our kids???
pretty amazing thought!