Baby Maryn~

Our sweet neighbors put up a sign for us~

Our baby girl was to arrive on or around March 30, but she surprised us with her presence on March 14 at 1:52 a.m.  To say we weren't quite ready would be an understatement.  Little Maryn decided to arrive the Saturday before spring break!  It was quick and a whirlwind, and she was absolutely perfect!

Maryn Grace Darby

Maryn weighed 6 pounds 3 ounces, and she was 18.75 inches long.  She was our most petite baby, but she was a trooper from the beginning.

 We were incredibly blessed by our neighbor and work villages who helped us throughout the week and really rallied around us to support our family in the transition.  I'm certain I have never felt more loved than I did the week after we had Maryn.  It is indescribable all of the generosity that was poured out to our family in the few weeks after her birth.  Our blessings are many, and we are loving this sweet little person God put in our care.

She is now 5 weeks old, and I feel like I have a handle on my life again. Rowan and Isla adore little Maryn, and they are both tremendous helpers!

Here are a few pictures from her early days~

So tiny and so amazing~

Rowan, Isla, and Maryn

So precious holding her for the first time~

Proud big sister~

She loves her Maryn~

Grandpa meeting the little girl~

Grandma came too~

Going home at 32 hours old~

Grammy came to cuddle~

Poppy too!

Our sweet neighbor, Sheri!

Maryn has been so alert from the beginning~

She loves to be held~

Aunt Reesa came too~

We've got a routine down now, and I am thoroughly enjoying our quiet days at home.  There is nothing more innocent and sweet than a newborn, and I feel blessed to experience this joy again!

 

Goals Update-April~

Gosh, it seems like a lifetime has passed since I've blogged.  Life has been busy here, but we don't have any complaints.  My hope is to update the blog with all of the great Darby happenings in the next three weeks-that's when I return to work from maternity leave!

1. Pay off Alex's undergraduate loan by October 1, 2015
We had 100% of the loan to go on January 1.  As of right now, we are down to 93% 76% of the loan left.  I've started hitting this with gazelle intensity as Dave Ramsey would say.  We've still got a long ways to go, though, to get it done by October 1!

2. Establish a will
Nothing else to report here.  

3. Read the Bible in 2 years
I've started back up where I left off last year.  I'm working on reading ahead, so when I return to work I can give myself some grace.  I feel pretty good on where I am with this goal right now.

4. Go on 1 family vacation
Our travel planner found us a great option in Breckenridge, Colorado.  We booked and paid for the trip earlier this week, so it looks like we will be Colorado bound in June!  Rowan is excited for the mountains, and I'm excited for the change of scenery.  We ended up going with 7 days and 6 nights.  We are either going to be really ready to be home or we will be really rested;-)  I highly recommend the travel planner option.  She was great, did all of the research, did the paperwork to reserve our condo, and will fix any issues we have while there.  I think Big Al might be onto something with vacation planning.

5. Have a baby
We had a baby!!!  She came 2.5 weeks early, so we were a little unprepared, but she is great!  She is worthy of a post all of her own;-)

Goals Update February~

The year is bopping and getting away from me!  Ah!  I always like to update at the end of every month, but somehow we are already in the middle of February!  Here's an update for right now, though.

1. Pay off Alex's undergraduate loan by October 1, 2015
We had 100% of the loan to go on January 1.  As of right now, we are down to 100% 93% of the loan left.  We haven't made as much progress on this as we have been getting ready for the baby.  We had quite a few things to purchase, and we were saving up a bit of a nest egg just in case we needed one while I was off.  You just never know what life will throw at you, and I like to be prepared.

2. Establish a will
We have made contact with a potential will writer.  It will happen!  

3. Read the Bible in 2 years
I'm behind.  I'm not horribly behind, but I'm not caught up.  I read a few days at one time, and then I fall off of the routine again.  I wish I could figure out a time of my day to be consistent to do this.  I already get up at 5:35, and I don't have time to read it in the a.m.  That seems like the best bet, though.

4. Go on 1 family vacation
We paid the travel planner, so she is supposed to be planning.  I previewed two possible accommodations, and they both looked delightful.  We are early enough that she told us we needed to hold off, so we could get a better deal.  This is going to happen, so I sure hope we have a good baby on our hands;-)

5. Have a baby
Six weeks!  Baby is a coming!

Rowan~

Alex is loving his new camera, which means we have oodles and scoodles of pictures now that are great quality;-)  Rowdog got glasses, had a birthday, and was in his first ever Pinewood Derby!  How about a little Rowan celebration;-)

Handsome boy sporting his specs!

Birthday!  The big 7!

He thought he needed to use Grandma's cane now that he was 7~

Legoes!

Aunt Reesa and Grandma and Grandpa Darby came to celebrate!

The cake!

Make a wish big guy!

Oh, she's too cute to ignore~

Stud Muffin in his uniform~

The excitement of the Derby~

Fingers crossed our cars go fast~

The Tiger Cubs~

Silly faces~

Oh, the anticipation~

The race~

 Rowan's car did well but not great.  Alex took it hard; Rowan took it harder.  We'll just say they bought a book when it was over.  I'm sure next year it will be bigger and better;-)

Baby #3 Update~

Whew!  Time is flying whether I want it to or not!  

This is at 31 weeks~

Latest Doctor Appointment: I went to the doctor a week and a half ago.  No news is good news when pregnant, so I have nothing to report there;-)

Weight Gain:  I've gained 24 pounds now at 33 weeks.  I've just given up on really accounting for this.  I still eat fairly healthy with the occasional Jolie cravings.  I'm growing a human being, my husband tells me I'm beautiful, and I feel good.  I'm just going to roll with it and tackle it when a human isn't rolling around inside of me;-)

Cravings:  I still miss wine...  A LOT!  I can't wait for that to come back into my weekly diet.  It is Cadbury Mini Egg season now, which is a craving of mine pregnant or not pregnant.  I just keep buying the little packages to avoid downing too many at one time;-)

Complaints: I'm really doing okay right now.  I don't know if I've just gotten used to the pains or if they are letting up.  My tummy muscles are really stretching, but other than that, it isn't too bad.  My back doesn't hurt, nothing is swelling yet, and I can still sleep.  Life is okay.  

Nesting: We are 95% done and ready for a baby.  I need to buy curtains for the baby room and put her letters up on her wall, but that is it.  Next time I'll take some pictures of the baby's room to share.  We installed the car seat on Sunday which means we could roll at any time!  I worked diligently on my lesson plans for school last week.  I'm like 85% done with those, so I feel much more at ease than I did even a week ago.

Countdown: Six weeks to go until we see our little addition!!  The anticipation is building! Woohoo!!!

2015 Goals~

We are almost into 2015!   Alex has been home since Christmas Eve, so we have spent some time decluttering and organizing.  My heart overflows when he starts cleaning;-)  That is a stretch for him to say the least!  

Tonight over supper we hashed out some family goals for 2015!  I find that we are much more focused, and we see progress when we set goals.  Even more so when he is a part of the conversation!  I have also learned to keep my list streamlined to help it actually remain attainable.  That doesn't always work out for me, but it is at least a start!

So here are the family goals for 2015.

1. Pay off Alex's undergraduate loan by October 1, 2015
Alex was on the 5 year plan 10 years ago, so his loans were a bit more than mine when we exited school in 2004.  To date, he has about what I had at this time last year left on his loan.  We managed to pay off mine last year, so this year we are tackling his!  We have 100% of the loan to go!  

2. Establish a will
I looked back through my blog, and this has been on my goal list since 2010.  I've failed at it 4 times.  I don't know why this one is so hard for us to accomplish.  Well, I do know.  I hate to think about death, and even more so, I hate thinking about the possibility that I will not be around to see my children grow up.  That notion alone makes this a daunting goal for me.   If it is to be accomplished, Alex is really going to have to do the upfront work on it.  I may just have to communicate that to him if there is any hope that this will actually be a reality.   

3. Read the Bible in 2 years
This was also a goal from last year.  I did pretty well until August when I got pregnant and went into survival mode for 12 weeks due to horrible morning sickness.  We are starting a new plan at church in January, and I'm going to start again with the hope that I can finish the Bible in 2 years.  That seems doable!

4. Go on 1 family vacation
We did not take a vacation last year.  Alex was crazy busy at work, and it simply didn't happen.  We determined if you don't plan for it, it will not happen.  Alex has already been in contact with a vacation planner.  We are headed somewhere, and we aren't planning it, so we know it will happen!  I'm excited!  It will be our first trip as a family of 5.  I'm sure it will hold some adventures!  

5. Have a baby
This seems like an easy one to accomplish, but it will change the family dynamic a bit.  The house is so excited to welcome our baby girl.  Even Isla seems to think that this will be a blessing now, and she has vowed to help change diapers.  We will see if she is still singing that tune in 3 months!  

That's it!  Hopefully these will help us stay focused on what is important to spend out time, energy, and resources on as we step into 2015!  Happy New Year!!

Christmas 2014~

Christmas has come and gone!  My most favorite holiday of the year has passed us by, and we are resuming to normal life again.

I am enjoying not returning to work until Friday, and Alex has taken some time off through the week as well. Life is good!

Here are the highlights of our Christmas 2014!  It was a good one!

Santa came!  Barbie house for Isla and Air Hog for Rowan!  They must
have been good this year!

Sweet boy~

She's excited~

Lego City~

Teamwork for this one~

Playing before we head to Grandma and Grandpa's house~

Sly smile~

Somber face~

We headed to Grandma and Grandpa's house mid morning for more Christmas fun!  We had a great time relaxing and enjoying some new toys as well as Grandma's good eats!

Egg nog mustaches with Grandma's egg nog!

Old Soul~

We played a little memory with Aunt Reesa~

Oh, the competition~

What could it be?

Stressful day for Big Al~

New game-jumping~

Headbandz!  The greatest game ever!  

 Family, good food, and a lovely day it was!