2011 just as busy so far!

Hi everybody!
So far 2011 is just as stinking busy as 2010 was. Maternity leave is officially over. I go back to work with bitter sweet thoughts. This morning as I was nursing Lily Claire, she gave me the sweetest smiles, as if she knew I had a big day ahead of me. I was only at a local hospital, yet I missed holding her and listening to her coo at me. Six weeks has flown by and I did not get anything completed like I wanted. (Mostly pics for Luke's baby book) Yes, I said Luke's! I have all the words filled out, but no pics in it. I guess that is a downside to digital cameras. Can't wait to see how long it takes me to do Lily Claire's.

Speaking of Luke, he is eager to go hunting and shoot a deer or a bear. Both Emma and Dougie have killed their first deer this year and Luke is anxiously waiting his turn. He brought me this blow up plastic animal named Rody http://rodytoy.com, with a bullet stuck to his nose and said I shot a deer Mommy!
He is precious with many things he says but has yet to manage minding us one solid day! The other day his teacher told me about something he said in class - She was telling them all "how smart they were".... Luke responded, "You see my brain smoking Ms Christy?"

Emma has been selected to take the SAT as a 7th grader. We are very proud of her grades. She doesn't even have to study yet! She has the prettiest smile and silliest sense of humor.

Dougie is starting another season of Upward Basketball at church. Good bye to our Saturday mornings at least until the end of February - but he absolutely loves any sport! We are so very happy to share in his loves.
Emma got an I-touch for Christmas - her and Dougie were playing some app in the car one day. The question to Dougie was "What is your best feature?" He responded, "My hair." He wasn't playing either!

Okie dokie - gotta run......
Luv to all,

Good Bye 2010 - Hello 2011

I had this brilliant idea to do a 2010 year in review in pictures, but now they are on the home PC and I am on the laptop.....so to save some time you some boredom, I will just do a mini review and hit the highlights!

2010 what a great year you were for us......
First of all Doug was able to land a job in January 2010 after being unemployed for 6 months. Praise the Lord!

He and I celebrated 5 years of marriage - it only gets better every year! I have the best husband on the planet. (I'm sure we all say that about our men).

Dougie turned 10...double digits!!!!! He had an awesome year playing baseball. His love for the game is a passionate one - his coach told him he wished all the boys tried as hard as Dougie did.

Emmalaide became a teenager - OMW - 13 years old. She graduated from Nintendo DS to a cell phone and no longer likes Justice - now American Eagle and Dillard's and Macy's..... help me now.... I love clothes too so this could be bad.

Luke... I am not real sure what to say about Lukee poo. I can start by saying that Nina (Doug's mom) says Doug is paying for his childhood with Luke. He is a very sweet boy, he just gets a lot of spankings... I can remember one day specifically -he had three spankings before 8am. He loves "his" Emma and Dougie.

And last but not least we were blessed with a baby girl. Lily Claire so far is very laid back and I have enjoyed my 6 weeks off with her. Sadly, I have to return to work on Monday.

I know 2010 was not all peachy but I didn't want to dwell on the bad. I look forward to 2011 and keeping you all updated on the Springers.

Love you all!!!

Another Baby????

Ha ha ha - I knew that title would make you look! I about fainted when Emma said, out of the blue, very seriously, while eating Banana Nut bread "You need to have another baby". I must have looked completely dumbfounded because she quickly followed up with "because lots of people bring us good food".

Whew! I think we are done......

BTW - another funny - Leaving the hospital with Lily Claire, the nurse told Doug "Thank you for choosing to have your baby here and y'all come back". Doug quickly responded "No thank you, I am a four time winner already". So, I guess we are officially DONE with birthing babies.

And Finally - Lily Claire Springer

Hello - I am Lily Claire Springer. I arrived on November 19, 2010 at 10:15am. I was 6 lbs 4 oz and 20 inches in stature. I didn't waste any time coming into this world. My mommy arrived at the hospital close to 9 am and I got here at 10:15. So this is the story of my arrival. Let me take you back a couple of weeks to my Mommy's doctor's appointments. For three solid weeks Mommy was 4cm dilated with no real contractions. At my 37 week check up she was still 4cm and nothing new - just pressure. That was Wednesday morning. My Daddy had to work in Florence, SC on Friday am - he had a 7am case in the operating room. With Florence being 3+ hours away, Mommy suggested he drive over Thursday night so he wouldn't have to get up so early Friday morning. Mommy slept GREAT on Thursday night! Woke up at 6 am with some mild discomfort, and what she thought was Braxton Hicks contractions at 5 minutes apart. So she had some coffee and took a shower to see if they would pass. Remember I was not due until December 1st. The contractions didn't pass, only became two minutes apart instead......so Mommy took Luke to Granny's house, Sammie (the dog) to the kennel and traveled to Augusta to the hospital. The contractions got worse but she made it to the hospital and once in the triage area for Labor and Delivery, the nurses assessed her and she was 8cm! I was on my way fast! Mommy did get an epidural and I arrived very shortly after! Mommy only pushed three times and I popped out! Mommy had two great nurses coaching her to breath and Daddy on the phone since he was driving like a mad man to get to the hospital! I was not waiting on him to arrive to enter this world.

A funny side note, when the doctor turned me around for Mommy to see whether I was a boy or a girl - Mommy said - "It's a ......." the phone speaker was taken over by my screaming, so Daddy didn't hear what sex I was! He had to ask well what is it?

All is well in this new world. I am a very laid back baby. I love to be held and sleep on people's chest. I have a little hair as you can see from the pictures. It appears to be red so far. I also have blue eyes just like my big sister Emma, my big brother Luke, and my Daddy. I am sleeping pretty good at night so far. I just like to eat every 2-3 hours during the day! I love my bath time, I just sit back and relax under the warm water.

Well, that's enough for now! Glad to be here!

Love,

Lily Claire

My Pilgrim is tired...

I have some catching up to do in blog land. These are just a few pics of Luke recently. They did a Thanksgiving program at Bible Play School for all the parents. His class was the Pilgrims. During the songs he knew he sang SO SO loud that everyone knew he knew the songs. The only problem was that he carries a tune about like I do, which means we have a hard time keeping up with that tune!

Emma, Luke and I went shopping one afternoon. Now that Christmas season has invaded every nook and cranny of the mall, there was no escaping this candy booth at the mall that my mother in law absolutely loves - See's Candy - anyway, I was purchasing her a box of candy and Luke saw these coins in a bag. Emma told him they were not money, but they WERE chocolate. Well, what would any 3 1/2 year old boy do, but try to taste the chocolate coins! They were very kind, the clerk told her boss, "UUMMM, Ms. Kay, he just bit that candy" as he was putting it back on the shelf. You break - you buy - was my motto there. I know a couple other kids who really enjoyed the chocolate coins as well once we got it home.

This is from Luke being a Cowboy. A special friend in his class was bringing his horse to show and tell since it was his leader week at Bible Play School. Yes I said H.O.R.S.E.! I mean a real, big, live horse. Nah, I really don't feel like a bad parent when I let him take his favorite little matchbox airplane for show and tell when he was leader!
Well, if it is any consolation, they were learning the letter "H" that week.

And last but not least, I wish I had a picture of this - you will just have to draw a mental one. Luke was watching Spiderman in our room last night while Doug and I were in the living room watching Prince of Persia. The next thing I know he comes into the living room wearing his Spiderman costume that I picked up for him a while back just to play in. Then a few minutes later we hear this moving of furniture in our room. So we wait patiently to see what else we may hear.... it is silent. I decide to check out what he is doing.. I see him standing on his step stool (that he moved from the bathroom) with one foot on the stool, the other foot on a doorknob! Whispering to himself saying "How can I get up there" as he is looking at the top of the door! OMW - this kid has no FEAR.

Next blog - hopefully tomorrow - will be on his new little sister!
Love you all!

Provisions

We are thanking God for His provisions for our family!
Have you thanked Him today?

Kackleberry Farm with Bible Play School - October 2010

Luke in the corn maze

Luke on the "jump-o-line". It is a huge air pillow on the ground.

My buds

Mommy made me pose.........

Happy Fall,