Ayven Jewel Archer

Ayven Jewel Archer is here and has been here for over a month now! Needless to say the last five weeks have been full of immeasurable joy, lots of laughter, and hours of cuddling with our sweet baby girl! Soooo, there has not been any time for blogging! I am kidding myself to even think that I will be able to update this blog as much as I would like, too, but for the sake of documenting these precious days for my kids, I will do my very best. I've never succeeded at scrapbooking or even journaling. Heck, I can't even manage to get my photos printed and in an album. However, one thing I can do is write...well, type. So, in effort to preserve my incredible memories of Ayven's "birthday" below is a very detailed (no, not that kind of detailed) recap of her grand entrance into our lives. I don't want to forget a single detail of this amazing moment in my life.

I was scheduled to be induced on May 29th, but my doctor wanted me to come in the night before. Friday, May 28th was supposed to be a work day at school before summer vacation officially began, but my principal was kind enough to let me off the hook. My precious husband corraled Presley and Grayson all morning long so that I could sleep in and be fully rested for Ayven's arrival. We had a great day as a family..... Our last day as a family of four. That evening we all went to have dinner at Texas Roadhouse. It felt odd knowing that in less than 24 hours we would be adding another family member! The hospital told me to come in at 8:00, so after dinner, we took Presley and Grayson to my parents house. Here is the last picture of us as a family of four.Jim and I were feeling very excited, but very anxious and nervous at the same time. We listened to Waterdeep "Big Enough to Hold Me" as we drove to the hospital. Before we could get there, the hospital called to say that they had gotten very busy and they asked if we could come in at 9:00 instead. So, Jim and I headed back home to do all those little things we ran out of time to do...like vacuum the house! ;) At 9:00 we headed to the hospital again. When we got to Labor and Delivery we were told that they were still slammed. Apparently, the full moon made every pregant woman in Lubbock think they were going into labor. They told us to go take a walk around the park and come back in an hour. It was still 90 degrees , mosquitoes were having a party outside, and I was 39 weeks pregnant...I don't think so! We headed to the Arrogant Texan for some delicious icecream to help pass the time. Finally, we called to see if they were ready for us. We headed to the hospital one last time. By this time, out anxieties and nerves had calmed down a bit, and we were ready to get the party started!

Unfortunately, I did not sleep one single minute that night. Jim took a sleeping pill and so I laid wide awake and listened to him breathe! About 3:00 in the morning, I started having pretty strong contractions. With my previous deliveries, I had an epidural before the first contractions ever started, so this was a new experience. I can now honestly say that I know what a contraction feels like! I have never been so glad to see the sun come up in my life. It was a loooong night, but God gave me energy and excitement with the sunrise! I was ready to meet my baby! Things moved pretty quickly. They started the induction about 7:00 that morning. Dr. Belle-Henry came in shortly after and broke my water and I recieved my epidural immediately after. I called my mom and dad and told them to go ahead and bring the kids to the hospital because I didn't know how fast or slow labor would be and I didn't want them to miss it. It was such a relief to see my Presley and my Grayson. They were so sweet and super excited about Ayven's arrival. Grayson was very disappointed when he came in the room and saw that Ayven was still in my tummy!

Once they got there it seemed like things were going to progress slowly since I hadn't changed from 5 cm in an hour. Jim's parents arrived and everyone decided to go down to the courtyard area and let the kids run around while they waited. I decided to rest while Jim went down to spend time with the kids. He had only been gone two or three minutes when the nurse came in and asked if I was feeling okay. All of a sudden I started feeling so restless. I wanted to move my legs so badly, but they were completely numb. The nurse said that my chart was looking like something had changed. She checked me and sure enough, Ayven was ready to meet the world. The nurses exact words were, "Okay, she's not going to fall out or anything, but your husband needs to get up here quick because it is time to do this!" It happened so fast! Jim hadn't even made it downstairs yet when I called him. He yelled down to the kids and our parents that it was time and then he ran as fast as he could back up to my room. As soon as he walked in, everything got rolling. It only took maybe 15 or 20 minutes. She was officially born at 11:19 am. In the meantime, the nurse volunteered to take pictures for us. Jim handed her the camera, but she took one picture and the battery went dead! At this point the whole room went into panic mode...It was actually quite humorous. Jim started to run out of the delivery room to go get my mom's camera, and Dr. Belle-Henry shouted at him, "No! You can't go! Your baby is here!" So the nurse asked what my mom's name was and she took off running out of the room. She ran to the waiting room, found my mom and just said, "We need your camera!" Mom handed it to her and she ran back into the delivery room without time to answer any of their questions! I'm sure this left our parents perplexed! Fortunately, Mom's camera and my trusty iphone saved the day. The nurse returned just in time to get a picture of me holding my new baby girl for the first time. Ayven weighed 8 lbs 9 oz and was 20 inches long. Everyone seemed surprised by her size and went on and on about how beautiful she was. Dr. Belle-Henry told us that her umbilical cord had a tight knot in it, and the nurse said that we were blessed that she was born when she was so that there were no complications. Praise God!

To be honest, I had a ton of anxieties about having a third child. However, the minute I saw Ayven, I felt such an indescribable peace and a complete release of all those worries. It was amazing. I felt so overjoyed as I held her in my arms. I knew she was the perfect piece that completed our family.

I could not wait for Ayven to meet her big sister and brother. Jim went to get them so that they could be the first ones to meet Ayven. They were soooooo sweet! You could tell they instantly fell in love with her. Jim let Presley hold Ayven first since she was the oldest....much to Grayson's dismay, I might add! When it was finally Grayson's turn, he held her for all of five seconds. That was about all he could take! :) I will never forget how I felt when I looked from Jim to Ayven, to Presley to Grayson. Blessed. So. Very. Blessed.

We stayed in the hospital for two more days and even celebrated my 33rd birthday while we were there. What an incredible birthday present!!

A month later, we are doing fantastic! Ayven is the best, best, best baby ever. I will post an update (maybe...hopefully...sometime) on how we are adjusting to having three kids! If you endured this entirely too long post...wow, I'm impressed!

Welcome Ayven Jewel Archer!

FOUR!!!!

Four? Four!?! Really? How is it even possible that my little man turned four this past week? Isn't it funny how four seems like such a humongous number when using it in terms of your baby's age? Grayson is such a joy in our life. I can't explain how many times a day he makes my heart skip a beat. He is really developing such a funny personality. He has become quite the comedian....and the charmer. My favorite thing he does these days is when out of the blue he says, "Mommy, I love you." So sincerely. So thoughtfully....He MEANS it. He FEELS it. He often will gently lay his head on my pregnant belly and whisper, "I love you, Ayven." It's like his own little private conversation with his baby sister. Sigh....that's my boy. Charming as he is, he certainly keeps us on our toes. He's definitely a wild man sometimes. I like to say he is ADVENTUROUS. He is also, hmmm, we will say, DETERMINED. He knows what he wants and will PERSERVERE through lots of "obstacles" to TRY to get it. He is witty and smart; tough, yet sensitive, too. He loves superheroes (good guys as he calls them), chocolate milk, and cuddling with his mommy and daddy. His favorite Bible verse is Joshua 1:9--Be Brave! God is with you! He quotes this scripture frequently, and even used it to persuade Presley to ride an elephant with him at the circus!

Knowing that Grayson will likely be our only son, it has made me cherish all things "BOY." Not to say that I didn't treasure them before, but it has given me a new appreciation for those ADVENTUROUS and DETERMINED characteristics he possesses. I pray that he will grow into a faithful man of God like his Daddy and that he will be strong, courageous, and determined through all of the adventures God has in store for him. I love you, G-Man!

April 13, 2006

April 13, 2010
P.S. I am going to make an earnest attempt to "catch up" on blogging this week, so stay tuned!! I have lots of blog-worthy news to share on pregnancy, Presley, Grayson, Ayven, and Jim!

FINALLY Introducing.....

Our Precious Baby Girl! We went in for an ultrasound a few weeks ago, and finally got to find out that Archer Baby #3 is a girl! I know, I know....a few WEEKS ago, and I am just now getting this beauty's picture on my blog. I tell you what...I am going to have my work cut out for me trying to keep this blog thing going with three kids. I am already having trouble and she isn't even here yet!

The ultrasound was incredible. This was my first ultrasound with Dr. Atkinson, and the ultrasound was much more in depth than the ones I had with Presley and Grayson. For those of you who don't know, Grayson was born with a bicuspid aortic heart valve. It hasn't caused any trouble, and probably won't, but my doctor's wanted to get a closer look at Baby #3's heart. The 4D ultrasound was amazing. Yes, she does look a bit like an alien right now, but we still think she is gorgeous! :) We could see the blood pumping through her heart and her mouth opening and closing. Everything looked perfect! At the last minute, we decided to take Presley and Grayson with us to the appointment. They were so sweet. Right before they told us it was a girl, Grayson said he hoped he would have a baby sister so he could "pertect her from sharks!" I love his imagination!

So, I know....the next question is what will her name be? We have stayed up late many a night and had lots of road trip conversations about this. We keep coming back to the same name that we considered many years ago even before Presley was born, and I think we have finally agreed on a name, a first name, anyways...I think. Her name will be Ayven. The next question is why Ayven?

First of all, way back in the Shepherd Blind Days (Jim's band that played youth events for several years), we met the neatest girl named Aven. She was just one of those girls that Christ just shined through. We would see her every summer and a couple of other times during the year. From the moment we met her and learned more about her character, the name Aven drew us in. Jim has always said that we needed to have another girl so that we could name her "Aven."

Second of all, my grandfather, who passed away when my dad was in high school, was named Aylor. A few months ago, my dad showed me some old newspaper articles about his father. Many people were quoted in the article and each spoke about what an incredible man he was, and I know he had a huge impact on the amazing man that my dad is. Therefore, we have chosen to spell her name with an "Ay" in honor of him.
So there you have it. Ayven. As for a middle name...Jim and I are not exactly on the same page. So, we thought we would have a little fun with this. Cast your vote in the poll to the right and help us choose a middle name for our new addition! And now some pics of our littlest princess.

Weekend Getaway

Last weekend we headed to Ruidoso for a weekend get-away. It is rare that Jim has a Sunday off that he doesn't have to ask for, and we were both off on Monday. Since Jim will be in India the entire week of Spring Break, we decided it might be the last chance we have to take advantage of a long weekend before Baby Girl gets here! We left Friday afternoon with Coby, Jennifer, and my two precious nephews following behind us. The four hour trip actually took about 7 hours due to the unexpected adventures that come with traveling with children! We were thankful to arrive safely about midnight! We had such a wonderful, relaxing weekend. We slept in, took the kids sledding, cooked a little, ate out a little, shopped a little, and had a lotta fun! On Saturday afternoon, some friends from our Life Group joined us. They have children the exact same ages as Presley and Grayson. The kids entertained one another, while the adults played board games and relaxed! The highlight of our trip was Presley got the chance to give snow skiing a try! The weather was so beautiful, that Jim decided to take her for a half day of skiing on Sunday afternoon. She did so great! In a few hours she was already a better skiier than I am after a few years! I wish I could have skiied with them, but being preggo and all, Grayson and I just watched, played in the snow, and hung out in the lodge. On the way home, Jim couldn't resist stopping at the Roswell Alien Research Museum. While it was a good chance to stretch our legs, we won't be stopping again. But, hey, we can say we have officially visited the alien museum, right? What a great weekend to soak up some incredible family time.

We stayed at Innsbrook. The kids enjoyed exploring and watching the ducks slide around on the frozen lake.

Grayson really interacted with his cousin Crew. He had so much fun playing patty cake with him. He was practicing for when he gets to be a big brother in a few months!

My little ski bunny!

Jim and Presley had a blast on the slopes while Grayson and I.......

took a nap in the lodge! So sweet!

I promise pictures of Baby Girl soon. I haven't managed to get the ultrasound pics scanned yet. No worries, we will introduce her on the blog shortly!

Christmas Catch Up

Whew....Christmas came and went so quickly! Here it is the ninth day of January and I am just now posting about out incredible two week break. I am so thankful that Jim and I have jobs that allow us both to take off two weeks in December to just be with our family. We had the absolute best vacation ever. We laughed together, prayed together, baked together, played together, slept in....and just did what we do best...have fun together being a family. We did so much that I can't begin to write about it all, but some highlights from our break include playing in the snow, Presley getting her first "real" Bible and reading the Christmas story for the entire family, the look of pure joy and excitement everytime Grayson pulled the wrapping paper off of a gift, and our baking day in which we made candy and cookies for our neighborhood. (Unfortunately, most of our neighbors were out of town, which forced us to eat WAY MORE sweets than initially intended.) I am so far behind on my postings, but it is not all due to a lack of effort. I am having some MAJOR blog frustration. For some reason, I am not able to drag pictures where I want them or put them in a certain order. Also, a lot of the pictures I download into my post seem to disappear once I add them. Any tips? Can anyone help??? Here are some of the pics I was able to download that didn't disappear.....

Even though I was sad to have to go back to work, I was really looking forward to this week's doctor's appointment and ultrasound. I will post more later, but we did find out that Archer Baby #3 is a GIRL!!! We are so excited. Presley and Grayson are so thrilled that they are going to have a little sister. I plan on posting more details and ultrasound pics tonight.

I hope everyone had a blessed holiday and was able to focus on the love of Christ. As we begin 2010, my desire is that the fun that my family had together wouldn't be overshadowed by work, routine, and to-do lists, but that we would laugh together, pray together, and play together every day of the new year, and that we would celebrate Christ each and every moment of 2010.

Elf for the Day

As all elementary school teachers know, the Christmas season brings more than just Christmas trees, shopping, caroling, and family get togethers. For teachers, Christmas means homemade Christmas ornaments, Christmas picture books, and of course the class party. In my 11 years of teaching experience, I have never quite had a Christmas class party quite like the one I had today.
It all started last week with the annual Nat Williams PTA Elf Contest. Students are encouraged to bring money and donate it towards the teacher of their choice. The teacher that has the most money donated into their "account" has to wear....yep....you guessed it.....an elf costume. A hideous, ridiculously large, green and yellow elf costume.
Up until this year, I have never had more than $2.00 donated to my name. Therefore, I was not one bit concerned when it came time for the Elf Contest this year. I didn't pay any attention to it until one of my students brought $12.80 to my desk on the first day of the contest. Wow, I thought to myself...that's kind of a lot of money to donate on the first day. For the slightest moment the dreadful picture of ME in that hideous, ridiculously large, green and yellow elf costume popped into my head. No way....Not gonna happen. The next day...in comes $15 more dollars. That's when I started to sweat and feel a bit nauseous. Fortunately, by the end of the week I was only fifty cents ahead of one of the male teachers in our school. My fear subsided because we all know students love to see men have to wear tights. I knew the students would show up on Monday, the last day of the contest, with all their pennies, nickels, and dimes ready to give it all to the other teacher.
I was half right. They definitely did show up with all their pennies, nickels, and dimes.....$26.00 worth just from my class.....and they put it ALL on my name. By the end of the day on Monday, I was ahead by $25.00 and the announcement was made. My students cheered like crazy, and I reluctantly picked up MY hideous, ridiculously large, green and yellow elf costume and took it home.
As you can imagine, Presley was beside herself excited. She was so proud that her momma was going to have to dress up like an elf at school. However, Jim may have been even more excited than her. In fact, the only one who was NOT excited was the elf herself. I don't mean to be a Scrooge, but come on.....Nothing says cute like a PREGNANT ELF!!! Luckily, I had Tuesday to "get used to the idea".....(put my big elf panties on and deal with it.) I knew how excited my students were and that there was no backing out of it, so this morning I woke up with a smile on my face (well, almost), put on my elf suit, and headed to school....BUT not before making each one of my students a matching elf hat to wear, too. :)
As the bell rang, I braced myself for the heckling of 430 or so students that was sure to come, and of course, did come. My students were good sports and put on their elf hats so I wouldn't feel "alone." Honestly, I think they loved every minute of it. Besides the fact that I was sweating like crazy under the ridiculously large, green and yellow costume...oh, yes, and it was hideous....I would say that I survived being an elf for a day. I can't even believe that I am posting these pictures, but if this isn't "blogworthy" what is?? Besides, all of you would not believe just how hideous, etc, etc, it really was unless you see it for yourself. Just remember the costume puts on at least 20 pounds....

A Post Long Overdue

This actually feels nice. Sitting down at my computer, in a quiet lamp-lit house. Both kids are asleep and the hubby is out studying God's word with his buddies. It does feel a bit foreign since I have not updated my blog in over two months...actually it will be three months next week since my last post. It's not that I haven't had anything blogworthy to post about...No, that is definitely NOT the case. So many blogworthy things have been happening that I haven't had time to post them! Everytime I had a moment, I realized that I was so behind on my blogging that I didn't even know where to start, so I just didn't.
Well, that is changing today. I am finally feeling like I can breathe again. We have been out of town almost every single weekend for the last six or seven weeks. When we have been home on the weekend, we have had some kind of all weekend commitment. While we have loved every opportunity that God has blessed us with this fall, I cannot tell you how much I am looking forward to the next few weekends of being in Lubbock. I am so looking forward to everything about the holidays, too....beginning with Thanksgiving next week. I have so much to be thankful for. So, for my own sanity, please endure this semi-quick list of things that have been going on in the Archer World. Also, know that it is killing me not to post a picture with each item....but my goal is to finish this blog tonight. Besides, the last picture is worth a thousand words!

1. Jim and I rocked our faces off at the U2 concert in Dallas. It was amazing, and we had so much fun being together on a road trip. We needed it because that marked the beginning of our CRAZY fall semester!

2. Jim and I got to participate in a marriage retreat at a ranch in Boerne. It was super relaxing and was amazing to just get to breathe in God's awesome creation and to celebrate our marriage.
3. The whole family traveled to Carlsbad for a Shepherd Blind reunion. It was so much fun getting to hang out with the band. We got to spend time with Nathan and Tessa and sweet Sarah.

4. I have a brand new absolutely adorable nephew. Crew Braden Colley was born on October 19th.

5. I got to spend all weekend with 7 freshman girls for the Bacon Heights D-Now. I felt so honored to get to teach them and relieved that they didn't think I was too old or uncool.

6. Grayson let one of his buddies at daycare shove a rock in his nose. After an hour of trying to decide if he really did have a rock up his nose (which included a flashlight and lots of tissues), and after calling the pediatrician, he did indeed blow out a dime-sized rock from his right nostril. I was so proud of myself that I managed to get it out without a trip to the ER. Is it weird that I kept the rock...? Perhaps.

7. Presley is like a reading machine. It thrills my soul to see her nose buried in a book. She even asks if she can go to bed early to read. I pray that this love for reading will only grow!

8. School has been eating my lunch this semester. I have a super sweet class, but I have struggled to keep my head above water. I have been bringing so much stuff home to work on and only getting a fraction of it done. However, last week, I finally begin to feel like things are on track. Yes, its taken 12 weeks or so, but I am finally feeling caught up. Yeah!

9. Presley and Grayson had a great Halloween. Presley was Dorothy and Grayson was Batman. Due to the fact that a lot of our family was at the Tech game that day, we missed some of our favorite Trick-or-treating stops. So, my favorite Halloween moment was when we took the kids trick-or-treating on November 8th. We even went to our new next door neighbor's house (no worries...they asked us to). Presley hid her face as we walked down the sidewalk...she was totally mortified that her friends might see her dressed as Dorothy AFTER Halloween. She did decide that the treats were worth it. It was great!

10. The biggest thing that has been going on with the Archer's lately is actually only two inches long. Introducing Archer Baby #3.....Due June 2, 2010!
We are absolutely thrilled about this new addition! I am 12 weeks along and feeling great! Presley is so excited she can hardly stand it, and Grayson affectionately calls our new baby "Sweetie." We are incredibly blessed and I will continue to update you on our adventures in a more timely manner! If you made it this far, thanks for reading!