Natalie Grant

Natalie Grant is coming to Bentonville on August 24th-Micah and I are going--I'm so excited! I would really like to go to the Michael W. Smith concert at the Walton Arts Center, but the cheapest ticket is 45.00 and I don't have that much extra to spend, even if it's for MWS.......but I am sooo excited about Ms. Grant!! She has been my favorite ever since her first album.....oh yeah, and this is how I want my hair done the next time I get it done.

We had a great weekend! We went on Saturday to my brother and sister in law's to see Ethan. I don't have pictures yet, but hope to have some up soon. After that, we went to BabiesRUs and I found the stroller I wanted to get. YAY! We will probably go get it in a few months....then went to Best Buy, where a guy was backing up to get a spot and we were right behind him and he ran into us. Cracked my Razorback license plate in the front...now I have to get a new one.
Yesterday, we went to lunch with my cousin and Aunt at Jose's and then last night, we went to see my sister in laws new engagement ring. It is beautiful!! We are so excited for her and this next month is going to go by so fast for them and then they'll be married!:)
Have a great Monday.

I am in a blog rut. I don't know what to talk about. It's almost the start of a new season in the Laney home. Haven starts pre-school on August 22nd and Micah and I are trying to re-organize the house, deep clean, and I am trying to figure out how in the world to landscape the front a bit. I know nothing about it, but it would be fun and the outside of the duplex needs a facelift.

In other news, my sister in law is getting married!!! In two months!!! September 21st is the big day. We are so excited for her and Houston (her fiance) and Cambron. Houston is a great brother in law already and we have enjoyed getting to know him thus far. We are now in the preperation mode and trying to get showers together for her and Houston to get new stuff for their house!!:) Should be fun!

Baby Laney is doing good I guess. I am almost 18 weeks. Just enjoying BBQ these days, which amazingly, my mother in law made BBQ brisket Sunday for lunch and it was soooo good!!

That's all for now.
K

Courtesy of Stephanie

**Four jobs I have had in my life:
Chick-Fil-A
Budgetext (book warehouse I worked in in the summer w. no air conditioner)
Wal-Mart Benefits as a data enterer and later as a supervisor for 5 years.
Legacy Mortgage as a loan processor assistant/office assistant.

**Movies you could watch over again:
Up Close and Personal
Just Married
The Notebook
You've Got Mail

**Four Places You've Lived:
Fayetteville, AR.
Springdale, AR.
Lowell, AR.
Farmington, AR.

**Four TV shows you love to watch:
Grey's Anatomy
Friends re-runs
Gilmore Girls
American Idol

**Four places you have been on vacation:
Orlando, FL.
Atlanta, GA.
Ensenada Mexico
Colorado

**Websites you visit daily:
Blogs
People.com
CNN.com
FoxNews.com

**Four of my favorite foods:
My mother in laws cinnamon rolls
Baked potato from McAlister's
My mom's potato casserole and my dad's steak (in the same meal)
Skillets from Silver Dollar City

**Four places you'd rather be right now:
At the beach
In Colorado with Micah and Haven
At home w/ Haven
At Barnes and Noble by myself w/ a frappuccino and magazines.

Another picture Stephanie took of Haven at the lake with Stephanie's sunglasses on.....

23

So, this number is the number of weeks until baby Laney #5 comes. (three are w/ Jesus) I actually have never thought of it that way, but I am starting to. The fact that there truly was life in me, for no matter how short of time, it was the life the Lord gave me for that short time. Anyway, we find out August 15th what we are having. I am almost 17 weeks, and I am starting to feel good. We are so excited and grateful. The due date is the date we lost our last one, January 8th, but we are going to have a scheduled C-section and are going to do it at the end of December, for tax reasons/deductible.:)
God has taught us a lot through our experiences and through just believing and trusting in Him. My mom has said over and over that she feels like this is the year of restoration for our family. (my parents, Micah and I and Haven, and my brother and his wife) So, we are claiming that for our family and we know that the Lord has awesome things in store for us, starting with this new life that is growing (awesomely I might add) within me. We didn't want to say anything for awhile, but I thought that I would break it to the WWW now.
We started when I first found out (I was about 4 weeks) with shaky feet, and then at 8 weeks, we were able to do an ultrasound and hear the heart beat. All looked and sounded great. We then were able to hear the heart beat once a month and things are going well. The first few months I didn't feel well at all, so we were all encouraged.:) I am starting to feel good again and am enjoying 'showing' some.
I know a few of you know our news, and some don't, but thank you for praying and interceding for our family during the whole process of grief, frustration, and loss, and now to the season of joy, happiness, and life. Thank you for your continued prayers for this pregnancy and this life. We are so thankful for our dear friends and family who lift us up and we love you all!
So, that's the Laney household lately. We have been looking at names and talking some about it--Haven will find out she's a big sister after we find out what we are having in a few weeks. I know she'll be so excited!:)
Thanks again and have a great weekend!

I'm an Aunt

I am an aunt. My sister in law, Jill, had her sweet baby boy, Ethan Paul on Monday late, almost Tuesday morning. He weighed 6 lbs. and 14 oz. and is 20 in. long. I don't have any pictures yet, but I will post them as soon as I do. We are going to go to Tulsa this weekend to see them. I'm so excited!!:)

Branson

Drama, drama, drama. Our Have was so sad that she couldn't get back in the water at the lake on Saturday. Other than that, she had a great time. She enjoyed the Oreo cookies on the boat the most!:) We shopped all day on Friday in Branson and then the lake on Saturday all day, and then yesterday, we went to Silver Dollar City. A weekend with no naps and Haven went to sleep on the way home at 7:00 last night. It was a nice, quiet ride home.
Oh, Steph, thanks for the pic. She takes really good ones!:)

Heard this on the radio this morning and it reminded me of renewal and redemption of things lost, the seasons that we go through, and how, ultimately, the Lord makes us new through these things. Oh, and a picture of Haven with a sweet little baby that is my mom's neighbor's granddaughter. She was so proud and 'motherly'.:)

Every evening sky, an invitation
To trace the patterned stars
And early in July, a celebration
For freedom that is ours
And I notice You
In children’s games
In those who watch them from the shade
Every drop of sun is full of fun and wonder
You are summer

And even when the trees have just surrendered
To the harvest time
Forfeiting their leaves in late September
And sending us inside
Still I notice You when change begins
And I am braced for colder winds
I will offer thanks for what has been and was to come
You are autumn

And everything in time and under heaven
Finally falls asleep
Wrapped in blankets white, all creation
Shivers underneath
And still I notice you
When branches crack
And in my breath on frosted glass
Even now in death, You open doors for life to enter
You are winter

And everything that’s new has bravely surfaced
Teaching us to breathe
What was frozen through is newly purposed
Turning all things green
So it is with You
And how You make me new
With every season’s change
And so it will be
As You are re-creating me
Summer, autumn, winter, spring

We're Back

Atlanta was great! We had a blast. It's so good to be home.
Some highlights:
*IKEA-my favorite of the trip, besides of course seeing the Braves. This was a warehouse where they sell products from Sweden at a really inexpensive price. They had all their products showcased on the top floor (furniture, accessories, ect.) and then you would write down what you wanted on the paper they gave you and then go down to the first floor and get what you want. They also have a lot of kitchen things, rugs, bed spreads, ect. Pretty much anything you could need. Micah and I got a 6 foot rug, a clock, and some cannisters for 50.00. The lady in front of us in line to pay, got her stuff free. It was fun! (www.ikea.com)
*Braves/Turner Field-need I say more? Micah was in heaven, I was just there, but it was really fun! They lost the first game we went to, and then won the second game we went to, wich was good, b.c we had to wait through an hour rain delay to finish the game. We ended up not getting back to the hotel until around 11:30 after both games.
*Georgia Aquarium-this was fun, a bit crowded, but it was really neat. Haven would have loved it, and we had a good time seeing all the animals and different aquariums. They had one aquarium that was all around the room and on the ceiling, so everywhere you looked, there was water and fishes.
*Coca-Cola Museum-this was neat. The first Coca-Cola was 'invented' in the 1800's. We then got to sample all of the different brands of Coca-Cola (Fanta, Barg's, Dasani, Ect.) as well as those from around the world. (some weird stuff from Mozambique, and other weird beverages, all from Coke) It was really fun and interesting. We also got to see all the commercials since forever ago. It was neat to see from when I was little the ones I remember watching, all the way up to now. I enjoy the Christmas ones with Santa Clause the most. Anyway, it was neat to see.
*Olympic Park-this was where the famous Olympic bombing took place, but other than that, it was a really neat place. Very clean-they had people laying out, some brought their lap tops and sat in the shade to work. There was also a big fountain that kids can play in, and so there were many kids playing in the fountains, people having picnics--it was a neat atmosphere.
*Malls-they had some really nice malls on the 'ritzier' side of dowtown, with stores like: Barneys New York, Versace, COACH, Gucci, ect. We went into Barney's to look and they had a clearance rack in the mens section. We were a bit excited, but didn't have our hopes up. Micah found a t-shirt that was on clearance for 85.00. There was another dress long sleeve collar shirt for 125.00. Aghh! A highlight was when we went into the Juicy Courture store and I found some camo pants for Haven. 125.00!!! Crazy. It was fun looking though and realizing that the Britney's, Angelina, and Jessica's world do spend that much money on themselves and their kids!
*Chick Fil A and Starbucks-these were on nearly every corner. There were more Chick Fil A's around than there were McDonald's. (Georgia is where CFA is founded) There was also Starbucks on every corner, so that was nice!
*Not so fun-smog alerts due to so much traffic-the humidity was horrible-it was 95, but the heat index was like 110. The traffic wasn't too bad-Micah did an awesome job!!

We had a great time and Haven had a good time with both nana's and bapa's. She didn't ask for us once. (which is such a blessing) But we sure missed her.
There is nothing like NWA. We had fun, but we missed this area, little things like 2 lane highways instead of 6 or 7. The far left lane was reserved for people with 2 or more people in their car, to encourage people to car pool more.....weird. They also didn't allow fireworks in Atlanta. Not sure why....they did have a big fireworks show at one of their malls, but we watched it on TV in our hotel room. It was nice since it rained that night.
Hope everyone's holiday weekend turned out good.