BiRtHdAy GiRl

Our sweet Chloe turned 1 on Dec. 7th.  She experienced a lot of "firsts" throughout her first year of life.  Here are a few for you to enjoy:

Her first summer & first swimming experience.

Her first swing.

Her first bestie, Emery.

Her 1st birthday party and cake.

Her first Christmas program at school.

Her first bowling experience in Abilene at her 1st birthday celebration with family.

Her first encounter with Santa Claus.

Her first Easter.

Her first 4th of July.

Her first time to honor her Daddy on Father's Day.

Her first public dedication to the Lord at Hillside CC.

Her first time to honor her Mommy on Mother's Day. (Daddy helped them make this wonderful frame.)

Her first big girl chair.

Her first big snow in Amarillo.

Her first plane ride.

Her first Thanksgiving.

Her first Build-A-Bear.

Her first allergic reaction. (Don't know if you can see the rash in this pic or not but it wasn't fun.)

Her first trip to the Pumpkin Patch and first hayride.

Her first Halloween as the cutest little bee around.

Her first Valentine's Day.

Her first breaths in this world & first pic with Mommy and Daddy.

Her first Christmas.

 I can't believe she is already 1 year old.  Time has gone by way too quickly.  I tell both girls all the time that I wish I could put them in a bubble and keep them exactly the way they are... forever.  Unfortunately, they grow up and it happens very quickly.  I am so very thankful that the Lord has blessed us with two sweet, healthy girls to love on and guide as they continue to grow. 

Chloe Layne, you are precious and I love you more than you will ever know.  I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for you in this life.  He has created you with love and perfection for a specific purpose and I will do my best as your Mother to encourage you to seek Him wholeheartedly to fulfill that purpose.  I love you to the moon and back sweet girl!

My Chunky Monkey

My precious "chunky monkey" is 4 MONTHS old today!

  

She is rolling over from tummy to back, playing with toys, slobbering all over everything, smiling, cooing, and she absolutely loves her sister!!  Having two little girls is so much fun!  We are so blessed and thankful for two healthy, beautiful children!  

I love you both to the moon and back!!

My Sweet Valentines

Our Valentine's Day was pretty calm.  Spending time as a family, at home, was nice! 

Looking forward to UNINTERRUPTED...

SLEEP!  That is what I need!  I can't wait for the night that I get to sleep ALL NIGHT without any interruptions.  But for now, I will soak in every minute of getting to hold, snuggle, and feed my precious Chloe.  I have to check my perspective very often because it is easy to get frustrated and become bitter when it comes to sleep, or lack of sleeping!  I have to remind myself that this is a season that I will never get back, so I need to embrace every moment with joy and a thankful heart.  I GET to wake up and change diapers and feed a baby!  There will come a day that I will be wishing she was still a little baby.

Besides all of that, Bradey is wonderful to help me in the middle of the night!  Sometimes he has no clue what he is doing because he is asleep, but at least he is helping!

Our Best Gift of the Year...

Our precious new addition to the family, Chloe Layne Murphree, was born on December 7, 2009 at 12:29 p.m. She weighed 6 lbs 15 oz and was 19 inches long. She was delivered by c-section which was scheduled. She is absolutely perfect and the best gift we could have received over the holidays and the entire year of 2009! Adilyn is adjusting well as a big sister and adores Chloe. She calls her, "my baby." My heart overflows with joy every moment that I look at my two little girls that the Lord has blessed us with. Being a Mom is such an amazing thing and more of a blessing than I ever thought it could be. We are having to adjust our schedules and routines just a bit and looking forward to the moment that it all clicks together. We are very tired and exhausted but it is worth every minute. Here are a few pictures that were taken by our good friend Lezlie Andrew. She captured some very special moments of Chloe just a couple of hours after she entered this world. I love her dearly and am so thankful for her and her talents! Check her out at www.lezlieandrew.com, she is an exceptional photographer!

Proud Big Sister!

Sweet moments with Mommy!

Already cherishing his Daddy/Daughter time with her!

It has already been 1 month since she was born. Time is already flying by way too fast. She weighed 8 lbs 8 oz when she went to the doc last and we go back again next Wednesday. She is growing like a weed and changing in looks. Her hair is red like Adi's and she has blue eyes. She looks a lot like Adi did when she was born but has some differences also. She is very demanding and a little high maintenance already! :) I don't think that will change! More updates and pictures to come. Sorry it has taken me so long to get these posted but things are a little crazy around the Murphree household!

We Don't Have to Live in Fear

I have to admit that recently I have been living in such fear regarding my precious Adi and Chloe. I have found myself worrying about something bad happening to them and it has caused fear to consume my mind. Kidnapping, drowning, car accident, injuries, diseases, sickness, or death have played in my mind as occupying their future. I know that is so heavy and I hate having those thoughts. I so badly want to have peace and know and believe that I don't have to live in fear.

While reading the first chapter of The Power of a Praying Parent, she touches on this fear that we have as parents.

"We don't have to pace the floor anxiously, biting our nails, gnawing our knuckles,

dreading the terrible twos or torturous teens. We don't have to live in fear of

what each new phase of development may bring, what dangers might be lurking

behind every corner. Nor do we have to be perfect parents."

- Stormie Omartian

Recently, the Holy Spirit has been convicting me about entrusting Adilyn and Chloe to Him. Bradey and I dedicated Adilyn to the Lord on May 4, 2008 through a service held at our church. But I had no idea at the time the true power of doing that and truly trusting the Lord. Ultimately our children belong to Him and we are their earthly parents who have been given authority over them. Just recently, I have realized I have not wholeheartedly given my children to the Lord or I would not be living in this fear. That has to be such a blow to God, basically saying He is not powerful enough to take care of them, the ones He has created and breathed life into. He wants so much more from us than a church dedication service. He wants us to continue giving our children to Him and entrusting them to Him on a daily basis.

So the challenges that I'm focusing on this week are: (encouraged within the book)

• to declare myself to be in full partnership with God.
• to believe that He will carry the heaviness of the burden and provide wisdom, power, protection, and ability far beyond myself
• that I will do my job to discipline, teach, nurture, and "train up a child in the way she should go" knowing that "when she is old, she will not depart from it" (Proverbs 22:6).
• to depend on God to enable me to raise my girls properly, and He will see to it that their life is blessed.

My prayer this week is: as I cover them in prayer and release them into God's hands, that He would release my mind from particular concerns and overwhelming fears and replace it with truth, peace and comfort.

Just a warning, many of my blog entries from this point on will probably be related to this subject since this is the season I am in right now. This is my way of journaling what the Lord is doing in my heart. I hope you enjoy and are encouraged as well. I promise to also blog about other things going on in our life soon. So, I'm sorry if you get tired of hearing about becoming a praying parent!! :)

Anxiously Waiting

In about 5 more weeks we will get the blessed opportunity to meet Chloe Layne Murphree. We are overwhelmed with anxiety, excitement and even a little fear! Most of all, I can't wait for the moment I get to see what she looks like. Will she look like her sister and her Daddy? Maybe Mommy will finally get to hear, "She looks just like you!" Red hair? Blue eyes? Hmmmmmm! Adi is constantly hugging and kissing on my belly. She ask all the time if she can play with Chloe when she comes out. I think she will be a great big sister. I'm sure she will be more help than we can imagine at times!

I will be having a c-section again. It is currently scheduled for December 7th at noon. The weeks seem to go by slower and slower as we get closer. I have felt pretty good except having a head cold that just will not go away. This season of flu and H1N1 has sparked a little fear within us that we strive daily to replace with the comfort that our Lord is our Protector and Healer. So far, we have been flu free!!

I hope to be better about blogging this season! I know I say that every time I blog, so hopefully I am serious this time! :) We'll see! My life is about to change a little but I look forward to every minute as a mom with two precious girls.