He's finally here!

Benjamin Christopher Flora arrived on Friday, Aug. 27th at 12:41 PM. He was 21 inches long and weighed 8 lbs, 1 oz. He's been quite healthy and eats like a champ. We don't see his dark little eyes all that often. We're so excited to finally hold him. The labor and delivery went very smoothly--no problems at all, aside from a less-than-effective epidural. Rylee seems to be adjusting well. She loves to kiss him and is quick to say, " Bless you, Ben," whenever he sneezes. She has even asked to hold him a couple of times.

I've been taking it easy, trying to rest up when I can (I actually need to get off this computer and go take a nap since everyone else in the family is asleep). Rylee has noticed that I don't do much but rest, as a recent conversation with my mother showed:

Nana: What does Nana drive?

Rylee: A vroom vroom black car.

Nana: What does Pops drive?

Rylee: A truck.

Nana: What does Mommy drive?

Rylee: Mommy sits on the couch.

That child doesn't miss a thing. She's been such a good big sister already, and I look forward to seeing her and her little brother interact. I pray they'll be great friends for their entire lives!

A Little Lesson in Faith

We had a little scare with Benjamin yesterday. This normally very active baby was hardly moving at all, and only very faintly. I called my doctor, who had me come in for some tests. Long story short, 3 hours later we were told that everything looked fine. "Have a good evening," summarizes what the doctor said. While it was an exhausting afternoon, I felt peace through most of the doctor/hospital visit. I had already gotten my semi-hysterics out of the way as I was showering to get ready to leave for the appointment. It was then that I heard God say to me, "If you don't trust me with him now, you never will."

I see how this applies with both my children, born and unborn. As moms we tend to think, "I'll stop worrying about him once he's born and I can see for myself that he's okay." Once the child is born, we say, "I'll stop worrying once SIDS is no longer a threat." But I know that I will always find something to worry about no matter what stage of life my children are in. At what point will I truly give them over to God and trust that He loves them so much more than I ever could, that He knows what is best for them, and that He will be faithful to take care of them? Our little adventure yesterday was a good reminder that that point needs to be now, and I fully expect to have to do it again every day.

Whew!

Things have been very busy in Hebron, KY. First of all, we're finally settled into our new house. Praise God! He has brought us to a wonderful home in a great neighborhood that is nicer than anything we had hoped for. Our journey here was much longer than we had anticipated, but it was worth the wait and worth the lessons we learned during the wait. Besides a few boxes here and there (especially some stuff in the basement I need to go through), we're all unpacked.

The messiest room in the house is the nursery, which doesn't bother me too much, seeing how it should be empty for a few more months. We finally determined a name for its future occupant--Benjamin Christopher. We're very excited for Ben to get here and are trying to get Rylee to be excited, too. I tell her to "kiss the baby," and she'll give my belly a kiss. But one day I kissed her belly and she said, "Mommy kiss baby." So it seems this is one of those concepts that a 21-month old just won't grasp. She does understand how to boss the dog around and often tells him things like, "Palmer move!" and "Palmer go lie down." As a result I have decided that I need to be nicer to the dog. I feel a lot of pressure to model encouraging and God-honoring speech for this little parrot of a child.

Rylee was a flower girl in her first wedding this past weekend--my dear childhood friend Laura's. My little ham looked so pretty and obviously knew it. She ran down the aisle to me (I was a bridesmaid) and was thus the fastest flower girl I've ever seen. She also busted some sweet moves on the dance floor, an ability she must get from her father. Her next wedding--her Uncle Kevin's--is just a couple weeks away!

We've been going to the Cincinnati Zoo whenever we get the chance. Rylee loves to ride the carousel and the train. It also gives her the opportunity to practice her animal sounds (she learned that a turkey says "gobble gobble" last trip). I've been getting more involved with MOPS and other ministries at the church, and of course his work at the church keeps Chris busy. He's at the beginning of volleyball and softball season, so it's a good thing he got his cast off last week--yet another, and definitely his last, basketball injury. We're looking forward to a fun and exciting summer, with the arrival of Ben being the grand finale.

Never a Dull Moment

Life has changed drastically for us in the past few months. We're getting more accustomed to life in NKY, and we are loving it. Rylee is 19 months old and talking up a storm. Here's a sample conversation with her from yesterday:

Chris: Rylee, what's your name?

Rylee: Wy-ee

Chris: How old are you?

Rylee: One

Chris: How old is Mommy?

Rylee: One

So maybe she doesn't understand everything she says, but she picks up new words every day, which makes me think twice before opening my mouth with this little parrot around.

We finally have a contract on our house in Louisville, and we also have a contract on a house we LOVE in Hebron. It's in a very nice neighborhood...much nicer than we ever thought we'd get to live in. We feel like God was saving this house just for us, as it's strange to find a house priced so low in that neighborhood. We're not ashamed to be among the smallest houses in the 'hood! God has taught us so many lessons about faith and his provision during this waiting time. It hasn't been fun, but we've grown in invaluable ways. We should be settled in by the end of April.

The other big change of late is that Rylee will be a big sister around her 2nd birthday! I'm feeling great, and we're really looking forward to "Munchkin's" arrival. We'll know in about 2 weeks if we'll have a boy or girl. God has blessed us so richly since this Hebron adventure began in October, and we have so many new reasons to praise him!

What Rylee taught me in 2009

2009 has been an eventful year in the Flora family. Our sweet Rylee turned one, Chris and I went on a cruise, Chris accepted a job at Hebron Baptist Church in Northern KY, I was blessed to be able to quit my job to stay at home with Rylee, and we have found a temporary home in Hebron while we wait for our house to sell, among other things. It has been a year of tremendous growth and stretching, as God has both tested and blessed us in many ways. Here are a few things I have learned from Ryee as she has begun the transition from baby to little girl.

Always keep your purse close to your side. Rylee seems very girly in that she carries the green and pink purse that is shown in some of the pictures above everywhere. She calls it her "bah," which translates to "bag." She also loves my purse and has figured out how to unzip and empty it.

Housecleaning is exciting. She reminds me to find joy in the everyday things when having the vacuum turned on makes her ecstatic. The dog, however, does not share this love of the vacuum.

Don't be afraid to assert yourself. Now that Rylee has a rapidly-growing vocabulary, she doesn't hold back in letting us know what she wants. Instead of signing "more," she says "mo." When we want her to give us a kiss and she's not in the mood, she shakes her head and says "no." She asks for milk, apple, a bite, her baby doll, and books, and many other things.

Always pray before you eat. She folds her little hands to pray before we bring her food, and then she says some version of "amen" when we finish. She gets so excited for breakfast that she folds her hands during her morning diaper change.

Dance like nobody's watching. When she hears music of almost any sort, she starts bopping or swaying with the beat. Her drummer daddy says she's got a good sense of rhythm already.

The past year has been a blast watching Rylee grow and change daily. Now that she's 16 months old and showing a bit of 'tude, we can see that the real fun of being parents has just begun. Even when she is at her worst, we wouldn't trade being her parents for anything. As Chris and I celebrate our 3rd anniversary this week we are so thankful for the family God has given us.

We Need to Re-name This Thing

No longer can we call our blog the "Louisville Branch of the Flora Family Tree." We are moving to Northern KY as soon as our house sells because Chris has been working as the Minister of Students at Hebron Baptist Church for the last few weeks. So far the job is going great, and we love the church. The only thing we don't love is having the church in NKY and our house in Louisville. Please pray that it sells ASAP!

Chris getting his dream job means that I, Mindy, also get my dream job--I am now a stay-at-home mom! I love having taking care of the house and my family as my main focus for the day. We both feel so richly blessed, and it's neat to see how God has provided.

Rylee is doing great and growing big. She has had a cold for a few weeks, but keeps up her cuteness through the snot. She's getting close to walking. Correction: she's getting close to walking the way that most people walk. She's been walking on her knees for some time now (see video). We're just waiting for her to try her feet. This sweet little 14 month old girl has been such a joy and a blessing through the happy and sad times we've had lately. We are so blessed to be her parents.

Rylee is 1!!!

Rylee is now 1 year old! We can't believe how fast the time has passed, and how much she has grown. She is a blessing to both of us, and to just about everyone she meets. She is usually happy, and always curious. At her one year check up, we learned that she is on the same growth pattern, still around the 50%. She has 9? teeth and counting. It is hard to count due to the biting, so 9 is a good estimate. Speaking of biting, watch out when you give her a hug. Mommy found out the hard way that you shoulder is fair game!

Enjoy the video of her first birthday party. She had cake everywhere, lots of presents, and more hugs from her family than one baby should be able to handle. But handle those hugs she did.