And his name is....

We did decide on a name for this masculine bundle that constantly moves in my stomach! His name is going to be....

Josiah Scott Stake

We loved the name when we were pregnant with Hannah and it stuck with us! Josiah means "God is my support" which we are already praying for this little guy. Josiah is also a great king in the Bible, one of the few that loved and followed God. He became king at the age of 8 and as he grew, he loved the Lord and cast out the idols in Judah and rebuilt God's Temple. He also found the Book of the Law (1st 5 books of the Old Testament) in one of the walls in the Temple, and had it read to all the people out loud. As a result, the country turned back the Lord and followed Him and His statutes.

We are praying that our son would have this kind of boldness and courage for the Lord, and that He might use our Josiah for His kingdom in amazing ways.

We chose Scott for a middle name because he is our first son, and I would love to see our son grow to be much like his Daddy. My husband is an amazing man, and I admire him so much. He is strong, obedient to the Lord, courageous, willing to take a stand on what matters, incredibly intentional with our kids and me, and so loving. There is much more I could say, but it would take me all day!

So there you have it! We are looking forward to his arrival in just under 3 months and finally getting to meet this precious life that God has created face-to-face.

My Little Cloggers

Okay, this is the last one from North Carolina, I promise! :)

One night, we went into Asheville to the Fiddlin' Pig, a great BBQ place with live Bluegrass every night. We had gone last year to see Balsam Range play, so this year we went again and saw The Hominy Brothers. The girls were so excited about dancing and we got to meet the band before they started playing. They danced the night away, clogging with each other and dancing with Daddy. They even wore their black heeled church shoes because Abigail said that they were the most like real clogging shoes. Here are a couple pictures to enjoy and a short video to see the dancing queens.

More North Carolina fun

While in NC, we "hiked" at Max Patch, which is a beautiful grassy bald where the Appalachian Trail crosses through. The girls and I set up camp on a picnic blanket and the guys hiked to the top. It has a great 360 view of the mountains, and we hear that in peak leaf season it is just breathtaking. While we were there, the leaves were just starting to tinge orange, but the field was full of wildflowers. The girls had a blast picking everyone bouquets and running freely. We had a picnic lunch when the guys got back from their hike and enjoyed the gorgeous weather.

Here are the girls at the trail head, all ready for their big hike.

And, here they are playing in the wildflowers.

And, last but not least Scott and I taking advantage of the great photo op.

North Carolina Adventures

Well, we are home safe and sound from our week trip up to Wonderwood Mountain, North Carolina. We stayed with some retired friends who spend 6 months there in their cabin. It was the most wonderful week -- full of relaxation, beautiful weather, hiking, bluegrass music, and enjoying the simple things in life. We picked apples from a tree on the mountain and made applesauce, rode the ATVs up and down, enjoyed some live bluegrass while chowing down on real barbeque, and did all kinds of fall arts and crafts with the girls. I'll post several adventures over the next week or so.

Here, "Grandpa" Dave is leading the morning flag ceremony. The flag was given to his mother at his father's military funeral and now he puts it out every morning. Don't worry, I remember to flip the picture a few seconds into it! :)

It's A....

BOY!!!! We can hardly believe it! We are both so excited to welcome a little boy into our family. The girls are thrilled to have a baby brother and proud papa is thrilled to add a little more testosterone to the house!

To the right is a photo of our little man. It is his profile with a leg up over his head. Just above the head, you can see his little toes. Oh, to be that flexible!

We are praying that this little boy would grow up over the years into a strong man who loves the Lord his God with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength. We pray that he would be a leader who serves sacrificially and one who stands by his faith and the Truth of the Word. Would you join us in praying for him? We are also praying that his birth would go smoothly and without complication and that his transition into our home would be seamless.

We will keep you updated once we choose a name for this new Stake man!

Here are a couple of pics from the ultrasound -- the left one is our "It's a Boy!" shot (the arrow is pointing to the proof) and the right is his little foot as he was kicking me.

Fun with Tropical Storm Fay

As you know, Tropical Storm Fay came through this weekend and dumped massive amounts of rain on us. After a day of being couped up inside, the girls were getting cabin fever. So, they donned their bathing suits along with Daddy and went outside to play in the rain. They had so much fun, I don't think they even noticed their shivering from the cold. Of course afterwards, they came in to a nice hot bubble bath. :)

Sorry the video is sideways, I am still new to this blogging thing!!

Hannah is a Big Girl now!

At the beginning of August, Hannah got to move into Abigail's room and sleep in a big girl bed! She was very excited about the transition and loved that her bed matched her big sister's. We rearranged the room some and weeded out some of the toys to make room for the other bed. We had purchased a bunk bed and painted it white, but instead of bunking them, we decided to put them side by side and let Hannah sleep in the "top bunk" since it has some low rails around it.

Needless to say with our daredevil little 2 year old, training her to stay in bed has proven quite difficult. The first night they shared a room, Hannah kept getting out of bed and walking over to Abigail to give her hugs and kisses and make sure she was still awake. The temptation to get out and play has been too strong for her to resist and we would find her "cooking" in the kitchen at 9:00pm or thumbing through a book in the closet.

Now that it has been a few weeks, she has gained considerable self control and is staying in bed, even if she doesn't fall asleep right away. Of course, I think it helps that we turned her bed around so that the spot to crawl out now faces a wall! :) She really is a great little girl and tries hard to obey and do the right thing. We are so proud of her. Now the girls are inseperable and love sharing a room together. And the nursery is empty and awaiting its new occupant in January!

Here are the bouncing sisters -- so excited about sharing a room!!

And here is Hannah, finally tuckered out from all her nap time antics. Isn't she precious?

My baby is going to Kindergarten!!

It is official! Abigail started Kindergarten on Monday. It was a big day in the Stake household and we spent a long time preparing her. She was so excited about going. We had gone to the Orientation on Friday morning where we got to meet her teacher (who she already knew from church!) and see all her new friends. We played for about two hours in her classroom and on the playground, so all her nerves were gone come Monday morning. Hannah loved the Friday morning Orientation as well, and she promptly informed me that "I go Kin-garten with Abidail, too. I big girl."

Of course, Mommy was camera crazy on her first day, documenting the big day. Here she is all set to go at home. Daddy was armed with the video camera, capturing her reactions.

We walked her in to her classroom and got her all settled in. She sat down to color a picture and then said, "Bye, Mom! See you at lunchtime!" And that was it. :) The school hosted a Boo Hoo Breakfast for all the Kindergartener's parents, which Scott and I went to. I wondered if I would get emotional sending my eldest daughter off to school, but I was just happy to see her enjoying her new adventure. I still went to the Boo Hoo Breakfast though, because a pregnant woman does not turn down food for any reason.

Here is a photo of our family in her classroom right before we left:

Baby #3 is on the way!

It is hard to believe that I am already 18 weeks pregnant with our third little bundle of joy! The time is flying by. I am slowly starting to show and have been feeling the baby kick for about 4 weeks now. We will have our big ultrasound next Wednesday to find out what we are having. Will it be a boy this time? Or another precious girl? At this point, only God knows!

But I rest assured each day that He knows this little one completely and has planned every day of his or her life even now, before he or she has lived yet one of them. This child is fearfully and wonderfully made by the Creator of the Universe and He has gifted this little one to us for a purpose. He has a perfect and mighty plan for this child, and we are honored to be a part of it.

Please continue to pray that our pregnancy and delivery go well, and that this little one is healthy and strong. I have been feeling really well and have only been plagued with headaches and fatigue now and then. I am so thankful for this blessing, so that I can concentrate on caring for Scott, Abigail, and Hannah.


Here is a photo of our first ultrasound at 10 weeks. The baby was really on the move that morning and our doctor was earning his pay trying to keep this sweet child in the picture!