Our Next 9 Days...

Tomorrow we will have another one of THESE... 

Then drive HERE...

Then on Wednesday, we will hop on this....

AND FLY HERE...

to celebrate HER :) 

images 2-5 found via

I will be back NEXT week with LOTS of stories, photos, updates, and PICTURES!!!! This will be the last time I see my family and friends before Stella makes her winter debut... So the goodbyes are going to be AWFUL next week :( BUT I am so grateful I get to go back at all. 

Please pray for our health (all 3 of us), safe travel, and that we are able to soak up every moment with family and friends and get everything done that we need to! 

PS: Logan felt little Stella KICK today! I must say... there is NO greater feeling in the world than knowing she is safe and sound in my tummy. What a miracle.  We are humbled and blessed. 

5 :)

1. My date to Le Opera, my 7 year old niece Kailyn.  This year it was "Hanzel and Gretel" - we had so much fun! 

 On the drive home there were even fireworks! If only I could have taken credit for them haha- she still thought it was pretty cool! 

 

2.  My MIL gave me some antique silverware that was her Mother-in-laws, passed down to her, and now to me! It is gorgeous and even has a little "M" engraved on the stem of each piece of silverware.  

Look what a little polish can do! :) Thanks to my Frenchman for taking the toothbrush and getting after it! 

3. This past week I got to catch up with 2 of my "Dream Team girls" (AKA College besties) Amanda and Bromli.  It was SO refreshing and wonderful to catch up on life and reminisce about how we went from Texas A&M, to living and working in Dallas, all of us getting engaged and married, and now BABIES on the brain! Where does the time go? This was taken only 6 short years ago... SO much has changed! 

My "Dream Team" from Left to Right: Bromli, Me, Amanda, Annie, Allison, and Katie

4. 18 weeks and going strong! 

5.  And LAST but NOT LEAST... I am going to be in DALLAS this time, NEXT WEEK!!! I am having 2 baby showers thrown by my sisters and friends! Logan gets to join me this time and is foaming at the mouth just thinking of Taco Bell haha :) We cant wait to celebrate Little Miss Stella with our family and friends before her debut this winter! 

PS If you are thinking this is the earliest baby shower to ever exist, you are right.  My doctor did not want any international travel so he told me the earlier, the better.  So 20 weeks it is! At least I'm still in the cute 2nd trimester bump stage I suppose? 

HER NAME....

If you've been reading my blog for awhile, you already knew Little Miss Frenchy's name because I referenced it in this post after my grandfather died.  To catch you up, the final conversation I had with my G-daddy before he passed away in 2009 was concerning Logan and I moving to France and naming our first baby girl after my Nannie, Estelle Marie Harrell.  We would call her "Stella" for short.  My heart was SO full when we found out we were having a girl because I was finally able to fulfill that promise.  I like to think G-daddy mentioned the legacy to my Nannie the very next night when he entered the Pearly Gates.  

Nannie was part of the fondest childhood memories I have... she cultivated a love for MAKING things from an early age- sewing, painting, and anything DIY.  She also taught me how to fish, water ski, play dominoes, and drive WAY before I was 16 ha! I can also blame her for my shopping habit ;)  I still get tickled every time I walk into "Targets" (which is what she called it) and walk by the popcorn.  It was a ritual of ours every time we went shopping there.  I can think of no better person for our little one to be named after... I hope our little Stella embodies everything that Nannie was to me: adventurous, loving, completely selfless, loved to laugh, spontaneous, humble, hard working, generous, and a devoted wife and follower of Christ. 

Nothing quite like it...

I felt her kick tonight.  

It was unmistakeable.  

FINALLY, this was it! I have had a few "maybe" flutters and popcorn moments over the past week, but tonight was OUR moment.  

The moment where her hand or foot collided with mine.  

I can't even begin to describe the feeling.  All I know is I was taken aback, then tears of joy ran down my face.  I am still crying as I type this, to be honest. 

I have to confess that sometimes fear just finds a way to creep back in.  I have felt SO great this second trimester that sometimes I really don't "feel" pregnant.  I do get out of breath and tired, but other than that I am back to being "Abby" - just with a growing belly.  

But sometimes I worry... that something isn't right, that something could go wrong again, and that this is too good to be true.  My fear tells me this pregnancy is going WAY too smoothly, so I worry about her. I've been hoping and praying to feel her move as affirmation that everything is going okay. 

Well, I got that affirmation tonight.  As I pressed my hand on my abdomen, she kicked back impulsively.  I did it again and she punched back.  I didn't want to bug her so I just sat there smiling and sure enough, another unprompted punch.  I rested my hands back on my stomach and started bawling big happy tears when I felt her move 2 more times.  

My baby girl is alive and well and moving around inside of me.  Thank you Lord for the encouragement tonight, it is exactly what I needed. 

We have our next appointment 1 week from today! We are anxious and ready to see our little one again and how big she has grown over the past 7 weeks! 

via

The Future...

I am terrified and excited about the future of our family.  We wrestle with this decision on a weekly basis... Stay in France? Return to the USA?  Our commitment here is for 2 years and the first year has flown by SO quickly! In order to move back, we have to start thinking through things now.

FIRST AND FOREMOST: WHERE DO WE WANT TO LIVE? We are truly at a crossroads.  We will have a newborn baby girl and a big, white, blank open canvas.... The world at our fingertips. Exciting and TERRIFYING at the same time.

Do we continue our stay in Europe as I continue to learn the language and culture Logan grew up in? Can we really walk away from easy access to all of these unexplored countries right at our fingertips? Beach vacation to Spain or Greece? Completely feasible... not so much if we were flying in from Texas.

OR do we go back to the comfort zone of Texas where all of my family, friends, and any sort of career connections I have reside? But that heat.... oh the heat... 

Do we branch out and try something BRAND NEW? We have done the Dallas thing with my family and the France thing with his family. Maybe we try something fresh, exciting, and new together? Start a life, just the 3 of us. The Carolinas? What about Logan's beloved New England...but I love the West Coast weather...

How do we find a middle ground?  We are starting from what feels like ground zero.  What do you want to be when you grow up? Where do you want to live? These elementary school "MASH" games are now our reality.  My priority is first and foremost my family of 3, but outside of that I do desire for my children to have a close relationship with their grandparents and in our bi-continental situation that is going to take effort.  I know that this decision is not the "end all, be all" of where we will grow old, but I do like the idea of planting roots and growing up in a familiar neighborhood and having lifelong friendships.  I also know that the older we get, the harder it is to uproot your family.

So we are back to the beginning.... What are we going to do? I don't have the answers... we are currently bathing this decision in prayer and hopefully we will get some clear direction in the months to come. I just hope I have the courage and faith to take a leap of faith in whichever direction He leads us. 

All images via

5 :) Newborn Photo Inspiration Edition

I have kind of come to terms with having to create my OWN newborn photo shoot.  We have researched photographers in our area and lets just say... we don't share the same "vision." :) So I have been reading up on props, lighting tricks, and searching all over etsy for the perfect blankets and headbands.  Here are 5 of my favorite inspirational images so far... now to find that perfect little doll cradle... 

ALSO:  I would LOVE to hear about your favorite Etsy shops for fun newborn accessories. If you know of any, please send my way! 

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All images found via Pinterest. 

Happy 1 Year, France!

I have a confession: I cried when I looked at these pictures altogether. Can you believe everything we have been able to do in a year?  How blessed we are.  What a HUGE year.  A leap of faith that turned into such a journey for me as an individual, our marriage, and NOW a growing family of 3! I would have laughed at you if you would have told me "This time, next year, you will be packing up to visit Dallas for a BABY SHOWER for your BABY GIRL!" I mean wow. Looking over the past 12 months makes me realize how quickly life passes us by and how grateful I am for the moments we have captured and cherished in our time over here in France.  I am not sure what the future holds for our family, but I do know that He is in control and will provide.  What a ride this year has been. I can't wait to see what Year 2 in France brings us! Up to this point, it has exceeded my wildest expectations, been some of the more trying months of my life, and birthed new aspirations, dreams, and goals for our family.  J'Adore Ma Vie... I adore this life. 

And just to reminisce... This was US... THIS VERY DAY, LAST YEAR... le sigh...