What's In a Name?

Well, we finally have a name for this precious girl. The naming process for her had many firsts for us. For one, we bought our first baby name book. We also thumbed through many at Barnes and Noble. That was a fun experience. I'm not sure how we got out of that for the first three. Also, I can honestly say this is the first time I have prayed about a baby's name. It might sound crazy. But we have never been in this big of a dilemma before naming our children. A friend suggested to pray about it. Wow, what a crazy concept huh?? So we did...another first. We also thought we were set on another name, until we realized we might want to have more children, and that name rhymed with our awesome boy name...can't do that. So after much consideration we have decided to name her

Evan Lane Magee

This name is really special to us. Lane is my great grandmother's maiden name. She was a fiery lady (imagine that), who passed away when I was 12. She was a favorite of mine. And Evan means "God is Good". And for those of ya'll who have been around in the last year with us, you can attest to this truth in our lives. God has led us in some crazy directions this past year, but through all of it, we were constantly reminded of His goodness, and faithfulness. So it just seemed fitting that we would bookmark this year, with a special notation. There you have it. My mom has already blatantly said she doesn't like it because it's a boy name. And I'll agree with that. But my mom already named her children, and I ended up a Mary. So now it's my turn. :) And with Gracen and Grier being somewhat gender neutral, you can't suddenly throw in a Sophia, or Ava, or Mary Rose. You know? We are so thrilled to call this baby girl by her name...Evan.

Strange Sightings

Gracen is not quite used to sleeping in a big girl bed yet. This is how we have found her on a few occasions. Can you imagine sleeping on your feet? And apparently, her chair is more appealing then her bed??

Big Changes

Isn't it so cute and girly??
Blake's next project: paint the dresser green
Gracen walking into her room...she was so excited
So proud!
Our Little Princess
Someone else really liked it too!
First Night in her bed

(I'm a little late posting this blog...this actually took place almost 3 weeks ago)

So, we finally made the transition with Gracen to a big girl bed. I know what you're thinking...isn't she like 5 now, and way overdue?? Well, in a word-Yes! Gracen will be 3 1/2 in October. We are totally aware that this is later then most kids move out of their cribs...but you know the saying "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". Here's the deal, we own 2 cribs. Since Aiden was just 13 months when Gracen was born, we bought a second crib on Craigslist. Gracen LOVED her crib...probably way more then other kids. And she never tried to get out of it until a week before we moved her to a bed. So we thought, what's the harm? Well, with a new baby coming at the end of the year, we need that 2nd crib...and Gracen started climbing out of her crib. I bought this bed off of Craigslist and Blake painted it white. She was so excited watching the process and knowing that it was HER bed. It was really cute. We set it all up and surprised her with it. I loved it...it was such a neat time for her. It was something she didn't have to share with Grier or Aiden...it was her day. Gracen really needs that. She is already showing classic "middle child" traits. So Blake and I have been really trying to be intentional and have special time with her. She is so fun and definitely our imaginative child. She's constantly making up stories and songs. I can't wait to see what comes of all that. And then there is our very black and white eldest child, who is so annoyed with Gracen's antics and just thinks she is a liar. He is not our imaginative child. :) How are there so many combinations in our children?? I'm reminded of how God has made each of us so different and unique.

The Magee Tribe Stats: 4 Girls to 2 Boys

There's her little *girl* part

Check out her long leg! Impressive...She totally gets that from me!

(My scanner is not working. So I took pics of my sono...hence the poor quality.)

This post is way over due. We found out about 3 weeks ago that we are having another girl. I absolutely knew it too...This pregnancy mirrors my others girls...even down to cravings...just in case you want to know...tuna sandwiches, turkey sandwiches, and sweet tea. It's just what I wanted with both Gracen and Grier. Because, I have been telling everyone that we are probably having a girl...I didn't feel like there was much announcing to do. But my BFF encouraged me to announce...so here it is. We are really excited though. Now, I'll be honest...I wanted a little baby boy. I wanted Aiden to have a little brother and playmate. They would have only been

4 1/2 years apart...close enough to have a sweet friendship. So when I saw the absence of a *boy* part I knew he would not have that little brother...and that our house would be lopsided. But after about 24 hours I got really excited. It sunk in: I can't believe I'm going to have 3 daughters!! Now, for those of ya'll who knew me intimately when I was younger, like Kendall, Jo, and Joanna...you know what a terrible little girl I was...I had such a rebellious heart...and some! So I can only imagine all that God is going to do in my life with these little girls...things that he has taught me a lot later in life, I hope they understand a lot earlier!

So as some of you know, naming girls is very hard for Blake and I. We had the name Gracen within 6 months of marriage. So she was easy. Ella "Grier" proved to be trickier...we just couldn't come up with something that we both liked. And Blake associates every name with someone he knows. I'd have a fabulous name and he would say, "Well, I knew a girl in 2nd grade with that name and she was terrible." So you see what I mean? And now we have to come up with a 3rd girl name! One that flows with the rest of our other names-Mom! She tried to sell me on the name Mary Rose yesterday. I thought she was kidding. But it turns out she thought that name was perfect for the Magee Tribe...not so much. So HELP ME PLEASE! I need some girl names. As all of our family and friends know, we name our babies quickly and start calling them that. And this baby is still "The Baby".