Halle Beth

Our sweet girl is absolutely tiny!!!

Brian likes to title this picture as,

"Halle got eaten by her car seat!"

Rarely do we see these beautiful eyes, but when we do it's a treat! (Really like... "RUN! Get the camera her eyes are open!")

How are the kids doing...

Our new family of 6!!

Haynes sweet response when he figured out Halle was a girl was, "Mommy I knew it!!" He also likes to refer to her as "Sally Beth!"

Port already is quite the protector of sweet Halle. He is insistent that he holds her immediately when he sees her!

Child protection has a knew meaning in our family...We had a nurse come in to check on Halle while the kids were there. She had 6 eyes glued to her and eventually was confronted by Port. They LOVE their new sister even more than I could have imagined!!

Ella's favorite thing to say is, "Ooh...she smells good!!"

She also likes to refer to her as "Howie!"

She's Here!!

It's a Girl!!

Halle Beth Hartsock

5 pounds 3 oz

17 inches

12:51 pm

Romans 15:13

"I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit."

Everyone watching our sweet girl get cleaned up!!

Waiting...

Friday morning at 12:00 a.m we checked into the hospital. We were expecting to checkin and sleep until 7-8am when Dr. Parker came in...that's not quite how it went! After a long night of contractions, epidural, and checking on our baby's heart rate there was no sleeping for us!

The next morning our friends and family joined us to wait! We bought the kids their own cameras to make some memories with, they loved them!

The boys loved checking out where Daddy had been sleeping that night.

All of my sweet friends came too! I can't even begin to describe how loved I felt by them. Each of their timing and encouragement was amazing!

My kids were beyond EXCITED! Thankfully they weren't too freaked out by my oxygen mask, that never left my face. The baby did much better when I rested, so every now and then I would get a few visitors but I tried to rest as much as possible. Ella was so sweet she would come hold my hand and kiss it. At one point I hear "I have to show Beau my mom!" Around the corner comes Haynes and Beau, after a little reassuring I think Beau was okay:-)

Last day as a family of 5!!

Tomorrow is the big day!

We finally get to meet the newest member of our little family and we just can't wait! I couldn't hardly sleep last night because of excitement to see what God has in store for our family. I have been beyond blessed over the last few weeks- I have felt GREAT! I feel like the Lord has really given me a gift of being able to enjoy these last few weeks of pregnancy and really love my family as we prepare for our little one.

Here's a little glimpse into our family today...tomorrow it will look much different I'm sure:

Port-

Brian has been meeting with a lot of people in the mornings lately and Port decided he doesn't like the idea of mommy being by myself while we are waiting on the baby. Port will get up at 5 am and come get in bed with me, to make sure someone is with me at all times. What a sweet protector!

He's stepping into the stage of not taking naps everyday. He absolutely LOVES missing his naps although he really loves a 3 hour nap the next day too! He's been playing basketball with the big kid neighbors during nap time lately, while mom keeps an eye on him through the window:-) He's quite the helper around the house...always makes his bed before he leaves his room, feeds hartley, does his dishes, and quick to respond when asked to try a new thing.

He is pretty convinced this week that we are having a boy, but has gone back and forth throughout the entire pregnancy. He was completely right with Ella, so we will see if his most recent guess of a boys is correct tomorrow.

Haynes-

Haynes really loves his mommy and daddy! It can switch who is his most favorite, but I think mommy wins the award right now. I can't leave him without him telling me how much he is going to miss me, it makes him sad when I'm gone, and then a long hug and kiss to our baby. (I wish I had a picture of that!)

He plays harder than any kid I know, but when it comes time to sleep he is the hardest kid to get out of bed. We are having a hard time getting up from naps right now, no matter how long they are...Once he is down he would just assume sleep for the night! The problem with that is that his bedtime would be around 7 pm! He loves Port more than anything and loves getting to play basketball with him and the big kids (jake and tripp). He's the sweetest, most gentle, boy's boy that I know! There is something about his love for babies and animals that is so endearing! Haynes usually refers to the baby as a girl, but will change if he thinks Port doesn't agree:-) He likes to refer to the baby as "Sweety."

Ella Rose-

Ella gets more fun every single day! She is constantly keeping me on my toes, but you just can't help fall in love with her. She should have a camera on her at all times between her responses, faces, dances, etc. She is always entertaining!

Her new favorite thing is fixing your hair with a little kit JuJu got her. I love watching the boys sit so still and let her fix their hair while watching a quiet time video in the morning. It reminds me of dressing Josh up in costumes and makeup....they are great brothers! She is pretty much potty training herself, which who could complain! She has a real sensitivity to praying for healing, it feels different than any of my kids. She is quick to pray for other, ask for prayer, and celebrate victories all on her own without prompting.

Ella is the most consistent with calling this new baby a "GURL." She loves to see my belly, kiss it, and talk to her new baby sister. Last week I asked her what she wanted to name the baby girl and her response was, "A boy!"

We will soon find out!

Thanks Aunt Kourtney!

Aunt Kourtney and Preslee dropped by to give Ella her first "Big Sister" gift. Unfortunately we were taking bubble baths, painting nails, and listening to worship so we missed them! Ella loves her sweet shirt Kourtney did for her with her new machine.

Afternoon at the Zoo

After BSF and haircuts we decided to spend the beautiful afternoon at the zoo. I didn't even bring a stroller because I thought we would see how tired we could get these kids. I think their two favorite things at the zoo are the little animal statues and the parks...not the animals! Ella is kissing the turtle since she couldn't fit on the back.

Ella loved the goats! She was super sweet to them, but does scare easy when it comes to just about any animal or insect. She encountered a pheasant and a few other birds that she was not super excited about...maybe she gets that from her Aunt Jenny.

Haynes on the other hand is the most nurturing, rough-and-tumble, 3 year old boy I've ever met. He absolutely LOVES the birds and is so gentle with them. He really liked this one because he thought it was saying "Thank you!" for the treats. What a polite birdy!?!

Haynes and Lolli were the tough ones in the bird area. Port, Ella and I attempted for a while but were just fine watching from the outside!

Treats and snacks to end our day at the zoo!

Hunger stirs up Hunger...

Lately the Lord has been speaking to me about how "hunger stirs up hunger." I've been processing this more on a corporate level, but the Lord has been showing us hunger in our sweet 5 year old.

This week on our way to BSF Port started our conversation with "Jesus doesn't have a dad because He and God are the same thing..." (Jesus give me wisdom and grace...and keep my other two little ones quiet for a little bit!) I decided to drive through and get coffee so we could have some extra car chat time.

I explained that it can be a little confusing but while God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are the same thing...God is our father, that's why we call him "Papa, Daddy, etc." His next question was "if they are the same then why did Jesus come to earth." So we walked through how when Adam and Eve took the fruit from the tree they allowed sin into the earth. God sent his son Jesus to be the sacrifice (like how they sacrificed animals in the OT) so that we could be free from sin. "Oh yeah mom, that's why Jesus had to die on the cross and then be raised from the dead!"

Next question..."when was the Holy Spirit born?" Well Port, I'm not really sure but when Jesus was raised and came back to earth he told the disciples that he was going to go be with the father and he was sending us a helper...the Holy Spirit. "So what does the Holy Spirit look like?" I don't really know what the Holy Spirit looks like, what do you think? "I think he's blue and white."

Then I started talking to him about how I haven't ever seen the Holy Spirit, but I can feel when he is with me...As I started describing different ways that I know the HS is with us he stopped me and said, "Mom I know when he is with us...he's here right now!"

This is just a little segment of our sweet conversation that might be one of my most favorite moments with Port yet. I know the Holy Spirit was with us because Haynes and Ella NEVER spoke a word! It's moments like this that really nothing feels like it can even compare to being a mommy to these sweet kids. I truly believe that Port is stirring up a hunger in our family, community and eventually the nations!

Creek Adventure

Sutton, Kooper, Braxton, Port

Brian has been telling the boys for about 2 years that he is going to take them on an adventure down the creek by Lion's park. Saturday he called Uncle Jake and made the plan...the boys were beyond excited!

Brian said Haynes slipped more than anyone...I would have to agree since I am still working on cleaning those shorts.

I heard this cave was quite intense, much to Haynes dismay...

I sure do LOVE these boys!

I love your sense of adventure...God has big plans for these mighty men!!

New Golf Cart...beautiful weather!

My Poppy decided to trade us golf carts, because he thought his was too powerful. (We obviously agreed to the trade!) Saturday was absolutely amazing outside so we spent most of it outside. We borrowed a trap from Grandad and took it to the Bauer's to help them catch an armadillo. Then we walked to Starbuck's and the park...it was a dream morning! I love our sweet family time!

Dinner with Jon and Liz

Jon and Liz invited us over for dinner this weekend. They made us homemade Lebanese food (Jon's favorite) and then we enjoyed a fun night together. Haynes LOVED the lebanese food, Port tried everything but really enjoyed the pj&j too! They had some great toys to entertain the kids while we got to catch up. Thanks guys for loving on our family so well!

Girls Lunch

Daddy had a meeting so I took Ella on a lunch date to her choice, Chick-fil-a. The weather has been so pretty and the kids have been begging to wear flip flops. We decided to stop at Old Navy and get flip flops for everyone. Ella couldn't wait to give them to the boys when we picked them up from school. I just love this sweet girl!

Happy Birthday Asher!

Asher had a fun dance party for his 2nd birthday!

My kids absolutely adore sweet Asher. When it came for cake time, my three completely surrounded him!

Happy Birthday sweet Asher!

Park with Beau and Annie

The weather has been absolutely AMAZING this week! We have been trying to get our best friend boys (Haynes and Beau) together a little more often, so we planned lunch date. We had the best time getting together and got A LOT of sun too!

We were swinging before we left and the kids were so cute. They said, "Look mom! Next week our baby can swing in the only swing left." I can't believe that in less than a week we will be meeting our newest member to our family!

Valentines Cards

My favorite part of Valentine's Day is the cards we do for our kids. Brian and I both buy the kids cards and write them notes about the things we love most about them. I bought some cute Valentine's backpacks from PotteryBarn that we keep all our cards in from every year. I have had the hardest time keeping the kids out of their backpacks all month...they LOVE this tradition!

We did our cards when we got home from dinner. This year we both bought everyone music cards, so they had to dance when they opened their cards:-) Then they stand up and let us read our card aloud in front of everyone.

Ella waiting patiently while she continues to apply lipgloss:-)

Port (our crazy dancer) might love this tradition the very most! He could hardly wait for his turn to receive his cards.

Ella loved the dancing part the most. One day she will love looking back at the different cards and read about the things we loved about her when she was two years old!

Valentines Day

We gave the kids their Valentines gifts on Monday night. I bought the boys gifts (basketball jersey and basketballs) and Brian bought Ella her gift (bubble bath, lip gloss and a book). They were super excited!

Next we surprised the kids and took the to PoPs! They each got to pick out a drink...

Ella-purple juice

Port- Dr. Pepper

Haynes- Blue Soda

Ella LOVED her lipgloss...I think it was completely used by the end of the night!

At dinner we go around the table and share what we love most about each person in our family. Our kids are actually getting to the age that it is really fun to hear their sweet answers...especially to each other!

Lolli and Champ got each of the kids a new animal that hasn't left their sight since Monday...

Valentine's Dinner with my favorite Valentines!

Daddy ended the evening with a fun ice cream treat. Our kids devoured it and made a huge mess...I couldn't stop laughing!!

Snow Day #2!!!

We were so excited to get a REDO on our Snow Day this week! Daddy didn't have to go to work on Wednesday...and it honestly felt like Christmas morning when he broke the news to us. We started with a fun family breakfast of eggs, monkey bread, pineapple, and bacon!

Daddy took everyone out to play in the snow. Ella lasted about 10 minutes before she was inside requesting hot chocolate! The boys headed to the park and enjoyed sliding in the snow!

After a movie, Valentine cards, and lunch Brian took the boys sledding with their cousins. I always had some hot chocolate waiting. Ella and I stayed back and did some fun girl things...painted nails, bubble baths, and books!

Best Snow Day Ever!