Play "date"

This won't be a very long entry since I am exhausted and want to watch American Idol! But, I had to post a few pictures from our morning out.

I've been trying to take advantage of my flexible work week by taking Eveley out of the house to do fun things. We've played with the neighbors, ran errands, and today, we got to go to the mall! We met Bridget and the boys early this morning at the mall's play area. Eveley loved it. She is a real climber and seemed to enjoy being around so many other children. But, just like her brother, the main attraction to her was the gold electrical outlet in the floor right outside of the play area.

Parker seems to really like Eveley. He's very sweet to her. If you can't tell, the "slide" at the play area is the Declaration of Independence. We live in a very historical town! So, this was really an advanced, educational experience.


After the kids had their share of playtime, we ventured into the stores to do some shopping. The kids were great and we were able to get a fair amount of shopping done! Here are a few pictures of the kids socializing while the moms hurried in and out of the dressing rooms.





Graham and Eveley kept holding hands!

Until Parker took over!!

Like Brother, Like Sister

It's official. Eveley loves outside. Today, we had beautiful weather -- low 70s and sunny skies. Since my boss is on vacation this week, my schedule is a bit more flexible. So we headed outside for a walk.

We walked up the hill, around the neighborhood, and headed straight to the Chambers' to see if they could come outside and play! Fortunately, they love "Baby Eveley" and eagerly shared their swingset.


I enjoyed letting Eveley have her first taste (literally) of the outdoors. She found the gravel in the driveway just as appealing as her brother did. She too lit up when the neighbor's dog ran over to give her a lick. And, just like Robbie, she pitched a fit when it was time to return inside.



Eveley and I had a wonderful day enjoying the sun, the breeze, and the peaceful sights and sounds of creation. I'm sure Robbie could say the same!

A Visit with Big Mama

So, it all started when I got married. It was a little awkward between Bob and my mother. He didn't know what to call her, and she didn't want him referring to her as Mrs. McCay or "Lauren's mother." As mom pestered Bob to choose a name for her, she began to offer suggestions. In various emails, she would sign her name with a different term, leaving it to Bob to pick the perfect one. In an effort at humor, she proposed Hot Mama, Mother Theresa, Mother of Pearl, and "Big Mama." Well, that was it. It stuck! Now, if you know my mother, the name hardly fits her. But it is kinda funny.

Mom came to visit this past Thursday, and we had a great time. I love having my mother here. That woman is a work horse and brings so many creative ideas to help me organize my home. I love that. Sometimes, I realize all the necessary projects but just don't enjoy doing them by myself. It's much more fun working with my mom while we chat.


We painted my guest bedroom, hung an upholstered headboard and new curtains (that my mom made me for Christmas), rearranged the nursery, organized the toys and baby clothes, and got rid of a ton of junk! I realized I am a pack rat! But, you never know when you may need the headphones to my college walkman or a fake purple flower arrangment.... Goodbye to Goodwill!

We also hosted a little playdate with some of my MOPS girlfriends and their kids. I wanted my friends and my mother to meet eachother.




Bob says I can't have a conversation without saying, "My mom says," or "Well, my mom does," and he's probably right! I love my mother (and my dad)! They really are the most selfless people I know, and they both have shown me and my 4 siblings true, unconditional love.

I have learned a million things from my mother. But, the most recent is how to sew! When I was in Tennessee in January, we bought a simple pattern and she taught me how to sew. There are too many cute fabrics for little girls, and I really enjoy it. Eveley wore a dress I made her today to church. I thought she looked adorable!


Mom left this morning. And even though it was a short visit, we got so much accomplished and had a ton of fun. We love you, Big Mama!

Joy Comes in the Morning!

Since I only recently started blogging, I decided to take a few steps back and remember the arrival of our little princess.

I was so impatient waiting for Eveley's birth. As you can imagine, our transition away from a lively house with an energetic 2-year-old boy was very difficult. The silence was deafening and the memories so loud. We were surrounded by the toys. The snacks were in the cabinets, and I could still see smudge marks of little fingerprints on the windows. It was hard!

Eveley was due on April 24, but I was determined not to have to wait that long. In the month leading up to her arrival, I was already dialated 3 cm and the doctor assured me she could come anytime! Well, I wasn't so sure. So I purchased some castor oil and kept it in the cabinet just in case.

I couldn't take it anymore! I decided Wednesday, April 18, was as good a day as any. So, around noon, I mixed a little castor oil with orange juice, held my nose, and chugged it! It was as awful as it sounds. In fact, I am almost heaving as I'm writing this.

Bob came home from work around 3 to take care of a tree that had fallen across our driveway. Around 4 (I remember this because I was watching Oprah!), I started feeling a little funny. I started looking at my watch when I would feel the tense pain and noticed they were coming pretty regularly - about ever 3 or 4 minutes. Well, that doesn't make sense, I thought. Contractions are supposed to start out at 10 minutes apart and then gradually get closer together. After about an hour of this, I called my doctor, and he said I could head to the hospital. The pain was getting pretty intense and coming regularly every 3 minutes. I told Bob it was time to go. "Okay," he said. "Let me go iron my shirt." "No problem," I replied!

We got in the car and made the 20-minute drive to the hospital. I did not have one contraction the whole trip. I felt like such a fool and thought this had to be false labor. So, we decided to walk around the parking lot for a little while before heading inside. Then, the contractions started again with a vengeance!

Around 6:45, we made it to the OB floor and the nurse showed us our room. We walked in and realized this was the same room where I had given birth to Robbie almost 2 years earlier. Bob was overcome with emotion.

Long story short, it was time to begin pushing at 8:50 and little Eveley Joy entered the world at 8:58. Not bad! She was beautiful and seemed to recognize our voices immediately. Just as he had done with Robbie, Bob took her into his arms and began singing to her. She calmed down right away.


It took some time getting use to having this new little one in our house and in our hearts. But she has reminded us how large our capacity is to love.

Her name is Eveley Joy. She is named after my maternal grandmother, Evelyn. And her middle name, Joy, was given to me by the Lord not long after Robbie went to heaven. "Though sorrow may last for the night, Joy comes in the morning." I think it's perfect!

On a side note, I just discovered yesterday that the first time the word "love" is used in the Bible is when God is talking to Abraham about his son Isaac. In Genesis 22, the Lord refers to Isaac as "your only son whom you love." Pretty neat!

The Nursery

When I found out I was pregnant with Robbie, decorating the nursery was the biggest decision I had to make. Because he would be Robert Emmet Byrne, III, picking a name was not the difficult task. I knew I wanted to use farm animals and looked forward to him learning to make all of the different animal sounds.

Fortunately, my mom and sister (Marme and Aunt Kate) are talented artists and were able to come and help decorate. It was perfect! And as Robbie got older, each morning we would go around the room rehearsing the different sounds. We soon realized that we forgot an important animal -- the monkey! Of course, it's not a farm animal, but (thanks to Aunt Kate) Robbie LOVED making a monkey sound.

When it came time for Eveley to move in, I wrestled with how I would decorate the nursery for her. She is a girl, after all, but I wasn't ready to completely start over in that room. So, mom came back and "girlied" it up for Eveley. Most of the animals are in twos - one is a rough and tumble boy, and the other now has painted nails, lipstick and a bow! The kitty cat was added to keep the dog company. And, you'll notice the apple tree received a special carving!

I know the time will come when Eveley will want a big girl room, and I look forward to decorating that for her. But, maybe by then we will have a new one (or TWO) to enjoy the nursery!

Angel Eveley

Miss Eveley is an angel. Seriously, we often look around for her wings and halo. She was handpicked and delivered to us by God.



When I first found out I was pregnant with her, the only thing I dreaded was those long, sleepless nights. But I did dread it!And then Eveley Joy was born. A friend who had just given birth to her fourth child gave me some great advice. From the start, she said, feed her every four hours. Her newborn was already sleeping through the night, so I listened.

The first night at the hospital, I told the nurses that I would like Eveley brought to my room every four hours. She was a great eater and nursed pretty well from the beginning (unlike Robbie!). As far as I can remember, there were about 4 or 5 nights where I had to get up with Eveley more than once. And at 4 weeks, she was sleeping through the night. The next several months, Eveley Joy continued to sleep well. And I mean well! She would go to bed between 7:30 and 8:00 and wake up many times after 10 -- that's 10:00 IN THE MORNING. Now, don't freak out. I was checking on her. She was breathing and full. She was just our little angel who enjoyed to sleep. Her daddy calls her Sleepy Peepers (or Sleepers for short), and she continues to live up to her name. Now, she doesn't sleep as late any more. She's in bed around 7 and up by 7. But I'm not complaining.

I have been given much grief by some friends (ahem... Bridget!) for relaying this story. So, I thought I would show the other side of Angel Eveley as well.

Friday night we were having a couple over for dinner. I needed some time to pick up the toys, set the table, and start dinner. So (after waking up from her long nap), I let Eveley play upstairs in her room. She LOVES her room. I had the monitor on and could tell she was enjoying herself. When I went to get her a few minutes later, this is what I saw.






Honestly, it was a normal, clean room when I left. Thankfully, my company would not be coming upstairs. So, I just closed the door and laughed. My little angel is a mess!

Christmas at the Greenbrier

Christmas 2007 was fabulous. We were able to go to the Greenbrier for a few days of quality, relaxing family time.

We arrived on Saturday and were welcomed by the wonderful staff. They say the Greenbrier has 3 staff memebers per guest, and you can definitely feel the difference. It's pretty pricey but we were told that all of the gratuities were included in the resort fee -- except for the bellmen. A nice man helped us unload the van. He packed up all of our luggage, bags and packages and followed us to the front desk. Once we were checked in, he gave us a mini tour of the resort and showed us to our room. He proceeded to unload our luggage, store it in the closets, hang up our clothes, and give us more information about our stay. What a nice man. As he left, Bob gave him a firm handshake, thanked him for his help and courtesy, and left him with his tip. We had not talked about this beforehand, so I was curious how much Bob tipped him. "Two dollars," he replied. I almost fainted! "TWO dollars?" I gasped. Could there be a worse tip? I mean, if you didn't give him anything, he would believe you simply assumed it was included in the resort fees. But, two dollars!!!?? I was mortified,and so was Bob! [We were definitely showing the world that the Greenbrier was a little too high class for us!] Bob jumped on the internet and googled the subject. Yes, two dollars was a little low. The conventional wisdom is that you should tip (at a 5-star resort) FIVE DOLLARS PER BAG! Well, the next day, Bob hunted down our bellman and explained that he had "made a big mistake," and handed him an appropriate tip. The bellman was very gracious and said, "No worries!"

After we were settled in our room, we began to explore. They had a wonderful Christmas weekend planned. In the afternoons in the main lobby they would serve delicious hot chocolate and apple cider. There was a buffet of cinnamon sticks, mocha whipped cream, sprinkles, chocolate shavings and more. This became our favorite time of the day.

On Monday, the culinary experts carved Santa's sleigh, reindeer, and a couple penguins out of ice. It was neat to watch, and we got to sit in the sleigh for pictures (see below). That night, Christmas Eve, was the Gingerbread Ball. I cannot adequately describe the setting. It was just gorgeous and a little girl's dream. There were ballerinas, balloon artists, magicians, and Santa. Inside the ballroom was a life-size gingerbread house, numerous ice sculptures, a band and dance floor, jesters, and the most unbelievable buffet ever. They even had a kid's buffet that was low to the floor and included corn dogs, pizza, chicken fingers and all the favorites. The adult buffet was very gourmet and delicious. We had a wonderful evening together, and, with the help of a canister of puffs, were able to stay for the show.


Christmas morning, we were awakened by Eveley (of course). We read the Christmas story together in Luke 2 and let her open her presents. She loved the book given to her by "cousins" Parker and Graham and especially enjoyed the crinkly paper.


This was a memorable Christmas in many ways. And, I think like never before, we were able to celebrate the birth of Christ with a new understanding and realization of its power and promise. "Praise be to God for His indescribable Gift!"