"The Face"

We are proud parents.  So there are numerous ways we could boastfully describe Luke in honor of his 18 month birthday: smart, sensitive, adventurous, sweet, and yes, even willful.  But the one trait that seems to be most evident in Luke's personality is his wonderful sense of humor!  Here's a glimpse of what I mean:

But among all of Luke's silly expressions, nothing compares to "the face."  Perhaps we are uncreative, but that's what we call it.  Luke came up with this on his own, and he does it on command.  At this point, anyone could ask him to make this face, and he'd do it.  It never ceases to bring Paul and me to loud laughs, which I'm confident is his reason for continuing this entertainment.   So there's no more accurate way to describe Luke's life these days than to share these pictures of "the face."  Enjoy!

The prize-winning picture.

Notice the baggy eyes.  "The face" is appropriate even after having only been awake for 15 minutes!

"Anything to make you laugh!"

And here he is in action:

Happy 18 month birthday, little Luke!  You are a delight to this family, and your cheerful heart is good medicine (Proverbs 17:22)!  We love you, and we pray that you will choose to live your life for God's glory which brings the greatest joy!

Caleb is 8 Weeks!

Today Caleb turned 8 weeks old.  By God's grace, the transition to a family of four has come naturally and easily for all four of us.  Caleb has been a very happy, smiley, sweet baby.  I will let the pictures speak for themselves.

Caleb at 2 Weeks Old:

 

3 Weeks Old:

No words.  Just precious...

This was Caleb's first outing other than attending dr. appts.!  He somehow managed to sleep through his brother yelling, "pweeeeese, meh-meh?" (read: Please, banana!) throughout the entire trip.  

One of my very favorite outfits that both boys have now worn.  Caleb fit in this outfit for about a week!

4  Weeks Old:

Here is Caleb on Christmas morning!  We had a fun, relaxing day at home in Louisville.

Some of our boys' favorite friends joined us for Christmas dinner!

Boys picture!

This is Luke's personality in a nutshell.

Here is how Caleb spent his first New Year's Eve!

5 Weeks Old:

This pic was taken the morning after Caleb slept through the night for the first time.  I am very, very grateful for 2 boys who sleep well.  

A frequent sleep pose.

6 Weeks Old:

In case it isn't obvious, Caleb is not underweight. 

Uncle Van, Uncle Adam, Luke, and Caleb have all worn this exact outfit!  And thank you, Uncle Adam, for this pacifier!

Somebody else enjoyed this "stachifier" just as much! 

7 Weeks Old:

"Sup, dawg?"

8 Weeks Old:

Taken this morning!

We love you, little Caleb!  You are a blessing to our family!

Introducing Caleb Roy Tennant!

Our newest addition, Caleb Roy, entered the world on November 29, 2012!

7 #, 14 oz.    20 1/2 inches long

His Name:

Caleb:  In the Bible, God himself described Caleb as one who "had a different spirit and followed Me fully," (Numbers 14:24).  Though he lived among those who did not believe God and who put their trust in themselves and their own perceived wisdom, Caleb chose to courageously trust God and and live for Him.  That is our prayer for our Caleb- that he, too, will "follow God fully."

Roy:  Paul rallied for this middle name since we found out that Caleb was a boy.  We gave him the middle name Roy after Paul's late paternal grandfather, Roy Tennant.  We've described him as the patriarch of the Tennant family, and Roy was one of the sweetest (The first time I met him- before we were even engaged- he told me that I was "part of the organization."), pleasant (He enjoyed living simply in the house that his family built all by themselves.), brightest (At 90 + years old he could still beat any family member in a game of Checkers.), and loving (He always spoke respectfully to his wife of 60 + years and loved her until his dying day.) men we've ever known.

Labor Day:

After having intermittent painful contractions for over a week leading up to Caleb's birthday, Caleb came at 39 weeks, 1 day.  

2:30 a.m.: Contractions were 7 minutes apart

4:30 a.m.:  Contractions were 2-3 minutes apart, which was when we knew that this was no false alarm; it was (way past) time to head to the hospital!

Here are some pictures that document the day.

Heading to the hospital at 4:30 a.m.  Paul's smile is sincere, but mine is 100% fake.  I'm certain that this was the worst pain I've ever felt in my life.  Thanks to Chris Smith for taking this picture, bearing with us while we waited to go to the hospital, and watching Luke until Aunt Kathleen arrived! 

This smile, on the other hand, was 100% genuine.  I got the epidural at 7:00 a.m., and it was glorious.

And Caleb came a few hours later at 10:48 a.m.!  

Paul and I got a kick out of the OB asking Paul if he wanted to put on gloves and help with the delivery.  He opted out of that, but here he is examining Caleb minutes after he was born! 

Happy, thankful parents...

We were able to bring him home a day early!

  Luke loves to rock Caleb's rocker as he says, "Beebee..." 

This little boy has adjusted like a champ.

Somebody takes after his big brother and holds his ears when he sleeps! 

First "family of four" photo!

This is about as expressive as Caleb got during week 1... 

Week 2 of Caleb's life...

I wasn't the best at taking pictures in general, but here are some of friends who stopped by!  

Only a few days away from finding out if Caleb's newest Frantz playmate is a boy or a girl!

 What a help Mimi and Aunt Kathleen were during our hospital stay and Caleb's first week!  Thanks to them Luke remained well-fed and happy- and I remained as rested as possible! 

And Mama T was our saving grace after that!  Somebody doesn't look like he's lacking attention, does he?

We praise God for the gift that Caleb is and for the privilege it is to be his parents!  

"In God we have boasted continually, and we will give thanks to your name forever."

Psalm 44:8

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