glider and stuffed animals.

well, the nursery is coming right along! nearly done, actually. last thursday, the motsingers took meg to babies r' us in greensboro to pick up the new glider!
when meg went to order it at 34 weeks pregnant, the most unexcited and miserable babies r' us employee "helped" her. she and brett had picked out the glider together a few weeks before hand--the most important thing about it being that it was actually tall enough for brett--and comfy enough for meg. (they didn't ask us for our opinion.)

so meg looked at the fabric swatches attached to the glider on the floor at babies r' us and picked her color. then she sits down with miserable-unexcited-employee man, tells him which color she wanted, he took her information, and then he said:

"okay, your order has been placed and it will be here in two to three.... MONTHS."

to which meg thought "DO I LOOK LIKE I HAVE TWO TO THREE MONTHS???" apparently miserable-unexcited employee man was also not very observant.all that to say, that's the reason the glider is brown. (it's the only color that you can get in two weeks instead of months.)

but we're thinking that worked out pretty well and is even better for the nursery than what meg had originally picked out...especially since it shows every single one of our dog hairs, which means meg and brett won't be able to forget about us when karis is here!

you might have also noticed the great table next to the glider:
it's from one of meg's favorite stores in the world, the nest (used to be second hand rose). you can visit their blog here, but you should also go to the store because they burn the most delicious smelling candles and it's just generally a fabulous place. just fyi.

we've also discovered one of our very favorite things about karis... STUFFED ANIMALS. this is my (libby's) current favorite:...but for some reason they yell "libby NO!" everytime i get one of the stuffed animals from karis' room to play... not sure what that's all about.

story people

maybe you know the story about how meg found out she was pregnant. maybe you don't. if not, today, the story is revealed.

it was any other tuesday and meg left us here to guard the house while she went to hang out with her high school friends at southern. apparently, the cafeteria hamburgers looked tasty to meg, who then left lunches and went through the drive through at mcdonald's to get her own hamburger.

on the way out of the drive through, meg finally thought to herself "that's strange. i hate cafeteria food. and mcdonald's. ...ohhhhhh... i could be pregnant." two pregnancy tests later, meg was praying out loud in the bathroom, alone, "Jesus, i trust you, i trust you, i trust you, i trust you."

shell shocked, she knew she had to wait until brett got home that night at 9 p.m. to tell him. not one to keep secrets very well, meg spent the rest of the day feeling like she was going to bust not being able to tell anyone.

that afternoon, her young life team got together and her friend, michelle baxter, gave her a present! it was story people greeting cards. {do you know about story people by brian andreas? if not, i suggest a little trip to this website to enter the world of fabulousness.} and then she said it:

"meg! i got you these story people cards because we both love story people so much. i really wanted to get you this print that was so cute, but it was about having babies, so i couldn't get you that since you aren't pregnant."

seriously. she said that. a few hours after meg found out she was pregnant. and a few hours before she would be able to tell brett.

and the real miracle of it is this: MEG KEPT HER MOUTH SHUT. didn't say a word. first time probably in her whole life.

anyway, all that to say, that after michelle found out meg was pregnant, she went back and bought the story people print! it's been in the nursery waiting for a frame to put it in, but we just couldn't find one we liked. (we're very picky dogs, you know.) but then meg was hanging out with her new friend, wesley anne, and wesley anne suggested buying a not so cool picture frame (50% off at hobby lobby this week) and spray painting it!

here's the before:and the after:
...and it's true, karis. we cannot WAIT to love you forever.

famous uncle treat

yesterday we were taking our post-dinner nap and watching the abc national news when we saw meg's brother, treat, ON THE NEWS! not making this up:

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/petraeus-hints-afghan-war-years-11638731

best said by our friend anna motsinger: "i hope karis gets his dimples!"

Karis means 'GRACE'

meg & brett named the two of us because meg loved sam & libby shoes when she was a little girl. real creative.

they named karis because "charis" in greek means "grace." yesterday meg read this & since then, we've been praying it for karis:

"Grace ('charis' in Greek) means FAVOR (unmerited); a favor done WITHOUT EXPECTATION of return. It comes from the Greek word 'chairo;' meaning FULL OF CHEER or glad/joy. Grace is God's joyful gift to us who don't deserve it."

-Jim Branch

(p.s. special hello to addison ferrell!)

Henri Nouwen & tiffany blue paint

we love henri nouwen here in this house... his heart reflects the heart of Jesus in such tender ways. praying this for karis these days:

"When I write that, as the Beloved, we are God's chosen ones, I mean that we have been seen by God FROM ALL ETERNITY and seen as unique, special, precious beings. It is very hard for me to express well the depth of the meaning the word 'chosen' has for me, but I hope you are willing to listen to me FROM WITHIN.

FROM ALL ETERNITY, long before you were born and became a part of history, YOU EXISTED IN GOD'S HEART. Long before your parents admired you or your friends acknowledged your gifts or your teachers, colleagues, and employers encouraged you, you were already 'chosen.' The EYES OF LOVE had seen you AS PRECIOUS, as of INFINITE BEAUTY, as of ETERNAL VALUE. When love chooses, it chooses with a perfect sensitivity for the unique beauty of the chosen one."

--Henri Nouwen (from Life of the Beloved)

y'all really probably should just come and visit our house. it's like we have a whole new house after ay yi and bop (brett's parents) came this weekend to spiffy things up for karis' arrival (five more weeks!) more pics to come with the transformation of the nursery, the office into guest room, and outside room of chaos & grossness into laundry/utility room that is actually functional soon. but until then--here's some pics of the new nursery!

before:

after:
before:

after:
there's MUCH more to come, but that's a little start! we're all so excited to meet you, karis!

Cribs: Karis Style

so beautiful, libby wanted to chew it and i wanted to pee on it, but meg & brett wouldn't let us.

karis' crib.
the crib is a hand-me-down from brett's aunt & uncle (thanks j.d., maggie & mark) that brett spent hours painting. three coats later & maybe a few explicit words, here it is in all its glory.

and the bedding, a gift from one of our favorite friends, is called coco dot from pottery barn. it's beautiful.and just in case you're wondering, yes, this is a lot nicer than our sleeping arrangements:

(libby's bed)

(my bed...and yes, that's the stuffing coming out of it)

but we'll live.

Fabulous.

SO fabulous, we felt like it would be okay to post twice in one day (since we'll probably fall behind in other days, eat it up, people).

found on etsy--fabric alphabet magnets--which will not only entertain karis, but be a great snack for me and libby on days we get bored. but i digress... how FABULOUS are these?

Isaiah 46:4

"I have cared for you since you were born. Yes, I carried you before you were born. I will be your God throughout your lifetime, until your hair is white with age. I made you and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you." Isaiah 46:4

praying this verse for little Karis these days... would love for you to join us in that! He cares for us and He carries us, what a GIFT.

meg and brett have been ignoring us lately and instead of scratching our stomachs, they have been working on the transformation of the guest bedroom into a nursery. here is what it looked like as a guest bedroom:the transformation began with taking that dresser out and painting it. we tried to help brett's dad paint, but for some reason he didn't want our help. maybe it's the lack of opposable thumbs? here's a up-close "before" shot:
during...and after...
meanwhile, brett started painting the crib... a job he said even people in prison shouldn't be forced to do.
we felt bad for him, but he kept turning down our offers to help, so we just took it easy while he slaved away.

next, they cleaned out the office and moved the guest bed into the no-longer office and now guest bedroom, leaving the new nursery empty... except a few baby things... (thank you baby showers!!!)

(notice the newly painted crib...well done, brett, well done)

...this weekend is painting the nursery, organizing, and laundry time (just wait for all the pictures of clothes :)) and setting up the new guest room.

hopefully Karis will know how much she's loved by meg and brett... we're starting to think they might even love her more than us...