She Sleeps!

YEAH!! I am so excited this morning because Kieren just slept for 9 HOURS STRAIGHT! Casey and I were just starting the conversation of how to get her to sleep longer at night because we both felt like she was ready. She has been stretching her sleep time out at night and her last feeding of the night has been useless lately because she has been so tired. So last night she ate at 9pm, was asleep by 10pm and slept until 7am! I feel like we should have a parade in her honor because I am so proud! What a wonderful day!

I know all you moms can relate to this!

Kieren is 11 weeks as of this week, and she continues to grow in so many ways! Most of all, I feel like we are seeing her personality develop. She is a very happy and content baby most of time, but when she is sleepy, hungry, or gassy she DEFINITELY lets you know - with screams! I think she is a very passionate and expressive person and I celebrate it already. She has even started to focus on the tv - a new world I am not excited about for her!

Thanks for sharing in the joy of one sleep-filled night! Who knows what tonight will hold, but we celebrate this fun step!

Love,
Sarah

Adding To The Beauty

Today was a great day. I had coffee with a friend, Roy, and it was just so refreshing and encouraging. One of those conversations that wakes you up a bit and reminds you of who you want to be. She was sharing with me what she has been reading lately, and all she is learning and processing through. It was very challenging because so often lately I just 'zone out' because of all the chaos that I feel is swirling around in our lives right now. Between being a new mom, catching up with people in our lives, getting prepared for Africa, trying to be a good wife, and all the other little projects in my world, when I have a moment to rest I try to turn off my mind rather than engage God and process through the 'stuff.' I have forgotten how life-giving disciplines like reading, scripture, and journaling can be for me. I remembered how I love all those things and how they make me feel alive. Most importantly they can ground me, or truly they ALLOW God to ground me and give me roots. That is something I desperately need now. I sometimes feel like if I get just one more thing done in the day that I will feel accomplished and successful. One more thing seems to only remind me of the five more things left undone still. So I am promising myself to spend more time in the things I love like reading and journaling, knowing that these things will make me alive, help me to process, and ultimately open my eyes to the beautiful ways God is working all around me.

During a walk today I listened to this song and it also became a prayer for me. I do hope to 'add to the beauty' and to continue to allow my story to unfold rather than just check off tasks on a to-do list. It's so possible.

Sarah

"Add To The Beauty" by Sara Groves

We come with beautiful secrets
We come with purposes written on our hearts, written on our souls
We come to every new morning
With possibilities only we can hold, that only we can hold

Redemption comes in strange place, small spaces
Calling out the best of who we are

And I want to add to the beauty
To tell a better story
I want to shine with the light
That's burning up inside

It comes in small inspirations
It brings redemption to life and work
To our lives and our work

It comes in loving community
It comes in helping a soul find it's worth

Redemption comes in strange places, small spaces
Calling out the best of who we are

And I want to add to the beauty
To tell a better story
I want to shine with the light
That's burning up inside

This is grace, an invitation to be beautiful
This is grace, an invitation

Redemption comes in strange places, small spaces
Calling out our best

And I want to add to the beauty
To tell a better story
I want to shine with the light
That's burning up inside

Kieren Update!

Hey everyone,

Just thought I would blog about Kieren since all of you don't have the privilege of hanging out with her everyday! She continues to grow more each day - I am serious! She can focus more and more on things and was even focused on the tv last night for a while. Oh no!!! We have also started to bring out some toys for her to grasp on and focus on - like cute links, and she really grabs and holds on! I still think she most enjoys faces and is smiling like crazy. She loves sitting in her 'bouncy' chair and pumps her arms and legs as she is playing and interacting. We are hearing more coos and screeches these days as she is learning to make sounds and 'talk' to us. She continues to stretch out her sleeping at night - on Wednesday night she slept for one six-hour stretch (and then went back down again after eating). It was awesome! Our world changes each day and so we just try to soak it all up :)

Love you all!
Sarah

Kieren's Time with Aunt Lauren and Uncle Tre

Hello!

This week was such a gift because my sister Lauren and brother-in-law Tre came to visit us! It was Lauren's second visit and Tre's first time to meet Kieren. We soaked up the beautiful week, enjoying the weather with many walks and time outside. We went to a Millbrook soccer game, and of course, to Los Tres for some queso. The best part was just being together and having lots of time to talk and be with Kieren. As my sister is 24 weeks pregnant with Kylie Grace, we even dragged them to Kieren's traumatic shot-filled pediatrician appointment. With a week filled with shots, fevers, baby-breakdowns, diapers, baby-sitting, coos, screams, and the best of all, SMILES, I think they are ready for beautiful Kylie Grace Jones! I am so blessed to have such an incredible sister and brother-in-law, that I not only enjoy and laugh with but also have so much respect and admiration for. They are incredible and are going to make wonderful parents!

Lots of love,
Sarah

Kieren's Two Month Check-Up

Hey people!

Today Kieren had her two month check-up with her pediatrician, Dr. Goodman. It was so fun because it totally marks how much she is changing and growing. I was most looking forward to learning her weight now - which is 12 pounds 12 ounces now!! She has gained over 5 pounds in two months! We learned that she is in the 95% for her age in weight! Nice! The girl can eat! She is very healthy and everything checked out great. I am such a proud mom! The down-side of the appointment was that she had to have two different shots - boo. She had a total delayed response - at first she was looking around thinking and then just went CRAZY with screaming and crying. The little peanut has definitely been feeling a bit sick since then (which was to be expected), and so we are giving her lots of extra love tonight. But she did great!!

Love,
Sarah

Best Surprise Ever!

Hello!

This weekend I had the BEST surprise ever! In my whole life! I have a group of great friends from college, who I lived in London with when I studied abroad, and we all get together each Labor Day weekend for a reunion. We fondly call ourselves the 'Chanda's' (long and silly story...). So I thought this past year was my last since we will be moving to South Africa. One of the friends, Shanel, emailed me a few weeks ago to say she wanted to buy us dinner from Florida and have it delivered. We planned on Friday night, and I received a text at 5pm saying it would be at my house by 6pm. I was in the kitchen, getting salads ready to accompany our pizza, when a knock came at the door. I began to walk to the front door to meet the delivery guy only to see these 4 Florida college friends standing at my door with pizzas and signs saying 'SURPRISE!' I totally FREAKED out because I could never have expected anything like this! It was the BEST surprise ever! I started crying and hiding; it was just too much to take in! These friends decided to come surprise me and spend our 'Chanda' weekend early this year to see me and our beautiful daughter, Kieren. So what I thought would be a lazy weekend turned into a laughter-filled, deep-talk, junk food eating, fun FEST. It was incredible! These girls mean so much to me, and I felt loved and cared for in such a special way. As they left this morning, the word that kept coming to my mind was 'GRACE' because I feel like through our friendships and the way they love me I receive so much grace. There is no way I deserve incredible friends like this. I am so blessed! Tonight I am nostalgic, coming out of a sugar-hangover, super sleepy, and just so thankful.

I love you girls!
Sarah


The 'Chanda' girls reunited right after the shocking surprise! They are Shanel, Cathleen, myself, Amy, Katie, and her daughter Layne


Amy enjoying the sweet bliss of Los Tres, our favorite Mexican restaurant. She ordered the fajita 'trough'


Shanel, Katie, Amy, Sarah, and Cathleen - all wearing our beautiful 2009 Chanda reunion shirts, created by the talented Katie


Kieren dressed up in her 'Chanda' onesie - the newest member to our group!


Layne and Kieren hanging out


Casey munching on our famous 'white trash' sugar creation


Shanel and Kieren


Our hangout for the weekend - the couches, in our pj's, covered by blankets, downing great food and drinks!

Clean Baby

Thankful

Thought I would write today about some things that I am thankful for in our beautiful life...

1. Kieren's smile! She has started smiling more and more and really responding to voices and faces! Ahh!
2. Taking long walks
3. The warm weather this week - hallelujah!
4. Time with my Casey and my family - it is so rich and full of joy
5. We are still getting people bringing us meals! Yum!
6. God speaking to Casey and I and challenging us in our faith about trusting him as we prepare to go to South Africa
7. Kieren's new baby jeans. Nothing is cuter than a baby in jeans. Seriously.
8. Hanging out more and more at our church, Grace, and helping with different stuff. It's so fun to be in the mix again.
9. Each day of life. Our world is changing every minute and it is beautiful.

Family Pictures

Visit with Abuelita Loca

Hello!

This weekend we had a fun visit with Kieren's grandmother and my mom, who we have affectionately named "Abuelita Loca' (Crazy little grandma!). We had a great talk walking and enjoying the warm weather and just spending time with Kieren as she continues to be so alert and responsive! It was such a blessing!

Love,
Sarah

Sharing the Joy with My Sister!

Hello!

If you all know my sister, Lauren and her husband Tre, you HAVE to check out their blog! Lauren is 21 weeks along in her pregnancy, and they just found out they are having a GIRL! They will name her Kylie Grace Jones, and I couldn't be more excited for them! I can't stop saying 'Kylie and Kieren' - and I can't wait until they meet. I pray that they enjoy and love each other - and Kylie will be one loved and blessed little girl!

Tre and Lauren's blog: http://keepingupwiththejones2009.blogspot.com/

Love,
Auntie Sarah

Walking in Faith

"Life is comfortable when you separate yourself from people who are different from you. But God doesn't call us to comfortable. He calls us to trust him so completely that we are unafraid to put ourselves in situations where we will be in trouble if He doesn't come through. Walking in genuine intimacy and full surrender to God in this manner requires great faith. What are you doing in your life that requires faith" -Francis Chan

Kieren at 7 Weeks!

Hello everyone!

Thought I would spend some time to share an update on Kieren and life in the Prince home this week. Life seems like it's going by so quickly - I can't believe Kieren is this old already! She is doing so well, sleeping better and better each night. She just wakes up once in the middle of the night to feed and then goes back to sleep - Casey and I are still working as a team on night duty and it's been working great! During the day she is more awake and alert which is very fun. She is making great eye-contact and smiling more and more. And she is getting SO BIG - many of her newborn clothes aren't fitting anymore! I call her the 'hulk' in some of them because she is about to bust out! It's been incredible to share this fun time with our family and friends, and we continue to receive SO MUCH support and love. People have been bringing us the most incredible food - what a blessing! I'm sure I COULD get myself together to cook at this point, but it would definitely be limited to different varieties of Hamburger Helper :) We are blessed. We also have some awesome mom's that come and help watch Kieren - such a huge help! Seriously, this girl is so loved, and we feel absolutely blessed as a family at those who are sharing in this time. We are so thankful.

There are things happening that don't have to directly do with Kieren (although we can always find a way to make it about her...). I have jumped back into helping out at Grace Community (our church), by preaching a couple weeks ago and now helping with a weekly worship planning meeting. I hope to continue to help in ministry at Grace and am really thankful for the opportunities to be creative and partner with my friends. We are also starting on our preparations for our move to South Africa - starting with putting together a support team that will help us with all the logistics and support as we prepare and serve in South Africa. We are SO excited to truly be starting this process and things are beginning to move. I can't believe that in 6 months our lives will be changing forever as we take this journey across the world! It's exciting stuff, but it can also be very overwhelming on this end of it all, so all your prayers are appreciated!

Thanks for checking in with us - and thanks for all the love!
Sarah

Visit with the Grandparents

Good morning!

This weekend the Prince family traveled to Charlotte so Kieren could spend some time with her grandparents. We had a great weekend together just enjoying Kieren, having great food and conversation, and relaxing together. Family is such a blessing!

Love,
Sarah


I'm so happy to see Grandma and Grandpa!




Resting as we are doing some shopping


Picking up an Obama doll - I think grandma was pushing that...


Spending some time at Grandma and Grandpa's house!

Baby Pics of Mom and Dad

We had a visit this weekend to my parents home in Charlotte and pulled out some baby pictures. It was so much fun because it's now become VERY clear who Kieren resembles as a baby :) It is actually a little freaky how similar she looks me in my baby pictures, but I still see some of Casey in there too!

Love,
Sarah


Sarah with her Papa


Sarah chillin' on the couch


Casey in the 'bouncy' chair - Kieren's favorite place to hang out (other then in the arms of mom and dad


Casey sticking out his tongue - a classic Kieren move!