The question everyone wants to know..."What are you going to name her?" John and I had already picked out a boy's name and girl's name before knew what we were having. So this was not too hard for us this time. Drum roll please......
Lenna-Grace Caroline Robinson
Yes, we are putting a hyphen in her first name.
So where did the name come from? Well, the only one with meaning or history would be Lenna. My grandmother Lenna Cathey passed away on Christmas Eve when my mother was only 8-years-old. She died instantly in a car crash from a drunk driver. Unfortunately, I never received the joy of meeting this wonderful mother and wife; however, for my high school graduation, my mom flew me to Texas to meet Lenna's family. I had never met any of them prior to this. During my trip, I learned so much about my grandmother and mom. I discovered where many of my traits and gifts game from--Lenna's side! I realized this family was so much a part of my life that I decided at the age of 18 that Lenna would be the name of my first girl!
Lucky for me, I married a wonderful man who loved the name and agreed to let me pick that part of the name. I actually said I loved Lenna Grace, but I also liked Caroline Grace, but wanted to name our precious girl after my grandmother. So, John said, how about "Lenna-Grace Carolina?" So, there you have it. Grace has so much meaning to it that I do not feel I need to explain it. We think Lenna-Grace flows so well together, that's why the hyphen. Caroline is such a graceful name. We did not chose Caroline because I graduated from Carolina or because we are from South Carolina. Although, that is what everyone seems to think and I guess it can be related, but it was not the reason. However, I can guarentee she'll be wearing more Carolina Blue than Clemson orange, that's a definite!
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Monday, November 10, 2008
Expecting a precious little girl!!
On August 4, John and I celebrated two very special occasions. The first one was our 1-year anniversary. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner in Orlando at a fine restaurant. Our family was on vacation (including my parents and my sister's family). When we returned from dinner, we had exciting news to share with our family--we were expecting a wonderful child!
John and I were thrilled because we were not sure if I was going to be able to get pregnant or not. The doctor had placed me on medication in January to assist with some complications for two weeks. We were not going to go get any testing done until we felt it was necessary. We agreed since we got married to leave it in God's Hands. We knew His timing would be the best.
We've waited to post our special news online because we wanted to make sure we told all friends and family first. We did not want our family discovering the news through our blog (which I've been very slack at updating!).
So, here we are--sharing our joyous news with everyone. I'm 19 weeks pregnant and expecting a baby girl. She is due on April 6. I know--she will end up being an April Fool's baby probably! Jamie is very excited to be a big brother, but he was really hoping for a little brother. He told us we need to have one those soon. Everyone else, on both sides, is thrilled about a girl. It's the first granddaughter. I'm sure she'll be spoiled!
I'll try to do better at updating the blog now that we have lots of news to post about more often:)
John and I were thrilled because we were not sure if I was going to be able to get pregnant or not. The doctor had placed me on medication in January to assist with some complications for two weeks. We were not going to go get any testing done until we felt it was necessary. We agreed since we got married to leave it in God's Hands. We knew His timing would be the best.
We've waited to post our special news online because we wanted to make sure we told all friends and family first. We did not want our family discovering the news through our blog (which I've been very slack at updating!).
So, here we are--sharing our joyous news with everyone. I'm 19 weeks pregnant and expecting a baby girl. She is due on April 6. I know--she will end up being an April Fool's baby probably! Jamie is very excited to be a big brother, but he was really hoping for a little brother. He told us we need to have one those soon. Everyone else, on both sides, is thrilled about a girl. It's the first granddaughter. I'm sure she'll be spoiled!
I'll try to do better at updating the blog now that we have lots of news to post about more often:)
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Family Vacation
Last week, the whole family left for Orlando, Florida. We thought we were traveling with a good size crowd--nine of us--Mom, Dad, Tuesdee, Chris, Blade, Ty, John, Jamie, and myself. We stayed in a beautiful resort. The Fountains was huge--it has a 75,000 square-foot pool area with water slides and everything. It was the first time for many of my family members to fly in an airplane! But we all seemed to have a great time.
While we were there, we went to Sea World--Jamie loved seeing Shamu. He talked forever about the man swimming with the Killer Whale. It was very neat to watch. I enjoyed the Sea Lion show we watched--it was humorous and entertaining.
Although we decided against Disney World for this trip because of the ages of the boys and just not being as interested, we will do it again some time. Disney seemed very pricey for us when our boys did not seem that excited to go. They enjoyed playing in the pool more than anything. I posted a few pictures below of our family fun!
While we were there, we went to Sea World--Jamie loved seeing Shamu. He talked forever about the man swimming with the Killer Whale. It was very neat to watch. I enjoyed the Sea Lion show we watched--it was humorous and entertaining.
Although we decided against Disney World for this trip because of the ages of the boys and just not being as interested, we will do it again some time. Disney seemed very pricey for us when our boys did not seem that excited to go. They enjoyed playing in the pool more than anything. I posted a few pictures below of our family fun!
Jamie enjoying the water park at the resort.
John and Jamie trying to squirt me!
I love this picture! John and Jamie trying map out our day!
Part of the Sea Lion Show.
Family Picture insideSea World.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Another Degree
Last year, I made the decision to work on my Master's Degree. Last week, I completed it!! I now hold a Master's of Arts in Teaching. What does this mean? Ummm...not too sure. I know I get a raise!
Actually, I needed to take some course work in education to become fully licensed to teach since I was not an education major in college. It seemed wise to get a Master's Degree to earn my full license instead of just taking random college courses.
I thoroughly enjoyed my year of graduate course work. I learned a lot about education and special education (that was my emphasis area). This has helped me to become more aware of my son's educational needs (Jamie has spina bifida). It has really helped me in fighting for his education and helping him in as many ways as possible. I always thought I would home school and this may still be an option in the future. But Jamie needs to go to school--it is great for him. I could not imagine him growing as much as he has emotionally and socially without attending school. Needless to say, my degree seems to have been more beneficial for me as a mom!
Actually, I needed to take some course work in education to become fully licensed to teach since I was not an education major in college. It seemed wise to get a Master's Degree to earn my full license instead of just taking random college courses.
I thoroughly enjoyed my year of graduate course work. I learned a lot about education and special education (that was my emphasis area). This has helped me to become more aware of my son's educational needs (Jamie has spina bifida). It has really helped me in fighting for his education and helping him in as many ways as possible. I always thought I would home school and this may still be an option in the future. But Jamie needs to go to school--it is great for him. I could not imagine him growing as much as he has emotionally and socially without attending school. Needless to say, my degree seems to have been more beneficial for me as a mom!
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Finding a Church
Finding a new church has never been this difficult until I moved out of the South!! Once I graduated college, I moved to Virginia and found a few great churches. However, I was getting married soon and would be moving to West Virginia. On Sundays, I started driving up to John's house (about an hour away) and we began searching for a church together. We found one we loved! It was a good size, offered a wonderful children's program, sound doctrine, good music, and best of all-a teacher! The pastor did not have loads of energy and was a little monotone, but he taught the Bible. He was honest and was not scared to speak the Truth. This was great. We were excited.
In December, we finally bought our first home together and moved to Berkeley Springs, WV. It is a small town and a wonderful location. However, it is about 50 minutes from the church we loved. We started the journey of looking for a "home" church. There were a total of three Southern Baptist Churches in the area. When we pulled up to one of the churches, we were the THIRD car. This would be okay for just us, but we have a child that needs to fellowship with children. We went to another church and it was so laid back, even the preacher was in jeans. However, we told each other to look past the attire and see how the teaching was. WOW!! As soon as we got in the car, John and I looked at each other and agreed that this was the worst preaching we had ever heard. I cannot remember exactly now what he thought he was preaching on, but we got home and immediately began to look at scripture. We discussed how incorrect the preacher was. Needless to say, that was not the church God was calling us to.
We continued our search and decided to expand our denominations. I had already looked for a Founders church. This was where my heart truly was and where I wanted to be, but the closest Founders church is about two hours away. So, that was a no go. Then I started looking at PCA (Presbyterian Church of America). John was a little sceptical, because he had only been to Southern Baptist Churches; however, in college, I went to a wonderful PCA church. However, there was only one PCA church near us. The church was less than 10 years old. It was still in the process of raising funds for a building. It currently met at my work, Daniel Morgan Middle School. It was wonderful. I truly enjoyed the service. The preacher was an outstanding teacher. The music was not great, but hey, they are in a school! So what was the problem? One--it was about a 40 minute drive. Two--since it was a new church using a school building, they did not offer much after Sundays, especially for children. Three-I never thought the preacher's wife could be as judgmental and negative as she was--and it bothered me.
We sat down and discussed our thoughts. We both agreed that we wanted a HOME church that was close so we could be more involved. We decided to try the United Methodist church that was beside our house. The people were so welcoming and nice. They had a good group of children. The choir was very good. So, what is the problem this time? THE PREACHER NEVER READ A SCRIPTURE!! He only talked for about twenty minutes. When he was done, John looked at me and said, "Is that it?" We were shocked.
Now, here we are still churchless. We finally decided that we needed to move back to the Carolinas to find a great church! Since that is not possible at this moment, we have decided to make the 45-50 minute drive every Sunday to go the first church we loved. It is a nice little drive, but a wonderful church family. The only problem--how involved can we be in a church that is so far away, especially when we pay $4.09 for a gallon of gas?
In December, we finally bought our first home together and moved to Berkeley Springs, WV. It is a small town and a wonderful location. However, it is about 50 minutes from the church we loved. We started the journey of looking for a "home" church. There were a total of three Southern Baptist Churches in the area. When we pulled up to one of the churches, we were the THIRD car. This would be okay for just us, but we have a child that needs to fellowship with children. We went to another church and it was so laid back, even the preacher was in jeans. However, we told each other to look past the attire and see how the teaching was. WOW!! As soon as we got in the car, John and I looked at each other and agreed that this was the worst preaching we had ever heard. I cannot remember exactly now what he thought he was preaching on, but we got home and immediately began to look at scripture. We discussed how incorrect the preacher was. Needless to say, that was not the church God was calling us to.
We continued our search and decided to expand our denominations. I had already looked for a Founders church. This was where my heart truly was and where I wanted to be, but the closest Founders church is about two hours away. So, that was a no go. Then I started looking at PCA (Presbyterian Church of America). John was a little sceptical, because he had only been to Southern Baptist Churches; however, in college, I went to a wonderful PCA church. However, there was only one PCA church near us. The church was less than 10 years old. It was still in the process of raising funds for a building. It currently met at my work, Daniel Morgan Middle School. It was wonderful. I truly enjoyed the service. The preacher was an outstanding teacher. The music was not great, but hey, they are in a school! So what was the problem? One--it was about a 40 minute drive. Two--since it was a new church using a school building, they did not offer much after Sundays, especially for children. Three-I never thought the preacher's wife could be as judgmental and negative as she was--and it bothered me.
We sat down and discussed our thoughts. We both agreed that we wanted a HOME church that was close so we could be more involved. We decided to try the United Methodist church that was beside our house. The people were so welcoming and nice. They had a good group of children. The choir was very good. So, what is the problem this time? THE PREACHER NEVER READ A SCRIPTURE!! He only talked for about twenty minutes. When he was done, John looked at me and said, "Is that it?" We were shocked.
Now, here we are still churchless. We finally decided that we needed to move back to the Carolinas to find a great church! Since that is not possible at this moment, we have decided to make the 45-50 minute drive every Sunday to go the first church we loved. It is a nice little drive, but a wonderful church family. The only problem--how involved can we be in a church that is so far away, especially when we pay $4.09 for a gallon of gas?
Sunday, June 22, 2008
A Blogger's World
While I was in college, I called many of my friends once a week to simply talk. We would discuss what God has done in our lives over the week, what He taught us, where He was sending us, and simply laugh over the past. It was great! I spent hours a week on the phone. Some conversations lasted hours, while others were only 15 minutes. Some people I even talked to for hours every night. I even made phone calls while I was in Thailand! A group of us even planned annual events to keep in touch through the distance. We were close. Some people even received handwritten letters every now and then (do people send regular mail anymore). I loved sending cards!
Slowly, we all evolved to simplying emailing each other. Our lives got busier and it became easier to send a mass email out to everyone at one time. And now, where are we all? Updates are given through Facebook, Myspace, or Blogging. You log onto to Facebook to see a high school buddy changed her status to "Engaged." Or maybe you check a Myspace page to learn that a baby was just born. No longer do we give weekly updates on the phone. Better yet, we do not even do this through emails any longer. Instead, we log onto to our blog and write about it. If you are lucky, you may get an email that says, "Amber has added a new entry. Click here to read more."
With all that said, here I am. A year ago, I tried to keep everyone up-to-date on my life by adding a Myspace page. However, if you have looked at my page lately, I have yet to change anything on it. Oh wait, I do believe I put a new picture up after I got married. In college, I joined Facebook. I do believe I have done well at keeping it up. Some of you may even get messages from me every now and then.
Now today--lucky for you all, I enter the blogger's world. I cannot make any promises, but I am going to try to keep my friends and family up-to-date through the use of the Internet. It is summertime now, so it will be easier for me. Wait until September, I am sure I will forget all about this. Send me a message every now and then to remind me to post something new.
Slowly, we all evolved to simplying emailing each other. Our lives got busier and it became easier to send a mass email out to everyone at one time. And now, where are we all? Updates are given through Facebook, Myspace, or Blogging. You log onto to Facebook to see a high school buddy changed her status to "Engaged." Or maybe you check a Myspace page to learn that a baby was just born. No longer do we give weekly updates on the phone. Better yet, we do not even do this through emails any longer. Instead, we log onto to our blog and write about it. If you are lucky, you may get an email that says, "Amber has added a new entry. Click here to read more."
With all that said, here I am. A year ago, I tried to keep everyone up-to-date on my life by adding a Myspace page. However, if you have looked at my page lately, I have yet to change anything on it. Oh wait, I do believe I put a new picture up after I got married. In college, I joined Facebook. I do believe I have done well at keeping it up. Some of you may even get messages from me every now and then.
Now today--lucky for you all, I enter the blogger's world. I cannot make any promises, but I am going to try to keep my friends and family up-to-date through the use of the Internet. It is summertime now, so it will be easier for me. Wait until September, I am sure I will forget all about this. Send me a message every now and then to remind me to post something new.
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