john harman's shower...

My precious friends at work planned a very special shower for me last week. Words really can't capture my gratitude to them for the amazing afternoon that was. I feel so very honored, and know that John will be welcomed to the world by so many who love him and have been praying for his arrival. I appreciate with all of my heart all that my colleagues have done to support me through this pregnancy. A few pictures below capture the lovely details of that afternoon....

i arrived to work that morning and found a beautiful hydrangea wreath hanging on my office door...it also welcomed everyone to the shower!

the precious invitation

the wonderful hostesses...please forgive the preggo photos of myself (i DO NOT like pregnant pictures of myself)

precious favors

opening the beautiful blanket my grandmother made for John

fabulous decorations

oh, the cake was so good...and the punch...the punch was delicious!!

sweet carol p., our director of care coordination

my sweet mama and dave's sweet mama came to the shower to celebrate their first grandson!

thank you again, sweet friends, for such a special day. john was showered with so many wonderful gifts, and we are so blessed by your generosity.

love,
kel

what's in a name...

the fam on saturday night...37 weeks pregnant--baby John in the belly!
(getting ready to go out to celebrate our anniversary!)

the very special gift my grandfather gave to me (see below)

Grandpa's family history...full of "John's"

John Harman will be here so soon.
I honestly cannot wait to meet him.
Our son.
What a blessing he will be to our family.
I was so happy to learn that "John" means "God is gracious," for gracious He has been in giving us this blessing.
It was the only name Dave and I could agree on.
John.
Sweet John.
I love him so much already.
This name, John, is a special family name on both sides.
Dave's maternal grandfather's name was John.
John is a special name on my mother's side of the family as well.
Harman is my sweet daddy's father's name (my paternal grandfather). He died when I was younger, and we wanted to honor my father's side of the family as well and I think that Harman is such a beautiful name.

My grandpa (Calvin) gave sent a very special gift to my baby shower at work. He framed the meaning of the name "John" with a description of his ancestry. Grandpa is such a wonderful historian.

The letter reads:
"John"
The tendency of parents to name male children "John" probably originates with the great theologian John Calvin who lived in the early 1500's.
In the Spinks family, the first "John" I locate is my 6th great grandfather John Spinks who was born in Rhode Island on September 1, 1700. Next, his Grandson, John Spinks, my fourth great grandfather, was born about 1750 in Randolph County, North Carolina.
My paternal Grandmother's Father was John F. Williams.
My paternal grandfather was John William Spinks.
My father was John Roy Spinks.
When my brother was born, he received the name, John Roy Spinks, Jr. He died at the early age of 26.
Charlene and I had a son whom we named John Roy Spinks, III. He and his wife Tracy are the proud parents of our grandson, John Patrick Spinks.
There have been many "Johns" down through the years and each one has left his mark in his own special way.
We now welcome to the fold another "John"....namely John Harman Sprinkle. May his days on the stage of life be many and may his years be long and filled with peace.
written by Calvin T. Spinks
"Grandpa"
8/2/10

happy birthday, sweet molly...

you are so very precious and i love you so much...i am so lucky to be your aunt! can't believe you're one...

happy 4th anniversary...

...to the most wonderful husband on earth! i love you so much and look forward to another fun year full of happiness and joy...
what a blessing it is that we get to welcome our son into the world soon...
wow, four years!
love you-kel

sweet toes...

bigma's foot on the left...101 years old...nat's foot on the right...2 years old

little nat's sweet toes

sweet aunt katy, giving nat a pedi :)

natalie has had so much fun at "gam camp" this summer. since venus retired at the end of may, my mom has been so sweet to keep natalie on thursdays and fridays while i work all summer long. nat has had a blast, to say the least, and always comes home from "gam camp" with stories to tell about their fun adventures. this week, i called to check on nat and she was SO PROUD to tell me that she had her fingernails and toenails paints with "b-ma." her little hands and toes look so cute all painted, and i can't believe that my little nat is such a big girl! a million thank yous to my sweet family for keeping natalie all summer long...we love you so much!

a day at the lake

summer camp

my big girl was so excited to head to "summer camp" last week at her little preschool. i thought it would be good to introduce her to the school by attending a few half days of summer camp, and she was so proud to go to school. she had a ball and i think it will make the transition to school in september (with a new baby in the household) a tiny bit easier...