I Liked It, So I Put a Ring on It
On this date five years ago, I asked one of the most important questions of my life — I asked a girl named Elizabeth Crawford to marry me.
It was a Monday, and we were both helping at our church that morning with the first day of VBS. We had plans in place afterward to go out to lunch, and I told her that I wanted to take her to Olive Garden, the place where we had our first date. Little did she know at the time that I had a ring in my pocket and a stomach full of butterflies. A few days earlier I had requested permission from her dad to marry his daughter (which, perhaps against his better judgment, he granted). All that remained was to pop the question.
After a nervous lunch, I suggested that we go to a park. I had written a letter for her (common practice at the time), and I told her I wanted to read it to her (again, common practice). So we headed over to the Avon park, and after finding a quiet and secluded bench somewhere in the woods (funny story behind that) and after dodging some freak rain showers (funny story behind that, too), I sat down next to her and read my letter. The last line of the letter was my proposal, and when I got there, I knelt down and pulled out the ring. After what seemed like an eternity of mild hyperventilation, Elizabeth said yes, and I clumsily put the ring on her finger.
The rest is history.
That was a very, very good day. But, in all honesty, the 1,825 (or so) days since then have been pretty stinkin’ good, too. All said and done, I snagged me a real fine girl. (And by “snagged” I mean that God graciously dropped her right into my life and miraculously blinded her to my many weaknesses, quirks, and deficiencies, allowing her to agree to marry a guy who had no business landing such an excellent woman.)
There’s the famous bench. Someone should put a plaque on it.
And there’s the happy girl with her new hardware.
A Most Wonderful Daddy!
I don’t think they can fully comprehend it yet, but Brenna and Felicia are some blessed little girls to have Drew as their daddy! While they are still both quite young, you can just tell that they ADORE him, TRUST him, and LOVE him! Drew has taken his responsibility as daddy to these girls seriously from day one. He is a provider, protector, and playmate. He faithfully prays for Brenna and Felicia that God would save their souls and he faithfully teaches them by words and through example how to love the Lord with all your heart.
There are very few things that bring me more joy than watching this guy be a daddy. I am SO thankful to have this guy as a partner for life and equally as grateful to have him as a partner in parenting!
A Marvelous Mom
Happy Mothers Day to a woman who understands that caring for kids is truly a gospel-advancing task! Elizabeth is an awesome mommy, and she sacrificially and patiently loves her daughters day in and day out. But as much as she loves her family, what makes her such a great mom is that she loves Jesus even more. I’m blessed to be able to make kids and raise kids with this incredible woman!
Felicia’s Birth Story
I’m back. I feel like it’s been ages. So thankful my wonderful husband has kept up the blog! I figured the best post to start back with would be the birth story. I should preface this post by saying it might (actually not might, it does) have a lot more details than most people care to know, but for my memories sake I want to write them down. So be warned. 🙂 In fact, if you make it through this entire post you probably deserve a prize.
On Thursday, March 15 I had my weekly check-up. We knew going into this appointment that my doctor was going to strip my membranes to try to get things started since I was already 2-3 cm dilated and having lots of contractions daily. It is hard not to get your hopes up in that situation (especially when my labor with Brenna started the same way and I had her the same day he stripped my membranes). So we (perhaps prematurely) went into Thursday really thinking “today will be the day”. Seriously, the car was packed and everything. Well, my doctor stripped my membranes as promised and told me I was a little over 3 cm dilated. He sent me home with an appointment scheduled for the following Thursday, but said to call if my contractions got to be within 5 minutes of each other consistently.
We went home somewhat discouraged (I thought I would have progressed a lot further than 3 cm), but were determined to walk me into labor. So we walked, and walked, and walked some more. Thank goodness the weather was beautiful and, while Brenna had no clue why we were walking SO much, she sure enjoyed every minute of it! We walked probably a total of around 3 1/2 miles that afternoon, with a Panda Express dinner break in between (I figured it wouldn’t hurt to eat unhealthy Chinese food to get labor going). My contractions did start increasing and getting more uncomfortable as we walked, so I figured we were making some progress. Somewhere along the way I decided I would start timing my contractions. So I did. For the next 6-7 hours I timed them. They were anywhere from 3-10 minutes apart, but not consistently an average of 5 like my doctor wanted. Frustrating. I got tired of timing them around 10 p.m. and fell asleep. I hardly slept at all that night, but not because of the contractions. In fact, the contractions for the most part stopped. Double frustrating.
We woke up Friday morning and decided nothing was going to happen and that we would just go about our day as normal. So, Drew got up and headed off to work and I started to plan my day with Brenna. I had my first contraction at 7:45 a.m. and for some reason decided I would time them for an hour just to see. I was sure nothing would come of it. Well, in that hour I had 12 contractions, which were an average of 5 minutes apart (that magic number), and they seemed somewhat stronger than the ones I had the previous night. I called Drew at work to get his advice and we decided it couldn’t hurt to call my doctor. I call and, of course, my doctor was out-of-town (boo), but his nurse talked with the nurse practitioner and told me to come on in for a labor check.
I dropped Brenna off with Drew at work and headed to the doctor. The NP checked me and I was 3 1/2 to 4 cm dilated. She told me to go walk for a couple of hours and then to come back and get checked again to see if I progressed at all. I quickly made up my mind that I needed something a little more strenuous than walking. Walking was just not going to cut it. Remember I had walked 3 1/2 miles the night before. So I drove back over to the church and for the next two hours Brenna and I rotated between running up and down stairs and doing laps in the gym. Fun stuff let me tell you. I was a sweaty mess but honestly didn’t care. The contractions were picking up both in frequency and intensity, so I knew something had to be happening. Around 11:30 a.m. we arrived back at the doctor to be checked again (Drew and Brenna came with me this time). The NP checked me and said I was still about the same. What?! Are you kidding me? She did say that during contractions I was at about 5cm. I knew she was just thinking about sending me home again, which was fine with me, but I was concerned that I wouldn’t know when “it was time” and might not make it to the hospital. For some reason I just had this hunch when labor really got going it would move quickly. So the NP decided to consult with the doctor on call and to my surprise and delight he said to head on over to the hospital to be admitted. YEAH!
We ran home quickly to get our things and feed Brenna some lunch all the while my contractions continue d to get stronger and I continued to get more nervous. Grammy arrived to watch Brenna and off Drew and I went to the hospital. We arrived shortly after 1 p.m. and got settled in our room and hooked up to the monitors. We thought it wouldn’t be long until the doctor arrived to break my water. We were wrong. For four long hours we waited trying to pass the time by walking the halls and watching March Madness. In hindsight I wish I would have labored at home a little longer, but it all worked out in the end I suppose. Around 5:30 p.m. the doctor came in (funny side-note: Drew had just left the room because he was getting so antsy and decided he needed to get outside for a few minutes) and basically gave me four options: send me home (not an option), don’t do anything and see how labor progresses (I felt like I was at a standstill at this point so this really wasn’t an option either), start pitocin (I wanted to avoid this at all costs so this wasn’t an option for me at that point), or break my water (bingo! I felt like this is all I needed to get labor going). Drew still was out on his walk 🙂 so I decided to go ahead and make the decision for him to break my water. Don’t worry, Drew was happy with this decision. 🙂 So he broke my water and asked me if I wanted to go ahead and get the epidural. Little did I know that my answer of “not now” would prove to be an irreversible decision. The truth is I went into it really not wanting an epidural but with a very open mind that I might just need one. I wasn’t going to be stubborn just for stubbornness sake.
It didn’t take long for my contractions to pick up. By this time Brenna had arrived with Grammy and Pops, and they were in our room trying to get my mind off the ever-increasing pain. They left soon after to wait the rest of the time in the waiting room and I decided I wanted to get on a birthing ball to try to ease the pain. While it did not ease the pain, I did like it because I was having terrible back labor and this gave Drew easy access to massage my back. By 6:30 p.m. I started contemplating an epidural. I felt like I was going to pass out and didn’t know how much more I could handle (see I’m not as tough as you might have thought). At 6:53 p.m. I asked my nurse to check me to see how far along I was. My thought was if I knew I was really close to the end then I could mentally talk myself through the rest of labor without an epidural. Well, I was only 6 cm. In an hour and a half I had only dilated 1 cm and I was in this much pain?! At that rate I knew I didn’t want to proceed without an epidural, so I asked (actually begged) for one. Fifteen minutes later at 7:09 p.m. the anesthesiologist arrived to place my epidural. No sooner had he walked in the room than I had the sensation that I had to push. It wasn’t just “I think I have to push”, it was “Felicia’s head feels like it is coming out NOW”. My nurse checked me again and I think was pretty shocked to find out I was at 10 cm. Needless to say the anesthesiologist was no longer needed and quickly proceeded to leave. So, yes, out of necessity I labored and delivered without an epidural. However, I’m pretty sure the entire hospital could tell I was doing it without one. I was not some calm, breathe and focus through the contractions type of person. Just ask Drew.
The next 10 minutes were a blur for me. I remember the nurses telling me not to push because the doctor hadn’t arrived yet and I remember thinking you can tell me not to push all night long but my body is going to do what it naturally has to do. The doctor arrived and about 3 minutes later at 7:19 p.m. our precious Felicia Laurelle entered the world! It was a moment I will forever treasure. A moment met with tears of happiness and instant love for our tiny blessing. We praise the Lord for another beautiful daughter. Our hearts are filled with thankfulness.
Four Years Ago
On March 8, 2008, two clueless young lovebirds were united before God in the covenant of marriage, vowing to love each other faithfully unto death. And now, four years later, those lovebirds (who aren’t quite as young but still just as clueless) are incredibly grateful to be able to look back and say, “That was a really, really good decision.” As I have told Elizabeth before, “I’ve done a lot of dumb things in my life, but marrying you wasn’t one of them.”
We’ve had a wild four years — two pregnancies, two moves (from Indiana to Kentucky and back to Indiana), more jobs than we care to count, seminary classes galore, new friends and relationships, a few gray hairs (seriously!), repeated mistakes, a plethora of apologies, countless experiences of grace, lots of lessons we desperately needed to learn, and story after story of God’s faithfulness to us as a couple. It’s been an adventure for sure, and one that we’re happy to be on. We realize that this marriage is a momentary reality, but we’re planning to keep on loving each other like crazy until God replaces our marriage with one that is more permanent, more intimate, and infinitely more glorious — the marriage of Jesus Christ to his church.
And now, a trip down memory lane:
The men who stood by my side.
Elizabeth's bridesmaids.
My stunning bride!
Yes, we kissed. Children, hide your eyes.
Cutting the cake.
Having our first dance. (We were renegade Baptists!)
We’re looking forward to what year five has in store for us!
Simple Moments of Motherhood
Drew is gone tonight. Which means I got to do Brenna’s bed time routine by myself. She has been doing GREAT at sleeping for the past week! Probably the best she has done in several months, however, I think daddy not being home tonight threw her off a bit. Typically once we put her in bed we do not get her back out. If she cries we will go in there and rub her back and tell her we love her, but we don’t get her out of her bed.
Well, tonight I broke the rule and I couldn’t be happier that I did. After 30 minutes of fussing I decided I was going to try to rock her. So I went into her room, picked her up, kissed her tear-stained face, and went and sat down in the glider. As I sat down in the dark room I could see her eyes staring into mine. Then it happened. That simple, but ever so fulfilling moment. Brenna reached her hand up to my cheek pulled my head down and kissed me. And then she did it again. After about five times of doing this, I decided I was just going to stay down by her sweet little face and keep pecking those precious cheeks. So I did, over and over and over again. Guess what? She fell asleep. She fell asleep to her mama’s kisses and this mama didn’t want to stop. 🙂
Sometimes (ok, many times), I wonder if I’m making the right decision when it comes to mothering. Tonight I never wondered. Getting her out of bed was the BEST decision ever! Sitting in that glider, staring into that peaceful, sleeping face, I was overwhelmed with God’s goodness to me, in first, blessing me with a beautiful daughter to love and hold and mother, and second, in blessing me with moments like tonight that I will cherish forever. I’ll be honest, Brenna’s tears stopped, but mine started. Happy tears. Thankful tears.
Our sweet girl...
A Day Away
Recently Drew and I had the chance to have a whole day alone together! My parents wanted an opportunity to babysit Brenna, so we excitedly took them up on their offer to watch her all day! The main part of our day was spent at the Indianapolis Art Museum and, while we decided that gazing at art for hours wasn’t exactly our cup of tea (I think we spent more time making fun of stuff than staring in wonder), we had a blast just being together without a baby in tote (although I will say we definitely missed our little girl!). It was refreshing just to reconnect and spend some quality time as husband and wife!
Yes. I'm putting up an embarrassing picture of myself, but this guy seemed to need a little humor.
Yes...we are definitely still in LOVE! 🙂
A Reflection on Father’s Day
Tomorrow is a first for us. Drew will be celebrating Father’s Day for the first time with Brenna outside the womb! I am hardly eloquent in my writing ability, but in giving honor to whom honor is due, I see it as only fitting to write a small bit on how truly wonderful Brenna’s daddy is!
Since before we found out we were pregnant with Brenna I was beyond excited to see Drew become a dad! And let me tell you it has not been a disappointment to see him “in action”. It is hard to put it in words, but seeing your husband care for and love your daughter is simply beautiful! It brings a smile (and sometimes even tears-like right now) to my face every single day.
So, what makes him a great daddy? This might sound like a strange answer, but I believe it is his imperfections that make him the best dad ever to Brenna! He knows he’s not perfect (although, he’s pretty darn close!) and as a result he fully relies on God’s grace to give him the strength to be a godly, loving father. After all, if you are perfect then there is no room for the grace of God to be at work in your life and it is most definitely at work and clearly evident in Drew’s life!
Drew has taken his responsibility as father very seriously since day one (as I knew he would). I have never heard him complain about changing diapers, or cleaning up spit up, or feeding Brenna or the many nights he stayed up and rocked her at 3 am so I could get some sleep. He gladly does these things on his own initiative. He recognizes the many joys of parenting as well as the seriousness of it. Brenna is very much a depraved sinner in need of a Saviour and the weight of that is very real to Drew. One of the things I most admire is the way he faithfully prays for Brenna’s soul. It is no small thing to plead to the Lord to save your child. And while godly parenting alone will not save Brenna, I know for certain that she will grow up with a daddy that faithfully lives out the gospel for her. This I cherish!
I have no doubt in my mind that if Brenna were able to talk, she would tell everybody just how much she loved her daddy! The way she giggles at him, the way she plays with him, the way her face lights up when he walks in the door from a day at work, those are words enough for me. I also have no doubt in my mind Drew’s love for his little girl! He is a provider, a protector, a playmate. God didn’t just bless me with the best husband ever, He blessed Brenna with the best daddy ever!
I also must say a Happy Father’s Day to my amazing dad and wonderful father-in-law! Drew and I are SO thankful for the godly leadership and love you showed us and continue to show us! We love you guys!
A Humphrey Wedding
Which means there is now another Humphrey lady joining our ranks (woohoo!)!:-) Last weekend we had the honor of celebrating with Luke (Drew’s cousin) and Laura as they became husband and wife! It was a beautiful, God-honoring day and we are SO thankful for the friendship we have with this sweet couple!
It was also great to be able to visit with other family members that came up for the wedding! We especially enjoyed the entertainment that was provided by Olivia and Brenna. This was really the first time of them being together where they could actually interact with each other and it was quite hilarious. I think if they were together all the time they would be quite the duo! 🙂
Of course, I didn’t take hardly ANY pictures, so the pictures I am posting are mostly stolen property. 🙂
Mom-Mom and Brenna. 🙂
Cousins playing together
I think Olivia has the cutest "stern" face I ever did see! She has a pretty cute smile too, she just wouldn't show it to us when we had the camera out. 🙂
Grammy, Pops, Olivia, and Brenna!
Love it!
Family picture at the wedding.
Birthdays and Mother’s Day
Where to begin? Well, I guess I should first say I was quite surprised at my husband’s guest post and while I feel completely unworthy of such kind, loving words being written of me, I am also deeply appreciative of a husband who would take time to write such words. I’m not sure how much of what he wrote is true, but whatever truth there is in what he wrote the Lord truly deserves ALL the glory! So thank you babe (and I’ll get you back when you least expect it)! 🙂
Yesterday we celebrated TWO birthdays! Drew is now a year closer to the big 3-0 (he turned 26) and it was a joy taking the time to celebrate his life yesterday! He is one amazing man and I am indeed blessed to call him MINE! We celebrated by doing a first for us as a married couple…we grilled out! Yes, we have been married for over three years and have never grilled. We were the happy recipients of a free grill (thanks to Drew’s parents getting a new one) and decided to start taking advantage of it! I absolutely LOVE grilled food (the smell of food grilling is simply delightful!) and I do believe this was the first of many grilled dinners at our house!
Shish Kabobs! Steak, Chicken, Shrimp, Mushrooms, Green Peppers, Onions and Pineapple! Delicious!
I didn't make this for Drew's actual birthday (Hello Dollies was his dessert of choice), but I made fruit pizza for him to take to school on Friday to share with his class!
Brenna's first birthday present to her daddy!
We also celebrated the birth of our FIRST nephew yesterday! Domenic Joshua Navarrete was born at 9:02 a.m. and weighed in at 8 lbs. 9 oz.! He is absolutely precious and I am counting down the days until I get to kiss those sweet cheeks!
Under that hat is a head full of black hair!
Today was not my first mother’s day (I’m a firm believer in celebrating mother’s day even when you’re pregnant), however, it was my first with, as my sister put it, a holdable, kissable baby! And believe me, Brenna is very holdable and kissable! 🙂 It is amazing to me to look back over the past year or so and see how the Lord graciously satisfied a deep desire of my heart–to be a mommy! The child that I longed and yearned for I now have in the form of a delightful 7-month old daughter! I am beyond thankful that God in His sovereignty chose to entrust Brenna to us and I cherish every day I have to minister to and mother her heart!
I have made many mistakes already in this journey of motherhood, but those things that I have done right (by God’s grace) I owe in large part to the faithful, loving, godly example of my own mother. I will always wonder how she managed to patiently mother eight crazy kids without losing her mind. 🙂 She is also the best Nana Brenna could ask for!
I would be remiss if I did not also mention how thankful I am for a loving, godly mother-in-law! I only have to be around my husband to know that she was faithful in her calling as a mother. And she also happens to be the best Grammy Brenna could ask for!
I love you guys!
Mother's Day family picture!
My beautiful baby girl!
Papaw and Brenna! Today was also Brenna's baby dedication and my dad and three younger brothers were able to come and spend the day with us! (My mom is in Texas loving on little Domenic!)
Drew
Elizabeth
Mercies Unending 