There's a Man in this House

the sound of him laughing
with you
fills my soul,
makes me thankful
there’s a man in this house.

the enchantment in his eyes
as you give him your attention
nourishes me,
makes me thankful
there’s a man in this house.

the rebuke I hear
teaching me to love
heals me,
makes me thankful
there’s a man in this house.

the interruptions you welcome
giving tickles and hugs
warm me,
make me thankful
there’s a man in this house.

the patience in your words
showing you deliberately put us first
embraces me,
makes me thankful
there’s a man in this house.

I just never could have asked
for anyone so blessed
so tender
so strong
so willing to give
I didn’t know the gift I was given
until you held him
and I saw in you
a deeper longing
to teach him
to grow him
to love him
to show him Who loves him even more

there’s a power in your love
in your involvement
in your tickles
in your instruction
in your daddy-ness
It’s something I could never give him
but you do so well.

one day he’ll see
what he has,
so rich, so priceless
and he’ll be thankful
there was a man in this house.

your fingerprints are everywhere
and I am thankful
our lives are truly better
because you are the man in this house.


I love you Jon. You become a greater treasure every day you live. Thank you for loving us so well!

How to Turn Heads in Tunis

Everyone's seen pictures of women in Africa carrying their babies on their backs, right?
Totally normal, right?

And yes, it's true, we do in fact live in Africa.
But it's really not what you think...nor what I thought.
I decided to utilize a cute, fun, and totally practical gift from Rachel Super...

...and well... let's just say people were talking about me like
I was walking around without pants on!!
The entire road to our fruit stand was filled with
people looking AT ME!
Oh dear.

I DON'T want to draw attention to myself. I want to be like them.
So, for that reason, Jon and I decided (unfortunately) that
I'll have to retire this handy gadget for now.
Thanks Rachel. I do love it still and will surely use it when I live elsewhere!

_________________________________

So we did a big switcheroo the other day and traded rooms with Jude. In the process, we obviously cleaned out the closets as well. And here is what I found.
Yep, people. Those are NOT polka dotted flip flops. That is definitely MOLD.

JUST PLAIN SICK. Are you kidding me? People. I only brought ONE pair of brown flip flops with me. Needless to say, these went straight into the trashcan (after a picture of course).
NAS-TY.
Because houses here aren't designed with central air/ heat systems, there's no ventilation unless you open the windows (which we do). If you fail to open your windows EVERY DAY, your walls will grow wonderful patches of mold. Umm, yuck.
Our place is entirely unique in the sense that it has cabinet/closets built into the walls. I know NOW why these aren't common. Unless you leave them open for a few hours a day...
your stuff...clothes, shoes, unmentionables,
EVERYTHING will mold.
Again, lovely.
Just had to share that.

So in contrast to the yuckiness above, I thought I'd share (per request) a belly shot!
Here are Brennan and I at something like 24 weeks!

Here's a shot of the fun cake Jon made for me for my birthday!! The older I get the less this day matters to me! I SO enjoy OTHER people's birthdays cause I like making them feel special!

Jude's a little boy now! He plays with trucks and all!

That giraffe is his best friend named Mo.
He carts Mo around on his bike, shares his pacy,
and even changes Mo's diaper!
...So I guess normal best friends don't do that last one... ;0)

Thankfully, like his dad, he's a good helper and does dishes!!

(excuse our mess!!)

Jude's been enjoying a guitar someone passed on to me.
Here he is making the typical guy-with-guitar face!

So we DO have a double stroller for Brennan and Jude!
Jude's such a problem solver!

And he likes to tell people about his boogers...

You can probably guess why he's fussing at the end...
I think his fingers must have pushed on his brain!

And for something TOTALLY random...
It's strawberry season here, and strawberries just happen to be one of our favorite foods!! We can get 2.2 lbs (1 kilo) of strawberries for about $1.50!! We eat about a kilo a day!!

Aggieland followed us here!
Gig Em' Strawberries
(sorry it's out of focus!)

The Revelation (you know, the one after Jude)

So I've being mulling over for weeks how I'd write this post. (I know I'm ridiculous!!) And I'm terribly sorry that Tuesday just happens to be my busiest day of the week! I'm just now getting to your 26 comments (or more) that I was behind on!! I hope this post does not disappoint!!

I'm so sure you've already figured out our little guy's name...or at least close to it. According to the comments, many of you knew the right letters to fill in. The debate seemed to be over Brendan and Brennan. I hate to reward someone who made a guess at the full name, because according to the rules, that's cheating!!! Sorry for all of you who would have guessed!! Way to go to those who DID guess his name!!

So here it is...
the moment you've ALL been waiting for
(and us too!!!)
Our newest little one is...

B R E N N A N

E Z E K I E L

E S T E S

Oh I just love the sound of that!!! I already love this little one with SO much of my heart!! Who knew you could love your second baby as much as your first!! I just didn't think my heart was big enough!!

So on to the explanation...

This man. This friend. This brother.
Brandon Rogers
is Brennan's Namesake. *
We hope and pray that Brennan can look to Brandon as a wonderful example of godliness and humility. We pray he learns to speak the truth in love and with boldness the way Brandon does. We pray that Brennan's story is too filled with MUCH grace and MUCH passion for community and obedience. And I, especially, pray God gives him an incredible WIFE like Bethan!!

Brandon and his Lovely, Bethan, have been a HUGE gift to us. They've sharpened us in deep places and helped us grow up out of hurt and sin. What a precious gift we have in this couple.

They stood in our wedding and us in their's too!
The beautiful bride, Bethan, and me (very, very pregnant with Jude)

Oh how we wish you could be at the hospital with us for Brennan too!!

Here are Brandon and Bethan loving on a VERY little Jude.
So weird that they look alike and...wait. They're not even related!!

Sweet Bethan loved on a crying Jude so often and with so much patience!
I'll never forget that date night to Christopher's (and I'm sure she won't either!!)!!
Somehow we ended up with pictures of both of them with Jude,
but SO FEW with all four of us!! So sad!

In addition...
There seem to be many meanings for the name Brennan, but we chose it with the meanings “Brave” and “Prince” in mind. His middle name, Ezekiel, means “God will Strengthen”. We love the book of Ezekiel for a few reasons, namely how jealous God is for His glory among Israel. We’re praying these character passages over our Brennan Ezekiel…

Ezekiel 2:1-8
He said to me, “Son of man, stand on your feet and I will speak with you.” As he spoke to me, a wind came into me and stood me on my feet, and I heard the one speaking to me.
He said to me, “Son of man, I am sending you to the house of Israel, to rebellious nations who have rebelled against me; both they and their fathers have revolted against me to this very day. The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and hard-hearted, and you must say to them, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says.’ And as for them, whether they listen or not – for they are a rebellious house – they will know that a prophet has been among them.
But you, son of man, do not fear them, and do not fear their words – even though briers and thorns surround you and you live among scorpions – do not fear their words and do not be terrified of the looks they give you, for they are a rebellious house! You must speak my words to them whether they listen or not, for they are rebellious.
As for you, son of man, listen to what I am saying to you:
Do not rebel like that rebellious house!
Open your mouth and eat what I am giving you.”

Ezekiel 3:17
“Son of man, I have appointed you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you must give them a warning from me.

Brennan Ezekiel Estes,
we pray that you are a
Brave Prince whom God will Strengthen!

Thank you for sharing in our JOY!!

MUCH love!
And thanks again Mom for the fun!!

* Even though not exactly the same, Brennan was chosen
as a similar name to Brandon as a namesake.

The Name Game- Round 3

We're getting closer!!
After this post we should have some pretty obvious guesses!!

The Name Game
(Because my Mom is a superhero)


Get caught up!


first name:

B R E __ __ A __


middle name:

E __ E __ I E L


Incorrect Guesses:

J, S, O, T

Thanks for being so excited with us!!!

The Name Game- Round 2

This is getting so totally exciting!! Craziness!

So I'm giving in and saying that we'll go ahead and do 2-3 posts in 24 hrs! You people are just SO fun!! I'm such a softy. I went ahead and did FOUR guesses on this one!

Besides, I think Kaye is developing a hernia trying to hold in her excitement! We would want this mother of two to be bedridden now would we???

Here goes...

THE Name Game:
(Way to go Mom!!)
If you missed the first post, click here or here to get updated or in on the game!!



first name:

B R __ __ __ A __


middle name:

__ __ __ __ I __ L


Incorrect Guesses:

J , S


Keep up the fun!!

Just a funny,
Lindsee guessed the name Bandele!
Haha!!
She said it means "born away from home"!!
Don't you love it? Too bad we didn't think to name him that earlier!!
If you're pregnant and need a baby name, this one is TOTALLY up for grabs!!