Both

New baby brother or sister will be joining us very soon. I know the ticker on the blog says 16 days but really it's only 10! At my last doctor's appointment, he decided to schedule our day to induce- Monday, May 23rd. He said if not sooner and Franklin thinks it will be before then, but I don't. I think May 23rd it is. I am happy with the date because David F. was born on October 3. He's the 3rd, Baby number two is the 2-3rd. Very appropriate I think- and easy for a mama to remember.

We have also finally decided on our baby names. I am pretty hard set on only using family names and I like old fashioned ones. We wanted to pull from different sides of our families since David Franklin both came from our dads' sides of the family. David (my dad) and Franklin(Franklin's dad). After naming David Franklin a name so rich in history and meaning, I didn't want to slight the second one.

The Ligons are very important in my life, and I couldn't pick just one that I wanted to honor so Ligon was an easy choice because it's gets them all. Ligon is my mom's maiden name so it's after her, Mam-Maw, Pap-Paw, Aunt Lois and my brother Jason, as his name is Jason Ligon Morphew. I'm thrilled with it and so is Franklin. He has met and had relationships with all of them and now enjoys working on Pap-Paw's farm so he's proud of the Ligon, too.

We've had _____ Ligon Bass for a while for either boy or girl, but the first names were harder, not to mention pretty important!!

We have decided for a boy it will be Charles "Charlie" Ligon Bass. That is after Franklin's grandfather, Mitzi's dad, Charles "Charlie" Eugene Watson. He was a great man, a strong man, an extremely hard worker, and one that Franklin admired and loved for many reasons. We think this name is a classic and one that will stand the test of time and remind us of people we love. I also think it sounds really friendly. I would want to be friends with Charlie Bass.

We have decided for a girl the name will be Nora Ligon Bass. Nora Bernice Cook Sparkman is Franklin's great grandmother, or how he refers to her "Corpus Mimi." This is Mommie Boo's mother and she also was a fine Christian woman who worked hard, and cared for and loved her family deeply. It is also through her that Franklin was introduced to Sparkman Ranch in George West, Texas. This place is VERY dear to his heart. We think it's a beautiful, classic old name that isn't too common, and would be cute as a little girl and sophisticated as an adult. I think a Nora Bass would be pretty irresistable, to us all :)

So....what bun is in this oven and who's been baking in there?? Charlie or Nora? I'm so excited to find out I can hardly stand it! It sounds strange but David Franklin has been saying for months when people ask him about if he wants a boy or a girl- "both." He now does it because he gets a laugh out of everyone when he says it. I have now thought about the possibility of a girl and a boy for so long that I am kind of with DFB, and I want both. I have visions of Charlie and visions of Nora and have pictured life with either of them and now I kind of want them both. I know there is only one baby in there and I don't mean I want twins....don't get me wrong. It's just he likes boys and girls, he likes them both and it doesn't matter to him. That's how I feel, too. Maybe David Franklin's response should have been mine all along. (Although instead of making people laugh, they would probably think I'm crazy). I want both, I want either, I want this exact baby that I've carried, whomever it may be. I'm already in love. Pink or blue, I like them BOTH.

Happy Mother's Day

(Not the best pic of any of us, but it was at the end of a long day)

The stepping stones that we made as gifts with our crafty friends- they were a hit!

37 weeks


Mother's Day was yesterday and I have been truly blessed with phenomenal women in my life. My own mother blesses me everyday through her love and encouragement and support. She has always sacrificed herself for her children and she still does so to this day and it does not go unnoticed or unappreciated. My grandmothers have both taught me so much in very different ways. My Mam-maw to work hard, get an education, and love the Lord and your family fiercely. My Grands Ellen, to laugh and embrace yourself, and enjoy life and all of the beautiful (and glitzy) things in it. My Step-Mom and Mother in Law are both loving, incredible women that I am lucky to have to lean on and ask questions to, and get advice. God really knocked it out of the park as far as the ladies go in my world and I love them all!

Being a mother is such an honor and a privilege and I treasure motherhood. I know it's such an important and delicate role and I pray that I can do the best job I can for David Franklin and for the new baby. I have never felt more like a mother than when I am carrying a new life, so this one is extra special being SO pregnant.
Happy Mother's Day to all of my beautiful Mama friends out there!!

Lazy family day

Yesterday Franklin was taking David Franklin to the farm and at the last minute, I got invited. Boy was I glad I went. Not only because I caught the biggest fish, WAAAAY bigger than Franklin's :), but it was a fun, relaxing day spent together as family. Every time I go to Glenwood or the farm I can't help but reminisce about my grandparents and my childhood. It's really something that David Franklin now gets to make similar memories there as well.
We had a picnic, fished, they took a spin on the tractor, and then we took a new way home which ended up in us driving around some bumpy country roads just talking and taking it slow on our way home while DF napped. Then we watched the Kentucky Derby and finished the day with a sunset cruise on the lake with Meggie and Chad and Brendy. It was a great Saturday.

First Movie Date

Today I decided that I wanted to take David Franklin to his first movie. I am trying to pack in some quality one on one time with him before my hands get really full and new baby gets here! We went to see the matinee of Rio. He did great, and sat through the whole thing but did not want to wear the 3D glasses so he saw a somewhat blurry version. He loved the popcorn and danced through every song. There were some kids behind us and if he heard them laugh, he would fake laugh too. I'm not sure he really got that much of the movie, but he liked the birds and the dancing. It was a great first date and I hope we have many more! I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Crawfish Salute and Easter!

A group hug/huddle with David's friends and mom :)

Several of David's high school and college friends with mom



The crawfish race



This was a really big weekend for our family. The Hat Club of Little Rock had their annual Crawfish Salute and this year's honoree was David. The charity that it was benefiting is Big Brothers and Big Sisters. We think David would have really liked that since he had a love for children and loved teaching them tennis. We felt so honored and touched that they selected David as their honoree. We were also moved by how many of our friends and David's that came to support this cause and event. The Hat Club did such a great job of throwing a wonderful event but also making us feel so special. They are such an impressive group of guys and do great work!

Today is Easter and we celebrated big! The Easter bunny came to our house and we opened his presents this morning. David Franklin said "but I didn't see him anywhere." :) Then we went to early church, home for an attempted and unsuccessful nap and then to the club for lunch with Meme, Grandpa, Mommie Boo (who as of Monday is an Arkansan and has moved to Hot Springs which we are thrilled about it), the Vaughts, and Mammers. Then we went back to Mammers house for an Egg Hunt, hitting the pinata, and eating of the bunny cake that DF helped decorate and cupcakes. Our bellies are full of chocolate and sugar this afternoon!












We are most thankful for God's ultimate gift of life everlasting and Jesus' sacrifice for us. It is neat that these events fell of the same weekend. As we miss David, what hope we have because of the Resurrection, of getting to Heaven and seeing our loved ones again.

School Easter Party

We've been very busy lately but I've been horrible at taking any pictures and/or blogging. I'm just pooped at the end of the day!

We have had lots of fun with our friends, went to the Arkansas Derby- which I picked and won for win, place and show with 25-1 odds!! The bank, bunco girls, and our home group have all had little showers for us which has been so nice! Last night it was a surprise at Home Group! We even made a quick trip up to Fayetteville to visit the Johnson's.

Today was the Easter Egg hunt and party at St. Luke's. The Easter Egg hunt was moved inside due to the weather, but it didn't take away from the fun at all! I forgot my camera but decided to whip out the phone for some pics. As we were driving home, DF was asking for more candy and chocolate bunnies. I told him not too much more and he asked why not. I told him that because when we eat too much candy our bellies get big and can give us tummy aches. He said, "Like yours, Mama?" I guess he thinks I've been eating waaaay to much candy lately! There is some truth to that since I almost spit out the rice crispy treat I stole out of his Easter basket laughing so hard...

Destin

Things got a little goofy on our last day and somehow Franklin turned into a Mer-Man!





Always on the run out there!

We went on our "last hurrah" trip to Destin last week before we are locked down pretty close to home until this baby comes. The beach and ocean were gorgeous, I had forgotten how pretty it is and how much I love the water! We went with the Herndons and the Choates. It was so much fun for the boys to have playmates at the beach and fun for us to have grown up time too! The guys went deep sea fishing one day and Franklin LOVED it. He caught a red snapper and was realing it in, but a shark ate it off of his line! So the trophy fish got eaten by a shark, but he still had the head as proof. Pictures to come.

It's been hard being back at home for David Franklin because he doesn't understand that the beach is far away and we can't just go there like we do the playground. He's been asking to go to the beach CONSTANTLY! A sandbox may need to be in his future.

We took it pretty easy and I didn't that get many pictures, and we didnt' get a big group shot :( I was doing good just getting there 8 months pregnant and chasing a two year old though. We had a lot of fun and made a lot of happy memories and are so thankful we got to go!