It only took me 28 weeks to get my act together to take photos for today’s post!
These last 28 weeks have been such an adventure. Pregnancy is so fun (feeling baby, knowing God is knitting together a human in my belly, not worrying about my abs for once, discovering cute maternity clothes, having people hold doors open for you, getting out of cleaning the bathrooms because I shouldn’t breathe cleaning supplies, eating basically whatever and not getting judged for it because it’s for the baby. Because the baby needs all the pizza and hamburgers to grow healthy and strong am-i-right).
But pregnancy has SLOWED. ME. DOWN. I was telling someone recently how I was so diligent to exercise with my other pregnancies and I felt pretty energetic most of the way through, but this pregnancy…
This pregnancy I like sitting. Sitting and napping.
All that to say, today I had this burst of productivity where I woke up early, got to work and slashed some things off of my to-do list (side note – school is just weeks away – wwwhat?), got home later to find Ryan had put together the baby’s IKEA crib (#hero), made dinner with ingredients I had actually thought to buy in ADVANCE from the store the day before (see the recipe HERE), and then while it was cooking we got the whole family to go outside to take GENDER REVEAL photos!
I might as well have performed open heart surgery for all the stuff I conquered today!
Okay, okay. Is the suspense killing you yet??
It’s only taken 28 weeks!
Well, technically I guess it’s only been about 15 weeks since we didn’t find out the gender until around 13 weeks – but 28 weeks just sounds so much more dramatic.
Let’s get to what we’re all waiting for, Fairy!!
This October we are having…
A BOY!
And let me tell you >> I am SO excited about it.
I know the entire universe was praying for us to have a girl… but y’all, I REALLY WANTED ANOTHER BOY.
Here are a few reasons why…
- Boys are awesome. They are high energy, crazy, fun, and hilarious. I will often discover one of the boys scaling our furniture, turning the house into an American Ninja Warrior Course, eating everything in the pantry (and sometimes even the furniture – true story – I don’t understand it either), wrestling to the death, playing in mud and then tracking it all over the house (I don’t love the dirty house part, but it sure is fun to look out into the backyard and see them climbing trees in their superman capes). I know girls can do these things too, but I also know that boys are wild at heart and I absolutely love being a part of shepherding that! Except when it looks like they are about to do something that will land them in the ER. Then I draw the line. We have a high deductible, people.
- Boys are low maintenance. First of all, boys can pee while standing. Emergency pee coming and nowhere near a bathroom? Hit a bush, kid. Second, do you even know how long it takes for me to get ready in the mornings? It is almost embarrassing. This girl (meaning me) is all the maintenance our house can handle. I cannot even wrap my head around trying to take care of another girl’s hair, wardrobe, and accessory needs. We would probably never leave the house. I shave my boys’s heads, they wear whatever they want (pajamas? GREAT) and I send them out the door while I take 30 hours to decide which pair of shoes goes best with my outfit. It’s my cross to bear, but not theirs.
- I am obsessed with the name we picked out for this little buddy. You will have to wait until October to find out what it is, though, because I need to keep some things a surprise. 😉
- This world needs more good men. I don’t know if it’s the confusing gender messages our world is delivering these days, or the lack of strong male mentors, or the increased amount of pressure for men to perform, but It seems to me that there are a lot of men out there who are losing vision for what it means to be a godly man. Or maybe it’s that they never understood the definition of biblical manhood in the first place! The bottom line is that this world needs more good men and I desperately want to be a part of that mission. My husband and I want to raise boys who treat women with kindness, who serve selflessly, who honor one another above themselves, who lead bravely, who provide faithfully, who work hard and humbly, who care about purity, who understand their role as men, and who passionately love God. Can we do all this ourselves? Are we guaranteed any of this? No. But God hears our prayers and our boys belong to Him. We are trusting Him with the outcome.
ALL THAT TO SAY – I am thrilled to be having another boy.
I am SO excited about the family God has given to us and I cannot wait to add another Ninja-Warrior-Superman to the mix!
Although I hope this boy won’t eat our furniture because really that’s just weird.
Thank you always for your prayers and love and support!
Joyfully,
Julie 🙂
*I got the BOYS RULE print from HERE. <3
Oh. My. Word.
I couldn’t LOVE this more!
So fun and hilarious!
And I say AMEN to raising up Mighty Men for the Kingdom!
Great post, Julie.
Congrats and MANY blessings!
-Carmelinda
Congratulations! You are a great mom and your boys are blessed to have you.
Congrats! I’m having my first boy this September (have 1 girl) and I loved this post about raising godly men! Joining the mission! 😍
Love the pictures….
Love the family….
Love the excitement…
But especially love that our Lord has chosen you both to raise mighty men for Him!
Hallelujah and amen 🙌
Yes, to your whole post but especially raising Godly men! Congrats!
Congratulations!! Boys are awesome!!
💙 So happy for you! God Bless your journey!
SO happy for you.
Congratulations!!! I love the way you did the gender reveal. We have a daughter, then six boys, and I am now 31 weeks pregnant with a girl. People thought I was crazy when I would say that I would be thrilled if this little one was a boy. Boys are truly awesome! I am so happy for you guys!
Congratulations on the upcoming birth of another son! Your family is SO blessed! I enjoy reading your blog and all your posts, and admire you. Enjoy the journey! In Christian Love….CathyB
How exciting — congratulations for you all! I’m sure you’re all very excited to meet this new little man! What a blessing. And I loved reading all the reasons you’re happy he’s going to be a boy — what lovely reminders of how good it is to have a family of boys! Best wishes to you!
Well, I just love this to pieces! And you, my friend, have always been Wonder Woman in my book…powered by the super-abundant grace of God. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Ahhh Barb! THANK YOU! It was your email that motivated me to finally get this post up! <3
Three boys here and what an incredible adventure it has been! Ours even spread apart too….22, 20 and 12!!! We had our third ON PURPOSE AND SAME MARRIAGE! Ha. People ask!! 😂😂😂 Boys love their mama. Period. There is just a special relationship there. 💙💙💙my boys love the Lord and my prayer too was to raise Godly men. My oldest is getting married in October and purity has been important to him. And to his fiancé. God honors our prayers and our obedience!! Many prayers as you navigate these last weeks with that precious life inside of you! Hold on mama bc it all goes so fast!
Praise the Lord for your testimony! What an encouragement!!!
Best gender reveal! Not super dramatic like most of them are today. Just super (hero) cute!
Ahhh thank you, Autumn. <3
So thrilled for you! As a mom of 3 boys I agree boys are awesome!
Bless you, sweet Pat!
Congratulations! I agree! Boys are awesome! We have FOUR…and a daughter too! They’re all grown up now and such blessings! In a few weeks, we are expecting a grand-daughter! We’re super excited!!! Many blessings to you and your precious family!
That is amazing, girl!
Congratulations!!! We have 4 boys ourselves and I have to agree on everything you mentioned! I am always saying, “I am making future good husbands”, as they patiently shop along side me or help me do laundry. Lol. Good luck with everything!
Amen to that! My boys have learned that on rainy days, they need to bring me an umbrella because I have hair issues. 🙂
Congratulations! So happy for you and the whole gang of super heroes! You are correct, this world needs more mighty men warriors for Gods kingdom.
Thank you, Kristi! 🙂
Wonderful news RYAN, JULIE, Noah, and Jet!! So exciting! King David had his Mighty Men giving us brave examples of loyalty, friendship, and bravery! You will add one more! Blessings from my heart to y’all!
Oh Vickie! Thank you thank you!
Congratulations! Speaking as a mom of 3 boys also, its the best! You will have so much fun and be tired…really tired but good tired. Get those naps now!
You made me laugh! YES. Trying to squeeze in all the sleep! 🙂
So cute – can you post the cute “boys rule” so I can down load – I would LOVE to display that cute sign so my boys know they ROCK….
Laura! I actually bought that print from the cutest shop on etsy! Here is the link – https://www.etsy.com/shop/CozyCloudCo?ref=l2-shopheader-name
🙂
I must say, I’m so happy I have my boy (after two sweet girlies)! My nearby daughter also has three boys, and I have seven (out of 12) grandsons!
Congrats to all of you!!!
Thank you, sweet Sue! I love hearing from you!
Congrats! How exciting! Enjoy this special time!
So excited for you and your family, I pray for a healthy pregnancy and thank you for all you do through your web site!
Julie Johnson
Oh thank you, Julie! I love your name too! 😉
Congratulations! I love your attitude. We have three boys too and a girl in the middle. Boys are so much fun! They help me get over myself and to laugh! I really feel blessed to be able to be such an influence in the life of future men of God. (In between the drumming and the running, I feel blessed. 🙂
Congratulations Julie and family! We just had our third beautiful bouncing baby boy last October. I love being a mom of all boys! Our house is always loud and crazy with half naked boys running around but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Enjoy your sweet boys!
Welcome to the Momma of 3 Boys Club! My first two pregnancies I really wanted a girl but when we got ready for asking God for a 3rd baby I asked for another boy. I think God just built me for boys. I know I will likely miss out of some other girly stuff, but there is the dream of my husband taking everybody camping and fishing and hunting and leaving Momma at home or the spa. What a dream! Congrats and get ready to enjoy!