7 Months

First things first. You didn't miss month 6.  I did.  So here we are back "on track" with month 7.  He weighs in at a whopping 20.7 lbs.  Jason is still crossing his fingers for an offensive lineman.

And for you folks who like to do the comparison thing, here's Emma.

Think they are related? Think they aren't?  Who can tell.

He's started some solid foods (finally).  I was reluctant to add another "event" to our routine, but the kid was HUNGRY.  So far, his favorites are sweet potatoes and butternut squash.  We're working on green beans.  It is a process folks.  In great news, his reflux is MUCH better.  We've dropped three of the medicines and he is doing great.  All you mommas out there that braved those waters far longer and far worse than us, you are truly champs!

He's moving--but not crawling. The kid can traverse a room without so much as actually getting up on all fours.  He literally rolls from one side of the room to the other until he gets where he's going.  It's a little creepy.  But it's my kind of adorable creepy.

I know every mom out there (well good ones at least) think they have the best kids--and that's part of what makes being a parent so great.  But Robert, aka Boo, really is a great baby.  And he LOVES his sister.  I mean wants to do EVERYTHING she does.  I feel this kind of control could come back to hurt him once Emma realizes the power she holds. I won't be shocked to pray something like this in the next year:


Dear Lord, thank you so much for the wonderful blessings you've given us for children.  Please Lord, please stop Emma from thinking it is a good idea to convince Robert to put paper clips in the electrical outlets. Amen. 


Only time will tell, but for now, here are more chair pics.  I was in a black & white mood. Can you tell?

I better get started on 8 months pretty soon. 

Tootles.

Merry Christmas!

From our angels, top to...

bottom;

pancakes to...

refreshments; 

Turkeys to...

baby Jesus birthday cakes;

I hope you've had a blessed day celebrating our Savior's birth!

And for my Dad, Soli Deo Gloria!

Happy Birthday

Birthday greetings to all you blog readers out there.  Can you believe this little girl is this many today?

Photo by her.

In just one short year, Emma's gone from this.....                           to.....

And there is no better way to celebrate 3 than with a princess cake.

 In fact, it stirs up so much birthday jubilation, it causes spontaneous jumping.

And otherwise histrionic behavior.

We celebrated with lots of family--and are so grateful everyone took time from their busy Christmas schedules to enjoy this precious angel. Who, incidentally, can blow out her own candles.

Included in our family celebration were Emma's great grandparents. Can you believe she has THREE living great grandparents?  AND that they are all such fun, loving and wonderful people?  I know, she's a lucky girl.

 And oh yeah, they are Robert's great grandparents too.  Duh.

The party was Sunday, so we had to celebrate even more today.  First up, pancake breakfast. And MORE candles, of course.

We followed breakfast with a trip to Whole Foods (Emma's choice) where she played and we ate lunch. After naps, it was all Cinderella, all the time.

And after Emma's choice dinner: fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, and lima beans, it was time to call it a night.  What a truly fun day.  Three is already my favorite age.  Praise the Lord we made it past the twos.  I can't wait to see more of who HE is shaping Emma to be.

Oh, and did you know this guy is SEVEN months old today? And is painting my kitchen with carrots?  More on his stats later!

Tootles.

A Must Read

If you love Jesus, or even if you don't;  if you're a mom, if you're not a mom; if you struggle with your own depravity, if you don't;  if you enjoy exemplary literary construction and exceptional command of the written word; if you are in need of TRUTH; if you need encouragement to BELIEVE; read this blog.  Subscribe even. I have.

This Week

Hi folks!  Greetings from the winter wonderland meets 3rd birthday preparations.  Does that give us a bah-humbug spirit?  Absolutely not!

To catch up, Jason and I had a great time at Behold the Lamb of God.  Driving to Huntsvegas for the event made for a late night, but we got to see these great friends.  Fun.  And a BIG thanks to Aunt Cece for keeping E and R while we were gone--not to mention sleeping on the couch since Robert no longer shares a room without wanting to play all night.

Once we were back home, it was business as usual: running errands, Christmas shopping, laundry, attending christmas parties, and getting ready for one of our own.  We had our annual church lifegroup (aka small group) christmas party Sunday night.  I'm a total nerd, but I look forward to this party all year.  Like the plates?  I found them at Hobby Lobby. They reminded me of the song (aka You Are Holy) and some good ole' BSC days singing in the chapel. {Plus, they were 50% off--suh-weet}.

After dinner, we commenced the 4th annual Lifegroup Dirty Santa extravaganza.   It is, in a word, legendary.  The theme last year was Things you use on Saturday night.  Gifts were interesting.  This year we were all on a search for things you'd be embarssed by if your grandmother gave them to you.


First up, Vance and some sensual hand soap and body lotion. Tame enough.

Next, Patrick and some questionably unrefrigerated whip cream.

The piece de resistance?  John's T-shirt.  And well, you can read it.

John with a CLASSY wig.

If Granny gave me immodium, I'd definitely get to runnin'.  Good thing Kristin found it funny too!

And every grandmother thinks their grandson is a super hero.  She just doesn't need to solidify it with briefs.  Nice Clifford.

And dear Kala.  How embarassing if your grandmother gave you a book on adolescent life changes?

We followed dirty santa with another FANTASTIC game called "Truth NOT Dare."  Ok, I just made that title up.  Do you like it?  To play, you write down one true fact about yourself (one you hope no one else knows) and put it in a bowl.  One person reads them aloud and we try to attribute each statement to its owner.  We learned A LOT of hysterical things about each other.  Truly hysterical.  It is always great to celebrate with such wonderful friends.  And we missed those couples who couldn't be with us!

And since then? Well, it's been non-stop, inside, fun, which of course means a trip to the McWane center.

To play in the snow...

Be back soon!

We're Going

To Huntsville.

Tomorrow.

To see this.

It will be the fourth consecutive year we've seen this tour. And at least the second year I've blogged about it.  {Check here}.   I CANNOT get enough.  It is an amazing night to stop thinking. Stop to-do-listing.  Stop shopping.  Stop cooking.  Stop decorating. Stop spending. And START preparing.  Preparing for the greatest gift the world has EVER received.  And a reminder that I am so incredibly undeserving.

If you find yourself in Huntsville, or wanting to experience some simple awesomeness, please join us.  I promise it won't disappoint!

Take One

Looks good to me.
I secretly wish I had the nerve to send it out.