Two new things...

Caleb has recently acquired to new things in his life: his helmet and his doorway jumper. Although it seems as if the two may go together, they don't! Caleb got his helmet last Friday and it has not seemed to phase him at all. Now, other people....that's a different story. It's amazing how many looks you get when you put a helmet on your child's head! I would just rather them come ask, than stare!! I have had a few very nice people say things like "Now how long will he have to wear that?" or "My niece, nephew, family friend, etc had to wear one of those too!" Anyway, other people's reactions is whole other blog for a while other day! Like I mentioned before, he has transitioned well. He has never cried when we've put it on or taken it off and he just acts normal as if nothing is any different. My biggest fear was his first night sleeping in it. Since he's been pretty much sleeping through the night since about 11 weeks, I just wasn't ready to go back to those long, sleepless nights, BUT he did beautifully! He never made a sound all night long! WHEW!! So, we are 1 week into it with hopefully only about 12 more to go. We had a check up today just to make sure the helmet wasn't rubbing him anywhere and we go back again in 2 weeks for some measurements. I suppose we will know more about the length of time after that appointment. I'll be sure to post an update.

And as for the doorway jumper...well, let's just say him being a frog for Halloween was a GREAT choice!! I'll post pics of that too after this evening's festivities are all over.

6th folder, 6th picture

I was tagged by Jennifer, so here's the 6th picture in my 6th folder. This is a graph that I did with my 1st graders the day I was going to find out if I was having a boy or girl. Looks like they did a pretty good job guessing!!! The next day I put it on the smartboard "IT'S A.....BOY!!" and I revealed each word painfully slow. They were dying in suspense. It was so fun!!

Ok...so now I tag Lindsey Powell and Lindsay Stovall. Follow these directions.

1. Open your pictures
2. Go to the 6th folder, 6th picture
3. Post the picture and the story that goes with it
4. Tag 2 other people.

Fab Fall Fun @ Denver Downs

Caleb on his first hayride. You know you live in the South when you document 1st Hayrides!!!
Our little fam (minus Daisy Dog)

I think this is the one!

Playing in the corn box.

Mom, look what I found!

Petting daddy rather than the nasty sheep.

First of all, you know you love the alliteration in the title!! HA!

Second, I am like many others and absolutely love the fall! I love how refreshing it is to feel the cool, crisp air outside. I love how beautiful the trees are! I love knowing (since I taught 1st grade!) how and why the leaves change colors and marveling in the awesomeness and creativeness of our creator. I mean, wouldn't it have been easiest to leave things the same year round? But He delights in us so much he wanted our eyes to be able to feast upon his greatness and goodness. I've never understood how people can look at creation and say there is no God because to me it just scream his name.

So....since the seasons have been changing we've been hanging out doing some "fallish" things and one of those things included a day trip to Denver Downs Farm right here in our little town. It's probably one of the neatest things I've found in Anderson...well... there are other neat things, but if we ever moved this is something I might actually drive back here for (besides seeing family, of course!). So, take a gander at the pics above and if you have time you might want to consider driving out this way and enjoying a day at the farm too!!

R.I.P Mr. Coffee

Mr. Coffee passed away on Sunday, October 26 at 7:30 am from unknown causes. He was the ripe old age 3 and a half. Mr. Coffee brought joy to many and is survived by many coffee cups. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Starbucks. Please keep his family in your prayers as they do their best to replace him.

A new "hat"...

Caleb wearing the gauze for the scanning.

Having the StarScan done

He had to be really still.


The random child wearing a Star Band. Caleb's will be light blue.

Since Caleb was born we have been watching the shape of his head. He's always had a "flat spot" on the back right side that we've been concerned about. After his 6 month check up we were referred to a physical therapist for a consultation. We had that appointment on Monday. She took some measurments, diagnosed him with mild torticollis and also felt his measurements were severe enough to warrant a visit to Orthopedic Services. We had that appointment today. Here he had more measurements taken and it appears that our little guy does have severe enough plagiocephaly that he will be gaining a new accessory for approximately 13 weeks - a helmet. Because there is a difference of 17mm between the lowest part of the back of his head and the highest part, because his ears have moved slightly, and because the longest part of his head is diagonal rather that front to back the orthopedist said that he would highly recommend wearing the Starband for correction....so we had our StarScan today to get the exact measurements of Caleb's head, picked out a nice light blue color to match his eyes, and the new "hat" should arrive toward the end of next week - just in time for him learning to crawl which is pretty perfect timing for a little extra head protection! Above are a few pictures of the scanning today and also a picture of random child wearing a StarBand so you can get an idea of what it will look like.

WHY???? (by Caleb)

Why play with toys when there are clearly much more interesting things in the house - you know, folks.....remote controls, plastic strips, and mommy's bracelets. Please! Toys are so overrated!! We kids aren't that hard to please. Save your bucks and just give us household things; we love them!! Later taters!

Love,
Caleb

P.S. See I TOLD you it was hard to get ahold of the computer in this household!!!

Fhoto Friday...

...at least it will probably be Friday by the time most of you read this! Here are a few pictures from the things that we've been up to lately. I just can't believe how quickly time flys. Since I don't have time to write about every event, I thought a few pictures would suffice. Enjoy.

We've been...

Watching Caleb grow like a weed! 17 lbs, 14 oz at his 6 month check (but he was closer to 7 mo. old)

Playing with anything we can get our hands on

Decorating the house for fall. Above is the wreath I made and below is the picture I found in Southern Living that I copied!!

Hanging out at Falls Park

Playing outside in the incredible weather

Sitting up like a pro!!!! And doing some adding and subtracting with the abacus!! HA!

Being dedicated a church

Learning to share with my bestest, Ella Claire!

Still sitting up!!

New business venture...

...well, I guess you could call it that. I should probably call it "first" business venture because it's a first for me not having been a part of the business world previous to this! Anyway, now that I'm home I decided it might fun to do one of those home businesses. I have some time on my hands and it would be nice to have a little extra dough for fun things - clothes, accessories, clothes and shoes. Oh...did I mention clothes? HA! Tupperware was ruled out, Mary Kay and Avon are not for me, and I think there's some candle company and although I like them, I don't want to sell them. SO, I went with Southern Living at Home. (OK...that was my first link within a blog so I hope it works!) I love home decor and I love the products this company sells so I'm gonna give it a try. It's actually been on my mind for a few years (since I went to a party) and this just seemed like the right time to do it. So, I'm diving in. It's slightly different than teaching, but I think it will be fun. If you'd like to book a party with some girlfriends to see some great home decor (and get some great benefits if you host!) then give me a call or send me an email and we'll set a date!

Why not NOW?

One thing I have always loved about working with kids is how you can learn so much about living life from them - their innocence, sweetness and genuine concern for others is always amazing to me. I am helping out with 1st and 2nd grade GA's (Girls in Action, for all my non-baptist readers!!) this year on Wednesday nights and tonight I had one of those moments that just stops you in your tracks. We were talking about a particular people group in China called the Zhuang people. We read over some facts about them, chatted about them some, and then the girls asked some questions. As we were wrapping up our chat, we were reading a list from our book of ways that we could pray for the Zhuang people. Me, being the hurried leader who was trying to get it all in before our time ended, had planned to read the requests and move on; however, God laid something else on one of the girl's hearts. As I finished reading the list, ready to move on, one of the girl's said, "Well, why don't we stop and pray for them right now." This momentarily froze me. I must admit that this suggestion completely caught me off guard, but it also really spoke to my heart. Oh how I wish I was more like this - taking the time to stop and pray in the moment. Listening to someone share a problem with me and then instantly praying for them. Visiting someone who is sick and praying over them right then. Sharing in congratulations with someone by thanking God with them. So, we took the time right then to pray. Not what I had on the "agenda" at that moment in the evening, but I sure thank God for that special little girl who was yeilded to the Spirit and helped me remember that it's not my agenda that matters anyway.

Happy Half - Birthday!!

Half a year has come and gone
Oh! How the time does fly...

That little boy I held in my arms
Had the most precious cry
That sweet little cry has turned into a laugh
A laugh you just can't pass by

That little boy I held in my arms
Had wrinkled hands and feet so small
Those hands and feet now explore the world
Taking in it all

That little boy I held in my arms
Had a very spontaneous grin
That little grin has turned into a big, toothless smile
That he gives us whenever he can

That little boy I held in my arms
Is still part of a much bigger plan
No matter how big he gets, or how far he goes
I know he’s in the palm of God’s hand.

I can only imagine what the next half year holds
Fun and adventure galore
God has blessed us beyond our dreams
And we can’t wait to see what else is in store.

Caleb with his half birthday cake for his half birthday and a little gift.

Tearing into it.

Hmmm...Let's taste it!

What is this mess?!?!

Sweet 6 month old boy!

All tuckered out from the the birthday festivities!

What a blast we had celebrating Caleb's half year birthday! This is not something I plan to do every single year, but I figured he'd only be 1/2 a year once in his life, and I am all about some celebrations!! We had a great time letting him grab a handful of cake, but we didn't let him play too long because we didn't want to ruin the fun on birthday #1. He has been such a blessing to us and we just can't wait to see what God has in store for his little life. Six months has gone by so quickly, but we are so thankful for every second of it.

Yummy to my tummy...

OK, so I haven't actually made this recipe yet because I am trying to loose the baby weight (still!), but boy does it sound tasty!! Maybe by posting it, I will get it out of my system to want to make them!! This is a great recipe to let your kids help out making. Here goes:

S'more Bites

18 wooden toothpicks
18 large marshmallows
1 (12 oz) pack milk chocolate morsels
1/2 cup graham crackers, crushed
waxed paper

• Insert toothpick into center of each marshmallow; place on tray and freeze 10-15 minutes or until firm.
• Place chocolate morsels in microwave bowl and nuke on HIGH 1-2 minutes; stirring occasionally until melted.
• Dip each marshmallow in chocolate, spooning chocolate over top, if needed. Let excess drip off. Roll in crushed graham crackers. Place on waxed paper to cool and set.

Oh so yummy! I think it will be fun one day when Caleb and I can make these together. If anyone decides to venture out and make them, let me know how they are!

WE WON!!!

Friday night Chad and I participated in our first 5K since before Caleb was born. It was the Anderson Midnight Flight, which is a 5K that starts at 10 pm. It was a lot of fun and running in the coolness of night is always a plus. Oh and how could I forget to mention......WE WON!! Well, ummmm, at least based on the following, I'm pretty sure we won:

1. We couldn't see anyone in front of us, but there were some behind us.



2. We had more people than most of the other runners cheering for us as we rounded the last corner and crossed the finish line.



3. We had a very high score. Isn't that how you win most sports?!?

OK...in case you didn't figure it out, we were nowhere close to winning. We actually walked the entire thing for the first time in 3 years! This post pregnancy body was not ready to run quite yet! BUT, it was tons of fun and we were winners in our eyes!!

Overwhelmed by Joy...

This is one of those posts I wasn't sure how to start so I'll just jump right in. This week Caleb had his first cold. It started Tuesday during the day he just got progressively more stuffy as the day went on. We put him down at his normal time that night (8 pm). Now on a non-stuffy night we wouldn't hear from him until about 6:45ish the next morning, but with him not feeling so well he awoke whimpering around 10:30ish. I went to check on him, which ended with me picking him up to rock him. As I was rocking him I did something I do often when I rock him and that is to pray for him. I pray for his salvation at an early age, for him to have friends who love the Lord, for all the temptations he will face (and those are scary to think about), for his future wife - all kinds of things, but on this particular night I was, of course, praying for him to feel better and get a good night's rest. During this precious time with Lord (and Caleb) I also began thanking Him for Caleb and for the abundance of joy this little gift of God has brought into our lives - the joy we get from his smiles, his laughs and especially the way he has started reaching for our faces when we hold him. I'm not sure if I have a big nose or what, but he especially likes to grab it! Anyway, as I was thinking about the pure joy he has brought us just in his little time here, it made me think about our relationship with God - how we are His children and how He must take so much joy in us; even how He delights in us.

"The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." Zephaniah 3:17

After this thought crossed my mind, I stopped. Do I do enough each day that God should take joy in me? The answer is no. But, the good part is that he will rejoice over me anyway because I am His. Isn't grace so wonderful and yet so unexplainable? The more I thought about this, the more I was convicted to do more, give more, etc to bring Him glory. I want Him to have every reason possible to rejoice over me with singing. Will I accomplish this? No way. Every day I have oh so many times where I do not deserve to be rejoiced over. I miss opportunites to share His name. I let my toungue run away from me. I think things that I shouldn't. I get wrapped up in life and forget that my life should point to Him. As a matter of fact, I deserve to be put in a corner and forgotten about, but instead, I serve an awesome God, a God who I cannot even fathom the goodness of, a God who chooses to treasure me despite it all - and that makes my cup not just run over, but spill all over the place!

"The wildest part is that Jesus doesn't have to love us. His being is utterly complete and perfect, apart from humanity. He doesn't need me or you. Yet He wants us, chooses us, even considers us His inheritance (Eph. 1:18). The greatest knowledge we can ever have is knowing God treasures us."

(from Crazy Love by Francis Chan)

Baby Blues

Hi! It's Caleb here! I got a hold of the computer for a bit (which is quite a feat with my daddy around!) so I could show you my new baby blues - not my eyes, but my very first pair of jeans!!! Mom bought them for me the other day 'cause she said something about the seasons fixin' to change. I'm not so sure about all that stuff yet. Anyway, here are some pics mommy took. You will also notice that my legs are getting pretty strong. I practice kicking lots during the night and nap time. I'm pretty sure they will be scooting me along sometime in the near future. Can't wait to see everyone again soon. I'll give you another update as soon as I can find my way back here!

Fhoto Friday!!

So happy I could spit milk!

Gazing out the window with Daisy

Just chillin'

This is the first toy Caleb won on ebay. His dad is starting him young!

Sacked out for a morning nap

Caleb and Daddy

Me and Caleb

Running to get Daddy

BUY IT!!

This is a small plug for a good friend of mine!! Her sis wrote this book and it will be in stores September 9th. You can read the synopsis on ther website http://www.kimberly-huff.com/index.html I don't know about y'all, but I am definitely willing to try any book that has something about a coffee product in the title!

Google it...

...just because you need to see the cute little things they are doing with the Google logo for the Olympics. There are different ones everyday. You never know what you will see, but they are always cute and creative!!

A WOW Weekend!

(I started this post right after the weekend, but am just now getting it finished!)

This has been one of those weekends where I have just felt God's presence so real each day. Let me give a recap:


Friday night:
We had a get together with our Small Group that served two purposes 1) because we all love hanging out and 2) because were saying a temporary goodbye to our very special friends Cameron and Lyn Wooten. They've only been at our church for a short time, but oh, how we've come to love them dearly. Cameron and Lyn were missionaries for 2 years and then moved back home. About a year after their return Cameron was diagnosed with leukemia. However, their story is not your normal story! They have had such a wonderful outlook on everything since day 1. They have clearly been able to see God's hand through this whole ordeal and He has gotten so much glory from it all! They have been able to share their story and touch so many lives. It's been amazing watching them live out their faith in God - truly trusting Him for their future and whole heartedly beleiving that whatever they are going through He has a purpose in it all. Such an inspiration! Although the leukemia is now in remission (praise God!) he is having to have a bone marrow transplant. Please pray for this family. He will have to be in the hospital for a solid month and will not get to see his little girl (who is 13 weeks old).


Saturday:
"Coke on the Corner" with our church - FBC WEST!! We had a blast. We stood on the corner of Harrison Bridge Road and Fairview Road and passed out free cokes to the people who were stopped at the intersection. Thankfully we all made it back alive! Each drink had a little business card on it that gave our church name, worship times and a map. It was just a neat way to live out our love for the community.

The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. Gal. 5:6

It was funny to see how people reacted. We had people who willingly accepted, people who tried to give us money even though we never asked for it and people who completely ignored us. There were times we couldn't even give away a FREE coke. But the more we thought about it, the more sense it made because how many things in this life really are completely free - no strings attached. I can't think of anything - especially material things like a coke. Well, that is unless you think like one of my first graders who one time told me that he got cereal for free at the grocery store. I asked him how because you had to buy cereal. He said, "No...we got buy one, get one FREE!." Ok, that was completely a little side note, but one of my favorite stories! Anyway, the only completely free thing I can think of is our salvation in Christ. The free gift of eternal life that is for everyone who will simply take the gift - not ignore it, not try to pay for it - just receive it. Isn't that awesome?

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8

So this one man has really been on my heart. I offered him a coke and he said, "No, but I'll take the card." This was the only response I got like this, so it made me think that he must really be seraching. I know it's far fetched but I have really been praying for this man - that maybe he would find his way to our church. Sounds silly, but I also believe that God can do more than we could ever ask or imagine. It's funny how God has had this man stick out in my mind - don't really know why, but I know I can pray.


Sunday night:
This was one of those nights that I know I will have a hard time describing. It was one of those moments with God that just surpases explaining with my insignificant, human vocabulary. Our church hosted Selah in concert and it was wonderful. Chad and I almost didn't go - a free Sunday night was sounding pretty good! But, last minute he was like, "I keep hearing about that concert on WLFJ (the local Christian station). I think we should get tickets." So, I got up Saturday morning and ordered ours and boy am I glad I did. I was excited because I love any kind of music, but I wasn't super excited because I didn't know much of their music. Let me tell you, I SHOULD have been super excited! It was such an amazing concert. Their voices reminded me of a marriage. Two voices blending so well together that it seemed like one. The harmony the two lead singers made was - oh my - unmatchable. These two voices were meant to sing together!! And, no worries about me not knowing any of the songs because they sang mostly older hymns! Love them!! It is Well With My Soul (my favoite!!), Amazing Grace, Closer Walk with Thee, Be Thou My Vision, Power in the Blood, etc. It was such a wonderful time of worship. Now I love me some contemporary music, but it pains me to think the kids of now may not grow up hearing hymns, so I am all about groups that like to put a little comtemporary twist on old hymns because their messages are so powerful!! Anyway, music is one of my main ways of worhsip and this was just one of those unforgettable times - where I got to close my eyes and have tears brought to my eyes because of the wonderful lyrics of these timeless songs. Thanks Selah for sharing your gifts and your stories with our church. What a night!!

It's OK for grown men to cry...

OK, so I was just watching my first of the Olympics because we just got our TV set up and let me tell you what I heard. This Lochte kid just won gold for the first time on his life during the Men's 150M swim. So of course at the end of the race they are showing his family, etc. His dad was (or maybe still is) his swim coach, so naturally he has some tears of joy. The camera crew shows him and the announcers words are as follows, "There's Lochte's dad, Steve, and he's having a hard time holding it in." HEEEEELLLOOOOOO!!!! Holding it in?!?! Are you kidding me? His son just won Gold at the Olympics and you expect him to "hold it in"? That just disturbed me a little. No wonder boys/men are afraid to cry with this silly mentality. I personally don't see a thing wrong with it. It doesn't mean you are any less of a man because you shed a few tears - happy or sad! I think it makes you MORE of a man because you are willing to let others see the real you - you are being vulnerable and transparent. You aren't trying to hide your feelings and have a big ole "I'm too macho to cry" ego. Anyway, just a little pet peeve of mine. Men, if you are out there reading this, cry a little. I mean, don't go overboard and start crying at sappy, girly chic flicks, but a little outward emotion never hurt anyone - it just makes us stronger!

I married a movie star!!!!

Check out Chad's TV debut! For those of you who have never met him, he's the hot guy at the very end of the video! He has used this local bank forever and knows all the sweet ladies there, so a few weeks ago they called and asked him to be in a commercial. It will be airing on Fox News, ESPN, HGTV and a few other channels. He will probably be getting a call to be one of the crazy people in the Sonic commercials soon, so if you want his autograph you better get it now while he's just a wee little peon. I have a feeling we're going big!!

(you will need to pause my play list at the bottom in order to hear this)