Pears and Peas

Learning how to use a sippy cup... Getting there...

Mmmmm.... pears... so good that I can do it myself!

Peas...pretty please :)

A few big events...

September has been a busy month for us already... September is a birthday month in our family with over 7 or so birthdays between family and close friends. Emilynn was also dedicated this month on top of all the normal celebration. So here are a few pics and events...

First we celebrated Papa's 85th birthday! :)

Then we celebrated Emilynn's dedication then Granny's birthday...

Obaa made Emilynn's smocked dress. She also made shoes and a necklace and bracelet. I made her bow. :)

A beautiful angel baby. Love it!

Emilynn was dedicated with Lily and a few other friends from church. Emilyn n and Lily looked absolutely stunning in their smocked dresses, bows and necklaces!!!

A family photo! :)

Obaa, Ojii and Grandma...beautiful family!!!

Four generations on Granny's 84th birthday!!!

So that was a busy few weeks... Emilynn is doing great. She has been eating a ton of solid food! :) She likes pretty much everything. She has had carrots, zucchini, sweet potatos, apples, pears, bananas... I think that is it. We need to try peas again. She would love to hold the spoon herself, of course. :) She is learning her sippy cup and getting better every day. She is making some new sounds...grunting but also a lot of goos and of course cackling out loud. ;) We absolutely love seeing her grow and change. She is a precious little one.

More to come...

6 months and counting

Emilynn was 15 lbs 10 oz and 26 3/4" long. She is average weight but in the 90% for length/height! We had fun doing a little photo shoot for her...

My stance on stances...

I am really learning my heart and attitude toward the extremesin things. I consider myself a pretty passionate person and can be considerablyconfident in what I think about something, but I have found as I walk throughlife, especially motherhood, there is something to be said for flexibility, balance and the ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes...

As a child, my favorite book and still a favorite today wascalled Walk Two Moons. If you have children, I recommend it for sure. It's a story within a story but the tagline reads: "Don't judge a man until you've walked two moons in his moccasins." - Sharon Creech

When it comes to raising kids, there are so many stances you could take on so many things. My best friend and I have often talked about how divisive these stances can really be whether early on it's breastfeeding, sleeping theory, natural birth, etc. or later it's public, private or home
school. And while if someone asked me what my stance was, I have one for sure on all of these things. But in all these things, I have only had the ability to choose anything because of the grace of God and the work of the Holy Spirit's leading. Working at a children's hospital, there are many people without a choice, doing the very best they know how. When I put myself in their
moccasins, my stance has changed often. I feel like the goal is not to stand for something so much that you miss the heart, challenges, and situations of others.

Even Nick Cannon said on television about the birth of his twins with Mariah Carey that the best advice that he had gotten was that there was to take no advice because every baby and experience is different. Amen!

Please don't misunderstand... I think that we should certainly know what we believe and
STAND next to it. Whether that be theology, child rearing, marriage, etc. However, there is a way to stand in the other's moccasins in love. There have certainly been stances that I have taken without really considering the situation or the heart of the other person. At the end of the day, my encouragement to myself and others is to ask the Holy Spirit to speak. He will guide you and lead you and give you wisdom in all situations. Ijust never know what two moons another has walked or is walking...

Sisters in the Lord

Here are the three girls from cell: Emilynn (almost 6 months), Lily (almost 6 months), and Haven (3 months)... They are so cute...

This one was a couple of months ago.

This is Andrew and Anna ... They are the proud big brother of Lily and big sister of Haven.

So fun to live in community and walk closely together. Loves these mamas too! :)

Gratitude...Thankfulness...and the need to practice

I have been reading One Thousand Gifts and I'm just kinda stuck in the spot of really digesting the idea and need to practice gratitude. I never realized that I never give credit to the things in the world that deserve the Lord's credit...everything good and merciful...

Here are a few things I am thankful for...

1. my huband's creativity

2. mountains, water and trees colliding

3. loyal dogs that deeply care in their way

4. refridgerators and ice makers in Texas

5. fruit in the summertime

6. cell phones and text messages for my far-away, best friends

7. my 1st floor parking spot almost everyday at work

8. vacuum cleaners

9. friends and mamas that have walked ahead of me

10. nearby grandparents and their generosity

11. the invention of the camera to highlight beautiful moments

12. screams and squeals that disrupt a restaurant from a healthy, happy baby girl

13. rain and cloudy days...oh how we miss them

14. Christ Fellowship and their leadership...humbled to be a part of this Body...

15. modern medicine that heals by the grace of Jesus and His name

16. clean sheets

17. the Texas heat and sun that quickly dry Emilynn's diapers

18. Sprouts :)

19. bath time with Emilynn

20. the simplicity of children's Bibles :)

I want to be a woman of MORE gratitude...to really SEE the blessing before me.

Here are just a few cute pics of Emilynn and us...

5 months :)

Family at 5 months and before at 3 months ... growing girl

As of lately...

So it's been forever since I've blogged. I have been keeping up with another site with pictures of Emilynn that the family looks at quite frequently. So here are a few things that have been going on...

Emilynn is now 5 months old...almost 6...she was 24 weeks yesterday...

She is sitting up pretty well on her own, talking a ton, eating a lot, growing long, and entertaining us every day...

Ross and I celebrated our 4 year anniversary on August 4th. We were in Lake Tahoe and took some time to get away, get some dessert, and restate our vows to one another... a beautiful tradition that Ross started. I bawled my eyes out this year as we promised again to be completely submitted to Christ and bring the Kingdom in our marriage... The best part was that our waiter was THRILLED that we had been married for four years...It was hysterical!

That brings us to Lake Tahoe... Emilynn took her first plane trip to Lake Tahoe...

And met her cousins! :) And Aunt Bonnie and Uncle Russell...

She did fabulous on the trip! She was a real sun bunny!

We are still enjoying our work set-up. Ross and I see each other a lot during the day and both get great time with Emilynn. It is really ideal for this season.

We are also just still amazed at walking with Jesus...through parenthood, marriage and life. We witness brokeness every day, yet believe that Jesus reigns. There have been hard things happening all around us and we are making a choice to choose faith in a God who wants His glory above all things and our hearts to be consecrated fully to Him! I am also learning to be grateful for the smallest of things...