Blue Eyed Girls

Sometimes I just look at them and wonder how they got to be so beautiful! I pray that they grow up to be just as beautiful on the inside (although right now I'm having doubts about that with EK and her sassy, whiny TWO year old attitude:)).

Y'all, I seriously loved all the comments on the mud! It was definitely a memory we will always treasure! They had an absolute blast and we laughed at EK's bottom hanging out until our sides hurt (she was so oblivious). And surprisingly her shoes look brand new after a good washing and most of the mud came out of their play clothes!

Look What 's Brewing in Our Backyard!

And it will be a minor miracle if it actually gets built by my dear, handsome, but not so handy husband!

There Really Are No Words

10 minutes of unsupervised play (I was trying to cook dinner and the sun had finally started to shine after lots of rain) outside resulted in this...

off to get cleaned up

For Stellan

Little Stellan needs our prayers! The blogging community is amazing and I have been sucked into this little guys story. Maybe it's because his mama's blog is so cool and I secretly wish I was as blog famous as her. Plus, her faith is amazing as she is dealing with this journey. Or maybe it's because Stellan is the same age as Abigail and that tugs at my heart. It could also be because he is suffering from a heart condition and I remember so well the scary days with Samuel and the seriousness of his heart failure, VSD (hole), and lungs. In any case, I am drawn to this baby and his family and their need for prayers. This blogger is doing a really cool gallery of pictures of Stellan's name. You need to go check out the gallery...it's really cool. So, this morning Ellie Kate and I got the letters together on our fridge. Ellie Kate picked out the letters and helped me spell his name with our magnets.

Lord, surround baby Stellan with YOUR LIGHT and give his momma, daddy, and siblings the peace only you can give. Hear our prayers as we ask that you heal this precious baby's body. We trust you and know your plan is working for your glory.

Psalm 139:11-16

11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light about me be night,”

12 even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is bright as the day,
for darkness is as light with you.

13 For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother's womb.

14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.

15 My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.

16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.

Randomness

Painting with the Crayola Beginnings set from Jeff's parents

Clipo blocks

Our little Easter Egg Tree
My mom gave the kids the little eggs and ribbon so then we searched our yard for some twigs. I found EKs easter basket and then we got some rocks and grass for the base, and voila there you have it!

Abigail loves to hold onto and chew on her rattles now!

and of course still loves her thumb
the look on her face in this pic is priceless...like "okay mama, that is enough pictures!"

Weight Watchers is going well so far
I've lost about 5 pounds already! This is what I had for lunch today...yummy yummy (leftover roasted chicken, tomatoes, and zuccini with onions)!

Growing Like a Weed!

We all know that Abigail is no tiny thing and it was confirmed today at the doctor. She is growing very well and definitely gets enough to eat! She had her 4 month check up today (a few weeks late) and she is doing great!

I can't believe how she has changed in just a few short months!

newborn

2 months

4 months

The Chunky Monkey's Stats are:

Weight - 15 pounds 2 ounces (75%)
Height - 25 1/2 inches (75%)
Head Circ - 16 1/4 inches (50%)

At 4 months, Abigail is a dream baby! Sleeping great, eating great and just all around a happy little girl! I do not take this for granted. Lately I have come across so many blogs of children and babies just struggling with rare diseases and many of them are dying or have died. It makes me so sad and sometimes I don't know why I even read them as they can really get me down and fearful. However, I do think it just makes me realize how grateful and blessed I am to have 3 healthy children right now. It also reminds me to cherish every moment knowing that we are not guaranteed tomorrow. I can choose to live in fear and anxiety, or I can choose to live each day thankful for what God has blessed me with for now and trust him for tomorrow. Easier said than done!!!

I have heard this awesome song lately on the radio and sure enough it's by one of my favorite singers...Darius Rucker (used to be with Hootie and the Blowfish). Apparently, he has decided to go the country route and his songs are now being played on country radio. I love his latest song "It Wont Be Like This For Long". It is another reminder to enjoy each and every stage as parents. Even though each stage has it's frustrations...they really don't last that long and one day we are going to wish we were back! Here is the link to the song on You Tube...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6JHXHWZLpU&feature=related

More Fun!

After a full long weekend, we are home and ready (well, not really) to get back to the reality of work, school, etc. It's always hard to leave my parents because we have so much fun there! Samuel and Ellie Kate played hard all weekend and loved being outside!

They rode the golf cart a lot

I sewed a little bit

We took 266 pictures (oh my goodness!)

We had a night out with friends at Atlantic Station

We also got to sleep in a little while my parents got up with the early birds (Samuel and EK). Sorry there are no pictures of that:)! I actually slept until 9:45 one morning while Jeff got up with Abigail!

Today before heading home, we stopped by Jeff's grandparents who also live in Atlanta. It is always so good to see them.


We got an extra treat and got to see Jeff's cousin and his wife and little boy as well (who were in town from Tennessee).

After a yummy lunch, we headed next door to the little farm in the middle of suburbia! No kidding! Jeff's aunt and uncle have an awesome place with lots of land, a creek, and animals right smack in the middle of Alpharetta, Georgia. Samuel had a blast petting, riding, and feeding the animals while Ellie Kate kept her distance but really enjoyed watching them!










Okay, so it seriously just took me WAY too long to upload all the hundreds of pictures (both of our computers are now running low on memory so I had to make room) and do this post. Now, I better get LOTS OF COMMENTS to make it worth my time! Ha ha!!!!

Fun Times

Samuel did not have school today so we checked him out early yesterday and headed over to Atlanta to spend some time with my family! The kids have been having a blast so far!

They got outside early this morning when it was still cool and played in the leaves and gathered sticks as well as leaves for a campfire.

During the girls naps, Samuel and my dad went fishing and Jeff was at our regional office in some meetings. So after EK and Abigail woke up we headed to the park. Ellie Kate spent most of the time swinging of course. Abigail and I had a nice walk on the awesome trails at the park!

Of course at the end of the day, baths were very much needed! Samuel and EK took a bath in my parents whirlpool. It was Ellie Kate's first time and she was kind of startled at first but once she got used to it she absolutely LOVED it. They had so much fun playing in all the bubbles!

Solids

We have started some solids with Abigail and she absolutely loves them! She had been eating every 4 hours but in the last week or so has been acting much more hungry so we decided to take the plunge. I was really hesitant because I really didn't want to have to add another thing into our day if I didn't have to, but oh well.

And because I can't help myself...some more pictures of the little cutie!

Beautiful Spring

(jeff took this pic!)

I don't know about y'all, but this week has been gorgeous in west Alabama! For those of you who attended The Capstone (aka The University of Alabama) you will remember how beautiful our campus is this time of year. SO, yesterday afternoon, we loaded up and made our way over to the quad area and the Presidents Mansion where the tulips and azaleas are in bloom. Once again I took a bazillion pictures. Instead of posting them here...I'll just give you the link to my facebook album. Here is a small preview...


Just click on this link and it should take you to the album
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=67770&id=500043963&l=9fa35f1a83