Rob, Kellan and Aubrey

Praise You in the storm

2012-02-19T15:19:00.003-05:00

Praise the Lord!!

For so many reasons!

#1- For His love for us. An amazing sacrifice of love, He gave His life for us. Amazing.

#2- For this precious life growing inside my belly!

#3- For making it to 16 weeks!

#4- The little flutters going on in my belly as I type this!

#5- For my amazing family. The Lord has been so good to us. So good.

I could go on and on and on. But I am grateful to the Lord for sustaining us through a tough and unpredictable time, and continuing to bless us daily!

Friday, January 6th, I was taking down the Christmas decorations, and happened to look out the front window to see Rob getting out of his jeep. I opened the door to meet him, thinking he had come home at lunch to surprise us. I couldn't have been more wrong. Smiling, I said "What are you doing home?" My precious husband burst into tears after saying, "Because I don't have a job any more."

I was in completely shock. So was my husband.

Now, remember, I am ~~hormonal~~ pregnant... so this would be the perfect time to break down and lose it. But I fully attribute my reaction to the Lord. He held me up, so I could hold up my husband. It broke my heart to see him so hurt.

I love childlike innocence. Aubrey came up to Rob as he was crying, and threw her arms around him, babbling about something very important; a ball, I think. But she held onto him as if to know he needed it. That meant so much to me, because I felt to helpless. I didn't know what to do or say. But my Heavenly Father would know. So I wrapped my arms around them both and we prayed.

Prayed for strength. Prayed for clarity. Prayed for answers. Prayed for patience. And we prayed for our faith to be strengthened.

Faith. We needed faith. Because where do we go from here? I'm pregnant, Aubrey is only 2. With the job goes the insurance... Ugh. I have to admit, my faith may have been strengthened, but it wasn't without some doubts.

Eventually, we were able to talk through what happened. And honestly, I'm not sure we still know exactly why. The woman who let him go is the only one that knows. But, I will say, the more we found out, the more we saw God's hand across the whole situation. Rob didn't need to be there anymore. He had done what God had asked in the 2 years he was there, but He had a new adventure waiting for us.

And an adventure it was. Out of this unpredictable situation, God unfolded a story that could only glorify Him!

HOURS...

Yes, hours. (Only God)

Hours after Rob was let go from the company, his name was already floating around with other companies for another director position. He called the state (through whom his director's license is through) and spoke with a woman he knew well (God bless you, ma'am), who told him to update his resume and she would pass it out to everyone. While he was on the phone with her, she gave him a name and number to call, of a local nursing home facility that was looking for a director. So, Rob called the number and left a message, not knowing that the same sweet woman from the state had also called her too! (Again, only God!)

Well... come 5pm. Mary (from the local nursing home) called Rob back and told him to email his resume and she would contact him by Monday to set up an interview. Rob had also applied online to a few places over the weekend, and by Monday morning (January 9th) had TWO interviews scheduled for the week!! (Seriously, only GOD!!)

So, long story, short. Three weeks after having our world turned upside down, Rob was back at work, doing the same thing, just in a new place! Rob is the new Administrative Director at the Tarboro Nursing Center in Tarboro, NC!!

Praise the Lord!

We are blessed to be able to stay in our home (as opposed to moving to Wilmington... the other interview he had)!

We are beyond blessed that it was only 3 weeks before he had a new job!

We are SO SO grateful for having taken the Financial Peace class, and been on a budget and been faithful to keeping it... that we never touched our emergency fund! (and if that's the definition of an emergency, I don't know what is!!)

And an added blessing of this new company... they are paying for half of our interim insurance!! Which if you have ever had to use COBRA, you will know it is expensive! But since I am pregnant, if we didn't get COBRA... I wouldn't be covered later with his regular insurance (post the 90-day probationary period of any new job). And Rob's parents are so generous and are paying the other half as a gift to us.

We are speechless.

Well, not really. Every prayer is praising and thanking God for His blessing over our family! We don't know why He has chosen to bless us this way, but we will continue to give Him the glory for carrying us through this trial! Because, honestly, there is no other way to explain it all! His hand is everywhere is all this.

And thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who prayed for our family without knowing all the details. Your prayers meant (and mean) so much! We thank God for each and every one of you!

Lord God, our gratefulness is as immeasurable as Your love for us. You protected us through the storm, provided for us in the unknown, and blessed us beyond what we deserved. All glory and honor, power and praise be to Your Name!
Amen.

Baby Blessing #2

2012-02-19T15:02:00.004-05:00

Since I am a terrible blogger... our announcement is news to no one! BUT I love having this blog to look back and compare the two pregnancies and the two precious babies God has blessed us with... Miss Aubrey and our little 'peanut'!

So without further ado... here is our precious baby #2!

Our second precious baby, we love you so much already! We are so blessed that God chose us to be your Mommy and Daddy! We are so excited to meet you!! Mommy and Daddy and Aubrey love you so so so much!

Kiera's wedding!

2012-02-09T15:57:00.006-05:00

I'm a little out of order, but I need to post about my sister's beautiful wedding too!

Kiera and her sweet husband, Jason, got married in September! Their beautiful wedding was in a park in Wake Forest under a huge pecan tree. It was g.o.r.g.e.o.u.s!

We got dressed at my Aunt Judy's house close by to the wedding site, and she had sweetly decorated her room with tule and glitz for my sister to get ready in... her "bridal suite." My sister had an amazing dress, complete with the most adorable ankle boots! And the bridesmaids, Jessica and I, wore these really pretty silver dresses with brown belts and cowboy boots! It was total fun and totally Kiera!

The wedding was short and sweet, but just the way my sister wanted. My husband, Rob played "I love you this big" by Scotty McCreery on the guitar while my sister and her husband exchanged loving glances and hand squeezes. She is so happy, and I am over the moon for her!

The day was amazing and I am was SO blessed to be a part of it!

Pictures! (I wish I had more!!)

Getting ready!!!

Her gorgeous dress and her cute boots!

Me in my goofy socks

The back of her amazing dress!

Sooo Kiera!

Haha, this picture is soooo Kiera, too!

So happy for you, Sissy! I love you!

"Can-i-fornia"

2012-02-09T15:09:00.009-05:00

... or California! Aubrey is obsessed with all things California right now. Partially due to our trip there for my brother's wedding and partially to Lightning McQueen. And since she says it in such a cute way... Canifornia... we can't correct her.

Well, our trip was great! Aubrey completely surprised us and was amazing on the plane and throughout the week.

We flew out at 8pm from RDU, and arrived in Los Angeles around 11pm. Aubrey did great on the plane! I was worried about her ears bothering her, but gummy bears did the trick when taking off and landing! She was so excited to be on a plane, but did end up falling asleep for about an hour and a half to two hours. Well, since Los Angeles is HUGE, it took us a while to get our rental cars and head to the hotel. So we didn't get to bed until about 1 to 1:30am CA time (ie: 4am NC time). But it took no time at all for Aubrey to fall asleep in the hotel. As she's falling asleep, a few feet away are Mommy and Daddy (STARVING), so we're whispering and snacking on "plane snacks" before we pass out from the long day.

The whole week was filled with meeting Jessica's (my brother's wife) family and finishing up wedding plans! Her family and ours blended so well, California instantly felt like a second home.

The wedding was G.O.R.G.E.O.U.S... freezing, but gorgeous! It was outside overlooking a lake on one side with mountains on the other under a beautiful chuppah! (fun fact: the chuppah was in 2 other family weddings before them! And everyone has their names scratched into it!)

The reception was SO fun! I haven't danced that much ever. Aubrey LOVED all the young kids in the Aist family, so she was out on the dance floor almost the whole time! After her 30 minute cat-nap on Daddy, of course!

She danced with Daddy, Mommy, the kids, but most of all loved dancing with my brother, Chris. And for all of you who may or may not know my brother... dancing and Chris are not two words I would have ever... EVER... EVER used at the same time before his wedding. Which is a testament to his love for his wife!

Here are a few pictures from the wedding and reception!

The kiss!!

Kiera, Cyndi (Jessica's sister in law) and I
with Chris

The girls: Kiera, Cyndi, and I with the gorgeous bride, Jessica!

The bridal party with the newlyweds

The flower girls walking with Aubrey

The parents: Jaun and Penni Albarran and Mike and Kathi Minguez

Me, Mom and Kiera at the reception

I've GOT to catch up!!

2012-02-09T15:03:00.002-05:00

I am ~~horribly~~ really bad at blogging. I would love to be better at it, but alas I am not.

So, we left off in December before our big trip to California!

So, for those of you who actually read this blog... My next few posts for the day (I hope!) will be of our trip to California, our big news, and a recap of January! Let's see how I do.

Reminders

2011-12-01T14:45:00.003-05:00

I am so bad at keeping up with blogging. And there's so many things that I should be blogging about so that I can look back on them later.

Aubrey is growing up so fast! And I don't want to forget all the cute sayings and musings that she does.

The latest thing that cracks me up is "I can't like it"... ie: I don't like it. I was looking for my sunglasses the other day, on the counter in the kitchen, and when I grabbed them something moved... er... jumped. Turns out it was a little tree frog. Well, for some reason, Aubrey was scared of it. "I can't like it, Mommy, I can't like it" My not-afraid-to-get-dirty little girl is afraid of a cute little tree frog. Weird.. but cute!

I may be biased, but Aubrey is so smart! And let me just say, it is by nothing we've done, she just seems to pick things up so quickly (except potty training, still complete opposed). She has known her ABC's for about 2 months now, she can count to 10 all by herself, and knows all of her colors! It's crazy! But sometimes her numbers get jumbled up... "One, two, free, seben, eight, nine, ten!" but usually it's just "One, two, free, four, five, six, seben, eight, nine, ten!"

I love to hear her sing! And the first song that she actually really sang was the abc's. She just learned (in 2 days) Jingle Bells! It's too cute... I love her little voice!

Aubrey and I went to Raleigh a few weekends ago, and were able to hang out with my best friend, Nicole. Aubrey loves her (and of course, I do too), and loves hanging out with her. Well, we went to North Hills to see the tree lighting. There was so much to do, and right away Aubrey wanted to jump in the bounce house (her favorite thing since her birthday), but we needed to eat dinner. Chick-fila it was. Where she met her new favorite things.. the cows! There was a big one and a "baby" one. And she had to hug them both, the whole night long, e.v.e.r.y time she saw them!

Aubrey also got to meet SANTA!!! She saw him from afar when he first came out, and actually asked to go see him. So my precious friend, Nicole, stayed with us and helped entertain Aubrey for an hour and a half! Aubrey was so excited, and had no problem jumping up into the sled and talking to Santa. It was so cute! And he was such a great and personable Santa!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We've been really trying to make sure (since she could talk) that she know how to pray, know how to say thank you, and know how to say you're sorry. Oh my goodness, when she prays... it is so cute! She repeats after us, but the translation sounds a little different.

Mommy/Daddy: Dear Jesus
A: Thank you, a Jesus!
M/D: Thank you for this day
A: Thank you a this day
M/D: Thank you for my family
A: Thank you a fam-y
M/D: Thank you for my friends
A: Thank you a my friend
M/D: Bless this food
A: Bless a food
M/D: In Jesus name,
A: Ah-men!

See... cute! And I think Jesus understands!

Aubrey loves little kids... everyone smaller than her (which is A LOT of people, since she's so tall) is a considered a "Baby." When we're at the book store, for story-time, she always befriends a little one, and wants to read to them. "Come on, baby, let's read books" It's very sweet. She'll make a great big sister one of these days!

I am so glad that saying "thank-you" comes very naturally to Aubrey. I do have to remind her to say thank you when you hand her something like a snack or a drink, but usually she says it anyway. I don't say this to brag, I just really want her to be polite and obedient, not just at home or to us, but out and to other people. Saying "I'm sorry" is not so natural, but she's still pretty good about saying it. Especially when she does something to hurt Rob or I... like stepping on us, or hitting us by accident, she says "Oh, I-so-sorry!" Hopefully the more she says it to us, the more naturally she will say it when she bumps into other kids, or does something she's not supposed to. We have been teaching her to say "I'm sorry" when she's been disobedient. Sometimes it takes a little coercion, but usually if we ask her to tell us she's sorry, she says "I sorry, Mommy".

One "new" behavior has Rob and I baffled. Our easy-going, independent little girl has been a little harder to put down to bed lately. Let's rewind a little... About 2 months ago, she had a weird 2 weeks where she would throw up almost every morning. Just a little bit, nothing incredibly alarming. Anyway, we tried everything to see what was causing it... Doctor visit for possible ear infection (negative), changed her noise machine (maybe), washed her sheets, changed her diet. Well, finally (mercifully) it stopped. But since then, she has not gone to be as easily as before. By easy, I mean, books, songs, prayers, in the crib, love you's, mommy/daddy gone. Now, it's books, songs, prayers, in the crib, love you's, then "MOMMY, DADDY, DON'T LEAVE ME!!" and tears. What?!?! Where did this come from? She walks right in to Sunday school, right into Sunday night daycare. I have never even heard her say anything remotely like "Mommy, Daddy, don't leave me."

We are baffled. So, we try everything. "Aubrey, you're not alone in your room. Jesus is always with you. He's in your room with you watching out for you and keeping you safe. If you get scared, just say 'I love you, Jesus'" Books in the bed, "See that light (the baby monitor), talk to the light and Mommy and Daddy can hear you, call us if you need us." Glow in the dark stars on the ceiling, etc. It's getting a little easier, but I'm still so confused at where this came from.

I'll end this with a funny story...

We were in Raleigh, at my parents, for Thanksgiving. And my mom and I had gone through her garage to find her Christmas stuff. Well, we found an old, small, round trampoline that my grandfather used to have in his house before he passed away. Well, all of the grandkids used to jump on that thing. Not for very long, because I'm pretty sure we weren't supposed to.. but who could resist. Well, we took it in the house and let Aubrey jump on it. And she loved it! She loved it so much that we could barely get her to get off and go take a bath! After some prying, we finally did. Needless to say, that's all she wanted to do after her bath. So, her and her nekked hiney ran out into the living room to jump on the trampoline. Yes, nekked hiney and all!

It was too funny to stop her! "I jumping nekked, Mommy!" Hahaha! (I have pictures, but I'll spare her the embarrassment!)

Love this precious girl!

Bridal Shower!

2011-10-06T11:58:00.004-04:00

My baby sister got married!! (a future post on the wedding)

In September, we drove to Childress Vineyards in Lexington, NC. To celebrate my sister's (then) up-coming wedding with our cousins from Charlotte.

The gorgeous Bride and our gorgeous mom...

The venue...

Our family...

Kiera and Aunt Judy

Our cousins, Carrie and Laurie

Kiera, mom and I

ECU Football

2011-10-06T11:41:00.005-04:00

Fall means time for ECU football at our house!

Which means tailgating! And Miss Aubrey loves tailgating!

She even loves Daddy's barbeque, too!

But maybe not as much as she loves cupcakes!

She loves playing football with the boys...

And playing cornhole "Aubrey style"...

And loving on Pappy and Daddy!

We tried to get a family picture, but Aubrey didn't want to participate.. so here's Mommy and Daddy!

Go Pirates!

Marbles

2011-10-06T11:18:00.004-04:00

No, I haven't lost mine... today.

For a late birthday present, we took Aubrey to the kid's museum, Marbles, in Raleigh!

It was such a cute place! I have never been there before, but had seen a bunch of my mom-friends post pictures of their kids having a blast there. So we had to take Aubrey. And she LOVED it!!

I think we may have a future chef on our hands, because she spent so much time in the different kitchens.

Or doctor...

Or artist...

Or marine biologist...

Or botanist...

Or maybe just an explorer...

Or a surfer...

Or a yoga instructor...

Or a veterinarian...

Or whatever the Lord has in store for her!

I love that she is so excited by everything! And so curious about new things too!

Oh, to have a more childlike faith and passion and curiosity!

Aubrey turns TWO!!

2011-10-06T11:09:00.003-04:00

The hurricane may have delayed our plans for Aubrey's party, but I have amazing friends and family who rearranged their plans to come to my parents house for a party!

I have some beautiful pictures from her party, but I need to get a flash drive to my cousin, Emily, who was kind enough to take pictures for me! I know they will be amazing, and I am just grateful to have pictures. Her first birthday party had a little drama attached to it (photography-wise), and I was so busy I didn't get to take any. But Emily was so sweet to come and take pictures for us! Yay!

So when I get my "hiney" in gear and get her a flash drive, I will re-post about her birthday with pictures!

I do have a few pictures from my friend, Frances, so you can get a little idea of what it looked like and how much fun the kids had!

Earthquakes, Tornadoes, Hurricanes, Oh My!

2011-09-30T15:54:00.003-04:00

People get ready, Jesus is coming!

August was definitely eventful weather-wise! We had an earthquake, a few tornadoes touch down, and a hurricane in the course of a week!!

I have never felt an earthquake. I, honestly, thought it was a large truck somewhere close by that was making my desk and bed shake. It was crazy when I started getting texts about an EARTHQUAKE! Crazy!?!?

Hurricane Irene blew through NC on August 27th. And with her came a few tornado touchdowns. She definitely left a lot of damage in her wake. But we are grateful for God's protection over our family and our friends!

With all of those natural disasters at once, it definitely makes you think!

Duathlon

2011-09-30T15:16:00.005-04:00

Rob had been training all summer for his second duathlon! The first one he did was while we lived in Virginia. This one was in the "rolling hills" of Kannapolis, NC. That was the description online of the event. They were anything but rolling hills, they were small mountains! Needless to say, Winterville doesn't have hills or mountains, so it was tough! But my amazing husband did a great job, and finished strong!

...I am so proud of him...

I couldn't have done it, that's for sure!

'Fishie, Fishie!'

2011-09-30T15:15:00.000-04:00

Catch up!

2011-09-30T14:39:00.002-04:00

My lack of blogging is a direct reflection of how crazy busy August and September have been for us! So the next few posts are going to be from August, so please be patient with me! I hope to catch up before October... oh wait, that's tomorrow!

I'll try!

Playing in the sand with Daddy!

2011-08-10T12:59:00.001-04:00

Playing with Grace!

2011-08-10T12:56:00.001-04:00

Dunked!

2011-08-10T12:53:00.001-04:00

I Miss You, Daddy!

2011-08-10T12:52:00.001-04:00

Accessorize?

2011-07-09T21:16:00.005-04:00

Of course she can...

Purses, shoes, sunglasses, necklaces, bracelets, hairbows... the girl knows how to do it all!

You know it's summer when....

2011-07-07T12:21:00.003-04:00

... your daughter looks like this....

(And she loved every. messy. minute. of. it!)

Happy Fourth of July!

2011-07-05T14:13:00.002-04:00

Here's our "cutie girl" waiting on the fireworks!

And here's our watermelon girl....

"Look,.... oooh,... ahhh... WOW!!!!"

Happy 4th of July from our family to you!!!

My country, 'tis of thee,

Sweet land of liberty,

Of thee I sing;

Land where my fathers died,

Land of the pilgrims' pride,

From ev'ry mountainside

Let freedom ring!

So very far behind...

2011-07-01T15:00:00.003-04:00

I am so bad at blogging, both writing them and keeping up with them.

So let's catch up...

We've been pretty busy during the month of June. Between visiting with family here, in Tarboro, and hanging out with friends, we have been all over the place! We took a day trip to the beach with some friends at the very end of May, and Aubrey had a great time playing in the sand with the kids and playing football with the guys. The water was really cold, so she was not excited about it. So hopefully our trip to Myrtle beach in a few weeks, she'll be happier to be in the water. Any pool, sprinkler, bath tub, whatever... the girl is a water baby!

On the 24th of June, Rob and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary! Rob had planned a trip for the two of us to Beaufort, complete with an ocean view hotel room, boat ride, tour of Shackleford Island and its horses, and snorkeling! He even had my mom prepped and ready to come watch Aubrey. It was our first trip away from her, so it was a little strange, but my mom was the perfect babysitter to make our trip easy! Aubrey and Gamma had a great time together! As did Rob and I! We had 2 amazing dinners, a day of horses, snorkeling and boat rides! Complete with a mysterious and generous "angel" who paid for our anniversary dinner!! A complete shock, but a total blessing... the Lord is so good to us, and we hope we can repay that sweet "angel" by paying it forward to someone else.

Miss Aubrey is 2 months away from turning TWO... Heaven help me! And she is a pistol, and turning into quite the Miss Independent! She doesn't want to be in the stroller, or highchair, or even a booster seat. While we were gone, Mom said she ended up eating dinner in my seat at our dining room table! And now (sometimes), for dinner, she sits in her Bumbo seat in a chair at the table. It's really cute, but she's growing up too fast!

Aubrey is such a smart girl!... she always has been, but the more words she learns, the more she talks,... I am amazed! We have a book called "My First Book of Learning"... first words, colors, animals, counting... she can say all the first words (car, duck, kitty, ball, socks, shoes, dog, daddy, mommy, baby, banana, flower, bear, apple, d oll), she can identify most of the animals and the sounds they make (chicken and ducks look similar), and colors are a little challenging... but she can repeat most of the colors after you. She says "two" and "five" when she counts! Its so cute! And today at the grocery store, she asked me for a pink balloon! I had brought back a purple one at first, but she did not like that... and kept saying "pink, pink". I was floored. So of course, Mommy had to go get her a pink balloon. I swear, that girl has me wrapped around her little finger!

We are enjoying every opportunity to spend time together as a family, spend time with family and friends, and just enjoying God's creation and the many blessings He gives us every. single. day!

Sprinkler Fun!

2011-05-30T21:26:00.002-04:00

Deep... but important...

2011-05-16T15:10:00.006-04:00

This post has taken a while to write. Mostly because when I originally wrote it, my thoughts were all.over.the.place. They probably still are now.

While I was pregnant with Aubrey, the main focus and hope was that she would be healthy. When she was born, the focus was for her to hit all those important developmental milestones. I'm not sure when it was, but some time when she was super little, the Lord laid on my heart that my focus should be her salvation. And now that Aubrey is getting older, learning e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g and starting to mimic Rob and I and our behavior, it is becoming much more crucial for us to guard the things we say and the things we do, and be the best example of Christ for Aubrey as we can.

In the process of finding small ways (that Aubrey can understand) to teach her about the Lord, I find myself thinking about people who do not know Him. People who haven't had loving, godly guidance in their lives. And those people who may "know" God, but feel like there is no hope, or not enough forgiveness to cover what they've done in the past.

Mercifully, I have never known life withOUT the love of Christ. And have always tried (and constantly fail miserably) to follow His will for my life. I have never known that feeling of being so lost, and having no hope, or no (truly holy) unconditional love. So, it's very hard for me to wrap my head around someone feeling that way. So much so, it brings me to tears and breaks my heart. It breaks for those people that feel that there is no hope or no one to ever love them without reservation, without judgement and with total abandon.

I guess this is where I realize how Satan's power can be overwhelming... and so quick to strike in moments of weakness. In the lies that he makes us believe about ourselves. That we are who we've become, and cannot change. That we can't be forgiven of the horrible things we've done. That we're not worthy of true (unconditional) love. And what makes me sad is the depths that people believe his lies... Those ugly circumstances that betray us with some semblance of normal, the circumstances or people that take advantage of our naivety or the belief that we're living a life that seems fruitless and nothing like we planned. One of hardest truths to accept, sometimes (especially in the moments of weakness)... is that it's not true. His lies are that, just lies.

I am truly blessed to have been taught about the love of Jesus from the first minute I was born. My family and my parents made it their life's mission to make sure that their children knew and loved the Lord! And now, it is my mission for my own daughter. And if its the Lord's will for my life, to be an example to those people in my life who need hope, who need answers, who need Jesus. Because of Jesus, even in the darkest times of my life, there was always hope. There was always Someone who loved me, who heard me, who "got" me. There was always someone to cry out to... And even when I didn't think He could hear me, He was always there. And trust me, I've spent time on my knees, drenched in tears, crying out for Him.

The good news? The best news?

He has overcome the world.

He has overcome sin and death.

Satan has no power over Him.

Death has no power over Him.

The good news is that Jesus has overcome that which we cannot...not just sin...that which has us bound... but also our pasts, our baggage, those things that keep us from living an abundant life - not wealth - but abundant peace, faith, trust, patience, kindness, unity, freedom, etc.

“Do you now believe? Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:31-33

God is not a powerful, all-seeing Gandolf-looking being waiting to stomp on us when we fail. He's not waiting for the next mistake we make. He's not a score-keeper. What He is... is ready to FREELY give you a new life in Him, ready to fill every void that Satan's lies have left, and He is ready to forgive all sins. Do you need to read that again?... E.V.E.R.Y sin.

The bible says That God so loved the world... which means ALL of us; everyone, not just the people he "likes". God sent his one and only Son, who was sinless... innocent... had done no wrong. He came to shed His blood so that we could be forgiven.

Jesus’ blood shed on a cross is the ONLY thing that can wash your sins away!

Jesus’ blood covers up ALL sin, shameful acts, guilty consciences, awful thins that we have thought and said. Jesus’ blood washes away all our sin! And that’s the BEST news any of us could ever hear! Knowing everything that I’ve done, and still do, that Jesus would still choose to pursue the cross for ME. Knowing everything that you have done, that Jesus would pursue the cross so that your sins would be washed away.

Amazing.

That is my prayer over my daughter. Over my precious friends and family. Over my future children, grandchildren, and on.... That they know the healing power and unending love of Jesus Christ. That they will accept His gracious forgiveness, and live a life eternally with Him in heaven.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

Lots of words...

2011-05-09T15:05:00.004-04:00

Aubrey is learning lots and lots of words. And I want to be able to keep track of all of her first words, so I can look back and remember. I'm sure I will probably be updating this list a lot, because it seems like she learns some new word every day!

Thank you, in advance, for reading all the way through if you do!

So, here's a list of Aubrey's words:

-Momma
-Dadda
-please
-pray
-kiss
-hug
-hi (sounds very southern)
-bye bye (sounds even more southern... buh-bye)
-Oh no! (followed by her covering her face with her hands... too cute!)
-Oh Wow! (with the cutest surprised expression on her face)
-You! (she'll point to you)
-Whoah! (especially when she falls or trips)
-book
-ball
-bug (ladybug, spider, fly, etc)
-dog
-blue
-purple (sounds like puh-ple)
-slide
-bub-ble
-pig
-baby
-light (sounds more like "white")
-shoe
-blanket (sounds like "bank")
-drink
-juice
-puff
-strawberry (sounds like "straw-be")
-snack
-cheese
-bread
-Nummy-Num (for anything yummy)
-buh-fly (butterfly)
-flower
-milk
-hat
-spoon
-push
-have (like asking if she can have something)
-turtle
-fish
-boat
-bear
-choo-choo (refers to train)
-noodle (sounds like "oodle")
-hot
-step
-bow
-hair
-balloon (sounds like "boon")
-bike
-car
-Jeep (usually Da-da's jeep)
-ready
-up
-down
-off
-out
-Elmo (sounds like Mel-Mo)
-Nemo (sounds like Mo-mo)
-Buzz (for buzz lightyear)
-Boz (for Boz the bear)
-Mickey Mouse (sounds like Mi-Mouse)
-shirt (that one sounds a little questionable sometimes, haha)
-nap
-night night
-paci (she's only asked for it once since we've been getting rid of it! Yay!)
-Arrrgh! (not a word, but an important "staple" for Pirate fans!)
-Pirate (sounds like pire't)
-frog
-bird
-plane
-door
-brush
-bath
-wash
-seat
-sit
-foot
-feet
-hands
-nose
-eyes
-paint
-outside (sounds like "ow-side")
-suit (for bathing suit)
-ice
-box
-socks
-fly
-duck
-tree
-banana
-Moo-Moo (for a cow)
-star
-moon
-Nana
-Syd (referring to Sydney our dog, and her friend Sydney)
-Bryce (our friend's dog)
-Lou Lou (our friend's other dog)

For now, that's around 120! Holy cow! And that may not even be all her words... Craziness!

If you've read through all these, bless you! Hope you're not bored to tears.

We're working on saying Jesus, but in the meantime when we say "Let's pray" and Aubrey folds her hands and bows her head... That is more meaningful to me than any vocabulary she has. To watch our precious girl have 'prayer-ful' habits is more than any Mommy or Daddy could ask for. Our prayer over her life is that we will be the best examples and teachers (as we can) for our Savior, Jesus Christ, to our daughter. And that one day she will accept Him as her personal Lord and Savior! That will be one glorious day! But in the meantime, as parents, we are charged with teaching her all we can about the Lord. And in turn, learning to have a childlike faith from Aubrey.

We thank Him every day for our blessing! Our little girl is growing up so fast!!

Sprinkler Time!

2011-05-09T14:21:00.002-04:00

It's getting warmer out, and we have a "water baby"! So, of course we had to find some water fun for the backyard! We bought a little purple octopus sprinkler.. but Aubrey is terrified of it! It's arms fly around crazy and she is NOT into it at all. So the good ole' hose it is! She loves it!

Little Wonders

2011-04-13T14:28:00.003-04:00

Our lives are made, in these small hours,
These little wonders, these twists and turns of ~~fate~~ faith
Time falls away, but these small hours
These small hours still remain...

Catch Up

2011-04-12T14:51:00.004-04:00

Time is flying by, and when I reach out to stop it, it seems to go faster!

Spring is here, warm(er) weather is trying to stay, and our little girl is blooming into a grown up little girl. Aubrey turned 19 months old on March 29th... she's not 1 1/2 anymore... she's steamrolling toward the big "TWO."

We had her 18 month check up at the beginning of March, and she's right on track! I can't find the sheet with all her specs on it, but she weighs 28 lbs and is either 34 or 35 inches tall!!! Either way, she's tall! She is about 3 or 4 inches taller than most of the kids in her Sunday school class! But she comes by it naturally. Our niece, Carson, is 13 (14 this summer) and is already 5'10"... which was around Christmas, so she's probably taller already!

Miss Aubrey is into e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g.

-She loves to play outside... she follows the dogs around, throws sand OUT of the sandbox.

-She loves to swing... we're still pricing swing sets for the backyard (they're really expensive and we want one that will last). So we walk to the park as much as possible.

-She loves to color (mostly on paper, but also on the furniture and the windows).

-She loves to gibber gabber! Oh my goodness, it is too cute. Especially when she's by herself and is talking to her toys or talking to the dogs. The look on her face is very serious, like she's really talking (as opposed to the super-cute-but-incoherent-toddler-babble).

-She l.o.v.e.s. her "Dog" and "Max." She sleeps with both every night, and calls them both by name. Needless to say, we had to by a second Max (which stays at my parents for now), and will have to go buy a new "Dog" (from Target baby... hopefully they'll stay around a while. I'm having a hard time spending $13 for a musical dog. I'm cheap, I know, but I guess it's better safe than sorry when she freaks out if she loses it.)

-She loves to play with her kitchen. She'll put her snacks in the dishes, and put them on the stove. Currently there are pennies in the microwave. Haha... explanation: She has a piggy bank, and I gave her a few pennies to put in it, but she does not like the fact that the piggy won't give the pennies back! So she kept a few pennies out, and I found them in her little kitchenette microwave!

-She loves to read. She has a few books that we will read over, and over, and over again. And we'll ask her to point out things, and she can find almost every single thing! The books with animals are easy for her to find... she loves animals. Our girl is just so smart!

-She l.o.v.e.s. music!! Oh my goodness, this girl loves music. Whether its her toys playing music, music in a movie, or Mommy singing her to sleep (sad, I know.)... she loves it all! And she loves to dance to it too! The little dance moves she does are so adorable!

I could probably go on and on, but I won't! I'll leave you with pictures!!

This last one is my most recent favorite! (All pictures of her are my favorite) This one just captures her precious, big, smile... and my heart!

Caffeine, Aubrey....

2011-03-24T15:47:00.003-04:00

... don't mind if I do, Mommy! Thanks!

It was nap time, so Mommy got up to turn off the movie (Finding Nemo... that Aubrey calls "Mo-Mo") and let the dogs in from outside. Mommy turns around to find Aubrey with the iced coffee (not decaf!!!) from Dunkin' Donuts cup in Aubrey's hands, her mouth on the straw, and finishing up what could have been a huge gulp. Mommy has no idea. However, for the next hour, she was a little giddy!

But, mercifully, she fell asleep an hour later! Caffeine crash, maybe... But here's a cute video before she went to sleep.

Phone pictures...

2011-03-21T14:46:00.004-04:00

Aubrey got to ride in the "race car" cart at HT today! I don't know why I hadn't tried it before... it was great!

Such a cute girl in her new shoes and pigtails!

Goofy, monkey girl! She grabbed the hat, and put it on all by herself.

The cutest little baby toes got painted for the first time!

Our first ponytail! I can't believe her hair is long enough for one... she looks so grown up!

Waving at Mommy!

Whoops! Hahaha...

Okay, Mom, I'm ready to go!

Sweet grin!

Aubrey is wearing the pink coat my grandmother, Mimi, bought for me when I was a little girl!

I. love. this. girl.

2011-03-21T14:36:00.002-04:00

Heaven is so much richer...

2011-03-14T09:40:00.003-04:00

Within one month of each other, heaven received two amazing people and is so much richer...

On February 14th, there was much more laughter in heaven, as my precious Aunt Marcia went to be with her Savior! I have so many great memories of her as a child, and playing at their house out on Pleasant Union Church Road. As life always tends to interrupt, it was so great to reconnect as an adult, and for her to meet and love on my daughter. And I was so proud to rejoice over her baptism this past year! She has 3 beautiful children to carry on her legacy of Christ' love and mercy, and 2 grandbabies who were able to know the amazing woman that Marcia (Maman) was, and is... just fully restored and dancing with her heavenly Daddy in her castle!

Today, March 14th, my dad's best friend, Scott Strong, went home to play with God's heavenly jazz band! Because you know, they have one! If they didn't, they do now. The Strong family has been precious family friends of ours since I was in middle school. And there is never a time that I can remember when Mr. Scott did not have a huge smile on his face! He was always cheerful, and he was always so invested in everyone's lives and hurt with those who hurt and rejoiced with those who were rejoicing. I am so thankful for the precious friendship he and my dad have, and for the strength and motivation they have given each other. I am thankful for his family, who mean so much to us. And I pray God's supernatural peace and comfort over them during this time. We all rejoice in knowing that Mr. Scott is fully restored and jammin' out with the Lord!

"Well done, good and faithful servant... Enter into the joy of your Lord"
Matthew 25:23

We were taken out....

2011-02-09T22:38:00.009-05:00

...by the stomach flu!

Wow, when it rains, it pours!

Aubrey, Rob and I went to Raleigh a few weekends ago (Jan 31st). Rob had to go on to Greensboro for conference, and I decided to stay with my parents... and it was a great opportunity to see some friends and family that I hadn't seen in a while!

Here's a re-cap...

Saturday, we took Aubrey to The Little Gym (where I used to work before we moved) for a trial class! It was my first time taking her to the gym, and I knew she would love it! She danced to the music, hung on the bars, forward rolled down the cheese, popped the bubbles, but would not have anything to do with the balance beam. It was too funny... she'd climb up the stairs, but instantly try to sit down when she got onto the beam. Other than that, she loved it! She didn't want to leave the class after it was over!

Saturday night, we had dinner with Bryna and Summer! At the end of dinner, Summer wanted to take a picture with Aubrey. We told Aubrey to give her a hug,... and boy did she... She wouldn't let go! Every time Summer pulled away to sit back in her seat, Aubrey would grab her sweathshirt and pull her back and give her a squeeze! It was so cute!

Sunday, we went to church with my parents, and Aubrey got to play in their Sunday school class. (I'm not sure if I should be happy or a little sad that she just walks right in without looking back, to a class she's only been in once before). After church we met my best friend (since elementary school) Nicole, for lunch! She's amazingly beautiful as always, and it's always so encouraging to just catch up where we left off. And Aubrey loves her! They had so much fun playing in the fountain, that it was an hour and a half after Aubrey's naptime by the time we got back to my parents! But well worth the time spent with a special friend!

Monday morning, we were supposed to meet a friend of mine for lunch, but scheduling conflicts caused us to make a rain check.Which actually worked out fine... I texted my cousin about meeting for lunch, and turns out she was free! So, Aubrey and I met my cousin, Emily, and her beautiful babies, Mecaden and Levi, at the mall that morning. We all ate lunch, then took the kids over to the indoor play area, and let them run wild! Which they did! Aubrey was all over the place. She started out reaching for me on the slide, but after about 5 times, she said "Eh, I'm good, Mom!" and did it all by herself! It was so cute to see her land on her little hiney! Triangle Towne Center has a little indoor train that they've had running since Christmas, that kids/parents can ride on. Anyway, Levi, Mecaden and Aubrey could have watched that train ALL day! Each time it came around they would run to see it, and wave to the people on it. I'm pretty sure all three of them had a good nap that afternoon! And what a last minute blessing to get together with family that we love so much!

Tuesday morning, we met my sweet friend, Lauren, and her daughter, Adelyn, for a playdate at their house! Lauren and I are friends from high school, and it is so precious to see our daughters playing together. They are only 2 months apart, so it was great to see them playing together... and seeing who could get the Toy Story dvd first! Hahah! (Smart little girls!) We loved hanging out with Lauren and Adelyn, and are blessed to have such special friends!

Aubrey and I headed home after her nap on Tuesday, since I had to work at church the next morning. And come to find out that I brought a "unwelcome guest" home with me. Wednesday afternoon, the stomach flu and taken over my body. Early Thursday morning, it took out both of my parents, then early Friday morning, it took out my husband. Aubrey had thrown up, but only once Thursday night and one other time over the weekend. So we took her to the Dr. on Monday, and turns out she had a double ear infection. Her first ever! (Praise the Lord for almost 18 months without one!) So, she is recuperating from that, but has a stuffy nose on top of it all! AND I think she was teething through it all... cutting her last canine tooth!

***Of course, 2 weeks after Aubrey is done breastfeeding, she gets her first ear infection! Ugh!!!***

So, we were definitely taken out. And as if the stomach flu wasn't enough, I inherited (from somewhere) a sinus infection! And Rob got one too. Mercifully it's just sinus congestion... but still!! I've sanitized my house from top to bottom because of the stomach flu... and now I have to do it all over again for the rest of this sinus stuff.

So, we're all caught up... blogging-wise! Aside from getting sick, the weekend in Raleigh with family and friends was priceless! We are so blessed to have such great relationships with family members and lifelong friendships! And it is beyond amazing to watch our children grow up together and become friends.

Psalm 7:17 I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness; I will sing the praises of the name of the LORD Most High.

Jedi or Shepherd?

2011-01-27T08:42:00.002-05:00

You tell me?

Hahaha!

sdx

I wish I could say that these pictures were posed... but they're not! She grabbed the empty roll of wrapping paper and was walking around with it. I needed her to model the hooded towel, I just made for friend, to take a picture. And off she went! I did, however, change her "head dress" to her own hooded towel that I had already made, because the dogs were following her around and stepping on the pink one I had just made for a friend.

She had fun, and that's all that matters! Crazy girl!

All snuggly....

2011-01-14T16:36:00.002-05:00

My sweet girl has been sick the last few days, and in turn has been super snuggly. Yes, I realize that's not an actual word, but that's what she's been.

(if you look closely, that's my hair that she's playing with on the other side of her face! Crazy girl!)

We were right in the middle of weaning when she got sick too, so I have definitely needed the snuggles. Its been a little sad for me. To be honest, it's been such a mind-blowing experience. I n.e.v.e.r expected to enjoy breastfeeding. And before you get the wrong idea... it's not the physical aspect that I'm talking about, but the emotional. Trust me, I completely sympathize with people who stop within the first few weeks... I was totally ready to, too! But we stuck it out and got through it.

The bond we have is priceless to me. And I hope that just because we're not nursing anymore, that we'll still have a close bond. I love my girl!

The weaning process has taken a little while, but we took cues from Aubrey, and let her dictate what to do. And she's done great! We dropped the afternoon feeding around her birthday in August, then the morning feeding around October, then (I guess) we just dropped her nighttime feeding. We replaced the afternoon feeding with a snack right after she wakes up from her nap, and obviously the morning feeding was replaced with breakfast. She l.o.v.e.s bananas, by the way! She eats a whole one every morning! Then her next favorite is scrambled eggs!

This last feeding was a little nerve racking for me because I didn't want to replace it with a bottle or milk or anything. I wanted her to be able to start going to sleep without anything... especially when we start potty training. Then it will be no drinks after dinner! Ha! But she blew my concerns out of the water! She amazes me all the time! If she asks (or insinuates) to nurse, we nurse, but if she doesn't ask we rock in the glider, sing 'Jesus Loves Me', and we say our prayers. She gives me a hug (or two, or ten) and then I lay her down in the crib. She snuggles up with Max (her stuffed dog, who by the way, has been washed 2 times this week), and goes to sleep. So, I was worried for no reason.

She's amazing.

Well, our pediatrician stopped doing 15 month check-ups, but Aubrey stepped on our scale last Friday and was 27 lbs. and 35ish inches tall. My mom and I need to get her growth chart made. It's going to be a giraffe! She is in size 4 diapers.. sometimes size 3 since we need to use the ones we have! She wears 18 months for most things, but needs 24 months onesies. She has a long body! And she's in size 5 shoes. She has one pair of size 6's but they're a little big (on purpose)!

Let's see... her vocabulary is a little hard to "calculate" but words we know for sure are:
-doge (dog)
-bath (sounds like baff)
-ba ba (paci)
-dada (Daddy)
-mama (Mommy)
-hey Syd! (Her first sentence! Ha... its what she calls Sydney and Savannah)
-puh (puffs)
-Bah (banana)
-sit
-chez (cheese)
-bugh (book)
-ish (fish)
-No (means no and yes. You have to ask her again and shake your head yes, and she'll shake her head yes if she really meant yes)... working on the word yes!
-num num (water/milk)

I'm sure there are many more.. but I can't think of them at the moment. She's super smart. If you ask her to go get things or where they are, she'll go get them or go to them. Like: "Aubrey, do you want to go for a ride?" She walks to the front door and reaches for the doorknob. "Aubrey, do you want to watch a movie?" She goes to the TV cabinet and tries to open the door. And the most quickly answered: "Aubrey, do you want a snack?" That's followed by a huge grin and a ~~run~~ walk to the kitchen!

Our little girl is growing up so fast! And we cherish the little moments we have with her, even if they're not caught in a picture. Like watching movies on the couch with Aubrey snuggled in the middle of Rob and I. Or the new(er) super squeezy hugs she's been giving. They melt the heart!

Thanks for listening! I could talk about her all day! (And I do!)

Merry Christmas!!

2010-12-27T19:56:00.002-05:00

We had the best Christmas this year! Even though Aubrey was sick, gave Mommy her cold, and Daddy had to go to work for 72 hrs straight.... it was a great Christmas!

My parents were able to come and stay with us the whole weekend (plus most of Monday due to the snow!), my sister came Christmas day, and Rob's parents came for Christmas morning brunch!

We went to our church for the Family Christmas Eve service with Mom and Dad, and had a great time worshipping our Savior! Complete with glow sticks for Silent Night... instead of candles. It was hilarious, but quite beautiful and effective! Aubrey was such a good girl sitting in "big church" with us. She was totally mesmerized when there was music... she's definitely going to be musical somehow!

Christmas morning we woke up to Aubrey having a cough and a super runny nose, but that did not slow her down! She came out of her room with a huge smile at her first glimpse of all the presents! She got a new easel from Gamma and Geezer... a cute pink little armchair from Appy and Pappy... 2 train sets from Mommy and Daddy... really cool pine tree crayons from Alaska, from Uncle Chris and Aunt Jessica (who, by the way, got engaged last Monday! Yay!!)... and lots lots more from Santa! She has been coloring, playing with her trains, and sitting in her chair as much as possible the last few days... and most of those things she tries to do at the same time!

Here's a few pictures of our weekend! Starting with Miss Christmas 2010!

Isn't that the cutest Christmas dress?!

One of many adorable Christmas presents! (She's a blessed little girl!)

Merry Christmas from Gamma and Geezer!

Merry Christmas from all of us!

We hope that you all had a blessed holiday celebrating the birth of our Precious Savior! The Lord has indeed blessed our family this year, in so many ways. We are so grateful to have a God who loves us, forgives us, and is merciful beyond what we deserve!

We pray blessings over your 2011 year! Have a happy and healthy New Year!

We love you!!

Where have we been?

2010-12-13T14:49:00.003-05:00

Busy, busy, busy!!

Every time I try to sit down and write up a post, I find something else that needs to be done. Laundry, sewing, dishes, the list goes on and on.

Really, I'm not sure anyone reads my blog anyway.

So, a recap on where we've been and what we've been up to.

Aubrey turned 15 months right after Thanksgiving. She is growing like a weed! It's really hard to believe that this time last year she was only 3 months old! I wish I could stop time... she's going to be going off to kindergarten before we know it!

Our pediatrician stopped doing 15-month well-visits, so I don't have any stats on her. But she's wearing 18 month clothes, still fits in some 12 month things too. She's getting very tall! And she is the perfect height to reach anything close to the edge of the counter or the table. So, things have definitely gotten interesting! Haha!

Aubrey eats really well, but her favorite food is a banana! And she only wants it if she can hold the whole thing, and eat the whole thing all by herself! So when she wakes up from her nap, it's a banana and the 'Movers'!

Oh, and if you're not sure who the 'Movers' are... it's the Imagination Movers on Disney. To say Aubrey loves them is an understatement! They mesmerize her for the entire 26 minutes of their episode. She loves their music, so we've already downloaded 1 CD and bought another from Walmart. If she's a little cranky while we're out anywhere, I'll ask her if she wants to listen to the 'Movers' and she lights up! I put their music on my blackberry, so I hand her my (locked) phone and she shakes it and dances with it! It's so adorable! (As long as she doesn't drop it on the floor in the middle of a store.)

We're at a stand-still with teeth... she has 12! All that's left are the four canines. Of course, it's the worst ones, but she's done really well when she's been teething. So, we'll see when they decide to make their arrival!

She is almost completely weened from nursing. She has done really well on whole milk. After the first of the year, we'll be working on getting rid of our nighttime nursing. That's our last one! Honestly, it makes me a little sad, but she's growing up!

Aubrey is such a joy! Seeing her learn all these new things, learning new words, discovering new toys,... she amazes me every day! It makes me a little sad that she's growing up so fast, but I wouldn't trade 1 second of our time together!

Thank you, Lord, for our precious girl! We love her so much! And are so thankful that you chose us to be her Mommy and Daddy!

Surfing Elves!

2010-11-26T16:02:00.000-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-10-27T15:01:00.003-04:00

Puff Face

Aubrey and Mommy!

2010-10-11T14:42:00.003-04:00

I love this picture of us!

My sweet girl!

She's growing up so fast. I love having these memories to look back on, since it all seems to be flying by.

Holy Ravioli!

2010-10-08T15:39:00.008-04:00

Well, not really holy, but very yummy!!

For some reason, I had the idea to try to make some ravioli. It first started off as an idea for Rob and I for dinner, then realized that it would be a good finger food for Aubrey. So, before I headed to the store to look for the pre-made ravioli pasta, I looked up ravioli on the homemade baby food website that I use. They had an egg free recipe for babies, so I decided to give it a try.

*Note: she's not allergic to eggs, but we haven't jumped into the eggs 'thing' yet.

There were only 4 ingredients, so I figured it couldn't be too hard. And thankfully it wasn't! And they turned out so good, that I made another batch for Rob and I for dinner! And since they were so good, I decided to share the wealth! Enjoy!!

This recipe is enough for 2 people to have a decent sized dinner entree, depending on how you make them. The dough stays pretty well in the fridge if you want to make a bigger batch and keep it. I'm sure it would freeze okay too. But.. you probably won't want to... you'll probably want to make them and eat them right away! And you can stuff them with whatever you want. I just chose turkey, spinach and mozzarella cheese because I figured Aubrey would like them.

**FYI: I used 1 lb of ground turkey and have been able to make 3 or 4 batches of ravioli and still have filling left. It doesn't take much filling, but does need a lot of pasta***

Turkey, Spinach and Mozzarella Cheese Ravioli

Ingredients:

Pasta:
1/2 cup white wheat flour
1/2 cup semolina flour
1 tbsp olive oil
1/3 cup very warm water

Filling:
ground turkey (browned in a skillet)
fresh spinach (finely chopped and wilted in the skillet with the browned turkey)
mozzarella cheese (shredded in the bag... no extra work if not necessary!)
(Filling FYI: I buzzed the meat and spinach in the food processor to get rid of the big chunks of turkey. It made it easier to stuff the ravioli)

Combine the flour, semolina flour and olive oil in a food processor, and add the warm water.

Pulse until dough ball forms (maybe 4 or 5 pulses).

Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Knead to form a smooth ball.

Separate into 2 halves. Roll out the half as thin as you can. Cut with a pizza cutter or round cookie cutter. (*the cookie cutter was easier to use, because the size of the top and bottom were guaranteed the same)

Spoon a small amount of prepared filling onto one round piece of the pasta, and top with a small amount of mozzarella cheese. Take another circle of pasta and place over top of the filling (you may want to stretch the top circle a little to it over the filling).

Crease the edges with a fork to close the ravioli. Continue this process until you have no more pasta left.

Place 4 or 5 ravioli in boiling water... and stay close... they take less than 3 minutes. Thank God for fresh pasta... it cooks fast! When the ravioli float to the top and stay there... they're all done! And everything is already cooked, so you're ready to eat!

Serve with spaghetti sauce, meat sauce, garlic butter sauce (our choice the other night), or just some salt, pepper and lemon juice! And the fillings are endless, so you can stuff them with any kind of veggie or meat or cheese combo! Butternut squash is my next filling for Aubrey!

If you try this, please let me know how it turns out for you and what fillings you used!

Enjoy!!

13 Months!

2010-10-06T14:45:00.003-04:00

Our little Aubrey is growing up so fast!... I can barely keep up! (With posts and pictures too!)

Updates:
Since she's 13 months and no sick visits to the dr (Praise, God!!) we don't have her stats. She doesn't go back for a check-up until 18 months. Which is craziness to me! I can barely wrap my head around 13 months, let alone 18 months! Okay, I'm getting ahead of myself.

So she's eating mostly finger foods now. I was a little worried about her getting enough to eat, (because she likes to play with her food) but she's been doing great. We still add in the pureed stuff if we're out for dinner or if I'm lazy, haha! But we've added lost of new foods lately. After having the sniffles a few weeks ago, Aubrey hasn't really enjoyed her yogurt as much (since I cut it out during the cold stint). So we needed to find a new dairy product for her to try. So, mozzarella cheese it is! She LOVES it! I bought the fresh all natural pearls from the store... they're little bite sized balls... and she loves them. So some whole grain noodles, some mozzarella cheese and some veggies, and we have a finger food meal! And since she like the noodles and cheese so much I ventured in the world of homemade ravioli! (PS: I did not make the whole grain noodles, Harris Teeter did) I made her first batch of spinach and mozzarella cheese ravioli, and she ate ALL of them! Yay for liking something Mommy made, and Yay liking spinach! (It was her first time trying spinach).

Favorite foods:
Puffs!! (she even knows when I open the container!)
Noodles
Blueberries
Bananas
Ravioli
Grapes
Mozzarella cheese
Lima Beans/Peas
Whole wheat bread
Broccoli
Cucumbers
and lots more!!

Favorite things:
BOZ the bear movie (a Christian sing-along dvd my aunt bought her)
Imagination Movers (Disney)
Sid the Science Kid (PBS)
Books!!!
Pink and Purple Legos (from Aunt Jennifer)
Little Pink Baby Stroller
Sandbox
Doggy toys (Gross!!)
Soccer ball (Daddy taught her to kick the ball)
Mommy's ponytail (probably her most favorite toy)
and of course, lots more!!

Words:
Mama
Dada (but neither on demand of course)
"Hey Syd" (yes, her first sentence!)
Nana (not sure if she's calling Savannah or just saying the word)
Ehh (along with her pointing means anything!)
Ish = Fish (My Dad and her have a little game going "Big Fish, Little Fish")
Arf, arf, arf = her answer to "What sound does a dog make?"
Oooerrrrr= answer to "What sound does a cow make?" (sounds a little more like a car)

*If you say "SO cute" she lays her head on her shoulder! OMG, so freakin' adorable... try it when you see her, it's her party trick! ;o)

*If you say "I don't know" she turns her hands up like "what? I don't know?" (look at the last picture)

*If you ask her to give you a kiss, she comes at you with an open mouth and then says "Mwah"! Its so stinkin' cute!

*If you say "hug Mommy" or "hug Daddy" while your holding her, she throws both arms around your neck! Makes my heart melt!

We are still nursing. We're trying to start getting rid of the afternoon nursing, but sometimes she's just too cranky I can't help it. But after we get rid of that one, the only hard one to get rid of will be the nighttime nursing. That's how she falls asleep, so I am not looking forward to trying to wean her off then. But we'll see, she may surprise me! One year was my goal, and now it's just a matter of weaning her off on her time. Now, don't get me wrong, I will not be walking around with a 3 years old who still nurses, I just don't want to rush her into it.

She's still sleeping great! Usually she goes down around 9pm and wakes up around 8am. So, we can't complain too much. I was reading my friend Lauren's blog, and got totally jealous at Adelyn's napping skills. I still have to rock Aubrey to sleep to lay her down for a nap, but we're working on her laying down with her mobile going, some music and a paci. So we'll see. But way to go Adelyn and Lauren! (I'm still jealous, I should have started doing that a while ago too)

Aubrey has a fascination with shoes! Watch out, Daddy! Well, wait, Daddy has a shoe fetish too, so really she comes by it naturally! Anyway, she loves shoes. She wants to wear ours, and then gets mad when she can't walk in them. And if she sees her shoes lying around, she HAS to put them on... hence the cowboy boots picture at the bottom!

She is such a smart little girl, and we love watching all the new things she learns every day! Here are some pictures of our precious 13 month old girl!

Eating lunch, yum yum!

Rockin' the Cowboy boots with her sexy baby legs!

Out playing in the sandbox! (I love that little face!)

Sitting on the porch with Daddy, hurray!

"I don't know!"... why Mommy keeps taking nekked pictures of me in the tub!

Aubrey, we love you SO much!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-09-29T22:58:00.001-04:00

I've never done a "wordless wednesday" before, but this picture deserves it's own post! Just an fyi: there was no staging this photo, she did it all on her own. Sorry for the messy room too!... So much for wordless...)

Become a fan!

2010-09-14T11:29:00.002-04:00

Please become fan of our new blog: Love & Kisses Boutique! My friend Laura and I are casually sewing dresses, ties, and making hairbows for friends and family, and have made a blog to showcase our items!

So please become a fan! And check out our fall Collegiate dresses and hairbows, and a sneak peak to Christmas!! We also have a Facebook page!

Thank you!!

Family Pictures!!

2010-09-13T09:28:00.004-04:00

We had our family "photo shoot" yesterday with Kristy Ross, and she did an amazing job! She was so patient with Aubrey, who decided it was time to go exploring everywhere! And she had such great ideas for pictures too! I'm sure more of them would have worked out, but Miss Aubrey was very independent yesterday! Haha! She wanted to go and explore and for us to leave her alone. But we did get some great shots of her, and I can't wait to see the rest!

So here's a sneak peak at our shoot yesterday! Enjoy!!

She's so stinkin' cute!!

Aubrey's 1st Birthday Party!!

2010-08-31T16:53:00.006-04:00

Aubrey's party theme was polka dots and cupcakes! And I had so much fun planning it. And yes, I've been planning it since she was 6 months old! Even so, it was perfect and she had so much fun playing with her new toys, playing with new friends, and eating birthday cake!

I wish there were more pictures of her party, but I was so busy getting everything ready that I didn't have a chance to take any pictures with my camera, but these are from my mom's camera.

So, enjoy!

Polka Dot Ribbon Topiary

Birthday "Month" Banner

"Happy 1st Birthday, Aubrey"

Close-up on the banner. My mom cut the letters out for it (Thanks, Mom!) and I cut the circle and squares from scrapbooking paper

Balloon Wreath

Polka Dot Balloons

The next few are from opening presents...

The "polka dot" cake

Aubrey looking out on the friends...

Getting read to eat birthday cake!!

Eating birthday cake!!

Covered in cake and icing!

This picture was taken on Sunday before birthday lunch with our parents... she ate lunch and passed out while we were getting our lunch ready.

Aubrey's birthday party was so fun! We had such a great time, and were so happy with all our friends and family that came to celebrate with us! And grateful that they were willing to travel to come be with us on such a special day!

Thank you all for coming and celebrating with us! Even those family and friends that weren't able to come, thank you for being a special part of our family and celebrating with us in spirit!! WE LOVE ALL OF YOU!!

One Year Stats

2010-08-31T16:39:00.002-04:00

Funny story...

Friday, I get the reminder call (voicemail) from the Pediatrics office about Aubrey's appointment on Monday. I delete it, because I think the appointment is scheduled in my blackberry. It wasn't (stupid Mommy). Sunday, I remind myself she has an appointment and I need to call first thing Monday to find out what time. Come Monday morning, Aubrey sleep in til 8:30 and I fell back asleep after Daddy left for work, so I had wake up at 8:30 too. At 8:40, I call the Dr's office to find out when the appointment is.... "It's at 9:00am".... Ugh! Nurse really fast, throw some "not pajama" clothes on for me, leave Aubrey's pj's on and her diaper from the night before, grab her some fruit to eat on the way, and out the door we go! Can we say, frazzled?! Thank God we live only 3 minutes from the office!

So, all that to say, here's Aubrey's 12-month stats!

Weight: 21 lbs, 4 ounces (50-60% percentile)

Height: 31 inches (95% percentile)

Head Circumference: 44.8 (75% percentile)

Our growing girl is growing up (literally) and thinning out. Since she's started walking she's definitely lost a little weight, which the Dr said was normal. He said she looks great and that all of her developmental milestones are being met and he's really happy with everything! And so are we. Aside from the FOUR shots that she got yesterday, she did really well. Just a little residual fever from the shots today, but thankfully it's just low grade.

We are so glad and grateful that the Lord is watching over our family and keeping us all heathly!

One Year

2010-08-29T15:15:00.008-04:00

One year ago today, our lives changed in the most magical, marvelous, amazing way!

Little Miss Aubrey came into this world and blessed us in the most amazing way! She entered our lives and took over our hearts. Its so true that you never know how much you can love until you have a child. I have never been so in love with my husband and my daughter. I am so deeply grateful to the Lord for showering me with so many blessings. He blessed me with a loving godly husband to lead and love me, and a beautiful gift wrapped up in ten fingers, ten toes and one GORGEOUS smile! I am awed....

Here's the start to this amazing journey, and beginning chapter to our "Wonderful Life"...

Our Gift...

We were already so in love with you...

We love your precious toes....

We love your sweet little face....

We love your sweet little fingers and nose...

Each moment, each day, each month, we love you more and more and more!

Aubrey,

Mommy and Daddy love you so much! We are so lucky that God chose us to be your parents! We are so proud to be your Mommy and your Daddy! We are so excited at all the new things you learn every day, and watching you grow up into a beautiful, amazing little girl. You are such a blessing to our hearts! We are so madly in love with you, little Squish! Happy Birthday, baby girl! We are so excited for the lifetime of birthdays to come!

Love you always,

Mommy & Daddy

11 Months (Very late, sorry)

2010-08-17T13:15:00.003-04:00

I am way behind on Aubrey's "month" posting. I am scrambling to get everything ready for her birthday party. And I thought her growing up was flying by too fast. Getting ready for her 1st birthday party is making all of it that much faster!

Aubrey is our pride and joy! she is really growing up too fast, but we love seeing all the new things that she learns every day. Like....

~She picked up a comb the other day and started trying to comb her hair. Out of nowhere.

~She finds our shoes around the house and either brings them to us, or tries to put them on herself.

~She grabs our old phones (now play toys) and holds them up to her ear.

~She drinks out of my straws now! Anywhere we are, she's gotta drink out of my straw. Thankfully I just drink water.

~She's been playing alone in her room a lot. I get so wrapped up in the quiet and what I'm doing that I freak out and run into her VERY QUIET room, and she's playing with her books or her stuffed animals. (Thank you, Lord)

She's starting to prefer walking over bear crawling. But if it's somewhere she needs to be quickly, forget walking!

We had a scare the other day, and felt a little lump under her breast. Which I KNOW is not normal at 11 months old. Thankfully (Praise the Lord!), the Pediatrician seemed think it was nothing. Maybe just a lymphnode that was aggrivated with either hormones from me or her own. So, thankfully it's gone and we're good now! Anyway, I said all that to say, they weighed her... haha... I knew her weight anyway, but we got the official from the Dr.

Weight: 21.5 lbs.

Height: TALL ;o) (They didn't measure that, we'll have to wait til the 1 yr check up)

Head Circumference: gotta wait!

Aubrey has been trying LOTS of new foods! I made homemade yogurt for the first time (in my life), and it actually turned out pretty good. A little more runny than I thought, but apparently that's what happens. But she loves it! It's her first time with dairy, and so far (for the last 3 days or the 4-day rule), she's had no problems.

She's also started corn, and soon spinach (still a little hesitant with the nitrates issue). We're going to try some pork and turkey soon too. After her party, I'll have a lot more time to get cookin'!

We tried last night to let her eat steamed peas and green beans whole, but that was not a good idea. More ended up in her seat or in the dogs mouths, than her mouth! However, she loves eating chopped up fruit (kiwi-no seeds, pears, plums, peaches, watermelon, canteloupe, apples, grapes), and loves to eat her puffs. I mean LOVES. She knows those cans from a mile away!

The only food that Aubrey doesn't like so far is bananas. And it's strange, because she used to love them mixed in with her cereal when we first started solids. Weird.

We're still nursing. My goal was a year, and we're ~~barrelling~~ slowly approaching that time. I don't really have a plan. She still nurses in the morning when she wakes up, once in the afternoon and at night before she goes to bed. So, I'm not sure what the plan will be. She won't be turning 2 and still nursing, that's for sure. I'm just not sure on the time frame yet. I want to ween her on her time, not mine. I think she'll be happier that way!

So, that's the scoop on Miss Aubrey, the little love of my life! I'm sure there's much more, I could talk about her all day, but I have birthday decorations to make too! Love to you all!

Catch Up!

2010-08-17T13:01:00.004-04:00

Wow, it's been a long time since I posted last. These last few weeks have been ridiculously busy! We had Aubrey's 2nd beach trip, which was to Myrtle Beach. She had lots of fun! They had a salt water pool with sand in it, so she got to play in the sand and the water at the same time! It was great! And this trip her other grandparents, Appy and Coach were able to see her at the beach too! We all went to Boardwalk on the beach and had dinner and walked around. We had a great time! And little Miss Aubrey (and Mommy, thank God!) got a tan! Daddy just burned, unfortunately.

Well, here's a few pictures from our trip!

Aubrey showing us "how cute" she is on the waterfall!

I. love. that. face.

Family picture on the beach.

"I'm lookin' for my friends, I'm lookin' for YOU"

Tiki Aubrey and Tiki Daddy!

We had a great time at the beach, and love to see all the new things Aubrey learns how to do. Except crawling out of the pool by herself... ;o)

Aubrey's 1st Beach Trip!

2010-07-28T13:02:00.004-04:00

It was a pretty last minute trip, but my parents were loaned a house in Beaufort, NC. So, we decided after the funeral in Wadesboro, that we'd drive on to the beach. Rob had to leave Sunday night to go back to work Monday morning, but Aubrey and I were able to stay with Mom and Dad in Beaufort until Tuesday morning. But Aubrey and Daddy got to have lots of fun Sunday morning at the beach.

We got there Saturday around dinnertime, and decided to go eat at the Sanitary restaurant, then drive around and see where to go to the beach the next day. We ended up going to this part of the sound to let Aubrey see the water and sand for the first time. She loved it!

Happy Baby!

What's this crazy stuff in my toes?!

I love this picture of our family!

Aubrey loves water (bath or pool), so we figured she would be a beach baby for sure. And thankfully, she is! She was a little unsure about the waves,... too much movement I think. But she sat with us at the top of where the waves come on the shore, and played in the sand and splashed in the water! She tried to eat sand a few times, but I think we were successful in keeping her from eating the handfuls that she clutched onto. She went crawling up and down the shore, and crawling after the seagulls. She is enamored with birds. She watched them out the window of the Sanitary restaurant, off the boardwalk when we went walking, and on the beach as she played in the sand. She even pointed to all the birds in the house (pictures, statues, etc) where we stayed.

Aubrey would not let go of her fistful of sand.

Beach Baby!

Playing in the sand with Daddy!

We are so glad that Aubrey loves the beach! Hopefully it will stay that way! We had such a great time with Gamma and Geezer. Thank you both for letting us come and stay with you on your vacation! And we're so glad that we all go to spend so much time together! We love you both SOOOO much!

WALKING!!!

2010-07-18T12:47:00.003-04:00

Aubrey has officially started walking! She has been taking steps off and on for a few weeks, but last night she took about 10 very slow methodical steps. And so far, today, she has done more walking than crawling!

It's a little sad, but very exciting to our smart little girl figure everything out!

Uh oh world, here she comes!

Hairbows, conti

2010-07-13T19:47:00.002-04:00

Even if your little cutie doesn't have enough hair for bows,....

You can still make them bows....

Just clip them on a headband!

And you can save them for when their lovely locks grow in!

(Haha, it totally doesn't match her outfit, but she's my only model! And a super cute one at that!)

Hairbow Tutorial!

2010-07-13T10:17:00.009-04:00

I'm not sure if you all are interested in this, but I had some friends/family ask me how I make them. So, I thought I would share how I do them. Well, at least one type of bow. (Maybe a different type later, if the interest is there). I would have done a video, but for one, I couldn't find the tripod, and secondly, I don't like the sound of my voice. So, no video. But I'll try to be as specific as possible.

Don't get overwhelmed by the length of the post... it really is easy! I promise!

Okay, lets go....

These instructions are for a 3-4 inch double bow with 2 colors: purple and yellow (ECU colors, of course). You can of course do just 1 layer and 1 color if you choose to.

Materials:
-2 separate colors of 5/8 inch grograin ribbon (only 1 color if you want a single layer bow)
-Hot glue gun and extra glue sticks. (you will use only about 1/2 for one bow, if that)
-Alligator clips or pop clips (alligator clips can be found at Kmart or Sally Beauty)
-1/4 inch grograin ribbon to cover the clip (can use 5/8 in, it just hangs over a little)
-Shelf liner

1.) Measure out a 20 inch strip of ribbon. Your base color.

2.) Fold it in half and crease the fold.

3.) Unfold the ribbon and place a dot of glue on the crease.

3.)Bring one end over onto the glue, keeping the same side that the glue is on face up. (This is easier to see when its a printed ribbon. The print should be print-side down when it's laid out, and when you fold over the one end to the crease, the print side should still be down.)

4.) Do the same with the opposite end... place a dot of glue on top of the end that you just folded over, and fold over the other end. The result should be an infinite sign.

5.) Now, pinch the roundest part of the infinite sign (in the middle and as evenly as possible), and glue it to where the ribbons cross. **Be sure that you have the center of the loop or your bow will be a little lopsided.**

6.) Do the same with the opposite side. Pinch the roundest part and bring it in to a dot of glue on the inside.

7.) Right now, this is what your lower level of your bow should look like. You'll repeat the above steps for the second color, or skip to step #9.

*Cut an 18 inch strip of ribbon for the top level of the bow. And repeat steps 2-7.

** Remember to find the center of each side (of the infinite shape) to keep the bow loops even.

Here are the two layers you should have to start assembling the double layer bow. If you do a single layer bow, just skip gluing them together. You need to flip the bows over so that you see the crisscross facing up!

8.) Glue the top layer on top of the lower layer. If you use a thinner amount of glue (on all these steps) it will be easier to crimp it altogether an upcoming step.

9.) Measure out 6 inches of ribbon (usually your base color, but whatever coordinating color you choose is fine!).

10.) Tie the 6-inch strip into a loose knot. This will be the center of the bow, and keep both the top and bottom layer "scrunched" in place.

11.) Squeeze the middle of the double layer bow between your forefinger and thumb. You can glue it in place, or just manipulate the shape after the 6 inch strip is tied around the center.

12.) Loop the 6 inch strip around the center of the "scrunched" bow, pinching it tightly behind.

13.) Glue it together behind the bow.

*Cut off excess of the 6 inch strip and glue it down so it lays flat.

As of now, your bow is ASSEMBLED!! The only steps left are choosing your clip, covering it with ribbon and gluing it on the back of the bow!

You can use the alligator clip (on the left) or the pop clips (on the right). I prefer the alligator clip (or curler clip) because it is easier to cover with 1/4 inch ribbon. You can cover it with the 5/8in ribbon, it just hangs over the edges a little.

I cut a small piece of shelf-liner to glue on the inside. This helps to hold onto the hair better. Its especially good when the child has thin hair.

Here is the alligator clip covered with a piece of shelf liner to glue inside. (Glue it on the curved side of the alligator clip, not the flat).

ALL DONE!!

Here's my model!

More of my model!

So cute!

I promise this type of bow is super easy! And you'll be making cute bows for your girls in no time!

If you want to see other color combinations, click here to go to our "Love and Kisses Boutique" photo album to check out the bows! You can have lots of fun with the bows!

Please email me or send me a link to pictures of your bows if you use my "tutorial!" I hope this way helpful!

Aubrey's Belly Laugh!

2010-07-07T13:52:00.004-04:00

This video made Mommy and Daddy's day! We hope it makes you smile too!

(How could anyone not smile or laugh when they hear the precious sound of a child laughing?)

You may want to turn down your volume a little... she was a little loud! ;o)

(And sorry it's blurry... it was in the middle of our giggle session and dark in the room, and with my phone.)

Enjoy!

10 Months Old! ... Wait, what????

2010-07-06T20:02:00.005-04:00

Yes, my sweet little baby has turned 10 months old! I can hardly believe it myself. Time has flown by! I am already in the throws of planning her first birthday party. Wasn't I just bringing her home from the hospital??? What happened!?

So, here is an update on my precious girl!

Aubrey is almost WALKING!! She's so close! She has been taking one step for maybe 2 weeks now, but just started taking 2 steps this past weekend. She plops down right after those 2 steps, but she'll be getting the hang of it before we know it. She has amazing balance... she's been standing without help since she was about 8 1/2 months old. It's craziness! She's too smart!

Rob and I think she's lost weight since she's gotten super mobile. And our family agrees with us. She's definitely getting taller and thinner. Mom and I are going to have to finish her growth chart soon! (We gotta get on that, Mom!!)

Aubrey is a ~~talker~~ screamer! Since our new house has vaulted ceilings and the whole living area is open (yes, sorry, I will post pictures of that soon too!), she has taken to screaming! She only does it here. She didn't do it at my parents or Rob's parents, just our house. I think she likes the echo she gets. When she's not screaming though she talks like she is carrying on a conversation with you! It's so cute! And if you copy her little "eh's" in different tones she'll repeat you, over and over. It's so funny! That may not make any sense to anyone who's never heard her do it, but it really is funny!

Aubrey is for sure a water baby! We bought a new pool, because after a dip in Gamma and Geezer's big pool, there was no need for a baby pool. So we bought a 12 ft (wide) above ground pool with a filter, so she can sit in her float and kick her feet. She likes to either be in her float and you push her around, or have you hold her while she floats and splashes around. I'm not sure that she isn't amused by bath time anymore. It's just not big enough I guess! ;o)

We just bought her first sippy cup last week. I know its a little late, but we haven't needed one. And I only really bought it to get her used to drinking out of one. She's only had water so far, and has done really well figuring out how it all works. Mommy has to go buy a juicer soon, I guess. We're still nursing about 3-5 times a day, especially in the morning and before sleepytime!

I bought Aubrey some organic puffs the other day too. She loves them! They are green puffs, made with collard greens (yuck!), spinach and kale. I think they taste pretty good (minus the whole collard greens part! Sorry, southerners). I think she likes the sound they make when she crunches down on them. She has added pears and peaches to her reportoire, and soon chicken, white potatoes, quinoa, and homemade yogurt (if I can find the starter in Greenville, since I left my newly purchased starter in Raleigh and left it in Gamma's fridge! grrr...). The homemade yogurt won't be for another month or so, but I'm excited to make it for her!

She's been eating lots of little bites of fruit lately. It's been so nice to finally have a high chair (thanks, Appy!), and I think she likes sitting in it and eating puffs and fruit and watching her movie. She gets little pieces of banana or peach or apple, and of course there's a few stragglers in the seat when she's all done. And I think the dogs get a snack or two too! Speaking of... the organic teething biscuits are one of the dogs new favorite snacks. At least 3 have been stolen from Aubrey in the last week!

Aubrey is still taking 2 naps during the day! (Well, most of the time) If we're out anywhere or on a trip somewhere she's too enthralled in the "goings on" to nap. Like the 4th of July... we went to my Aunt and Uncle's house in Carthage, NC for a "Christmas in July" family cookout.

Aubrey was so excited to be there and swim and play that there was no nap on the way there and no nap while we were there (2-7:30p). BUT the minute we got back on the road to go home, she P.A.S.S.E.D out. See....

This was the next day... still recuperating! (But Mommy doesn't mind! These naptimes are special to my heart!)

Ten months has flown by, but if possible we love our Aubrey more and more every day. She is such a precious gift from God and she brings so much joy to our lives! Just one look at that sweet face and all our troubles melt away!

Mommy and Daddy love you so much, Little Squish!

Five Years!

2010-06-25T11:30:00.003-04:00

Robert and I "celebrate" our 5th anniversary yesterday. I say celebrated because instead of having a special dinner date, we were back at the old house packing up more stuff!

We decided to postpone our celebrations until Saturday, when we'd really be able to enjoy it. The other house would be clean and done with, most of the unpacking would be done... and we could relax a little.

But just because we didn't celebrate doesn't mean that it wasn't a special day. I am blown away looking back over the last 5 years. God has been so good to us! He has guided us and protected us through moves and decisions and trials. And blessed us beyond what we could have ever imagined! The most precious blessing being our baby girl! Aubrey is the light of our lives, and one smile from her melts us to the core! And Aubrey and I are so lucky to have the best Daddy taking care of us.

We'll gush over Daddy since it was just Father's Day too...

Robert works so hard for us, and does it all so willingly. I am blessed to be able to stay home with Aubrey, and so appreciate the opportunity from the Lord and from Robert's hard work. He is such a good Daddy to Aubrey! He doesn't hesitate to be playful and silly with her, and it's so cute! He is so loving to her, and says he has the best naps when they fall asleep in the recliner together! Aubrey has her "daddy spot" where her head nestles into the middle of his chest.

I am so blessed. The Lord has given me so much in my life! These two people are the biggest blessings! I love you both with all of my heart!

Moving In...

2010-06-25T11:22:00.002-04:00

I'm sorry to have fallen off the deep end of blogging (if anyone really reads this anyway). But we have been trying to get all moved into our new house. Thankfully it's only across town (to Winterville, NC) but that doesn't make the packing process or moving process any faster or less painful.

Thank God my mom has been here this week to help us. She is a lifesaver! So far our kitchen is pretty much done. We just need a few things to finish it off... new dish towels, a new trash can, and some drawer organizers. The dining room is beautiful! Haha.. we just purchased a brand new dining room table, complete with leather seats and a bench, and big enough for lots of family and friends! (I will be posting pictures of the house soon, right now there's too many boxes in the way!)

The dogs seem to like the back yard. Sydney was a little skiddish at first, but seems to be warming up to all the space. I think she misses her lizards that she used to chase.

We are cleaning out our old place today. Rob's mom is helping us out, which is great! So maybe we'll even be completely done over there tonight! That'd be great... a stressfree weekend to just get the new house in order. Thank God for our attic... we have so much junk, I think we could have another yard sale!

Well, that's all for now... hopefully more updates and pictures of the new house soon! And pictures of Aubrey, which is really the reason why people read this blog anyway! ;o)

Love to you all!

Update on Stats!

2010-06-04T13:31:00.002-04:00

We had Aubrey's well visit this morning and she got a clean bill of health! Actually the Dr said she looks great! She said that developmentally Aubrey looks great, her heart sounds good, her ears look good. They had to prick her finger to test her iron levels, and they are good too!

Her measurements are:
Weight: 20 lbs (75% percentile)
Height: 29 1/2 inches (95 % percentile) tall just like her Daddy!
Head circumference: 44 (75% percentile)

She was so good when she got her finger pricked, she didn't even flinch. But when the Dr was cleaning out her ears, she must have touched her inner ear somewhere, because Aubrey started to cry. She usually loves having her ears cleaned out.. but I guess the Dr touched somewhere funny with that plastic "thingy" so Aubrey wasn't happy. But other than that she did great! We have such a good little girl!

Aubrey is 9 Months Old!

2010-06-03T08:27:00.005-04:00

(sorry this is a little late)

Our sweet Aubrey just turned 9 months old on Saturday! Where did the time go? She's growing up so fast into a beautiful little girl!

Weight: 18.8 lbs

Height: (don't know yet... we go to the dr on Friday)

Sleeping: Two 1 1/2-2 hr naps during the day, 10pm-7 or 8 am at night

Nursing: 8am, 12noon, 4pm, before dinner, bedtime

Solids: Aubrey is eating green beans, peas, butternut squash, and grapes and apples (in the teether). I just made up some sweet potatoes and carrots for her to try soon. And some pears, apples and bananas to start adding in too. Right now, Aubrey eats lunch at noon after she nurses, 2 veggies and some oatmeal. And she eats dinner around 7 after she nurses, has 2 veggies and rice cereal. Last night she tried banana in her cereal for the first time. She tried a banana this weekend for the very first time, and seemed to really like it... but it was so messy in the teether feeder!

Aubrey is super-mobile! She crawls everywhere, and pulls up on anything and everything. Sometimes she just stands up in the middle of the room and keeps her balance for almost a minute before she plops on her hiney. She'd probably pull up on the dogs if they'd stand still long enough. But both Sydney and Savannah can't bolt away fast enough when Aubrey comes after them. They're not gonna know what to do when she starts running after them!

We have 4 teeth! Wow! The bottom two popped about a month or so ago, then the top two popped last week. But thank goodness they are out, the teething process for the top two was a little painful.

We have definitely started baby proofing the house! Well, as much as we can before we move. Definitely have outlet covers in ALL the outlets. All the accessible cabinets have locks. The kitchen is blocked off by a baby gate, and the upstairs is secluded by a baby gate blocking the stairs. The only things we haven't figured out how to baby proof: the dog food bowls and their water bowl. Aubrey loves to play in the water bowl, but also likes to put the dog food in her mouth! Gross!

Aubrey loves to watch 'Sid the Science Kid' on PBS! She loves music! I love that about her. We have a sing-a-long video called "Mommy and Me" and she is mesmorized by it! She will sit for almost 10-15 minutes (completely still), watching and listening to all the music. It's so adorable!

When we are out in public everyone stops us to comment on how beautiful she is! She is so friendly to everyone... smiling, waving. It's too cute, she's already a social butterfly. There have been a few times with guys that she acts a little shy, and even buried her face in my shoulder. She's already a flirt too!

Crawling EVERYWHERE.... Pulling up on EVERYTHING...

(she was on her way down in this picture... love the face!)

Aubrey loves the water! I mean LOVES. She would probably splash around in some water somewhere all day if we let her. We bought a blow up pool for the backyard, and I'm pretty sure she would have stayed in it all day if the sun hadn't been so hot. I didn't want her to get sunburned... 55 SPF only does so much.

Aubrey has become a "chatty kathy" lately. Whenever she's crawling around, she's talking... when she's playing, she's talking... when she's riding in the car, she's talking (or singing)... when she wakes up from a nap, she's ~~crying~~ talking...

Aubrey says "Momma" "Dada" "Nanana" "Yaya". The only one we think she really means is Momma.. but she says Dada a lot too. She's a Momma's girl right now, but I know it will soon be all about Daddy. Sometimes when I'm holding her, she will turn away from Daddy and hold tighter to me when he reaches for her (mostly at night when she's getting sleepy)... but the other day she reached for him and I thought he was going to cry! It was so sweet... I know it made his day!

Look at those eyes!

Aubrey has learned to wave! She waves at everything and everyone. It's so cute, especially when someone is leaving, she waves goodbye! And when Daddy gets home, watch out!, she's waving and grinning ear to ear! When he gets home, the three of us have a group hug... we call it "squish!" We squish Aubrey in the middle, and say "Squiiiish" and she giggles and smiles so big! It's our little family tradition, and worth every second to see that precious smile!

Here's a video of Aubrey "swimming" in the pool!

We love you lil' Squish!

Almost 9 Months Old!

2010-05-26T09:38:00.005-04:00

Since Miss Aubrey has had so many milestones in the last month, I decided to go ahead and start on her "9 month old" post. We'll see how far I get before she wakes up from her nap!

Well, she started crawling at the beginning of the month, and she's been on the move ever since! She is not only crawling, but standing up in the middle of the floor all by herself. It's so cute to see her balance for a split second then plop down on her booty. She pulls up on anything and everything... the coffee table, her toys, the baby gate, my pants! So, I guess she'll be walking soon! Oh, and we've discovered stairs! Rob and I were making dinner, so we had taken down the gate that blocks her from the hallway, stairs and kitchen. I was watching her, but had to put something away in the kitchen. When I came back, I could hear her, but she wasn't banging on the front door, where I left her. She was almost halfway upstairs!!! My heart stopped, and Daddy flew up the stairs in a heartbeat! We didn't even know she could crawl up stairs! Thank God she didn't fall and that we don't have any stairs in the new house!

Aubrey has become Miss Chit Chat! We were at my parents during Mother's day weekend, and all she was doing was crawling and talking! Right now a lot of what she says is "Mommamamama" or "Yayayay" or lots of babbling, but when I'm not in the room it becomes "Momma" and it definitely means me! ;o)

Aubrey is a water baby!! She took her first swim in the pool while we were in Asheville, and really seemed to like it... I think she would have liked it more if she hadn't been so sleepy! We put her in the blow-up pool at Brock and Laura's two weeks ago, and she loved it! She was splashing around, playing with all the toys and looking totally adorable in her little bikini! I am SO happy that she loves the water! Mommy is not a snow bunny, so I'm glad she's a water baby! Oh, and she loves playing in the dog's water bowl, too! (And their food bowls!)

We lowered her mattress in her crib about 2 weeks ago. I know that may seem late to some people, but Aubrey has been swaddled at night up until she started crawling and pulling up on things. And there's probably mixed emotions about swaddling too, but it was working for us. Anyway, its been a little rocky getting her to sleep without being swaddled. She is very fidgety while she's falling asleep (which is why we swaddled in the first place), so its taken a little while for her to sleep all the way through the night. There have been a few nights when she wakes up around 3 or 4am, but after a few minutes of crying, falls back asleep. The hardest part now is trying to lay her down in the crib! Her crib is huge (er...I'm too short!)! She falls asleep while nursing, so I normally just laid her down in the crib, and that was that... not anymore. I almost fall in the crib trying to lay her down now! We've got a step stool, so I may have to start using that! So, she's doing great now, and it's so funny to go get her in the morning, and her little hiney is sticking up in the air with her face buried in the mattress!

See....

See why we lowered the mattress.... She's so tall!

At the beginning of the month, Aubrey's two bottom teeth popped, and now we are working on the top middle two! They are definitely on the verge of popping out, but haven't yet. But she decided to get a jump on good oral hygiene! So, ya know... who am I to stop her?

I'll post more soon when my baby girl is officially 9 Months old!

(perfect timing, she just woke up from her nap!)

New Toy!

2010-05-13T20:41:00.006-04:00

Crawling!

2010-05-13T13:35:00.003-04:00

Our little baby girl is mobile! She has taken off into the world of crawling.

Rob and I were at home last Thursday night, sitting on the floor with Aubrey as we do most nights... surrounded by her toys to entertain her.

For the most part, she has been mobile for about two months now. Rolling over, scooting on her belly. She didn't really even like for me to scoop her up and put her knees underneath her body, so she was propped up on her hands and knees. She had occasionally gotten into that position by herself, but would instantaneously plop onto her belly.

Now, don't get me wrong, we have had mixed emotions about this day. Aubrey has been growing up so fast... too fast for both of us. There are numerous (daily) times where I sit back and think "Where did the last 8 months go?" "Didn't we just bring her home from the hospital?" So, it had been okay with us that she hadn't started crawling yet. But we knew that it was a necessary milestone in her development, and we knew it was coming eventually. (sigh)

So, back to Thursday. We were sitting on the floor with her as she played, and the dogs were sort of playing around too with the tennis balls. All of the sudden, we both see out of the corner of our eye, Aubrey crawling toward the tennis ball. What?! Wait,... did you see that? Did she just? No....

Oh yes we did. Lord, help us.... she's crawling!

The video I posted here, was the "lets see if she can do it again..." or the "did we really just see what we thought we saw..." And don't you know... she did!

Another first to add to our many lists of special firsts with our sweet baby girl! And I am so grateful that the Lord allowed Rob and I to be home together for the first time Aubrey learns to crawl! He has allowed that in a lot of things with Aubrey. And I am even more in gratitude for the opportunity to be at home with her. I know its not possible for many moms, so I do not take this blessing lightly. I am beyond thankful to Our God for giving me blessing!

Family trip to the Zoo!

2010-05-11T12:24:00.003-04:00

Rob, Aubrey and I packed up this past Saturday and headed to the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro. We went with our friends, Brock, Laura and their daughter Sydney. We got there around 9:30 in the morning, and didn't leave until 3 in the afternoon! And both girls did pretty good. Aubrey ended up falling asleep on Daddy about 45 minutes before we left, and then finished her little nap in the back of the double stroller. She was such a good baby! It was pretty hot that day (around 85 degrees) and sunny, but she was a trooper! We all had a great time!

Here's a couple of pictures of the animals that we got to see!

Aubrey got to take her first carousel ride! She seemed to like it. And our smart girl got on and acted like she'd done it before... She wrapped her little legs around the dolphin and both hands around the pole. The whole time it went around, she was looking at the lights in the middle and listening to the music.

We can't wait to take her back when she'll actually remember seeing the animals. Even though she won't remember the trip, she definitely was looking at the animals. The gorilla was so close to the glass that she kept looking right at him. She watched the elephants, the giraffes, the bison... it was so fun to see her soaking it all in! Such a smart girl!

8 Month Update! {late}

2010-05-11T10:23:00.004-04:00

So this Mommy is a little late posting the 8 month milestones! Sorry!

Well, let's see....! There have been SO many changes in the last month. Let me see if I can recall them all.

Weight: 18 lbs (she's lost about a lb since she started crawling around!)
Height: not sure... next check-up is 9 months. But she is a long skinny baby!

Teeth: we have 2!! She has the 2 middle bottom teeth, and the top middle two may be on their way.

Crawling: officially started crawling on Thursday, May 6th! And it was just that fast. One minute she's pushing around on her belly, the next minute her little knees are up underneath her and she's crawling!

Solids: we're still just eating solids at dinnertime right now, and nursing the other times during the day. I'm not in a hurry and neither is Aubrey. But we are eating 2 tablespoons of rice cereal mixed with bmilk, and about 1/4-1/2 cup of veggies, either green beans or peas. And she really likes veggies! Yay! Hopefully that will continue! This week we're going to start adding in carrots, butternut squash, and maybe a banana!

Loves: She LOVES music! If it's a commercial on TV or on the radio, her favorite PBS show "Sid the Science Kid" or one of us singing... she stops whatever she's doing to listen. I love that she loves music!

*Now that she's crawling, she is going after the dogs! She wants to take their ball or their bone, or just crawl over and grab their fur. Sydney is pretty good about it and will just sit there, but Savannah is a Primadonna and runs away if Aubrey even looks in her direction. She is Rob's spoiled child!

*While we were in Asheville, we went to the Mast General store (awesome place!) and bought a wooden ring stacker (I guess that's what they're called??). Aubrey loves it! She already had plastic one that she played with, but she loves the wooden one.

*We are definitely in the middle of the "throws" of baby-proofing! I already have all the plug covers in, baby-height 'house decoration' put away or moved, and we're in the process of getting all the cabinet locks on. Anyway, there is a basket of greeting cards near the fireplace (a closed, OFF, and electric fireplace, fyi) that Aubrey loves to play in. She pulls the cards all out and then plays in the basket until she gets stuck and freaks out. It's really cute! And she's learning to play by herself!

*Aubrey has been napping in our bed for the last few weeks. I'm sure it's not the best thing, but she's still sleeping at night in her bed without waking up, so whatever works! Anyway, when she wakes up from her nap, I'll go in and crawl up the foot of the bed and plop down in front of her. She gets a big grin on her face then throws her arms around my neck! It's so precious! Her 'wake up from nap time' hugs are ones that I've burned into my Mommy memories!

*We took our first family trip to the zoo this weekend! Aubrey got to see lots of animals and fish and birds! And she did so good! It was so hot and sticky, but she was such a good baby! She got to see a real giraffe! And then we bought her a giraffe puppet and a Mommy'n'baby giraffe too!She stayed awake for most of the trip, but passed O.U.T on our way back towards the car. I'll post pictures from our trip soon!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Aubrey continues to amaze us! She is so smart and we love to see how she figures everything out. Her precious smiles and giggles melt our hearts! We are so lucky that God made us her parents!

We love you, precious girl!

Look Who's Crawling Now!?!

2010-05-07T09:09:00.002-04:00

Things are moving around here!

2010-04-27T09:59:00.002-04:00

Aubrey is officially mobile! She has been on the move for the last month, but is definitely close to figuring out the whole crawling "thing." Right now, she's better at going backwards than forwards. But it's only a matter of time before she's gone!

So, we started here....

Then backed up to here...

Then got her feet underneath...

Then turned around to head for something else...

But decided that playing with the ottoman was more exciting!

See... told ya! She's movin'!

M.I.A

2010-04-26T09:49:00.003-04:00

Sorry for the break in blogging. After starting a new "business," I've had my hands full. Between a mobile baby and my sewing machine, my time is limited. But there's a few new posts coming your way soon! Lots of fun updates about Aubrey!

Here's a cute picture to tie ya over!

Drivin' Daddy's Jeep with in my shades!

(it should go without saying, but the Jeep was parked in the driveway and not on!)

Teething!

2010-04-12T17:44:00.006-04:00

I'm sorry that I haven't posted anything about Aubrey in a while. We are in the midst of teething! Her two front bottom teeth are on their way out! And she has been AMAZING despite how painful it must be. Both Rob and I are surprised (along with Aunt Laura and mom) at how calm she's been. Don't get me wrong, she has been fussy and whiny, but not half as much as we thought she would be when the "teething experience" came around. I think she's actually going through a growth spurt at the same time. All she wants to do is sleep. She used to take good naps, but now she's taking 1 1/2 - 2 hr naps.... sometimes longer! It makes me a little worried that she's not sleeping well at night. But thankfully her "mid-night" waking up is down to only 2-3 times a week. And I've attributed those to her teething too.

She is 7 1/2 months old! Growing up too fast for this Mommy. She is pulling up on everything, scooting around on her belly, and is literally on the verge of crawling. I think she'd rather start walking and skip crawling, but once she gets the booty part to work with the arm part, she'll be good! Hahah! She can pull her legs underneath her as she pushes up with her arms and bounces a little, but then her legs go out from underneath her and she plops down on her belly. And let me tell you, when she's done, she's D.O.N.E... and you better pick her up. Haha.

Aubrey is a chit-chatter! Lately she's been waking up from naps, and just talkin' away! Her words so far are:

-Ma ma ma (and thats usually when she's calling for me)

-Da da da (talking to Daddy)

-Do Do Do (like dog)

-Ba Ba Ba (sounds like ball)

-And tons of baby babble and giggles and her own baby language! It's so precious to hear... like she's carrying on a conversation already. And Daddy and I both answer her as if it was. (I read somewhere it helps encourage the flow of conversation as they grow up... like the stop and start of conversation).

The teething has been fun. Uncharted territory for sure. But when I was teaching, some of the mom's had these teething feeders.

They are a life saver! Not only are they great for her to chew on and get some relief, but I can cut up (and peel) an apple and let her suck on it. She gets a little snack and relief from the cold of the apple. I bought some green grapes the other day, and tried it... she LOVED it. The grape was only skin inside the little mesh bag. So, since her two bottom middle teeth are about to pop through, this teether has been perfect! I highly recommend one for your little ones!

Lots of recent pictures to add soon. Right now, she's a little fussy for Mommy... so I gotta go!

Happy Resurrection Day!

2010-04-03T23:17:00.001-04:00

In Christ alone my hope is found, He is my light, my strength, my song. This Cornerstone, this solid Ground, firm through the fiercest drought and storm.

What heights of love, what depths of peace, when fears are stilled, when strivings cease! My Comforter, my All in All, here in the love of Christ I stand.

There in the ground His body lay. Light of the world by darkness slain. Then bursting forth in glorious Day, up from the grave he rose again! And as He stands in victory. Sin's curse has lost its grip on me. For I am His and He is mine. Bought with the precious blood of Christ!

No guilt in life, no fear in death, this is the power of Christ in me. From life's first cry to final breath. Jesus commands my destiny. No power of hell, no scheme of man, can ever pluck me from His hand. Till He returns or calls me home, here in the power of Christ I'll stand.

7 Months Old!

2010-03-30T14:35:00.005-04:00

Happy 7 Month Birthday to our precious Aubrey!

Robert and I are daily amazed at how beautiful, smart, and funny our baby girl is! We are so blessed to have such a sweet and happy baby!

~~~~~~~~~~

Aubrey's 7 Month Milestones:

~ Eating Rice Cereal (and liking it so far! Especially when there's a little homemade apple juice added instead of just bmilk)

~ Moving her self around on the floor. Not quite crawling, but she can push up to straight arms! It'll be soon though!

~ Nursing every 4-5 hours.

~ Sleeping from 9:30p-8am!

~ Pretty much in only 9 months clothes, some 12 month dresses, but they're pretty big on her.

~Giggles when you do "This Little Pig" with her toes, then tickle her for the "Wee, wee, wee" part!

~ She loves when Mommy sings to her. (Haha, for now, when she knows better, she may not like it anymore!) Her favorite songs are "Jesus Love Me" "Jesus Love the Little Children" and "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star." Her face lights up, she starts smiling, and waving her arms,... it's SO adorable!

~ Loves jumping! She loves her jumperoo, but when someone is holding her, she'll start bouncing on their laps, and then starts grinning ear to ear when they start making her jump!

~Loves bubbles! I bought the bubbles and blower from Gymboree... they're great! The bubbles are perfect for her because they stay around for a little while so she can pop them on the floor, or on the dogs... wherever they land!

~Sitting up all by herself. She occasionally falls back, but we keep a pillow behind her on the floor, just in case!

~Loves toys! She's been playing with her stackable rings and her blocks!

~Loves when the wind blows in her face! She gets the cutest grin on her face, like it's taken her breath away!

~Loves to swing! Our friends asked us if we wanted to get a baby swing to put on their swingset, so we did and Aubrey loves it! She just sits there and takes everything in!

~Loves bathtime! She's starting to splash around and move her toys around! So cute!

Who couldn't fall in love with that sweet face?

Happy 7 Months, Baby Girl! Mommy and Daddy are so in love with you! And we are so thankful that God chose us to be yours!

Cereal or Toes?

2010-03-29T17:55:00.004-04:00

I'm not sure which Aubrey likes better...

Her new venture with Rice Cereal?

Her toes?

Tough choice!

Rice Cereal!

2010-03-23T11:17:00.004-04:00

Aubrey officially started eating solids yesterday!

We started with some organic rice cereal mixed with a little breastmilk. She seemed to like it but it was a little too thick. So, I chopped up an apple and put it in our food processor (for now, because our next purchase will be a juicer, to make her natural homemade juice!), to make some apple juice to thin it out with. And after I added the apple juice, she was reaching for more!

Here's Daddy feeding me...

(yes, her bib says 'I love Mommy!', Daddy got that one in honor of Mommy's separation anxiety)

Here's Mommy feeding me some cereal too...

She ate most of the cereal, but ended up getting very distracted by the tangerines (and the napkins, mail, bags, etc) behind her. So, her first dinner was done, but it seemed to be a success!

Spring Family Photo Shoot

2010-03-15T12:29:00.003-04:00

Last weekend (March 6th), we drove to Raleigh to celebrate my mom's birthday, and to have our family pictures made.

I really wanted to have Aubrey's 6 months pictures made, so we called up my soon-to-be cousin, Christie Funderburke! She has taken my cousin Emily's family pictures with her two kids, and they were great! So, we asked her if she wouldn't mind taking ours, and she did an amazing job! All of the pictures are amazing, and she got most of (because there are many) Aubrey's different facial expressions! She was so sweet and the whole session was fun and painless! She was even super patient when Aubrey started to get fussy towards the end!

Here's a sneak peek at how cute the pictures are!

So here is a link to our pictures! Enjoy!!

6 Month Update!

2010-03-15T11:32:00.003-04:00

I had forgotten to update after our 6 month checkup the other day! (Ok, almost 2 weeks ago)

Aubrey's stats are:

-Weight: 18.3 lbs (85-90% percentile)
-Length: 27.5 inches (90-95% percentile)
-Head Circumference: 41.8 (25% percentile) (she has a dainty little head!)

So far in the last two weeks she has tasted carrots (sucked on a baby carrot), apple (sucked on a big piece as I held it), butternut squash (small smashed pieces she moved around in her mouth), and banana (another small smashed piece she moved around in her mouth).

Mommy is still holding out on starting solids. BUT I think we'll be starting rice cereal today. We were going to start this weekend, but got extra busy and then had company yesterday. And when I start, I want it to be just Mommy and Daddy so we can savor the precious (messy) first moment!

I will definitely let you all know when we do. Which should be soon... I can't procrastinate forever!

6 Months, Already?!?!

2010-03-02T15:19:00.004-05:00

My beautiful growing girl just turned 6 months old!

I know I keep saying it over and over, time is flying by! Sometimes it just seems like yesterday when she was born. And now, she's halfway to being 1! It's crazy!

Her 6 month check-up is tomorrow, so I don't have numbers, but I will update the post after her appointment tomorrow!

So far Aubrey is...

-sitting up by herself. She's still a little shaky, so we keep the boppy behind her in case she falls back. She is catching herself, though, if she goes to far to one side or the other.

-rolling over like crazy! Everytime we change her diaper (on the floor!)... there she goes rolling over, sticking that 'nekked' hiney in the air! It's really funny, especially when Daddy isn't paying attention and goes to put her diaper on and she's gone!

-possibly teething. She's been chewing on things for the last 3 months, but so much more lately. Not to mention, she's a little extra fussy these days.

-not eating solids yet! Really close, but not yet. It's probably more a mommy thing than anything. I love the special Mommy-Baby time that we have while she's breastfeeding, so it's a little hard to start the process of her "not needing me." Yes, I know she'll always need Mommy. And I know it's not immediate, since I plan on bf'ding until she's 1 year, but it's still hard. AND I've always heard and read that exclusively bf'ding until after they are 6 months old was best for them. So, that's really the main reason. She just recently has been sitting up on her own, and I read that was also a sign that babies are ready for solids.

-saying "Mama!" Haha, probably not, it's probably just the way she whines when she's sleepy, but I'll take it! She is definitely in Mommy-mode though. Since I stay at home with her, whenever she gets sleepy or cranky or hungry, there is no consoling from Daddy. It's a little sad, because I know he's sort of taking it personally, but there will be a day when she'll only want Daddy too. And she'll be saying "Dada" before we all know it!

-loves bathtime! We bought her some letters for the bathtub, and she's got a bunch of rubber duckies. She kicks her feet in the water, chews on the letters and the duckies' noses! Definitely night and day from her first bath at home!

I could go on and on, but people really only read our blog for the pictures anyway! ;o)

So, here ya go! Enjoy!

Cheese face!

Big girl sitting up her crib

She loves the water!

She's 6 months old...

... and a ham!

Laughter is SO sweet!

2010-02-24T13:35:00.003-05:00

Sorry its so grainy.. I took it with my phone last night. It was just too cute not to share.

And yes, that is my almost 6 month old daughter sitting up all by herself!

Valentine's Day Petit Fours

2010-02-17T14:47:00.005-05:00

I would love to say that I was super creative and came up with these on my own, but I didn't. I got the idea from MckMama (who actually got the idea from someone else)! They were too cute, so I thought I would try to make them. The originals from MckMama's post are adorable. Mine are just so-so. I didn't have what I needed to make the royal icing she used for some, and I didn't really want to make an extra trip to the grocery store.

Anyway, the Valentine's Day Petit Fours are made with rolled white fondant and Oreo Cakesters.

Take a small handful of fondant (add food coloring before you roll it out, I used the icing dye from Michael's), and roll it out into a flat circular shape.

**If you dye the fondant, use a small amount first then increase to find your color. I used varying levels of color. The red and the dark purple took a few additions of dye.

The thickness should be about 1/4 inches, anyway thinner the fondant will break. And be sure to work fast with the fondant, because it will dry out quickly and start to break. And make sure your hands aren't wet because the fondant will stick to your hands. And FYI: If you dye the fondant, best to use gloves or just wash your hand immediately after kneading the dye into the fondant.

Take the rolled out fondant and cover the Oreo Cakesters, lightly rubbing the fondant around the outside of the cookie. I used a pizza cutter to cut the excess fondant off. **Don't discard it! Use it to cut out small hearts with a cookie cutter, or add it to the next colored batch (as long as its the same color, or your next batch will be darker). Press the excess edges underneath the cookie, so it sits flat.

I used differently colored sugar to roll the edges in. Just lightly brush on some water to attach the sugar and to attach the small hearts on top!

It was really fun, and can probably be done for just about any holiday. All you need is different colored dye and different cookie cutters. The fondant is at Michael's for $5.99, and the individual dyes are about $1.99/each. The Oreo Cakesters are about $2-$3.

The funny part to this post is that my husband and I started doing P90x about 2 weeks ago. It comes with a pretty specific diet. So of course, we couldn't try these Valentine's petit fours. But we did give them as a Valentine's Day gift to our friends. (And we did cheat on Valentine's Day and had 2 Oreo Cakesters, since we've never had them before.)

Just as an FYI: we don't eat stuff like this on a regular basis, it was just a cute treat idea for Valentine's day!

I hope you try to make them sometime, it was really fun! And fondant is much easier to work with than I thought!

Good luck!

It's Been a While...

2010-02-17T13:43:00.002-05:00

I'm not sure if anybody reads our posts, but if you do,... I'm sorry for not posting anything lately. Our computer crashed last week with all of our pictures on it. THANK GOD we just got an external hardrive, and backed up the computer the week before! I would be totally devastated to lose everything on there.

Anyway, I'm on Rob's little laptop from work, and it seems like I haven't had to much time to do anything but check email and get on FB for a few minutes. But I will hopefully get a post up soon!

Love to you all!

Kellan, Rob and Aubrey

Aubrey's First Snow!!

2010-01-30T14:22:00.005-05:00

So...

The original plan was for us all to come to Raleigh to stay with Gamma and Geezer for the weekend, then on Sunday, Daddy would go on to Greensboro for a conference for work. HOWEVER... the weather changed the plans. Because Rob is the director of his facility, he is responsible for getting everyone to and from work. I understand, but still. So, anyway, Aubrey and I came early on Friday to Raleigh, but Daddy had to stay in Kinston and sleep on a cot in his office! (Poor Daddy!) And he's still stuck in Kinston until the snow melts tomorrow (hopefully)!

BUT, since the weathermen were finally right about the forecast, Aubrey was able to see her first snow! My mom and I took her out to take pictures this morning. We were out long enough to take these pictures (maybe 2 minutes), went back inside and got her out of all her snow gear, and two minutes later she was passed out in my arms. I guess the excitement of snow wore her out!

Enjoy pictures of our snow baby!

5 Months Old!!

2010-01-30T13:52:00.004-05:00

My sweet girl turned 5 months old yesterday. I cannot believe it! She is such a precious gift and I am having the most fun spending my days with her! Her beautiful face is so captivating, and that contagious smile... even when I'm not in a good mood, her smile changes everything!

We don't go back to the Dr until the end of next month, but she was 17ish pounds last month. And since we've gotten the jumperoo, I'm pretty sure she's shed a few! She would jump in that thing for hours, if we'd let her. But for now it's only about an hour.

We haven't started eating solids yet. We are going to exclusively nurse until she's 6 months (planning on still nursing until she's 1 year), and then start adding in rice cereal. But I have already bought some veggies to go ahead and make some food to freeze for when we're ready! We've got peas, green beans, butternut squash and sweet potatoes... so far.

Here are some pictures of my gorgeous growing girl!

Happy 5 Months, baby girl! Mommy and Daddy love you so SO much!!

We're Rollin'

2010-01-25T21:13:00.004-05:00

Aubrey rolled over for the first time, from her back to her belly, on January 13th! Our little girl is growing up SO fast!

M.I.A

2010-01-25T16:41:00.003-05:00

I'm sure it is expected when you're a new Mommy, to not be on the ball with things. And I don't mind at all spending time with my sweet girl instead! Hence the reason that I haven't posted anything in a while. Lots have been going on, I just haven't had too much time to sit down and bust out a post as descriptive and organized as I would like. But I do like to keep family and friends up to date with all of Aubrey's "happenings!"

So, here's a few pictures in the meantime!

More to come soon! I promise! And videos too!!

Christmas Pictures!

2010-01-08T19:00:00.000-05:00

I completely forgot to post some Christmas pictures!! So much was going on during the holidays, that I forgot to post more pictures of Christmas.

Here's my sweet baby! We sat her down next to her cousin, Ryder, to take a picture together. Ryder's Mommy, Aunt Jen, had color coordinated Ryder's outfits to match Aubrey's. And I have to say, he was a total stud! BUT... poor Ryder was tired and did not want to sit next to Aubrey, not matter how many Christmas carols we sang or how many silly faces we made. Aubrey on the other hand was just taking it all in... laughing and smiling for everyone!

Here is our new family of THREE!! Our first Christmas as a new family!

Here are some pictures of our decorations! The stockings were hung by the chimney (er, fake fireplace) with care! And this year, we added one! An "A" stocking for our Aubrey!

I can only imagine what our tree will look like for all of our next Christmas'! She was only 4 months old this year! And we had already packed up other presents to take to Tarboro... so that's not even all of them!

Getting Aubrey dressed in her Christmas Jammies on Christmas Eve night! She was excited!

Opening presents.... Daddy got a new ECU sweatshirt!

Aubrey was actually opening up her own presents!

She got some new red shoes!

And some new slip-on rattles for her feet!

Mommy and Daddy's best present for Christmas!

She is too stinkin' cute!!

Honest Scrap!

2010-01-01T12:31:00.000-05:00

Here are the rules:

1. Must thank the person who gave you the award and list their blog and link it.

2. Share "10 Honest things" about yourself.

3. Present this award to 7 others whose blogs you find brilliant in content and/or design, or those who have encouraged you.

4. Tell those 7 people they've been awarded HONEST SCRAP and inform them of these guidelines in receiving the award.

Okay, here are mine!

1. The person that gave it to me was Kara Wright! I love her! Kara and I went to high school together, and sang in choir together! Along with Lauren, we probably gave Ms Baldwin a headache from chit chatting all the time! Kara is a sweetheart and always so much fun to be around! I wish we lived closer together so we could hang out!

2. 10 Honest Things about me:

a. I have never had a specific "career" plan for myself... all I've ever wanted to be is a mom. And I couldn't be happier! I have the best baby ever!

b. I am now a germ-a-phobe! Now that I have my daughter, people's disgusting habits of wiping their noses, coughing, smoking, and not washing their hands, totally and completely make me mad! Don't get me wrong, I totally understand that I cannot protect my daughter from everything, but I do believe that people should respect me as a mother and show concern for my daughter's well-being. (Rant over!)

c. My closet is arranged by color. Haha, yes I know, OCD. But it's so much easier to find what color I'm looking for! I'm not ashamed! I do the same thing in my dishwasher... the silverware is all seperated by type, so it's easier to put away!

d. I am still in shock that I had a 10 lb baby! I never expected that in a million years. I gained a normal amount of weight as any pregnant woman, and came from a family of smaller sized babies. So I was very shocked when they told me how much she weighed. BUT I am beyond grateful that the Lord allowed me to have a great pregnancy and a gorgeous and healthy baby girl! So, everyone will just have to deal!

e. I am married to one of my teachers from college! Haha, yes,... it's true! Robert was a graduate student in Athletic Administration, and was required to teach some exercise science classes. A week before I was to start my volleyball elective, he was switched into teaching my class (a sport which he knew nothing about). I guess God had a plan?! Ya think?

f. I am a super independent person. When I do a job or a task, I like to be given the "how to's" and the deadline, and be left alone. So, in the regard, I hate to be micromanaged. It makes me feel like the person doesn't trust me to do the job. And now it makes me even more grateful to be a stay at home Mom... God is my boss! ;o)

g. I am now obsessed with buying clothes for my daughter! I got $75 in gift cards from Old Navy for Christmas, and I plan on spending all (er... most) of it on Aubrey!

h. For some reason while I was pregnant (before we knew what we were having), I became enamored with giraffes. I didn't want the whole nursery to be done in it, I just wanted cute things to put around her room. My mom and I were shopping after Christmas last year and found the cutest watercolor painting on a Macy's display, so I took a picture of it with my phone. Well, my mom ended up doing a colored pencil version of it for Aubrey's wall, and it's amazing!! So now, when I see really cute stuffed giraffes or wall-hangings I have to get them!

i. I'm a blog stalker.... there I've said it. I love reading other people's blogs. I love getting great tips, ideas, projects, recipes, etc, from other people's blogs. I guess I'm addicted to facebook too (My husband is probably screaming, 'I told you so' right now). I love keeping up with people. Since I'm a little busy right now, and since we live in Greenville now, I can't get together with people too often. So I like to be able to see what's going on with them and be able to keep up more than I can in person.

j. Let me preface this by saying that I'm not at all ready yet!... but I am excited to have another baby some day. I know we'll probably be jinxed since Aubrey is such a good baby, but she is such a blessing and such a joy! Time is flying by way to fast, but I am loving every minute of it! I can't (but can) wait to see her little personality develop more and more, and to hear her say "Mommy and Daddy" one day! For now, I will cherish the sweet little hand that rests on my chest when she's falling asleep in my arms... I know she's thinking "I love you, Mommy!"

So, there ya go! I am a new Mommy, so most of them are about mommyhood or my baby girl. But I can't apologize.. it is my life, and I love it!

Here are my 7 people that I pass the award on to:

1. Kathi Minguez
2. Emily Bennett
3. Becki Grandstaff
4. Lauren Ward
5. Jessica Coombs
6. Andrea Lunsford
7. Melody Harrell

Aubrey Talking II

2009-12-29T14:36:00.003-05:00

I am 4 months old!!

2009-12-29T12:21:00.003-05:00

Our beautiful baby girl turns 4 months old today!!

She also had her 4 month check-up today too! She is a growing girl.. Here are the stats:

Weight: 17 lbs, 4.5 ounces (over 100%ile)

Height: 26 1/2 inches (over 100%ile)

Head circumference: 41.7 cm (around 50%ile)

The Dr. said she looks great and that she's a gorgeous girl! But we already knew that! Aubrey had to get 2 shots today, and of course the first time Daddy gets to endure the shots, she doesn't wail like she has before! I'm so jealous!! The first few visits and shots broke my heart! And now my sweet little girl is already turning into Daddy's girl! I knew it would happen one day but... I'm not ready!!!

Here's a list of some of the cute things our cute girl does:

- Her new favorite things are her hands! She LOVES to put her hands in her mouth and suck on her fingers! And it's the dickens on this Mommy's nerves... trying to keep her hands clean, away from the dogs, and trying to keep other people from letting her put their (dirty!!) hands in her mouth! Ugh, c'mon people!! Seriously?!

-She loves to sit with us and watch TV. If we prop her up on a pillow or her boppy pillow, she'll sit there contently and watch. She even watched some football this past weekend with Lance, Granddad Vernon (his nickname is TBD for now), Uncle Andy and Rob.

-She loves to talk, but lately she has found her voice! She has started screaming! It's not a typical fussy scream or anything, but it's definitely loud! And she knows it! Last weekend with my parents, Mom and I were watching tv in bed with Aubrey, and she started talking. Well, talking turned into screaming... I had to walk her out of the room! It was hilarious!

-She grabs anything that is close to her, and has a SUPER strong grip! Especially on Mommy's hair! So much for cutting it off... she still finds it!

-She LOVES music! Rob and I started singing "Silent Night, Holy Night" to her before Christmas, and she just sits there listening. We're not the best singers, but it has been so special to sing to her. And anytime there is music playing, she's looking around for it!

-She's starting to laugh! We're finding little spot that are ticklish, and she's starting to have the cutest little belly laugh! So far, her feet, underarms, and sides are tickle spots... but only for a few laughs. I can't wait to hear laugh a lot more!

-She's not rolling all the way over yet, but she's almost there!! So close! She does push up on her heels to lift up her butt to move around. In the living room, we change her on a blanket on the floor, and I'll go to throw away her diaper and come back and she's completely changed directions! It's pretty funny!

-She LOVES to kick her legs! Daddy says she's either gonna play soccer or be a swimmer! Rob's Dad sat on the couch this past weekend with his hand just sitting by her feet and all she wanted to do was kick it! It was too funny! If anything is near her feet and she can feel it, she starts pumping those legs and kicking it!

-She may be teething!! (Ugh! Too early!) We're not really sure if she's teething yet because she's been drooling for the last month or two, but nothing has happened. So we'll see!

-She doesn't take a bottle (which doesn't hurt my feelings), but has started taking a pacifier in the last month maybe. She doesn't have it in very often, but if you give it to her when she's sleepy, she passes right out.

-The Dr. said today that we can start her on solids whenever we're ready; rice cereal first of course, but then some veggies and then fruits! So, we're going to talk it over and do some research and then figure it out. I want to make my own baby food, so I need to read up on things and see how to get started!

Everything Aubrey does is cute to me, but those were just a few! I could video tape her all day, just so I wouldn't forget a thing!

I write this post (and every month birthday post) with mixed emotions. My little girl is growing up too fast! I am so happy and thankful that she is healthy and growing, but sad that it's all happening too fast. It really does feel like just a few weeks ago we heard her sweet cry and were able to hold her for the first time! Ohh, I need to stop or I will start boo-hoo-ing!

Heavenly Father,

Thank you for this precious child! Thank you for her sweet smile and her contagious laugh! Thank for allowing me to stay home with her and see all of the new things she learns everyday! Thank you for the pure joy she brings to our lives! Thank you for the four months you've given us with our sweet girl and pray that You will continue to keep her safe and healthy!

Amen!

It's my 1st Christmas!!

2009-12-27T16:22:00.003-05:00

This time last year, Rob and I had just surprised all of our family with the news that we were going to have a baby! We were beyond excited then, but even more excited to have her here to celebrate this year!

Aubrey is doing so well! She is starting to laugh, and I have to tell you... the sound melts this Momma's heart! It is so precious!

She is a great sleeper, a great eater, she is rarely ever fussy, and if she is it's for a good reason! She is such a happy baby, and I love seeing her smile!

We had Christmas early with my parents in Raleigh last weekend, and Gamma and Geezer gave her lots of cute clothes and pajamas! (Thanks, Gamm and Geezer!)

And this Christmas our family from Texas flew all the way to NC to spend the holidays with the Vernon clan in Tarboro. So, Rob and I packed up and spent the week/weekend there too! It was a house full for Christmas, and we had the best time!

But since it was our first Christmas as a family of 3, we came back to our house Christmas Eve, and spent the night in our own beds to be able to wake up Christmas morning together! Rob and I dressed Aubrey in her "Baby's 1st Christmas" PJs, and sang her to sleep with Christmas songs. It was so special! A memory that will last a lifetime!

We woke up Christmas morning (video camera set up, of course!) and opened presents and stockings together! Aubrey even grabbed on to the wrapping paper and helped open her own presents! She got some cute clothes, a new pair of shoes, some teething toys, a talking teddy bear, some toys.. from Mommy and Daddy. And TONS of great gifts from our family later on that day.

We are so blessed to have our own little child here for Christmas to celebrate the real reason for Christmas,... the Precious Baby born in a manger! Thank you Lord to sending your Son to save us! Jesus is the Reason for the Season!

Added Photo Albums!

2009-12-10T12:35:00.002-05:00

I have added links, underneath our pictures, to photo albums of Aubrey! Because I can't post every single picture of her on my posts! So on the left of our blog, below our pictures, you'll find the links to photo albums!

Enjoy!!

Wanna Win a TouchSmart 600?

2009-12-09T21:41:00.002-05:00

Go HERE to enter to win a HP TouchScreen computer. MckMama is giving one away...

Stellan is her precious little boy who is SVT FREE!!! Praise God! After a long wait and lots of treatments, he is SVT free! God is so good!

Fall Weather in December!

2009-12-09T16:29:00.003-05:00

Aubrey and I decided to take advantage of the fall weather today and take a walk around the neighborhood. After a week of freezing (ie: 50's is freezing to Kellan) and rain, we needed to get out! So we both put on some shades and headed out!

Here's Aubrey's shades...

She so stinkin' cute!

3 Months Old!

2009-11-30T19:23:00.002-05:00

Isn't she totally adorable!?!? I could just eat her up!

As far as stats go, we have our 4 month check up at the end of December... but she's been in the 90th percentile for pretty much everything, except she has a dainty (sp?) little head, so thats lower.

She is such a great baby! She smiles all the time, she's started to giggle a little... and boy, don't even try and stop her from talking! She baby babbles ALL the time, and loud too! I'll try and post a video that I took of her talking.. It's SO precious! My dad watched it like 3 or 4 times, then showed it to his friend who came to Thanksgiving dinner. It was too cute!

We love our Aubrey so much!

Happy 3 month Birthday, baby girl!

Your Daddy and I are the luckiest parents in the world!

What I'm Thankful For...

2009-11-26T15:18:00.005-05:00

... my gorgeous and precious daughter, Aubrey....

... my handsome, amazing, providing, loving husband... and our new little family....

... And my family... Mom, Dad, Chris, Jessica, and Kiera. And of course the rest of our family, not pictured... The Vernon's, The Whitwell's, The Thuston's, The Allen's, The Johnson's, The Bennett's, and The Agnew's. And of course, all of the precious friends that God has given to us!

Psalm 100

1 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.

2 Worship the LORD with gladness;

come before him with joyful songs.

3 Know that the LORD is God.

It is he who made us, and we are his;

we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving

and his courts with praise;

give thanks to him and praise his name.

5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;

his faithfulness continues through all generations.

There are so many things to be thankful for. What are you thanking God for today?

So Sweet

2009-11-20T09:56:00.004-05:00

Rob is in a wedding this weekend, so for the last two weeks we've (I've) been running around trying to get outfits for everyone... since everything is formal. So, yesterday, I went out to buy Aubrey a dress. I found the cutest little dress and couldn't wait to get home and show Rob. She had just snuggled up with Daddy and fell asleep on his shoulder when I brought the dress into show him. He says "Aww,... (smiling)... don't show me that, it'll make me cry..." And honestly, he really did start tearing up. It was so sweet!

Daddy is already tightly wrapped around this sweet little baby's finger!

I don't know how he's gonna deal with prom and her wedding if he's already tearing up now!

Aubrey Talking

2009-11-11T15:45:00.003-05:00

Our Amazing Daughter

2009-11-09T10:27:00.004-05:00

To say that I am blessed is an understatement....

Rob and I both sat back last night looking at her and couldn't believe she is really here. Of course we've felt this way numerous times since she's been born, but every time it's still very surreal. She is parts of us, put together by the very hands of God... how much better does it get?

She is amazing! Not only is she absolutely beautiful, but she is such a happy baby! The only time she gets upset or fussy is when she's tired, has a dirty diaper or she's getting hungry. We can go out to eat with friends, and she either naps or just sits in her carrier contently! We've also taken a few trips to Raleigh to see my parents, and she still sleeps great... which is good with changing the routine a little. We are even taking a trip to VA in December to visit some friends, and go back to see Williamsburg all decorated for Christmas. It will be our first experience with a baby in a hotel. Yikes! But I think it will be a fun time, and a family tradition. Rob and I used to go into Williamsburg, around Christmas time, when we lived in VA. So, it will be fun to go back each year with Aubrey!

Now, we definitely did have our first 2 weeks of "Will this ever end???" crying and fussiness... but now... what more could we ask for. She eats every 3 hours during the day, and has been sleeping from 11:45pm or 12 until 8:30am for the past 5 or 6 weeks... And she'd probably sleep later if I didn't wake her up. I haven't gotten this much sleep since I was 5 or 6 months pregnant! My body doesn't know what to do with this much sleep!

Aubrey has started to babble over the last 3 weeks. It is SO adorable! The look on her face is like she's really talking... like "C'mon, mom and dad, don't you get it?" It is the sweetest thing ever! And if you ask her or tell her she's a "pretty girl," she starts grinning from ear to ear. Haha, yeah that's my child, vain already! We're just telling her the truth, so it's okay if she knows it!

She's been holding her head up since she was born (really!), but in the last 2 or 3 weeks she's been holding it up on her own for longer periods of time. Now she's holding it up and looking around, and if she's on her belly for tummy time, she can push up on her elbows and hold her head up! And she can sit in her Bumbo seat all by herself, and keep herself upright!

She's also been able to stand up and support her weight since she was only a few weeks old. But now she's really supporting herself, and able to keep her body straight and head up. It's crazy!? What happened to my little baby?! She'll be crawling or walking away before I know it!

My mom always said (jokingly) that I was '___ (age) going on 21!' So, I guess this is payback. My sweet little baby is growing up right before my eyes WAY TOO FAST!!!!

And we are enjoying every minute of it!