Sneak Peek at Madalyn's 6 Months Photos

We went to Columbia this afternoon to have Madalyn's 6 months pictures made. She will be six months old on Wednesday of this week. Hard to believe she is already that old. We did a few pictures in the studio and then went to the Horseshoe downtown Columbia. Brantley took the pictures and I think they turned out great. And yes, I think we now know what color her hair will be and her daddy is so proud! Here's a sneak peek; there will be more to come!

Sunday Morning

This morning at church we had a guest speaker Dr. Ross. He has had 30 years in ministry and was the co founder of True Love Waits. I will be honest (and I don't mean this against anyone) but this was the first time in awhile that I have heard a preacher that really spoke with such passion for what they were sharing with us. His message this morning was very short and to the point. It was directed at us parents; bottom line "How will your 20 year old view Jesus? When they are ready to go off to college, how will they view him?" He said there were many topics that he could talk to us parents about but the most important was our influence in our child's life on how they would see Jesus. He said that God's design was for the mom and dad to have the biggest influence on their child and it's our job (yes the community and family help us) to make sure our child knows Jesus. He said that so many of us keep like a little Jesus in our back pocket and pull Him out when we need something. We need to realize that the Jesus we serve is the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, He is the only One, the One who created the universe and us. We need to realize that He is a Great and Mighty God. He doesn't just sit and wait for our wish list each day. Yet, He loved us so much He died for us. He wants us to praise Him for the wonderful, amazing, forgiving, gracious, all powerful God that He is. Dr. Ross said this was the Jesus that our children needed to see in us and for us to teach them this Jesus because that is who He is. This message really struck me this morning. How many times am I guilty of focusing only on what I need from Him, or what I need Him to do to help others, instead of praising Him for all He is. How many times am I guilty of being too lazy to pray that way? Countless....I fall short, yet He continues to bless me...why I wonder? Madalyn is a blessing from God; a true joy. He has entrusted us to raise her with the knowledge of Him and to one day become a child of His. When we were trying to get pregnant; I was praying to get pregnant and I was praying for my child to be. I told God that this child He would bless us with would belong to Him and He would use this child to bring glory to Him. We are all His children if we have declared that His son Jesus died on the cross for our sins and rose in 3 days. If we have asked Him into our heart and believe He is the one true God and the only way to salvation. Kevin and I pray that one day we will be able to rejoice in Madalyn's decision to follow Jesus and to be saved. Who wouldn't want that for their child? For them to know the one that made them and that loves them even more than we do. I challenge you as I am challenging myself to be in awe and respect yet to know intimately the creator of the universe, the Lord of Lords, the King of Kings, the One who has always been and who will always be. Have that feeling of how great and worthy He is of our praise yet we are not worthy of Him, but He loves us just as we are. If you have children or are around children, pray for them to see that Jesus in you. Not just a Jesus that we bring out when we need our wish list met and then put away again until something else bad happens.

Sweet Moments

I picked Madalyn up this evening from her MeMe's house and we had some time together before Kevin came home. The last two chicken houses went out last night so he's got a busy week ahead of him cleaning out the houses and some late nights. Madalyn was in her walker and I was sitting in the chair and had the TV on. I was looking at the TV and then looked over at her and she was just smiling at me. My heart just melted; it almost brought me to tears thinking about how blessed I am to have this sweet baby girl in my life. Her smile can brighten any day and I look forward to her waking up in the morning just to see her smiling and to pick her up in the evenings to spend time with her. There is saying from one of my favorite movie series "The Love Saga" "that when you love someone so much the love just spills over and makes a baby and that babies are a testament to the love that you share with someone". I am so thankful for Kevin and that life that we share together. He is a super dad and loves his little girl (all his girls: his big girl, little girl, and hairy girl (which would be Abby). He works so hard to provide for our family and gives us his all in his work and when he gets home. I can honestly say that we are his world and the center of it. I am so thankful that Madalyn has such a special dad and gets to spend time with him. Kevin has said on many occasions that once 5:00 hits; it's hard for him to work late knowing that he has Madalyn to come home to. We both fall more and more in love with our baby girl each day and within that I find more and more things that I love about Kevin. God has truly blessed our family and we are doing our best to enjoy it to the fullest each day.

Madalyn's Hives

On Thursday of last week I noticed that Madalyn was broken out on her back, chest, and stomach in a raised rash and big circles. I called the doctor and she said to stop her eating squash that she could be having a reaction to it or it could be a viral rash. So we stopped the squash and kept her off veggies for 3 days. It didn't go away and got worse when she got hot or had her bath. So, this Thursday was a week and she was still broken out. Saturday, my mom and I took her to the doctor and she has a viral rash and was broken out in hives. She has had a cold for awhile now and the doctor said it probably came from that. So we have to give her benadryl for a few days. If it doesn't clear up by the time we go back in a few weeks for her 6 month check up then she will have to see a dermatologist to see what is causing this out break of hives.

Madalyn had so much fun waiting on the doctor. She loved to tear the paper because it made a lot of noise and she could tear it easily. Oh, and she weighed 16.8 pounds!

Madalyn is 5 Months

Brantley came down on August 29th to take pictures of Hunter getting his first hair cut and got a few pictures made of Madalyn too.

At 5 months Madalyn is....
-squealing with delight and enjoying sitting up and playing with toys (she can't sit up yet by herself but with our support)
-She is rolling over and over when she's in the floor
-She is enjoying eating her veggies
-She is on a routine; she wakes up anywhere from 6 to 6:30 in the morning and goes to bed around 8-8:30

She is such a joy and at the end of the school day I can't wait to get my work done to get home to see her. She is growing and changing so fast.



Cousins sharing a secret.

Hunter 11 months

Madalyn's Walker

Madalyn is getting to where she likes to sit up and play more so than lay down. She still loves her rain forest, but this week Kevin put her walker together. She has enjoyed sitting in it.

My Classroom

As promised here are the pictures from my completed classroom. I thought it would be easiest to show you around via slideshow; so enjoy! I am really enjoying being in my room. I am the most pleased I have been with this room. I feel that it's the most organized and clean, etc. and I love my theme this year in all my short little 7 years of teaching.

This free picture slideshow generated with Smilebox