Comfort and Joy

I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will
give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.
Jeremiah 31:13

Monday, January 24, 2011

Miller loves to laugh

I could listen to this sweet sound all day long.

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Happy Birthday Gigi!

Happy Birthday Gigi!  We love you so much and hope you have a WONDERFUL birthday.  We look forward to celebrating it with you next weekend.
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Love, Austin and Miller

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Milestones for Miller

Miller is hitting a lot of milestones lately. He can sit up unassisted.
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He has 2 bottom teeth coming in
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He is eating solids
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He is eating puffs

He is starting to go mobile.

The time is flying with this one. Where is my baby?

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Video of Austin in the snow

Not a big fan of the snow

Monday, January 17, 2011

Snowing in Memphis

We woke up last Monday morning to a beautiful yard covered with snow.  I got so excited to take Austin out to play in it.  He did not like it as much as I would have hoped (he didn't like it at all, evident by the pictures).
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I did figure out that his boots were too tight so that didn't make things any better.  Once daddy came home that afternoon, his spirits lifted and he was ready to try it again.  We also put on different shoes that fit him. =)
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 We went down to our friends the Robinsons to play with the neighborhood kids.  I think the dads had more fun than the kids.  Majority of the kids were ready to come in but the dads wanted to stay out and have snowball fights.
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A couple of the kids were even hit in the face by stray snowballs.
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The Robinson girls were great hostesses.  Kate even led some of the kids into the house (with no parents) and told them she would make some hot cocoa and cookies for them. =)
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David (and I) are big fans of sweet C.C.
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And Miller is a big fan of Mrs. Rebecca.
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We had a great day and really enjoyed the little gift the Lord gave us on Monday.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Miller in the Jumperoo

Miller loves to jump in his jumperoo

Friday, January 14, 2011

Fund Christmas Dinner

On December 23, the Forrest Spence Fund provided a Christmas dinner to families whose children were admitted over the holidays.  Over 100 family members were fed a warm meal, given encouraging words, and left with a book or 2 to read to their sick child.  It was an amazing night that I will not forget.  We had so many friends and family come to serve.  A sweet family that I got to know while being at Le Bonheur (they had a grandchild at LB) provided most of the food.  He is in the food business so it was a perfect fit.  We were thrilled to give a little back to others.
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To see the whole set of pictures from that night, click here.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Dinner time

Dinner time has become even more entertaining since Austin has started to communicate really well and Miller has starting eating solids.  This is a little glimbse into my world around 6:00.
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Miller only has eyes for his big brother.  He is sometimes difficult to feed because he is enamored by Austin.
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Having fun during dinner.  I love hearing him communicate with me.  We have the best little conversations.
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Eating his carrots, prunes, and apple sauce.  He is a terrible nurser/bottle drinker but a great solid eater.  I have to keep telling myself that in the long run, that is a much better thing to be good at.
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Using his sippy cup as a camera since mommy was taking pictures of him.

Monday, January 10, 2011

Big boy bed

While we were in Florida, Austin decided he wanted to start sleeping in the bed for his naps instead of his pack n play.  He wanted David or I to sleep with him so we thought it may just be something he would do down there but when we got back, he was ready to transition to his big boy bed.  Our first day back he took a nap in the bed but didn't want to sleep that night there.  The next day we went out and bought fun sheets (Toy Story and Cars, they are so tacky but he loves them) and bought a rail.  He was ready to sleep there that night.  He slept for 12.5 hours straight and loved it.  He was so proud of himself when he woke up.  He has continued to do it since.
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I am so proud of my big boy. I did get a little emotional with him leaving his crib because my baby is growing up.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Tierra Verde, FL

Our little family jumped on a plane Christmas morning and headed South to Tierra Verde, Florida (just south of Tampa).  David's aunt and uncle built their dream home on an inlet of the ocean.  It is an amazing home.

It was comical everything that went wrong though.  Numerous times we found ourselves laughing because if we didn't laugh, we were going to cry.  The weather was freezing for the first 3 days, we found out on Christmas that someone stole our credit card number and spent over $6,000, David and his dad got the stomach bug (the boys and I had already had it, along with my oldest brother), Miller got croup and slept terrible, and their cat was in heat and howled all day.  Because of all of the above, we only made it to the beach a couple of times but it was still wonderful.  There is nothing like the beach to take all your cares away.  Listening to the sounds of the waves crashing, searching for shells, watching your 2 year old run and laugh.  I could stay forever at the beach.
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Our first walk on the beach.  It was cold so we had to bundle up.
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Mommy and Austin checking out the birds. He loves to see birds and calls out to them.
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My precious little guy walking along the beach.  He just ran until his little heart was content.  He loved it.
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A beautiful shell
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A small seastar
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Aunt Deborah sharing her wisdom of seashells.  She and Uncle Jack walk every morning on the beach and have for years.  She has an amazing eye to see the smallest shells.  Anything that was live we were instructed to throw back but not before she gave us some information about the shell.
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Watching the water.
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I know I say it alot but David is the most amazing father.  He is so patient with our boys.  Always teaching them, loving them, and pointing them in the right direction.  He is such an active part of parenting.  We both feel so strongly that the most important thing you can do is help mold their little hearts to love and serve Jesus before anything else.
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Did you know Starfish are now called SeaStars?  I didn't.  Supposedly it was confusing because they aren't fish so that is why they changed their name.  We saw a lot of them.
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My little guy is quite the explorer.  He loves to check out new things and I love his curiosity.
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Austin and one of his favorite people, his Dingdad
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Austin loved riding on my shoulders. I think he likes being taller. I don't blame him at all. =)
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Dingdad took Austin's pants off to let him splash in the water. He LOVED it.


One night we took a walk on the beach and Pier before the sun set.
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My precious family on the Pier.
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Take my breath away seeing the love of my life love our boys so well
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He found a piece of tree and played with it for a while.  He loved swishing it in the air.
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Uncle Ryan (David's older brother) telling Austin something. Ryan was so good with both of our boys. He would play with them, change them, feed them, and even help get Miller to go to sleep when no one else could because he felt so bad.  His wife Corinne was so helpful as well.  She is a NICU nurse so it was nice to have someone else in th medical field helping when everyone got sick.
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Diane (YaYa) with some of her boys.
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Austin asked to be picked up and then kept giving me the biggest hugs for the pictures. I was in hog heaven.

Thank you Deborah and Jack for opening your new home to us.  We really appreciate it.