trick or treat...

Mommy & Daddy got a little teary-eyed tonight as we walked out the door to go trick-or-treating for a few minutes! They had dreamed of doing this with a child for so long and now it's REAL! And no, they didn't just use me as an excuse to get candy for themselves...


You see, Mommy & Daddy LOVE Halloween! Jesus calls us to love our neighbor and what other holiday provides such a good opportunity to do that? (here's a GREAT article about that!) Not only do we go to each other's homes, but we give GIFTS to one another for the glory of God... a little bit of good ol' fashioned COMMUNITY! As good as Fall Festivals and carnivals are, it's just sad to see dark house after dark house on Halloween night anymore, you know? (Our neighbor said that when they first moved here, there were HUNDREDS of trick-or-treaters coming to our street!) So we want to keep the tradition alive! I got all dressed up and we went to the few lit houses on our street to meet everybody and show me off! AND I got to see my friend, Leah, again-- she lives just a few doors down from me and is two days older than me! Neat, huh?


And remember the best part about trick or treating from when you were a kid? Divvying up the LOOT! ha!


Oh, I can't wait until next year...

happy halloween! pt. 1

Happy Halloween! For my first Halloween, I'm a turtle!


complete with a shell & everything! (thanks, Emily!)


Yay!


Even though Mommy's STILL sick (ugh!), we ventured out to lunch today (and of course I had to wear my costume)! Everyone in the restaurant thought I was SOOO cute! A couple of ladies said, "ooh! He is SO handsome!" Mommy (rolling her eyes on the inside) politely smiled and said, "Thank you." :)

happy halloween pt. 2

After lunch, we stopped by a nearby park for a few minutes! Mommy stripped me down out of my turtle costume so that I could fit in the swing!


Can you tell I loved it?




Bounce!




Have a happy Halloween everybody!

kiss me, baby...

I am now a spontaneous kisser! Without any asking, I'll lean over and smack one on Mommy or Daddy and totally melt their heart! Of course it's an open mouth, slobbery baby kiss like this, but I don't think they mind!


(and by the way, my two meals today have gone GREAT since starting that medicine yesterday! No reflux, and I'm back to eating my normal amount! Yay! So far, so good. Keep your fingers crossed... and now pray that I get back onto a normal schedule, too... I was up playing in my crib at 5:15am this morning, so that put lunch at around 10:00am... you get the idea... hopefully I'll start sleeping in now that my belly is getting full again.)


Anyways, back to the kissing...


Daddy kissing me...


There's lots of kisses to go around, so put in your order now! :)

never a dull moment...

One thing I love about this family is that there is never a dull moment around here!! To spare you guys from knowing EVERY intimate detail of my life, I haven't told y'all that recently I've been having what we'll call some "reflux issues" at mealtimes... kinda gross, but milk & food have been gushing out of my nose & mouth at times & eating has been extremely uncomfortable on me... anyways, Mommy & Daddy didn't think that was quite normal, :) so Mommy (who is still sick herself) pulled us together and off to the doctor I went this morning!


I've gotta admit- it's kinda wierd to see my name on prescriptions now! Anyways, the doctor said that my throat is really inflammed from the reflux, and that this cold has aggravated my "baseline reflux," so she gave me some gentle Zantac to take for a couple of weeks while I'm getting over the cold. Then, the hope is that after a few weeks, all will be well again.


At least that's what I'm telling myself. :)

happy "bee"-day!...

Happy "B"-day, Auntie Jill AND birthmommy Megan! (it's funny how you both have the same birthday! Isn't God's providence neat?)


We love you both!


Whoops-ee-daisy! I almost "flew" off of the chair...


Hope you two have a great bee-day! This bee's got to buzz right out of here... bzzzzzzzz....

parkway...

Hey! I'm all ready for church today! Would you believe that now that Daddy & I are feeling better, MOMMY'S come down with our cold! :( Oh, and I have really picked up on the babbling today! BLABLABLABLABLA....


But it didn't stop us from enjoying a family trip up to the Blue Ridge Parkway after church!


We had a fun picnic lunch together.


The fall here is GORGEOUS! Coming from Lubbock, we never knew that trees could come in so many shades & colors! :) Mommy loved all the RED in the trees!


And all of this is 45 minutes from our HOUSE?!?

parkway pt. 2...

In addition to beautiful forests, the Parkway has amazing overlooks!


Daddy liked the hawk flying near us on this one...


People told us that because of drought this year, the colors aren't even quite as spectacular as usual!


Doesn't this look like a fake background? ha!


You guys will have to come visit me in the fall next time!

the gals...

Today I saw my friend, Kate, again! Her parents are friends & former Texas Tech students that now live in Charlotte, NC, and Kate's "Grammie" babysits me on Thursday nights so that Mommy can go to RUF! Would you believe that Kate is one month OLDER than me? You wouldn't know it from our sizes!


Kate was so sweet to me. She made sure my shoes were the right size & fit.


We watched our crazy parents cheer for many Texas Tech touchdowns on tv!


I had a great time today with you gals, Kate & Emma! See you next time!

restoring my sanity...

As a Christian, I (Amy) am constantly in need of the Gospel. I need to be reminded of what is True, especially as I struggle through tough days as a new mom in a new place with a new church in a new house...

Anyways, like most of us, I find myself so busy and distracted by the everyday hub-bub, and with a husband out of the house with students tonight and a baby fast asleep, I've had a few hours in which to restore my sanity and be reminded of so many wonderful truths...

I came across a women's conference where John Piper & others were speaking, and after reading through 2 of the messages, I feel so refreshed, like I have taken a bath in the Gospel, as our pastor here would say! For any of you, at any age or stage in life with a few minutes to STOP, I hope these links might be an encouragement to you in your present circumstances...

Here were some highlights for me:

1st message from Nancy Leigh De Moss- I was reminded of & encouraged by God's sovereignty and working in ALL things, even the things that we wouldn't have scripted for our lives. "For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things."- Romans 11: 36. Nancy said, "To resist or to resent the circumstances, the situation in which you find yourself, is ultimately to resent & resist God Himself." Worth reading. (or you can listen, too.)

2nd message from Joni Eareckson Tada- Joni is a quadriplegic with an amazing ministry. This was so great. One quote: "Trouble is the textbook that will teach you who you really are."

Sorry for the long text with no pictures, but my hope is that at least one of you might be refreshed with the Gospel which we need to hear, sing, read, and preach to ourselves and each other EVERY DAY! Oh, how we forget it so quickly and turn to our own devices, but thankfully we have a kind, loving, and compassionate Father!

More coming from Caroline! (she's much more interesting anyway...) ;-)

'tis the season...

Once fall hits, 'tis the season for all children everywhere to get colds! But what a difference between yesterday and today! That medicine must be doing its job because my "wild-woman" personality is BACK and I'm already doing so much better! This morning, I had plenty of smiles and babbling for Mommy. My voice is a little stronger and my congestion is LOTS better! And let's just say my appetite is back in full force, too! :) I'm finally on my way back to health and I can feel it!


After lots of rest yesterday, Daddy's feeling a little better, too! Yay!


And I've even got a new trick: this morning Mommy found me sitting up in my crib playing! (this is a big deal because it means that now I can go from laying down to sitting up all by myself!)


Thanks for checking in on me!