To Jump Back In Or Not?

I'm thinking about jumping back into the world of blogging.  It's been way too long since I've written in this space, and I've missed it.  I'm not sure what I'd blog about (probably just family happenings) or if anyone would still be around to read, but a lot has happened since Nov. 2012 when I made the last entry.  Eek.  You know it's been too long since you've blogged when you have to look up the password associated with your blog!  I'm not making any promises, but putting this out there to see what the interest would be!

Thanksgiving Recap

This poor little neglected blog!  I have so many posts that I haven't completed.  Sigh.  Some day I'll be better about blogging here.  I just wanted to put up a few pictures from Thanksgiving with our little "turkey."  This will be our last Thanksgiving in our home as Scott took the job offer to the Southeast.  It was sort of bittersweet as I'm sure so many things are going to be this next month.

The Little One's 1st Thanksgiving.

She was all smiles for the camera.  Not all smiles later as she was majorly teething.  (Sidenote: we just noticed last night that her 1st tooth is starting to pop out.  No wonder why she was so cranky last week!)

The one thing we are most thankful for this Thanksgiving: the Little One.

As has been our tradition, we invited some of my students over to experience their 1st Thanksgiving in the US.  We also invited the college group from church.  We only had 2 Saudi students come (I only have 9 students this term) and 1 girl from church, but it was still nice to be able to share our food and traditions with them. We did something new this year and I bought a smoked turkey from the meat lab students on campus.  It was fully cooked, so we only had to warm it, and it was so delicious and juicy from the smoking.  Too bad we can't make that a yearly tradition!

Hope all y'all (I'm getting ready for the South) got your fill of turkey and pumpkin pie!

Happy Fall, Y'all!

I've been wanting to take some fall pictures, but the Little One was sick with a cold all last week, so it didn't happen.  Finally though, our weather has warmed up this week (60s and 70s), so we've been able to get outside. 

I wanted some pictures of her in the leaves, but she wasn't having it.  Either it was over stimulation by being outside with so many new sights, or she didn't care for the feel of the leaves.  Here are my first attempts:

Her daddy buried her in the leaves.  That didn't change her expression or mood.

As soon as he picked her up, however, she was in her usual, playful, good mood.

Flying baby.

Chewing on her thumb...a new trick.  I love that cute little face.

She loves her Daddy...and pulling in her bottom lip over her gums because she's starting to teeth.

Daddy is "under her spell" as her shirt.

4 Months

I'm only a month behind on this post, but oh well.  Most of these things I have written down, so I'm not trying to recall them from memory.  Here are some of the highlights from when she was 4 months old:

• She started sleeping in more predictable patterns (a long nap in the morning and afternoon).
• She's learned to rub her head, feel her hair, and put both hands on her head.
• She can pull both feet up with her hands and bring them close to her mouth.
• She's blowing drool bomb bubbles.
• She loves looking back at you when she's sitting up and laughs because you look upside down to her.
• She's grown a ton since the previous month.  Now she is the same size as Lambie, her monthly photo friend.

• She loves mirrors and squeals when held in front of one.
• She's started playing in her exersaucer now with a pillow to put her feet up on.
• She plays a game in her crib with the slats and sticking her arms and legs through.
• She has a musical turtle that she's learned to hick or hit repeatedly to get the songs to changes quickly.

• She's able to pull the music bar by herself on her bouncy seat.
• She started rolling this month from her belly to her back and also from her back to her belly.
• As a result of rolling, she now sleeps on her stomach.
• She's able to put herself to sleep in the crib now.
• She had her 1st bus ride and 1st airplane ride this month.
• She learned to sleep in a pack n play while traveling.
• She is now sleeping in the crib 100% of the time.
• She visited her 1st state this month- GA.
• She's also scooting around on her back and arching her back to push and move upwards (especially on the changing pad).

This is been another fun month.  She is so playful and cheerful.  She makes us smile every day and has us laughing at some of her games.  Every month is so full of new discoveries; it's such a delight to be a part of it!

Back From GA

1. Well, we are back from Georgia.  Overall, our trip went well.  The Little One traveled amazingly well...she's going to be a little world traveler just like her Mommy:-)

Here's our best attempt at a family photo on her 1st flight.  Excuse our attire...burp cloths, nursing cover, etc.  They are all part of our regular attire now.  The flight attendants were so sweet when they found out it was her 1st flight.  They gave her her "wings."

It was so great to see our friends and be able to stay with them.  Even though we had just seen them in June for R's baptism, it was fun for them to be able to see how she has grown.  And we always love spending time with our Goddaughter.  Additionally, it was so nice to be able to borrow all things baby from them- car seat, stroller, play pen, etc.  It sure made traveling on the plane so much easier when we didn't have to bring all those things.

Things with the prospective job went ok as well.  We're still not sure what's going to happen, but we will know more in the coming weeks.  I continue to add to the pros and cons list that I have running in my head.  Cons: terrible traffic, humidity, big city; Pros: MOPS groups, Bible studies, more things for R and I to do like play groups, Christian preschools and day schools, better shopping choices, etc. Ultimately, it comes down to where God wants us to live and serve.  Praying that makes His direction clear to us in the coming weeks and days.

2. As a result of being passed around so much and/or the flight home and/or the change in weather here, the Little One came down with her 1st cold this week.  Poor little girl.  She's been so congested.  We've been doing nose drops every 4 hours and running the humidifier in her room, but it's so awful to have her wake up from sleep with thick boogers coming out her nose.  And then to hear her trying to sniff it down or push it out of her nose is simply awful.

3. The best part of the trip to GA, however, is that the Little One no longer naps in the swing, she is done with the swaddle, AND....ready for the big one...she puts herself to sleep in the crib ALL THE TIME!  Amazing.  Simply amazing.  I cannot tell you how incredible it is to see that she's sleepy, and then put her in the crib and she goes to sleep!  Most of the time, she's asleep within 5-10 minutes.  Sometimes she will cry/wimper for a few minutes.  Other times she will play.  But regardless...she puts herself to sleep!  Wahoo.  I feel like a new woman.

4. The trip to GA started our trifecta of fall travel.  We have a quick trip to CO and another to MN coming up this fall.  I'm so glad she traveled well on this first trip, since it was the longest one.  I'm hopeful the others will go equally well.

5. The fall colors are really starting to pop around the hillsides here.  It's just so beautiful.  I'm thinking we're going to try and take some more family pictures with the beautiful mountains.  I'd love to have some shots of us in the mountains...especially if we do end up moving in the near future.  I made Scott stop the car on the way home from the airport.  I just had to get out of the car and snap a few photos.

Little cheapy camera, as I affectionately call my travel camera, hardly does justice to the beautiful sights we saw, but still, at least you get some idea.

Have a great rest of the weekend, y'all!

3 Months

Still playing catch up here...

These are some pictures and thoughts from the Little One's 3rd month of life.

• This was really a fun month!  She started becoming a lot more playful and a lot more aware of the world around her. 
• Bath time with Daddy before bed is one of her favorite times.  She started splashing in the water, and I'll frequently hear her giggling and squealing away with him.
• She loves playing with her orange oball from her Aunt K.  She can grab it herself and frequently brings it to her mouth to chew on.
• She's constantly sucking on her fingers now and will put most everything in her mouth at some point.

• She can sit up better and is able to reach and grab her toes.
• She's trying really hard to roll over and is getting much stronger.
• She can lift her whole back up and arch it when laying on the floor.
• She can also scoot around at 45 degree angles.

• She's laughing a lot and smiling (except not whenever a camera is present).
• She has lots of sounds she makes: ha, hi, uh huh, mmm, bbb, high-pitched squeals and screetches and more.
• I went back to work this month and she has done ok taking a bottle from Daddy.  We had to re-teach her how to take it from him since we let so much time go by from when we 1st taught her, but it seems like she will at least take one from him-even if she doesn't love it.

• Her guests this month were: Grandma B, Aunt K, and J and A from Siberia/Finland.
• She watched Daddy run a race this month.
• We're guessing her weight is about 12 pounds and height is about 25 inches.

• She goes crazy making the bouncy seat and animal friends bar move all over the place.  She knows kicking her legs make those things hanging down go crazy, and she loves it.
• She loves "reading" her crinkly books.

We love watching you grow, Little One!  We can already tell you are so intelligent as you observe the world around you, realize what you are capable of doing, and remember those things you learned the previous day.

A Baptism!

 In early June, we had the joy of seeing our little girl be baptized.  As Christians of a particular persuasion, we believe that baptism is a very significant moment.  Since all people are sinful from the time they are conceived, even little children carry the taint of sin.  They need rescue from condemnation, just like adults, and God offers His gifts of grace and freedom from sin through the holy waters of baptism.

That's why it was such a joyful day to have several members of our family make the trek out to spend the weekend with us and witness our little girl being baptized.  She is now part of God's chosen people, washed of her sin, given the gift of the Holy Spirit and a new, eternal life in Christ Jesus.

While we take baptism very seriously, we also recognize that it is a very joyful time.  That's why we were glad to have this action shot of the actual baptism, which her daddy had the joy and privilege of conducting on behalf of God and His people.

Baptizing the Little Girl

 Such a joyful occasion.  Now we are more than merely a family in this world, but we share a faith connection in Christ Jesus which unites us in God's eternal kingdom forever.  So this is truly our first "family" picture from a spiritual sense.

Our New Family!

We so much look forward to teaching our little girl about the faith into which she was baptized.  She now bears the name of God in her soul and heart. 

We also recognize that we play a vital role in the nurturing of this faith.  She needs to hear the stories of our faith, and to come to know about the God who would go to such lengths to rescue her.  This is even more important given the fact that we know our adversary, Satan, basically sees her with a bullseye now that she is God's child.  So we look forward to the joy and challenge of teaching her and raising her in the Christian faith.

Please be praying for her and for us in this wondrous faith journey!