My Favorite Time with my Favorite Girl

For my birthday this past May I really wanted to find Lucy Paige a Bible - cue a trip to LifeWay… We found, what I believe to be is the best Bible for a child ever! It's "the Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name" by Sally Lloyd-Jones and illustrated by Jago. We've been reading from it since before she was born. We started over after she was born though just so she could see the beautiful illustrations. The illustrations and the fact that EVERY story really does point to Jesus (just like the real Bible!) is what sold us on this Bible for LP.

Today we got to the end of what would be the Old Testament where the Israelites are no longer slaves and they celebrated the fact that God, their Father loved them with a "never stopping, never giving up, unbreaking, always and forever love" and that He was "going to send His messenger - The Promised One".  We HAD to read the next story! The Promised One was coming! And it would be the very first (of many) times that Lucy paige would hear the beginning of the Gospel story. I was honestly so filled with absolute Joy that I could tell Lucy Paige about Jesus' birth and how He got here and why God came down to earth. I had that privilege to tell my daughter about that. And I will have countless more opportunities to tell her - show her the Gospel (along with TJ too!). I am so honored that God picked me to be that precious girl's mother. I cannot get over that I'm her mom - I'm awestruck every single day. So back to our Bible - we read today about Jesus' birth and I'm so, so excited to share with Lucy Paige the rest of Jesus' life.

And if anybody has this Bible a friend of mine posted an Advent reading plan for this Bible - here's the link!


And here is Lucy Paige with all her best friends!

Thoughts On the Last 4 Months!

So I just want to take a moment to say that my daughter is pretty much the most awesome child ever. She is so smart and so good and so sweet. She is a great sleeper, a great roller, a great talker, a great best friend. I honestly just love her to pieces... I was talking with TJ and just telling him that even though it was easier before she came along that I would not trade her for anything. It may be a little more challenging getting through the day or church or going somewhere but she is such a blessing in mine and TJ's life. Having a child is, what I think, a little like experiencing how the Lord cares for and loves us. No, I am not saying I'm God or know Him more or better than people who don't have children; I'm just saying that He has revealed Himself to me like never before. I am so blessed, so so blessed. I've never met a person that can get me so flustered and frustrated but at the same time that I love soooooooo much. My Aunt Nancy said the following about her granddaughter, "She's just so precious that I want to eat her up - and sometimes I wish I had!". I can fully relate to that. Lucy Paige is one of the very best things that has ever happened to me and TJ. I love every fiber of her being. It is my prayer for her daily that we can point her to Christ and when we fail (because we do daily) that we can own our mistakes but also show her what it means to ask forgiveness and be humble before God. I know this post is a little random but I'm just sitting here watching her on the monitor while I work and I just felt compelled to write. She has grown up so much just in the last few weeks and I don't want to miss or forget a thing! She is "talking" up a storm all the time and she loves her hands - they are always in her little mouth. She pulls on her right ear when she's tired or eating. She falls asleep on her own and within two minutes of being put in her bed. She has the best little grin and I get to see it all the time. I am so grateful that TJ is making it work for me to stay home with her. We are doing without some of the things we were used to but I wouldn't trade her to get any of it back. I know a lot of moms who would love to stay home with their little ones but can't - I don't take this lightly. I know that we are very fortunate to be able to do this. Ok, stepping down from my post - I just wanted to share a few thoughts on where we are now and how the Lord is teaching me! 

3 Month Pictures!

My sweet girl was not thrilled about taking her 3 Month pictures but I wanted them done! We were able to catch a few of her not crying thanks to Rebekah's awesome skills! I think she's beautiful weather she's smiling, laughing, just staring at you like you're an idiot :) or whatever! Enjoy! (and of course these should have been posted before the Pumpkin Patch Pictures and before LP took over to write her 4 Month update... Oh well!!!)

4 Months Y'all!

Hey peeps! Can you believe that I am 4 months old already?! Mom and Dad can't believe it - not at all. But I am! :) And guys, I've done so much since I wrote last month! I've been to a real college football game, to a wedding and 2 birthday celebrations, to Daddy's hometown, had a sleepover with my best pal - but wait, let me give you the details...

I'll start with my sleepover - Parker E. Poe came to spend the night with me because her mommy was very sick and she didn't want to get my best friend sick. We had the best time - we played and talked to each other, had our bottles at the same time, made Mommy and Daddy change our diapers at the same time - basically we did everything at the same time to make Mommy and Daddy work hard. They outsmarted us though (I'm not 100% sure how they did it...), they got MiTessa to come spend the night too. Mom said something about "outnumbering the babies...". Oh well, I got to have my friend and MiTessa all at the same time! Best.Night.Ever. :)

I'm also rolling everywhere - Mom puts me down in one spot and I just wiggle and roll and push myslef until I get where I want to be. I don't know why Mommy can't just put me where I want to be?! I tell her all the time what I want and she just doesn't seem to understand... Silly Mommy, she will learn one day.

I got to go to Charli Bay's First Birthday Party! I had so much fun that I couldn't stay awake for the whole thing... I'm the one in the picture asleep in Breagan's arms... We also got to celebrate my Nana's Birthday! I love birthdays - I get to see so many people! At Nana's birthday party I got to meet my cousins, Kailyn and Cole. They are silly! We also went to Daddy's family reunion in Greenville. I got to meet more aunts, uncles and cousins! Next year Mommy and Daddy said I could play with them!  We stayed with Aunt Wendy and Lauraline the night before - Lauraline helped me get ready for the reunion but I kept tricking her by taking one foot out of my pants while she tried to get the other foot in! :)

So my friend (and uncle one day! Yeet!), Skeeter, plays football for UWA. He's the guy that that gives the ball to the QB, the center I just heard Dad tell me... Anyway, he was playing a very important game and I wanted to go watch him play. We drove on my first big trip to Livingston - it was a two hour trip! We stopped in Tuscaloosa to get my Aunt Rikki and eat. As you all know, football is my absolute favorite and I think I like it even more live! I got to see the band play (McKenna is in the band and she waived her flag right in front of me during half time! McKenna is the sister to Delaney and Scout from church) and I got to see the players warm up! I loved it so much! I'm Skeeter's biggest fan (and the cutest!)

And guys - you will never believe this but I get to have a Pumpkin Patch in.my.yard.!!! Mom says it happens every October... I'm not quite sure I believe her, I'll have to wait till next year to see if it happens again. Back to the Patch though... A bunch of pumpkins come in and Daddy sets them up to sell for a youth ministry fundraiser. It was so much fun! Daddy got some schools to come out and I loved watching the kids get their pumpkins and play on the super neat bouncy things and the thing Mom's friend called the "Suicide Slide"(Mom just told me to write that the slide is just really, really tall...). I got to take some picture in the Patch too! Here are some of my favorites...

Last but not least is Halloween! I think I'm going to like this holiday. We get to dress up and lots of pepole told me that I was so cute and wanted to take their picture with me! My friends Parker, CalebJr, and Courtlyn came over too! Me, Daddy and Mommy dressed up as the "Where's Waldo?" family - Mommy couldn't find red/white striped shirts so she used white shirts and red duct tape! Parker got her Mommy and Daddy to dress her as Dorothy and her parentals were the Cowardly Lion and Scarecrow. CalebJr. was the cutest Mouse and Courtlyn was a "Flower Power" girl. The twins got to "trunk or treat" and all Parker and I did was walk around and let people tell us how cute we were! :) It was an ok trade off... :)

I waited to write until I went to the dr, and I went yesterday! I had to get two shots! Daddy was so upset - he teared up a little. It hurt a little but I was more hungry than hurt! Daddy gave me my bottle right after those shots and I felt so much better. I weighed 11lbs 13oz and am 23.5 in long. Mommy told Aunt Rebekah the stats and Aunt Rebekah looked in Parker's baby book to see her stats from 4 months and found that I am the exact same size Parker was when she was 2 months old! Ha! :) My sweet dr told us that I'm just a small, petite girl and that I always have been so there is no need to worry - I mean come on, I did decide to come here early! Dr. Irons was also so impressed my all my developmental skills, she even said I'm ahead of the curve! Woot! So what I lack in size I make up for in skills! :) 

Some things I still like are my baths - best.thing.ever! I like my rice cereal! Mom started giving it to me a little early but I love it - I took to eating it so well! I love grabbing my toys and putting them in my mouth and I also love my hands, they are so much fun to put in my mouth! A few things I don't like are shots, duh!!, and being wet/dirty or hungry. That's all folks! I hope you have a fun day, I'm going to! :)