Sophie: 13 Months

Sweet Sophie, thinks she is getting so big! She tries to walk but she's not there yet--I think another month or two. She loves to walk with her push toy for assistance. She got her first teeth this month--one on bottom and one on top. The other two will be in soon. I think she'll be from 0 to 4 teeth in about a two week period. :) She continues to say Mama, Dada, and dog, and is attempting yes, uh oh, and all done more and more. She likes to wave bye-bye but she waves backwards, with her palm facing in. Sophie is ticklish and loves to laugh!

Be a Mommy and Bake

The past couple of weeks, Annie keeps telling me when she grows up she wants to be a mommy and bake. So this morning I thought it would be fun for Annie and JJ to make a list of what mommies and daddies do. Here's what they came up with (with no prompting from me--I would have put "clean, do laundry, and take children somewhere fun almost every day" on my list!).

Mommy:
Bake cake. And cupcakes. (Apparently me making their birthday cakes has made an impression.)
Get self dressed. (Gold star, Mommy!)
Make own bed. And my bed.
Clean up toys.
Make food.
Swing.
Eat.
Feed babies.
Hug you. (Aww, I got one sweet one. At least they didn't put "yell at me" or "send me to time-out" on the list!)

Daddy:
Work.
Give baby a bottle.
Hang curtains.
Drive his own car.
Put up things.

TGIF. It has been a loooooooooooong week.

Family Reunion

We spent the weekend at our family reunion at Nana and Papaw's house. As always, Annie and JJ adored being there and played outside as much as possible! Unfortunately, I took very few pictures, oops! Thankfully everyone has digital now...just need to ask family members to send me their copies. ;)

Here are a few I snapped on my phone.

Annie and her Uncle Tyler at the Rattlesnake Saloon (it was just a wee bit humid--check out those curls!)


And sweet Sophie cuddling with Poppa

Friday Cuties

(she uses this chair as her walker)






and one of big sister, too

Sophie's 12 month stats

I took Sophie for her check-up last week. She is healthy and happy and slender...lucky her!

Here are her stats:
16 lbs, 5 oz
29 inches long

(Annie was 17 lbs, 1 oz and 28 1/2 inches)

Chattanooga Weekend

We had a great time in Chattanooga last weekend (other than our kids not sleeping--they thought the hotel was way too cool to actually sleep there). Sweet friends had us over for dinner and I didn't get a single picture--oops! Annie and JJ had lots of fun with their toys. :) We went to the Tennessee Aquarium twice and spent most of Saturday at the Creative Discovery Museum. All three kiddos adored that place. The adults thought it was pretty neat, too. Yay for a family weekend! Also yay for being home so we can sleep again!

JJ+touching sharks and sting rays=awesome


Annie in the middle of the spider crabs


Watching the penguins


She was so excited by the butterfly house she did a little happy dance


Sweet Sophie exploring at the CDM


Annie learning about motion or force or something...she enjoyed it!


The boys jamming together...


...While Annie drums


This place is so much fun, Mama


Daddy and his littlest girl


Happy Father's Day! We can give our Daddy ties because he wears one almost every day.

Baby Boy Shower

Last weekend I helped host a shower for Tessie and her sweet baby boy! It was so much fun using blue for a change, and showering Tessie with all kinds of fun things to help get ready for baby's arrival.







the hostesses and the guest of honor


Mama to be!


cradle from Nana and Papaw


Mama Rita, Tessie, and Nana


opening gifts


share a blessing for baby


Honey, Tessie, NeNe, and YaYa

A Song, A Book, and A Talk Show

A couple of weeks ago I was running on the elliptical trainer at the gym, listening to Passion's White Flag album. The tv in front of me was tuned to some morning talk show. The host and her guest were discussing how to have a successful marriage (I was reading the closed-captioning). They kept talking about how you needed to keep growing separately and as a couple, to learn new things together, all these things you had to do to keep your marriage interesting and keep your partner from becoming bored with you. You were supposed to keep reinventing yourself or something. It sounded exhausting and stressful to me. Towards the end of the segment this song by Matt Redman and Chris Tomlin began playing on my iphone:

Lay Me Down

With this heart open wide
From the depths, from the heights
I will bring a sacrifice
With these hands lifted high
Hear my song, Hear my cry
I will bring a sacrifice
I will bring a sacrifice

I lay me down I'm not on my own
I belong to You alone
Lay me down, lay me down
Hand on my heart, this much is true
There's no life apart from You
Lay me down, lay me down

Letting go of my pride
Giving up all my rights
Take this life and let it shine
Take this life and let it shine

I lay me down I'm not on my own
I belong to You alone
Lay me down, lay me down
Hand on my heart, this much is true
There's no life apart from You
Lay me down, lay me down
Lay me down, lay me down

It will be my joy to say
Your will, Your way
It will be my joy to say
Your will, Your way
It will be my joy to say
Your will, Your way
Always

I lay me down I'm not on my own
I belong to You alone
Lay me down, lay me down
Hand on my heart, this much is true
There's no life apart from You
Lay me down, lay me down
Lay me down, lay me down

While this song is about our relationship with the Lord, and how it is not about us but about Him, it related strongly to marriage for me in that moment. Because this is what Christian marriage is about, friends. You lay down yourself, your pride, your selfishness, out of an all-powerful, God-given, holy love you have for your spouse. When you said those marriage vows and entered that Covenant, this is what you meant. And that is a beautiful marriage. Committed together in the unbreakable love of God, no matter what comes. No doubts about keeping yourself new and interesting for your spouse so they don't leave you. Instead, we love with the everlasting love that comes from the Father.

I've also just finished reading the Keller's The Meaning of Marriage. I really enjoyed this book. Here are a few excerpts that really jumped off the page at me:











Happy Monday. Thank the Lord for your marriage today!

Beach Babies

Sophie


Annie


JJ


Smile!


Papa Gene and JJ


my girls


sitting in the waves


running from the waves


checking out the waves


Sophie and Poppa


Princess Annie


the girls


Sophie and Daddy


Happy girl


Sophie and Mama


JJ wanted to dig up ALL the sand on the beach


Sophie liked to pick it up and put it on her blanket


Being at the beach is so much fun!


Reading with Mama Rita


Watching the waves


Playing with Honey