Baby Music

This is music to my ears. Daddy is obviously very funny....

Who knew?

I think that I've mentioned before that I am making Collier's food. It has been fun and it is a bit time consuming, but I do enjoy it and it is very easy. Cook, process, freeze...

So far he has enjoyed apple sauce and sweet potatoes. Yummy! This week I decided we would try green beans. So, last night I got home and went straight to the kitchen to get our dinner ready as well as Collier's dinner ready (he was just having sweet potatoes, but I did want to go ahead and get the green beans done). So, I put together spinach lasagna for Justin, mom and me and put it in the oven. I then cleaned, cut and steamed the green beans. My plan was to process the beans after we were done eating and after Collier had gone to sleep for the night.

Turned out that Collier was very tired and fighting it all at the same time, which resulted in about a 30 minute crying screaming fest. In the middle of all of that the lasagna was ready and I hated for it to get cold, so mom and Justin went ahead and fixed their salads and then Justin and I switched Collier so that I could eat my salad. Of course, Justin's shoulder seemed to do the trick and he finally settled down and was out cold. I was finishing my salad and Justin and mom came in with their dinner plates. Justin's plate piled high with Lasagna and green beans! I just chuckled.... Poor man, loves beans and I am not a bean person. The only beans that I do eat are green beans and Justin just loves every kind of bean/pea but since I don't eat them we normally do have them. He was so excited to be getting some beans that he didn't find it the least bit strange that I was serving green beans with lasagna. Who does that? Mom on the other hand thought it was strange, but just decided that we must be really increasing our vegetable servings...spinach lasagna, green beans, salad....she of course was to polite to ask until I told them they were for Collier. Justin just wondered why I didn't season them!

All of that to say, that I usually boil my green beans - I've even done them in the oven with Italian dressing. But never have I steamed them and it turns out they are pretty good steamed and of course seasoned with a little salt and pepper. So, tonight it was chicken and steamed green beans for us! I did finally get Collier's beans made and he will be tasting them for the first time this weekend. If his taste buds are anything like his dad's....he'll love them! And now, we have a new cooking method for our green beans.

I have finally had a free moment to sit and get these pictures on the computer! Enjoy!

Slow Down...

This sweet little man is now 5 months...can we please slow down time?

Collier's Baptism

This past weekend we celebrated with our family the Baptism of Collier. It was so wonderful to have all of our family and friends together and to have such special people surround us for this special time. As most of you know, we’ve had A LOT of rain, so we prayed all last week that the weather would clear and that we would have nice and cool weather for Sunday. God faithfully answered our prayer. Saturday was still a little muggy and rainy but it was fine and even cleared up later in the evening but Sunday was beautiful. Everyone arrived on Saturday afternoon and we watched football and cooked hamburgers as everyone arrived and visited. Mom and Dad were kind enough to open their home to us for everything. Our little house wouldn’t hold everyone (we had about 20 friends/family). Collier did a lot of sleeping on Saturday, I think that the rainy day made him want to stay in the bed. When he was awake he was passed from one person to the next getting all of the love that he could hope for!

Collier has very special godparents. Eddie, Justin’s dear friend from Dothan is Collier’s godfather. He is very special to us for so many reasons – he will be a great influence in Collier’s life. Eddie and Jennifer have a little girl, Elizabeth, who is just 45 days older than Collier. We know that they will be good buddies as they get older. Stephanie, my cousin is Collier’s godmother. Steph is just one of those people that when I am with her I am totally myself….she is like a sister to me (and I always wanted a sister). Stephanie and Toby have 4 kids that I love and adore! I do wish that we saw more of both Eddie and Stephanie. We love yall and thank you for being such a special person in Collier’s life.

Our church has specific Sundays that they do baptisms. We were originally scheduled for 2 weeks ago, but 6 people were scheduled for that Sunday and they asked if anyone would be willing to change. I took them up on the offer and as a result we were the only family for baptism this Sunday. It made it extra special to us! Collier woke up on Sunday and we figured out the ideal feeding schedule and we were off to church. He did great and slept through the beginning of service. He woke as I passed him to Rich (our preacher) for the Baptism and he was such a little angel. He didn’t make a peep! After the babies are baptized one of the preachers walk the babies to the back of the church so that the older ladies in our church (who usually sit at the back because its such a long walk to the front of the church – we have the longest center isle in Birmingham) can see the babies. Rich was making announcements when Rebecca finally brought him back to us and he even joked that the she did have to give him back. She was so happy holding him and showing him off! He was really sweet! Rich is also who married Justin and I, so it made it a little extra special that he also baptized Collier.

After church we went back to mom and dad’s for a wonderful lunch. Did I mention that the weather was perfect. The sun was out and the temperatures were cool and very pleasant – Thank you Lord! Everyone pitched in to help get lunch ready to be served. We had ham and turkey sandwiches, salad, kibbie, fruit and vegetable trays and yummy desserts. Everything was easy and it really was a perfect day. Collier was great and we are truly blessed to have him in our lives. Justin and I pray that he will always know God’s pure unconditional love and His grace and mercy! I am thankful each and every day for him.

My sweet friend Lindsey was so very kind to come to the church and take pictures for us. I will post pictures soon of the wonderful weekend. She did an amazing job and spent a lot of time with us. I love her dearly…Thanks Linz!

One more thanks to my parents for all that they did. They worked hard to have their house ready for company. Mom was up late Saturday night prepping food and setting the tables. Love yall

We also want to thank everyone for making a long trip and for taking the time out of your weekend to celebrate with us. We are so greatful for you and that you're in our lives. Thank you!

Rain, Rain Go Away...

Are you about to float away? I am! It has rained here for almost a week solid. I am ready for some pretty sunny sky’s and looking at the forcaste it looks like it may be next week before I get my wish! Rain, Rain, go away come again another day! Or week!

I had a wonderful weekend and it was one I had been looking forward to for quite some time. A friend of mine and I went to Callaway Gardens to attend a photography class. It was so much fun. We left Friday night and stayed in Auburn and we tried so hard to eat at Amsterdams and after about a 2 hour wait and a computer system crash (which would have kept us there yet another hour) we decided we would get to-go……Turkey Wraps and went to the hotel to enjoy our yummy dinner. We got up early on Saturday and drove to Callaway to attend our class and learn all about our camera’s “beyond auto mode” and boy did we learn some stuff. All about exposure, ISO, aperture and shutter speed settings. It was very helpful and informative. The only bad part was that it was raining the entire time and that kept our shooting practice to a minimum…it was as dark outside as it was inside and didn’t provide ideal setting for taking fun pictures. We did have a great time and certainly learned a lot. Now, if the weather will clear up so that I can practice what I learned that would be awesome. I have practiced a little inside, but shooting in the exact same light over and over doesn’t give much for practicing the different settings! It was awesome to have the “girl” time with Lindsey….she is simply the best!

On top of my fun get-a-way adventure Justin had his annual ‘guys golfing’ weekend. Which meant that Collier was parent-less for Friday night and all day Saturday. Thankfully Grammy and Pop’s were there to rescue him. He had his first spend the night party at their house. He was a perfect angel (at least that is what they said and if he wasn’t they probably wouldn’t say otherwise). I decided to just stay with them on Saturday night to have dinner and watch football, so that was fun to have that time with them. My dad refuses to change diapers and I love to tease him when Collier has a dirty diaper to give him to dad. Ha. It hasn’t worked yet. He loves to hold him and play with him and even feed him but when it comes to the diapers he is out! Too funny!

Have I mentioned how good Collier is sleeping? You know, I prayed long and hard for a good sleeping baby. It did take us a little while to get to this point but he has done so well. For the past month or two. He goes to sleep between 8 and 9pm and he usually sleeps until around 6:30 or 7am. How great is that? I love when he does sleep until 7am as it allows me time to get up and get dressed before he gets up and I get out the door on time. Plus on the weekends, if he sleeps to 7am that means I get to sleep until 7am and I love it. He has even slept as late as 8am and I really loved that – but that has only happened once. God has greatly answered my prayers and I am so thankful that He did! Last night he went down around 8 and Justin and I were in the bed by 8:30…how great is that!!!! I was loving it! Of course it was raining this morning and it made it hard to get out of the bed. Collier is also doing great with eating. He is currently enjoying apple sauce, banana’s and rice or oatmeal. He is going to try sweet potatoes this week – maybe he will like them more than Justin and I.

We are preparing for Collier's Baptism that is this weekend. We have lots of family and friends joining us and we really would like some pretty weather. Would you please pray that it is nice at least on Sunday? I'm really excited about having everyone together and celebrating this special day for Collier.

Tonight

I'm very excited about tonight...we finally get started back with bible study. If you are in Birmingham (or really anywhere for that matter) and would like to join an incredible bible study let me know. I attend Community Bible Study (CBS), which is a non-denominational bible study that studies only God's word. Each year we study a different book of the bible and it is quite in depth. The one I attend is women only and it is such a wonderful time of fellowship and growing in God's word. There are about 200 ladies of all ages - fresh out of college all the way up to great grandmothers and it is such a wonderful study to be part of. This year we are studying the minor prophets and I have to be honest that I don't even know who all the minor prophets are but I look forward to learning who they are and how God used them. We're starting off with 1 & 2 Kings.

I was reading through the introduction and it mentions the importance of spiritual health. In our world we are usually measured by our worldly things and that really all of that is nothing unless our hearts are set to serve God intentionally. It says "Time management experts always advise putting the most important things first on our daily schedules. How would you live differently if you truly believed that your spiritual health was the most important aspect of your life. How would you prioritize your life if you really understood that nothing but your walk with God really mattered?" That really caught my attention because I don't always stop to check and consider how my walk with God is each and every day. It needs to be the first thing I do before I put my feet on the floor to check in with God for His guidance of my day so that I am sure that I am serving Him.

Check out CBS's website and see if there is a class near you. I promise that you will love it. It does help that we have an incredible leader who gives lecture each week who is simply and utterly amazing! CBS is a great resource and avenue to keep you steady and true in God's word.

Everywhere

This is a warning that this post is going to be all over the place....just to give you a glimpse inside my crazy head that never seems to stop running.

First, I am sad that Melanie Oudin didn't win tonight. For those of you who don't have a clue who she is...she is a 17 year old tennis chick who shocked many as she made it to the semi-finals of the US open. Impressive and she is from Marietta, GA just outside of Atlanta (where my BIL and SIL live) and we have some good friends whose son went to middle school with her. Pretty impressive little chick. I wanted her to win tonight. But I know that we'll be seeing a lot more of her in the tennis world! I can't say that I'm a big tennis fan, but I do love a good Cinderella story!

Last weekend we were actually in Marietta visiting with my BIL and SIL. Justin went to the bama game and Collier and I hung out with Aunt Eve and Uncle Ryan. We really enjoyed the visit and had a blast with them. Justin joined us on Sunday and then we came home on Monday. Aunt Eve was feeding Collier on Sunday and he go to giggling and we all couldn't stop laughing at him laughing. It was the longest and hardest laughing that I've heard him do so far, apparently Aunt Eve is really funny and has some sort of giggling magic! Brinkley has company this week....Tucker has come to visit us while her parents are at the beach. Brink loves a play mate and she and Tucker are the best of bud's. Isn't she just so sweet?

Yesterday was my Dad's birthday!!! He is the greatest man ever! If you don't know my dad you are really missing out. He is a man who is sincere and loving - when you meet him he really does want to know about you. He is here to help us whenever and however we need help, and with a willing and happy attitude. I love that he loves Collier so very much and will light up every time that he see's him. He is one special man and deserves a special celebration! Happy Birthday Dad! We love you lots and lots!

In honor of the fabulous speech our president gave tonight (that I didn't watch since I was watching Melanie)....I wanted to share this. Maybe you've received it in your inbox already but if not it is a great point of view. The email states it was written (spoken) by a pastor in Virginia. I couldn't find the true source but honestly who said it really doesn't matter but the words are spoken very true.

RECENT VIRGINIA CHURCH SERVICE -STIMULUS SERMON
Gen 47:13-27
Good morning, brothers and sisters; it's always a delight to see the pews crowded on Sunday morning, and so eager to get into God's Word. Turn with me in your Bibles, if you will to the 47th chapter of Genesis, we'll begin our reading at verse 13, and go through verse 27.
Brother Ray, would you stand and read that great passage for us?
....(reading)...
Thank you for that fine reading, Brother Ray.....
So we see that economic hard times fell upon Egypt , and the people turned to the government of Pharaoh to deal with this for them. And Pharaoh nationalized the grain harvest, and placed the grain in great storehouses that he had built. So the people brought their money to haraoh, like a great tax increase, and gave it all to him willingly in return for grain. And this went on until their money ran out, and they were hungry again. So when they went to Pharaoh after that, they brought their livestock -their cattle, their horses, their sheep, and their donkey - to barter for grain, and verse 17 says that only took them through the end of that year.. But the famine wasn't over, was it?

So the next year, the people came before Pharaoh and admitted they had nothing left, except their land and their own lives. "There is nothing left in the sight of my lord but our bodies and our land. Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for food, and we with our land will be servants to Pharaoh." So they surrendered their homes, their land, and their real estate to Pharaoh's government, and then sold themselves into slavery to him, in return for grain. What can we learn from this, brothers and sisters? That turning to the government instead of to God to be our provider in hard times only leads to slavery? Yes. That the only reason government wants to be our provider is to also become our master? Yes... But look how that passage ends, brothers and sisters! Thus Israel settled in the land of Egypt , in the land of Goshen . And they gained possessions in it, and were fruitful and multiplied greatly." God provided for His people, just as always has! They didn't end up giving all their possessions to government, no, it says they gained possessions!

But I also tell you a great truth today, and an ominous one. We see the same thing happening today - the government today wants to "share the wealth "once again, to take it from us and redistribute it back to us. It wants to take control of healthcare, just as it has taken control of education, and ration it back to us, and when government rations it, then government decides who gets it, and how much, and what kind. And if we go along with it, and do it
willingly, then we will wind up no differently than the people of Egypt did four thousand years ago - as slaves to the government, and as slaves to our leaders. What Mr. Obama's government is doing now is no different from what Pharaoh's government did then, and it will end the same. And a lot of people like to call Mr. Obama a "Messiah," don't they? Is he a Messiah? A savior? Didn't the Egyptians say, after Pharaoh made them his slaves, "You have saved our lives; may it please my lord, we will be servants to Pharaoh"?
Well, I tell you this - I know the Messiah; the Messiah is a friend of mine; and Mr. Obama is no Messiah! No, brothers and sisters, if Mr. Obama is a character from the Bible, then he is Pharaoh. Bow with me in prayer, if you will.

Lord, You alone are worthy to be served, and we rely on You, and You alone. We confess that the government is not our deliverer, and never rightly will be. We read in the eighth chapter of 1 Samuel, when Samuel warned the people of what a ruler would do, where it says "And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the LORD will not answer you in that day." And Lord, we acknowledge that day has come.
We cry out to you because of the ruler that we have chosen for ourselves as a nation. Lord, we pray for this nation. We pray for revival, and we pray for deliverance from those who would be our masters. Give us hearts to seek You and hands to serve You, and protect Your people from the atrocities of Pharaoh's government.
In God We Trust...

I sincerely pray that God will not allow for this healthcare reform crap to pass. I pray that America's voice will be heard that this is NOT the direction that we need for our healthcare. I am asking for God's Blessing on this country.

Which brings me to my final thought of the night.....9/11 is Friday. It is a day that our Country should always remember EVERYDAY. After the tragedy of that day in 2001 I was both scared and proud. Scared of what this meant for our country and our safety as Americans and yet so proud to be an American to live in a country who will fight for my freedom. I do love America and I will continue to pray for our safety. I am thankful for our military troops who sacrifice so much for this freedom that we have. They are fighting and risking and giving their lives so that I am able to be free and live in this wonderful country.

peace out!

Solids

We had our 4 month appointment today and everything checked out perfect! Collier now weighs 15LB 7OZ and is 25.5" long. He got 5 shots and screaming levels were much lower than the first time, thankfully. The doctor told us to start him on solids, with rice cereal and a little applesauce. These need no further explanation.

Since the time that I went to register for our wedding registry at Williams-Sonoma and saw the Beaba Cookbook, I have always wanted to try and make my own baby food. So, I am going to try and make his food. I've read all about it and have done a ton of research (if you're interested wholesomebabyfood.com is awesome and full of info). I really want to do it because I think it will be fun plus it will save some money and a little added bonus is that it will be way better for him. I am not going to buy any special equipment, just my food processor and steamer which I already have. I did make his applesauce tonight and it was fun and really easy. More to come as we start with other fruits and vegi's. I can't wait!

TOTAL CHANGE OF SUBJECT: PRAYER REQUEST.
I am in need of prayer, I don't want to go into detail but would appreciate your prayers in regards to my job. Sorry for being vague but I need the prayers and details are few at this point. I have total faith that God is working his perfect plan for my life and am fully trusting in him. Getting from point A to point B sometimes is the hard part. I appreciate your prayers.

And now we gear up as we are only 3 days away from College Football kickoff!!!! Let the fun begin.

As promised here are two really yummy meals that I have made in the past week and you should make them soon for your family. I got both from an awesome blog called Annie’s Eats – she is so talented and reading her recipes makes my mouth water.

I made this first, Thai Chicken with Cashews. Make your mouth melt and it was easy! And an extra bonus is that it is mostly good for you. I did use brown rice instead of white rice and it was yummy or as I like to say Yumilicious

Then on Sunday I made these Chicken and Spinach Quesadillas. I don’t have a grill pan but that is ok because they turned out delicious. The marinade for the chicken is so good. I think that I’m going to try it next and just grill the chicken instead of cooking it on the stove. The lime favor was good and yet again such an easy recipe. I hope that yall enjoy her site and recipes as much as I have. Thanks to Lindsey for sharing her site with me!

Now a change of subject.

A few weeks ago at church we were given a message that to me was a great reminder. We are called to be different, to be set apart from the world. I know the message, I’ve heard it many many times yet this is just one that continues to strike my interest. We are to live in the world NOT of the world. But what exactly does it mean to be different. In a world that we all strive NOT to stand out and we all want to fit in so bad and be accepted and then we’re told by Christ that we are supposed to be different. Sometimes I can have a self confidence problem and become insecure about who I am and what others will think of me. When I truly think about what we’re called to do in Christ it does give me confidence that I am created by God and that my purpose is to be pleasing and true to Him not others (family, friends, co workers, etc).

John 17:15-17 (NIV) Jesus prays “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.”

As I was sitting in church thinking about how I am going to apply this to my everyday life it was actually difficult for me to think of how exactly I am set apart for the sake of Christ. What can I do different in my life that will set me apart for Christ to be pleasing to him. We then sang Let Us Be Bread, I don’t think that I have ever heard it before, or maybe I have and just never listened closely to the words. The chorus caught my attention and started to shed some light on my question. “Let us be bread, blessed by the Lord, broken and shared, life for the world. Let us be wine, love freely poured. Let us be one in the Lord”. Oh that is so sweet. I think particularly the “love freely poured” is especially what caught my attention. That is how I can be different. Not judging and being opinionated about others but to just love them freely for who they are – to be one in the Lord as He created us! To feel free to love others and not be worried what others think of me for loving that person.

I really liked this version of Romans from The Message.

Romans 12:1-2 (The Message)So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

I just love that! It certainly does remind me of sharing my love with others as God loves us and how we can give every part of our day to God as we seek to be pleasing to Him.