Crawling!

Sydney is officially crawling -- she isn't real fast yet (thankfully), but she gets around

Sydney and her daddy at beautiful Lake Watauga

Sydney and cousin lydia had the best time when we got to visit them last week! They are in Chattanooga now, and in a new house! We are so happy to have them back on the east side

Millie and Flash

We sure do love our two boxers Millie and Flash. When we first brought Sydney home we were anxious to see what they thought of her. They really didn't pay much attention to her till recently. Now that she's a little older and more interactive, they are noticing her a lot more. Thankfully as of right now, they are a hit with each other. There is no question that Sydney LOVES them. No matter how upset she is, if you take her over to see the dogs her frown is automatically flipped upside down into a huge smile.

If given the chance to visit with her, Millie and Flash want to say hello by licking her (this doesn't bother her one bit...she actually likes it, we think). If any of you know Flash personally, you know he has a serious tongue problem (his tongue is too big for his mouth). The result of this is constant licking. We are trying to teach him the command "No Lick" (and have been for a while) but not with much luck. If you happen to know any tricks, please share:)

Hilton Head

Our first trip to the beach with Sydney was a blast! The trips to and from were a little rough, but overall she did great. We aren't too sure what she thought of the beach itself, but was definitely a little afraid of the waves. She sure loved being with her Nana, Uncle Matt, Uncle Michael, and Gabby!!

I love going to the beach. It never fails that seeing the HUGE ocean reminds me of how big God is, and how small we are. This makes His love for each one of us that much more amazing.


"And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." Eph 3:17-19



Good luck to Katie who is going back to LU today to start her second year there. We love you and will miss you SOOOO much. You'll be in our prayers!

Sydney and Nana

Uncle Matt and Uncle Michael

Much needed new post

I haven't written in what seems like forever, so I don't know where to begin with an udpate. Basically, we are loving life as parents and are cherishing each day with Sydney. She is 6 months old now and is so much fun. She is sitting up, and reaching for EVERYTHING. I wasn't used to this at first and wasn't as careful as I should have been. A few weeks ago we were eating at Panera and somehow Syd got my napkin. I didn't notice she had it till I heard her gagging...she had bit off a piece of the napkin. It scared me to death. Praise God she was okay...she just ended up swallowing it:)

We took her swimming tonight for a little while, and have decided she is going to be the future female version of Michael Phelps...she LOVES the water, and is already going under and even doing the breast stroke kick......okay the only part of that that is actually true is the part about her loving the water. We are off to Hilton Head this weekend for a short but sweet vacation. It will be Syd's first trip to the ocean!! We are excited. Anyway, thanks for reading!!





Some other eating milestones I'd like to jot down;


1.Sydney is eating cereal twice a day pretty well

2.She has tried carrots and peas and has not been too thrilled with either (any ideas?)

Little Blessings...

1. Spending great time with both old and new friends. We went to KY this weekend to visit Keely and her family, and had a great time. We were sad for it to end, but so thankful we were able to see them! I'll try to post pics from that soon! We just got home from spending time with our new friends Sara and her son, Carter, who was born one day after Sydney. Sydney and I have really enjoyed getting to know them. It is so much fun watching Sydney and Carter interact...not that they do much, but they look at each other and sometimes smile, and reach out for each other. It is precious.
2. Good long naps that Sydney takes and that I am sometimes able to take too:)
3. Sunshine that is so hot, you have to be near a pool to be out in it!
4. Then the awesome storms that usually follow such a hot and humid day.
5. Getting a good long run in!! -- thanks Katie R for that last night!!
6. A supportive and loving husband.
7. New date nights while Nana keeps Sydney...Thank you!!
8. The Lord's reminders of what is really important
9. Opportunities to help someone else -
10. A sister who is about to turn 30!!! HAPPY EARLY BIRTHDAY ASH!! Love you!

More Utah Pics

Drew got Sydney some much needed sunglasses.

At Sundance

With the Millers at The Blind Dog

With Betsy and John

The family after Sydney's first time eating cereal!!

UTAH!

We just got back from a week long vacation in beautiful Utah! It was Sydney's first time to fly and her first real vacation. I was very anxious about how it would all go, but she did great! She was a trooper on the plane...I was worried about her ears bothering her, but there were no signs of that thankfully. We got to spend some great time with our friends Betsy, Nat, and John Ford and Laura and Drew Miller. Every time I'm in Utah I am reminded of God's creative and artistic hand. I'll post more pics soon!