Merry Christmas!

Busy Time and Christmas!

Christmas is approaching very fast. Even faster for Adam and I. We are going to celebrate Christmas with our family starting the middle of next week. We will be going to AL to be with family and even to GA to see more family next weekend. We are looking forward to seeing everyone. We are also having pictures made tomorrow for Christmas.

Tomorrow morning we have our last Thursday morning Bible Study for the semester with a little celebration brunch. On Saturday we have 2 parties on our schedule. The preschool Christmas Party in the morning at church and then our Sunday School class Christmas Party at night. Of course, the big game too! The SEC championship with national hopes!! As you can see, Adam has been very excited about all of this!........Me too! Then Sunday night, Heather Payne that was in Point of Grace will be in concert at our church!

I have been putting Grace in Christmas clothes about every day because she acquired a lot of Christmas dresses/ outfits that were handed down to her. Today was the exception with the blue jean dress you will see in the pic. I should have gotten more pictures of the others.

She is getting to the "curious" stage. Fun times!!

We all have to slow down and bask in the reason for this season! The birth of Jesus!..... Who later became the sacrifice for our salvation and hope!

The Spanking (from my cousin Duane)

This is Alabama Football

Grace saying "Da Da"?

Happenings and Thanksgiving

As for the last my last post. Things have changed. The dog house heater ended up not working so well in the cold weather. Also, Bud didn't want to seem to get in his house with the door flaps on his dog house. So we ended up sending the heater back for a refund and went to Walmart and got a much cheaper space heater and we just put Bud in the garage with the space heater at night or whenever it is real cold. It is working very well. We have done this for days now!

Adam's sister (Carey), brother-in-law (Brandon) and our nephew Kyle is here for Thanksgiving. They got here today and they will have to leave tomorrow some time. We had Thanksgiving lunch. Believe it or not, I cooked Thanksgiving! I even made dressing with gravy, etc. etc. Carey and Brandon paid for a HoneyBaked Ham but I did the rest of the meal and a couple of desserts. I chose to do this! Carey brought some desserts too! I really do like to cook but don't do it as often as I would like because of the cost of groceries and with it being just Adam and I eating the food. Also, you know, this was Grace's FIRST Thanksgiving! She even had her Thanksgiving meal. She had turkey with green beans (mixed baby food) and banana pudding baby food! She seemed to really enjoy it!! I will have to post some pics.

Thanksgiving Dinner!

Grace just woke up here

Johnny Stallings

If you don't know the story of Gene Stallings' son Johnny, you need to watch this . Gene Stallings was a former Alabama football coach (for those non-Bama fans out there)who also played under Bear, and who won our last national championship in '92. Johnny was at every game Gene coached. This video is a glimpse into what Johnny meant to the Stallings family. - Adam

Cold Weather and Grace's First "Snow"

Yesterday we had a very light snow. It left a little dusting on grassy surfaces, cars, the deck, table, etc. Grace was watching it come down at the window. I will post a pic but you can't really see the snow coming down. It was real light and it was just starting. She was watching out the window like her Daddy!

Adam finally got done with school yesterday (with his work), but he did have to go back this morning briefly to his last class for the semester. I know he was relieved and you better believe I was too! I have NEVER known of him having so much work till this Fall semester! (Not even when he was at Mid-America). He wrote SOOO many papers this semester. I wish he would count just to see how much it was! But with the exception of taking time off some when family came, he has been shut up in the office for weeks and weeks when he is home doing homework! I told Adam the other day that I don't remember the last time we just got out and went to Walmart/ Target, the Mall, or even riding around just for the fun of it! Just to look around and "get out". We did get out some when family was here but that was an exception! So with that said, we made our way out of the house to go to Walmart and Lowe's last night!! (Now I know why we don't get out more too, b/c you end of spending money!!!LOL) Since it was "snowing" and very cold last night we bundled Grace up in a sweater/ hat combo that was a hand me down (which we are very thankful for hand-me downs! LOL) I thought she looked really cute! I'll post some pics of her in that too!

Dog lovers will only appreciate this!!--- With the weather turning colder and our lab mix (Bud) is outside now all of the time) I have worried about him getting too cold and "adjusting" to these temps. We put him out in the Summer and he did just fine with the heat but I was more concerned about the cold. So I have been looking into dog house heaters! (Yes, I said it!) We found a hound heater II that was cheaper than one of the others that I found and we decided to get it. It came in the mail the other day and it has to be mounted in the top corner of his dog house. Adam was concerned that his carrier would not really hold the heat b/c we just had a cover on it. So we ended up getting him another dog house and Adam mounted it in there last night. It has those clear flaps for a door too. Bud doesn't know what to think of it so far. We've had to encourage him to go in esp. since there are the flaps over the opening. At first he thought he was being "shut" up in there. He didn't realize he could come out! I just checked the temperature in there and we moved the house to the back yard from the garage earlier today and it is 34 degrees outside (plus the WIND) and the dog house temperature says it is 51 degrees already! You can tell it feels much better in there too, just without the wind too! I thought that is pretty good, esp. since that was without him in there and I know with his body temp it would be even warmer in there! I know some of you may think we are crazy but Bud WAS our FIRST "baby" you know!! Ha! Ha! (We've had him almost 6 years now!)

New Sounds

Grace started making this sound a lot this week. She makes a funny facial expression and movement with her mouth when she does it!

Happy 7 months

Grace is 7 months old today! It is so hard to believe. Our little baby is already growing so fast!

She is so much fun to be around. Truly a joy! She is discovering her surroundings constantly. She will reach for whatever we have in our hands. She is amazed with the remotes now and our phones. She will reach for and grab anything she can get her hands on and bring it to her mouth and then sling it to the floor! LOL Still no teeth. Her reflux is SO much better. She still takes her Prevacid Solutab but it has almost resolved compared to how it used to be! (I don't know if it will get worse when she starts crawling??) She likes to be cuddled and sit beside us in our recliner and to have our complete attention! If not, she is looking around the room trying to find one of us. She wants to know we are close by! She will bounce up and down on her legs. She sits up well now by herself and scoots a little when on stomach. She don't know what to think about shoes on her feet (esp. since it has cooled off outside and we have started putting them on her more). She is getting to the point where she is already pulling them off! She has liked every food we have put in her mouth. Not a picky eater so far! She has had many vegetables and fruits. She appears to imitate more sounds and facial expressions now! New sounds and looks all of the time!

Thank You God for Grace!

Parent-Baby Dedication

We dedicated Grace to the Lord this past Sunday night. One of our Pastors prayed for us and for Grace to raise her up in the Lord. This a reminder to me of what a HUGE responsibility we have to show Grace the picture of a Godly life! We want Grace to grow up fearing the Lord and knowing Him in a real personal way!

With that, my Grandmother, Mother, Brother (Greg). and his Fiance (Kelly), came for this dedication. They came up on Friday and stayed till Monday. It was a very nice visit. This was much needed because we don't get to see all of them that often! We were very glad they got to come. They drove from Bethlehem, GA where my brother and Kelly live and it was a very long drive. I appreciate the long trip they took to be here and to see all of us! They all were just LOVING spending time with Grace. They were so amazed at how she has grown and what all she can do! They had a lot of fun playing with her and just watching her and making her laugh and smile, etc.

Saturday we went to Target and then later that day was the AL-LSU game. We were all geared up for that and had a lot of fun watching it together! ROLL TIDE! Grace was tired from all the action but did great! Sunday we had morning and evening church. Adam and I even got to show Greg, Kelly, and my Grandmother around Louisville while Grace stayed home with her Grandma (Nana, or whatever.... still trying to figure out a name for her) and napped.

I feel bad that we aren't closer to home for our family to see Grace because I know they want to be with her more! It makes me and probably them, cherish the time more when we are together though!

Grace and Great-Grandma

Uncle Greg and soon-to-be Aunt Kelly with Grace

Dedication at Ninth and O Baptist Church

Grace and Grandma

Grace, Greg and Kelly

Granny and Papa Visit

We got a call on Halloween from Debby (Adam's mom) wanting to know if it would be okay for them to come visit for the weekend. They were both off from work and decided last minute to come. They ended up coming on Saturday and they had to leave on Sunday. It was a nice surprise and we had a good visit! We stayed around here on Saturday and I cooked. They were just "soaking up" Grace while they were here and of course, she LOVED that!

On Halloween night we ended up going to Highview Baptist Church to their Fall Festival. We just pushed Grace around in the stroller and she enjoyed watching everybody! Thankfully the weather was pretty good so it wasn't too cold. We didn't stay too long though, but it was nice to get out. They were giving away free donuts and you could dip them in chocolate or sprinkles, etc. and of course, Adam had to get in on this! LOL

Grace still has a runny nose at times. I think it may be just teething related now. Not sure? Still sleeping better but some days are better than others, esp. with naps. I think part of my problem is allergies?? Anyways, we are excited because Grace is going to be dedicated to the Lord on Sunday and my Mother, Grandmother, brother, and his fiance are are their way now to stay for the weekend! We are even going to have a early Thanksgiving meal while they are here since we won't be going home on Thanksgiving. Looking forward to it!

Iron Bowl '08

Happenings and Halloween

We are all better now. Praise the Lord! Grace may have a little runny nose a couple of times a day but not all of the congestion or that constant runny nose. She is sleeping MUCH better now. She still is going through a spell where she doesn't want to nap as long and will wake up one to two times after about 45 minutes or so of sleeping when we have put her down for the night. (We used to put her down at night and not hear a peep from her at all till morning, usually around 7:30am-8:30am. She is sooooo much better though and we are thankful!!!

On a different note, please pray for my brother and sister-in-law to be. My brother got laid off from his job yesterday and they are planning on getting married and they are really needing direction right now, etc. My brother, Greg, is in college majoring in education and he is also an electrician which he has been doing all of these years. He is planning on moving out of electrical/construction soon enough due to his education pursuits. He just needs direction on what to do next, as well as needs to be met!

On Wednesday, Grace received a package in the mail of two homemade onesies for Fall that my brother's fiance, Kelly had made for Grace. She is wearing one of them in these pictures...

Grace got some clothes from her little cousin Emily and Emily's cousin also. There was a cat/leopard outfit in some of the clothes. We decided to dress Grace up in this outfit for tonight. I don't know what we are going to do yet, we are going to see if there are any churches doing a fall festival tonight or something local in Jeffersontown maybe. I went ahead and tried this costume on her earlier today to make sure it would fit. Doesn't she look so funny!!!!!!

Auburn and Anthrax

The Auburn University football practice was delayed nearly two hours yesterday after a player reported finding an unknown white powdery substance on the practice field. Head coach, Tommy Tuberville, immediately suspended practice while police and federal agents were called to investigate. After a complete analysis, FBI forensic experts determined that the white substance unknown to the players was the goal line. Practice was resumed today after special agents decided the Tigers were unlikely to encounter the substance again.

Auburn Jokes from my Cousin Duane

The Alabama State Police are cracking down on speeders heading into Auburn. For the first offense, they give you two Auburn Tigers tickets. If you get stopped a second time, they make you use them.

Q. What do you call 47 football fans around a TV watching all the Bowl Games?
A. The Auburn Tigers.

Q. How do you keep a Auburn team out of your yard?
A. Put up goal post.

Q. Where do you go in Auburn in case of a tornado?
A. To the football field - they never get a touchdown there!

Q. What do you call a Auburn player with a National Championship ring?
A. A thief.

Q. What's the difference between the Auburn Tigers and a dollar bill?
A. You can still get four quarters out of a dollar bill.

Q. What do the Auburn Tigers and a possums have in common?
A. Both play dead at home and get killed on the road!

Lesson Learned

I was spending some time today in my study that I am doing for the Thursday Morning Women's Bible Study at church. I was ready to get in The Word because we didn't go to church because of all of our sickness and because we didn't want to spread it or get worse. This study is on Faith. (Don't we all need a lesson on this!) It is called Walking By Faith: Lessons Learned in the Dark. (It was written by a lady who lost her sight when she was a teenager by a rare eye disease.) I just started it last week and it is already great! So it totally spoke to me today and especially with our circumstances lately. These are two verses that really "struck" me and I had to share.............

You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever. -Psalm 30:11-12.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. -Colossians 3:15.

Lord, forgive me for failing in this area! - Holly

Grace and Funny Sounds

This was a noise that Grace kept making while Grandma was here for a visit last weekend. Isn't it funny!

FYI: We are better. Not as weak. Grace and I (Holly) are still dealing with this upper respiratory stuff. It actually seems to have gotten a little worse for me, but I can deal with this!! Main thing, is just getting Grace better! I'll get back to this later.

Sickness Update

I (Holly) feel somewhat better today. Just feeling pretty weak. I guess Adam told you that I had the stomach virus yesterday and I have NEVER felt so sick in all my life! I haven't ever had that as bad as I had it yesterday! It has been a crazy week! I first had a scratchy throat last week with some congestion and I went to the Doctor last Saturday and I had "pharyngitis" , the Doctor did give me a Z-Pack b/c I was wanting to get over it quick b/c it was hard to care for Grace feeling "sick". Then Grace started this runny nose this week and WASN'T sleeping well at all! She would wake up after only 5-30 minutes of being asleep during naps and during the night time too. She wasn't even taking her paci b/c she couldn't breathe good. We took her to the Doctor on Wednesday and they said she had a cold and told us to do saline nasal drops and suction her nose, and baby vapor rub, humidifier, and motrin as needed. She even slept in her car seat night before last b/c she seemed to like it better because it helped her breathe better. We did elevate her crib but she still wasn't sleeping as good at first. Then yesterday when I was so sick, Adam said Grace was much better. She also napped better and slept good last night in her crib. I was stuck in the bedroom (isolated) all yesterday. Today, she does have some thicker drainage coming from her nose and I have had to do the drops and suction to her nose and she has been more stopped up and not as good this morning. To add to all of this, it seems ADAM MAY HAVE SOME OF THE STOMACH BUG TOO NOW! Not as bad as me, I don't think but now he is shut up in a room! So, I have been trying to sanitize everything today, wear a mask while taking care of Grace, etc.

In all, please pray that Grace doesn't get this!! That is our number 1 concern!!! Pray for her cold to get better too and for all the sickness to be gone. Oh, Lord, we need your help!!! Man, in times like this, DO YOU EVER MISS YOUR FAMILY! This is when I can officially say I am hopesick and I need my families help!!

The Lord will see us through though!!!

P.S. Kristina had her baby weighing 4lb. 130z. yesterday or the day before? They say everything is ok! Congratulations! Lord, be with them too!- Holly

A Morning with the Girls

We had the joy of keeping some awesome girls the other morning. Here are some pics, one of them is especially for you D! -Adam