Fun Summer Times

Yesterday, I put Grace in her baby pool again. I decided to just let her wear a little swimmer, hence, that is why she has no clothes on!:) She also really likes to play on the deck! She finds little leaves and leaf stems, etc. and wants to eat them. I am constantly getting leaves out of her mouth when we are out there!:) She LOVES being outside! Posting a video at the end!

I am also posting a pic of her watching T.V. She has gotten to where she really likes T.V and esp. some of the cartoons and children's shows! She even loves Home Improvement (that Adam watches) and she will stand or sit right in from of the T.V and not move and watch these shows. She LOVES Sesame Street, Barney, Jack's Big Music Show, Blues Clues, etc. etc. As a matter of fact, we will have to turn the T.V. OFF some times to get her to play more!:)

Grace looking at her self in the oven!:)

Watching Sesame Street.. I couldn't even get her to turn around long enough to look at me she was so 'engulfed'!

Watching Home Improvement!

HUGE Prayer Request!

I just got word that Jamie Tyler Howard's 2 year old son died in a tragic drowning death last night. I heard he drowned in their neighbor's pool! I grew up with Jamie and she is married to Lee Howard. This family is in AL. I CANNOT imagine what they must be going through.. but please PRAY! It is just another reminder of how life can be gone just like that and how things happen so fast! It is so scary!

Thanks you all!

14 Month Pictures

These are some pictures we just had taken last week. We had tried some on our own but decided to go ahead and get some taken at Portrait Innovations. These are scans so please excuse the quality, just wanted to get them on here so everybody could get a look until we can get them to you! If you look you can see a little bruise from her fall on her forehead! :( Enjoy!

More Life Transitions!

Wow.. it's been a while since a post..........

Just to let every one know... we moved churches here in Louisville. We are now going to Highview Baptist Church at Valley Station Campus. This came as a result of much thought and prayer and especially on the part of Adam. He had become friends with a guy that is on staff out at Highview and had been talking to him for months about our situation. He had been encouraging us to come to his church for a while and Adam had mentioned this to me quiet a few times but we decided that we might visit after the Spring Semester of school was completed. You see... Adam has been feeling like he needs to serve at church more and get more ministry experience while we are here. It has been very hard for him to do that especially with his schedule.... which included him working every Sunday evening and Wednesday night. The church where we were at has TONS of seminary students and families there so there is not as much opportunity to serve in the capacity that Adam was feeling led to be in... On the other hand, the church at Valley Station is a smaller church with more opportunities/ needs and they have many things they are wanting to do with the church including a MAJOR effort to reach out to the community that it is in! (It is across town from where we live- about 25 minutes). Also, the 'Administration' person on staff there at Valley Station was looking for an intern. Adam had also talked with him and Highview has a special internship program and there is an opportunity to be an intern. This is really good because Adam feels more led to be in a administrative, associate, etc. position at a church.

With this said... at first... this was not easy for me! When Adam became really serious about making the move I couldn't picture myself going thru another transition right now! I really liked Ninth and O Baptist and had gotten very 'plugged in' there esp. in the Women's Ministry and have made a lot of wonderful friends and fellow Moms. We visited the church at Valley Station and I really liked the church and the direction the church is going... but at first, I still couldn't picture starting over making new friends, etc. and getting plugged in there. I prayed about this and talked to one of my dear Christian friend that is at Ninth and O and asked her opinion also. She told me what I was beginning to believe......... that 'We as wives ultimately must follow our husbands lead and this is something that he felt led to do to grow as a Christian (because he was excited about the vision, plans, and heart of the church), and to prepare him self for ministry, etc.) I continued to pray about it and the Lord softened my heart and has showed me that I need to re-direct my focus!.... All of this is not about ME and my comforts!:) Also, after all....... we did come here for ministry!!:)

Since this move, Adam has been able to work it out with his job to be off on Sunday now!!! Praise the Lord! It is usually required of the part time workers to work on Sunday.. but they agreed to let him be off now on Sundays since he has been faithful to be there on Sundays for so long in the past! This has allowed us to get involved with a special outreach and service on Sunday nights at Valley Station!

We have been going about a month now and I have to say that it is really going great! There are still a good many young married couples and young families in the church and the church is growing! Every one has been so nice and I can tell that we will have a lot in common with most of them. One couple has invited us over for dinner already but we just have to find a day that works for all of us!!:)

Anyways....... what excites me most is now I understand why Adam was and is so excited about the vision and heart of the church. The staff members and people of this church are VERY passionate about evangelism and reaching people in the community! You can just hear and see how burdened the pastor is for people around him. He is constantly looking for ideas to minister to single moms?, young "lost" men, families that need Jesus, etc. etc.. They have started the ministry on Sunday nights to try to reach the young men, and they are trying to reach kids and families... through helping kids with school work for free, etc. etc. With this being said... the whole point is not to bring any Praise to the people of the church but SOLEY to reach people with the Gospel of Jesus and many lives, and families to be changed forever!

This is so AWESOME and the Lord has really done a work on Adam and I already to be more like HIM. This has truly changed my focus about every aspect of my life and made me see that I have been getting it all wrong! I most use my life for HIM and to tell others about Jesus more frequently! :)

As I have told some of the Ninth and O girls.......... it is AMAZING how God knows what we REALLY need!:)

Ups and 'Downs'!

Well, Grace officially started walking a couple of weeks ago! She really did during Mom's visit. Adam calls her 'Otis' (like Otis Campbell on The Andy Griffith Show because she is so wobbly and walks around like she is 'drunk'!:) With this said... yesterday she had her first REAL accident. She fell and hit her head on the leg of the coffee table. It was pretty loud and scared Adam and I very much! Of course, she was screaming crying right after that and Adam and I kind of panicked right away because it started swelling up pretty big and turning blue immediately. It looked so bad we actually got her in the car to get it seen about and called our Pediatrician but before we could hardly get out of the house she was back to her normal self. When the pediatrician called she was sure that she was ok and just asked how she was acting etc. after the accident. We ended up turning around and coming back home! The doctor told us to go ahead and put her down for bed and to wake her after a couple of hours and just make sure that she will be alert and acting 'normal' and put her back down to sleep if she is ok! Needless, to say she has been fine and I KNOW these things just happen.... but we wish we could have prevented it!! So sad to see your child hurt! I guess, it probably bothers us more than her... She has been good today.. Praise God!

As you can see, it doesn't even look that bad today. Still a little swollen and some bruising in the middle of her forehead and down her nose some...

On a happier note.. Grace is really fun to watch how she is learning more and more sounds, gestures, and making so many associations. She amazes us some times by the things that she knows! For instance, she has a certain book that we will read to her and do hand gestures and the other day I just opened the front cover of this book and she KNEW exactly which book it was and started doing the gesture herself BEFORE I did it! We also noticed her trying to feed her baby milk from her sippy cup. She held the baby in her lap and was given her the 'bottle'!:) She also, mimics more and more gestures and sounds all of the time. She will also bring me my shoes and put them down to my feet and try to move them to put them on my feet for me.. but can't quiet place them on yet! It is still so NEAT to watch her and to know that she can make that association that shoes go on feet! I could go on and on about this...

She is very 'intent' on the task of feeding her baby:)

Grace has also started to wear hats a little better. Her Daddy is LOVING this! He keeps trying to put her little cap on her because I know he likes seeing his little girl in a cap!:) I got some pics of her in the cap and some in her pool!

Mom's Birthday Visit

My mom (Holly) came in for a visit last Wednesday and left on Monday. We had a great time with her and did a lot while she was here. I was looking forward to her spending more days here so we could actually have time to do a few things. On Thursday we went to Kohl's and I got to see Mom actually shop for herself some... because she had some gift cards that she got for her Birthday (to Kohl's) and of course a few goodies for us too! We just cooked hamburgers and things for supper. On Friday, I have been wanting to go to the Summit (outdoor shopping) for a while and Mom and I took Grace on Friday and it was SOOO pretty and so nice to be out and shop with Mom. Later that night, we took Mom to the Olive Garden for supper because it was her Birthday on Friday and this was a gift to my Mom from my brother and his fiance. They set up call ahead seating and the waiters/ waitresses sang Happy Birthday to Mom and she got a free dessert! She was very surprised!

On Saturday, our neighborhood was having a yard sale and we walked around and drove around to some yard sales. Adam and I have been looking for a chest of drawers or something like that to sit our T.V. on and other things in our bedroom. The one we have is caving in and I am afraid that one day it is going to collapse! We didn't find one. We will keep looking. I just don't want to spend a lot of money on something because we just need something that is decent that will serve it's purpose. We went to walmart later in the day and got Grace a swimming pool. I have been thinking that she needs one because I was sure she would love it.. and she did! I will post some pics and maybe a video later. On Saturday night we went out to Cheesecake Factory (we had a gift card that was from our Birthdays) and Mom was gracious enough to watch Grace. It was very nice and we got to eat outside and enjoy the weather and the dessert was FANTASTIC! We went to a few stores and just had a delightful evening!!:)

On Sunday, we went to church and Mom and Grace went home after church to put her down for a nap while we were able to go out with some really great friends from church and ate Mexican for lunch! It was a great time. Mom chose to do this and we are thankful for the time we had this weekend! Later that evening we all went to Target and Mom and I went to a few shops while Grace was napping. Then Monday morning... off to the airport to take Mom! :(

She LOVED being in her swimsuit!:)

She kept wanting to EAT the crayons! Below, she was leaning her head back and she thought it was funny b/c she was mimicking her Daddy!:)

Happy Birthday Mom!

My (Holly) mother's Birthday is today! Thankfully, she gets to spend it here with us! Yes... she is here visiting us through till Monday! We are spending a lot of good quality time with each other and of course, Grace LOVES to see her Nana!

More on this later..............

Grace's 1st Zoo trip!

Adam, Grace, and I loaded up this past Saturday and went to the zoo. This was Grace's first time to go to the zoo and when we walked through the gate Grace was SOOO excited. She saw all the kids everywhere running around and playing and she gets so happy. (She always likes seeing other babies or kids!) This was before we seen any of the animals. She did very good at the zoo and she would look at the animals and just enjoyed spending the day outside with all the activity. The animals didn't scare her.. (they never have.. as far as dogs, etc.) It was a great day spent with each other as a family! Memories to last a lifetime!

Don't know why some of these pics are not very clear after the upload....

You can tell.. she wasn't so sure about these Gorillas!

Tuckered out! We were hoping she would go to sleep if we gave her the paci... but she wouldn't. She was afraid she might miss something....!:)

'Year' Pics!

These are pics we took on our own of Grace yesterday at the Seminary. I have been wanting to get some 'year' pics of her every since she turned one year old and I really wanted some outdoor pics. We really couldn't pay for professional pics to be taken so I got the idea that we could take our own! I think they turned out pretty good considering I don't have a professional camera. I have been playing with them and editing them some and I will be doing more editing probably before getting any printed. I am posting them as a slide show so you can get a glimpse of what all we have done....

Walking!!!

Grace started walking halfway across the room on Sunday night. On Monday, she started turning around while walking (by herself) and going the other way. Every day she is doing more and more! Today she has went a lot further and is turning corners. I don't know if I should say YIPPEE or OH NO!!!! :)

In this video she is also making this new sound while making a 'fish' face. Such a weird sound but funny (it sounds even different on the video, it is better in person!:).

She said "bye, bye" the other day but her talking is more 'hit or miss'!:) I am posting other random pics from recently....

This first one was where Adam was being 'cute' and messing up her hair and we were getting a good laugh! Her hair is actually long enough now that it will get 'wild' some times!

This is one beautiful morning out on the deck recently and Grace LOVES watching Bud! She gets excited and just laughs at him..

Awesome Message

This is an awesome song that has been out for a while called "Who Am I" by Casting Crowns. It has been a while since I have listened to this song and yesterday evening while on my way to work I heard it and it just REALLY spoke to me.

I am so THANKFUL that we are a 'new creation' in him not because of who WE are but because of who HE is. I was thinking about my every day walk with Jesus and I was thinking about how inconsistent and always changing in my moods/ attitudes, and all my other sinful ways that I struggle with on a daily basis... and I was so THANKFUL that HE doesn't change and HE loves ME despite knowing all of this!!! What an AWESOME GOD we serve!!

Recipe That is TOO GOOD not to share.... :)

I had this recipe over at a friends house last weekend during our 'Girl's Night Out' and it was wonderful! My friend said it is a Weight Watcher's Recipe and it was GREAT!



Spring Mix Salad

1 Bag of 'Spring Mix' Lettuce
Light or Low Fat Feta Cheese
Walnuts (I used pecans b/c
that was what I had)
Green apple
Light Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing

Chop apple and combine all to prepare salad. (I toasted my pecans too.. optional).

Grace is a 'busy body'!

Grace has been constantly exploring her surrounding during the day and really observing and mimicking more sounds and things that we do. She has been making out a few words and a lot of sounds that we make she will mimic. She has said 'tickle, tickle, tickle' a few times after I said it to her. She does her tongue real funny when she says it and kind of whispers it.... very cute! She will also stick out her tongue when we do that to her and other, sounds, faces, etc. She has taken about 5 steps on her own now and she is constantly 'cruising' when she is at home but is still 'wobbly'!:)

She LOVES for us to get in the floor and play with her. She gets so excited and she is giving the best kisses (and hugs) and even tries to make a 'kissing' sound! So funny!

We are also down to just 1 bottle at night time and she is drinking her whole milk in the sippy cup all day. She is doing much better with this and is even drinking the milk cold without us having to warm it now.

Today, she was being her 'busy self' and was "helping" me with the laundry!:) We have had a nice day at home and she had just got up from her nap. I left off her shorts because it is very warm today and Grace likes to have minimal clothes on so that she isn't 'hindered' in her activities! (Hence.. that is why she is just in a shirt and diaper :). Enjoy the video too!

Have a nice rest of the week every one!

A Visit With Granny and Papa and Mother's Day

Granny and Papa Brown came up on Thursday of last week and left Sunday morning. Grace was very happy to see them and loved all of the play time she had with them. On Friday evening though, we went out to eat at 'Our Best Restaurant' (country cooking:) and Grace started to not feel very well. I noticed that it seemed like she was getting a fever as the day went on and at the restaurant she didn't really want to eat much at all and wanted me to hold her. Her fever was 101.7 when we got home. She was on and off fussy the rest of the weekend and didn't sleep well because of her teething. I knew she was teething and this was the cause for her being 'needy'. Poor thing, we were having to alternate Tylenol and Motrin every 4-6 hours and give her teething tablets, oragel and she has been putting everything in her mouth.

She still was able to be consoled pretty well and the medicine helped so Grace and I got out on Saturday too and went to Gymboree (at the mall) with Granny (where she got all kinds of cute clothes!) and then later that evening after a nap we went to eat at 'Smokey Bones' that was VERY good and we also rode around a little bit.

While they were here she took a total of 3 steps not holding on and was LOVING all the cheers that she got!:)

On Mother's Day Adam took off from work THANKFULLY and we had the day together as a family! Grace, Adam, and I went to church (surprisingly she did well at church too) and we had the rest of the day TOGETHER! I really enjoyed just having Adam home on Sunday because he always has to rush off on Sundays after church to go to work. Adam cooked supper for me that evening because we both agreed we didn't want to try to attempt to take Grace out again to a restaurant and try to keep her occupied and satisfied the whole time. We had a very good supper and Adam got me some flowers and I got a card from him and a card from Grace!:)

I LOVE this because it shows how she will give such GOOD HUGS now!:) So sweet...:)

This is when she was taking her 3 steps! She get so excited!!!

Grace with Granny and Papa!

Looking pretty in her dress on Mother's Day!