Rocking my babies

I got Eli from the Humane Society in March 2005. He will be five years old in January and definitely spoiled and stuck in his ways. I was rocking Brandon tonight and Eli decided he wanted to be rocked too...




Meg

Thankful for great friends...

On Black Friday some people wake up at 2:00am (if they go to bed at all) to go shopping. It's not a RIDICULOUS idea but to me it is...sleep is too precious and there was NO WAY I could go shopping that early and attempt to keep Brandon all day. So...I slept in and spent the afternoon with friends. I couldn't think of a better way to spend my time while Nathan worked.

Our good friends, Sally and Cody, invited Brandon and I to have Thanksgiving dinner with Sally's family on Friday. A few weeks ago we weren't sure if Nathan was going to get off work for the holiday, so Sally had invited me to eat with her family so I wouldn't be alone on Thanksgiving (awwww now that's a great friend for ya). Nathan ended up getting off work but since he had to work Friday Sally kept the invitation open. Cody is the pastor at their church and since they had so much family in town, they just used the fellowship hall at the church. It was perfect!!

Brandon and Laine (Sally's daughter) hadn't seen each other in almost a month...they had lots of catching up to do! =)

He loved the sweet potatoes and homemade apple sauce

Since the dinner was at the church, the kids were able to play in the nursery. There were six kids there so it was nice.

Me and my boy

Thanks for the invite, Sally!! We had a great time and Brandon was SO glad he got to see y'all!!! =) We look forward to hanging out again next week! Love you!




Meg

Thanksgiving 2009

Holiday weekends go by way too fast!! We left for Jackson Tuesday night (arriving there at 10:30pm) and came back to Louisville Thursday afternoon (arriving back at 9:00pm)...very quick trip! However, it was a great time with family and I am so glad we were able to spend a couple days in God's country - oh, I mean Tennessee! =)

Brandon playing with his toys at Nanny's

Sweet boy...drooly shirt and all =)

Mimi brought him a UT bear...thanks, Mimi!

His first taste of lime...despite the face, he LOVED it!

Bath time at Nanny's

On Thanksgiving Day, we drove to Covington, TN to eat at my Aunt Jill and Uncle Derek's. The food was delicious, of course, and it was good to see family that we only see once or twice a year.

Brandon watching football with Daddy...

Oh wait, Daddy is sleeping! =)

He loves his Nanny!

Daddy and Jonathan playing ping pong

SO thankful for a wonderful husband!

Mama Sae (my grandmother) tempting Brandon with ice cream...

We have lots of be thankful for and a wonderful family is one of those things! We are looking forward to Christmas!


Meg

Baptism

We are members of Highview Baptist Church. Since Highview is a multicampus church, we have combined campus worship once a quarter. That's when seven of the eight (the eighth is in New York City so it's kind of hard for them to make it here...) campuses get together for an amazing time of worship. I won't get into all the different campuses but if you're interested, check out the website.

Last night was the last combined campus worship service for the year. There were lots of baptisms which is always encouraging but there was one particular one that just blessed my heart! Dan Odle is our worship leader and a good friend of ours. Last night he baptized his ten year old son, Jacob, and I couldn't help but get teary-eyed. It was awesome to see a father lead his son through the public profession of his faith and to see the true joy in their faces.

Sorry the pictures are so small...the first one is of Jacob and Nathan; the second of Dan and Jacob...

It also got me thinking about Nathan and Brandon. When I was pregnant with Brandon, Nathan and I chose a verse for him...Psalm 119:9, "How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word." We have prayed for Brandon's salvation and hope that one day he will choose to follow Him. When that day comes, Nathan will (Lord willing) have the amazing opportunity to baptize our son.

In the meantime we will strive to model Christ's love to him...

He's Always Been Faithful

He's Always Been Faithful (Sara Groves)
Morning by morning I wake up to find
The power and comfort of God's hand in mine
Season by season I watch Him, amazed
In awe of the mystery of His perfect ways
All I have need of, His hand will provide
He's always been faithful to me.

I can't remember a trial or a pain
He did not recycle to bring me gain
I can't remember one single regret
In serving God only, and trusting His hand
All I have need of, His hand will provide
He's always been faithful to me.

This is my anthem, this is my song
The theme of the stories I've heard for so long
God has been faithful, He will be again
His loving compassion, it knows no end
All I have need of, His hand will provide
He's always been faithful, He's always been faithful
He's always been faithful to me.

We have this song on our ipod and I listen to it often. I love the lyrics and every word is SO TRUE!!! Some days I look at Nathan and Brandon and think, "How in the world did I get so lucky?" It's not luck or chance...it's God's faithfulness!! How humbling! God is so good!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Nathan!

Today is Nathan's 29th birthday!! Woo hoo!! He has been sick the past couple days which is a real bummer for him, but it caused him to miss work which means he was home with me and Brandon! =) He requested chicken fajitas and no-bake chocolate oatmeal cookies for his birthday dinner so that is what he got!

As I have mentioned on here, Nathan graduates from seminary on December 11th! We are so excited/anxious about the future and looking forward to where God will have us serve. I don't talk about this too much because I don't want to embarrass Nathan but he has done an amazing job at providing for our family. I was put on bedrest in February and wasn't allowed to go back to work for the remainder of the pregnancy. After Brandon was born we decided that I would be a stay-at-home mom which meant we had to rely on Nathan's income...he is in sales...he doesn't have consistent income since it's commission based...Meg was nervous! =) I have been out of work for nine months now and we have every bill paid on time, food on the table and occassionally money left over for a night out. God is good!!!

I have known Nathan for four years and I have never laughed so hard at someone or been so mad at someone...he has been my best friend, boyfriend, best friend again, LOL (if you know our story then that's funny), fiance, husband and baby daddy! hahahaha in all the different "roles" he has played, God has used him to be a picture of stability and encouragement. I can't imagine life without him and I so honored that God would choose me to serve with him!

Nathan, Brandon and I love you are we are SO thankful for you!!!

Yes, I married a Bama fan...

Nathan's adopted son, Eli!!! They love each other...............

Orange Beach 2008...ok, this is the REAL Nathan. He fools a lot of people into thinking he is real quiet and reserved...NEGATIVE!

Birthday weekend 2008...we spent a few days in Michigan - we are at a game at the Big House!

Us at Lake Michigan. I was pregnant with Brandon on this trip and didn't even know it! We found out a few days after we got home.

Proud Daddy.

One of my favorite pictures!! This was taken in the hospital...Brandon was probably one day old. This was their first nap together! =)

One month old pictures taken by Cody & Cassie Chaplin.

October 2009

November 2009

WE LOVE YOU!!!!!!!

Teething

Brandon has been showing signs of teething (drooling, chewing on everything, sucking his bottom lip, etc) for a while now but the past few days have been rough for him. Bless his little heart! He is constantly sucking on his lips and I can see his teeth starting to come through under his gums...they aren't cutting through but I can see them down there. I have been giving him children's tylenol a couple times a day which seems to be helping. Today I gave him a wet washcloth and he has been chewing on that most of the afternoon.

...while playing in his exersaucer

...while sitting in the floor playing with his toys

It's pitiful but it makes for good cuddle time! =)

Meg

DATE NIGHT

Thanks to our friend, Heather, Nathan and I were able to go on a date tonight! Woo hoo!! His birthday is Friday and due to his crazy schedule this was the only night this week or weekend that we could go out. Because I love surprises I arranged everything without him knowing. Last year I threw him a surprise birthday party and he was convinced he was having another one this year. Well, he was wrong.

Nathan is getting ready for his LAST WEEK OF CLASSES which means lots of assignments are due this week. Heather was kind enough to agree to watch Brandon from 4:00-6:30, so I told Nathan he had until 3:30 to work on school stuff but after that we had plans. Of course he had lots of questions and was confident that we were going to someone's house for a surprise party.

I spared him the embarrassment and planned the night just for us. We dropped Brandon off and headed to Nathan's favorite restaurant, Famous Dave's. It's been a while since we have eaten there so he was excited. We got a free birthday dessert...too bad they didn't sing; he would have LOVED that (lots of sarcasm...Daddy, he is about like you when it comes to that stuff)! Nathan loves browsing bookstores so after dinner we went to Barnes & Noble. At this point I was ready to go get Brandon because I was missing him (sad, I know), but I enjoyed our time together since we never get to just hang out.

Thank you, Heather, for being SO sweet! I know Brandon had a blast with you and your boys!!! He told me so...hahahahahaha!!!


Meg

Belt, please!

Brandon started sitting up a few days ago. He is doing a great job and is getting more and more confident!! Today, we were in the living room watching the UT game. He was in my lap and decided that he wanted to sit in the floor. So, I put him down...



I couldn't resist getting a picture...it's hilarious!!! I guess I need to invest in a belt, huh??!!?!? hahahahahahaha


Meg

Counting Down the Days

Nathan is graduating in less than a month!!! We are SO excited about ending this phase of "the journey." On December 11th Nathan will have his Masters of Divinity from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. It's weird to think that we will no longer be affiliated with the seminary but I don't think there will be much separation anxiety! =)

We have sent his resume to a few associations and next week we plan to send it to specific churches. We are prayerfully considering where God would have us go and we ultimately want to be where He can most be glorified. It's hard not to allow selfish desires to get in the way...it would be nice to be in West Tennessee close to my family; there's no way God would call us away from the southeast; overseas? no way, not now...and the list continues. Yeah, that's gotta stop! =)

It's exciting to think that God has the perfect place in mind for us. Scary but exciting! I have known Nathan for four years now and I have seen him teach and preach several times. He is so knowledgeable about the Word but more importantly, he is passionate about the truths of Scripture. It's so encouraging to watch and I am excited to see how and where his gifts will be used.

God is good and we are learning patience...grrrrr not a fun process! =) Pray with us as we seek the Lord's direction and may we (I) lay aside selfish motives!!!


Meg

5 Months Old

Brandon turned five months old yesterday! Since I don't have to take him to the doctor this month for a check-up or shots, I have no idea how much he weighs but I do know that he has grown a lot in the last few weeks. So much has happened this past month...laughing out loud...eating veggies...growing lots of hair (Uncle Tommy says he has a fro but I just ignore him hahahahaha)...reaching for and holding toys...

SITTING UP

He only sits up when he can lean over and grab his feet so it's not REALLY sitting up but it counts in the mommy book! =)
I am loving his little schedule! I am able to plan my day around his nap and feeding schedule. He is very predictable (most days) and I love it!!!

7:30-7:45 - Wake up & Breakfast (applesauce & cereal and a bottle)
9:15-11:00 - Morning nap
11:00-11:15 - Lunch (bottle)
1:30 - Cat nap =)
2:00-2:30 - Veggies and bottle (he has tried carrots and squash and loves both..next: green beans)
3:15-5:00 - Afternoon nap
5:00-5:15 - Dinner (bottle)
8:00 - "Night night bottle"

Every time I get used to his schedule it changes so I am ready for this to be all messed up in the next few weeks, but this is what he is doing right now!

We are so blessed to have Brandon in our lives!!!! Happy 5-month birthday, little man!


Meg

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NANNY!

Today is my mom's birthday!!! Nanny, we love you and we hope you have a WONDERFUL birthday!!!!




Meg

Day Trip to H'ville

This past weekend we went to Hendersonville to celebrate my mom's birthday. My sister made a yummy brunch...I got a MUCH NEEDED haircut...we watched football...we were able to enjoy a beautiful day outside...we ordered sushi and pizza for dinner (a new family tradition it seems)...my mom was able to spend her birthday with her babies. Unfortunately, my brother wasn't able to come. We missed you, Jonathan!!!

My sister cut 6+ inches off my hair and I am so thankful she did!! My dad thought it was goofy that I took a picture of my hair but oh well...

My mom and I were sitting outside while Sunniee and Graciee jumped on the "Jumpoline" (that's what Graciee calls the trampoline). Sunniee decided that we needed tape on our mouths...I showed Mama that I can talk with my eyes. HA!






The majority of the day was spent in the living room watching football and playing with the babies. Brandon will be five months old tomorrow and the twins (Jaxon and Gavin) will be four months old on the 21st. They are starting to notice each other and they even "talked" to each other a little bit.

Brandon and Gavin playing...awww they're holding hands! =)

Jaxon

Gavin

Brandon

I am so glad we were able to go to Hendersonville for the day!! It was a great day and it's always good to be with family!

Meg

Big Boy Baths

Well, Brandon has outgrown our kitchen sink for bathtime. He has moved into the BIG BOY BATHTUB! =)

Nanny, he can still take baths in your sink!



Meg