Here's what we did in July, August and September....

Honestly, I spent most of the summer sick and tired. The 1st trimester and most of the 2nd just whipped me. Noah, of course, was as cute as ever.

When Mommy was sick in the mornings we found a new friend to hang out with---ELMO!! Noah would come running from another room if he heard the Elmo's World song. Sesame Street, I love you when I was young....and I love you even more now as a mom.

Josh and I took an anniversary/babymoon trip to Mexico. It was amazing. Here is the view from the patio of our rooom. We went to Playa Mujeres which is just north of Cancun and loved every minute of it.

We mainly laid under the shade and read books. We swam in the ocean and the pools and we ate and ate and ate. It was wonderful!

Meanwhile, Noah spent 4 fun filled days at Nannie's house. They are best friends.

One of my oldest friends (meaning we've been friends a long time...not that she is old), Carole had a baby girl. Charlotte is the cutest thing and I can't wait for her and Baby Weems to play together!

The city tore up the alley behind our house. Sadly Noah wasn't quite old enough to take in how cool it was to have construction equipment practically in his back yard. However, mom and dad are both old enough to appreciate how annoying it is to not be able to park in the garage when it is 100+ degrees outside. (I took this picture standing in our garage.)

Our silly monkey became more and more independent as summer went by and his vocabulary expanding to start including animal sounds.

He took a fall at daycare and got road rash on his head from a Lil' Tykes toy.

His wild hair got to a point of ridiculousness so we went for our first haircut.

Noah loved every minute of the haircut. He sat in a little fireman's truck. He laughed so hard when she sprayed his head with the spray bottle. He really enjoyed being the center of attention as Mommy and Nannie snapped tons of pictures.

As summer came to a close, I finished up my two more classes toward my master's degree, the nausea stopped and I finally started to get some energy back......just in time for school to start again.

July 5!!!!

July 5, 2003

Time flies when you're having fun!!

We know what we're getting for Christmas....

...a NEW BABY!!!!

We're excited to share the news that we are expecting another baby! The due date is Christmas. We're still a little in shock but also very excited.

To answer some common questions:

--Noah and the new baby will be 18 months apart.

--We're going to find out the sex this time. (I'm thinking girl as this pregnancy has been totally different then my first.)

--No medical intervention required this time around. God had plans beyond our imagination.

--I'm 15 weeks already. It seems to be flying by....but probably because we didn't know I was pregnant until 8 weeks in.

And then he was one....

June 6, 2008--11:55am--our lives were changed forever.




Noah,

I'm so glad that the Lord blessed your daddy and I with the priviledge of being your parents. You were worth the wait.



You've grown from a little tiny thing to a big boy. You're walking on your own. You're babbling all the time. You love to point at things and laugh when we tell you what they are.

You love the little school you go to and are so happy to see your little friends there. You run to mommy with a big smile when I pick you up though!! (I try to ignore the fact that you say Da-da-da as you are running to me.)

You are a champion eater and will try anything we put in front of you. Some of your favorites include Goldfish graham crackers and chicken nuggets.

You have changed our lives for the better. We can't wait to see what the next year (and years after) will hold for you.

We do know that there is tons of fun headed our way. You love to laugh and wrestle with daddy. You also love to chase Monty....which Monty has really mixed feelings about.

We pray for you everyday that God will use your life for His glory. You are our silly monkey. Daddy and I love you so much.

Love, Mommy

(That's right Ma-ma. You can say it! Come on!)

Happy Birthday, Noah!!!

Noah celebrated his first birthday on June 6. My feelings went back and forth between "it's ALREADY been a year?" and "it's ONLY been a year?" It is hard to remember what day to day life was like back before our little guy came along.

We had a small family party at my mom and dad's house. The theme was "Hole in 1!" My sister made Noah an oversized personal cupcake decorated to go with our golf theme. She also made regular cupcakes for everyone else and decorated them to look like golf balls. It was perfect because in true one year old fashion the party was really all about our little guy making a big mess.

Noah thought he was such a big deal as everyone crowded around him to watch him dig in!

Nannie and Poppy

Gigi and Kippy came from Houston for the weekend.

Noah's great grandfather, Jogie, was visiting from New Jersey for the big event.

Uncle Mark and Aunt Ya-ya--the amazing cake maker.

Mom and Dad

Aunt Hailey and Uncle Jason

Delicious!

Messy!

Would you like a taste?

One year ago today....

....our lives were about to change forever!!!

(I'm way behind on blogging. Hopefully I'll get around to catch up the blog now that school is done. However, this post couldn't wait....)

Some random cuteness....

....I can't believe he's almost one!!

Spaghetti is delicious and messy!!


He's learning to climb!!

Sometimes bed head is really sad

This was a sign that it was time to transition from the baby bath tub to just the regular tub.

....I can't believe he's almost 1!!

Mother's Day and Baby Dedication

On Mother's Day, our church also had baby dedication. It was such a special and humbling day to stand with Josh and dedicate ourselves to raise Noah to follow the Lord. We've prayed since before Noah was born that he would grow to glorify the Lord.

Our little family waiting for the big moment.

A shot that shows Noah's picture on the big screen. Our pastor, Doak, who we've known since we were engaged sharing the story of our miracle baby.

(My sister took a ton of pictures that day and if she ever sends them to me I'll update the blog with more. Hint! Hint, Christine!)

The Henney's were in town...

Our good friends, the Henneys, came to visit Texas. We've missed them terribly since they moved to Indiana. They are now planning on following the Lord even farther from us so it was good to visit and catch up. A lot has changed since we last hung out....they now have three kids and one on the way and we have little Noah. But friendships based in Christ don't change much despite the miles. We were encouraged and refreshed by our visit with them.

We rode the train in Fort Worth and spent quite a few hours at a McDonald's...which allowed the kids to play and the adults to talk. The Henneys offered us lots of parenting advice since they are a few steps ahead of us in raising a family. Here are there three beautiful kids....and since this photo they've had another sweet little girl.

Henneys, we are so excited to see what the Lord has planned for your family in the coming months and years. We will miss you and be praying for this new chapter (or is it a whole new book?).