Shane's Graduation Day

Last Friday, we had the honor of attending Shane's graduation from the police academy!

Aunt Kate and Tyler spent the night at our house on Thursday night because we had to get up very early to make the 2 hour drive to Plainfield.

Alexis did so well in the car and slept for a little while on the way down.

Shane was only given four tickets so Michele, Peyton, and Teresa sat in the main area and we sat in an auxiliary room.  It worked out pretty well since Lex was less than attentive!:)

She made it through part of the program and then I took her out to play in the hallway.

Shane was asked to give the invocation at the beginning of the program.  We were very proud of his Christ-like example during his time at the academy!

It's awesome to see that in such a politically correct culture we can still observe moments for prayer in a public venue such as the graduation!

We got to take some pictures with him after the ceremony was over.  Poor Zaya was sick and couldn't come and Lill got to stay home and play with Grandma.  Peyt was such a good boy!

I sort of missed this photo op, but Terry and Whitney were there to see Jon graduate.  It was cool to be able to be there for him, too.

Our little family with Huntington's finest police officer!  He not only graduated with honors, but he was ranked #2 in his class academically.  So proud!:)

Alexis: Eleven Months Old!

The love of our lives turned 11 months old on Sunday!  How can that be?!

The first photo of her is a miracle from the Lord.:)  I was trying to take her picture alone and I managed to get her sitting, smiling, and with her headband on!

 

Alexis, here's what you are up to this month:

• Not sure about your stats!  You seem to be thinning out a little bit.
• You wear size 12 month clothes, size 4 diapers, size 3 or 4 shoes.
• You are walking about 50% of the time and crawling the other 50%.  You haven't figured out how to stand up on your own in the middle of the room...I think when you do that you will be walking a lot more!  Your little toddle is just too stinking cute.
• You still pretty much just babble.  You say da-da ALL the time, but not much else consistently.  Stilllllllll waiting to hear mama.:)
• You just got tooth #7 and tooth #8 is coming in now.  Both are on top.
• We are still nursing about 5 times a day.  We will be working on weaning before long.  I'm excited for the freedom, but sad for our sweet bonding times to end.
• You are kind of inconsistent about your eating.  You sometimes will eat anything we give you and other times you spit everything out!  Your favorite things seem to be yogurt, applesauce, cheese, and ham right now. 
• You are sleeping pretty well at night.  Most nights you go to bed around 8pm, wake up around 5:30am to eat, and get up for the day by 7:30am.  You consistently take two naps a day, but they can be anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours in length. 
• You L-O-V-E Mickey Mouse Clubhouse!  When it comes on TV, you will look at Daddy or me and just smile so big.  Sometimes I let you watch it just because I know it will make you smile.:)

Sweet baby,

 

I am sitting here with tears in my eyes because I am just so proud of you and the little girl you are becoming.  Just tonight, you were sitting on the couch watching Mickey before bed.  Daddy looked at me and said, "Can you believe she's ours?"  Sometimes I still can't, but I am SO glad that God picked us to be your parents.  It's a job that seems too big some days, but we trust that He will help us raise you to love Him.  You have this way of smiling at people and making everyone feel like they are your favorite person.  You are so sweet to others and I hope that is something that never changes.  We love you more than you'll ever know...until you hold your own sweet baby in your arms someday! 

 

Love, Mama (and Daddy)

"Picnic" Lunch With Daddy

One of our favorite things to do is to go visit Daddy at work and eat lunch with him.  On Saturday, we picked up Taco Bell and had a picnic in the car!  Alexis loved having free reign in the back of the Acadia and it turned out to be so much fun!

Eating one of her new favorite snacks, a Mum-Mum!

Such a happy big girl!

Just roaming around the car!

Lill and Lex

It's so fun to watch our little girls play together more and more.  Clearly, they're going to be geniuses...so studious with their piano and their book!  Ha!;)

Two little monkeys, sitting in a crib...

p-l-a-y-i-n-g!:)

Lex's First Time "Cooking"

We were supposed to have life group on Friday night and I had offered to make dessert.  I had some oreos to use up so I decided to make Mississippi Mud dessert!  Alexis volunteered to help crush up the oreos.;)

She actually did hit them with her spoon for a little bit...

...but then she decided that she would try to eat something off the spoon instead!:)

When Daddy got home from work, they licked the beaters together.

Lex was definitely a fan!:)

First Walk of the Year

We have been so anxious to get outside with our little lady.  Last week, it FINALLY made it up to 55 degrees or so!  We headed over to our favorite walking trail and spent some time in the fresh air.  It was glorious!:)

Daddy and Lex all ready to go!

Me and my girl!  She loves being outside.

My two loves...I am a blessed woman!

This might be one of my favorite pictures of Lex and me.

Daddy and Alexis went swinging for the first time this year!

Siesta Scripture Memory Team: Verse #6

It's time for verse #6 already!  This time I am doing a continuation from the last verse..."to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!  Amen." Ephesians 3:21  Trusting Him for immeasurably more than I can ask or imagine and praying that I always glorify Him!

Catch Up!

Well, my goodness, I didn't mean to wait so long between posts!  I've got lots to catch up on.:)

This little silly girl has been doing the funniest expressions with her face and hands.  She cracks us up multiple times daily!

The same silly girl has gotten so affectionate lately.  She loves to kiss us and she occasionally snuggles!

We had a fun night with the cousins and Aunt Michele!  The kids played with the stuffed animals in the sink and had a ball!:)

Last week, our girl had a touch of the stomach flu.:(  She spent an entire day snuggling with me and taking naps.  She had a low grade fever most of the day and threw up a couple of times.  Thankfully it didn't last long!

Even while she was sick, she was as sweet as pie.  I could just eat her up!:)

We got several inches of snow (in March, of course:) so we let Lex go explore it.  She was content to mostly look at it this year!

Our friend Erin gave us some fun stacking cups and Alexis loves them!  They are a fun toy to play with while Mama is busy in the kitchen.

Lately (in pics)

Here are some pictures of things we've been up to lately!

The girls wore their matching dresses from Great Grandma Barkley last Sunday.  They looked so stinking cute!

Emerson, Lex, and Lill were flocking around Nicole like baby birds in the nursery.  They know where the snacks are!:)

On Monday, Michele and I met up to work out together at the Y.  We played a little kickball in the racquetball court afterwards!

We've been waiting on this to happen and it finally did...Alexis fell in her toy box!  Haha!:)

Lex has been super snuggly this week!  I looooooooooove it!!!

Poor baby had a little accident...

...and got her first fat lip!  Thankfully it wasn't too bad and didn't last long!

See...super snuggler!:)

I love this little cheese face!:)

Siesta Scripture Memory Team: Verse #5

It's March 1st already?!  My verse for this time is Ephesians 3:20: "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us."  I will be learning verse 21 for next time.  Over the past couple of months, that phrase just keeps coming back to me...immeasurably more.  I have a pretty good imagination and I certainly ask for a lot of things.  It's impossible to fathom that God is able to do IMMEASURABLY MORE than anything I can even dream of.  I'm glad to serve a God like that and that His power lives in me!!!