Eight months old and tears!

Landry turned eight months old today and I have been emotional all day!  I don't know if it is the lack of sleep or the overwhelming awareness of how time flies!  Seven months was a huge month for my little bug!

She sat up by herself!

She clapped without help!

She cut three more teeth and has mastered mama.  I am ALMOST positive that when she makes the sound "mama," she understands that I am her mom.

Did I mention the biggest accomplishment the seven month mark brought? I don't think I did!  She can now crawl!  She mastered this last night.  It was the night before she turned eight months!

These moments are so bitter sweet to me.  Tears have literally streamed down my face today, as I thought of my baby who will one day become a teenager and then an adult.  TIME IS FLYING BY!  If I am being honest, the teen years already scare me.  I prayed through tears today that Landry would honor God as she grows.  God reminded me that each moment is a blessing.  No matter what tomorrow brings, God is good!  Watching her as she learns new things is a blessing.  Seeing her mature into an adult, if this is in God's will, will be a blessing.  He reminded me I can pray and cry out to Him, then I must trust and rest in His plan.  I want her to love the Lord with all her heart, strength, and soul.  I want her to honor and trust Him in all things.  I want her to walk so closely with God that she can feel His presence in each and every moment.  I want her to find her joy in God alone.  I don't want her to make the mistakes I have made.  I want her to resist the devil, especially as she enters into the teenage years and into adulthood.  I don't want her to fall prey to the things of the world.  I pray she will desire a relationship with God more than a relationship with anyone!   I pray Alan and I live to see all these milestones in her life.  I look forward to the day my baby girl accepts Jesus and I desire to watch her grow as she learns to trust in God alone.  

HAPPY 8 MONTH BABY GIRL! 

Kittens and Kids

Somehow, long story, we ended up with three kittens in a short amount of time.  My nephew visited the other day and he fell in love with one of the kittens.  This kitty didn't stand a chance against a three year old boy.  The kitten (who Bryce named Nala) was very sweet.  She never tried to scratch and she went along with everything that Bryce put her through.  When Bryce had to leave the kitten started following him.  It was super sweet!  It made for some cute pictures!

Grandpa, Bryce, and Nala!  I love how my dad is holding baby food.  It looks like he is about to take a big bite of baby squash! 

No worries!  He was really just feeding Landry!

We have two other kittens as well, but Bryce was not interested in playing with these two!  He just wanted to torture the little girl kitten.

Landry watches every step Bryce takes.  She admires him and already thinks he is the best!  I remember looking up to some of my older cousins as well!  One was and is like a brother to me!

I love her little squash covered mouth!

These next few shots melt my heart!

On days like this, I really understand the saying, "It's the little things in life I am thankful for."  God is good all the time.  I am thankful for anxiety free days, watching Landry get kisses from Grandpa, and seeing my nephew be carefree.  By looking at Bryce, it is hard to tell how sick he has been and how many times we have been afraid for his little life.  When I look at him, I see a child who is full of life and trust.  His circumstances do not define him.  Sometimes I need to put on the lenses of a child and trust more.  I know God holds everything in His hands and he cares for us, so I should stop and trust in Him!

Psalm 146

1Praise the Lord.^a

Praise the Lord, my soul.

2I will praise the Lord all my life;

I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

3Do not put your trust in princes,

in human beings, who cannot save.

4When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;

on that very day their plans come to nothing.

5Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob,

whose hope is in the Lord their God.

6He is the Maker of heaven and earth,

the sea, and everything in them—

he remains faithful forever.

7He upholds the cause of the oppressed

and gives food to the hungry.

The Lord sets prisoners free,

8the Lord gives sight to the blind,

the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,

the Lord loves the righteous.

9The Lord watches over the foreigner

and sustains the fatherless and the widow,

but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.

10The Lord reigns forever,

your God, O Zion, for all generations.

Praise the Lord.

Great when in a hurry!

During pregnancy I was so sick that cooking was near impossible for me.  Once Landry was born time was the issue.  I heard about Emeals through a blog post and decided to give it a try.  I will be honest, I haven't used it a whole lot, but only because I rarely cook by recipes.  I usually just throw things together with the few items we keep at the house.  We have eaten a lot of spaghetti and pizza since Landry was born.  The few times that I have used Emeals I enjoyed it.  I loved that it took the planning out of making dinner.  I wish I was one who just LOVED planning, but I am not!  I have really enjoyed the recipes I have made.  My favorites recipes were the bbq turkey burgers and peanut butter, chocolate chip, banana bread.  I have tried a few different plans (gourmet, low fat, and paleo) and my favorite plan was the low fat.  I thought the low fat plan consistently had the best recipes.  The women behind emeals are wonderful!  If you ever have a question, someone is always quick to answer.  They recently created this FABULOUS app!  I would pay just to have this app!

I can't wait to make the blueberry muffin recipe that was recently posted on the emeals blog.  The recipe can be found here!

Tennessee part two: Walking in Memphis.

Then I'm walking in Memphis

      Walking with my feet ten feet off of Beale

Walking in Memphis

But do I really feel the way I feel...

I have always really liked that song for some reason. Sunday night we did take a walk in Memphis! We met Rach and her husband. Can I just say they are fabulous!!! I have loved her blog for some time now. I was excited to meet her and Christopher, but I never imagined how fast we would all bond! Christopher and Alan hit it off and talked just as much as us girls.  Landry was entertaining the whole night and she absolutely adored our new friends. 

Rach does a great job reviewing resteraunt and she suggested we try Corky's BBQ! It was good and the best thing I tasted had to be the BBQ nachos.  The place was packed! We waited thirty minutes to get a table, but we didnt't mind. The food came out pretty fast and it was yummy. Three hours later we said our goodbyes. I was sad to leave. Three hours went by so quickly and we were saying bye to friends we had just met, yet felt as if we had known them forever. 

I miss Tennessee already! The scenery was beautiful and the company was great!  It is nice to be home, but I see another visit in our near future.

I love this girl!

Alan, Christopher, and Landry. 

This may be my favorite picture of all time!

Rach did a great job, capturing all of these moments!  Thank you so much girl!  I am ready for another visit and it's only been a few days!

Tennessee part one

I thought I could write about the whole trip in one blog entry, but once I began to load pictures, I realized it would be an extra super looonnnggg blog post! Landry's first trip to Tennessee was a success!  We met Addilee for the first time and I met my first blog friend, Rach! My cousin Shonda and her husband finally met Landry and fell in love!  Landry fell in love with them too! The visit with Stacy and Dennis was one of the best visits we have had in a long time.  It may have been the BEST, because now we have bundles of joys!  Landry was the perfect baby the whole trip!  I am not sure where to start... I guess the beginning is always a good starting point. 

On our way to see our friends!!! This was Landry's first time to drive!  Don't freak out, I am only joking!

Landry and Addilee meeting for the first time!  They adored one another!  

Stace  (that's what I call her) and I became best friends at Louisiana Tech, so our girls had to have matching LA Tech dresses.  Alan's mom bought Addilee's dress almost as soon as she found out Stace was having a girl. She knew Landry had one and she wanted the girls to match.  Stace has been such a special friend.  Funny story, we did not like each other at first.  I thought she was stuck up and she thought the same of me.  This is why assuming is such a bad thing.  Thankfully, we gave one another a chance and eight years later here we are raising baby girls together.  We have always had so much in common and our friendship is an easy one.  In college people would ask if we were twins and apparently things haven't changed much.   

Pregnant with the girlies! 

Stacy looks beautiful and I look like a tired mommy, haha!

Our babies!!!

I am so thankful for this friendship!

This baby girl stole my heart!

Mommy and baby!

My baby girl!

This is how we pacified the girls long enough to take a few pictures.  Bottle in mouth and acting crazy!

This picture is so funny!  Addilee's face is priceless and precious!  Landry did not like her to cry! 

Oh how I love my sweet husband and child!  Thank you Lord for these two!

We have fabulous husbands and they are both such great dads!

Part two about meeting Rach and Christopher will be posted tomorrow!