My Big, Brave Boy

I took Noah for his 4 month appointment this morning. He is actually 5 months in just eight days, so I really call this his five month appointment. He weighs 15 lbs. 10 ounces and is 26 inches long. He has gained two pounds and grown three inches in the last two months. Wow, what a growing boy. My pediatrician said he is off the charts on both weight and height, which means is good. I am going to start feeding him cereal tomorrow.
(Just a little inside joke for those of you who don't know how unprepared I was for motherhood the first time. When Laura and I were talking about giving Karis cereal, I asked her if she meant Cheerios! She laughed at me and thought I was joking, but I really wasn't, I had no idea that they made baby cereal! So Laura I promise that even though Noah is a big boy, I will not be feeding him Cheerios just yet!)
I also found out that I have a very brave little boy. When he got his three shots today, he only cried for about half a second after the last one and then started laughing and cooing at me. Where did this child come from, he is nothing like his mom or sister when it comes to shots! I also found out that he has an ear infection in both ears. He had no symptoms and has been very happy the last few days. God is good, and I am thankful for well baby check up, especially when you find out that your baby isn't well at all!

Sweet Sounds

I am not feeling totally up to par today, with the weather changing from hot to cold everyday. As I was sitting checking my email, while Karis was playing beside me, I heard the sweetest sound. Karis is singing her own version of two different songs, this is what I heard:
Why should I gain from His reward, I cannot give an answer,
But this I know with all my heart, His wounds have paid my ransom.
What can wash away my sins, nothing but the blood of Jesus.

This went on for a about 10 minutes. Oh how precious is the sweet singing of my three year old. I am so thankful that she knows such Christ-centered songs and that those are what come to mind when she is playing. The Lord always seems to know how to make me smile despite myself. We serve a loving and amazing God! Oh, how my children continue to teach me more of Him without even knowing it.

Random Pictures and Day Off!

Here are a few random pictures of Karis and Noah. The Brooks let us borrow their Bumbo seat for Noah. He looks pretty funny in a purple seat, but whatever. He will only use it for a short time.

Karis decided Noah needed her "night-night" as his hat. He wasn't so sure about it.

This was the first time we put Noah in the Bumbo seat, he was almost 4 months old.

About a month ago, Justin watched Karis and Noah and gave me the day off to go shopping. I had a wonderful time by myself and the trip was very profitable, I got a few things that I needed. Just built Karis her own throne out of blocks. When I came home she was pretty proud it. I am so blessed to have a husband who understands my need for alone time, just to get away, if even just for a few minutes. Thank you Justin for always serving me in the area and for always be eager to watch the kids for me. I love you!

"You're doing a good job, Papa John!"

Last week my parents flew in on Saturday for a week long visit. Since Justin was gone to Together for the Gospel, my parents decided it would be a good time to come. It was great having their help with two little ones. My dad took on a BIG project while he was here. He put together a wooden swing set for Karis and Noah, who will be enjoying his baby swing her pretty soon! My dad did a great job being patient with Karis as she tried to help. I will let the pictures tell the story.
I do have one thing to say though. The boards were not labeled in the boxes, so my mom and I spent an hour or so labeling the boards. Maybe next time I have a suggestion, Justin and my dad will listen to me!! My dad spent most of Monday-Wednesday working on the swing set.

Karis is helping Papa John hold the nails and bolts. She now knows what bolts, screws, and washers are. Every time Papa John hammered or used his wrench, Karis had to use hers wooden ones to help. It was very sweet.

This is one of the many awkward positions my dad had to get in to build the swing set. Karis thought it was pretty funny, Papa John on her level. She was very encouraging the whole time he was working on the set, she must have told him, "you're doing a good job, Papa John," about twenty times.

Amma is also getting down and dirty in this picture.

On Wednesday, the finished product, without the tarp on top. Justin and my dad did that later after he got back.

Karis is really enjoying her new swing set and I really enjoy being able to just let her go play outside by herself.

Just a random picture of Noah, he wanted Papa John to know that he did a great job!

We did some of our usual things like go shopping, eat at Dick's hot dogs, and hang out while they were here. My mom got a bad sinus infection and spent most of Thursday in bed. Thankfully, she was feeling better by the time they flew home on Saturday. We already miss you and are so thankful for your visit. Thank you dad for the putting together the swing set. Thank you Mom for just being Mom and being here. We love you both so much and can't wait to see you in June!

Happy 30th Birthday, Justin!

The BIG 3-0 has finally hit you babe (5 months before me). I cannot believe that we have known each other 10 years now, and we will celebrate our 9 year anniversary later this year. PASSION is the one word that always comes to mind when I think of you. Your passion to know, share, and love Jesus Christ is what drew me to you. Your passion for God's Word has overflowed into my life, our children's lives, our church family, and countless other lives. Thank you for holding God's Word in such high esteem and reverence. Thank you for leading me in having a passion for Christ in all things. To say I am blessed to be married to you is an understatement. God has blessed you with such a wonderful gift, to preach His Word, thank you for doing that for the last 10 years of your life. I enjoy walking along side you as we take this journey of leading your flock together. I love you, and I pray that in 10 years, the one word that comes to mind when I think of you is still the same!

Short trip to Maryland

Sunday after church, we backed up the Blazer and headed for a short trip to visit the Tombrella's in Maryland. It took us about 5 hours to get there, so we made it in time for dinner. We had a great meal and let the kids play until bed time. We then stayed up til after midnight talking and laughing. We have so much fun with our best friends. We are so blessed to have them in our lives for the last 10 years. The kids played great together and got along so well. On Monday, we took the kids to an indoor play place, called Little Sprouts. The kids had a lot of fun, and we did too!

Karis is riding on the roller coaster car!

Joel playing with the train set, while Karis and Samuel are jumping in the balls!

Samuel and Karis playing in the tree house.

Noah had a blast in the excersacuer. He got to see what Karis' excersaucer was like!

This is just a funny picture of Karis riding a fish.

We had a very fun trip and are sad that we won't see our friends again for awhile. God has been so good to allow us to grow together these last 10 years! We look forward to all He is going to do in our lives for the next 10 years. We love you guys!

Pop Pop and Grammy are Here!

I don't know how many times Karis asked me on Tuesday, "Pop Pop and Grammy here?" Every noise we heard, or every time Calvin barked, she asked me the same question. She was so excited about them coming to visit! We had a nice visit and did a lot of things in just two full days. They arrived Tuesday night, and of course, Karis went crazy like she always does, showing them everything and jumping on her trampoline like a mad woman. We spent Wednesday and Thursday hanging out, eating out, and shopping. Here are some pictures to tell of our adventures!

Noah was very excited to meet his Pop Pop and Grammy. They both enjoyed feeding and holding him a lot.

On Wednesday morning before our trip to eat at Dick's Hot Dogs, we took Karis to the new Gillete park. It was a little colder than we thought, so we didn't stay long, but she had a lot fun while we were there. She is going to be an avid rock wall climber!

Sliding down the colorful slide!

Karis decided that she would drive the car and let me sit in the passengers seat.

We climbed up on Noah's arc. She thought it was funny that the boat was named after her brother!

Resting with Pop Pop. After eating lunch, the guys played golf, and we took the kids home for naps. After they woke up, I made dinner and Justin and I went to church. It was strange being at church without the kids, I think I have forgotten how to have a real conversation with someone, where I can actually give them my full attention without wondering where my child is and what she is doing! That was very nice of Pop Pop and Grammy to watch the kids for us.

A sweet picture of the grandparents and grand kids. On Thursday, we went out to lunch, then did a little shopping. We went to Rocky Mount to Red Lobster for Justin's early birthday meal from his dad and step mom. We also were thankful that Pop Pop brought his suburban so we could buy the kids swing set at Wal-Mart and bring it home. My dad is going to have the fun task of putting it together in a week when they come for a visit. Noah surely enjoyed his lobster!

We had a wonderful visit, even though it was quick. I know that Karis always enjoys seeing her grandparents, and Noah really loved being held and talked to so much! Thanks for the visit. We will miss you until we see you again at the end of June!

(Grammy, I am not sure why we didn't get any pictures of you with the kids, that is defiently not a reflection on how much fun they had with you!)

Can you guess who?

Can you guess which one is Noah and which one is Karis? These pictures were taken very close to the same age. I'm sure that the clothes might give it away, and the fact that the exersaucers are different (Laura will easily know which one is which since Karis is in her excersaucer!).

In case you weren't sure, the first picture is Karis and the second is Noah. I do think that they look a lot alike at this age, but Noah seems to have more facial expressions. Their noses and mouths look exactly alike, but to me their eyes look very different, except the color! Hope everyone is having a wonderful week. I got a special morning to spend just with Noah. Karis went to play at Hannah's, and I took Noah to the YMCA to workout and then we hung out for awhile before his nap. I then cleaned out our closets while he slept before I went to get Karis. I didn't know I could put up winter stuff, go through all the drawers, and rearrange our closets in an hour (that is how long Noah sleeps in the morning). I guess not having Karis here helped a lot! Thanks Lori!! I know Karis had fun and so did I!

Please feed me so I can go to bed!

I think this picture says it all. It is very funny to see how Noah tells us that he is really tired. He puts both hands on his head and grabs it. He looks like he is in total distress. The first time he did it a few weeks ago, we laughed, but now we know it is time for the bottle and the bed when those arms start grabbing his head. He was so tired this night that his hands never moved the whole time he drank his bottle.
Children are so different. Karis was always, and still is, and eye rubber. When she gets tired, she rubs her eyes with her hands. God sure makes all of us unique even from birth!

Good Friday, Easter and Friends

We had a very fun and friend filled Easter weekend. On Good Friday, our friends, the Cherry's, came over for dinnner. We enjoyed some BBQ chicken, cole slaw, and baked beans, along with some cross cupcakes. We had a great time of fellowship, and the children had fun playing outside and in Karis' room. Saturday we just hung out together as a family. Sunday after church, you can check out Justin's sermon on our church website http://www.christbc.com/ along with me this week since I served in the nursery during church this week. After church, we headed over to the Brook's house for lunch and fellowship.

Family picture in front of the Brook's house.


Karis pointing to the cross cake that I made and decorated for desert. She was reenacting how she licked the icing the day before after I was finished icing the cake!

Full view of the cake, it was almost gone after lunch.

Our Easter was good spent with friends. We also got to spend some time with Lori's sister, her husband and their new baby boy. It was fun to chat and have a leisurely lunch with our friends. It is always good to celebrate the death of our Savior with like minded friends.

Pondering the Cross

I have been reading all the gospel accounts of the arrest, trial, and crucifixion of Christ the last two days. I was again awed and reminded of my own sin, that I too would have been one of the ones mocking our Lord along with the crowd. Christ still died for those who mocked and reviled Him. Hallelujah, what a Savior! As I was trying to think of what to say about the cross, one song came to mind. Here are the words of a song that clearly, powerfully, and wonderfully explain the cross.

The Power of the Cross

Oh, to see the dawn

Of the darkest day:

Christ on the road to Calvary.

Tried by sinful men,

Torn and beaten, then

Nailed to a cross of wood.

CHORUS:

This, the pow'r of the cross:

Christ became sin for us;

Took the blame, bore the wrath-

We stand forgiven at the cross.

Oh to see the pain

Written on Your face,

Bearing the awesome weight of sin.

Ev'ry bitter thought,

Ev'ry evil deed

Crowing Your bloodstained brow.

Now the daylight flees;

Now the ground beneath

Quakes as its Maker bows His head.

Curtain torn in two,

Dead are raised to life;

"Finished!" the vict'ry cry.

Oh, to see my name

Written in the wounds,

For through Your suffering I am free.

Death is crushed to death;

Life is mine to live,

Won through Your selfless love.

FINAL CHORUS:

This, the pow'r of the cross:

Son of God-slain for us.

What a love! What a cost!

We stand forgiven at the cross.

Words and Music by Keith Getty & Stuart Townend

Spring Baskets and Egg Hunt

On Saturday, we had our spring baskets and egg hunt day. Justin made waffles for breakfast and we celebrated the beginning of spring by getting a basket full of fun stuff and having an egg hunt. I got this idea from Carolyn Mahaney (she and her daughters have the girltalkblog and I have read all her books). We wanted our children to still be able to have an egg hunt and get a fun basket every year, but we didn't want it to interfere or be at all connected with our Savior's death and glorious resurrection. For us, Easter is about Christ and Him alone, and we didn't want anything to distract us or our children from that. So, the spring basket and egg hunt seemed like such a great idea. Here are a few pictures of our fun time!

Karis is looking at her new stickers. By her basket was a book, Go Dog Go, for Noah. Karis really enjoyed reading it to him once I read it to her a few times. (There are only a few words on each page.)

Karis also got a BOZ puzzle. She is really into puzzles these days!

Noah was very excited about his new book, especially when Karis read it to him!

Karis is hunting her eggs in the front yard.

"Where are the rest of the eggs?"

We had a very fun day, Karis and I did her new puzzle about 5 times. I love spring time, I can't wait to see all the flowers blooming. It reminds me of how God's grace that continues to give to His children despite our sinfulness. After a cold winter (which has not really been the case this year), God reminds us that all things become new again like when we trust in Christ. We pray you have a wonderful Christ filled Easter!

Rolling Over and Loving Sister!

I would have to say that Karis and Noah look a lot alike! Noah is growing so fast, he is exactly 3 months old today. The time really has flown by! On Saturday morning, Justin and I awoke to a very loud crying Noah almost an hour before he usually gets up. I decided after a few minutes to go into his room and make sure he was okay (usually he goes back to sleep for another hour when he stirs that early) and to my surprise, he was turned over on his back! We decided to give him some belly time Sunday afternoon, and in about 5 minutes he turned himself over. This is a great milestone, except when he wakes himself up and won't go back to sleep. I was thinking it was a little early for this but who am I to say, Noah has a mind of his own.
Karis is really enjoying Noah now that he is starting to play with some of his toys. He loves watching her and is mesmerized by whatever she is doing around him. Most of the time if he is upset all Karis has to do is go and smile at him and he will stop crying. It is nice to have someone else to entertain him. I am so blessed to have these two wonderful children. God is showing me everyday new things about myself and His grace towards me and my family.

We haven't been up to much these last two weeks, just living one day at a time. I did take Noah to the doctor on Friday, and he is growing like a weed and very healthy. It was supposed to be his two month check up, but he is almost three months (12 weeks last Monday). He weighed 12 lbs and 12 ounces. He has grown 2 inches and is doing very well. Karis finally rode her bike this last week with Justin's help. She did pretty good for the first time.
Here are a few pictures of our growing boy and Karis riding her bike.

Noah's hair sticking straight up!

Noah laughing at his sister. It is so neat to see how much he adores Karis. If he is unhappy or crying, all Karis has to do is walk over and talk to him and he starts smiling again. He watches her all the time. What a special bond God is giving them. Of course, Karis doesn't always want to talk to him or help me with him. She keeps saying, "a few more days and then Noah can play with me." I have tried to explain to her that it will be a few more months until she can play with him, big difference!

Karis riding her bike with Justin holding on. I'm not sure what Calvin is doing, he always seems to be in pictures that we take outside.

I pray everyone is having a good week. God is giving me strength and patience this week, and I am so thankful for the cross.

Dentist and Random Things

Karis and I went to the dentist on Monday. I went to get my teeth cleaned, and Karis went for the first time to let the dentist count and clean her teeth. For a few weeks before going to the dentist, we read "The Bernstein Bears Go to the Dentist." She was very excited about it, but I think she was more excited about getting a balloon afterwards. She was very interested in watching the dental hygienist clean my teeth. It was funny to watch her watching and asking what the tools were. She was then a Big girl and sat on me in the big chair so the dentist could look at her teeth. I was very proud of her. Justin got her a balloon for being so good, and she is still playing with it. Who knew balloons would be such a hit!
Noah is going for his 2 month check up on Friday. He will get his first set of shots! We are still figuring out his napping schedule but trusting the Lord through it all. Noah is really doing great at night time.
Just some random thoughts:
I am reading Deuteronomy in my quiet times right now. I am really learning a lot about God's provision for His people to stay pure of heart, mind, soul, and body. God is a very jealous God, and He desires His people to only worship Him, which He should. I have really been trying to purge my own heart and see what things I am allowing to get God's worship. Praise the Lord for His Word that continues to show me my sin and teach me about His forgiveness and love.
God is using my son to teach me to be more dependent on Him.
God is using Karis to show me my sin which is very humbling. Thank goodness that I am able to use my sins to show Karis the gospel by asking her forgiveness when I sin against her. Praise the Lord for Jesus, and His amazing gift of salvation.

Life

Not too much has been going on. We are settling into our new routine with Noah and trying to figure out why he only likes to take short cat naps during the day, only about 45 minutes to and hour between each feeding up until his 5:00 feeding and he will usually sleep from 6:30 until his 8:00 feeding. He is getting better about his afternoon nap, the one that he and Karis take together, kind of. It is hard to get them on the same napping schedule since usually Noah only sleeps about an hour, and Karis will sleep for two to three depending on how tired she is. I am really having to learn how to lean on Christ and allow Him to teach me through my children. Karis is so good with Noah, and I am so thankful for that. I pray things are going well for all of you. I will post some more pictures of Noah soon!

Valentine's Day Outfits

Karis and Noah received some special Valentine outfits from Aunt Courtney. She really does a great job being creative with her gifts! We had a nice dinner at home and then took Karis to get ice cream (yes, Noah went to, but he is a little small for ice cream). I am starting to feel like a bad mom sometimes because I always say, "Karis and I are going here or there," meaning that Noah is going too, I just forget to say his name. Old habits die hard I guess.
Justin bought me some very pretty pearl earrings from James Avery for Valentines day, and he got some very romantic glasses!! I love you Justin.

Noah smiling in his new outfit from Aunt Courtney!

Karis didn't want to take a picture, as you can tell by her expression. She is into the no picture faze right now, I don't know what I am going to do in a few weeks when I get her three year picture taken and a picture of both of them.

Here are both my sweet babies in their new outfits. Thanks Aunt Courtney, you did a great job. We love you!

Serving and Ruth

This last week God has been really good to us. Noah is now sleeping through the night. He gets his last bottle at 11:00 and usually wakes up sometime between 7 and 8 in the morning. My wonderful husband usually goes to bed about an hour before I do, so in the mornings he feeds Noah for me, except on Sundays of course. I am so blessed to have such a serving husband. He know that just a few more minutes of sleep help me. Thank you Justin for serving me in this way. I love you.
Justin just completed his sermon series on Ruth yesterday. I didn't get to hear the sermon yesterday because I was serving in the nursery, but the book of Ruth has really been eye opening for me. Despite all the odds, Ruth stayed loyal to Naomi and God. Naomi got to see Romans 8:28 played out in her own life. His sermons are on our church website www.christbc.com, and I highly recommend that you listen to them. They will change your thought process when life gets hard and remind you that God "does work all things together for the good of those who love Him and have been called according to His purpose." We just have to remember that His good is not always our good.

Sweet Noah!

Noah is 8 weeks old today, on Sunday he will be exactly two months. I wonder where the time has gone, but I am so thankful to have him start to interact a little with me. He smiles when he hears me talk and his expressions are so cute. He is doing good sleeping at night, and Karis and I are having fun with him. He is staying awake a lot more during the day and starting to coo and "talk." What a fun time this is with our sweet Noah!

Noah smiling at Mommy!

Karis' 3rd Birthday!

This was the first year that Karis was really excited about her birthday. We made a big deal about it, and she loved every minute of it. Birthdays in my family were always very special, and I desire that for my children. In Justin's family, they had what is called a "you are special" plate that they ate off of on their birthday or any other special day. We have made that a tradition in our family and this was the first year Karis was old enough to eat on the very old, breakable plate.

Justin got up and made pancakes and bacon, Karis' request. She ate off the "special plate." We then opened her gifts from Justin's family and played with new things until lunch time. At lunch, we took Karis to Pizza Inn, she likes to eat there because they have a train that runs along a track there while you eat. We had no objections because we can always eat pizza, plus Karis eats for free! After lunch she got to watch a movie in her room on the portable DVD player. That was a very special treat. We were going to take her and her friend Hannah to see "The Pirates who don't do anything" a veggie tale movie, but it wasn't playing at our theater anymore. So the next day, Hannah came over and the girls watched "Lady and the Tramp." Karis picked out the movie at the movie store. They ate popcorn and gummy bears and drank lemonade in big girl cups with silly straws! It was a lot of fun. We had a small get together with a few of our friends on Saturday. I made her a McDuff, or Calvin cake. Calvin is our dog.

Karis' Calvin cake.

She was very proud of her cake as you can see!

It took her a few tries to blow out her candles. The cake was good. I used a different icing, and it tasted much better.

Karis got a bicycle for her birthday, but she won't ride it right now because she doesn't want to wear her helmet. She picked out a red one, red seems to be her favorite color now!