Paternal Grandparents' Award

My paternal Grandparent's, Curtis and Nell Manor, were honored at Harding Unversity's 82nd Lectureship with the "Distinguished Christian Service Award".

The award reads, "In recognition of Curtis and Nell Manor for 61 years of marriage and for more than 60 years of full-time preaching; for Nell's work as a wife and mother, Bible school teacher, and speaker for women's groups; for Curtis' biblical scholarship and authorship of Christian prose and poetry; for his contributions as a song leader and storyteller; for his work in religious radio; for his support and encouragement of Christian education; and for his dedication to the unity of the body of Christ."

I am glad to have experienced this honor with my Grandparents. I am very proud of them both. They have set the standard very high and they are a great example for our family.

For more pictures visit my Paternal Grandparents' Award Yahoo! Photo Album.

Abby's First Smile

It finally happened... Abby smiled!

Yes, she has smiled previously, but it was more a result of a tummy issue rather than actual amusement. This time, however, it more was more than that!

Andrea and I took turns blowing on Abby's tummy, making funny noises, and zerberting her. Some combination of these things caused Abby to respond several times with a smile.

I tried to capture some of her smiles with a camera, but the timing was difficult. However, after numerous pictures I managed to get a couple good shots and this is one of them.

Abby's Scrapbook

Andrea has been working on a mini scrapbook of Abby for both of our parents. I have been scanning the results of her pages as she completes them. I will continue to add pages to the online album as they get finished.

Andrea is a very talented Stampin' Up demonstrator and has made hundreds of cards and scrapbook pages over the past few years.

Andrea has the gift of encouragement, which can be seen through the meaningful cards and scrapbooks that she makes and gives away. I am very proud of her gift and talent to encourage.

First Church Service

We had our first Sunday morning Bible class and worship service at CrossWalk Family of God since Abby was born.

It was very good to be back among our Church family again and to study and worship alongside them.

As you can see in the picture, Abby got all dressed up ( with the help of Andrea ) for the occasion. I might be slightly biased, but I think she looks beautiful, don't you agree?

Steel Magnolias

Andrea and I had our first date since Abby's birth.

We ate lunch at Macaroni Grill in West Little Rock and then went to watch "Steel Magnolias" at the The Rep ( Arkansas Repertory Theatre ).

Andrea's parents are visiting in town this weekend so they were able to help baby-sit Abby, a task which they thoroughly enjoyed.

Andrea and I enjoyed our time so much that we bought a 2005-2006 Season Subscription for The Rep. We look forward to many more special dates in the future.

Men's Fraternity III

Men's Fraternity III has started again!

I have been to all three Men's Fraternity courses and they have all dramatically changed my life as a Christian man. As a result of these classes I have learned the definition of true manhood and how to be a better Christian man in my home and work.

To learn more about what Men's Fraternity is, please visit their website. There is a lot of great material available online.

I highly encourage any of you men who are in the Little Rock area to seriously consider joining the 500 or so men that meet on Wednesday mornings at the Fellowship Bible Church! The lesson material is only $10, which is a very small price to pay for a large return of investment.

If you are interested in going, let me know. It’s not too late to start. The semester has just begun!

Nephew Curtis

My sister, Cyndi, just had a baby boy!

His full name is Curtis Dale Alesso ( Curtis is my grandfather's name and Dale is my father's name ).

He was born September 15, 2005 at 2:35 A.M. weighting in at 6 pounds 3 ounces and laying 19 inches long.

This is Cyndi and Casey's third child, but their first baby boy. They are sooo excited.

For more pictures visit my Curtis Alesso Yahoo! Photo Album.

First Family Outing

We had our first family outing since Abby's arrival.

The Young Adult Marrieds ( YAMs ) from our Church met at the Caldwell's house for a Mexcian Fiesta. It felt good to get out of the house as a family and to be amoung a great group of friends. Dan and Lisa Caldwell hosted the event and they also facilitated a version of The Newlywed Game. We all had a blast eating and laughing the night away.

It was a lot more planning than I thought to take Abby out. In the end, most everything went smoothly. Abby slept most of the time on the way to and during the party. You won't see Andrea, Abby, or me in the picture. Andrea is holding Abby off to the left and I am taking the picture, but really... we were there :)

Abby's First Bottle

Last night was my first all night position on baby duty.

Up to this point, Andrea has been very sweet and understanding by taking care of night duty so that I can have ample sleep for my first work week at Perks.

Now that the weekend has approached I can take over the night duty for Friday and Saturday night. This not only should enable Andrea to get more uninterrupted sleep so that she can be better rested, but it is a great opportunity for me to have bonding time with Abby.

We were a little concerned that Abby might not take the bottle, but she latched on with ease and is eating like a pro.

After experiencing my first all night baby duty I want to brag on my wife for a minute. I am very impressed at Andrea's motherly skills. I am amazed at her patience with Abby. I am overjoyed to watch her sing songs and play with Abby. I am touched by how gentle she is with Abby. I am comforted that Abby is in great hands during the day. I am blessed to have a wonderful wife and beautiful daughter.