Closer to the Hill

Well, I am not over the hill yet, but I am getting closer to it. Today I turned 30 years old!

My parents bought me two authentic antiquities ( as seen in this picture ) from Israel while they were overseas.

The top piece is a pottery oil lamp from the Hellenistic period ( 330 - 63 B.C. ) and the bottom piece is a scarab seal from the 2nd Millennium B.C.

I was thinking I might get a replica of a scarab, but I had no idea that it would be authentic and the oil lamp was a total shock! These pieces are even more special after going to the From Abraham to Jesus museum the other day.

As I mentioned in a previous blog entry, my beautiful wife surprised me with 30 birthday gifts and I opened one each day until my birthday. What a wonderful surprise!

Visiting the Reynolds

Today we went to visit the Reynolds ( my maternal grand- parents ) in Fayette- ville, TN.

They enjoyed meeting Abby and watching her play around their home. Although Abby had two ear infections, she behaved very well and had fun at their house.

I hope that our time between meeting is a lot shorter next time.

For more pictures go to my Visiting the Reynolds Picasa Web Album.

Manor Christmas

My parents came to Nashville to be with us the day after Christmas.

While they were in town we went to the From Abraham to Jesus traveling museum at the Nashville Convention Center. The museum was a self-guided tour with a wide variety of authentic antiquities, replicas, and interesting historical facts.

Afterwards, we exchanged gifts and watched Abby enjoy her new books and toys.

For more pictures go to my Manor Christmas Picasa Web Album.

Hall Christmas

This year we hosted Christmas Eve and Christmas Morning at our house.

We had family come together all the way from California, Maryland, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Tennessee.

A highlight of the weekend was when Megan presented a special scrapbook to Moni and Pawi recording their genealogy. Also, everyone contributed in writing special memories that they have had of Moni and Pawi into a box that was presented to them. They really appreciated it and it was fun to hear all the stories and memories.

It was fun to watch Abby get excited about Christmas and being with family.

For more pictures go to my Hall Christmas Picasa Web Album.

Post Office Field Trip

Andrea and Abby took a tour of the Post Office with the Bellevue Mom's Club today.

They got to see how the letters addressed to Santa get processed, they met our mail carrier ( Matt ), and they saw how our letters get loaded into the mail truck.

For more pictures go to my Post Office Field Trip Picasa Web Album.

Abby and Ella

Abby and Ella have been seeing a lot of each other lately.

Andrea and Stephanie Callahan, a neighbor of ours, have started to trade babysitting from week to week.

Ella has been teaching Abby how to dance around in cirlces. It is cute to watch Abby want to be all grown up like her friend. Ella is very sweet to Abby and lets her borrow her Princess Sippy Cup when she comes to visit.

For more pictures go to my Abby and Ella Picasa Web Album.

Friends and Birthdays

Abby's two closest friends, Alana and Jamison, had their 1^st birthdays this past week.

Alana had a duck theme for her birthday and Jamison had a luau theme for his birthday.

Abby gave Alana and Jamison both special homemade books called "Friends" with pictures of them having fun together.

For more pictures go to my Friends and Birthdays Picasa Web Album.

Belle Meade Plantation

Today I took off the first half of the day at work and Andrea and I went to the Belle Meade Plantation. Our friends, the Callahans, took care of Abby while we were out.

The Plantation was decorated for the Christmas season like it would have been back in the 1800s.

I found it interesting how special and unique oranges were during the Christmas season. I didn't realize that it was so expensive to import oranges to the Tennessee area.

For more pictures go to my Belle Meade Plantation Picasa Web Album.

Fun at the Park

Abby has been enjoying the park in our neighborhood.

She can now almost walk all the way to the park on her own, which is a big deal considering her little legs!

Abby doesn't really enjoy playing on the swing, but she loves to slip down the slide!

It is pure joy to watch her having fun, however, it is quite tiring picking her up to the top of the slide over and over again :)

For more pictures go to my Fun at the Park Picasa Web Album.

Opryland Hotel

Tonight we went to the Opryland Hotel with our friends, the Stricklands.

I think it is going to be tradition for us to go to the Opryland Hotel every year to see the lights and take pictures. We went last year, but Abby wasn't quite old enough to be enamored by all the lights and activities. This year, however, she really enjoyed looking at everything.

For more pictures go to my Opryland Hotel Picasa Web Album.

Birthday Countdown

Well... I am about to turn 30 years old!

Andrea surprised me with a huge basket full of presents. She planned it so that I can open one present everyday until my 30th birthday. What a great idea!

Thank you so much Andrea for your thoughtfulness and your sweet heart.

I look forward to opening a little surprise everyday!

Thanksgiving

Normally we would have gone to Searcy, AR this Thanks - giving to be with parents, but this year they are on an overseas program with Harding University in Greece. Instead, we went to Jackson, TN to be with Andrea's parents (John and Freda). We were able to have close one-on-one time with them since Andrea's sisters also do an every-other-year rotation.

Before we had our Thanksgiving meal, this year we decided to do something a little different. We cooked cookies and went to a Soup Kitchen to share some Thanksgiving joy. We met a man outside in the parking lot that enjoyed watching Abby walk around.

Afterwards we went to a park and played around on the equipment. After getting tired and working up an appetite, we went back to John and Freda's house to have Thanksgiving lunch.

Instead of cooking a huge meal and spending 20 minutes to eat it all, we ordered out from Honey Baked Ham. Boy, that was a good choice!.

We started a new tradition this year! At the end of our meal we each tool 5 corn kernals and took turns saying one thing we are thankful for until the kernels were gone. It was a great exercise to help us remember how God is faithful and how He provides for us.

For more pictures go to my Thanksgiving Picasa Web Album.

Vanderbilt Football Game

Garrison and Annie Strickland invited us to go to the Vanderbilt vs. Florida football game this weekend.

We had a great time playing in the Fun Zone before the game, enjoying the food, watching the football game, and enjoying our time with friends.

Thank you Stricklands for the good time and for thinking of us.

Trick or Treat

We dressed Abby up in her first Halloween costume and took her trick or treating tonight. As you can see, she was a beautiful little flower.

Although we didn't let her eat the candy, she enjoyed playing with it and holding the candy bucket.

Maybe next year Abby can share in some of the candy she gets. This year, however, her daddy enjoyed much of it.

Assisted Living PreHalloween

Andrea and Abby went to the Waterford Assisted Living facility with the Bellevue Mom's Club to encourage the elderly residents and give out candy to them.

One of the elderly ladies was so moved by the children that she said that this was the best Halloween that she has ever had.

Another woman, as depicted in the above picture, had a great time and gave kids rides on her walker, including Abby.

Paternal Grandparents

My paternal grand- parents called the other day and mentioned they were in the Nashville area. They used to live in Tennessee, but they now live in Search, AR close to my parents.

They came by this afternoon and it was really good to catch up with them. They both looked very well and appeared to be in good health. It was great for Abby to see and spend time with them.

We should be back in Searcy, AR later this year after my parents return from Greece.

Disney Cruise

Ahh... we just got back from our first Cruise experience, and boy... let me tell you, it was wonderful!

We went on a 7 day Disney Cruise to Costa Maya, Cozumel, and Castaway Cay ( Disney's Island ) with Andrea's immediate family ( her parents, sisters, and their children ).

Abby had a great time at the beach, getting pictures with the Disney characters, and watching the shows performed at night. It was so fun to watch Abby experience all these things for the first time.

We highly recommend a Disney Cruise to anyone interested. The service is 1st class. Those Disney people know how to do it right!

For more pictures go to my Disney Cruise Picasa Web Album.

Dollhouse

Andrea bought Abby her first Dollhouse from a local garage sale.

After Andrea cleaned it, we put it on our back porch and watched Abby play with it. She had a lot of fun laying the toy people to sleep in their beds and pushing them back and forth on the swing.

For more pictures go to my Dollhouse Picasa Web Album.

Firetruck

The Bellevue Mom's Club went on a Pegram Fire Department outing.

They got to see the firemen in their uniforms, learned about fire safely, got a tour of the firehouse, and got to play around on the firetruck.

For more pictures go to my Firetruck Picasa Web Album.

Luchauer's Visit

Erik and Sonya Luchauer, our close friends from Harding University, came to Nashville for the annual Zoe Leadership and Worship Conference.

We were glad to have them over to our house after the conference for dinner and fellowship. It has been so long since we have seen them. It was refreshing to catch up and see how God has been working in their lives. I hope it won't be as long before we meet up again.

Erik and Sonya, may God continue to bless and guide you as you both serve and grow close to Him.

Early Birthday Party

Although Andrea's birthday isn't for several weeks yet ( October 18th ), I decided to celebrate the event early since we will be on vacation on her official birthday.

So, I arranged a babysitter for Abby, Andrea's Parents, and surprised Andrea with a dinner and a show. We went to the Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre to watch the comic mystery Deathtrap.

We enjoyed the show. It had a lot of twists and turns that made it interesting and funny. Thank you John and Freda for making this night possible. I really appreciate it.

Walden Pumpkin Farm

I took off work early today and we all went to the Walden Pumpkin Farm in Smyrna, TN.

They had all sorts of things to see and do. There is a huge corn field maze (which incidentally took us a while to get out of), tons of animals to see and pet (chickens, turkeys, cows, pigs, goats, etc...), a miniature pumpkin patch, an assortment of larger pumpkins, a hay ride, a playground, and more!

I think we are going to make the Walden Pumpkin Farm a yearly tradition!

For more pictures go to my Walden Pumpkin Farm Picasa Web Album.

First Fort

This is just the first of many forts to come.

Abby and Andrea had a great time building, crawling in and out, and laying under this fort looking up at the ceiling.

I look forward to branching out and making bigger and better forts as time goes on. Speaking of that, we will have to have a family camping trip soon! That'll be a blast.

Boy, I tell you... being a Husband and a Dad is great and it keeps getting better.

Little Toy Train

I drove Pawi and Moni ( Abby's Great Grandparents ) to Andrea's parents home to visit my Father-in-Law ( John a.k.a "Pops" ) after his car accident and to pick up an Entertainment Rack that we built. Thankfully John is recovering well. Praise God for protecing him!

While we were there Abby enjoyed playing with a train set that her Nana bought recently. Although the train is meant for children most all of us got down and played with her too :)

Time To Move On

And she walks... on film!

For a while now Abby has been experimenting with walking. She has been taking several steps at a time and getting further and further.

At first it was hard to get footage of her walking, but the better she gets the more opportunity I get to film her.

So, without further ado... watch and enjoy her walking.

Nashville Symphony

Andrea's parents honored us by purchasing tickets for us all to experience the Opening Weekend of the Nashville Symphony with a performance by Amy Grant and her Special Guests LeAnn Rimes, Vince Gill, and Michael W. Smith.

We all got dressed, got a baby sitter for Abby ( Thank you so much Melanie ), and headed off to the Symphony. The Schermerhorn Symphony Center is breathtaking! They sure didn't cut corners while building the center.

During the performance Amy Grant was honored for the contributions she has made to the Nashville Symphony over the years. The "...symphony President and CEO Alan Valentine came to the stage and announced that it was being named the Amy Grant Performance Platform, in recognition of Grant's generosity." You can read more details about the annoucement on Amy Grant's website.

It was a great time had by all. Thank you, John and Freda, for treating us to this special evening. We will remember and cherish the time we had with you. We look forward to going to more performances in the near future. There are many to choose from and several of them are FREE!

Sedberrys Visit

Clayton and Cara Sedberry came to visit Nashville from Springdale, AR.

We don't get to see them very often because they live 9 1/2 hours away, so it was very good to hang out with them.

We are excited for us all to get back together again this Christmas.

Abby's 1st Birthday

Believe it or not, Abby is now 1 year old!

I've said this before, but its amazing how quickly she has grown up.

This weekend we had a huge party to celebrate Abby's life, to thank God for blessing us with the gift of raising her, and to give the party guests an opportunity to write down blessings for Abby's next year.

I put together some videos to capture Abby's first year with us. You can access these videos from Google Video...

• Let Them Be Little


• Isn't She Lovely


• Father and Daughter


• Mother and Daughter


• Walking on Sunshine


• Bathtime

For more pictures go to my Abby's 1st Birthday Picasa Web Album.

Abby @ 11 Months

Abby is now 11 months old.

It is hard to believe that she is almost 1 year old!

Every now and again I'll look at her and notice how grown up she looks. Before I know it she'll be leaving for college. It's a good reminder for Andrea and me to cherish every moment we have with her.

Just the other day Abby took her first 4 steps! We are in the process of trying to capture it on video. Once we get her walking on film, I'll post a new entry.

We have enjoyed going to the community pool during this hot summer. Sometimes we meet at the pool after I come home from work.

For more pictures go to my @ 11 Months Picasa Web Album.

Grandma & Papa Visit

Shortly after my dad came back from his archeological dig in Israel, he and my mom came to visit us in Nashville. Thankfully, I was able to take some time off work to spend with them while they were here.

We all at breakfast at the Loveless Motel and Cafe located near our house. It was my first time to experience the cafe. Apparently, it is nationally known for its southern cooking and country charm.

While were were at the cafe we snapped a cute picture of Abby Wearing a Cowgirl Hat inside the motel shop.

For more pictures go to my Grandma & Papa Visit Picasa Web Album.

Greetings from Israel

Indiana Jones...

I mean, my Dad has been in Israel on an archeaological excavation for the past several weeks.

My dad has been field directory at Tel Beth-Shemesh since 2000. He goes to Israel on an excavation during the summer while he is not teaching Bible and Archeaology at Harding University.

I am very proud of my Dad and his work. Through his work and teaching he has continued to strengthen the faith of many people by showing the accuracy of the Scriptures.

For more pictures go to my Tel Beth-Shemesh Picasa Web Album.

4th of July

This 4th of July we spent the weekend with some friends ( Matt, Ashley, and Alana Atnip ) from Western Hills Church of Christ.

We drove to Cookeville, TN and hung out with Matt's family. His family is very warm and made us feel like we were at home. We went fishing in the river behind thier house and shortly after Matt's Dad showed me how to fly fish, I caught a HUGE carp! Unfortuately, the fish was so large that it bent the hook and got away. I know, I know, it sounds like a fish tale, but I had witnesses :)

The next day we all had a delicious lunch together and then spent the evening watching the fireworks show over the lake.

For more pictures go to my 4th of July 2006 Picasa Web Album.

First Father's Day

I just experienced my first Father's day.

It is a joy to be Abby's father. I have so much fun playing with her and it's a great pleasure to watch her grow and learn things.

Abby, with a lot of help from Andrea, made me a very special scrapbook with pictures of Abby and I together. I will cherish this piece of artwork with all my heart.

We had Andrea's parents and paternal grandparents over for Father's Day lunch this year. Andrea made an outstanding meal to honor the fathers present at our meal. She is quite the cook :)

Thank you Andrea and Abby for making me feel special and honoring me on this special day. It has been a joy to be your husband and father.

Abby @ 10 Months

Abby is now 10 months old.

In addtion to pushing toys around ( see Infant Walker ), Abby is standing for up to 10 seconds at a time ( as depicted in the picture to the right )!

At the rate she is progressing, she is bound to be walking in the very near future.

Abby enjoys climbing our stairs ( supervised of course ), going to the neighborhood pool in the late afternoon, swinging on our back porch, pulling books off most any shelf, playing around the house, and eating finger foods.

For more pictures go to my Abby @ 10 Months Picasa Web Album.

Grandma's Chorus Line

We drove to Searcy, Arkansas to visit with my Mom. Unfortunately, my Dad wasn't there because he just left for his annual Beth-Shemesh Archaeology excavation in Israel.

Abby had a great time playing with her Grandma.

My mom babysat Abby one night while we went to Little Rock and watched A Chorus Line at The Rep Theatre. We met up with Brandon and Hannah Siegel at Vino's and enjoyed eating and catching up with them.

For more pictures go to my Grandma's Chorus Line Picasa Web Album.

Infant Walker

For a larger version of this video go to Google Video

Note: Since this is video, you may have to wait some for your computer to start the clip. Also, you may be prompted to install Macromedia Flash if you do not already have it installed on your web browser.

We went to a neighborhood garage sale and racked up on several toy bargains for Abby. We captured some video of Abby pushing one of the toys in our living room.

We only paid 50 cents for the push toy, but the moment watching Abby push it around is priceless.

6th Anniversary

Andrea and I celebrated our 6th year anniversary.

We stayed in Nashville and did some touristy things like visiting the Hermitage and cruising on the General Jackson Showboat.

Andrea's parents (John and Freda Hall) took care of Abby while we enjoyed our anniversary weekend. This was Abby's first weekend away from us. Although we missed her, it was good to have an extended weekend date.

It has been a wonderful 6 years married to my beautiful wife Andrea. I am blessed by God to have found her. Thank you, Andrea, for being such a loving and caring wife to me and mother to our daughter.

For more pictures go to my 6th Anniversary Yahoo! Photo Album.

Papa's Visit

My Dad came to visit from Searcy, AR for several days shortly after Harding University's graduation. My Mom wasn't able to come this time.

While Dad was here he helped us out with several projects around the house such as flooring a large section of our attic with plywood and installing a new electrical outlet in Andrea's Stampin' Up closet.

Much of the work helped make our bonus room more spacious and livable. We were able to move a lot of storage into the attic, which opens up more playing room for Abby.

Thank you Dad for helping us out. It was so good to see you and I'm glad that you were able to visit our new home.

For more pictures go to my Papa's Visit Yahoo! Photo Album.

Abby @ 9 Months

Abby just turned 9 months old!

In addtion to babbling, she has started to say "Dada", which I am quite excited about.

She has also been experimenting with standing up on her own for a few seconds at a time. Its probably not too much longer before she starts walking.

One of the toys that she enjoys pushing around (as seen in this photo) plays an upbeat song and she has started to dance to the music when the song plays. Its so funny and cute to watch her move her hands and legs with the music!

Abby really enjoys feeding herself finger foods. She is experimenting with drinking from a sippy cup.

First Mother's Day

This was Andrea's first real Mother's Day.

I gave Andrea ( on behalf of Abby ) an 8 x 10 framed calendar picture of her and Abby and also a picture album filled with pictures of just the two of them. Andrea strives to give the best for Abby no matter what it is. I appreciate that quality in her very much. Andrea, I thank you for being a great Mother to our child.

Western Hills Church of Christ also honored Andrea and all the other mothers by passing out flowers to them. I want to thank Western Hills for that very kind and touching gesture.

Several hours after Church we got together with Andrea's Parents, Paternal Grandparents, and her Aunt to grill and home cook an early dinner. We had a great time, although I think I ate way too much :)

Unfortunately, I was unable to be with my Mom this year, but I was able to call her on the phone and wish her a happy Mother's Day. Mom, you have blessed me greatly. I pray that God will continue to bless you as well.

Flying Picnic

It was such a beautiful day out that we had to get out and enjoy it.

We drove out to the Edwin Warner Park in Bellevue. We had a picnic from Subway at the Benefactor's Grove and flew a biplane kite while the wind was blowing!

It was a great day out in God's beautiful creation. Abby didn't really notice the kite when it was high in the air, but she did enjoy being outside. She particularly thought it was funny when I was running around the park maneuvering the kite.

For more pictures go to my Flying Picnic 2006 Yahoo! Photo Album.

Teawood

Abby, Andrea, and her mother ( Freda ) had a special tea time at Freed-Hardeman University's Associates Victorian Tea Party. They had a fun outing drinking tea, eating crumpets, and dressing up in Victorian wear. I hear that Abby was a star at the event. Some of women were so enamored by Abby that they were unable to fully appreciate their tea :)

While the girls were out John, my father-in-law, and I made 2 large shelves for our laundry room. John has a fine shop in his new garage. He is a very talented wood worker and I enjoyed working alongside him.

For more pictures go to my Teawood 2006 Yahoo! Photo Album.

Vic Zoogirl

Abby and I went to the Nashville Zoo with the Stricklands. This was Abby's second time to the zoo. Andrea took her several weeks ago while I was at work with Gere Acevedo and her boys.

During most of our zoo trip Abby was more interested in the people and nearby plants than the animals. I think the animals were just too distant and lackadaisical for her to notice them, however, the Ring-Tailed Lemurs ( as seen in the above picture ) were very active and caught her attention. You can't see her face in this picture because she is very focused on the lemurs. If you want to see her face you can check out my photo album below :)

You might be wondering where Andrea was during our zoo trip. She was feeling under the weather. She is now feeling better after taking some antibiotics.

For more pictures go to my Zoo with Daddy Yahoo! Photo Album.

Searcy Family

This weekend we drove to Searcy, AR to visit my parents. Abby had a good time playing with my Mom and touching my Dad's beard.

We also visited my paternal Grandparents two doors down the street. My Grandmother is healing from surgery that she had about a week ago. Please keep her in your prayers while she is recovering.

On Sundy we drove to Melbourne where my Dad preaches. The members of the church were very excited to see Abby for the first time.

For more pictures go to my 2006 Searcy Family Yahoo! Photo Album.

Abby @ 8 Months

Abby is now 8 months old.

She has started to creep on all fours, pull herself to a standing position, and eat finger foods!

Andrea and I have enjoyed walking with Abby to our neighborhood playground and watching her swing. Abby seems to really enjoy being outside.

It's a good feeling when I come home and watch Abby's reaction when she first sees me. Her legs start kicking for joy! She has started doing that when she gets excited or happy about something.

For more pictures go to my Abby @ 8 Months Yahoo! Photo Album.

Easter

Like many other firsts, this was Abby's first Easter.

Western Hills Church of Christ had an Easter Egg Hunt after services on Sunday morning. They let the youngest children go first before letting all the other kids. Abby isn't old enough yet to walk so she sat down and played with the eggs around her.

We invited Pawi & Moni Hall, Carole McDonald, and Andrew Stewart over for our first official lunch guests. After we ate we passed around Resurrection Eggs and told about Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection. The exercise was good to focus our mind's on the True Meaning of Easter ( which often gets overpowered by a bunny and lots of candy ).

For more pictures go to my Easter 2006 Yahoo! Photo Album.

Washington DC

Andrea and Abby went to Washington, DC for a week to visit her older sister and family. Andrea's parents went to visit at the same time so that made traveling with Abby much easier and more enjoyable.

During their trip they experienced the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, went to the National Cherry Blossom Festival at the Title Basin, our nephews flew a kite, they all went to a pottery store and made platters with Abby's footprint and our nephew's handprints, and much more.

It is good to have Andrea and Abby back home, but I am glad they had a good time. I surely did miss them both.

For more pictures go to my Washington DC 2006 Yahoo! Photo Album.

Home Sweet Home

Hooray! Our house has been built, we have closed, and we have moved in!

We are very excited to be out of the apartment and in a much roomier space! It was difficult going from a house in Little Rock back to an apartment, however, it did make the move into this house that much sweeter.

I would like to thank our family, Andrew Stewart, and the Western Hills Church of Christ for helping us move in and unpack. You all were life savers!

Also a special thanks goes out to our realtor, Molly Edmondson. I highly recommend her services for anyone selling or buying a house in the Nashville area. She is great at what she does!

Impromptu Hall Family Reunion

We had a unexpected Hall family reunion in Nashville.

Clayton & Cara Sedberry, Heath Parnell & Caitlin, Paul & Megan Mitchell, and John & Freda Hall all showed up in Nashville at the same time.

We had such a crew together that we had our own services on Sunday morning at Carole's house.

While we were together some practiced the piano and/or sang songs as seen in this picture and others in the following photo album.


For more pictures go to my Impromptu Hall Family Reunion Yahoo! Photo Album.

Abby @ 7 Months

Abby is now 7 months old.

She is to the point where she is reaching for whoever she wants. Its a good feeling when you are the target of her reach.

Her crawling capabilities are much better than the last crawling video I posted. She can now move across the room at a pretty good rate of speed.

She is not able to creep yet, but she does get on all fours and rocks back and forth.

Also, she is almost able to get in the sitting position from her belly. I imagine she will be able to master this skill in the near future.

Abby is recovering from a slight sickness. Its not as bad as the full out Flu a while back, but its still uncomfortable and disrupting.

We also think that she is starting to go through some seperation anxiety that is common in babies this age.

For more pictures go to my Abby @ 7 Months Yahoo! Photo Album.

Wye Mountain

For a larger version of this video go to Google Video

Note: Since this is video, you may have to wait some for your computer to start the clip. Also, you may be prompted to install Macromedia Flash if you do not already have it installed on your web browser.

This weekend we went on our yearly trek to Wye Mountain in Arkansas. This is our 3rd year to visit the dandelion field and it was Abby's first time to visit ( not including when Andrea was pregnant ). We took pictures with our good friends the Siegels and Chapins.

The Siegels graciously let us stay with them while we were in Little Rock and baby-sat Abby while we went to watch Tuesdays with Morrie at the Arkansas Repertory Theatre.

On Sunday, we worshiped at CrossWalk Family of God. It was so good to be among our friends and family at CrossWalk again. We have a very special bond with the people in that church and they hold a dear place in our hearts.

Unfortunately we were unable to visit my parents. They were out of town visiting my sister and her family in California. We missed seeing them, but we look forward to seeing them in the near future.

For more pictures go to my Wye Mountain 2006 Yahoo! Photo Album.

Abby Crawling

I have caught some good footage of Abby's first crawling experiences in the above video. Now that she is mobile, we are in the process of child proofing our home. She is sure growing up quickly!

For a larger version of this video go to Google Video

Note: Since this is video, you may have to wait some for your computer to start the clip. Also, you may be prompted to install Macromedia Flash if you do not already have it installed on your web browser.

Abby's First Solid Food

Abby just started eating solid foods. Her first food is homemade brown rice cereal. As you will see, she is very eager to eat. Share this experience with us as Abby eats on her first day of solid foods.

For a larger version of this video go to Google Video

Note: Since this is video, you may have to wait some for your computer to start the clip. Also, you may be prompted to install Macromedia Flash if you do not already have it installed on your web browser.

Abby Blows Raspberries

Abby just turned 6 months old and she has learned a new trick... blowing raspberries. She and I exchange raspberries in this video.

For a larger version of this video go to Google Video

Note: Since this is video, you may have to wait some for your computer to start the clip. Also, you may be prompted to install Macromedia Flash if you do not already have it installed on your web browser.

Abby @ 6 Months

Abby is now 6 months old.

In addition to getting bigger, she is getting much more mobile. She isn't quite crawling yet, but she can roll over and over again and spin around in circles.

This past month Abby got the flu. She no longer has a fever and is almost over her cough. It has been tough seeing her uncomfortable and being unable to do much to help her.

Abby has learned a new skill this month. She can now blow a raspberry! I have a video that I will post soon demonstrating this cute talent... stay tuned.

For more pictures go to my Abby @ 6 Months Yahoo! Photo Album.

Abby @ 5 Months

Abby is 5 months old now.

We think she is going through a growth spurt because she is starting to eat much more than she used to. As a result, she is getting so much bigger.

She has had some troubles with her digestive system, but things are starting to clear up.

Abby isn't crawling yet, but she is sitting up like a pro!

She is also starting to demonstrate a strong attachment to us. My heart melts when she turns from her crib and makes a huge smile when she recognizes my face.

Abby Sits Up: Video

Abby Sits Up

Abby is now sitting up... and she isn't even 5 months old yet!

I was about to take some pictures of her tripoding ( sitting forward propping herself up with her arms ), but to our amazement she started sitting upright by herself for about 2 minutes!

I captured the moment on my video camera as well ( check back here for the video in the near future ).

Since this initial moment she has been regularly sitting up. I guess she is raring to reach the next developmental marker.

She is growing up so fast. Before you know it she will be crawling and walking all over the apartment! We have some baby proofing to do before that happens :)