Daddy, we're proud of you!

Congratulations goes to Elijah! 

Elijah got nominated and accepted to be a member of the ASPInsiders.

"The ASPInsiders is a select group of international professionals who have a demonstrated expertise in ASP.NET technologies and who provide valuable, early feedback on related developing technologies and publications to their peers, the Microsoft ASP.NET team, and others."

Also, recently a huge website posted an entry about the Top 20 developers to Follow on Twitter and his name was in it!

He's listed as #18 alongside developers that are highly respected.  As for the other 19, some have podcasts, some work at Microsoft, some write the technologies that Elijah uses, and others have blogs.

What an honor!  Our family is so proud of Elijah and all his hard work. 

We're also thrilled for him as he received a wonderful job offer not too long ago. He is using cutting edge technologies that he has been speaking about for the past few months. God is so good to provide more than we could as or imagine.

He was also mentioned in a video that was posted recently on Bytes by MSDN. Scott Hanselman, a Microsoft Principle Program Manager, mentioned Elijah as one of the answers when asked who he goes to for sources of technical information.

Many developers read Scott's blog, listen to his podcasts, and he recently co-authored a book about ASP.NET MVC (which is one of the main technologies that Elijah's been focusing on the past year or so).

The question about Elijah starts at the 3:34 minute mark and his name is mentioned shortly after that if you want to skip directly to that part. You can watch the video here.

We are so proud that Elijah has been recognized by such a leader in his field.  All his hard work over the years is really paying off this year.

Father's Day Times Two

This was my first Father's day with both Abby and Enoch!

They presented me with these two special books...

• Dance me, Daddy
• Daddy Hugs

I love being a daddy and I love my two precious children! Thank you Andrea, Abby, and Enoch.

4th of July

We had another great 4th of July! This year Enoch was able to participate in the 4th of July parade in our neighborhood. All the kids decorate their wagon, bike, tricycle, etc... and we all make our way up and down the main road.

At the end of the parade we are all awaited with watermelon! Then we headed to the neighborhood pool party with hamburgers, hot dogs, cookies, and swimming fun!

Swimming Lessons

Abby has been taking swim lessons from our next door neighbor, Michael.

We're so thankful to have a pool in our neighborhood. Our other neighbor across the street, Mary, has been learning to swim with Abby and Michael, too.

Abby has done well and enjoys the lessons, but going under water is not her favorite part. Maybe next year will be easier.

Big Girl Bike

Abby and I went around to what seemed like a million garage sales surrounding our neighborhood in search of a big girl bike.

We found the above pink Barbie bike with training wheels, helmet, pads, etc... for $20!

As you can tell, she is very excited about her new bike :)

Enoch @ 11 Months

Enoch just turned 11 months.

He is now crawling on his hands and knees (instead of the inch-worm crawl), he has started to wave goodbye, he is clapping his hands, and he can also "give you a five" if you hand out your hand to him.

As long as he is holding something, he can take steps (like if he is holding my hands or the couch).

We love Enoch and he continues to brighten our day.

Ford Focus ZX3

After several weeks of not having a second car, I finally bought a commuter car!

In the meantime, I've been carpooling or just taking our family van.

I was looking for a small commuter car that has a history of being reliable and one that has good gas mileage.

I had my eye on the craigslist website for about a month and finally ran across a smoking deal.

I ended up getting a Ford Focus ZX3 as you can see in the above picture.

A big thanks goes out to Kevin Talley for giving the car his stamp of approval.

In Memory of Granny Skelton

My maternal grandmother, Lura Mae Skelton, passed away at age 93.

The funeral was a sad, but wonderful time to remember her life and all she did to help others.

She was such a hard worker. I remember helping her pick vegetables from her garden in the summer time, and swinging on the front porch swing. She'd make scrambled eggs, and chocolate gravy and biscuits. Yum!

I'm so thankful to have had such a wonderful example of a Christian woman in my life. Can't wait to see her again in heaven!

Having Fun With Aunts

Andrea's sisters were in town and they had some very special time with Abby and Enoch.

Abby enjoyed Alissa painting her toenails and having tea parties.

Anna and Abby made puppets and a house for them to play in. Abby continues to play with and enjoy the puppet house even after Anna left for home.

On numerous occasions, Abby has asked if she could get on an airplane to go visit Alissa or Anna.

We are so glad that she loves her Aunts.

Bye Bye Saturn

Elijah's car needed yet another repair. The repair was going to cost almost as much as the car is worth. We've repaired it several times and this little car has lasted a long time, but we decided it's time to let it go. So for now, we're trying to make it on one car. Thankfully, Elijah has found someone he can ride to work with if he needs to, but most days he just takes the van with him. It's actually been a good excuse to make myself stay home and not be so busy. It's nice that his job is flexible enough that if he needs to, he can work from home. We're keeping our eyes open for another little commuter car, but it's nice to not be in a big rush.

Mother's Day Times Two

This is Andrea's first Mother's day with two children!

Abby and Enoch made a special card with their hand prints and they both wrote inside the card. Abby wrote her name and Enoch expressed his love in scribbles :)

Abby and I printed out a huge picture of her and Enoch and we also made a key chain version so Andrea can always be reminded of her loving children.

To top it off, Abby got her mother a huge set of flowers to display on our kitchen table.

Andrea, you are such a great mother to our children. I enjoy watching you interact and play with them. You have so many great ideas of creative and educational activities to do with the children. May God continue to bless you as you mother our children.

Enoch @ 10 Months

Enoch is such a joy to our family. He's started pulling up a little bit and eating table foods. He doesn't seem to be as interested in his bottle anymore. He loves to watch Abby run and play and to laugh when she laughs. He follows us around, crawling from room to room. When I think of Enoch, I think of his smile and his laugh. What a happy little guy!

Traditional Tea Party

We attended the Freed Hardeman University's annual Tea Party. Abby and I have attended with my Mom each year since I was expecting Abby. There were dress up clothes for the girls to try on and two different craft projects. There were also some ladies teaching the adults how to stitch butterflies on note cards. I took a bag of the supplies home and have really enjoyed stitching the cards while Abby works on her own craft creations. Of course there was also the high tea with wonderful food. Abby used wonderful table manners. As she gets older, I'll ask Nana to teach her more about table manners. She used to teach etiquette classes. I look forward to carrying on this special girls tradition each year.

Handyman Manor

Enoch is already trying to be like his Daddy. It's finally time to lower Enoch's crib a little. Elijah had his tools out working on it. He left the room for a minute and came back to find Enoch holding the wrench tapping on the bed right where Elijah had just been using it. Precious! I look forward to watching Enoch grow into a man. He certainly has an excellent Daddy to learn from.

April Home Preschool

We've done a few fun activities this month. We made sailboats from ice cube trays and attached foil for the sales. Then we floated them in the sand and water table in the backyard (thank you Guinness family for the loan of the table!) Enoch had fun playing with the foil while Abby sailed the boats. Another day she enjoyed using a medicine dropper to move colored water from one bowl to another. This was a great activity to do while I was making dinner.

We have a nice little sidewalk close to our house that is covered with trees. We brought our little people there. Abby made a wonderful little house and garden for them out of the twigs, berries, leaves, etc. that she found nearby. Enoch was so good to just sit in the wagon and play while she made her creation. I love to see her playing pretend and using nature to build things instead of being reliant on toys. I remember making houses for my Glamor Gals (anyone remember those?) when I was little. I used moss for the carpet in the houses I built for them outside. We're looking forward to spending more time outside now that the weather is nice.

I Can Read!

Abby was in the bathroom the other night getting ready for bed when I heard her say "mmmmmmmmmmmmm ooooooooooo mmmmmmmmmmmmmm" She kepts saying that over and over. I went in there to see what she was doing. There was a magazine open that had the word "Mom" written in large letters. I asked her what she was doing. She said she was trying to read that word. I said, "oh, okay," and I walked out of the room. She kept working on it until she figured it out on her own. She ran all over the house saying, "I can read, I can read, I can read!" Since then, she has really been interested in learning to read. We have started using a book called, "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons." She's on lesson 24 and is doing very well. She likes to "read" her Bible and "read" to her friend, Mary. What a wonderful gift to be able to give a child, the gift of reading!

Camp Pops and Nana II

My sister, Alissa and her boys joined us for "Camp Pops and Nana." We spent several days at my parents house, it was so great for the cousins to be able to play together. Alissa and her family live in Maryland, so we don't get to see them very often. This was Abby's first time to dye Easter eggs. We made a scavenger hunt for them and the end prize was their Easter baskets. I loved seeing Nana and all the kids piled on the bed for bedtime stories. Later during the week, we spent some time in Nashville at the zoo. We hardly looked at the animals, the boys declared the zoo playground as the best playground in the world. We're sad that my other sister, Anna and her family were not able to join us this year. We look forward to next year!

Neighborhood Easter

Our neighborhood hosts an Easter egg hunt party each year. They had a magician, an egg hunt, cotton candy and popcorn. My sister, Alissa and her family were here for a visit and were able to attend the party with us. Moni and Pawi walked down to join in the fun, too.

Enoch @ 9 Months

Enoch is finally sleeping through the night consistently! He's also started crawling. He does his own unique version of crawling. He looks like an inchworm and sometimes it looks like he's swimming or something. He uses total upper body strength to move. He's already begun to find the things that are off limits for babies, like the fireplace and our Roomba vacuum cleaner.

Apples of Gold

A few years ago while living in Arkansas, I tried to start a mentoring program for women called, "Apples of Gold" at the church we attended. Unfortunately, the older women never seemed to have enough time to participate. We were recently going through our bookshelves to sell some back to a used bookstore. I saw the book and thought, this study will never happen, so we sold it. A few weeks later, it was announced that our church was going to have an "Apples of Gold" class. I knew I had to sign up for it. We met for 3 hours during the evening for 8 weeks. Each night we were greeted at the door with hugs from the mentors. We enjoyed appetizers as we watched a cooking and homemaking demonstration. We were led in a Bible study and then enjoyed discussion over dinner that was prepared for us. These women invested so much time and energy into our lives. It was evident that each of the women were passionate about mentoring, not one of them was pressured or guilted into being there. Our class of mentees enjoyed each other and have been keeping in touch since the end of the class. I'm so thankful to have been a part of the "Apples of Gold" program and hope to be able to serve in another class.

Papa and Memaw's visit

Memaw and Papa, Elijah's parents, came for a visit. We went to visit the Cheekwood Botanical gardens. It was beautiful! I brought pictures of springtime flowers so we went on a scavenger hunt for the flowers. We also met Elijah's Uncle John and Aunt Sue at Cracker Barrel.

Daddy & Daughter Dance

Abby and I have started to have special Daddy and Daughter dates, but this is our first dance together :)

Fellowship Bible Church organized an event just for Fathers and their daughters. Abby got to dress up in one of her pretty dresses, I dressed up in a suit (which is a rarity), I bought her a rose, and then we headed to the dance.

I think Abby's favorite part of the whole night was the chocolate fountain that they had with strawberries, marshmallows, and pretzel sticks. She also was very fond of going to the ice cream store afterwords.

Two of Abby's close friends were there as well, Bethany Guinness and Grace Talley. Us fathers and girls danced the the hokey poky, joined in the conga line, motioned to the makarana, and participated in other such dances.

We both had a great time and made some very good memories that I think we will both remember for a long time. I hope to make this a yearly tradition.

Monkey's Tree House

There's a great place to play in town called, The Monkey's Tree house. It's perfect for a rainy or hot day. They have a section for little ones to crawl around in, an indoor tree house, a sandbox, dress up clothes, an art section, a pretend grocery store and more. We met the Guinness family there this time.

Ugly Bug Ball

The Ugle Bug Ball is an opportunity for the children at Mustard Seed Preschool to come dressed up as “ugly bugs.” Abby dressed as a bumble bee. They've been discussing creeping animals in creation at school. Several stations were set up to play as and talk about what insects and creeping animals can do. The children also participated in an “Ugly Bug Parade” down the hallways of the preschool.

Enoch @ 8 Months

Enoch cut his first two teeth this month. He's usually such a happy baby, but cutting teeth is rough stuff. He's also had several ear infections that never seem to clear up after the first antibiotic. He loves to swing on the back porch

Down by the River

The community we live in has a paved trail that runs by the river. There's one place we're able to get down the river. We love to throw rocks in the river. This was Enoch's first time to join us, he loved riding in the back pack!

FPU Game Night

Our community group has been going through Dave Ramsey's "Financial Peace" course. We took a break one night to have a taco and game night. We played Apple's to Apple's and Catch Phrase. The kids played a Disney Bingo game. Fun times.

Pawi's 90th Birthday

We were honored to attend my grandfather's surprise birthday party. Pawi was celebrating his 90th birthday and he was definitely surprised. My Aunt, Carole, and my Dad did a great job planning the party. Many of his friends were able to come and those who weren't sent cards and letters. We are so blessed to have Moni and Pawi and have learned so much from the wisdom they have shared with us over the years.

Dr. Seues Birthday

They celebrated Dr. Seuss' birthday at Abby's preschool. The children dressed up as characters from Dr. Seuss books. Abby dressed up as Horton the Elephant, from the book, "Horton Hears a Who." It was fun to see all the creative costumes.

Brotherly Love

Enoch is getting big enough for Abby to start including him in her play. She invited him to come to her tea party along with her other animal friends. He sat right there with her and listened closely to what she was telling him. He also played the part of baby Moses while she was Miriam. We've re-enacted this story before, but always had to use a baby doll for Moses. It was fun to use a real baby this time! He didn't want to stay in the basket for too long, though. I've also overheard Abby making the two of them a "secret hideout." I love to see them playing together!

Feburary Home Preschool

I haven't been keeping up with doing our "home preschool" activities as much as I had planned, but every now and then we do some pretty fun things at home. I've found a great website with some great simple activities to do at home. Abby enjoyed cutting beads from a Mardi Gras necklace and gluing them onto her name. Enoch won't be able to be that close when he starts crawling! She also practiced her cutting skills using small strips of cardstock, which is less flimsy than printer paper and the narrow strips are easier to handle.

Expanded Snowmen Family

We only had one snow day this winter and there was hardly any snow. Enoch and I watched from the window as Abby and Elijah made a miniature snowman family like last year, only this year, there was one extra snow baby!

A Mommy in the Works

I'm amazed at the maternal instinct that God gives to little girls. It's so precious to see Abby care for her baby doll and her brother Enoch. I've carried Enoch around in a sling and Elijah came up with the idea to make Abby her own sling for her baby doll which she calls Enoch. We used a towel and a chip clip to hold it together. There are also days that she really enjoys helping with housework. I've been encouraging her to learn how to do the laundry, wash dishes, etc. because someday God might give her a family and home of her own. She'll need to know how to take care of them. I pray that she is learning how to care tenderly for babies and children and that some day God will bless her with her own family to care for.

Enoch @ 7 Months

Enoch's doing well eating baby food. Abby really enjoys feeding him, which has been very helpful. I've also given him huge pieces of vegetables to chew on that he couldn't choke on. He gets the flavor of the vegetables and it feels good on his gums.

Nashville Ballet

Abby and I had a girls day out together on Saturday. The Nashville Ballet had a free performance based on the children's book, Ferdinand the Bull. Abby LOVES anything having to do with dance. She had asked if she could wear her ballet costume.

After the show, the children were allowed to come on stage and perform some of the dance moves in the ballet. It was so cute to see her up there on stage. After the ballet, we went to lunch together and then shopping for a few things at the mall. It was so fun to spend a day with just the two of us together.

It's a Circus Out There

We used the money that Pops and Nana gave the kids for Christmas to go to the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

It was so fun to see the animals and acrobats. It was a long show, 2 1/2 hours, plus the pre-show before where we got to go in the ring and see the performers up close. Both Abby and Enoch did well. It was neat to see the wonder in their eyes.

Pop's Birthday

We were so glad to have Pops here for his birthday. We are so thankful that he and Nana are a part of our lives.

While they were here for his birthday they also played several games with Abby... Candy Land and Hi Ho! Cherry-0. We enjoyed watching them have such a good time together.

Enoch @ 6 Months

Enoch is now 6 months old!

He is sitting up well on his own now and he's also started eating baby food. Andrea and Abby have had fun making most of his baby food together. So far he's had: sweet potatoes, asparagus, avacado, mango and banana.

Enoch can hold his own bottle for the most part. Abby has also been a big help in feeding him.

Picker's Visit

Our friends, Mary Beth and Casey, were passing through Nashville on their way home to Little Rock. We were so excited to get to spend a few hours with them and their little guy, Caleb.

Casey and Mary Beth have a heart for adoption and are planning to adopt a little boy from Ethiopia. If you are interested, you can learn more about their story on their blog.

Little Car Birthday

This year on birthday Andrea surprised me with a special outing.

She scheduled babysitting for our kids and we were off to who knows where! We ended up driving in a part of town I had never been before, so I definately didn't know where we were going.

We ended up stopping at a little known gem in Nashville... Lane Motor Museum! I hadn't even heard of this place before, but it was really cool.

Lane Motor Museum in Nashville, Tennessee is one of the few museums in America to specialize in European cars. Approximately 150 cars and motorcycles not typically seen in the U.S. are on display.

Afterwards, we at at J.Alexandar's, which was my first time and hopefully not last!

Thank you Andrea, for such a great evening out on my birthday. It was definitely a great and wonderful surprise.

ICE Exhibit

Our neighbors were so nice to share tickets to the ICE exhibit at Opryland. Almost everything in the exhibit is made out of ice, the theme was How the Grinch Stole Christmas. There's even a slide made out of ice!

Christmas Day

Elijah and I tried really hard not to emphasize receiving presents this year. Instead, we really talked up the joy there is in giving presents. Abby got to pick out a present for her Daddy, Mommy and Enoch. She was so good at keeping the surprise! I think she had a lot of fun with it.

Abby woke up about 7 and came into our room, she didn't remember that it was Christmas morning. After we reminded her, she was so excited, she said, "Mommy, you get to open your present from me!" It was so precious to see that was what she was so excited about. So, Elijah and I opened our presents from her first. She knows her mommy well. When Elijah asked her what she thought I would like, she said, "food." When he asked what kind of food, she said, "pasta!" So, they got me a gift certificate to my favorite restraunt, "Maggianos!" She also knows her Daddy well. When I asked her about what to get him, she said, "a computer!" I asked for another idea and she said, "coffee." She likes to help make Daddy's coffee in the mornings on the days he works from home. So, Elijah got some Starbucks coffee and a gift card. Abby knew just what to get Enoch, too. Pacies!

I think one of Abby's favorite gifts she got was her new Children's Bible, "The Bible in Pictures for Little Eyes," by Kenneth Taylor. She kept wanting Elijah to read her story after story. He asked her several times if she wanted to open another present or keep reading, but she wanted to keep reading. It was nice to be able to take time in opening presents and play with each one as it was opened.

Moni and Pawi joined us for Christmas morning, too. We had applenut coffee cake, sausage cheese balls and hot chocolate with whipped cream for breakfast. Pawi and Moni offered to buy Christmas lunch from Kroger, so I didn't have to cook!

In the afternoon, we had Christmas dinner at the Guinness home. We had such a nice time eating, visiting and playing games together.

The Saturday after Christmas, we went back to the Guinness home to have a late Christmas with their friend, Miss Franklin. It was such a joy to watch her open her presents. She especially loved the new coat we got her and the Bible on CD from the Guinness family. I really think she felt how much God loves her!

Christmas Eve

We enjoyed a small quiet Christmas at home this year. On Christmas Eve, we attended a service at church. Afterward, we had our "Happy Birthday, Jesus" party at home. Abby thought this was really fun. We spread out a blanket in the living room and had our party in there (this was really big, because Abby is usually not allowed to bring her food into the living room). I made some yummy food: shrimp bisque (thanks Barbara for the recipe), baked brie and gingersnaps, little smokies, grapes, cheese and crackers. We sang "Happy Birthday" to Jesus before we ate the red velvet cupcakes. We also watched "White Christmas."

Throughout the season, we've also been doing an advent wreath where we light a new candle each Sunday leading up to Christmas. We've also had great fun reading one page each night of "The Advent Book." Each page of the book features a door that opens, 25 in all for each day of the season, that tell the Christmas story.

Skelton Visit

We went to visit Andrea's aunt and uncle in Colombia, TN. We enjoyed our conversation as Carmack told stories of what it was like growing up on a farm with no electricity during the great depression. Carmack is suffering with pancreatic cancer. Please pray for him and his family.

Gingerbread Party

We got together with two of Abby's friends, Grace and Ainsley, to make "Gingerbread houses." These were healthier versions, instead of candy, we used pretzels, dried fruit and chocolate chips. The girls had a great time together, we're so thankful to have good friends!

Piggy Bank Pottery

We went to "All Fired Up" with the Talley family to paint a piggy bank. The plan is for Abby to add coins to the piggy bank all year long so that next Christmas, she will have money to fill a shoebox full of toys for a needy child.

Abby and Grace had a great time giggling and laughing while painting their pottery.

Elf Yourself Disco Style

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

We didn't get around to making a Christmas card this year, but we were able to Elf Ourselves again...

The guys at OfficeMax teamed up with JibJab this year to make ElfYourself much better than last year.

Check out our current video for this year above and make one of your own!

Christmas Preschool Program

Abby had several supporters who came to her Christmas program at the Mustard Seed Preschool. The children in her class sang "Silent Night" in English and in Spanish. We consider it a success, she didn't cry or try to run off the stage! Pops and Nana (Abby's maternal grandparents) drove TWO hours one way to watch her in this 15 minute program! They were so sweet to bring flowers for her after the program. Moni and Pawi (Andrea's grandparents) also came and showed their support for Abby. We all went out for ice cream after the program.

Opryland Hotel Lights

Pops and Nana and Moni and Pawi joined us as we viewed the lights at the Opryland Hotel. Remind us never to do this right before Christmas on a weekend night. The traffic was horrible and it was packed inside the hotel. Plus we went there during dinner time, bad idea, we were all hungry and the cheapest thing they had was an $8 hamburger. What we saw was beautiful, though!

Baby Jesus Bible Class

Image by Ushlambad via FlickrAbby has been helping me teach Enoch about Baby Jesus. We've been using the Palma Smiley curriculum that I had prepared for Abby last year. It is so sweet to hear her singing the songs about Jesus to him. He smiles when he hears the songs and tries to hold onto the toys (baby Jesus, Mary, Joseph, angel, wiseman, camel, donkey, sheep, etc.).

Enoch @ 5 Months

Enoch is such a social little guy. He loves to watch people.

Almost every time we pick him up from the nursery at church, the teachers comment about how they've never seen a baby that smiles so much. I think he gets it from his daddy.

Christmas Cookies

We made and decorated Christmas cookies to share with Abby's preschool class.

Later we also made an extra batch to share with our neighbors. We loaded the cookies in the wagon and made deliveries to our neighbors.

Thanks Kasie Birdwell for the great recipe!

Thanksgiving in Searcy

This Thanksgiving we drove to Searcy, AR to visit my parents and relatives.

It was almost like a mini family reunion with all my Dad's brothers, their family, and my grandparents too. Since we were all still getting into town on Thanksgiving we waited until Saturday to have our HUGE Thanksgiving meal.

It was good to see everyone and we were pleased that Abby had a good time too. Everyone was oohing and ahhing over Enoch. He is the cutest little baby... I may be a little biased, but nahhhh he is :)

Thank you God for family, friends, shelter, and good food!

Fun with Friends

Abby had such a fun time playing with her friends Bethany and Nathan.

We are so thankful that Abby has such good friends.

Enoch's Baby Dedication

We were privileged to dedicate Enoch to the Lord with our Fellowship Bible Church family as witnesses.

We were sent the video of the dedication. I am trying to get it into a format where I can post portions of it, but as of now the above pictures gives the idea.

We dedicate little Enoch to the Lord. We pray that God will give us the wisdom, strength, and patience to raise him to know and love the Lord. God has blessed us with two precious children and we love them dearly.

Walls of Jericho

We learned about Joshua and the City of Jericho. Abby loves to act out stories.

This time we used our blocks to make the wall and city and used her doll house people as the characters in the story.

Circle of Safety

Andrea and I attended a Tedd Tripp seminar last month and since then we have been teaching Abby the meaning of Ephesians 6:1-3

"Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 'Honor your father and mother' — which is the first commandment with a promise — 'that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.' Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord."

In order to teach these concepts, we put an old table top on the floor and labeled two parts with "Obey" and "Honor" and the other two parts with "Go Well" and "Long Life".

We explained that when she obeys and honors her Mommy and Daddy that she moves into the Circle of Safety and then things go well with her and she will have a long life.

For the next week or so we repeated these concepts and tried to reinforce them with games, practice, and rereading the verse.

Enoch @ 4 Months

We continue to be pleasantly surprised at how sweet and easy going Enoch is. He goes with the flow and hardly ever complains.

He is still in the first percentile for weight, but has gained some. We've finally put away the newborn clothes and pulled out the 3-6 months clothes.

Enoch is such a joy to our family!

Enoch's Surgery

We are so thankful that Enoch made it through the surgery well and has recovered so quickly.

I was a little surprised at how emotional I was when it was time to hand him over to the nurses when he would go under anesthesia. God was so good to send a friend from high school/college that I haven't seen in years to take him back to the operating room. I was at peace as I handed him over.

Praise God for taking care of our little boy! Thank you for all of your prayers. They are truly appreciated!

Center Hill Chalets

This weekend we stayed at the Center Hill Chalets in Smithville, TN.

Several months ago, I won a weekend away at this lake house as a 1st place prize for loosing weight in our neighborhood.

We stayed the weekend with Andrea's parents and had a great time there. It was good that I recently upgraded to the iPhone 3G because the GPS came in very handy finding the lakehouse for the first time at night.

We had a great time playing games, hiking around, eating great food, and resting :) Unfortunately, I was sick for the whole trip so most of my time was getting a lot of sleep to feel better.

Thank you Melissa Eubanks (Realtor, Co-Owner, VP) for providing the Center Hill Chalets for our family!

Preschool Fall Fun

Abby's preschool had "Harvest Day" last week. The children went out on the nature trail and found pumpkins with their own names on them in the pumpkin patch. Parents were invited to join the class for lunch as they ate "stone soup" based on the story they read that week. Abby and I made pumpkin sugar cookies to share with the class. I had a sweet mommy moment as we were frosting the cookies at home. She looked up at me with the sweetest smile and said, "Mom, I love you. Thank you for making the cookies." Those are the Mommy moments I live for! She was so proud to take those cookies to school and share them with her friends and teachers.

I will admit I have not been doing much of our "home preschooling" the last few weeks. Even though we haven't done anything "official," I've tried to incorporate the things she's been learning at school in our day. She's had lots of opportunity to learn while helping me with every day tasks like cleaning, cooking and grocery shopping. Maybe we'll get back into it soon, but I'm trying not to put too much pressure on myself for now. I've been focusing on nursing Enoch and making sure he has enough to eat.

Fall Family Fest

We went to the Family Fall Fest at the Western Hills Church of Christ.

Abby dressed as Elmo and Enoch was the cutest little clown you've ever seen!

The church had hot dogs and chili for dinner, then trunk or treating, a hayride and smores.

We had a great time there with the Tally family.

Chattanooga Here We Come

Pops and Nana (Andrea's parents) joined us on a trip to Chattanooga to enjoy the fall foliage. There is so much to do there.

We had so much fun at the Children's Museum. The Aquarium was amazing and we watched an IMAX movie there, as well. We also rode the incline railway up Look Mountain.

We hope to visit Chattanooga again soon.

Enoch @ 3 Months

Enoch is three months old!

He is the sweetest, happiest, easy going little baby I've ever met. He rarely complains. He is so happy, that I didn't even realize that he hasn't been getting enough to eat.

We went to the doctor and he weighed less than he did at his two month visit, he's in the first percentile for weight.

I didn't think it was possible, but since I've been feeding him more, he's been even happier! He smiles, laughs, coos and rolls over. He loves to watch Abby. He's also started laughing just a little bit-it's the sweetest sound!

Chuck E. Cheese Reward

We went to Chuck E. Cheese to celebrate Abby's success with potty training.

She had a great time and loved getting the tickets and prizes.

Abby is so independent these days. She can get herself completely dressed all own her own (even her tights)! She can make her bed and clean her room. She also helps with some chores around the house.

We're so proud of our big girl.

Gentry Farms

We went to Gentry Farms today.

We all had a great time together. Abby enjoyed playing in the pretend country café, the farmer’s market, the hands-on loom, the lincoln logs, a hayride through the historic farm, a stroll inside a straw maze, watching the friendly farm animals, playing in grain troughs, swinging on a tire swing, and more. Enoch slept in the sling happily the whole time.

We went to the farm last year, but Abby seemed to enjoy much more this time around. Abby got to pick out a little pumpkin for herself. We recommend the Gentry Farms if you haven't been yet.

Mustard Seed Preschool

 

We are so excited for Abby!  She gets to go to the Mustard Seed Preschool next week!

We weren't really planning to send her to preschool, but I started looking into it for next year not expecting to get in since the school year has already started.  We got on the waiting list and a spot opened up!

She will go two days a week from 9:00-1:00. I heard the director of this preschool, Diana Beach, speak last year at Mom's Together and was so impressed with her. At that time I thought if we ever send her to preschool, I would want it to be that one.

We are so thankful that she will have the opportunity to learn there. It will be nice to have a little time to run errands, focus on Enoch and plan for the preschool we'll still be doing at home the other three days a week.

Sonic Golf

This evening we went out with our Community Group to eat at Sonic and then headed over to the Europa Go-Karts & Golf to play next door.

We all had a great time of fellowship, prayer, and fun! Abby had a blast running from one hole to the next. She got one of the holes in 3 strokes... way to go Abby!

After Abby, Bethany, and Nathan played some video games and skeeball they won 5 tickets and cashed them in for 5 peppermint candies, which they divided among themselves.

It was fun had by all.

Triple Coupon Savings

Harris Teeter had triple coupon days this week. That means they will triple your coupon up to 99 cents. So, a .75 coupon is worth $2.25. If you have a coupon for an item that happens to be on sale that week, you can get it free, or you can actually make money on it. You are only able to use 20 coupons per day, but I had a stockpile of coupons, so I went back every day of the four day sale. I was able to save $183! You can see all the things we were able to buy in the pictures.

I want to thank Kelly from Fellowship Bible Church who spoke at a Mom's Together meeting a few months ago and introduced me to the idea of couponing in a whole new way. She is so inspirational. She has turned this into a ministry by teaching other women how to be better stewards of money and cut our grocery budgets. If you're interested in learning more about how you can save money on your groceries and toiletry items, visit the money saving mom blog.

First day: spent $15, saved $51
Second day: spent $22, saved $44
Third day: spent $38, saved $52
Fourth day: spent $51, saved $36

Preschool: Week 6

This week we learned the Bible story of Jacob and Esau, the letter D, and "Peas Porridge Hot" nursery rhyme. We reviewed shapes and our five senses. I was pretty busy couponing this week, so we had some catching up to do on the weekend. Elijah did some of the activities with her, thank you!

Edwin Warner State Park

We spent Friday evening at Edwin Warner State Park. We had the best time!

There was a little pond where we could see minnows swimming and big rocks to jump across the pond. Unfortunately, Abby fell into the pond and her clothes were soaked. We did have extra panties and shoes with us, but no extra clothes. We didn't want wet clothes to spoil our evening, so, she ran around in her underwear the rest of the night.

There was an organic garden, we called it our secret garden. We all enjoyed smelling the different herbs and finding vegetables: tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, squash, and okra. There is also a new play area for children at the park. There was a small cedar log cabin, a sand pile and a huge pile of dirt with a slide on it. Abby had so much fun playing in the dirt and sand and Elijah and I got to talk a little while she played. We'll definitely be going back soon!

Enoch @ 2 Months

Enoch just had his 2 month check up at the Doctor and as of 2 month 1 week old he is 23.25 inches long and weighs 10 lb 9 oz.

As for milestones, he is rolling over from his tummy to his back and he is smiling and cooing more often.

Abby loves him as always and he is such a blessing to our family. I love you son!

Harpeth River State Park

We went to Harpeth River State Park which is very close to our house. We made the short hike to the river and ate our picnic and then threw rocks in the river. Abby and Elijah ran around the trail together.

Fire Station

Our friends, the Guinness's were kind enough to invite us for their home school field trip to the fire station. We had a great time! Abby and I didn't do too much preparation before the trip, so I'm not sure how much she understood. This was apparent when we were half way done with our tour, Abby asked, "Mom, where are the firemen?" She didn't realize they were the ones who'd been talking to us the whole time. :)

Preschool: Week 6

This week we learned about the letter "C", Abraham, Sara, and the promise of Issac. We also talked about feelings and emotions. This was a good time for that since Abby's been having some major tantrums lately. We talked about what we can do when we're angry and practiced. She loves to "practice."

None of us got much sleep this week since Abby has been dealing with nightmares and Enoch doesn't sleep through the night yet.

We didn't get everything done this week, but enjoyed what we did do.

Emergency Room Visit

Today was a very long day. We just got back from the Emergency Room with Abby. I picked her up a little too quickly by her hands and she immediately was in pain.

We decided to wait for 3o minutes or so to see if it was just something minor, but time didn't seem to help any. She couldn't even more her fingers!

Anyway, after 3 or 4 hours at the hospital after much waiting, x-rays, etc... the Doctor popped Abby's radius back into her elbow joint (that's my un-medical explanation). She said that it is a pretty common accident and it may happen again before the age of 5.

It felt so awful to see her in pain and unable to do anything. I am so thankful for doctors. Praise God that she is fine and well.

Preschool: Week 5

We learned about the letter "B", Noah's ark, and "Rub a Dub Dub" nursery rhyme.

Elijah and Abby had fun doing the sink/float science experiment together and Abby and I especially enjoyed acting out the Noah's ark story.

Preschool: Week 4

This week's Bible story was the "Fall of Man." The letter of the week was "A."

We played name bingo, numeral jump, sorted Uppercase A's from lowercase a's using different fonts, and many other fun things.

Our favorite thing of the week was acting out the Bible story with Daddy during our devotional time at night. Daddy played the part of Adam and Abby was Eve. I played the part of the snake and God's voice. We used our fake tree and put red pom poms on it for the fruit.

Enoch's First Swim

Enoch had his first swim in the bathtub with me today.

He didn't seem to mind too much about having his ears under water. I was impressed at how well his little body floated in the water. He is very buoyant!

First Dance Class

Abby had her first dance class today. She is enrolled at Fellowship Bible Church's School of Dance.

All the little three and four year old girls looked adorable in their tights, leotards and little ballet shoes.

Toddler Photography

Abby got a real digital camera for her birthday from her Aunt Alissa and Uncle Mike.

She has really enjoyed using the camera. We went all around our neighborhood looking for picture subjects. She has a good eye for plants and flowers ;) So far she has taken over 200 pictures.

The above is a subset of her first photos.

Camp Pops and Nana

My parents hosted their annual "Camp Pops and Nana."

My sisters, their husbands and children all came to stay for a week. Abby stayed from Sunday through Wednesday without me there and she did great. I joined them on Wednesday after a few days at home with my sisters helping out with Enoch. Abby had so much fun playing with her cousins, Zack, Trey and Joshua.

Some of the highlights of the week included a trip to a zoo, flying model airplanes, swimming in the little pool and playing in the big sand pile. Pops and Nana even made special shirts for all the kids.

Thanks everyone for all the fun!

Enoch's Milestones

Enoch has reached three milestones all in one week!

He smiled, cooed and rolled from tummy to back while Andrea and Abby were at Pops and Nana's house.

It's hard to believe he's already six weeks old!

Abby's 3rd Birthday

Abby's 3rd Year Video from Elijah Manor on Vimeo.

Today Abby turned 3 years old! We had her party at our neighborhood pool and the theme was Ariel from the Little Mermaid movie.

Thanks for everyone who was able to come to the party. We have truly been blessed by family and friends. I hope that we can continue our wonderful relationship. God bless you all!

In addition to the above video, I made 4 other minor themed videos that can be viewed below.

Friends 02:03	Preschool 05:10
Pops & Nana 02:00	Dancing 03:35

Preschool: Creation

We started Abby's three year old preschool curriculum. We're still using Hubbard's Cupboard (Joyful Heart Rhyming Times: Bible and Rhyme), but this year it will be three days a week instead of two.

Last year the curriculum was more theme based each month. This year we will work our way through the Bible. Each week has a different Bible story and a nursery rhyme.

The first two weeks we covered creation.

Parnell Visit

Andrea's Aunt, Uncle and cousins came to visit. They got to meet Enoch for the first time. Abby had so much fun playing with Ron, Beth and Moni while Andrea took Enoch to the doctor. We missed you, Heath and Caitlin!

Enoch @ 1 Month

Enoch is now 1 month old. Its amazing how fast kids grow up!

Our neighbors across the street, the Thorntons, took the above photo of Enoch. We were blown away with how good it turned out. We look forward to the other pictures they will send. I will upload those as well when we get them.

They do great work, I would recommend them if you are looking for some awesome photos! Their business is called Thornton Photo, check it out.

New Honda Odyssey

With the help of Todd from Toddscarsteam.com we are the proud owners of a 2003 Honda Odyssey EX-L!

We are also excited to share that we were able to pay for the van in cash! The principles we learned from Dave Ramsey's class helped us understand that cash is the way to go.

It is so nice to have room in our vehicle again. The 2001 Saturn SL2 was getting pretty cramped in the back with two car seats installed!

If you are on the lookout for a slightly used vehicle that is in extremely good condition with a great price, please check out Todd at Toddscarsteam.com. Not only is it a great deal, but he is a stand up honest hardworking man. He will hook you up with what you need and make sure you are pleased.

5000 Hungry Hippos

Enoch had his first "Family Fun Night!"

We read and acted out the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000. Elijah played the part of Jesus, and Abby was the boy who provided the 5 loaves and two fish. Enoch and I, as well as a bunch of stuffed animals, were members of the crowd. We gave Abby a basket of 5 slices of bread and two fish sticks.

After "Jesus" prayed, miraculously, enough fish sticks and bread appeared to feed the whole crowd. We discussed the concept of sharing and talked about ways we can share what we have with others.

Last we played the game, "Hungry, Hungry Hippos." We tried to relate the hunger of the hippos to how we hunger after Jesus. I know, a big concept for a little girl and baby, but it will sink in some day!

Abby's Drawing

I continue to be impressed with Abby's artistic abilities. I think the four things she loves the most is drawing, dancing, reading, and playing pretend.

Abby had no assistance whatsoever when she made the above drawing. I am very proud of my little girl. She is truly a blessing from God!

Car Wreck

Andrea and Enoch were in a car accident while on the way to a doctor's appointment when Enoch was two weeks old.

They were merging onto I40 when the pick up truck in front of them came to a complete stop on the interstate. She was able to stop behind him without hitting him, but the metro access bus behind them was not able to stop and slammed into her car pushing her into the truck in front of her.

I drove them to the emergency room to get checked out. Thankfully, Enoch is just fine and Andrea left with a sore neck. The car was totaled and we are looking for a replacement car.

It has been stressful dealing with insurance companies and the inconvenience of having one car, but we are so grateful that everyone is safe. Praise God! Thank you for your prayers and support.

Label Me Thankful

Even before Enoch's birth and even more since we have been overwhelmed with the love of our family and friends.

We have received flowers, numerous meals, childcare, a load of boy clothes, and listening ears. God has truly blessed us with wonderful family, friends and coworkers. Thank you!

Enoch's Birth

This is the day we have been waiting for the past 38 weeks... Enoch is born!

We arrived at the hospital at 6:30 am after Andrea's contractions started around 3:30 am.

Enoch was born at 5:23 pm and his measurements are 7.5 pounds & 19 3/4 inches. He had some water on his lungs, so he was transferred to the transitional nursery for several hours so they can carefully observe him. I stayed with him while he was away from Andrea. In the end, everything turned out fine and Enoch was reunited with Andrea around 9:00 pm.

We are currently in room #7702 at the Nashville Baptist hospital. We should all be back home on Friday.

Andrea is recovering well, she is just trying to get all the rest she can.

If you want additional updates feel free to check my twitter status (account is not necessary) or facebook status (account is necessary).

For more pictures go to my Enoch's Birth Picasa Web Album.

Sister Love

Abby is so looking forward to being a big sister.

Although she already loved babies as it is, she seems like she is paying much more attention to her baby doll recently.

She has been talking to it, feeding it, putting it to sleep, etc...

Andrea has been helping Abby know how she can help when Enoch comes. They have been practicing with her baby doll and as a result Abby knows what to do and where to get it.

I am so excited to have another child. I'm excited to have a son. I love my family. Thank you God!

4th of July

We had a great 4th of July this year.

Abby participated in the neighborhood parade again. We decorated her red wagon with flags, etc... I think Abby's favorite part of the parade is the watermelon at the end ;)

I grilled out ribs and bratwurst, we ate more watermelon, played scrabble, and then watched the fireworks.

I don't know if it was just me, but it seemed like there was a lot more fireworks going off in our neighborhood than last year. They were going off all around us.

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