Back home again

Trey had some samples of sand while we were at the beach

Our friend Beth took some family pictures for us - I think they turned out great - I did a little editing on our Mac

Our friends the Blackstons let us use their pool float for Trey - he loved it!

We had so much fun at the beach and are so sad to see our vacation come to an end. We had a good trip back, and we were able to stop to see Jenn, Mike, and Parker on the way home. We had dinner with them and then Jenn gave Trey and Parker a bath. Our entertainment in the car on the way down and back was Dave Ramsey (are you surprised???). We both really enjoy his teaching on financial matters, and we are thankful we are off to a good start at living on less than we make and saving for our future. We hope to go to the beach next year with the families from our church.

Loving on Parker Riese

Trey and Parker playing in the tubPlaying in Parker's crib before bedtime

Please pray for the Chapman family

From Steven Curtis Chapman's website...NASHVILLE, TN...5/21/08... At approximately 5pm on the afternoon of Wednesday May 21st, Maria Sue Chapman, 5 years old and the youngest daughter to Steven and Mary Beth Chapman was struck in the driveway of the Chapman home in Franklin, TN. Maria was rushed to Vanderbilt Childrens Hospital in Nashville, transported by LifeFlight, but died of her injuries there. Maria is one of the close knit family’s six children and one of their three adopted daughters.

More than five years ago, Chapman and his wife MaryBeth founded The Shaohannah’s Hope Ministry after bringing their first adopted daughter, Shaohannah, home from China. The ministry’s goal is to help families reduce the financial barrier of adoption, and has provided grants to over 1700 families wishing to adopt orphans from around the world.

Ever since I heard about this tragedy, I have continued to pray for the Chapman family. I have never lost a child, so I can't fully comprehend the pain and loss they are feeling right now. I have been particularly burdened for their son, Will, who is the one who hit his sister with their SUV. The guilt and shame he is likely feeling must seem almost unbearable. I have been really encouraged by Steven's music since I was in high school - he has an amazing gift for sharing God's grace and love. I just wanted to ask you to pray for them now - I have lost people close to me before and it is so hard grieving when the rest of the world just keeps going on like normal. I end with the truth of the song Steven wrote for his friends who had lost a child in a tragic accident.

"With Hope"
Steven Curtis Chapman

This is not at all how
We thought it was supposed to be
We had so many plans for you
We had so many dreams
And now you've gone away
And left us with the memories of your smile
And nothing we can say
And nothing we can do
Can take away the pain
The pain of losing you, but ...

We can cry with hope
We can say goodbye with hope
'Cause we know our goodbye is not the end, oh no
And we can grieve with hope
'Cause we believe with hope
(There's a place by God's grace)
There's a place where we'll see your face again
We'll see your face again

And never have I known
Anything so hard to understand
And never have I questioned more
The wisdom of God's plan
But through the cloud of tears
I see the Father's smile and say well done
And I imagine you
Where you wanted most to be
Seeing all your dreams come true
'Cause now you're home
And now you're free, and ...

We have this hope as an anchor
'Cause we believe that everything
God promised us is true, so ...

So we can cry with hope
And say goodbye with hope

We wait with hope
And we ache with hope
We hold on with hope
We let go with hope

Middle of our beach vacation

All ready for our day !Nap #1 on the way to Seaside

Taking a water break

Today was one of my favorite days I have ever had. We have had a fun time with all the families from our church, but David came home this morning after going out for coffee with his friend Lee and said he wanted to take Trey and I somewhere for the day. We packed up and went to Rosemary Beach where we rented a bike for me and a child trailer for Trey to ride in. David had taken his bike down to the beach. We rode along the coast about 10 miles to Seaside where we had lunch. We rode our bikes around Seaside and window shopped. Then we rode 10 miles back to Rosemary Beach. Trey took a nap in the cart while we road. We had such a fun day as a family. I am so thankful for a husband who loves to do fun activities together!

Our lunch in Seaside - this is the highchair that Trey fell through (well, his body fell through while his head got stuck - thankfully, we caught him)

First 2 days at the beach

We packed up and left at about 5 am on Sunday morning for a week in Panama City Beach, Florida. We are staying at Laguna Beach Christian Retreat for the week with several other families from our church (if you want a really cheap but nice vacation - check them out). Trey did really well traveling (thanks to leaving so early and a tiny dose of Benadryl to keep him sleepy). I love the beach - the weather is fabulous. We are right across the road from the beach - the Talley family from church brought down a huge tent that is held in place by cement blocks, so Trey can spend a lot of time under there and out of the sun.

Talking/Singing with him to try to get him to go to sleep at naptime

Friends under the tent - Trey is asleep under there too

Trey took his naps under the tent

He seems to like the sand and waves, but he definitely loves the pool. He splashes and giggles - it is so fun to watch him.

Trey's first time in the pool

Tonight the guys stayed home with the kids and the girls all went out for dinner at the Red Bar where I ate crawfish for the first time. I'm not a huge seafood lover, but the food there was really good. We had a fun time together, and Trey did really well at the condo with David.

Standing to the right of me is Jen and Meredith - 2 of my good friends who are in our community group (Jen is married to Lee and Meredith is married to Ryan who are 2 of David's good buddies)

Green Eggs and Ham (David and Trey style)

I love when David comes home for lunch. We only live about 2 minutes from his work, so it is great to see him in the middle of the day. We try to read to Trey every day, and this is something David does a lot on his lunch break. Here's a sneak peek of a typical lunch break reading time.
I love this video clip of them reading

Well Baby Check Up (6 months)

The weigh in - they take off an ounce for the diaper

Seeing how tall he is!

Trey went to see Dr. Herron today and weighed in at a whopping 16 lb. 6 oz. (21% compared to other baby boys his age) and is 26 inches long (24%). She said everything looked great - developmentally he is right on track. He still fits into quite a few 3-6 month clothes and is in a size 2 diaper (which means we can still get more diapers for less money - yeah!).

Dr. Herron examining Trey - we love her! I get to work with her at Parkwest as well when her patients are born.

Milestones:

• Sitting without support (for short periods of time)

• Grabbing his feet with his hands and trying to eat his feet

• Reaching for objects that he wants

• Using his voice to call out when he wants us to look at him

• Eating cheerios (thanks to Jenn for introducing us to them)

• His first 2 teeth on the bottom - Dr. Herron said she didn't see any other teeth trying to come through
• Sitting at meals in his booster seat while we eat - he is eating cereal once a day with some fruits and vegetables
• He can play independently for short periods of time on the floor or in his exersaucer - he really loves his doorway jumper that we bought for him - he bounces and bounces and bounces for sometimes well over a half an hour

You can see his two bottom teeth in this picture

Making Babyfood

My sister and several friends made their own baby food. There are 3 reasons that I have decided to make our own baby food:
1) Food always taste better when it's fresh
2) I want to know what Trey's eating - I don't want to feed him a bunch of processed chemicals
3) It is more cost effective to make his food rather than buy jars of baby food

2 weeks ago I made him peaches and sweet potatoes. He likes everything we have given him so far. A friend from church is giving me her food grinder so I can start giving Trey the food we are eating at meals.

Mother's Day

David and Trey made my day so special. I am so blessed to have 2 wonderful men in my life. David had taken Trey shopping last week to pick out something special for me, and Trey gave me yummy Lavender Chamomile milk bubble bath and a card that he even signed (with a footprint card David got from one of my friends at the hospital). It was very sweet. We had a nice lunch at PF Chang's (one of my favorite places) and then I took a wonderfully long nap with Trey. We went to David's parents that night. Matt and Renee were in town, and we celebrated with grilling kabobs and having a scrumptious meal together.

I am thankful for both mothers God has blessed us with - my mom in Pennsylvania and David's mom here in Knoxville. We are so blessed to have such loving, Godly women in our lives. Thank you, Mom and Barbara, for your steadfast love, guidance, and prayerful support. Thank you to my Grammy and my Grandma Slover for praying for us faithfully and loving us. Thank you to all the women in my life who help me learn how to be a Godly wife and mom (especially Faith, Bren, Nanette, Cindy, Clarky, Colleen, and Renee). And to my two favorite people - Thank you, David, for honoring me on this special day and teaching our son how to honor his mama. Thank you, Trey, for making being a mommy so easy - loving and caring for you is almost effortless and I wouldn't want to do anything else in the world.

Fun times in NC and at Dollywood

Trey loves to gnaw on cucumbers - something I craved when I was pregnant

Cousins Hannah and Benjamin helping give Trey a bath in NC

Aunt Faith and Trey

We took a walk to a nearby farm to see horses and goats

Happy baby boy

Trey and I took a quick trip to North Carolina to see my parents, my sister, my brother, and some nieces and nephews. It was great to see them even though it was for a short time. Trey slept in the pack n play in with my parents and I slept on the couch in the living room with my sister and my niece Hannah.


Last weekend we went to Dollywood after church with our friends the Lind's. We had a fun time - the weather was perfect - a clear day that wasn't too hot or too cool. David and I had fun riding roller coasters together since I couldn't last summer because I was pregnant. Trey rode a ducky ride with me and was pretty unsure of what was going on. He had a busy day outside and crashed in his stroller about 30 minutes before we left the park.

Trey and me on the spinning Ducky ride

Long overdue nap

Caution: This video might make you a little sick :-)