9 months old

Georgia, you turned 9 months old while we were visiting the Ryan family in Oklahoma.

You weigh 18lbs and is 27 inches long. You clap, gives kisses and are even beginning to play "peek-a-boo!" You put your hands on the side of your head instead of over your eyes, though.

You love music and are even beginning to dance a little bit. Super cute! You are starting to get a little bit of stranger anxiety but suck your thumb to comfort yourself. You LOVE Miley and squeal and squeal whenever you see her. You are still sleeping pretty good, but a runny nose and a cough has you up earlier these days, around 6:30am. You are still enjoying baby food as well as any bread products: muffins, tortillas, rolls and waffles. You had so much fun hanging out with your cousins and being held ALL THE TIME over Thanksgiving. You are still super happy and really easy-going. You are such a joy and a blessing sweet Georgie!

Table Food

This morning I officially gave Georgia table food. She ate a muffin and banana. I think she much prefers it to baby food.

Nana and Pa

Nana and Pa came for a visit last weekend and we had so much fun! We mostly just hung out and Brent and Pa worked on the playhouse. As usual Ephrem had a blast jumping on the trampoline, playing cards and hide and seek with Pa and hanging out with Nana. Georgia enjoyed getting to know Nana and Pa again too. Brent and I even got to go on a date night (Carino's and Courageous). Unfortunately, when we got home Ephrem was burning up with fever. We spent Monday laying low with Nana and Georgia even learned how to "army crawl." Thanks again Nana and Pa for making the long drive to hang out with us!

Halloween Weekend

Well, we started off Halloween with free spooky pancakes at IHOP on Friday morning. Ephrem mostly ate my pumpkin pancakes instead of his silly pancake face. As usual Georgia had a blast being out among people. We then went to a mom's club Fall Festival and Trick or Treating at Brent's office (see previous post). We just hung out on Saturday and went to get doughnuts Sunday morning, picnic at the park Sunday afternoon and had our annual hot dog house/trick or treat night on Monday complete with blow up haunted house. Ephrem did not want to wear his Iron Man Costume he picked out at Wal Mart but opted for a Spiderman swim shirt (thank you Vivian) and jeans. He was pretty freaked out most of Halloween night but I did get him to go trick or treating at a few houses. Georgia had fun dressing up as a pumpkin and people watching.

Lessons from a frightened 4 year old.

Well, we knew that Ephrem was pretty scared of Halloween stuff, mostly masks or "mask-es" as he calls them. However, yesterday we got to see the fear go straight to terrified at the annual trick or treating event at Brent's work. We pulled in the parking garage and their were two ladies taking a smoke break with Scream masks hanging around their necks (not even on their faces) and the terror and tears began. Despite mine and Brent's best efforts to reassure Ephrem that we would never let anything bad happen to him, Daddy has a gun for crying out loud, He REFUSED to go around trick or treating and was literally shaking. As I watched poor Ephrem hide under Brent's desk, while Georgia went to get some candy, I began to think of my own fears and how often I don't trust that God is going to take care of me. God loves me, He wants what is best for me, He is in complete control over every detail of my life. While He doesn't carry a literal gun on his belt as Brent does, He has complete authority over everything on the earth, even the evil that wants to kill and destroy me. He reassures me of His protection over and over in His Word and I still often refuse to believe. I sit cowering under the desk, not trusting that He will protect me. And I miss out on the fun of trick or treating or the plan He has for my life. The joy that comes in being a part of glorifying His Name. This is not to say, that God is promising nothing bad will ever happen in my life, but that He is Good. He is in control and He will be there to walk me through it.








"These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world" John 16:33





"For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38-39





While Ephrem still struggles to believe we will protect him and that he is safe this Halloween weekend, my prayer is that I would begin to listen to the reassurances of my heavenly Father, when I am afraid. That I would listen and believe and not let the fears of my heart prevent me from missing out on the joy that He has for me right now.

Scary Kitchen

This is what my kitchen looked like the other morning as I was trying to pump, get dinner started in the crockpot, feed both kids and make Brent and I a smoothie before work. FRIGHTENING! It all got cleaned up, but for someone who likes things put away and fairly neat, this sight about drove me nuts. However, I'm learning to focus and appreciate the hecticness (I don't think that's a word but oh well) of our lives right now because someday these kiddos will be in high school... or worse college... or WORSE married... and our house will probably be perfectly clean and spotless and organized and quiet and LONELY. Love my two crazy loud babies!

Red Heads

Brent and His Mini-Me-Ette.