Covenant Child

We finally had Nolan baptized this past Sunday. Before now, I wasn't ready, then he wasn't ready- so we just waited. He was perfect. Apparently he made an entertaining face when the water was placed on his head but I totally missed it. I forgot my camera that morning (I was having an "off" day) so we took this when we got home. By this point Nolan had ditched his shoes. Oh well!We have the best neighbors in the world. Curtis and Bernie are an elderly couple that live in the pink (and I mean pepto bismal) house next to us. The are avid dog lovers but no longer have any dogs. So they adopted Rocky as their grand-dog right after we got him. He is at their house about as much as ours and they keep him for us whenever we go out of town. We have saved a fortune by not having to board him and he loved them. They don't have grandchildren of their own and I think that they now see Nolan as their grandchild. Curtis boldly proclaims that he does not believe that there is a God- but he wanted to come to Nolan's baptism. It was so sweet to have them there and the Gospel was preached beautifully during the sermon. After the service we had Jerel's parents and Curtis and Bernie over for lunch (which was a total disaster- I think the WORST meal I have ever made, but that is another story for another time) and Bernie brought this sweet basket of cookies that she made. Can you tell that there are even cookies in the shape of a dog bone? I have prayed daily that Nolan would be light among the darkness. I am so thankful that because of his life Curtis and Bernie have been exposed to the Light. I pray that they are willing to have more conversations with us about Christ in the future!

Except for the barely edible meal, it was a good day! :)

Six Months!!

Can you believe that we have survived six whole months?!? I have to admit that there have been days that I didn't think that we would make it, but praise the Lord, it has gotten so much easier! :) He is weighing in at 18 lbs. 10 oz. and measuring 28 inches long. His little personality is starting to shine through. He laughs and talks all day. For the most part he is really happy, and when he gets enough sleep he is really easy. Some of the major milestones are that he is sleeping without being swaddled, he's almost sitting up without help, we can be in the car about 20 minutes before he starts screaming (I used to be thankful if we could get to the end of the driveway), he's eating "solids", and  his schedule is actually more flexible. Today, I feel like I'm getting the hang of this mom thing- I know that could all change tomorrow! :)

Mrs. Christina Kingsley

Christina got married this past weekend. My friendship with Christina is one of things I will always treasure from my time at Alabama. She has become like a sister and best friend all at the same time. The wedding in St Simons was beautiful, Christ-centered, and an all out party! My parents come up to watch Nolan so Jerel and I could enjoy the festivities of the weekend. It was great to be among so many friends!

The beautiful bride!

I was so thankful that I was just able to get into this bridesmaid dress, ! I had to order it 3 weeks after Nolan was born. Good times!  Hopefully this is the last one I will ever have to buy. I think that this was my 19th wedding

I just love this girl!

Nolan's first dining out experience. He did really well. Crab cakes at Barbara Jean's...Yummy!!

Our attempt at a family photo. It was so bright and killing our eyes, obviously!

Cute, Cute, Cute!!!

I know that you have seen a million pictures of Nolan, but here are three more! :) The weather was amazing saturday morning so we packed up our boys and headed downtown. A good time was had by all.

A rare moment!!

Look, he is almost smiling for the camera!!! He is such a stinker, he will be full-out laughing but as soon as I pull the camera out he goes completely serious on me. He has the sweetest smile, I just wish that I could share it with you more often!! :)

Man's (or little baby) Best Friend

Just this past week Nolan has really started to take an interest in his dog. He laughs when Rocky comes up and licks his toes and gets so excited if we him him close enough to pet him. Rocky on the other hand is not so sure about all of this and escapes as fast as possible. I anticipate a lot of restless days for Rocky as soon as Nolan begins to crawl!

Chateau Elan

This past weekend we went down to Chateau Elan (a vineyard/inn/spa/conference center) near Atlanta. We dropped Nolan off with friends (thanks James & Amanda) and headed off to 24 hours of "just the two of us"! We checked in and went straight over to the spa for a massage and had afternoon tea. That night we took a cooking class that was offered by one of the resorts head chefs. The theme was Cooking with Wine. There were about 14 people in the class and we prepared and consumed the three course meal. Appetizers were muscles in a white wine sauce. So easy...so yummy!! Next was a pan seared chicken over risotto with mushrooms and red wine. Dessert was some fruit, champagne, flambé concoction. The wine was freely flowing and some of our cooking companions became very entertaining as the 3 hour course went on. Needless to say, we had so much fun and enjoyed just being us. It was good to have a little time away from Nolan but I was excited to pick him back up!  

The happy, and now more confident chef

They made us wear the hats and aprons

The muscles, which I intend on making again soon

I have such a small head. This hat was giving me fits!

This was a great getaway for us. I highly recommend it!!

Swaddle Update

Well, I would give this week a 50% success rate. Day 1 he woke up for a second during his first nap but went right back to sleep. Since then he has slept his normal hour and a half without waking up throughout his morning nap. The afternoon is another story. Day 1, woke up half way through, cried like he was being tortured for 40 minutes then slept for another hour. Since then he always wakes up in the middle of this nap and WILL NOT go back to sleep. So now my dilemma is whether or not we go back to the swaddle just during this nap. Humm...what is this mama to do?? :)