One Half of a Year

This baby is 6 months old!!! Mixed emotions come along with how big she is getting and all the new things she seems to learning overnight. Here are Mailey's stats: 16.6 lbs. 27 inches long, or should I say, looooooooong. no head, yay. The computers were down, but our dr believes she is off the chart in length and high ninetys in weight. She even hugged me at the end and told me that of all her moms, I deserved a big ol' healthy girl!

Some new things:
-Says "dada"
-Waves bye-bye by moving her whole arm
-Can sit unassisted
-Can go from lying down to sitting up
-Eats all veggies, cereal, and we've tried bananas
-Has been on her first antibiotic for an ear infection...the one that she has probably had for over a month...the one that her mommy knew nothing about...the one that was making her a crazy baby. Yeah, that one.
-Screams back at you when you scream at her. The kids test this one out A LOT.
-Loves to drop her sucker or toy over the edge of her carseat or high chair
-Still wants her mommy. Toooooo much. The nursery has called or almost called many times lately.
-Drinks my water out of my cup. Dive bombs it if I'm not watching her.
-Hates amoxicillan.
-Pukes when snotty. I have a Wesley. Oh my. :)
-Sits up at all times if possible, or tries like crazy to if not possible
-Gives open-mouthed kisses on your cheek. Once she gets going she really doesn't want to stop
-Scratches people's faces off
-Wears 6-12 or 12 month clothes. The same clothes Makenna wore her SECOND Christmas at the age of 15 months.
-Can be screaming her head off and if she sees me or someone talks to her she just smiles. Paige calls her bi-polar baby.
-Is a happy and loving baby girl!

Here are some videos for you to see her in action. Please ignore my silly voice, the red eyes, and my dirty bathroom. :)

Any resemblance is purely coincidental...

I'm a mean momma. But just look at those little ears! Oh, my sweet elfin child...or should I say children???

It's Beginning to Look a Little Like Christmas

We have finally made some strides in the Christmas decoration area. This year we got a real tree, used colored lights because I wanted everything to be classic and old-school, and just did minimal decorating. I'm actually loving it and not dreading taking it all down...besides the needles everywhere from the tree. If only I could remember to water that thing!

Full of Thanks

We are so thankful for...

A little girl on Champion's Club


Getting to see Ashley Megan Stevens Liddle after sooooo many years


Meeting her sweet son, Evan

Catching them in hilarious places


Dr. D turning the big 40


Lovin' from our college minister, Bruce


Brother Sister Sister love


Sitting up by herself...though I used the boppy in this pic bc we were in a hotel room and I wasn't going to let her sit on the floor!


Tyson only doing minimal damage by falling on the ice...yikes!



Seeing Christa, Tate, and Tony


Seeing Paige, Nelson, Peyton, and Stacie


Seeing Grandma's new house...and her and Grandad!


Losing yet another tooth


Seeing Granny and Grandaddy unexpectedly




Playing with friends

off the face of the...

You finish the phrase. I have definitely fallen of the face of many things lately:
the spending time with God world
the blog world
the sleep world
the cleaning world
the laundry world
the christmas decoration world
the christmas shopping world
the mom world
the wife world


So life has once again gotten the best of me, and I might believe it is at it's worst at the moment. We have been crazy before, rushing around, having too much to do, missing the little things...but only now has it really become unbearable. Travelling and sicknesses and sleeplessness had taken over, and I'm not so much bouncing back. Maybe I've been flattened, equalling no bounce left.

I've tried to find my bounce, and have almost taken a tiny hop every now and then, but the bounce won't bounce anymore. Each day for awhile has become overwhelming...as in I cannot think past my nose, much less actually DO the next thing on the list. I keep trying to think why it is like this:
the baby becoming very discontent and unable to be put down all of a sudden
the husband having to work very late over and over again
the boy pushing his limits and even lying lately
the girl yelling and arguing with a brick wall
the shopping to do
the parenting to attempt
the baths to give
the dinners to cook
the noses to wipe
the puke to clean up
the heart to stop beating crazily
the laundry to wash
the homework to help with
the business that is stressing
the fights to fight
the projects to complete
Things that all of us have to do, every single day. So why on earth does it all seem too much to me?

#1. My time with the Lord has been suffering, so when all of me is used up...quickly, I might add...there ain't nothing left after that. The tank hasn't been refilled to the top in awhile.

#2. Well, it all probably goes back to #1, so there is no need of any other whys in the list.

Sooooooo, I'm trying to fill up my tank, enjoy my family, stop my worries, and somehow find my way back to me again. The me God intends me to be. And hopefully you will not have to wonder what on earth this girl has fallen off the face of anymore.

30/60

Neither looks a day over 29!

5 Months...Unbelievable

It is truly unbelievable to me how quickly time passes. I was thinking back to this time last year. I had just found out I was pregnant after such a long journey of faith and hope. Sometimes I just stare at this little lady in awe of the fact that she is here with us. We had pictures taken last year at this time, and it hit me that she was inside of me, growing into this precious girl that would complete our family. I am still blown away...and beyond thankful for such a wonderful blessing.


Mailey is still learning and growing like crazy! Here are some things she's been doing this month:

-Plays "Night-night, baby" and puts her head down.


-Is completely uninterested in peek-a-boo.
-Eats about 5 times a day, so that is getting better and more spread out.
-Sleeps 8-10 hours a night...but still likes to have her pacifier stuck in her mouth around 5am.

-Lifts up onto her hands when she is on her stomach and rolls all around everywhere.


-Has some screaming fits in the early evening...like sobbing...and we have no idea why.
-Wants her momma!
-Hides her head in my shoulder when people smile at her, like she is shy.

-Loves sleeping in her sling during those fussy hours when mommy has to cook dinner.


-Spits up a little less than last month.
-Drools buckets that string all the way from her mouth to the floor. hilarity.

-Finally gave it up and fell asleep on her tummy after a month of rolling fits!


-Looks at the mirror to see where that baby is.
-Is so close to sitting up.

-Discovered that the exersaucer is way too fun.


-Finds her thumb with her hand on her face sometimes...but never when I need her to!


-Scratches her fingernails on everything and everybody.
-Loves her little Pooh soft blanket with his head on the top.

-Is nosy rosy into whatever is going on...tv, games, drinks, food, etc.


-Has her hands...or feet...in her mouth at all times.
-Smiles most of the day with her mouth wide open like she just can't contain herself.

-Is definitely the third kid...she has to take a nap whenever and wherever she can!

We LOVE this 5 month old girlie!

Review Week

This week we are reviewing our last verses.

John 3:16
I Thessalonians 5:17
I Peter 4:8
I Corinthians 13:4a

Yay! I think we were a little stuck on the "I" books of the Bible!

Happy to be Here

Today is Halloween, Fall Festival, or whatever you want to call it. People seem to freak out about all the things people do to celebrate, and I agree that some of it is valid. But tonight we experienced Trick or Treating in our neighborhood, and it was such a sweet and fun time! We tried this out last year, but went too early and not many people were home. This year we decided to avoid all the crowds at pumpkin patches and festivals and just walk up and down the street together. There were kids everywhere with their parents, looking for porch lights to be on, ringing doorbells, and hollering, "Trick-or-Treat!" I felt for a moment like it was 20 something years ago, when it was safe to run all over your neighborhood ringing every doorbell and being scared silly. Then I realized that some things can just simply be the same as "in the old days" if you let them. We have an annual block party each summer, so we know most of our neighbors, but it was great to meet more. Some of the older people just looooved seeing all the little kids come to their door. They were sitting there waiting for the next ones to come. It was so sweet. I could see that regardless of what we believe about celebrating some holiday, THIS is what it means to "love thy neighbor as thyself." We were out having fun, getting to know each other, meeting some new people, catching up with some old friends, and loving on the kids that we passed on the sidewalk and who came to our door. We were being "neighborly," and building relationships. I know this is how Jesus wants me to love...unconditionally...just giving what we have away to the ones around us that want and need it, even if tonight it was in the form of a Nestle Crunch bar. I feel secure with my kids on these streets, knowing most would watch out for mine as I would for theirs. Don't you all remember not being able to wait any longer to go wear your costume, to be someone else for a night, to ring a doorbell, to have so much fun?? I remember a Halloween that I was dressed as a clown. I had my face completely painted and a purple clown wig on. We were done in our neighborhood and went to see my Nanny so she could see our costumes. When we rang the doorbell she was so excited to have some cute little people to give candy to. She gave us our candy and said to have fun and started to shut the door. She didn't know who it was!! I asked her if she was going to let us come in, and she got a confused look on her face. I told her, "It's me, Nanny! It's Melissa!" She just laughed until she cried, hugged us and let us in. What a great memory. I am so happy to be in a place that we can go and trick-or-treat with friends and have a wonderful time making memories. Here are some pictures of our night!

Spiderman gone bad


Hannah Montana


Hannah, Little Lamb, Good Spiderman


Trick-or-Treat!


Ky singing the Mailey Baby song


Mim and Pop prizes!


Too cute for words...

And Another One Gone...

Makenna on Tuesday...just had to get a pic of buck-toothed lady! Her other dead top tooth finally decided to give up the fight. Instead of the classic wiggle-loose, it just went downward about half a centimeter and still would not budge all the way out.



When I picked her up from school she was soooo proud because she was wiggling it and that silly dead since age 13 months old thing came right out! Here is her new smile! I cannot get over the fact that she has no teeth in the front. The last one on the right is loose, too. How will she eat when that one falls out? She is already having some issues with the "f" sound. Hilarious!



This is the adorable note I found on her nightstand that she wrote to the tooth fairy(click to read.) We had a conversation about how big a tooth fairy could be, what she does with the teeth...we decided she just might chomp them...and if a fairy could ever be a boy. Why she is just now wanting to know all these things is beyond me. When she was 3 and that first tooth was knocked out, she completely freaked about some lady coming into her room and reaching under her pillow. We told her that we would email the tooth fairy and tell her not to come, please. That was the only way she went to sleep that night. Things have definitely changed!

A Verse a Week: Week 9

This week we are working on a small, but important verse that we have been needing some work on.

1 Corinthians 13:4a
Love is patient, love is kind.

I'm not sure if it is the weather or the fact that everyone has been sick in the last two weeks, but we are needing some patience in this house! We will talk about and model how to be patient...for a toy...for a child to get their shoes on...for your turn to swing...for mommy to get your dinner...for a child to get buckled in the car...for daddy to read you a book or rub your back or get you a drink....I think I should stop because obviously I could go on and on.

The second part of the verse is just as important. If we are trying to be patient but using unkind words or thinking unkind things, it really negates the effort. I want the kids to realize that being kind can make everyone feel better about themselves and can keep a situation from becoming a yell-a-thon. I am a yeller...I always got voted the loudest teacher of my grade level...and the coolest...heehee. I don't mind hollering in a good way, but when the words go from kind to unkind to downright mean, that is when it has got to stop.

Both of these attributes, or fruits of the spirit, can only be accomplished through love. The love of Jesus that He puts in our hearts will come out of our hearts (and mouths) if we will let it.

compare/contrast