Ella and John David Teaching

I started going through video footage of the past year so I could start making Ella's birthday movie this week. It has been so fun to look back, and I am so thankful for video cameras! All of these precious moments would be lost forever were it not for technology. I am amazed at how much Ella has grown in her features, the tone of her voice, in conversation skills, etc. And James' weeks as a tiny newborn passed all too quickly. He was such a precious little one.

This clip is from last October. I think this started with John David wanting to lead music. He was going through a phase at the time of liking to imitate the choir director at his church. From there it moved on to their "teaching". Notice Ella's numbered points in her sermon. I also enjoyed the statement, "I'm not gonna do anything wrong."

Feeling Blessed

I was able to attend a women's retreat this weekend with ladies from  my church, and my heart was very encouraged by all of the sound teaching I received.  We watched the dvd's from a True Woman Conference some ladies in our church attended this past March, and the messages were such a blessing.  It is always so good to have my heart reoriented and refocused on God's Word, especially on His design for me as a woman, wife, and mother.  I know I make lists a lot in my blog posts, but they are an easy way for me to organize my thoughts since I don't have the time to write a three-point essay.  So, here are some things I am thinking about tonight after an intense time of Bible study and coming back home to my family.

• I really love my husband!  The best part for me was coming home and re-telling all I heard and learned to KJ.  (Why do females feel the urge to do that?)  For me, I just love sharing everything with him.  He truly is my best friend who knows me better than anyone, and it has been a joy to have good conversation this evening.
• I need to do a better job of talking to ladies I don't know well in my church.  Everyone has a back-story to tell (something I learned from watching LOST), and I do not do well with wanting to make new friends and take the time to get to know a stranger.  I'm always glad once the new friends are made, but going up to a stranger in a crowd of people and trying to get to know them is not my favorite thing.  I tend to just like my old friends.  But my old friends were new friends once...  :)
• My children really do need me!  I know that is true, but it was especially brought home to my heart after hearing a letter read by Nancy Leigh DeMoss written to her by a young man whose mother consistently chose other things for her life besides spending time with her children.  I'm glad Ella and James need me.  Ella tells me frequently that she wants to be just like me.  
• Men and women were created to reflect God's image in different ways.  I know that may seem obvious, but I am constantly in need of that reminder in a world where the role of gender becomes so confused.  It gives me new confidence and joy in my pursuit of loving my husband and children in a way that honors God, knowing that my work is quite valuable in His sight.
• God's grace is sufficient through every trial He marks out for our lives.  I was so encouraged by the various testimonies given by speakers of God's sufficient grace.  No one enjoys going through trials, but I do love learning to know God better walking through those trials.  Or, as the writer of Hebrews put it, "For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it."
• I really love studying God's Word.  In-depth Bible study has slowly crept out of my life in the past year.  But the first year of James' life is coming to a close, and there will be more sleep and more time in my future for that pursuit again (I hope!).  
• I really love my kids.  They are the best.  It was a joy to come home to them.  To be greeted by James (who was absolutely fine with KJ but so glad to see me come in the door) and Ella and see their dear childish faces brings joy to my heart.  My favorite moment tonight?  James drinking bathwater out of his cup in the tub.  Don't worry, it was before the soap was added.  He has just learned a new skill, and there was no stopping him.  He's adorable.  

James

I have seen so many signs of James' growing up this past week, and I am so proud of all his new accomplishments.  Ella's first year seemed to go by slower because she was all I had to focus my attention on, but with two, I feel like I am just waking up to the fact that he is nearly one, and he is supposed to be doing and achieving more.  He is not just my sweet, cuddly baby (although he still loves to cuddle and sing with his mama).  


I let Ella practice holding her own sippy cup a lot starting at 7-8 months old, but James being a messy little boy who slings liquid everywhere and turns the cup upside down to chew on it, has not been allowed the same privilege.  And since we've been nursing, he hasn't really needed the cup that much.  But we are in the process of weaning, so he has been drinking milk from his cup more frequently in the past couple of weeks.  A couple of days ago, he just took it out of my hands and started throwing it back like an old pro.  I was taken aback, because he hasn't had much practice.  

I found him under the table drinking juice when I came inside from my walk.

(KJ was home.)

When Ella was about this age she would always play contentedly in whatever room of the house I was in.  This usually involved emptying a cabinet of its contents.  James has not done any of that yet.  He is too busy exploring.  But tonight, I had my pajama drawer open trying to find Ella something to sleep in (more on that later), and here's what we caught James happily doing.

He was having a big time.

He's playing his new favorite game (first favorite game?), "Where's James?"

A couple of days ago after his bath he started pulling the towel over his face and then pulling it down.

"Where's James?"

"There he is!"

And since I couldn't get the video to load of him pushing the grocery cart:

I know I say this in every post about James, but he is such a precious little boy.  I love him so.

Making Movies

I promised my mom to upload a video of James walking while pushing (and holding on to) Ella's toy grocery cart, but I recorded it on my digital camera in HD (and it does look good!), but it is not wanting to upload through any medium I have tried because of the type of file it is.  KJ is going to try to convert it to another type of file for me, but my apologies, Mom!  He looked so cute and grown-up.  


I finished making and editing a wedding weekend dvd for Jesse and Sandy today.  I heard they were in town so I spent all afternoon finishing up so I could give it to them.  I was really pleased with how well it turned out.  It was my first time to make a video on Adobe Premiere.  My favorite part might be the main menu.  

While looking at the menu, you can listen to 

Nat King Cole sing Unforgettable.

(Oh, and I took the picture of their hands.)

So, I have been having fun making movies today.  I also thought I would post a picture of Ella that I took yesterday.  KJ couldn't believe how grown-up she looked.

As I said in a previous post, I don't feel like I have much to update anyone on.  We are living the simple life right now.

Waiting Room

I am sitting in the waiting room at the OBGYN feeling very hip because I was able to connect to the internet and write a blog post while I wait.  I know I'm old-school, but I don't get out of the house much with my laptop.  So using free WI-FI still feels cool to me.  And I still remember what it felt like to not be able to get the internet to work from time to time, so this is fun.  It definitely makes waiting better.  So, besides that, what in the world do I have to write about?  Not a lot.


My big plans for this week include a lot of piano practicing.  That is not something I do very regularly anymore, but I am playing this weekend  for a ladies' retreat at our church.  I have a lot of new songs to learn, so that will be exciting and challenging for me.  I might move the keyboard out of Ella's room, where it is currently residing so I can practice when the kids are in bed.  


I feel so boring today to all you faithful readers.  But I suppose boring is good.  We are just enjoying the simple pleasures in our family today.  For the moment, all is well.


I have been thinking a lot about sweet Ella lately.  Four years ago this week was her due date.  She wasn't in a hurry so this is not her birth week, but we were anxiously awaiting.  KJ's mom came up to Louisville early because she was so excited.  I did a lot of sitting on the couch waiting for something to happen.  My, how my life has changed in the past 4 years!  Motherhood changes everything.  

Coming down the stairs to go be induced with Ella

Just a Quote

"There are so many things in life we cannot do because of the fear of what Mrs. Harmon Andrews would say...What delightful things we might do were it not for Mrs. Harmon Andrews!"

-One of my favorite quotes from Anne's House of Dreams-

I always think of it when I'm worried about what someone might think.

Party Planning Committee

Ella's 4th birthday is coming up on September 2.  I started a conversation with her today about her party because I knew I needed to begin planning.  KJ and I decided that we would do a family party again this year because at this point, that's what she wants the most, and it's what we love, too.  There will be a time when friends will be very important to her, but for now, her family makes up her inner circle.  Here are Ella's thoughts on her party:

• She wants (her cousin) John David to come.  He was at the top of her list.
• B.P.  and Debbo are coming to surprise her.
• T and Big Daddy can come.
• She only wants her aunts to come, not her uncles.  (I think I convinced her that the uncles can come, too.)
• She wants the cake she saw at Publix with Belle, Ariel, and a fountain on it.  I tried to introduce some other party themes, but she remained firm.  Ella is very much a creature of habit.  She likes to do things the same way.  She had a princess cake last year that we bought at Publix (mainly because I was 8 months pregnant and was trying to do as little as possible).  
• So, in keeping with doing things the same way, she also requested a pink princess balloon tied to the back of her chair.
• John David can have a boy balloon on his chair.
• We will eat cake.  We will also eat chicken nuggets and yogurt.
• She wants to have place cards on the table showing where everyone in her family can sit. (She's been to a lot of wedding parties recently.)
• Games would not be fun at her party.  (Although I have convinced her otherwise on that point as well.  We will have games.)

We went to Target tonight and found a lot of nice door prizes in the dollar section (for the winners of the games) and KJ secretly bought her birthday presents.  I forgot to get invitations, so that will have to wait another day or two.  I got distracted by my son who is now banned from going to the store with me.  He's gotten into the habit of standing up in his high chair, making meals a very stressful experience, and tonight he decided he would stand up in the buggy as well.  Yes, he was buckled in pretty snugly, but he still figured it out.  He continued to stand up, so I had to take off at a brisk pace to keep him seated, and that interrupted my shopping.  I was alone at the checkout because KJ was off buying gifts in secret, and he was climbing out of the buggy while I tried to swipe my card, keeping one hand on him.  I finally had to just hold him on my hip, but his 22-23 pounds gets heavy really quickly these days.  And even holding him is a workout because he is reaching for everything and just wants to be free.  Look out, world.  James Pugh will be walking soon.  Your destruction is imminent.  

A Week of Quietness

Last week was very busy preparing for Jesse's wedding, and it has been nice to have no big events to plan for this week (even though I enjoy wedding weekends immensely).  I've enjoyed the rest, and I really haven't even done much housework.  All I've wanted to do is work on editing pictures and video from the weekend.  I've spent a lot of time in front of the computer.  I try to get motivated to do other things, but the draw of movie-creating has been much stronger than the call of laundry (though the call of laundry is becoming increasingly louder from the direction of my closet).  


Tonight I've been listening to James cry a lot.  I'm not really sure what is going on with him.  I keep thinking he has given up and gone to sleep but then I hear a few more cries from his bedroom.  I've spent the majority of the past two hours alternating between rocking and laying him down.  I've tried giving him some milk and staying up a little longer, but he threw a royal fit, complete with the throwing back of his head.  At least Ella has been very pleasant tonight.  KJ had to go to the University for a college fair, so I have been alone with the kids.  Hmmm...fun things about Ella today:

• She's gotten into the habit of saying, "Would you excuse me?" when she needs to leave the room to go to the bathroom.  I don't think I taught her that.  I'm not sure where she picked it up.  She said it today while she was playing computer games.  
• She went to the library with me today, and part of her preparation was gathering her purse and her sunglasses.  She looked so incredibly cute.  I wish I'd had my camera.  
• She sat quietly at a table reading beside me.   When she finished with her books she read a magazine.  
• She told me I was a really good mommy and that tomorrow she would give me a hug and lots of kisses.
• She likes to match me at night when we get ready for bed.

I guess to be fair, James is pretty cute, too, despite his crying for the past hour.  He has finally succeeded in learning to clap his hands correctly.  He has had different versions of clapping for the past few months, and in the past few days he has finally gotten it down.  He claps about everything.  He claps when I bring him food to the table, when I open the car door to take him out of his car seat, when he hears music, and pretty much whenever he sees my face.  He is the most precious boy in the world.  So, that is about all that's been going on this week.  I'm pretty glad about that.

This is James under the table last week.

He loves to go under things.  Today he succeeded in crawling all the way under the buffet in the kitchen.

It took some serious ducking skills.

One of my favorite edits from the week

Jesse and Sandy's Vows

Wedding Weekend

The past 4 days have been one big blur, filled with one activity after another.  It feels good to be at home this morning with only household and normal things to do.  Thursday was spent with Katie Habrial (Sandy's sister) decorating my house for the Bridesmaid's Brunch on Friday morning.  It was fun to use all my pretty dishes, and Katie did an incredible job arranging the flowers she picked out.

We always seem to have a sleep crisis with James on wedding weekends, and this weekend was no different.  Add that to the fact that I have such a hard time falling asleep before big family events, and I was running on fumes and the grace of God.  We had an early start Friday morning, but everything became okay for me when my mom showed up to make my bed with Ella and prepare fruit salad with both Ella and James.  Ella used her own knife to cut fruit, and James did some steady sampling.  

Despite being a little tired, all the other food preparation was flawless and easy.  The food was  delicious and the company fun and enjoyable.  We had a lovely time.

Friday afternoon was peaceful, and James was thankfully very content to crawl around the living room and play.  Ella watched entirely too much television, but I justified it thinking that it was going to be a very long day for her, and she was going to have a really late night at the rehearsal dinner.  She doesn't take naps anymore, and she needed to rest.  Not to mention that I had been assigned the role of speaker at the rehearsal dinner and needed to nail down what I was going to say.  I decided I would write a poem (stealing an idea from my sister-in-law Katie Kizziah) because otherwise I would probably ramble on, and it seems more acceptable to read a poem than read a speech.  


Ella was absolutely amazing at the rehearsal in her role as flower girl.  She took the job very seriously.  She wouldn't practice dropping the petals until she was told it was time.  She stood very still on the stage and skipped down the aisle when she made her exit.  She was a delight. I was bragging on her on the way home about how well she did, and she said, "Well, I was trying!"  

Ella enjoyed tap dancing with Big Daddy at the dinner.

The rehearsal dinner was so much fun as well.  Kay Mardis and Donna Hamilton (two ladies from my home church in Arab) were so sweet to serve us all by preparing the food.  Everything was delicious, and they were working in hot conditions.  My brothers, Josh and Judson, played and sang, I read my poem, and Dad showed a slideshow of pictures.  It was a wonderful time of sharing.  I think Josh stated the case very well by saying, "If you know our family, we could sit here all night sweating and telling stories and laughing."  And indeed we could have.

Everyone and everything was so beautiful on the wedding day.  Sandy did a great job choosing the bridesmaid's dresses, shoes, and flower colors.  Everything looked gorgeous, and the bride was especially so.  The ceremony was so sweet and special.  I am thankful to my husband for taking care of James so I could enjoy it.  KJ asked me when I got home what stood out about the ceremony.  My answer, "Well, the unity candle."  The incident at the unity candle was especially funny because at my brother Josh's wedding they had a little problem with their's as well.  The middle candle popped up really high out of its setting in the midst of them trying to light it.  For Jesse and Sandy, their candles kept going out when they tried to light the main candle.  Finally, they were forced to dip the candle straight down into a little candle that was burning on the altar to light it.  It's always good to have something to laugh at and remember from your ceremony.  My veil fell off during mine.  It was a really beautiful day.  I'm so happy for Jesse and so glad to have Sandy as a sister.  

8.15

As I was writing a tithe check at church this morning I did a double check at the date.  These numbers mean a lot to me now.  Some of you will understand.  And for you, it was worth noting.

Popping In

Hello blog!  We're having a wedding this weekend.  I'll be back tomorrow evening with pictures.

Woo-hoo!!!

Wow! Poetry!

I am presently flipping through a book I bought in high school entitled, The Book of Love.  I confess that I totally bought this book because of the picture on the cover.

Forgive me, I was 18.

It's a collection of poems, excerpts from books, letters, and essays about...love, of course.  I had forgotten how absolutely lovely a way some people have with words.  I am not genius enough to describe it properly, so I will just let them speak for themselves.  I love this.

Barter by Sara Teasdale

Life has loveliness to sell,

All beautiful and splendid things,

Blue waves whitened on a cliff,

Soaring fire that sways and sings,

And children's faces looking up,

Holding wonder like a cup.

Life has loveliness to sell

Music like a curve of gold,

Scent of pine trees in the rain,

Eyes that love you, arms that hold,

And for your spirit's still delight,

Holy thoughts that star the night.

Spend all you have for loveliness,

Buy it and never count the cost;

For one white singing hour of peace

Count many a year of strife well lost,

And for a breath of ecstacy

Give all you have been, or could be.

Headbanging James

More of James dancing

Gilbert Marries Anne

It's wedding week in our family, and I am far too busy (and tired) to think of any original thoughts.  I thought I would share some of my favorite literary weddings.

But it was a happy and beautiful bride who came down the old, homespun-carpeted stairs that September noon--the first bride of Green Gables, slender and shining-eyed, in the mist of her maiden veil, with her arms full of roses.  Gilbert, waiting for her in the hall below, looked up at her with adoring eyes.  She was his at last, this evasive, long-sought Anne, won after years of patient waiting.  It was to him she was coming in the sweet surrender of the bride.  Was he worthy of her?  Could he make her as happy as he hoped?  If he failed her--if he could not measure up to her standard of manhood--then, as she held out her hand, their eyes met and all doubt was swept away in a glad certainty.  They belonged to each other; and, no matter what life might hold for them, it could never alter that.  Their happiness was in each other's keeping and both were unafraid.

- Anne's House of Dreams, L.M. Montgomery -  

Wedding Week

Today marks the wedding anniversaries of two special couples in my life:

• Granny and Pop- KJ's grandparents, Oliver and Billie Pugh, are celebrating their wedding day today.  They have been such a blessing to every member of their family as it has continued to grow.  We are so thankful for the love and faithful prayers of Granny and Pop.

• My Parents- My mom and dad are celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary today.  I am so thankful for my parents and the way they have modeled marriage.  "This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church."  What a blessing it is to my brothers and I to have had parents who have continued to love one another throughout the entirety of our lives.  This year, my parents' anniversary is appropriately arriving at the beginning of the week that will be spent preparing for the marriage of my brother, Jesse, to Sandy Habrial. It is going to be a very exciting and wonderful week.  How beautiful is love and marriage and all that it points us to in Christ.

  
  
  
  
  
  "He who finds a wife finds a good thing
  and obtains favor from the LORD."
  - Proverbs 18:22 - 
  
  

The Owl and the Pussy Cat

This is KJ's favorite from The Poetry Show.

Classical Baby

Last month our satellite company gave us a preview of several HBO channels, one of which was HBO Family.  We recorded several great programs for Ella that KJ and I really enjoy, too.  They're in a series called Classical Baby.  Our favorite is The Poetry Show.  It is such an enjoyable and fun way to expose your children (and yourself) to great poetry.  They could be reciting Shakespeare by kindergarten!  There is also an episode that introduces children to classical music and one with Susan Sarandon reading Goodnight Moon.  All of the episodes have several funny interviews with children talking about poetry and music and nighttime rituals.  One of my favorite quotes from the poetry show?  "Poems can make you sad.  They can make you glad.  They can make you confused."  

Just Like Me

I really love having a daughter.  I am also glad that I had three years alone with her before James was born.  We were able to make and share so many wonderful memories together.  We strolled through the surrounding neighborhoods countless times from the time she was three weeks old.  We walked to Wal-Mart and the Dollar Tree.  We went to the library and Target, to the playground and Chick-Fil-A.  She's exercised and dusted, paced the house while talking on the phone, read books and put away dishes.  I see in her my best qualities and my worst; I also see several of her own that make up her unique self.


Ella will be four next month, and she has grown so much in the last year.  In some ways I feel like I have missed it because it has been such a sleep-deprived daze welcoming a new baby into our home.  I have been waking up during the past few weeks and really appreciating and loving all the changes and new growth in Ella during the past year.  I really don't know what I would do without Ella.  She is another pair of eyes and ears for me in saving James' life.  "Mom, he's doing something bad!"  "James, no no."  Poor James.  He'll be so hen-pecked with two mothers.  But at this stage it is definitely a good thing.  She fetches diapers and wipes and throws away the dirty diapers.  She's even started interpreting for James when I talk to him. "Are you ready for a nap?"  Ella in a high-pitched voice, "Yes, ma-ma."  "Are you hungry big boy?"  Ella again, "No, ma-ma."


The challenging thing with Ella lately has been having to think of "something for her to do" every 15 minutes or so, but yesterday was such a good day.  There are times when she is extraordinarily pleasant and easy to care for.  She wanted to help me clean yesterday (I don't think my bedroom will ever be dusty again, as she dusts it every day.), so she helped me put clothes in the dryer.  We worked in her workbook together, and then she worked on writing her letters (on her own, without whining about needing something to do!) while I did some other things.  She did a complete workout dvd with me (walking 4 miles) ending with a good stretch.  When I put James in the pack n' play so I could get ready she made sure he was happy, even supplying him with snacks when he got cranky.  I love my girl.


When we came home from Big Daddy's birthday party last night and I changed into some more comfortable clothes, she wanted to put on gray pants and a white tank top to be just like me.  

Moments in Mothering

My dad dropped by our house this morning to bring some food for Jesse's wedding next weekend.  As he sat visiting with Ella she said,


"B.P., I am just out of dollars."  "Well I can do something about that.  How much do you need?"  "One."


My parents usually supply Ella with some money for the road when they leave our house or we leave their's.  Ella knew where to go when she found her wallet empty.

Happy Birthday to Big Daddy

Tonight we will be getting together with KJ's family to celebrate his dad's birthday.  We are very excited.  I am very thankful to have this time serving in Tuscaloosa with KJ's parents.  It has been a blessing to us to be in the same city with family after living out of state for four years, and KJ has learned so much serving under and with his father.  That was one of the positive reasons we saw for this being his first full-time ministry job.  Who could be more patient and willing to teach a new pastor than his father?  

I am so thankful to have a father-in-law who loves me as a daughter.  He continually illustrates to our family the giving and protecting attributes of our Heavenly Father.  

We love you, Big Daddy!

Happy Birthday!!

A New Day

"Marilla, isn't it nice to think tomorrow is 

a new day with no mistakes in it?"

- Anne, Anne of Green Gables -

I am sitting in the quiet of my kitchen with only James for company this morning.  Thankfully, Ella is still sleeping, and James slept until 6:45.  It's not often I get to start my days like this, and it's nice to have some quiet to mentally prepare for my day.  What do I want to accomplish?  What can I do differently and better?  as a mother?  as a wife?  for myself? 

Last night at church I heard a good quote about how it's not enough to just say you are going to be different or change something about yourself.  We need new and greater passions to take the place of the old ones.  I am hoping to do some replacing of old affections today.  

Another thought occurred to me last night after church.  (On a side note, isn't it amazing what changes happen in your heart and mind when you hear the Word of God explained?  I'm so glad I'm starting to get out more.)  What would it look like in my life (and most importantly, my heart) if I lived in the following way from the heart:

"Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward.  You are serving the Lord Christ."

- Colossians 3:23-24 -

Ella is now awake, so the meditating must end and the serving begin.  I've already been multi-tasking, feeding James a banana as I write.  Now it's off to fix drink and make breakfast for the girl.

Conversation

I just overheard a conversation in the bathroom between Ella and KJ.  KJ made a comment about Ella growing up and getting big, and Ella said, "You don't have to cry about it.  It's just a birthday."  That girl...

Moments in Mothering

I wanted to give a shout-out to James today, too.  Everyone says that boys are different, and I guess they are.  I don't like to be cliche about it, but I cannot keep up with this baby.  He is everywhere all of the time.  Today he stood up in the high chair and tried to climb out, i.e. dive head first into the linoleum.  Saved him.  Then he crawled into the bathroom, pulled up on the tub and tried to eat some soap.  Saved him.  Last night he found a bobby pin on the floor.  I saved him again.  (Because you know that bobby pin was going straight in the mouth.)  He speed-crawls from one end of the house to the other getting into mischief.  In order to write this post I put on a movie and had to resort to this:

He has been standing there watching a movie for the past 30 minutes, so I better end this post.  It's good exercise for him, I guess.

Phonics Fun

It is always so amazing to me the way children learn, especially young children.  I remember teaching Ella her colors and the amazement I felt when she actually remembered them.  Teaching a baby something mostly involves just pointing and speaking, so it's so astonishing when they start recognizing them, too.  Ella watched Baby Einstein dvds constantly as a baby, and one day we were outside, and she walked up to a flower and made the sign for it.  It makes your day as a parent.  As my father would say (quoting the Genie in Aladdin), "She can be taught!"


KJ and I have been working on letter sounds with Ella a lot lately.  When you first start trying to teach something new, it seems like it's so complicated for them to understand.  Not the letter sounds exactly but understanding the question, "Do you hear the sound at the beginning of the word."  She doesn't know what the phrase, "beginning of the word" means.  But today we were working on some of the Phonics pages in her workbook, and she was doing amazing.  She was answering every question correctly, but the best part was when she went to talk to James in his crib when he woke up from his nap.  We had just done a page on the letter B, and she walked in his room as she usually does, saying, "Hey, buddy!"  Then she came running back in the kitchen, "Buddy starts with the letter B!"  She was so excited, and so was I.  She spoke the word and heard the sound.  I was one proud, phonics-loving mama.

Moments in Mothering

"I can't wait to be old like you, Mom."

- Ella Pugh -

A Super Wonderful Sunday

Today was such a great Lord's Day.  James slept conveniently late this morning so he was able to make it through Sunday School and the Worship Service before needing his nap.  All four of us actually went to church in the same car this morning.  Miraculous!  The fellowship was sweet, I love my Sunday School teacher (who also happens to be my husband), and the sermon was wonderful, too.  Because my children were in the nursery I was actually able to listen.  I went to Sam's by myself this afternoon to do some shopping, we all made it to church again tonight (another miracle), and then I got to go out with some dear ladies in our church afterwards.  KJ put the kids to bed, and I came home to a quiet house.  Thank you so much, Lord!

I happened to have my camera with me.

I thought us all coming to church at the same time was worth remembering.

Today also marks James' 10-month birthday.  He has been sleeping through the night for about 10 days or so, which is the most consecutive nights of uninterrupted sleep I've had in over a year.  My sleep has been pretty amazing.  I mean, 7-8 hours a night most nights.  My soul has wings.  

James is intrigued by the camera.

James LOVES his sister.

He has curls on the back of his head.

James loves to explore; he especially likes to go under things.

James has learned how to roll the ball this week.

He is one precious, little guy.