Friday, February 26, 2010

God-alive

"I want to drink God,
deep draughts of God.
I'm thirsty for God-alive.
I wonder, "Will I ever make it—
arrive and drink in God's presence?"
Psalm 42:1

Saturday, February 20, 2010

No Need For This Anymore...



Ansley has given up her walker and moved on to more important things...walking (and climbing ON her walker)! On Tuesday night, Ansley took three steps by herself! We were over at our cousin's (Richard and Leslie) house, and Ansley was watching the other kids play and I stood her up and she took one step, then I did it again and she took two steps, and finally she took three steps on her own! What a big milestone for such a little girl! She is showing us all sorts of new tricks now that she is 10 months old. We can't wait to see what she does next...these months filled with "firsts" are so fun!

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Superbowl Fun

Tonight we enjoyed hanging out with The Whites and The Mitchells at Richard and Leslie's home. The guys enjoyed watching the game, the ladies enjoyed socializing and of course the kids enjoyed playing. We ALL enjoyed eating! Here are some pictures from the evening...
Ansley enjoyed "cooking" in Maleah's play kitchen...

Jon and Ansley getting excited about the game...

Hanging out before the game started...

BBQ ribs, pigs in a blanket, spinach/artichoke dip, buffalo chicken wing dip, chips, fruit and veggies, cake and drinks...YUM

Cute Cousins (Caleb, Ansley and Maleah)...

Friday, February 5, 2010

Tubes

We took Ansley back to the pediatrician today for a re-check on her left ear, which we found out was infected last Monday. Unfortunately, it had not cleared up and now the right ear is also infected. This is her fourth ear infection in three months. She has a lot of fluid in both ears and it is causing her to not be able to clearly hear high pitch noises or deep low voices. Thankfully, this has not affected her language development and she continues to babble away saying several words. However, we do not want to compromise her hearing by allowing her to continue to develop ear infections that don't subside. We are being referred to Children's South ENT group and will go for a consult with the doctor hopefully next week. We have been encouraged by several friends who have had excellent experiences there. After much prayer, we feel this is the best route for Ansley and we would appreciate your prayers in these next days and weeks ahead as we care for her.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Recent Pictures

Ansley's Month 10 smilebox is in the works to be sent out on her 10 month "birthday" which is February 9th (I know all of you are holding your breath in anticipation!). Ha! However, my sweet sister-in-law always has a difficult time getting the pictures to download from smilebox and she recently told me that she needs to see some new pictures of her niece, Miss Ansley. So, Rachel, here are the latest...
Here she is for her 10 month picture in her rocker. Can you tell she is anxious to climb out of the rocker and get on the move?!

I just had to post this picture. Thanks to my sister-in-law, Jenny, who so graciously loans me Sienna's clothes I never have to buy Ansley any clothes. The Children's Place had all their winter clothes on sale for $2.99 this past weekend. I could not pass up this amazing opportunity to get Ansley a few sweaters and things she can wear the next few months. I got $210 worth of clothes for $50! What a blessing!

Check out her two little bottom teeth...

Here she is doing her new favorite thing...getting into cabinets in the kitchen!

Here she is in a rare moment of "stillness"! She really does love books!

10 Things That Make Ansley Happy...

In light of my last post, I thought I would share the top 10 things that currently make Ansley one happy little girl!

1. Puffs (Her favorite are the apple cinnamon ones)

2. Going shopping (She loves to sit up in the cart and "ooohh" and "ahhh" over all the things in the store)

3. Walking toys (She loves pushing her grocery cart or car around the living room making "car" noises with her lips)

4. Her Bottle (Yes, she still loves her bottle...we are currently trying to transition to the sippy cup one feeding at a time but she does not like it)

5. Seeing her Mommy or Daddy walk through the door or into the room (Her little face lights up)

6. Books (Her current favorite is her bedtime Bible story book)

7. Bath time (She could play in the tub forever...she especially loves chewing on her ocean animals...they must feel good on those two new teeth!)

8. Singing (If Ansley is crying or unhappy you only need to start singing to cheer her up...Her favorite two are the "ABC" song and the "Ansley" song)

9. Kids (She sees kids and pretty much anything they do makes her giggle and laugh...she does this mostly with kids older than her)

10. Her Girlfriends (Kaitlyn and Claire are Ansley's two BFF's at school. She loves to climb through the tunnel with them in her classroom and together they like to drag dolls into the tent and hang out together...how cute!)

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

10 Things

After reading my friend Leslie's top 10, I was inspired to write my own. Here are my top 10 things that make me happy in no particular order...

1. Time spent with my family...all of them. I.LOVE.FAMILY. My family are my closest friends. First, I can't tell you the joy I find in spending time with Jon and Ansley daily. They make me laugh and together we have purpose. Time with Jon, Ansley, my parents, my grandparents, my sister and her family, Jon's parents, and Jon's siblings and their families energizes me. We are all very close and share a love I believe few families ever come to know. We encourage one another, pray for one another, Skype each other, write long emails to one another, call each other often, make it a priority to visit one another and really truly enjoy spending time together!

2. Prayer and God's Word...every morning when I spend time reading the Bible and praying I find a renewed sense of purpose for the day and my life. My worries wash away, peace comes over me, and I am challenged to know Jesus more. I can honestly say that every morning when I come into school early, close my classroom door, read God's Word, and pray, it is time well spent. My days are more joyful and my frustrations seem to pale in comparison to His goodness. I also love praying with Jon and Ansley every day. It's my favorite part of the day. We haven't always done this as a couple but in the past two years it has really made our relationship grow.

3. Teaching/Learning... It is my passion. I enjoy training young people to influence their world. I especially love teaching Ansley and watching her learn new things from me and others. Of course, I love teaching my students. I thank God for the gift of teaching He has given me. It's hard work but it's rewarding work. Some people teach because they have to, I teach because it's what I was created for. I also love learning. I think that is a huge part of what makes a good teacher.

4. Reading...I love to curl up with my blanket and a good book or magazine. I love reading for information. Books on parenting, teaching, knowing God more, and marriage all make me happy. My life has been changed by the books I have read. I love sharing what I learn from books or magazines with others. You don't have to be around me long to hear me say "The other day I was reading..." or "I learned that from a magazine!" My family sometimes laughs at me because of this!

5. Eating out...yes this makes me very happy (just ask Jon). I love the atmosphere, seeing other people, relaxing, eating yummy food, and most of all not having to clean up the kitchen. If you add a sweet tea or Coke to the "eating out" that makes me extra happy!

6. Traveling...I love going places (especially new places). The worst part of traveling has to be unpacking your suitcase and heading back to the "real world". I love that my Mom and Dad instilled in me a love for traveling. Seeing God's creation upclose is a blessing. There is so much world to see and so little time to see it! I am so glad Jon and I share this love.

7. Babies and Kids...they make me really happy. They don't even have to be MINE. A lot of people find time with their own kids to be a treat but I love being with any kids. Kids teach you so much. They are funny, inquisitve and the world is a beautiful place because of their presence!

8. Organizing/Planning...to know things are orderly and everything is in its place makes me smile! I share this love with my Mom and sister. I am very organized at school and a little less organized at home. Planning ahead makes me very happy. I love seeing goals accomplished. I love seeing results. I love marking things off a list. I love seeing my calendar fill up with memory making moments and those things that just "have to be done". "Proper Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance" is one quote I like.

9. Singing/Worship...Whose day is not better when they sing their way through it? I love to sing (in the car, shower, while walking, around the house, to Ansley and especially with other people in worship). Singing makes my heart happy.

10. Relaxing after working...Isn't this a wonderful feeling? I love lying down on the couch and looking around the house knowing things are clean, laundry is done, groceries are in the pantry, Ansley is fed and bathed, mail is sorted, dishes are put away, and for a short moment there is nothing that needs to be done!