Growing Boy

My Sweet Reid,

You have only been on this Earth two short years, and you have already proven to have immeasurable resilience and unwavering strength. Through illness and pain, you have never lost your sweet, sweet smile. I can only pray that you are always as joyful as you are right now. Your Daddy and I pray daily that your first love (other than us, cows and tractors) will be our savior and friend, Jesus Christ. Without Him, your life has no purpose. May you see Him in our eyes daily, grow to love Him, and accept Him as your Redeemer.

You have the gift of brightening dreary days. There have been so many times that I have been down, and you simply place your hand on mine and squeeze it tightly. That gentle touch and those silver dollar eyes can make the saddest person jump with joy. Never lose this gift. God will use you throughout your life to brighten the lives of others.

You recently took on the job of "big brother." No, you did not ask for this position, but God blessed you with it. This is a great responsibility. There will come a day when you will know more about what is going on in Sissy's life than your Daddy and I do. You must guide her, protect her and help her to make the right decisions when Mommy and Daddy are not close by. Daddy and I trust you because we already see the love you have for Georgia in the gentle way you play with her. Always hold her close. She is truly a treasure.

Every morning I wake up to your smiling face, and each night I kiss your cheek before you drift off to sleep. I will not always be able to do this, but know that there will never be a morning or a night that I do not think of you and pray for you. The moment that your Daddy and I held you for the first time, we were given proof that our God is indeed very real. Keep smiling Baby Reid...keep smiling.

I love you,
Mommy

"I thank my God every time I remember you." Philippians 1:3

Francie Turns Two and Family Lake Weekend...

This has been an exciting month for our four. Our sweet Francie turned two, and we enjoyed celebrating with her. We also went to Lake Eufaula for a fun family weekend. Here are some pictures I wanted to share!

This is Reid's "I don't want my picture taken, GaGa" face.

Reading books together.

Papa was supposed to be rocking him to sleep...




Sissy decided to start trying to sit up!

Aunt Kate, Georgia, Francie and Baby Christi at Francie's 2nd B-day.

Playing with Sissy.

See the resemblance??

Family Picture at the Cabin

Rolling, Loving, and Calving...

First, our sweet Georgia Peach (4 and 1/2 months) is rolling EVERYWHERE! Earlier this week at 4:00 a.m., she decided to start rolling onto her back, and of course she needed an audience...she has been going ever since! She is already trying to get on her hands and knees, and I'm afraid we will have a crawler before too long...goodness...where does time go?

Along with the cold weather, also comes sweet baby calves. Here is a picture of one...brand new!

And the reason we started this blog, our Reidster, will be turning 2 in less than a month! He is changing and growing everyday. Despite the "terrible twos" we seem to be entering, he is such a joy, and I am so blessed to be his mother. Here is a video of him saying "I Love You!"

11 weeks and the Terrible Two's on Steroids...

Well, my sweet Georgia turned 11 weeks this past Friday. Where does time go? She is sleeping 8-10 hours a night, napping well during the day, gaining weight (already over 10 lbs), "talking," and smiling all the time! Such a happy baby! Reid was wonderful, but she puts him to shame!!!

This stay-at-home-mommy is VERY thankful that her baby girl is so well behaved, because her other "sweet baby" has hit the TERRIBLE TWO'S! Not only has he started pitching horrendous fits, telling Mommy and Daddy "NO!," drawing on the walls, climbing on furniture, playing in toilets, and loving on Sissy a little TOO much (especially when she is sleeping)...but he's also been taking high doses of steroids for the past week because of his asthma! Talk about one heck of a week!!! Here are a few pictures of the little stinker in action...

If you can't tell, Reid has drawn on the wall in this picture...notice his mischievous smile in the background.

Climbing on the chair and dancing naked after a bath.

My little "coo doo" (cool dude)

Even though my little monster has started telling his Mommy and Daddy just what he thinks, that also includes "I uv ooo" (I love you). Those are definitely the sweetest words a Mommy can hear!!!

The Big 6 - 0!!

Happy birthday Papa! Today my Daddy is turning a very young 60 years old (I hope you don't mind my sharing that with the world)! My family and I love him more than words can express (especially my babies) and we wanted him to know how thankful we are that he is our's. We love you, and hope you have a wonderful, spirit-filled day! We'll see you tonight!

Here are a few pictures of him doing what he enjoys best:

Blessed...

Things have settled down in our house, and we are slowly finding a sense of normalcy again. Cory and I were talking last night after both babies were in bed, and reflected over the last several weeks. A terrible pregnancy, a premature baby, giving birth to a gallbladder, and a severe asthma attack sent us for a whirl, but here we are...a little cracked but not shattered, tired but healthy, and blessed more than we ever imagined.

Everyday I find myself thankful for the two sweet souls God trusted me with...not to mention the parents that God gave Cory and I. DayDay and CeCe, and Papa and GaGa have given more of their time and love to our family over the last several months, and all we can really say is thank you. I can hear my Daddy plain as day, "You don't have to thank us. We do it because we love you." But I never want the four of you to think we don't appreciate each of you. Whether it was last minute babysitting, 3 drives back and forth to Pensacola, or late night visits to the hospital just to offer a smile and that never-failing sense of security, know that we love you, and your grandchildren love you too. Here are a two big smiles to brighten your day...

Beachin' It...

Well, I successfully took 3 red-heads to the beach, and not one came back sun burnt (thanks to those 4 bottles of 50 proof Water Babies I bought)! Cory and I took Reid and Georgia to the San Destin Hilton for our annual week at the beach. We all had a much needed break from our current normal of regular hospital visits. Reid LOVED being all boy and wallowing in the sand, and Georgia just decided that the beach was a more peaceful environment for her agenda of sleeping and eating. Cory and I simply enjoyed making memories with our sweet babies. Next year, both will be completely mobile and we'll really be given a run for our money! Here are a few pictures...

Georgia was pooped...

Things got quiet in the hotel room, and when I went looking, this is what I found...

Big beach smile!

Being silly...


The green bucket didn't get too far away...

Diggin'...

Playing with Dada...

Reid took a much needed 2 hour nap on the beach! That's the life...