Feb 3, 2011

8 Months... Already!!!??? - Baltimore, MD - January 2011

'm literally astonished that our tiny girl is already 8 months old. She is by far the coolest thing on Earth!

There's not an official doctor's visit so these stats were taken on our bathroom scale and a STANLY construction measuring tape. (My sewing measuring tape and sewing scissors must have eloped together because both are nowhere to be found.)
***6 month picture MIA***
Monkey 7 Months
Monkey 8 Months

Here are her new stats:
Weight: 14 lbs (5th %)
Length: 25 and 1/2 inches (5th %)
Head Circumference: 17 inches (25th %)

I know I say this every time, but it is truly AMAZING to watch this tiny person grow and change. She's eating two to three solid food meals a day with her 3 teeth (2 on the bottom & 1 on the top). Her favorites are yogurt and Bananas. For the most part she's not a fan of veggies, with peas and green beans at the bottom of the list. She's discovered that she can refuse to eat things, which isn't the most fun. but coupled with yogurt she'll eat at least a few bites of just about anything.

She is becoming a much more interactive and independent little thing and I'm not just talking about interaction with people. she is learning to play on her own with one of her new favorite toys the Playschool Bucket of Blocks which contains 10 brightly colored blocks that are in assorted shapes. The great part about the bucket is that with all the blocks in it it's only half full leaving lots of room for other treasures! So as of this morning her bucket contains: 2 pacifiers, 1 newborn sock, a teething ring stacking cups, a set of keys, an elephant (stuffed of course), a beaded necklace, and a rattle. I'm thinking big purses are in her future.

She's also getting pretty darn good with her hand and arm coordination which is teaching me that anything within her reach (which is rapidly expanding) is fare game. Last week she was on the kitchen counter in her bumbo seat watching me put away groceries (a favorite pass time) and as I was putting away the cold stuff in the refrigerator, with my back turned she proceeded to somehow reach out and throw on the floor 2 bags of chips, a box of cereal, a bag of splenda, a loaf of bread, hot dog buns and a bottle of ranch dressing. (Thank goodness the eggs were already put away and the bag of potatoes was too heavy!)

She's starting to develop a bit of a vocabulary, She says Mama and Dada with intent now, not just as random syllables, which is super fun! She also says bah bah, which, depending on the situation could be bottle, bouncing, or bath, ALL things she LOVES!!! There's also a lot of gibberish and excited girlish squealing. She is extremely ticklish and is learning the joy and fun of peek-a-boo.

She is sitting up completely on her own and when on her belly she can oscillate in a complete circle. The kitties can still safely watch her outside arms reach, but I don't think that will last much longer. Malcheck LOVES to sit and watch her play, and one of her favorite things is to turn in circles watching him as he walks around her. He'll even let her pet and hold his tail as long as she doesn't pull it. Best friends already.

The last few months have brought a few firsts for her on the traveling front. In November she took her first airplane ride to Boston and the end of December brought her first road trip to Tennessee which I'm excited to say went really well. Over 2,000 miles of driving over the course of 10 days and she did AMAZING!!!

On December 26th, surrounded by our friends and family, she was baptized by her Godfather. There is no feeling that can match that of watching your first child being welcomed into the community of God as everyone present makes a covenant to help us raise her to know, fear, and Love the Lord! It was an emotional day that brought my father to tears.
It was the first time all 4 of his grand children were under the same roof and he was definitely a proud Paw Paw. Below are a few more pictures of our time with family and friends.
Monkey and her Aunt Lo

Monkey with Dad's shades

Monkey with her God Parents
Her Baptism gown

Our little family

Til next time,
Bon Voyage

Jan 23, 2011

The Power of a Praying Wife: The Power - Baltimore, MD - January 2011

I have to say that doing this sort of blog post series is somewhat intimidating. In most situations I'm not what you'd call a "soft spoken" person, but when it comes to love and marriage I have come to know that relationships and marriages come in all shapes and sizes, and just because something works for one couple doesn't necessarily mean it's going to work for another. The dynamics within a marriage sometimes defy all understanding. So please take my words as just that, words. If you find strength in them, wonderful. If you find nothing in them that's okay too. My hope is that together, learning to pray, specifically for our husbands will strengthen our relationships and bring us closer to the Lord.
Before we jump in completely, I think it's noteworthy to point out that the Author's husband has written the forward of this book. His words of gratitude are kind and heartfelt and give you a small glimpse into how deeply he has been affected by his wife's prayer for him. In no uncertain terms he is attributing much of their marriage's success to his wife's devotion to praying for him. That is POWERFUL stuff!

A Bit of Me
I met The Hub in January of 2002 when I was 22 years old. We were both on the rowing team in college and it was about 15 degrees outside and although we tell the story of our first encounter with each other completely differently, there are a few facts that cannot be disputed. The first is that it was so cold on the river that morning that everyone had icicles on their eye lashes. Second I was the smallest and loudest thing within a square mile, and third, neither of us had any comprehension of the work the Lord was about to do in both of our lives. Looking back on it, almost 10 years later, I realize that he and I both asked for every bit of it. Living in completely separate cities without any idea of the other's existence he and I both accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior. We prayed for the Lord to come into our hearts. We prayed that God would allow us to witness his glory and receive his grace. And today, almost 10 years later our beautiful daughter is a manifestation of not only our love for each other, but our love for the Lord. She is the answer to that prayer. I can't help but know the awesome power of prayer.

My parents divorced when I was 10 years old. For this conversation, the reason is irrelavent, but I will say this, my mother said something interesting to me when she and I recently spoke about how she was looking forward to reading this book as I blogged about it. She said that she wished she'd known how to better pray for my father and that maybe their walk would have been different had she known better. I know I'm not the first and definitely will not be the last to say that I don't just believe prayer works, I know prayer works and I am so thankful that that isn't just here say in my life. It's TRUTH.

This first section of the book, "The Power", is so truthful and I LOVE that she lets you into her world so immediately and with out hesitation she tells you that she came to prayer through desperation. The "I will nots..." are a charge that I will gladly take up to protect my husband and to protect my marriage and family.

I'll close with one question and this quote regarding the power of a praying wife.

The Question: What was your favorite part of "The Power"?

The Quote: I think I just might have to write this one on the bathroom mirror so I am reminded of it on a regular basis.

"It's Laying down all claim to power in and of yourself, and relying on God's power to transform you, your husband, your circumstances, and your marriage." - Stormie Omartian: The Power of a Praying Wife.

Till next time,
Bon Voyage!

Jan 12, 2011

Kitty in the Cabinet - Baltimore, MD - January 2011

Every afternoon the sun shines through our sliding glass door and causes the doors of our Television cabinet to be like a mirror. Well a few days ago the Hub and I were in the other room and we heard a bang noise like a door slamming. Once in the living room we found this.

She's standing guard!

Since that afternoon I’ve caught her closing the TV cabinet door two other times and sitting in front of it till the sun goes behind the trees and the reflection disappears. We’re taking this as a sign that she doesn’t want any other kitties in the house so she’s locking them all in the TV cabinet. Those Poor kitties!

Till Next time,
Bon Voyage!

Jan 6, 2011

And The Winner Is.... - Baltimore, MD - January 2011

A HUGE thank you to everyone that entered this was so much fun! After assigning each entry a corresponding number then entering the range of numbers into a random number selector the winner is....

AMANDA COX!!!

Amanda, just let me know how you'd like to receive the book, printed copy or Kindle edition.

Thanks again to everyone that entered I hope you'll read along with us and let us know what you think. We'll start next Sunday, January 16th. That will give you time to get the book.

Till next time,
Bon Voyage!

NOTE TO READER: Below is the numbering list and an image of the random number selected.

1 - Susan - General
2 - Susan - Follower
3 - lilmama12799 - General
4 - lilmama12799 - Follower
5 - Cara Hechinger - General
6 - Stephanie Sabbe - General
7 - Stephanie Sabbe - Follower
8 - Meg - General
9 - Meg - Follower
10 - Anita Mills - General
11 - Megan Smith - General
12 - Amanda Cox - General
13 - Amanda Cox - Follower
14 - Amanda Cox - Blog Post
15 - Cozy Coleman - General
16 - Cozy Coleman - Follower
17 - Mano Rennt - General
18 - Mano Rennt - Follower

Jan 5, 2011

Still 12 hours letf to win =) / My Kindle is sick =( - Baltimore, MD - January 2011

There are less than 12 hours left to sign up for the book give away. For more details check HERE.

And last night I picked up my Kindle and found this.

The screen is going out.

I do read a lot, but I didn't think it was enough to kill a Kindle. I was worried about getting it fixed because it was purchased 13 months ago and it has a 1 year warranty, but after a quick call to the Kindle support team I'm very pleased to let you know that I will be receiving a brand new Kindle at no charge. I've got to say I'm pretty impressed at how friendly and helpful the support guy I talked to was. His name was Joseph and he gets 2 thumbs up from me.

Till next time,
Bon Voyage!

Jan 2, 2011

***GIVE AWAY!!!*** Power of a Praying Wife - Baltimore, MD. - January 2011

So here we are, at the beginning of a new year and I find myself looking back at the last year, smiling at the fun times we've had and the joys we've experienced and as always, beating myself up over what I didn't accomplish in the last 365 days and vowing to do more, be more, live better, love stronger, fall harder, learn more, see more, remember better, forget less, forgive more... I could go on for days. So we'll start today with a NEW BOOK and a GIVE AWAY!!!

***THE BOOK***
The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian. I've got a paper copy (currently loaned to a friend) as well as the e-book on my Kindle. (LOVE, LOVE, LOVE) I'm going to go through it one chapter a week and would love it if you'd like to follow along and share your thoughts along the way.


***THE GIVE AWAY***
To get things started with a bang I've decided to give away a copy of the book.

TIME: The drawing opens as soon as this post is up and will end at 11:59 Wednesday, January 5, 2011.
ENTRIES: You can enter once as a general reader by posting a comment below.
BONUS ENTRIES: There are two ways to get bonus entries, 1.) "follow" this blog and 2.) post about this giveaway on your blog. Just let me know in your comment how you follow and give me the link to your blog post.
THE WINNER: I will use a random number drawing to decide the winner and will announce the winner on Thursday, January 6, 2011 and will ship the book via AMAZON.com within 24 hours of receiving the winner's address. (If you'd prefer to receive this on your Kindle that can also be arranged.) NOTE: If you have bonus entries they will be given the numbers directly after your posted comment.

MORE ABOUT THE BOOK
From AMAZON.com
Stormie Omartian’s mega bestselling The Power of a Praying® series (more than 8.2 million copies sold) is re–released with fresh new covers to reach a still–growing market of readers eager to discover the power of prayer for their lives.

Bestselling author Stormie Omartian inspires women to develop a deeper relationship with their husbands by praying for them. This encouraging resource is packed with practical advice on praying for specific areas of a husband’s life including his

decision–making
fears
spiritual strength
role as father, leader
faith and future
Every woman who desires a closer relationship with her husband will appreciate the life illustrations, select Scripture verses, and the assurances of God’s promises and power for their marriage.

There are several reviews here, but what brought me to this book was a friend who says this book saved her marriage and she rereads it at least once a year. Everyone I know that has read this book loves it and says it has strengthened their marriage and in doing so has changed their life and how they approach prayer. I can't wait to get started. I'd love for you to join me, get your feedback, hear about your experiences, struggles, and triumphs.

To borrow a quote from my dear friend Mrs. Sabbe as she started her last book project, "Matthew 18:20 says "For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them"...I think that counts for the blog world as well".

Til next time,
Bon Voyage!

Dec 11, 2010

"Please come to Boston..." - Boston, MA. - November 2010

Back in November the Hub had a conference in Boston, MA. and the Monkey and I got to tag along. So it was the first installment of the Wandering Family.
Checking out the view.
Riding the T makes us sleepy...
Now she's ready to party!
And we got to see this lady and Mr. Sabbe! =)
Diaper Changing 101... A+!!!
Waiting for the flight home.As always I wish I'd remembered to take more pictures. We did so much that isn't captured. We took a walking tour of the South End, had breakfast at Mike's City Diner, walked through some SUPER cute baby boutiques, went to Church with the Sabbes and to visit their cute new place, went to Harvard, which was beautiful. I guess it's just because I went to UT Knoxville , but I was surprised by how small it was. I really thought it would be bigger. Riding the T was an adventure in itself, and made us very appreciative of the easy to navigate Baltimore Metro. Oh and we definitely made time for LOTS of chowder!

We LOVED the Boston and hope to come back soon!

Till next time,
Bon Voyage!