Seven Months Old

Our sweet girl is 7 months old today!

She is really bursting with personality lately just ask Tonka. He tolerates her very well even when she spits up her entire breakfast on his back as she did this morning. Poor guy! Pretty soon she will be chasing after him while he seeks refuge under the bed.

She is not crawling yet but is definitely mobile. We can no longer lay her down and walk away because she is able to scoot/roll her way from point A to point B. Big girl!

We are really blessed with a wonderfully happy little girl. She laughs and babbles from sun up to sun down. Right now it is really a rare occasion that she really cries. If she is crying it is usually due to being tired and/or hungry. The rest of the time she pretty much rocks at being the most laid back kid in town and for that we are grateful.

This morning we headed outside for a few quick shots of her in a dress that I wore when I was her age. The rocking chair was mine as well. I'm planning on getting the fabric redone pretty soon but for now it looks just like it did when I was small.

Pretty cool huh?

Happy 7 Months Baby Girl!

Just Hanging Around

During the calm before the storm.

This was taken yesterday evening just before the storm rolled into our area. We are all just fine but our thoughts and prayers go out to those who suffered great devastation yesterday.

The images are just amazing yet so unimaginable all at the same time.

May peace be with all of those having to pick up the pieces.

The Lone Easter Picture

Out of all the pictures on my camera from last weekend this is the only one decent one I have of Lauren's first Easter. Oops.

Easter

This should be a post containing cute Easter pictures of Lauren however it is not.

All of my pictures from the weekend are on my camera. Also, there are not as many as I had hoped. We were super busy along with all of you I am sure.

What this post is about is what Easter looks like through an Amber colored lens.

At church yesterday, the sermon started out with the preacher asking the congregation.....

Do you remember that moment? Sure do. Like it was yesterday. And you now have my undivided attention Pastor.

The post above was written on Good Friday 2009. See where this is all going?

A couple of years ago, I remember my friend Stacy posting about how many of our memories are intertwined with the seasons, smells, etc. Like the smell that face wash you are using which reminds you that it was the same one you used in the hospital after losing your first child. Oh wait, most people don't have to associate smells with losing their first child. Sorry.

This time of year seems to bring back all those memories in great clarity. It was Spring, but to us it was the time of year where we faced a great loss as if it should have been Winter. Only it wasn't.

Back to my point....

So the pastor continues on discussing fear, Galilee, and how God told everyone to meet him at Galilee. All the while, the people are thinking why Galilee? Galilee is just where people work, mingle, and doing mundane every day tasks. Why Galilee?

Because Galilee is our every day life. The place where we sometimes need God to pick us up when we are stumbling. He meets us there.

So many times I have read this on Stacy's blog and only halfway felt like I "got" it. Now I truly "get" it.

All of those times, when those moments come flooding back God has met us there.

On Saturday, as we were driving to meet one of our obligations I read the comment on my last post. Over the weekend, I mulled how to respond to that sweet Mother who has recently lost her daughter.

The only way I can sum it up is that he will meet you there. He meets us all there.

Almost Over the Hill

Today is my dear husband's 39th birthday. My heart swells with pride when I think about how wonderful of a husband and father he is day in and day out.

Last month, we celebrated our 4th anniversary. All total, at the end of this year we have been together for 8 glorious years. The time has flown by at the blink of an eye.

During that time, we have most definitely held on tight to each other through the ups and downs that our life together has had in store for us.

We have endured the birth and loss of our dear Megan Grace who lives on in our hearts forever.

We have enjoyed times of laughter with friends and family alike.

We have spent 3 years together with this little furball as part of our lives. He is still such a joy to have around and LOVES his daddy to pieces :)

We still reminisce over our wedding in St. Thomas surrounded by some of our closest friends and family.

There have been trips to the wilderness of Yellowstone National Park.

And football games galore.

Husband~ I can't wait to make many more memories with you and our family over the years ahead. I love you with all my heart! Thank you for all that you do to make my life easier each and every day :)

Speaking of Birthdays

Where did 6 months go?!?

To mark the occasion, we had our dear friend Christina Evans capture these fleetings moments in our little Lauren's life.

These pictures really capture how she is 99% of the time. She is such a laid back little girl full of smiles and laughter!

As of late, she has really started scooting around. She isn't crawling or even fully sitting up on her own but she sure knows how to get from point A to point B.

She still hates food. Who knew such drama could be displayed by a precious 6 month up just by holding up an empty spoon. I really need to get this on video for when she is older.

Right now we still have two teeth with 3 more coming trying to come through. Ouch!

All in all, it has really been a wonderful 6 months. We are truly blessed with a darling little girl!

Annual Guest

I tried to find my old post about our past guest but it is eluding me for the moment.

My first memories of our annual visitor take me back to my time on bedrest with Megan Grace. It was a beautiful green butterfly. So beautiful that to this day I can remember being in awe of the vivid green coloring of its wings.

It stayed on our front porch for weeks before I sadly found it dead just after Megan Grace was born. At the time I took it symbol of sorts of what we had just endured in our own lives. It was comforting in a way. A reminder of the circle of life.

This past Saturday my husband called me outside to see our newest guest. He/she does not have a name but I am really glad they have come to visit.

What a wonderful daily reminder of our sweet Megan Grace this little friend will be as we approach her 2nd birthday in just a couple of short months.

Flight of Honor

Yesterday morning we got up early on rainy Saturday morning just to see this moment.

Ordinary plane leaving on a rainy day beneath an arch of even more water?

Not so much.

This was the departure of the Flight of Honor. We have watched our news station cover it for a couple of years now but yesterday we finally had the chance to make it out to the airport.

This flight was filled by 100 WWII veterans along with a team of volunteers that made the trip to D.C. in order to see the WWII Memorial that many of them have never had the chance to see.

It was such an amazing sight to watch the veterans board the plan as they departed to see the memorial created in honor of their service and sacrifice.

We will be there to see them off for future flights. It was a very touching experience for a deserving group of men and women.

A Lasting Legacy

This morning, I have been contemplating the answer to a question for a friend who is submitting a book proposal regarding her journey through loss.

The question she posed was "What should the take away be?" in regards to the book.

As I was coming back in from lunch, I thought to myself that I needed to email her my response.

This picture, just received a few moments ago, illustrates what I was planning on saying to her.

A Lasting Legacy

If I were to look back through my emails to see when I first contacted the Director of the ECU Alumni Association about this scholarship it was probably days after that day.

She was gone but we knew we did not really want her to be gone.

For the last two years she has been here. Not physically but mentally.

For the last two years, we have able to speak her name and share her story while paying it forward to the next generation of doctors, lawyers, resort managers, musicians, occupational therapists, teachers, and the list goes on.

In the future, we will do this many times over.

A Lasting Legacy.

While they may only meet us briefly to receive their scholarship before continuing on their paths of changing the world one student at a time they will always remember.

For that we are grateful.

Welcoming Spring

Tonight as I saw the sun heading behind the trees I grabbed Lauren and the camera to get this quick shot.

Welcome Spring it is good to see you again!