So behind...

Emily, 8 months old now!!

I realize that I am very very very behind in blogging. I can't really even remember the last time I sat down to blog. I miss that. I enjoy sharing what is going on in our lives to our few readers (I guess I have a few...). Well to whoever reads, I am sorry for being so behind.

We have had alot going on, biggest thing being that we have moved!! Yes, and I am sorry that I don't have any pictures to post at this time, but I will one of these days. (Judging from my record of previous posting, that could be months away! haha) We are enjoying our new home and we feel very blessed with the unfolding of God's plan for having us here. I was concerned with how Emily would transition, but she has seemingly not been affected at all. She has really always been a good sleeper and moving to a new house, in a new room didn't seem to bother her one bit. I was thankful for that! Jeffery and I both have been busy at work as well. I have been working more days than usual the last month or so. Emily still LOVES her babysitter, Obdulia, and I am so happy to have her. Jeffery stays busy at Diamond C, which is a huge blessing. He is out of town right now at business meetings in New Mexico. We meet up tomorrow in Waco for Baylor Homecoming...Emily's first, I'm excited!!

So about Emily now...she is doing super. She is 8 months old already (on Oct 10). I can't believe how fast time has gone and that in less than 4 months now, she will be a year old! She is a happy, happy baby and such a joy. She loves to eat and she eats pretty much everything these days! I am still nursing her, but not nearly as often. She eats what we eat, in moderation, and likes about everything. It is fun to watch her try new things and watch her reaction to different foods. She is on the go, go, go! She has still not mastered the crawl up on hands and knees. She can army crawl anywhere though! She is fast and determined when she wants to get somewhere. She has started pulling up on tables, chairs, couch, the bathtub, my leg, whatever! She likes to wedge herself in odd places, as seen in the picture. If I leave her somewhere, even for just a minute, I most often find her under something, or between something, or in something...well you get the picture. She is a little mischievous one! We really are so blessed by her and realize what a great gift that being a parent is every time she smiles at us. Sweet baby!

A couple weeks ago at the Titus County Fair...She was really tired here!

The joys of my life! I still think she looks so much like him!

Best Cousins...Emily and Campbell

One of her newest hiding places...she went there three times today over and over!

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21

So as of now, Emily has...

1. Two teeth! The first one came through last Thursday and then another followed quickly behind on Sunday. She has been a little fussy and snotty because of them (I am assuming). She has ran a low grade temperature too. Overall, she is doing well with the teething business so far. They are two sharp little teeth, thats for sure! Not looking forward to biting!

2. Enough hair to wear a bow or clip without a headband. This is a big deal to me since I was a complete 'baldy' until I was about 18 months old. Maybe I'll post a picture of that (if I can get one scanned in) to follow, just for laughs. I was thrilled to hear when Emily first arrived that she had a head full of hair and now it has grown long enough to hold a bow. She seems not to even notice one clipped on her head, which is nice, because she had learned to pull the headbands down and wear them as a necklace. I guess she was to make a fashion statement already!

Hard to believe how fast time flies by, but happy and blessed to report that my baby girl is doing great...God is good. Blessings to you and yours...

hello again!

I know, I know...it has been forever since I have visited this thing called blogging! We have had a busy, wonderful summer and especially a busy month. My sister's precious baby girl Campbell was born on July 20! Yay! Emily had her 6 month birthday last week...wow how time flies! We have been enjoying lots of fun family time and trips back and forth to Keller to visit baby Campbell. Emily is doing great, she is extremely happy, mostly calm, a great sleeper, a GREAT eater (17 pounds proves that), and overall she is an incredible blessing.

I have been reminded and refreshed of how awesome the responsibility and privilege of being a mother really is. As I have said before, I never thought I'd be one to gush and gush about how quickly time flies and how the 'grow up so fast'. But how true that really is. Especially with my sweet new niece, who at only 4 weeks, is still so tiny and fragile and needs so much support still, it is hard to remember when E was that little and couldn't hold her head up, reach for things, laugh and smile at us, make good contact with us, etc. They grow and change daily and it is an honor to be able to watch and witness every minute of it. I am starting a Moms In Touch group for young moms in my church and in our community. If you are not familiar with MIT, I encourage you to visit the website to get the dish on it. (www.momsintouch.org) The main focus of MIT is to pray, specifically and fervently for our children and schools. I know that Emily is far from school age at this point in her life, but how awesome that I can go ahead and start praying for her teachers, her schools, her friends, and her decisions later in life. MIT focuses on praying specific scriptures over our children. I can already tell that this will change my view of scripture and my own personal prayer life. I am so excited about this ministry. I have been praying and seeking ways to serve and to be more involved with other moms, and God has been faithful (as always) to answer.

My biggest prayer, even now, is that Emily will have a heart for the Lord and that Jeffery and I can be faithful and disciplined to model our love for Christ by the ways that we love her, serve her, and parent her. What a privelege to be a parent. We couldn't be more blessed...

Emily is...

-17 pounds

-eating solids 2-3 times daily (but still nursing too)

-smiling & laughing all the time

-rolling all over

-trying to crawl...just not quite

-sleeping from 8-5 pretty much every night then back to sleep til about 8 again

-figuring everything out, EVERYTHING goes in her mouth

-precious, precious, precious

two in one

Today Emily...

-Rolled from back to stomach, over and over and over! She has been rolling from her stomach to back for quite a while, but just today figured out to go the other way.

-Sat up. She is still a little wobbly, but is definitely getting the hang of sitting up by herself.

Such a big girl!

a weekend away

I am hoping that everyone had a fun, safe fourth of July weekend. Jeffery and I had a fun getaway to Dallas Friday and Saturday. Our family (Lawrences) all got together at my grandparents house in Dallas on Saturday afternoon. Jeffery and I decided to head to D earlier and meet up with everyone else on Saturday. My mom graciously (and excitedly) accepted the task of keeping Emily for the night. It's never easy to leave her, but especially Friday, I did get a little emotional leaving her and even shed a couple tears as we hit the interstate headed West. I don't worry about her, its just hard...and especially hard since I am still nursing her. I knew she was in good hands and I got over the moment of emotional'ness' by the time we got out of the county! Jeffery has been in need of doing some shopping and willing, so we headed that way. We spent Friday afternoon shopping in Allen, then headed into Dallas for our amazing dinner...

We don't do it too often, but when we are in the big city, we like to try out new, fancy restaurants. We thought first of going to one of the great places we have been before (Nick & Sam's, or Suze Restaurant), but decided to try a new place, and we are glad we did. Abacus was the choice for dinner Friday night. It is in Dallas right off of 75 and Knox/Henderson. Let's just say that it met and perhaps exceeded all of our expectations. The cuisine is characterized as 'World Cuisine' with dinner options ranging from fresh sushi to prime steaks. The executive chef even defeated Bobby Flay on 'Iron Chef America'. Pretty impressive since we all know that Bobby is good!

So let's just say, I had no problem clearing all of my plates. Starting with a Hawaiian Sushi Roll which was similar to a traditional California Roll but also had fresh Hawaiian Ahi Tuna in it. Yum! I've never been too much of a sushi fan, but this was really good, very fresh, and I could definitely go for it again! Dinner was wood roasted beef tenderloin served with truffle potatoes and fresh summer vegetables. Again, Yum! Jeffery went for the filet and he said it was the best cut of meat he has ever had, and I agree. I had a couple tastes of his...it was like butter. Delish! Dessert was called 'Rockin Roll', a chocolate-mascarpone roll with an espresso gelle drizzled with caramel and garnished with a pecan praline crisp. Yes, I ate all of that too. Jeffery told me when we sat down that it takes 20 minutes for the brain to catch up with the stomach before it says...Whoa, I'm full. I was pretty past that when we left, but hey, you only live once. All this to say, Abacus was great and if you are looking for a great meal, a inviting and relaxed dinner, you should try it out.

We had a fun time at my grandparents on Saturday. We got to see Lindsey and Bryon and my niece (almost here...Lindsey's due in about 3 weeks!!) My parents brought Emily with them to Dallas, everyone loved seeing her and getting to know her more. Mom said Emily was great Friday night. She said she didn't even miss me! I am thankful to have family here close by to help out so J and I can enjoy some special time together.

I'll close with something that has stuck with me after hearing it a church yesterday. The expression God Bless America has obviously been used a lot this holiday weekend. Pretty common lingo and appropriate for the celebration of our freedom. But God does not have to bless us, He does not owe us a thing. But as His children, I do hope that my (our) actions and my (our) choices are a blessing to Him...

Have a happy week.

baking...

So, if you didn't know it, I love to cook. I love to bake, I love to experiment, I love most of all to eat :). I have been trying out several new recipes (mostly desserts) this week. I have used fresh citrus fruit in honor of the summertime! Sometimes it gets hard to make it all happen when I need to be at the stove constantly whisking a filling or what not and I have a crying baby, but I manage. Emily likes to sit in her bumbo seat and watch me cook. I tell her everything that I am doing in hopes that she will understand (ha, LOL) and share joy of baking with her momma when she gets bigger.

I have been contemplating and thinking alot about starting to bake and cook for people. I would love to have a bakery or even open a restaurant, but I'm not sure that I am up to that at this point in my life. I have ideas to cook good home made meals, stuff like 'lasagna, spaghetti and homemade meatballs, chicken pot-pie, chicken & dumplings' and more, and offer it to families who would like to put some fancy home-cookin' on their tables. I would also love to bake sweets to go along with the meals. Ranging from cookies to layered cakes, I have several recipes I can offer. What do you think...I'd love to see some feedback. I sometimes feel like I am typing this blog to no-one because I seldom get comments. So, if you are in the area and this would be appealing to you or to someone that you know, give me your thoughts...and we will see what happens!

This week, my goal is to bake a new dessert recipe each day that I have never done before. Yesterday it was 'Fresh Orange Cake with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting'. It is a Paula Deen Recipe complete with lots of butter, cream cheese, and sour cream! (You know you can't go wrong there.) It came out great and looked good. I was honestly a little disappointed though when we cut into it that it didn't taste more 'orangey'. It is a delicious, moist cake and the frosting is great, but it only has a slight (very slight) hint of orange. So, if I bake it again, I will have to make some adjustments to the orange content. Jeffery suggested that I make an orange curd filling to go between the layers instead of putting the frosting between layers. It's a good thought!

Today, the trial recipe was 'Lemon Meringue Pie' from my FAVORITE cookbook. It has a veryyy tall mound of meringue. The filling smelled very lemony. I just hope it tastes it and doesn't disappoint like the orange cake. It is out of the oven and cooling at the moment. We will cut it later. I'll let you know how it tastes!

Tonight for supper...Chicken & Dumplings...I better get busy!

My growing, changing Baby Emily

Emily is 15 weeks old today. That is crazy to believe but we are having so much fun with her and she is such a sweet blessing in our lives. She is growing everyday and changing every time I look at her. What is she up to these days...

-She loves back time and tummy time, she is starting to roll over and she likes to play with toys laying on her tummy

- She sleeps all night, from about 9 to 5:30 :)

-She laughs at us, she is so cute when we get her to giggling. I think her laugh surprises her. It is a deep chuckle but so cute!

-She loves to be outside! We go on a walk every day, sometimes 2 or 3! And we sit outside

on the porch swings alot. She loves to look around.

-She is very alert. Definitely recognizes us. She follows objects. She can spot a

TV if it's in the room. She might be a TV junkie!

-She is starting to NOT like being in her carseat! This is a little bit of a bummer because we

go go go alot, but hopefully it will pass.

-She holds her head up very well and is starting to try to sit up...not too long til she does.

-She is loved more and more everyday!!

Last weekend, Emily, my mom, and I went to Ft. Worth to see Aunt Lindsey and Uncle Bryon. Lindsey is 31 weeks now and had a baby shower Saturday hosted by some of her church friends. It was very nice and Lindsey is becoming more and more ready for her baby girl. We get to go back next weekend for another baby shower! Looking forward to that!

This weekend Jeffery, Emily, and me are going on our first family camping trip! We're going with some friends to Hot Springs to camp on Lake Hamilton for Memorial Day. We are looking forward to it and hoping for a fun, warm weekend. Maybe I can get some sun!!

Isaiah 40:10-11, 28-31 "See the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and his arm rules for him. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him. He tends his flock like a shepherd; he gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young...Have you not heard? The Lord is the Everlasting God, the creator of all the Earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and power to the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will find new strength. They will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not become faint."

How Great is our God. I am feeling especially aware of His presence and His blessings in my life. I am so thankful that we serve a God who loves and cares for us supremely, so much more than we can fathom. Last week, family discussion involved the greatness of God and the abilities of God. It is pretty amazing to think about His capabilities. They are endless and something that we will never fully grasp or comprehend. Psalm 139 reminds me of that. Who are we to limit a sovereign God. J and I were talking about the meaning of 'sovereign' the other night. It is used commonly in talk but I guess both of us needed to be reminded of what it really means.

Sovereign: one that exercises supreme, permanent authority

I think it is important to remember too that God's sovereignty also reflects his independence of us. God is all powerful, all knowing, and all present. Who are we to limit God's power or expression.

Just a few of the biggest blessings in my life right now are: My wonderful, caring, hard working husband Jeffery. I am thankful everyday for the husband he is to me and the leader he is to our family. My sweet baby Emily. She is healthy, happy, and growing and changing everyday. She is such a sweet girl and a true blessing and wonderful addition to our family. My family (Crabb, Copeland and Lawrence, McKellar) and each person who has influenced, encouraged, and loved us and does all these things on a daily basis. Our Church family and opportunities for growth therein. The gift of being a mother and the challenges and rewards that gives me everyday.

God is good. I hope that you will reflect on his sovereign nature and the Good he has placed in your life. Praise him in the good and in the bad.

my cute sister and niece

Emily already realllly loves her new cousin! She can't wait to meet her!!

She is almost here!! Lindsey is 29 weeks now and so dang cute pregnant! We can't wait to meet our new sweet niece and Emily is super excited to meet her cousin. We love you Aunt Lindsey. You are the sweetest pregnant woman and will be a great mommy!

Three months now!! I can't believe that yesterday was Emily's 3 month birthday. She is growing fast and changing everyday. What a blessing the last three months have surely been and we look forward to what else is in store for us and for her sweet little life. I've been looking at all of her pictures from day one til now. Sometimes I can't even see the same baby...she has changed alot, but gets cuter everyday. She smiles all the time, sleeps great, has a routine down (mostly), and fills each day with something exciting! She is truly a joy and the sweetest thing in my life. God is so good.

Fun times in Fort Worth

Emily and I went to Fort Worth last week to visit Lindsey and Bryon! Actually, my dad took us since he was headed that way to the PATE Swapmeet. He goes to this swapmeet every year. Lindsey, Allen, and I used to always go with him and now Emily got to go with him!! We stayed Thursday and Friday night with Lindsey. Emily did great. She slept super, all through both nights! She has got the sleeping through the night down now! That is such a nice thing! She is a good baby.

We had fun with Lindsey and Bryon's friends Thursday night at a little outdoor concert with a friend of theirs who plays in a band. Everyone enjoyed meeting Emily and she lovvved being outside in the middle of all the action. Friday Lindsey and I headed to PATE with her (its at Tx Motor Speedway). I had the stroller so we just walked around for a while with dad checking out old car parts, motorcycles, and lots of other stuff!! It got pretty windy and rain was threatening so we didn't stay too long. When we left, sis and I got to have some quality time and Emily did good running errands with us. Allen even came to Fort Worth Friday so it was an extra treat to be able to see him too. It was just a fun weekend all around. Emily is a good traveler, I am thankful for that.

Since our little trip, we have had a good week. I have started working some PRN (as needed) at the hospital. I worked only Tuesday this week. Emily likes her babysitter, Obdulia, and does great on days that she goes to her house. I am thankful for her. She is sleeping through the night consistently now and on a pretty regular schedule. She still likes to eat at least every 3 hours during the day. I have started giving her some jar foods and an occasional mashed banana. She is messy but she likes it! Not sure how much she weighs now but I'd guess close to 13 pounds. She is happy and healthy!

Emily at 10 days old...

Emily at 10 weeks old...

Our happy family!

Time is flying by. I never thought I would be one to say that, but truly, it is crazy that Emily will be 11 weeks old this week. Thats almost 3 months! She is growing and changing every day. She is definitely becoming much more aware of her surroundings. She smiles at me and J all the time, which makes our hearts smile. We are very blessed and overwhelmed with God's gift to us with Emily. She is a sweet, happy baby and we are so thankful.

Emily's Sip & See

Emily was the star of the day at her Sip & See, hosted by some of my greatest friends here at home. Thank you all again. She had fun at her party!! And looked pretty cute too. It was so fun to see friends and let everybody meet and play with Emily!!

our first 'family' easter

Check out that belly!!!

Our First Easter with our Baby Girl!

Easter was fun this year. Emily, although she didn't really know what was going on, looked precious and had a fun, full day of family time at Aunt Caroline's house with all her cousins and everybody who loves her. It will be fun next year watching her join those boys for the egg hunt!!

Happy Easter Weekend!

We are looking forward to a fun first Easter for Miss Emily Beth. Even though she can't tote her Easter basket around and hunt eggs this year, we will make it a good one for her. She is smiling because she gets to see Aunt Lindsey and Uncle Bryon, and Uncle Allen verrry soon! It has been too long. We are excited that we will all be together this weekend.

Happy Easter to you and yours. May your family remember and celebrate the goodness of this special day and the awesome sacrifice that God made for all people. Remember the power of the Cross. He is Risen. Praise the Lord.

'For God so loved us that He gave his only son, that whoever chooses to believe in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.' John 3:16

I like yo baby...

So Emily went on her second shopping trip last week. Aunt Lindsey came to MP and hung out with us since she too (along with my mom) was on Spring Break. We spent time with her Monday and Tuesday here in MP then Wednesday we headed to Dallas to shop and then return her to Uncle Bryon later that evening. We shopped at Northpark, our favorite mall and she did great! We had a fun time. Once again, she is gonna be good at this shopping thing.

We met Uncle Bryon sorta midway between Keller and Dallas for supper and to say goodbye to Lindsey. We ate supper at Cheddar's. Uncle B held Emily most of the time. She stayed awake the whole time but was very content. Question: Do all Cheddar's restaurants have those big bladed wicker looking fans in them? Emily definitely enjoyed focusing on them on the ceiling.

Anyway...the title of my post. I took Em to the bathroom for a diaper change there at the restaurant. When we came out of the stall there were two little black girls playing around in there. Super cute. They came up to me and E immediately and started eyeing her and patting her saying, "I like yo baby" over and over. They were so cute and I've had that in my head ever since.

I like my baby too.

Oh how I love this face

Emily is doing great. Five weeks old already and really growing. We went to see Dr. Stagg today and she weighed...10 lb 2 oz!! He was pleased and said she is doing just great. We are so very thankful. She is a sweet girl.

happy birthday to me...

Thank you Jeffery for making me this beautiful, wonderfully good birthday cake!!!

Tuxedo Cake...Recipe of Rebecca Rather's from 'The Pastry Queen' Cookbook. A great cookbook!

One Month!

February 10 to March 10. Its crazy to me that only 4 weeks ago at about this exact time my labor with Emily was becoming pretty intense and we were well on our way to welcoming her into this world. It has been a wonderful month. We are having so much fun with our sweet Emily. She is doing well. She eats good, sleeps good, and is very content. Of course she has her moments but overall she is doing great. We go back to the pedi clinic next Tuesday and I'm anxious to see how much she has grown. 2 weeks ago she weighed 8 lb 2 oz, I'm ready to see how much that has increased.

NAP TIME...SUPER RELAXED

I celebrated my 25th birthday yesterday...weird to say that I am 25 now! It was a good day, nothing real exciting but as always its good and sweet to be able to hang at home with little E. We went out to lunch with J and my dad which was nice. Later in the day J and E gave me my birthday presents...

J got me this very pretty platter set up that has multi uses. It cab be used as a serving platter for appetizers(minus the dome) or as a cake platter (as shown), which will be very handy for when we make our pretty cakes...can't wait to see one under that dome! It is beautiful, I love it.

and from Emily, a pin for me. I told J if I get this then she def needs one that says #1 BABY!

It was a great day and today is a great 1 month birthday to Emily. We remain so thankful for her life and for God's plans for her life, even now...

Well, Emily and I made it through our first week without dad here. It wasnt fun without him but she did really good and it went by faster than I thought! Emily is doing great, she is growing snd changing everyday.

We ended the week of him being gone by going on Emily's first out of town trip and her first shopping trip! My mom took off to go with me and E to Ft. Worth to visit L & B and to pick up Jeffery at the airport Friday. Thanks to Aunt Lindsey and Uncle Bryon for letting us come and stay Thursday night and to Lindsey for taking off also to spend Friday with us. Emily did good on her first shopping trip. She is gonna be good at this! I had fun shopping but I found myself having more fun shopping for her and looking at little girl stuff rather than big girl stuff for me. I guess this is what happens when you become a mommy!

J was surprised to see how much she had grown in a week when we picked him up. I guess I don't notice it as much since I was with her all day everyday. She is becoming more and more alert and aware of her surroundings. It is fun to watch her recognize our voices and presence.

We are certainly glad he is home and aren't ready for another week without dad for a while!!

a beautiful saturday

Psalm 118:24 Today is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Today was a beautiful Saturday. We enjoyed a restful, relaxing day. J is leaving tomorrow for the National Trailer Convention in Reno, Nevada tomorrow, so it was nice to have a day together just chilling! We tested out Emily's 'travel system' and went for a walk. She slept for the majority of it, opened her eyes only when the wind blew in her face.

Emily is definitely growing and changing everyday. She is so fun to watch. She finally decided that she likes a pacifier. I was kinda against giving her one in the initial days, but since its been a couple weeks now, I'm glad she will take it. She is a calm, happy baby. We are thankful for that. She sleeps good at night. I still just get up one time with her usually between 3 and 4 AM. Not bad. At the Pedi clinic this week (Monday) Dr. Stagg said she is doing great and looks great. She weight 8 lb 2 oz! She is a healthy girl!

So Emily and me will be without J for a few days this week...not looking forward to it with a smile on my face or anything, but I know the days will pass quickly and we will be very happy to see daddy when he gets home. Pray for his safety during his trip. I'm a little jealous because in addition to his convention, he gets to snow ski while he is there! I've missed that this year. First time not to ski since I was 5 years old!!!

one whole week...

Emily is already one week old. Time is going fast! She is doing great and Jeffery and I are having so much fun with our little girl. She eats alot and is sleeping pretty well. She usually goes down between 9:30 and 10:30 then wakes up about 3-4 hours later. So getting up once through the night has been nice. She usually wakes up about 7:30 in time to eat and see daddy off to work. It is amazing to look at her little face and see how she is already changing so much. She is becoming more aware of voices, lights, sounds. Its neat to watch her reactions.

It is also amazing to see how quickly things return to normal. I am feeling great. Heartburn is TOTALLY gone, which is such a wonderful relief. And my normal body is returning faster than I expected! She is a sweet girl and we love her so much!

Staying home and being a house-mommy has been great so far. Emily usually wakes up around 730 and is awake for a couple hours before she is ready to take another little nap. We have seen J for lunch every day. Twice we went to Diamond C. She did good going out and getting to meet people. In the afternoons she has been taking a little longer nap like between 2 and 3 hours before she wakes again and daddy gets home. We have had a few visitors everyday. Sometimes she is awake...sometimes not!

We are doing great and I am so thankful for this special time watching this little girl grow even now. God is good. We thank Him for the good things He gives to us every day.