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.