an update in pictures...

hi love=) i have several batches of pictures from the past month or two that i need to show you. so here we go... remember when we went to charleston in february for your ct scan how you got a fever in the hotel the night before your appointment?? well here you are at 2:30 in the morning when i got back from searching for a 24-hour drug store that had children's motrin and a thermometer...just hanging out like nothing's going on and it's normal to be awake at 2:30am with a fever.

one of your favorite things to do since it's gotten warmer is blow bubbles on the porch...

these are from the first clemson baseball game we went to. the first one is when you spotted the tiger mascot across the bleachers and you were trying to decide if you were scared of him or not...then you got over it and had a blast! i love your sassy ponytail and i love that you're staying hydrated in the heat=) the last one is of you lounging at our post-game tailgate with lance and rachel.

the next two pictures have no connecting theme except that daddy is in both of them. the first one is of you two giving each other "monkey kisses" (you two pretend like you're kissing each other like different animals and you think it's hilarious) and the other is of daddy and me on our anniversary.

here you are wearing mommy's glasses. letting you do that is probably not the best decision i've ever made as a mama, but look how cute you are!!!!!

one of our favorite places to go is clemson's botanical gardens. we have actually never been when it was warm and flowers are blooming, but we like to walk around and see the ducks and play on the train...

and this is just a random happy moment caught on the couch=)

i have no idea what you're pointing or laughing at, but i think this is pretty funny.

don't be fooled. you were VERY happy on the couch with violet and your cheez-its.

our friend stacey came to see us this week! he was daddy's roommate all 4 years of college and we kind of planned the date of our wedding around when he could be there. i tell you this just to give a hint of how much we love him=) he and his sweet wife ronna are expecting a baby girl this summer, and i asked if you would help teach him how to play with little girls. this is what you had in mind when it comes to teaching him what little girls like to do...

last night you were playing in your room by yourself, and after i realized you had been down there quiet for a while, i figured you were either pooping in your pants or getting into trouble. but shame on mommy. there were no messes on the carpet in your room or in your undies, and this is what we saw when you emerged...

i love you sweet baby. you fill our home with such fun memories=)

mommy

warm heart swirlings

i know that's a ridiculous name for a letter. here's an example of what i think i'm trying to say...you know in beauty and the beast when the beast turns into a prince, how the air around him swirls and he's lifted up and then when it all calms down he's beautiful and belle's prince charming? that's kinda like what i feel happening inside me. deep down in my soul. not the prince charming part, but that He's swirling things in and around me in a way that only He can, and the end result will be so beautiful. God is stirring my heart. it seems like this happens more in the middle of transition. or more rather, when i'm anticipating transition. more on that later. but in the middle of this anticipation and excitement and wondering what God has for us, other small things have been happening that seem to be synergistic in the way they have affected me. i have read this book that completely transformed how i see the role i play in my little family of three. i have watched my sweet miracle girl grow and defy odds. watching you learn your world and tell me you love me, and that you like my hair, and that you want cars yogurt. and seeing the huge smile on your face when you're bringing me a flower you picked. and hearing you say "i like this song too mommy" when my favorite bob the tomato worship song comes on...i love watching your little heart and brain working. you're an amazing little thing and it blows my mind that God was merciful enough to let your daddy and me be your parents. lately, i seem to fall in love with your daddy a little more each morning when he comes out ready for work. i am NOT the kind of sap wife that says stuff like that on a regular basis to the mass public, not that there would be anything wrong with that, but it feels incredibly awkward to type it. telling him is one thing, but telling our cyber friends who most certainly don't care is something else. he's super cute lately i guess, and i love hearing him say "does anybody need another hug or kiss before i leave?" and then seeing you take off running as fast as your skinny little legs will carry you down the hall so he can scoop you up in his arms and love on you for another minute...and then when he puts you down you yell "one more hug again!"...i get to see this every morning and i can't believe my lucky stars... i was cooking the other day with music playing and you ran up to me in the kitchen and said "dance, mommy!" so you had your little arms wrapped around me and your sweet head on my shoulder and hillsong was singing the song "stronger" (have you heard that song? so good.) and i have this incredibly dramatic moment where my eyes are closed and tearing a little and i'm wanting to squeeze you so hard but trying not to hurt you and i feel so incredibly thankful. blissfully happy. and it occurred to me all over again that God was stirring my little heart. teaching me things that will change the way i live life. i am so thankful to have a God who loves us enough to bother with us. to stir our hearts and teach us things that will make our lives more rich. i pray that our little family learns more every day to listen to His sweet voice. yesterday i went to see your uncle nathan. i am blown away watching the unbelievable things God is doing in his life. kinda like you, sweet girl, his story is as close to a tangible miracle as i have ever seen. i'm fighting back tears just thinking about it. nathan's story is his to tell, so i will skip the details...but God is teaching me so much through him. if you're able to hear his story, you will hear God whispering of faith and trust and hope and patience...when i listen to nathan talk it's like a new wave of these things washes over me. a spiritually refreshing experience, to say the least. i'm humbled by the way God is gently shaping my own heart and teaching me about perseverance, and again, hope, by allowing me to walk through this journey with him. i feel outrageously lucky to be his sister, and i feel far from worthy to be experiencing any of this joy. i am so proud of him i could just burst. i know not all of life is like this. i have sadness in my past, and i know i have some waiting for me in the future. sure my friend has been in heaven for almost 10 years. and you'll never know your paternal grandma here on earth. and papa has cancer. and most of the world doesn't know the joy of Jesus. but right now, in my little world, things seem pretty close to perfect and it's hard to believe. i will soak it up while it hangs around. so thank you Lord. you never cease to amaze us.

"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, forever and ever! Amen." ~Ephesians 3:20-21

i love you sweet catherine. i am overjoyed.

"...the Lord has done great things for us..."

mommy

you're trying to make a sad face but really you can barely keep from laughing=)

wearing your dr seuss hat you made at school=)

highlands, north carolina

as a part of our anniversary extravaganza weekend, our little family of 3 went hiking in highlands, north carolina last saturday. it was a beautiful day and a sweet sweet time together. we had you ride on daddy's shoulders most of the way up and down the mountain due to rocky terrain and mud puddles here and there, but you would ask every 30 seconds to get down and walk. what a happy camper you were when we finally let you down! you were quite a trooper-scooting your little bottom up the trails and slowly and cautiously checking out the big rocks at the top of the mountain. it was a beautiful view once we got up there! here are some pictures=)

daddy and his little girl

hi love=)

here's a video of you and daddy having tons-o-fun. there are a few things i'd like to point out first, a bit of a disclaimer if you will:

a) i'm not proud of the song that's playing in the background.
b) please ignore the chairs on top of our table-we were taking a break from vacuuming...
c) does daddy's camo john deer hat make him look super classy or what??? (it was another win from the baseball game. we spent no money on that hat. i'm suddenly really worried that i've just offended some people...)
d) i heard a story about how a dad posted a video of him swinging his baby around by her ankles on you tube, and the police saw it and came to his house to arrest him. i sure hope that doesn't happen here...

but you two do know how to have fun, right?

love you sweet babe=)

mommy

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tigers baseball=)

hi love=)

a couple weeks ago we went to a clemson baseball game. staff members and all of their family get in for free, so we have great plans to see lots of games this spring!!! not to mention my odd obsession with the sport since i was about 14 years old...somehow it has stuck with me. the sound of the "crack of the bat" and the sunshine warming your skin and the smaller more intimate atmosphere (in contrast to the overwhelming crowds of clemson football games) are VERY appealing to me...and so far you like it there too! yesterday daddy called from work to see if we wanted to meet him at the baseball game - you heard me talking to him and you started yelling "me go to baseball game! me go to baseball game! eat candy with rachel!" so we went, of course. (we usually go to the games with lance and rachel, and rachel always shares her candy with you...) daddy snagged you an orange 7th inning stretch t-shirt that you sported around like a dress and got lots of smiles and points as you walked around the stands. (daddy winning that shirt might or might not have involved him kicking it away from an old man so he could bend down with you on his shoulders and grab it. he's not necessarily proud of that move. the things daddies will do for their little girls...) you like how music comes on a lot during the game and you get a little confused when people suddenly start yelling all at the same time, but you're getting used to it=)

you LOVE dancing to the music. here's a video of you doing just that.

you may not look a thing like me, but at least we both like baseball=)

mommy

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com