I've been tagged...

I have been tagged by Heather, a very dear friend of mine in B'ham. She and her husband, Todd, actually had a part in introducing Woody and I when we were in Orlando! The instructions for this tag are to pick the 4th picture folder on my computer; choose and post the 4th picture; explain the picture; and tag 4 other people to participate. Here it goes:


This picture was taken this time last year when the girls and I were living with Nonie and Dagan waiting to move down to be with Woody. Arden was 22 months old and I remember wanting to take this pic b/c she just looked so sweet rocking her baby. I especially love her cute chubby legs with her ankles crossed!

So now I tag-
1. Hannah Armstrong
2. Allison Davis
3. Jenni Deal
4. Brittany Sivyer

Arden's made the switch...

to a toddler bed! Arden's crib was recalled a month or so ago, and so we decided it was time to move her into a bigger bed! We actually were given a toddler bed, so everything fell into place quite easily. She's been in the bed for 3 weeks now and has done marvelously! We really didn't know how she would handle the transition, but by God's grace, it has been such an easy switch! It also helps that she LOVES her new bed and for the first few days, she was practically begging us to go to bed. She loves being covered up with her quilt and hasn't once gotten out of bed at night. It did take a few days to get her to stay in her room for her nap, but now she's got the hang of it and reminds us to close the door on our way out. Below are a few pics the first night we set the bed up. The first picture is her waking up from her nap in her crib for the last time. After we got her out, she helped Woody take the crib down and bring the new bed in. The first few nights she had to have all her animals and babies close by as you'll see, but now she just wants "pink baby" when it's time to lay down.

Georgia girls

Well, these were actually taken the day of the FL game, but I just couldn't bring myself to post them that day! :) So, since we won this afternoon (not that it was a pretty win), I decided I'd go ahead and share them.

15 months

It's hard to believe our sweet little Esther is 15 months old! She is growing up so fast and getting into a whole lot lately! She's practically running, trying to keep up with her big sister, and she's our little climber as well. She loves being outside...she'll get her crocs on and go to the backdoor and say "go." And speaking of shoes, if she doesn't have any on, she'll find the closest pair and put them on-it doesn't matter who they actually belong to. Her new favorite things to do include taking and drinking from her sister's straw sippie cups, unloading book shelves, laundry baskets, etc. and talking. She's learning all sorts of new words, which has been so exciting to watch and hear. Her favorite song right now is "He's got the whole world in His hands." She puts her arms over her head and says, "worl." She has us sing it quite often! Esther's also becoming very independent, wanting to do things herself and letting you know when she's not happy with what you've said or done with her...isn't it a little early for this?? :) She keeps us on our toes, and I wouldn't have it any other way! She is such a delight and watching her makes my heart so full. She is a precious gift from our Lord!
We love you, Little Miss!
The pictures are some we took downtown yesterday, as well as a couple showing her love of shoes and books! (A note of thanks for her "wardrobe"...the "E" dress was a bday gift from Aunt Jenni and the peach colored dress was made by a sweet woman in our church!)

who turned the moon off?

Late this afternoon we were in the backyard, and I pointed out the moon to Arden. She acknowledged it was there and then a few minutes later said, "the moon, it's stopped." I tried to explain to her that it really wasn't stopped, but I'm sure you can imagine how that went trying to explain that to a 2-year-old! Anyway, a few minutes after that she said, "the moon, it's stopped. it's off." This made me laugh out loud!

trip to Birmingham

Two weeks ago today we made the 10 hour+ journey to Birmingham with the girls. It was a very last minute decision, but we're so thankful that we were able to go. Woody took a course and is now a "certified green professional" in the home building industry and I was able to get some down time to physically and emotionally heal from the miscarriage.
(On a side note, thank you, thank you for all your prayers and words of encouragement during this time! The LORD has been so faithful to heal and restore and continues to do so.)
We had a great week and were really able to relax and be refreshed. We were able to get a lot of good time with Woody's family and enjoyed being able to see our nephew, Kai, for the second time! Arden especially LOVED "Baby Kai" and was in his face every chance she got. Esther, on the other hand, wasn't too sure about Kai being in everyone's arms instead of her! We were also able to catch up with several longtime friends, which is always great for the soul! Even the girls got a chance to see friends while we were in town, not that Esther remembers anyone :), but Arden seemed to really enjoy seeing old friends again! And lastly, Woody and I got some much needed "date nights." Our weekly date night hasn't really existed since we moved, so it was really great to get time with just the two of us, and I know Nonie and Dagan loved having to take care of the girls. Two highlights of our time in B'ham were going to the fall festival at Nonie and Dagan's church and then going to the "Grand Ole Pumpkin Patch," one of my favorite things this time of year. And although the leaves haven't completely changed, the weather was cooler and it was so nice to experience a little fall! I could go on and on about our trip, but I'll just end and let you see the pics below...

okay, I forgot a few...

Here are a few more of Arden's...
"Good morning sunshine!" (when we open up the blinds in the morning)
"It's a beautiful day God made." I've been saying this for a while and Arden just started saying it a few days ago. I love it!
"Like your new seat." Arden got a new car seat and Esther got Arden's old one...Arden reminds us that she likes it every time she rides in it.
And her Aunt Hannah reminded me of this one..."He's smellin' at you." She said this of Kai smiling at her!