Birthday Interview

What is your favorite color?  Pink and purple
What is your favorite drink?  Chocolate milk and juice
What is your favorite food?  Noodles (with butter & Parmesan cheese) 
What is your favorite movie?  The Little Mermaid & Tangled
What is your favorite thing to do?  Work puzzles
What is your favorite restaurant?  McDonalds
Where is your favorite place to go?  McDonalds
Who is your best friend?  Levi
What is your favorite song?  Jesus songs
What do you want to be when you grow up? I already bigger!
What is your favorite thing to play?  Princess Sophia puzzle
What is your favorite toy?  Princess Sophia puzzle
What do you like most about being home?  Poppy
What is your favorite thing to wear?  Princess dresses
What is your favorite fruit?  Blueberries
What is your favorite snack?  Goldfish
What is your favorite book?  Princess Barbie book
What is your favorite TV show?  Wild Kratts
What is your favorite animal?  hippo
What is your favorite thing to sleep with at night?  Her fox (thanks Samuel!)
What is your favorite thing to do outside?  Ride her bike and sit in the wagon

This year I have seen the biggest changes in my sweet girl, but I guess the year between 2 and 3 always is.  They really go from being our babies to being our "big" kids.  Naomi is definitely a blessing to our family.  She is smart, sassy, caring, sweet as can be, tough and strong, and she loves to laugh.  Naomi doesn't realize this, but she is my reminder that God hears me, knows my heart, and is faithful to His promises.  He gave her to our family at just the right time and circumstances around her birth remind me that God loves me.  He loves us.  So Happy Birthday to my daughter!  May the year to come bring us all closer to the Lord as we share lots of love and laughter.  

Happy Birthday Nomes! 
 

Memorial Day Weekend

Nobody does family better than my family, so of course we are going to find a reason to get together and celebrate something if we can. Memorial Day weekend we got together to cookout and enjoy fellowship with some family that was in town from Hawaii. It was all the good stuff - hamburgers, hotdogs, lemonade, suckers, the shoot-shoot, and one special cake (you'll have to go to the bottom of the post if you want to know what that is all about). It was so nice to see all our family. We are super close, so times like these only bring us closer together.

the cake...Spencer & Stacy are expecting and to tell us all the sex of the baby the made a cake. Blue for boy. Pink for girl. Here's Aunt Denise cutting the cake and...

...PINK! Its a GIRL! Congrats Spencer & Stacy!!!!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas was wonderful this year! We celebrated with Aaron's family on Christmas Eve and with my family on Christmas evening. This year was really awesome because Levi really got the idea of Christmas. We have worked really hard to make Christmas about Christ, love, and giving. It was amazing to see his excitement about everything he got and even giving presents to others. We hope the you all had a fabulous Christmas celebrating our Savior's birth. May the magic of the season stay with you all year long. Merry Christmas!!!

Celebrating

Our goal this year was to celebrate Christmas with as much magic as possible. We have tried to do as many things to celebrate this season as possible, especially since Naomi's arrival is pending at any moment. We really wanted Levi to know that Christmas is a special time of joy, celebration, and love in remembering the birth of our Savior and the sacrifice made with His life. We've watched the Christmas TV movies, sang songs, played with our VeggieTale manger scene, put up the tree and decorated it. Levi has really enjoyed the whole season and I've enjoyed watching him light up with excitement at the lights and sounds of the holiday. I've included some pictures of some of our special things we've done starting with the Christmas parade in Covington. Enjoy and I hope you all have a very MERRY CHRISTMAS! At the Winter Wonderland at my parent's church. Showing off his masterpieces. He made a wreath and candy cane ornament.

Painting his bell ornament at the birthday celebration for Jesus.

At the birthday party for Jesus with the cupcake he decorated for the party. I love this picture. You can see that Levi is definitely the spitting image of Aaron!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Showers of Blessings

Yesterday my sister Amy threw an amazing baby shower for our little Naomi who is expected to arrive in about 7 weeks. I was completely blessed by the demonstration of generosity by all of my friends and family that came to love on me and Naomi in preparation for her arrival. I got tons of adorable clothes, bows, blankets, and of course those wonderful necessities like diapers, burp clothes, wipes, and towels. To everyone who came and loved on us THANK YOU! You truly are the most amazing friends in the world. Unfortunately I had my camera, but didn't pull it out once to take a picture. Boo me because my sister did an amazing job of decorating and serving us up a fun time.

IT'S A GIRL!

We found out at our 3D ultrasound yesterday that we are welcoming a BABY GIRL into our family! If anyone had asked me I would have sworn we were having a boy - my pregnancy was exactly the same as Levi's, the heartbeat was getting lower at each visit, etc. Not to mention we really wanted another boy. Had the name picked out and everything. So it was a complete shock and total surprise when the ultrasound tech said "It's a girl!" Levi was with us at the ultrasound and was so excited about his new sister. She kept waving on the monitor and Levi would wave back. Although we were "wanting" a boy, we are thrilled that we will be having a little girl at the end of the year. To get myself excited about a little girl I've made a list of all the things to look forward to:

• CLOTHES! Girls have the best clothes and there are always more girl clothes to choose from then boy clothes.
• Now my sisters have a ring bearer and a flower girl for their weddings.
• Hair - not that I even have a clue of what to do, but now we get to play with bows and such, and my friend Lisa has her own business for stuff such as this so I'm looking forward to giving her some business.
• I think my mom still has some of my clothes from when I was a baby and I'm looking forward to putting her into all of it.
• I can't wait to see what she looks like. Big brown eyes with blond hair. I think she will be adorable to say the least.
• Shoes - boys need what? 2 or 3 pairs. Girls need tons! So exciting.
• Now I can register for all the blog giveaways that are for girly things like bows, hats, dresses, etc. *Alison - any cute hats you want to send our way we would love it*
• A mommy's girl!!

Here's to a wonderful new adventure that we are so excited about!

July 4th Weekend

We had an awesome July 4th weekend. On Saturday we went to the Sunflower Festival. We've never been before, but we had a wonderful time. Levi loved the tractor parade, animals, and the music. That evening we went to our friends' house for a July 3rd party. Chad & Whitney were gracious hosts and we had an awesome time of fellowship with everyone. The ice cream bar and sparklers were big hits as well. On the 4th we just relaxed around the house after church and then met Aaron's family to watch fireworks in Jackson. Levi loved the fireworks, but was not a fan of the noise they made. He watched from Aaron's lap as Aaron covered his ears. However, you'd never know if you talked to him. He raves about how they go "Pop! And then fall to the ground." On the 5th we enjoyed Aaron being home. We spent the morning playing with Levi in "his" pool. That evening we hung out with my sisters and some of their friends for a cookout. We had so much fun this weekend. I hated to see it end. We are very grateful to all the men and women who haved served and are currently serving our country to protect our freedom. I hope you know how much you are appreciated.

Oh What a Night! - 80's Night!!

As posted earlier, Aaron turned 30 a few weeks ago. We finally celebrated his birthday with all of our friends this past weekend. Since Aaron was born in 1980 we had an 80's themed party. Yep, you guessed it everyone was expected to dress up in 80's garb. We had a great time. Here are a few of my favorite pics from the night.

Wedded Bliss

Six years ago today I married my best friend. Thank you for all the memories and the millions more to come. I love you with every part of me, and thank the Lord everyday for giving me such an amazing life with you. I can't wait to see what He has in store for us in the years to come.

Congrats

Yesterday Aaron's dad graduated from Emory's Candler School of Theology with his Masters of Divinity. We are so proud of him, and pray God's blessings upon him as he continues to serve the Lord in ministry.

I Serve A Risen Savior!

I am grateful and in awe as I reflect on the season of Easter. Jesus - without sin, guilt, or blemish - gave his life to me. The Father sacrificed His son for me. I look at my own son and I'm amazed at that sacrifice. How amazing his grace is. I'm overwhelmed as I realize that Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice for me to commune with Him. Not only did He die for me, but He did it willingly. He is holy. He is living. He overcame the grave and tore the veal of separation. He defeated Satan and conquered death. He is unchanging. He is my provider, healer, and protector. He is above all and knows all. He is God, and He is coming again! Praise the Lord!

We had a wonderful Easter and we are still celebrating it. Friday night we went to the second annual Good Friday concert hosted by Passion City Church. It was awesome to say the least. A reflection of the cross and the victory that came through it. Saturday and Sunday were times of celebration. We spent time with family, went to Easter services at church, and of course hunted a few Easter eggs. We hope you all had a wonderful Easter and remembered why we celebrate it.

We wish you all a safe, blessed, and unbelievably wonderful 2010!

Sweaters, Turtlenecks, and Stirrup Pants - OH MY!

We hosted a Tacky Christmas Sweater Party this year, and I must say it was one of the best ideas we've ever had. We had way too much fun dressing up in the tackiest Christmas outfits you could imagine. We ate good food, played some games, and had a good time in fellowship with everyone. I believe not many of us will be forgetting the charades any time soon! Thanks to everyone who helped us celebrate the season in a tacky way, and if you couldn't make it this year then get ready for next year!

And the winners are....

Let Freedom Ring

We had a great time celebrating the 4th this weekend. Since everyone was off work on Friday we had a pool party. Pizza, music, sunshine, and friends. It doesn't get much better than that. On Saturday Daniel & Jeanie were kind enough to host us all at their home for the 4th and celebrate on the lake with the boat parade and fireworks. We had such a great time hanging out with everyone, cooking out, celebrating Jeanie's birthday, and eating homemade ice cream. It was a 4th to remember!

One Year Ago Today...

We received the best gift of our lives.

We love you Levi!

Happy 1st Birthday!

A & J's Day of FUN!

This weekend Aaron & I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary! Yay Us! We wanted to do something to celebrate, so we headed to Atlanta for the whole day. It all started with this wonderful bouquet and card I received from Aaron, and a book I gave him that he has been wanting. Aaron had his Upward soccer game at noon, so we went to his game, and then dropped Levi off at his parents' house for the night. We started our day at Fernbank viewing the Dinosaur exhibit. It was really interesting, and totally me. I have always been fascinated with them. We had a lot of fun in the sensing exhibit playing with all the toys and games. After leaving Fernbank we headed to our hotel, The Grand Hyatt, to check-in, clean up, and get ready for dinner. We ate dinner at Basil's, a really neat little Mediterranean restaurant. The weather cooperated and we were able to sit outside on the patio for dinner. It was very romantic and delicious. After dinner we went to Dad's Garage for Theatresports. It was kind of like "Who's Line Is It Anyway?," if you've ever seen that show. It was hilarious, and we laughed our heads off. I can't wait to go back.When then headed back to our hotel for the evening. When we checked-out the next morning I tried to get Aaron to stuff the pillows from the bed in his bag. They were so comfortable and I wanted to take them home. Needless to say, my husband is an honest man and wouldn't steal them for me. Even though he wouldn't steal the pillow for me, I had the most wonderful time with Aaron. Thank you so much honey for planning an amazing time of celebration for us. I love you!

On a side note, it was our first night away from Levi since he was born. He did wonderfully, and so did we. However, how could you not miss this...

5

Love is always bestowed as a gift - Freely, willingly, and without expectation. We don't love to be loved; We love to love. - Leo Buscaglia

Aaron & I are celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary today! There are so many reasons that I love Aaron, but this past year I have seen a new side of this amazing man. With the addition of Levi to our family, I have seen Aaron develop into the most wonderful father, and I love it. He has always been beyond outstanding, but seeing him be a father to Levi has been one of the greatest things I have ever witnessed. I don't know how I could love him anymore than I do right now, but I look forward to trying. Here's to the rest of our lives...

Because of the Cross

Jesus has overcome

And the grave is overwhelmed

The victory is won

He is risen from the grave

This Easter was very busy, but very exciting and enjoyable for our family. Growing up, Easter was always just one day of celebration rather than a season of remembering. As our walk with the Lord grows stronger and deeper, we have really began to see the importance of remembering Easter for the true events it represents. Aaron & I really want Levi to grow up learning the significance of Easter and what it signifies and celebrates. We started this year's celebration by attending a Passover Sadar. It was very interesting and is extremely symbolic in the rememberance of Good Friday & Easter. They had a drama in the beginning and then we attended the sadar. Jesus washing the Disciples feet and the Passover plate.

On Friday we continued our celebration by attending the Good Friday at Verizon Concert. The concert included Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, Christy Nockels, Israel Hougton & The New Breed, and Louie Giglio. It was an awesome celebration of the sacrifice Christ paid on the cross for us. We sang and worshipped our Savior with fellow believers. The weather that day had been pretty nasty with tornado warnings and lots and lots of rain. However, the weather cleared up and and concert was amazing. We had such a wonderful time. I think the following Chris Tomlin lyrics sums up the day:

He became sin who knew no sin

That we might become His Righteousness

He humbled himself and carried the cross

Love so amazing, Love so amazing

Jesus Messiah

Name above all names

Blessed Redeemer

Emmanuel

The rescue for sinners

The ransom from Heaven

Jesus Messiah Lord of all

His body the bread

His blood the wine

Broken and poured out all for love

The whole earth trembled And the veil was torn

Love so amazing, Love so amazing

Sunday morning the celebration continued. We went to church and then spent the rest of the day with family. We had lunch with my family and then dinner with Aaron's family. Levi hunted a few eggs and we had a great time being with our families. When we went home Aaron & I began watching The Passion of the Christ movie. Here are a few pictures from the day.

Aaron & Levi hunting eggs.

Our family all dressed up. Levi playing with the egg he found.