Hey Jude

2010-02-28T18:41:00.000-08:00

I have not posted anything lately because honestly I have not wanted to look at my last post. I haven't wanted to post anything new because I don't want to give up my latest post spot that belonged to dad...but I want to buckle down and do it because the next time it will be a little easier, and each time it will be a little further from my "dad" post.

Dad

2009-09-29T12:22:00.000-07:00

I never could have imagined life without you here. I always have been and always will be a daddy's girl. I will always remember- Long talks. Walks on the beach holding hands. Standing on your feet to be tall enough for the roller coasters. Learning to drive. Learning to play basketball and softball. Watching movies. Date nights at all of our favorite restaurants. Shopping:). Our crazy songs."come check on me". Bible studies. Advice. Your beautiful words at mine and Collins wedding. Your hugs. Your encouragement. Feeling like a princess with you. Wedding dance. Seeing you with Jude. Your beautiful voice. Your kindness and compassion.

Thank you for teaching me-To respect myself. To communicate. Love. To put others before myself. To laugh. That it's ok to cry. To do the pretzel:). To believe that I can do anything I put my mind to. To be expressive. To be honest. To love the Lord. To grieve over loss but find joy in knowing how perfect heaven is.

Love you daddy.

grocery time saver!!

2009-08-12T11:55:00.000-07:00

and specifically go to

http://www.budget101.com/groceryguide.htm

2009-08-12T11:48:00.000-07:00

AWESOME website!

www.budget101.com

Enjoy!

ready for my hike!

2009-08-05T09:09:00.000-07:00

loves to be with his daddy

sorry jude, couldn't get your whole face!

all done, that was fun mom and dad!

I've got my daddy's morning hair

2009-07-14T11:10:00.000-07:00

I have always loved the way that Collin's hair looks in the morning when he wakes up! haha, now I have two of them to enjoy.

I could just eat him all up!

2009-06-23T08:48:00.000-07:00

Yum Yum

2009-06-18T13:17:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that my baby is already 6 months old! I feel like time has flown by so quickly. I am so blessed by this little man that has come into my life! Everyday is so much fun, and it's amazing to see how he changes from one week to the next. He just started on his first baby foods, he seems to really like them! I knew that he was ready when he started paying attention to everything that we ate. You can tell that his first bite was a little timid but by the next day he was chomping down!

His new favorite things are

- steering wheels of any kind

-growling

-Our lhasa Annie girl

-jumping and kicking those legs!

-playing with daddy's hair

-the running stroller (falls asleep every time)

-sucking on his piggies

-and middle schoolers! haha, guess that's a must!

5 months

2009-05-18T13:29:00.000-07:00

Could he be any sweeter?

2009-04-28T09:19:00.000-07:00

Two of a kind

2009-04-08T08:37:00.000-07:00

My Mother-in-law, Nancy, brought some of Collin's baby clothes. I think Collin was a little older than Jude in this picture.

Cutest Little Tushie

2009-04-07T06:54:00.000-07:00

Some Women are dripping with Diamonds...

2009-04-01T07:02:00.001-07:00

Friday March 20th I woke up with pain that was somewhat famililar.I like jewels, but these were not the kind of stones I had in mind. My mom and dad had come up for Brett's birthday and I am very lucky that they were here! On Saturday I ended up having to go to the ER with my second set of kidney stones. The first set in 2004. I knew that I had more in the opposite side but there was a chance they would never move. They thought differently. Anyway I was sent home with the hope that I could pass these two little 2 mm stones. I was in extreme pain the whole next week and went back to the Dr to find out the stone was stuck and was bigger than they had thought. It was more like one 5mm stone. We set a date for surgery the following Monday, just had to bare the pain a little longer. The surgery went well and I came home. My mom had come back up to stay with Jude. She went home Monday night just to turn around and come back Tues morning at 6:30 am. The Dr did not get all of the stone so I was having to pass more. It was terrible and I was sick and had to head back to the ER. This has truly been the most challenging time of my life, I have had to supplement some formula for Jude (which I have hated doing) and I know he has been thrown off with me being gone and out of commission so much. One thing is for sure I am TRULY thankful for my wonderful husband and mother. They have been so much help and support through this. Hopefully these stones are gone for good, and the rest of everything in my system with go away soon!

Falling Up

2009-03-11T15:54:00.000-07:00

Jude and I have been reading some of my favorite poems by Shel Silverstein. Here is one of the ones that we laughed at today!

Scale

" If I could only see the scale,

I'm sure that it would state

That I've lost ounces...maybe pounds

Or even tons of weight.

'You'd better eat some pancakes-

You're skinny as a rail.'

I'm sure that's what the scale would say...

If I could see the scale."

Oh the joys of losing weight!

Mine and Collins baby pics

2009-03-10T08:43:00.000-07:00

We wanted to post these for everyone that has been asking if Jude looks like either of our baby pictures!

I love my Uncle Brett

2009-03-10T08:23:00.000-07:00

Need to be reminded

2009-03-08T08:56:00.000-07:00

"If we knew no sin, we should know no sickness. Sinners are fools. They hurt their bodily health by intemperance, and endanger their lives by indulging their appetites. This their way is their folly. The weakness of the body is the effect of sickness. It is by the power and mercy of God that we are recovered from sickness, and it is our duty to be thankful. All Christ's miraculous cures were emblems of his healing diseases of the soul. It is also to be applied to the spiritual cures which the Spirit of grace works. He sends his word, and heals souls; convinces, converts them, makes them holy, and all by the word. Even in common cases of recovery from sickness, God in his providence speaks, and it is done; by his word and Spirit the soul is restored to health and holiness."

Commentary by Matthew Henry on Psalm 107:17-22

It is so easy to forget to give Christ the credit for the sickness that I have seen around me and have experienced myself. During hard times of my life I have prayed harder than ever for loved ones to be healed. Once my prayers have been answered (yes or no) I go on with life without recognizing that it is my duty to be thankful for what the Lord has done for me.
I need to be reminded over and over that the Lord has blessed me. "It is by the power and mercy of God that we recover from sickness."

The shirt says it all.

2009-03-06T15:24:00.000-08:00

This was so cute! Jude is a soaker. When he gets up from his nap he likes to just hang out for a little bit before it's time for fun. He just threw his hands back and decided to relax for a while.

Just Hanging with Poppi

2009-03-06T15:21:00.001-08:00

My little Tootles

2009-02-24T07:42:00.000-08:00

MOM! Are you seriously still taking pictures?!

I LOVE my fingers

2009-02-24T07:33:00.000-08:00

Jude has always been a finger sucker, from the day he was born he loved to have his hands in his mouth. Lately he has been teething and anything that he can get into his mouth is fine by him! Because he is not always so great with the placement of his hands we give him one of our knuckles every once in a while and he can really clamp down! I can feel a couple of little sharp teefers making their way through...I will admit I am a little nervous about this. There is one side that he does not like to nurse on very much anyway and sometimes clamps down with those gums...and teeth?! Well I guess we will see how it goes!

The love of my life for Valentines Day

2009-02-12T09:33:00.000-08:00

Nothing worth doing is completed in our lifetime,
Therefore, we are saved by hope.
Nothing true or beautiful or good makes complete sense in any immediate context of history;
Therefore, we are saved by faith.
Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone.
Therefore, we are saved by love.
No virtuous act is quite as virtuous from the standpoint of our friend or foe as from our own;
Therefore, we are saved by the final form of love which is forgiveness.

-Reinhold Niebuhr

2009-02-09T07:24:00.000-08:00

This sweet face is so exciting to wake up to everyday. His rash has cleared up completely and I know that he is so happy to be itch free!

Pump it up

2009-02-09T07:13:00.000-08:00

wow what can I say about pumping? It is a combination of things wrapped up into one. Great for times when I need extra sleep or to run out of the house, neat for Collin to feed Jude and have some bonding time, and a time to relate a little better to a cow. I am so thankful that my cousin Jessica let me borrow her electric pump but being hooked up to that system is hilarious!

One morning when Collin was letting me sleep in I had pumped so that he could give Jude a bottle. I had not pumped enough so he was going to give Jude a little bit of formula after the breast milk, and above is the result. Haha, Jude was not having the formula and kept spitting it back out. The top picture makes me think that he was laughing at Collin's attempts to feed it to him. This little guy has so much personality and is always making some kind of crazy expression!

I got an itch and I don't know where to scratch...(courtesy of uncle Lidelle)

2009-02-05T09:59:00.000-08:00

Our poor little guy has been broken out with what we thought was an allergic reaction to something that had been touching his skin. We ended up taking him to the Dr. yesterday because he has been clawing at his face from itching so bad :o( It ends up that it is a rash caused by cradle cap but called seborrheic dermatitis when it is not on the head. Our Dr. advised us to use hydrocortisone cream to stop the itching and said it should clear up. Today he already looks so much better and hasn't been itching as much. Thank goodness, how terrible to itch and not have control over your hands to scratch in the right place!

Oh Uncle Wyan, you're so silly

2009-02-03T14:17:00.000-08:00

Ryan came to hang out with Collin in Knoxville a couple of weeks ago. He is great with Jude! As always he had a new "do" probably for aerodynamics during his 3 mile run with a 50 lb pack ( for fire rescue training). I think that they could almost pass as relatives in this photo.

Too Big

2009-02-03T14:04:00.000-08:00

I can't believe how fast he is growing! Today we laughed and talked to each other like he was a pro at conversations. It really feels like I just brought him home...I know now what they mean by cherish every moment.

The future of our world.

2009-01-30T13:40:00.000-08:00

The sweetest flowers in all the world—

A baby’s hands.

–by Algernon Charles Swinburne (1837–1909)

2009-01-29T12:02:00.000-08:00

I was trying to do a photo shoot with him but he did not want to cooperate! Oh well so cute anyway.

2009-01-29T11:59:00.000-08:00

I think they look so much alike here! I am seeing Collin in Jude more and more everyday. What do you think?

And 2 became 3

2009-01-23T10:42:00.000-08:00

We went on our first date last night since Jude was born. Mom and Dad said just let us keep him and you go enjoy each other. It is amazing to think that it has been 6 weeks since we went anywhere and talked alone! It reminded me of the days when that was all we did, hung out together doing whatever we wanted. Those were definately fun times but nothing could replace our relationship now with Jude here. Having a baby does change things but for the better! There is a little life that is part of both of us and that is a bond that can't be replaced by anything else in the world.

My Amazing Man

2009-01-21T08:39:00.000-08:00

Ok I have to brag on Collin. I have the most wonderful husband in the world! Not only is he working to keep us alive:o) but he has been doing all of the grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning and has even been taking Jude at 6:00 to give me sleep before he gets ready to go to work! How in the world did I get blessed with such an amazing man? I really can't imagine how I would do this without him. He is also so good with Jude, Jude LOVES his daddy. He laughs at him and just stares when Collin is holding him. They are going to be such great buddies when Jude gets older. This is exactly what I want in life, to spend time with my best friend and raise this beautiful little boy together, I am so thankful.

2009-01-20T09:43:00.000-08:00

He is our sweet little lamb! Yesterday we got a lot of snow up here in Knoxville. Jude and I sat in the house and watched it fall out the window the whole day. It was so beautiful! We thought that Jude needed to bundle up and look like a snow ball for his first snow fall!

He has grown up on us!

2009-01-17T07:57:00.000-08:00

He is ready for work already?! I can't believe how quickly he is growing. I was trying to remember yesterday what it felt like to have him all wrapped up inside of me. I am so glad that he is here but I also miss feeling him inside. Now I see that it was the only place that I could truly protect and take care of him without worrying if he was sick or cold or hungry. I am having to rely on the Lord more than ever before in my life. With my personality it would be easy for me to worry myself sick about every little detail of Jude's life. I know that even when I don't feel like handing my fears over to God I have to choose to do so if I don't want to end up with 10 stomach ulcers! I want to be so much for him, I want his life to be perfect without any pain, and I know that this is impossible. Having a son has helped me to realize the amazing sacrifice that our Father gave when he sent his Son to die for ME. I can't imagine watching Jude suffer for anything, let alone for everything he did not do, now I understand amazing love a little better. Please pray that I learn to take things day by day and rest in the Lords care for my entire family!

Listen Closely

2009-01-16T11:57:00.000-08:00

SLEEP!

2009-01-16T10:33:00.000-08:00

He slept for 5 hours straight last night without eating! I could have had a great extended amount of sleep, instead I was continually checking to make sure that he wasn't starving in his sleep! I woke up about 3 hours in and decided that it was my maternal duty to check his breathing every 15 minutes rather than enjoy the sleep that he was trying to give me. Maybe this is the start of a great habit, 5 hours every night. I NEVER thought that I would be excited about 5 hours of sleep, before he was here that would have been reason to sleep for 15 hours the next night!

My Hero

2009-01-16T09:36:00.000-08:00

Daddy saved me from that aweful bath.

Although he did do much better than the first time that we gave him one...He didn't cry at all until we got to the hair!

Kicky Kicky

2009-01-15T13:09:00.000-08:00

One Month Already

2009-01-15T12:57:00.000-08:00

Jude has been spreading out his eating a little more during the day, sometimes 3 1/2 hours but is still staying at about 2 hours or so at night. I have to remind myself that this won't last forever because I feel like a zombie! I find myself wanting to stay put and start crying with Jude when he wakes up at night but then all I have to do is look at his sweet face and I am reminded that he is depending on me for his little body to grow!
We went to the doctor today for his one month check-up. The doctor said that he got an A+...He weighed 9lbs and was 22 1/4 inches. His breathing is doing much better and the doctor thought he looked a lot better than the last time that we brought him in with the tachypnea. No shots today, thank the Lord! He has a little bit of congestion but may just be from our dry apartment. We are going to get a humidifier to hopefully take care of that problem. We are so blessed to have such a healthy baby boy!

2009-01-14T08:42:00.000-08:00

I can't believe he is already a month old today! It feels like I just had him yesterday. He has been more expressive the past few days and has discovered his mobile on the swing. He follows the little animals with his eyes and head and smiles! He has gotten a lot bigger, we have our month check up tomorrow and will know how much this little booger weighs now! He weighed 8 lbs at his 2 week check. He still hasn't decided to sleep for extended periods of time at night but I guess he has his own timing for things! There is too much to see now that he is in the world, who needs sleep?!

2009-01-13T07:40:00.000-08:00

The father who would taste the essence of his fatherhood must turn back from the plane of his experience, take with him the fruits of his journey and begin again beside his child, marching step by step over the same old road.

~Angelo Patri

2009-01-12T17:44:00.000-08:00

Jude had his first bath tonight since he cord fell off. He was not happy!

Smiling for Daddy

2008-12-22T10:12:00.000-08:00

We finally caught a picture of Jude doing one of his cute little smiles. I LOVE to see him do this, I wonder what he is thinking about.

2008-12-20T09:05:00.000-08:00

It's hard for me to even look at this beautiful face without crying. I can't get enough of his kisses and I will never be able to express enough how much I love him...

2008-12-20T09:00:00.000-08:00

We came home on Tues the 16th and on Thurs it was time for Jude's first pediatric check up. He had gained back all but an ounce of his birth weight and was so healthy! God is so generous to let us have this beautiful baby to raise. I can't imagine any better gift than to see the love of my life in the eyes of our child.

Little Bear

2008-12-20T08:58:00.000-08:00

I ready to go home!

2008-12-20T08:56:00.000-08:00

Precious! I was trying to feed him but he was just too sleepy!

Jude David 6lbs 14 oz, 20 in...perfect!

2008-12-20T08:48:00.000-08:00

Saturday night Dec. 13th Brett had a basketball tournament up in Knoxville. I had been fighting through contractions since 2:30am Thursday but was not dialated enough to be admitted so....we waited trying to do normal things! We decided to go to the game and see if the cheering and intensity would speed things up! My contractions were beginning to strengthen but we had two games to make it through, the second was the championship at 8:00. I sat high in the bleachers so that no one could see my crazy faces when one would hit and squeezed Mom, Collin, Whit and Dad, whoever I could get my hands on! After the game was over we said ok it's time and drove to the hospital. I was admitted to triage at 10:30 and at 12:30 checked into a room. I was having some really painful contractions but luckily only had to wait about an hour for the epidural! HEAVEN! We waited until 6:30 and I was ready to begin pushing. I pushed for 4 sets of contractions and then he was ready to enter the world! He is the most beautiful baby in this world and I never knew I could love a little person so much. We are truly blessed that he is finally here!

2008-12-08T12:27:00.000-08:00

39 weeks, 6 days...

2008-12-08T12:10:00.000-08:00

This pic is on Jude's due date, he decided it was not his day to come! That's ok though he wants his momma to have her own birthday, how thoughtful! Today is the 8th, it was the day that I predicted him to come. I just have to remember that God knows exactly when he wants this precious little boy to enter the world!

2008-12-04T19:38:00.000-08:00

Jude enjoyed his first Thanksgiving. The doc told me to eat a lot to try and send him on out but he did not like that idea. He decided it was too cold and wanted to have Christmas as his first holiday in the outside world.

2008-12-04T19:34:00.000-08:00

This was around 37 weeks. Jude has dropped lower at this point but still moving around with lots of energy! We thought that he may want to come early because of all of the braxton hicks contractions but he was just faking us out:o)

2008-10-23T08:19:00.000-07:00

We had two showers in Rome this past weekend. It was so neat getting to see family and friends that we haven't seen in a long time. Jude is already bringing people together, I know that he is going to be just like his dad, loving everyone and everyone around loving him!

2008-09-09T08:37:00.000-07:00

Change

"Inevitably the breeze will blow in a different direction,

the leaves will be ruffled a new way,

and the color of the sky will morph into another shade of

blue. Take these new adventures and create a palate of

colors that will show the beauty of the change."

Caving

2008-09-07T18:36:00.000-07:00

Jude's first trip caving! This past weekend we went to Caverns in Townsend TN. We love to do things like this so Jude is getting to experience them early!

2008-09-05T13:18:00.000-07:00

27 weeks, I can tell that he is getting bigger. He has found new positions that he thinks are extremely comfortable, not so much for me! It's hard to believe that he is only going to get bigger :o)

2008-09-05T13:04:00.000-07:00

Looking down I see an addition that has never been there before! I can't believe that Jude is protected and cozy in his own little world, and I am looking down at that little world.

2008-09-05T13:00:00.000-07:00

26 1/2 weeks, things just don't seem to fit the same way :o)

2008-09-05T12:44:00.000-07:00

26 weeks pregnant.

It feels like it has been going by quickly but I feel like I have been pregnant my whole life at the same time! I have felt really good the past couple of months, no sickness and smells are a whole lot easier. Jude has been kicking and moving around so much more! He has figured out when I want to go to sleep and when I want to sleep in in the mornings and he chooses that time to show off his dad's energy!

Pregnant and Growing!

2008-09-05T12:31:00.000-07:00

The beginning of Judes life! He took his first trip out of the country to Guatemala at a very early age:o) He will be ready for missions and world traveling when he gets here. It was the week after we got back from Guatemala that we found out we were about a month pregnant. While we were there we worked with an orphanage, God was already preparing our hearts for Jude because we definitely wanted to take some of those little babies home with us. As a side note, this is not how Collin normally styles his pelo (hair).