9 months

Unbelievable that three-fourths of his first year has flown by so quickly!

At his nine month check-up he weighed 20 pounds, 1 ounce (40th percentile) and was (I FORGOT!) but I think 27.5 inches long? (20th percentile...I do remember that for sure because he gets that from his short parents) and head circumference was 50th percentile.

He wears size 9-12 month in clothes and size 3 diapers.

He eats mostly baby food and loves everything and we've given him a little table food too. He can chew it up nicely with the help of his fangs...:)

Hilarious that these two teeth came in before his front ones!

He's crawling all over the place and wants to be down and around!

He is still just as sweet as ever and melts all of our hearts a million times a day.

Gritting her teeth is her love language :)

He is 100% loved by his big sisters and they love playing with him.

Next up...an update from Steve's upcoming neurologist appointment and back to school photos. Kindergarten and 4th grade! They are all growing up way too fast.

Camp Fun

Anna Clare went to summer camp for the first time this year. It's a Christian camp a little over an hour away and the same camp I went to several times 28 years ago! In fact, we when we dropped her off, I recognized the director from when I was a camper. He told me he's been there since 1977.

Very rustic but at least the cabins are air conditioned now.  They weren't when I was there!

We dropped her off on Monday morning and picked her up on Saturday. She's never been away from home that long so I had no idea how it was going to go. Thankfully her friend Olivia went too and was in the same cabin, along with some other girls she knew from school.

Olivia and Anna Clare with their counselor, Lydia

She had a blast. She loved it and cannot wait to go back next year. We got this letter from her on Wednesday...

Olivia got sick on Thursday and had to go home. I kept waiting for a phone call saying Anna Clare was homesick and ready to come home too, but we never heard a word :)

We loved hearing her talk non-stop about her week all the way home on Saturday.

Proud of my big girl!

We are mean

But we couldn't stop laughing! The first time he actually jumped and shuddered. Wish I had caught that one on video. One day he will laugh as hard as we did...or at least I hope so.

A boy and his Wubba, Gracie Girl, and a setback

As you can tell, that boy loves his Wubba! It's called a WubbaNub and my sister-in-law gave it to us when I was pregnant.  If we lose it, we are in big trouble. He has another one with a different animal but it is clearly not the same.  Wubba was in the washing machine the other night, and Steve told me to retrieve it mid-cycle because he was so unsettled.  He finds great comfort in rubbing the little animals head.  It's already looking worn, so I can only imagine what it will be looking like in the future.


I had a friend call a few weeks ago that had a friend who needed a baby swing and wanted to see if we were ready to let ours go. I snapped a few pics before we said goodbye :(

And meet, Gracie, Steve's new squirrel hunting dog.

He is in love. I'm glad he's got a new friend after losing his buddy Wilson last November.

And a prayer request...

Steve had another seizure three weeks ago. I just haven't felt like writing about it. It was a very disappointing setback, but God's provision was all around us. Steve was taking a nap on the couch on a Sunday afternoon, Anna Clare was watching a movie, Owen was at GG's, and Benton was asleep in his crib. I picked up my purse and was literally walking to the door to go to Target when I heard a thud. I thought he must've fallen off the couch and I walked into the den and found him in the middle of a seizure. I told Anna Clare to call our neighbor, who is a nurse, and she did. He came down and helped me and stayed until Steve came out of it. I was so proud of Anna Clare. She was so calm and only became upset when Steve woke up so confused. I sent her down to the neighbors, but we've since discussed protocol in case it were to happen again and I'm not at home. Such a big girl. The effects did not seem to be nearly as bad this time. Steve was obviously scared and upset but his body recovered much more quickly. I can't begin to describe how thankful we are that he and I were both home when it happened. But I've also been frustrated, disappointed, scared, emotional, and exhausted. Five months had passed since the last one and I was certain beyond certain that he was never going to have another one. The scariest thing is that he has taken his medication faithfully the last five months. This time he was doing everything right. His neurologist has doubled his medication, and he seems to be adjusting well to the dosage increase. And while we really like his neurologist, we have decided to go to Birmingham for a second opinion. He has an appointment at the end of August and hopefully this doctor will just confirm that we are on the right path. Please pray for no more seizures, that there is nothing dangerous that has caused the seizures, and that we will find the best treatment plan for Steve. Thank you for your prayers--we are so grateful for them. God is good--always!

Mountain Weekend

After we left the AG store we headed to Ellijay, GA, where my dad rented a cabin for the weekend to celebrate his and my mom's 40th wedding anniversary and her belated 60th birthday.

Both of my brothers, SILs, and niece and nephew came, along with my sister and her boyfriend, Bryan. I cannot believe I did not get one single picture of any of them. I didn't take many at all in fact :(

The cabin was perfect and we had deer in our front yard several times a day!

Even though we were in the mountains it was just as hot as it was at home so we drove down to the river to cool off.

Benton's first time in the river!

He loved it! He splashed and splashed and had the best time.

We didn't do this, but it sure looked like fun...

After that, baby boy was worn OUT!

Saturday night, my brothers, sister, and I were in charge of dinner. My two SILs had some great ideas and we decorated the table as a surprise for my parents.

We kicked them out to go check out the town while we got everything ready.

My brother made a play list of songs from the year they got married (1972) and had it playing when they came in. There were some great songs from that year!

Dancing to the tunes of 1972...

My dad had this made for my mom :)

Happy Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad! Wishing you 40 more!

Owen's Birthday Celebration

Whew! July has been a busy month! I will do my best to catch up a bit and see how far I can get before Benton wakes up from his nap.

Owen asked if she could go to the American Girl store in Atlanta instead of having a party for her 5th birthday this year. Since we were going practically right by there on our way to Ellijay, GA, for a mountain weekend with my family, we planned a belated birthday party for the first weekend in July.

She had a ball. Both girls saved their birthday money from their grandparents to purchase their own doll and after picking them out, we headed in for lunch.

GG and I took Anna Clare to the store for her Christmas gift when she was five and had the most wonderful overnight experience. But since we were headed to the mountains, we decided on the birthday celebration in the Bistro.

They presented her with a pink cake with candles, ice cream and a Happy Birthday serenade.

The men were troopers :)

It was a wonderful day and we left with two new family members, Emily (Owen's choice), and McKenna for Anna Clare. I have so much more to share but Benton is awake and crying so it will have to wait:)