Jeremiah's first haircut...

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Here he is! Before, during and after! The after is with his hairstylist and friend, Bethany. He had so much fun being surrounded by mirrors and people taking pictures. Two of his favorite things.

Jeremiah is 11 months old!

Jeremiah is 11 months old! Wow, time flies! Last night Al & I were talking about what a difference a year makes. My brother Peter and his wife Melinda had a baby boy this morning and we were talking about the day Jeremiah was born. Our lives have changed drastically since that day, but every part of that is for the better. Al comes home from work to 2 smiles and one squeal, I wake up in the night and hunt for the paci in the crib and our floors are littered with blocks, little people and board books. This little boy has brought so much joy to our lives, I can't imagine what life will be like when baby number 2 makes his or her appearance in December!

At 11 months Jeremiah...
*loves to climb into the cabinets and pull pots and pans out
*drums his hands and dances when he hears a song he likes
*stands on his own, but still hasn't taken any steps
*loves to go to the library, swimming pool & the grocery store
*has a silly arm swinging dance that his Aunt Becky taught him while she was here visiting
*loves broccoli, carrots, avocado, chicken, tofu, oatmeal, apples, pears, bananas, watermelon, cherries, blueberries (ok, this list could go on and on. Pretty much, he loves food!)
*loves peek and boo and hide and seek
*prefers water over juice
*loves having his picture taken
*smiles at anyone who will talk to him

The list goes on and on...

Pool days..

My first time in a pool on Memorial Day...

Yesterday in the pool...


Can you tell which one I like better!?

Jeremiah is 10 months old!

Wow, you can tell this momma is busy these days! I am a little late in getting this up, but better late than never!

At ten months, Jeremiah:

*pulls up on furniture and will move around supported.
*loves the swimming pool.
*plays hide and seek by hiding until you find him or until he's tired of waiting, then he just crawls out of his spot laughing.
*loves peek-a-boo.
*can't stand for a door to be open. Closets, front door, pantry, bedroom, it doesn't matter it must be closed.
*loves to shut himself in rooms and lean on the door so you can't open it. He doesn't care if its pitch black, he thinks its amazing.
*greets most everyone with a smile.
*loves to chase his friends and screams like a wild man when he corners them.
*eats anything we put in front of him, but his favorites are grilled chicken, eggs, cottage cheese, broccoli, carrots, bananas and watermelon.
*races to the garage door when he hears Daddy pull up.
*loves to sing along and dance to the music.
*loves going to church and on outings where he sees his people.
*puts anything and everything in his mouth.
*is weaning from Mommy to a bottle quite easily.
*brings a smile to every face he meets!

We are so proud of our little guy!

Jeremiah is 9 months old!

Jeremiah is 9 months old! At 9 months, Jeremiah...
*crawls like a pro
*pulls up on furniture
*claps
*signs "More" (or something closely resembling that) when he wants more to eat
*says Dad, Daddy, Dada and Momma
*loves to go on walks in his stroller
*loves to swing at the park
*plays Peek-a-boo by hiding behind things or by leaving a room and sneaking back around the corner
*loves to talk to Daddy on the phone
*sings "la-la-la" when you sing to him (as long as he doesn't think he's performing)
*loves to take baths
*loves to go grocery shopping, to church, to UTurn, the library, pretty much to anyplace that other people are
*cuddles every night with his favorite bear and blanket

Today we had Jeremiah's 9 month check up. This kid is long and lean! He keeps getting taller, but he's not putting on the chubs. The doctor is not the least bit concerned, because he's a great eater and he's a healthy weight, he's just going to be a tall boy. He weighed 18lbs 12oz which is in the 25th percentile and he is 30 inches long, the 90th percentile. We've had to lower his bed because he can pull up now. We switched his bumper pads around and he loves looking at the bright colored guitars. He is not a still sleeper. He tosses, turns and flips himself around all night long. Which means, he also wakes up a lot because he's cold, can't find his bear or because he's lost his pacifier. Ugh. Hopefully someday I'll know what its like to sleep through the night. Until then, I'll enjoy the middle of the night visits to his room.

He calls for Al all the time by saying, Hey, Dad! Daddy. Dad. Da. Dad!, until he gets Al's attention. It is so cute and funny. Often when you ask him a question he will answer with, Yeah. He doesn't know what he's saying, he's just heard us say it.

We're looking forward to out trip to Tulsa for Matthew's high school graduation next week. Pray that Jeremiah does as well this trip as he did our last.

Nashville and Middle Tennessee Flood

The rain started here on Friday and it just kept pouring through Sunday. And I mean, pouring. Thankfully we didn't have any damage to our home, (unless you count the wet carpet at our back door due to the strong winds blowing the water in through the cracks) or our neighborhood. All around us was flooding. Downtown Nashville has major destruction and damage and the waters are still receeding slowly. Opryland Hotel had about 10 feet of water inside and the mall was the same. The historic Grand Ole Opry was flooded and Titans stadium is under water. Flooding is no respecter of persons. Everyone from the richest celebrities to the homeless community of Nashville have been affected. Several people died, many lost their homes, cars and businesses, but we are proud of our city that there has been virtually no news of looting, stealing or crazies loosing it. People have banned together to help rescue with their personal boats, rafts and anything that floats. All over the area neighbors are helping neighbors with clean up. Here are a few pictures of the flooding to give you an idea of the amount of water we had. These range from a block up the road from us to the Opry Hotel about 40 miles away. I don't think anyone can understand the severity of the flooding until you see the footage and I know not much has been on the national news about this, so hopefully if you aren't here in Tennessee, this will give you an idea. Please pray for the people who have been affected by this and pray for the churches in our area to meet the needs out there. What a great opportunity to serve the community!


King's Creek Golf Course up the road from our house


Historic Grand Ole Opry House


The creek at Jennifer and Garner's house in Spring Hill


Elvis Floating away in Nashville


Downtown Nashville

Jeremiah is 8 months old!

At 8 months, Jeremiah:

*moves around quite efficiently on his bottom. He's close to crawling, but right now we're enjoying watching him get from Point A to Point B by scooting.
*can push himself into a sitting position from all fours.
*says Dada and Dad-dee when he wants Daddy.
*eats everything Mommy has made for him so far.
* talks all the time.
*has decided there is too much to do to sleep through the night.
*loves to play with his friends.
*loves to go to the store.
*loves to go for walks in the stroller, but he still misses the wagon at Grandma and Grandpa's house.
*loves balloons.
*sings songs when you sing to him.
*chews on anything he can get his hands on.
*laughs all the time.
*dances when he hears music.
*loves his Praise Baby DVD's, they can always make him smile and he recognizes the intro music.
*dumps his basket of toys out to make sure he can see everything.
*isn't allowed to play with our cell phones or the remotes, but fights for them constantly.
*recognizes his favorite people and can't focus on anyone or anything if his daddy is anywhere nearby.