Molly ~ 18 Months Old

EIGHTEEN MONTHS? 

A year and a half old?

Are you serious?

Goodness, Molly is growing sooooo fast.  And it's soooo fun!  This month was again full of fun and exciting things.  Molly continues to increase her vocabulary.  She says lots of two word phrases and a few three word phrases, such as "I get it" and "I see you". 

She's a bit of a show-off when she realizes she has a crowd.  When we went for her well check last week, she turned on the charm with her doctor!  She was running in circles, giggling and chattering away to Dr. Jason!  Again last night with my Memommie, she showed off all her new tricks and laughed and laughed!

Molly also decided in the last two weeks she doesn't need to sit in her chair at the table; rather, she sits in a regular chair with no booster.  I couldn't figure out why she suddenly decided to do this.  Then, it dawned on me that her class at MMO had moved to a new room with chairs and tables rather than the table with build in chairs.  I'm sure since she's learning to sit in a chair like a big girl at church she is convinced she can do it here.  It's quite funny watching her eat as she can't really see her food, but she reaches as high as she can!  And she's eating, so we're not going to complain!

Molly's surely a Daddy's girl, too.  We watch him leave every morning, and usually within about twenty minutes she's standing at the window asking for "dah-dee".  She'll "call" him on her phone numerous times during the day.  And late in the afternoon she'll start standing at the window every few minutes searching for him. 

Still a great sleeper, Molly loves her night time routine.  As a family, we take her into her bedroom and say our night time prayers.  Should I get too long winded, she'll cut me off mid-prayer with a hearty "ah-meen"!

Life continues to get better and better with Molly.  I say it all the time, and I'll say it again:  each day is better than the day before, and I always think my heart can't take more joy.  But it gets better and better!  Thankful beyond measure for Molly Miller!

Happy 18 Months, precious one!  Your Mommy and Daddy love you beyond measure!

Christmas Pageant

My friend Amy hosts a Christmas Pageant each year, and this year Molly was asked to be a part of the play.  It's such a precious production, and the kids are so cute!  There is just nothing like children singing praises to their King.  Watching these children reenact our Savior's birth was such a blessing!  Getting a group shot is always - ALWAYS - interesting!  Molly was a horse, but she refused to wear her top by this point.  Lillie the pig was DONE as well.  These pictures are priceless to me, though! 

The kids had speaking parts and sang songs.  There are just no words to describe how precious it was! 

Molly, the horse, was making her way through Bethlehem before the play started....  And yes, the costume is technically a lion costume.  It's all about imagination, ya know?!?

We tried to get a picture of the whole costume. . . 

But it didn't work out too well!  Ha!!

The audience was full of parents, grandparents, and aunts.  We looked like paparazzi, didn't we?!

After the pageant, we enjoyed a pot luck supper that was super yummy!  The food and fellowship were almost as good as the play.  Almost.

"For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

~ Isaiah 9:6

Happy Birthday, Ellie Grace!

Her actual birthday isn't for a couple of weeks, but we celebrated Ellie's 3rd birthday this weekend, and it was so much fun! 

Jennifer definitely channeled her inner craftiness for the whole party!  She did a fantastic job, and everything was just precious!  Lots of Ellie's friends from church and the neighborhood came, and they had plenty to play with!

Along with a bouncy house, plenty of riding toys, a wagon and side walk chalk, there was the Ring Toss Game....

and a Beanbag Toss Game...

But I think it's safe to say the best toy of all was Ellie's gift from her parents, Abby. 

Abby is a 12 week old shih tzu, and she is the most patient dog ever.  Ellie puts this poor dog in her baby doll stroller, in the high chair, wherever she can!  The kids definitely loved playing with Abby, and the big kids loved one her, too!

Ellie's friends gave her some great gifts, and Ellie had tons of fun opening them!  I'm not so such, though, she really appreciated the help of her friend!  Ellie's face makes me laugh!

Molly had a great time, too! I told y'all she's a Daddy's girl these days....

And everyone left with these fun favors to enjoy later!  What a great way to keep the party going!!



What a fun party!  Happy Birthday, Eleanor Grace!



Molly ~ 17 Months Old

Molly is 17 months old!  Time seems to be just flying by!  Again, this month was so much fun!  It seems day by day Molly learns new things.  She talks up a storm, and oftentimes we have no idea what she's saying.  But she definitely knows what she's saying! 

Molly loves loves loves to play with Ellie Grace!  She also plays really well by herself.  She loves animals, calling the "duck ducks" everytime we walk outside. 

A daddy's girl through and through, Molly has really learned to turn her Daddy's heart to mush!  Just this morning she realized he was heading to work, and she lifted her arms asking him to hold her, laid her head on his shoulder and wrapped her other hand around his neck.  She absolutely loves him and is convinced he's the best man on the planet!  I must say I agree!

Life continues to be a complete dream, and we are so very thankful to be Molly's parents!

Running with a Crew

There was just enough of a chill in the air to make my teeth chatter, had I not been running.  The wind was blowing pretty hard, too.  We were around mile 9 when I passed a couple of girls.  I heard one say to the other, "I could never run alone."  I'm not sure she was talking about me, but I did appear to be alone. 

"I'm not running alone, girl.  I've got a pack of folks running with me." 

See, while it may have appeared I was running 13.1 miles alone, that could not have been farther from the truth. 

• I had my friends at home who'd sent me texts and facebook messages and posts encouraging me, telling me they were praying for me and would be looking for me to text them when I crossed the finish line.
• My family had encouraged me all along, kept Molly when Tim and I ran our long runs together, kept Molly over the weekend while we ran this race.
• I had this star in my shoe that was a total God-send a few weeks before that reminded me my Daddy knows.

• I knew Tim was a mile or two ahead of me, and his words of encouragement and coaching all along the way echoed in my head over and over and over again. 
• I had my worship music blaring in my ears as I ran.  I'd prayed and prayed and prayed while I ran, and I knew my God was with me, too.  That was never more evident than when I crossed the finish line and the words, "oh no, you never let go" were singing in my ears. 

I crossed the finish line at 2:21, and I was pumped!  My goal was 2:30.  My pace was steady, and I felt great!  I was so esctatic!

Tim had crossed the finish line before me, with a time of 2:12.  Rockin' it!

I'm so very thankful for my family and friends who are my biggest cheerleaders and encouragers.  Y'all ran this half, too.  And I thank you!

I need you, too, 'cause this girl?  Is totally addicted!

Linky Loo

Several posts I've read recently have touched me to the core.  I want to share them with you!

• One of my favorite things about Facebook is reuniting with friends you'd otherwise likely never hear from again.  Brad's one of those friends.  I first met him and his twin brother 16 years ago when I worked at a Hallmark store and Chad worked next door at the golf store.  Fastforward to today, and Brad's an amazing father to a special little girl, Claire.  Brad's wife, Amy, writes a blog about their journey with Fetal Hydrocephalus.  Brad took over earlier this week and wrote a post that absolutely blessed my socks off.  It's a must read.  Our God is truly a God of details, y'all. 

• Not to be outdone, Claire followed her Daddy's lead and wrote this precious post that made me smile and Also?  Please pray for this precious family. They amaze me with their fight and faith.

• Life to Her Years is another blog that I've recently stumbled across (I think someone else linked to is somewhere in blogland recently).  And it's just amazing.  I love the short, poignant posts that resonate and make you think.   

• This post is a few months old now, and it's been a while since I read it.  But it's stuck with me.  Thankfully, many times throughout the day to day chores of being a mommy ~ more juice, wiping that runny nose, kissing the boo boo, wiping a dirty bottom, kissing away tears ~ the words of this post come back to me.  This is my mission field today.  My home, my daughter, my husband.  Thank you, Heavenly Father, for this amazing opportunity!

What posts have you recently read that have echoed in your heart?  I'd love to check them out, too!

Life Goes On

Seventeen years ago today, a hard truth about life hit me square in the face.

Life goes on.

We'd buried my Daddy the day before.  On a cool, fall morning, we celebrated his life, mourned his untimely death and held onto each other like never before.

I remember waking that Thursday morning knowing my friends were going to school like normal, watching the county school bus make its way past our house like it always did, yet looking around at my mom, my sister and myself and wondering, "how in the world?"

Goodness.  We didn't know what had hit us. But what I did know was life as I'd always known it was no longer. And as cruel as it seemed, life was going on all around us.

The hours seemed to pass as slowly as molasses.  Days later, we mustered up everything inside of ourselves to celebrate my sister's 12th birthday.  Weeks later, I turned 15.  I remember my best friends sitting in the living room with me the night of my birthday.  I think it was the first time I'd laughed since my Daddy died.  And I felt so guilty for laughing.  For smiling.  For enjoying life.

And I realized, life goes on.

Months passed and we moved.  I remember pulling out of the driveway of our home, the home we lived in with my Daddy, and sobbing.  Crying my eyes out, knowing this move was necessary for our family.  Things would be different, new, hopefully easier for all of us in a new home. 

Yes, life goes on.

Years went by, and as we learned to live a new normal again as a family of three, we found happiness and love even in the midst of the unbearable grief and heartache.  Jenn and I had proms, Homecomings, Sweet 16 Birthdays.  Life went on.

And, I know today, 17 years later, that life goes on. And, better than that?  It becomes beautiful again.  Yes, truly "He has made everything beautiful in its time" (Ecclesiastes 3:11).  That is what I've celebrated this week.  God's provision is remarkable.  His love is unconditional.  His attention to detail is unbelieavable.  And He does make ALL things beautiful.

I see it in this precious little girl's face....

And while I would give so much to have my Daddy here, for him to see his grandchildren, to meet his sons-in-law, to see my sister and I today, I am so very thankful for the lessons I've learned since my Daddy's death as life has gone on. 

Most of all, I'm praising my Heavenly Father now for making ALL things beautiful, in His time.



Cooking with Ellie

Ellie and I had a little fun in the kitchen this morning.  We made some fun Halloween treats, and Ellie loved every second of being the cook!

She watched as each ingredient was poured into the big mixing bowl....

And she was super serious about watching the mixer do it's thing....

Aunt B may or may not have shown her the best part of cooking. I think her chocolate batter mustache gives it away...

Sweet Ellie was so proud of her work set out on the cookie sheet...

Yep, she definitely learned the best part of cooking is enjoying a little batter....

And then, we got to roll the cookies in sprinkles!  "Fun, Hay-o-ween Spinkles" according to the chef!

There was one little turkey who was Not. At. All. excited about our cooking fun....

Poor Molly pouted and cried the entire time we cooked!?!

Ellie, being the determined, dedicated, experienced chef that she is, was not deterred by little Molly's cries. She powered through, enjoying the fruits of her labor....

And here's the proud chef with her treats!

So, as Chef Ellie would say, "Happy Hay-o-ween, Y'all!"

Molly Miller ~ 16 Months Old

Oh what fun this age is!  Molly is 16 months old now, and she just seems to grow and learn every single day!  She is in constant motion and chatters all the time.  Her vocabulary grows by the minute, it seems.  And it's so much fun!

Lately Molly's favorite thing to do it jump onto our bellies and try to leap off.  Thankfully the first time she did it, Tim could see in her eyes she was about to jump and caught her.  She laughed and laughed, and she's tried to do it over and over again.  She loves our family play time each night, and she will just play her little heart out until it's bed time.

Molly is absolutely crazy about Ellie, too.  They squeal with delight when they see each other and bear hug as if it's been ages since they last saw each other!  I'm so thankful they get to grow up together and are so close.  What a blessing!

One quick story that's the epitome of our life right now.  The other night, Tim and I were headed up the stairs, and I said, "Watch out for the letter R."  It was as normal a statement as "please pick up those shoes."  One of Molly's magnets, the letter R, was on the step.  And I didn't want him to trip on it!  :)  Yep, you know you have a toddler in the house when you have to watch out for such things as the letter R!

Lovin' life, that's what we are doing!

Park Fun

I took the girls to the park in Jenn and Brian's neighborhood yesterday.  They absolutely love climbing all over everything and swinging.  It's so precious to watch them play together!

We played on the slide. . . 

We played on the swing. . .

We played peek-a-boo. . . 

And we played in a tree. . . 

And the girls were worn out by the time we left.  So worn out that Ellie had to stop and "rest a minute.  Hot, B" on our way home.  Mind you, her house is a stone's throw from the park.  Bless her dramatic little heart!

It's days like yesterday that I just don't want to end. That's the good stuff, for sure.

Molly ~ 15 Months Old

Wow!  What a month we had!  15 was so much fun!  Molly continues to walk all over the place, and she talks away!

Her vocabulary is growing by the hour it seems.  This last month, my favorite new word was "mama".  And she says it A LOT.  And it's AWESOME to hear every single time!  Usually she says it with such passion that you'd think she's about to tell you something absolutely ground breaking.  She loves shoes and loves watching her Daddy get dressed in the morning.  Recently she was standing by him while he put his shoes on, and she started calling, "mama!  mama!"  I rushed in and said, "what is it, baby?"  She pointed to Tim's shoes and said, "shooooooesshhh".  Precious!

Earlier this week, she figured out the stairs in our house, too.  I turned the corner and she was perched up on that first step proud as a peacock.  I didn't make too big of a deal out of it, but she made her way all the way to the top in a matter of minutes.  Uh Oh.  We have yet to figure out how to get down the stairs, so we'll be working on that, too.

She is more and more a Daddy's girl these days, too.  Just yesterday we had her 15 month check up, and she was so excited to see her Daddy there! She did not give two hoots her mama was in the room.  She was all about her Dada!

Speaking of her appointment, she weighs in at 20 pounds, 9 ounces (50th %ile) and is 30 inches long (95 %ile).  She was a complete ham for her doctor and loved every second of the attention. . .  and then the shots.  God love her little heart, when Nurse Brandy came in to give her shots, Molly was all smiles and jabbering away.  After the shots (5!  FIVE!), Molly was screaming and gave Brandy the Slocum Stare.  It's a look like none other where she makes sure you know she is M.A.D. at Y.O.U. 

What fun we have with Molly Miller!  I say it all the time, but each day is better than the day before!  Lovin' it!

Truth Be Told

I've known Elizabeth since high school.  She always has been one of those girls you just can't help but love.  I'll never forget when I was a sophomore in high school and on the Homecoming Court, Elizabeth was the Junior class representative.  She took me under her wing when we had to leave campus for pictures.  We went to her house to change clothes, and I distinctly remember that her family had Joshua 24:15 painted on their kitchen walls.  Clearly the verse, "but as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD," was displayed for all to see.  Immediately you knew what her family believed in and WHO her family served.

Fast forward 17 years to today.  Elizabeth has a ministry, Truth be Told that is completely God-breathed.  I have been so excited to watch via facebook as she has followed God's prompting and is teaching girls like me to paint.  Girls who, just like me, do not have an artistic bone in their bodies.  Girls who are sure cannot paint.

Yet, we all desire to have Truth be Told on the walls of our homes.  That's just what Elizabeth's ministry does!  And it's amazing! 

Last night I was able to go paint with others, new friends I met last night and friends I've known for years.  We had a ball! The verse I chose was one read at our wedding as a charge to Tim and me.  My precious friend Amy read it.  If you've been reading long enough, you may remember Amy; she bravely battled cancer and WON her fight about 45 days after Tim and I married, and she's in her Eternal Home with our Maker.  I loved that Amy read Colossians 3:12-17 as it's a verse she lived every single day of her life.

No, it's certainly not perfect, but it's precious.  And I'll forever be grateful for the opportunity to be a part of Elizabeth's amazing ministry!

As a Jay Bird!

I've said it before, but my favorite time of the day is early evening.  I love that time we have as a family of three, and Molly absolutely eats up the attention she gets from her Daddy.

We recently battled a pretty bad diaper rash, so after bathtime, we let her run around with nothing on in hopes of airing out the rash. 

And she played her little heart out!

Precious memories we never want to forget!

Labor Day Road Race

There are a million and one things I love about Tim.  He's a hard worker.  He provides so well for our family.  He is a godly man.  He adores Molly.  I could go on and on.

I also love that he is the ultimate encourager when it comes to my running.  He always has been.  He's the one who got me running in the first place.  It's Tim who I always break down my runs with.  Tim's the one who tells me to lighten up when I get down about being s-l-o-w.

And I love that he ran with me yesterday for the Labor Day 10K.  God bless him.  When he could've run a lot faster and been done a lot sooner, he hung with me.  Slow-Joe-from-Kokomo.  And when my breathing got out of wack, it was him to got me back on track.  When I was struggling, he was the one who encouraged me.  When we finished running the hills, he high fived me.  Goodness knows I love that man!

This was at the half way mark.  I'm pretty sure he was giving me a pep talk!

And, thank the Good Lord, we made it to the finish line!  My goal was to finish in an hour, but by the midway point, I realized that was not going to happen.  So, my goal was 1:05.  I was a bit disappointed when the finish line came into view and I realized I missed that, too.  But not by much.

And that's a PR for me.  So I'll gladly take it!

Next up, continuing to train for the Rock n Roll Half Marathon in Savannah in November!



And the Winner Is. . .

I just love giveaways!  They're just so much fun!  The winner of my giveaway is . . .  

JenJ, comment #5 who said....

Jen, please share a picture with us of Walk in his tractor shirt!  Thanks, ladies, for your participation and supporting my sister, InStitches!

A GiVeAwAy!!!!

My sister has a monogramming business, and she just started a blog!  Be sure to check out InStitches for her latest creations! Loving this garden flag! 

Jennifer is offering a special!  Hop on over to her blog, InStitches Monogramming, and follow!  She is taking 20% off of your first order between now and Labor Day when you follow her blog!

And for the GIVEAWAY!!!!!  Leave a comment here telling me you've followed her blog and what your favorite thing is, and I'll pick a winner for a team garden flag (in your team's colors) or a fall applique shirt for your little one.  You pick your prize!  This giveaway is open until Friday, August 26, 12pm noon.