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!