It's been awhile...

It's been awhile since our last post.  Time flies when you're having fun.  Here's what we've been up to.

Micah's Baby Dedication

We've committed to lead Micah, whom God has entrusted to us, back to Him.  It brought back so many memories of Maddie's baby dedication.  Here are some of the goals Emily and I discussed in preparation for the baby dedication:

• That they would understand that they are not only accountable to us, but to God.
• That they would bring glory to God in everything they do.
• That I would be the husband we want Maddie to marry and Micah to be and that Emily would be the wife we want Micah to marry and Maddie to be.

We invite you (whoever you are) to hold us accountable as we do the things we need to do to achieve these goals and lead Maddie and Micah back to Him.

We Moved

We will never forget the story surrounding our move -- one only God could write.  We're settled for the most part.  Here's our little helper painting the play room.

 

  

Record Snowfall in Atlanta

We had the most snow we've seen in Atlanta since we moved here five years ago (3+ inches).  

 

Unfortunately, they don't sell sleds in Georgia.  So we did what most southerners do -- use an empty Rubbermaid.

 

 

And Maddie had a good time making snowmice with Bop Bop.

 

If you're wondering, "Why snowmice?"  Maddie's into Angelina Ballerina.

Christmas Fun!

Just in time for Christmas.  Here are some pictures from the neighborhood Christmas party.

 

 

 

 

 

Is it too late for FALL pictures?

Christmas Eve is tomorrow, so why not share some FALL pictures?  I was browsing our pictures and came across some pictures from this fall.  Don't mind the turkey bib.

 

 

 

 

 

First Trip to the Dentist

Maddie visited the dentist for the first time a few weeks ago.  Pinky (her "security blanket") joined her and got to experience some of the sights and sounds as well.  She did a great job.  Here are some pics from the trip.

Maddie and the dental hygienist holding Pinky's paws on the way back.

 

 Waiting patiently to be seen.

 

X-ray time!

 

Pinky making sure the toothbrush is safe for Maddie.

 

A little lick to put her at ease.

 

Look at that face.  Priceless!

Fall Pics

I know it's late, but here are a few pics from our trip to the pumpkin patch and playing in the leaves.

Special Visitor

We had a special visitor last week -- soon-to-be Aunt Lindsey.  My brother's fiance was in from Colorado for work related reasons.  We were disappointed we didn't get to spend more time with her, but had fun at dinner and a quick visit to Barnes & Noble.

Two Years Old!

Maddie turned two yesterday.  I can't believe it!  We celebrated over the weekend with our family.  Maddie was the center of attention, of course.  But it doesn't really take a birthday for that!

We tried teaching her to say "Thank you so much.  I love it!" when she received a gift.  What came out was, "Thank you, so I love it!"

The Steelers happened to play the Bengals over the weekend as well.  Em's family (including me) are Steelers fans while my family (excluding me) are Bengals fans.  Unfortunately, the Bengals came out on top.  But we had a good time.  Here's Maddie with her best friend Dindy (Em's Aunt Cindy).

Whose birthday is it?

Unless someone told you, you never would have known I turned 28 today (see below). Yes, I was born on 09/09/81 (mathematical) and today's date is SUPER cool -- 09/09/09.

Em made things festive this morning with candles in our breakfast. Notice it's Maddie's second birthday and my first!


Maddie loves the candles SO much she took one out of her bag (in her lap under the table) and stuck one in her chicken nugget! Wait a minute, whose birthday is it?


She's becoming a pro at blowing them out. Good thing, because she turns TWO in a few weeks!

This has been one of the best birthdays ever. Maddie is at an age where she understands what is going on. I've heard "Hap burt-day to dada!" a number of times and even got two homemade birthday cards covered in Disney princess stickers!

Oh yeah, thanks Em for the "guest post". I know how much you HATE to write and how much more you hate someone to read what you write. I love you so much. Thanks for making this birthday extra special as well!

Me & The Little (Old) Man

Here are a few pictures of me and the little man from this weekend. Doesn't he look so cute in his polo and fisherman hat? My favorite is the Grumpy Old Men look over Mimi's shoulder!

Hopefully the hair comes in soon!

Micah William

I've been somewhat slow to dedicate a post to our newest addition to the family - Micah William. While Em has done MOST of the work around here, for some reason just having two kids is enough to wear me out. When they're down, I don't feel like doing ANYTHING aside from checking facebook and watching The O'Reilly Factor. What an EXCELLENT use of time, huh?

Micah was born on 6/18 at 7:16 PM. For some reason we believed the myth the second one comes faster. Not so with Micah - he came 12 hours after Em started her patossin. Our little guy weighed 7 lbs, 1 oz and measured 20 inches. It was so exciting to run out to the lobby to tell Maddie he was here. I don't think she knew what to think at first, but quickly warmed up to him. In fact, she demanded he walk as they were cleaning him off!

Mi-Mi brought Maddie down to visit on Friday. She picked out a balloon and handed out "I'm a _____" buttons for everyone

Em and Micah were discharged on Saturday.

Maddie was waiting at the house for us. As soon as we walked in the door, she wanted "baby brudda" to play. She showed him all her toys, including her favorite Veggie Tale - Madame Blueberry!

I'm sure we'll have more stories the more comfortable she gets with him. For now, it's "Da-Da! Get him!" whenever he cries.

"He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." Micah 6:8

Florida Fun

We managed to squeeze in a trip to Florida a couple weeks ago. We thought we were pulling a "Willis" by planning it ONLY a week and a half in advance. It turned out, the Willis' were going to Florida the weekend before us and -- get this -- they planned it a DAY (or two) in advance!

Anytime you can avoid the Manatee Memorial Hospital is considered a great time. The unfortunate thing -- we're in the process of potty training Maddie. Stopping at every exit to go "be-be" added two hours to our eight hours home. The poor thing would say "Be-be! 'Gain! 'Gain!" because she was tired of being in the car.

Thanks Aunt Sue and Uncle George for letting us stay at your place! Click here for more Florida fun.