.family pictures.

A couple of weeks ago, Cole Gorman, from Blest Photography came out to take some pictures for us. He was awesome to work with. He was great with the kids, laid back, and the pictures turned out great! We were all dressed ready to go and AP decided he would spit up all over his shirt- OF COURSE..then he decided that he wasn't going to be his smiley self for the camera. Nevertheless, the pictures turned out wonderful. Here are a few of my favorites. Check back tomorrow for some of HJ and then Friday I will spotlight AP!

:thankful:

So I do realize that Thanksgiving has come and gone for this year... most people including myself have already decorated for Christmas, but before the craziness of Christmas begins i wanted to make a list of things that i am so thankful for... they are in no particular order at all... just some things that stand out and make me thankful for this past year!
*Jesus Christ- apart from Him I am NOTHING and can do NOTHING-
*Andrew- my best friend, partner in life, my LOVE
*HattieJo- her sweet spirit and teachable heart
*AP- his LIGHT UP THE ROOM smile and his snuggles
*my family- for their support in all that we do
*my sister- for how she loves my kiddos SO much!
*my in-laws- they are great! they raised one studly man that is what i know
*all my other family on both sides- blessings!
*Summit Church- where the Lord used JD Greear to make the GOSPEL so personal and real
*Mercy Hill- thankful for how the Lord has been, is, and will continue to work through this group that is moving to take the Gospel to Greensboro.
*Eggletons- a picture of true friends, thankful for their sacrifice to take the Gospel to the nations
*my job- it really is a joy each day
*my friends
*the Herringtons- who have been behind andrew and i 100% in the decision to move to Greensboro, who are packing up their life in the midst of having a baby in March to take the Gospel with us!
*the Dagers- who have also been their from the initial talk of planting a church and said, "we are in!" not to mention their daughter Nora is HJ's BFF!
*the Word- what a joy to have something that we can go to in order to know the Lord and his plan better and it has become so much for alive in this past year of digging into it
*the laugh of my 2 precious kiddos
*good health- the Lord has been so gracious to bless us with good health in ourselves and the kids
i know i could go on and on...

"Give thanks to the Lord for He is good; His LOVE endures FOREVER!"

Wordless Wednesday: FLEXIBLE

:Opie:

We have a new puppy! Let me introduce you to Opie.. .HattieJo LOVES him. He likes her as long as she isn't chasing him (which she does quite often!)..He is so sweet though. He loves to play and is so gentle.

:Pinny Pinterest:

Ok, so I told you I was loving some PINTEREST... So i decided to declare Sunday, "Pinny Pinterest" day- I mean I pin TONS of ideas, so I needed to cracking on making them a reality and not just a nice idea! So last week here are some things i did:
*made BBQ pineapple chicken in the crockpot- DELICIOUS!
*made a chocolate ice cream cake (1pt. of ice cream in the cake batter with eggs and water then you bake)-*these 3 signs, the wood for the signs were old drawers and cabinets from Andrew's parents house which makes them extra special!

::5months::

Little Man,
Can't believe that you are already 5 months old! Time is truly FLYING by. I feel like this month you have changed so much- You are so confident in holding yourself up, you are starting to sit up on your own. You are VERY aware of things around you and are all the time trying to reach for everything that you can see! You have started eating cereal and are really enjoying it. Those sweet rolls of yours are getting bigger and more are appearing! You still just have those 2 bottom chompers. You are wearing size 3 diapers and clothes sizes 6mths and 6-9mths. You are such a happy boy and you LOVE to smile! You have found your feet and you enjoy putting them in your mouth-you are very flexible. You are starting to form your own little schedule with your naps during the day which is great! We love you so much and are thankful for the healthy happy little man that you are. Your little sister loves you so much too- it has been so fun to see how they are starting to interact now. PRECIOUS! *click here to see HJ when she was 5months old- they look so much alike!

.be still.

.the LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will REJOICE over you with GLADNESS; he will QUIET you by HIS LOVE; he will EXULT over you with loud singing.

Zephaniah3:17*these were taken on our hike on the retreat*