Tennessee Recap

I've come to the conclusion that there is no way I can sum up our trip to Tennessee last week. It was so full of love, tears, friends, family, memories (both remembered and made) and we are still exhausted! It was profoundly refreshing to be in a familiar place, surrounded by familiar faces. It was bittersweet, knowing that we would have to leave so quickly, and this week I have grieved last year's losses all over again.

Oh, and we managed to eat at Chick-fil-A a total of four times throughout the week ... or was it five? :)

At our favorite Jackson Chick-a-la - it was a little windy! :)

Benjamin was again an awesome traveler, making it way easier on Mom and Dad than we deserved. He was, however, a little road-weary by Easter Sunday morning, resulting in expressions like this...

...for our pictures in our cute outfits. In spite of the exhaustion, he did manage a smile or two...

Precious little thing! Anyway, all I can say is ... sweet sweet times! Here are some of our favorite pictures from the week...

Soakin' up some Grandpa love!

Nuthin' like gettin' kissed 24/7!

Benjamin even made a new friend or two! Sweet little drooly boys!

Benjamin's first visit to my parents' house held several surreal "full-circle" moments... like walking in the park with him in the stroller ... the same park I played at when I was a little kid...

Just chill-axin' in Grandma's sink, Mom! What's the camera for?

Aw, man! Just because we're back in NY, I have to be all wrapped up in blankets again?!?!

So this week we are slowly getting adjusted to being back home ... wearing sweaters, restocking the pantry, talking on skype and via email instead of in person. And I'm so grateful that, even here and now ...

"You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways...
You hem me in behind and before, and lay Your hand upon me...
Even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me...
In Your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them"
Ps. 139:3,5,10,16

The First Bite

Well, we are home from our whirlwind week in Tennessee. We had an amazing time, so full of sweet family, friends, and memories. I'm still processing all that went on (and still working on getting all the pictures off my camera :) So instead, here's this little tidbit from Sunday...

Benjamin is now officially six months old! My word, how time flies! Anyway, its high time that the boy had some solid food, don't you think? So we decided Sunday was the big day. In hindsight, this was probably not a wise choice, as I was exhausted from our travels and Benjamin wasn't in that great of a mood either.



Note the growing look of concern on his face ... "What in the world are you doing, Momma?!?! It isn't enough that you've drug me all over God's green earth, and let a million strangers hold me, talk to me, and pronounce that I am so sweet, they could 'just eat me up with a spoon!' And now you're trying to feed me with a spoon?!? I have had it! I need a nap!"

So, since the initial feeding of cereal failed in every sense (except the fact that we got hilarious video of it), we tried just giving him the spoon to play with, thinking a little familiarity with this new utensil might be helpful...



Note that every other thing he gets his hands on goes straight for his mouth, but nuthin' doin' with this spoon nonsense!

So today we took a break from cereal, but we'll try again tomorrow ... he's got to get the hang of it at some point, right?

(Disclaimer: After watching these videos again, I realize that they are probably only hilarious and adorable to Daddy and me ... and grandparents. :) oh well!

He Is Risen! He Is Risen Indeed!

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
‘Til on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt of life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life’s first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
‘til He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand

New Discovery

Sorry for the lack of posting lately ... we have been so busy! But in the midst of all the comings and goings, Benjamin has made a new discovery ...

...Toes are very funny things!

And tasty too, but he was too fast for Momma to get a picture of that! :)

Several random thoughts and a video

Well, my springtime allergies are acting up today, so my writing skills are reduced to a quick list of thoughts which seemed witty and well-tied together when I was up feeding Benjamin at 4:30 this morning, but now seem rather random and somewhat mundane ... but then, you're all used to that by now, right?

- I love Daylight Savings Time! Everyone was complaining about the time change in Facebook statuses at the time, but there is just no happiness like eating dinner when its still light outside!

- I miss my college roommies ... roomies ... room-ys - anyone know how to spell that word? The only alternative in the spell-checker is "roommates" but the formality of spelling the whole thing out just doesn't fit our friendships! Anyway, I miss my E31 girls today - such sweet times and hilarious memories.

- I've been cooking A LOT lately, but how can you blame me, when this cuteness is going on in the kitchen?



- Ok, listen to that video again, because I need help - do you hear the tune that the bouncer plays at the beginning? WHAT IS THAT?!?!?! I know I know it, but we can't figure out what it is! Plus, its continually stuck in my head these days - I find myself humming it in the grocery store, in the shower, etc., but I have not a clue what song it is I'm singing - please help!

- Also, on a video related note, I was clearing off the memory in our video camera today so a friend could borrow it, when I realized that we have all sorts of 60 second clips where we were obviously trying to catch Benjamin doing something cute, but when we got out the camera he just sat there and looked at it. But I can't bring myself to delete them, because, my gracious goodness, he's too stinkin' cute even when he's just sitting there breathing!

And with that, I say goodnight. I'm going to go blow my nose, and you need to go read some of the millions of more interesting things that are available out there on the crazy internets.

The Mom Stamp

Where's the Adult Stamp?

This is one of my family's favorite sayings, coined by dear Dad when I was in college.  As memory serves, I was home for a summer or winter break, and when reflecting at family dinner on how much better I had been feeling of late, I made the comment that getting adequate sleep really does make a difference in how one feels the next day. Dad replied to my revelation with his now-famous quip, "Where's the Adult Stamp?"

(An aside: the fact that I used to willingly, even carelessly, deprive myself of sleep is a fact that grieves me now that motherhood requires that deprivation of me regularly.)

Anyway, lately, I've been wondering, "Where's the Mom Stamp?"

I've caught myself recently conversing freely about my baby's bodily functions in public scenarios in which such topics are clearly taboo.  When noting the tentative expression on the other person's face, I pause only briefly before plunging on with the tale, figuring 1) if they're not a parent yet, they need to prepared 2) if they are a parent, this is not surprising them 3) I have little else to talk about  ... Where's the Mom Stamp?

Since I now have Little Bit hanging out with me all day, I often narrate my daily tasks to him as we go ... Mommy's washing the yucky lasagna pan, scrape, scrape, scrape that dried gunk off!  Mommy's folding the laundry!  Who's tiny shirt is this? ... and so on and so on as we keep the house (moderately) clean and orderly.  So, the other day, I cracked myself up when, with Benjamin downstairs hanging out with Daddy, I said out loud, "Putting away Daddy's sockies!" while completely alone upstairs!  Where's the Mom Stamp?

In getting read to go to a friend's house for dinner and a movie last weekend, I started "packing" three whole hours before our intended departure time.  When we finally arrived, we had the three of us, plus about fifty pounds of assorted baby paraphernalia that took several trips back and forth to the car getting it all in their house.  All this and we weren't even spending the night or anything!!  Where's the Mom Stamp?

And with that, we'll say Happy Weekend, everybody!  Hope your weather is lovely, wherever you are!

A Respite

Sweet Benjamin has been fiercely fighting the good fight of teething for the past 24 hours. Today, it seems, we have been granted a bit of a respite, and therefore, we decided to put on the "My 1st Tooth" shirt! No matter that you can't see any teeth in his precious grin, he deserves it after such a rough time. And Mommy is just soaking up that smile and those twinkling eyes after missing them so much yesterday!