A year in pictures

Happy 1st Birthday to our sweet Levi!!

What a year this has been!

 Surprising us at birth with a midline cleft lip. 

You can read his birth story here.

1 month.

7 weeks old - hospitalized for a week with RSV and pneumonia.

2 months.

3 months.

4 months.

Ready for cleft lip surgery on 5.18.11.

Waking up from surgery.

Break my mama heart!

Recovery. So, so hard.

3 days after surgery.

1 week after surgery.

5 months / 10 days after surgery.

2 weeks after surgery.

 6 months.

 7 months.

8 months.

 9 months.

 10 months.

First day with his patch.
We found out he also has cleft eyes on 11.16.11. You can read more about that here.

11 months / First day with his glasses.

12 months.

Our sweet tiny baby boy has grown into a full-of-personality little man this year.
God has used him to help grow our faith in huge ways this year too.
To God be the glory, great things He has done!

Christmas Get-Together #1 - Decorating Memaw's Tree

Last Friday (December 23rd) we ate lunch at Memaw's with my family. After lunch my sister and two of my brothers decorated Memaw's tree. Her tree had been up for awhile with the lights on it, but no ornaments.

Of course whoever took the tree down last year, didn't roll up the tinsel on a newspaper "tube" like we always do, so it was a big knotted mess. Levi was quick to offer untangling assistance! ha.

Sweet, tired girl.

 Myra putting on the star. Yes, she would probably shoot me if she saw the pictures I'm putting in this post. LOL

 I'm including this picture so you can see my preggo belly. :-)

 The four of us working hard...more like goofing off and having lots of laughs!

Lily would stand in one spot and load a couple limbs down with ornaments. She's a mess!

We had such a good time I think we're going to make this a yearly tradition for us siblings.

Merry Christmas!

We hope you all have a wonderful Christmas! 

"But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons."

 -Galatians 4:4-5

We have 7 family get togethers over the next few days (Ack!) so I'll be back next week with lots of pictures and memories.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Parade

This year we (...well, I...since Jacob had a rehearsal) took Lily and Levi to our town's Christmas Parade. It was the first time I had ever been, and we just enjoyed it so much - besides the fact that my phone wigged out as I was trying to get in touch with my family to decide where to meet up with them. Funny thing, back a couple months ago, my phone did the same thing when my sister and I were trying to meet up at another parade. Weird!

Another weird thing about us and parades that I have to mention- in the last three months we have attended three parades - a street festival parade, Veteran's Day Parade, and the Christmas Parade. Each parade had at least two high school marching bands participating. At each parade and with each band, they stop playing right before they get to us, and they march past us with only the drums playing. It is sooo crazy! At least the kids aren't scared of the drums, although I would like for them to hear and see the other instruments playing too!

Some of Jacob's family came too! Joseph (Jacob's brother) was a huge help with Levi! He held him so he could see the parade go by and kept him from being scared of all the noise.

Ridley and Lily enjoying the sights. I love how they are in awe of the lights, noise, people. It's amazing seeing things through the eyes of little ones!

This float made me cry. It's a soldiers uniform and gear with the sign "Not Everyone Is Home For Christmas."

Close to the end of parade, Lily got a little antsy sitting in the stroller, so I took Levi and Joseph held Lily. Like I said, Joseph was a huge help! So thankful for all my family. The kids and I would certainly not get out as much as we do if we didn't have them to help us!

Weekend Fun

I hope y'all have had a good weekend! Ours has been busy, but so fun! Jacob had Friday night free, so we packed the night full of fun family things! We went and ate Mexican, then we drove around and looked at Christmas lights. Lily just loves the lights this year. It is so precious to hear her oooh and aaah over them.

When we got home, we let the kids open their Christmas pajamas.

Lily is a pro at ripping the presents open this year, but Levi is still trying to figure out what he's supposed to do. I'm sure it's not going to take him long with the way he loves to rip up magazines and books! Ha.

 The best picture we could get.

 Love the little hiney!

After we got the kids to bed, Jacob and I enjoyed hot chocolate and watched a Christmas movie (I can't even remember the name of it now...mommy brain!) It was such a good evening to be together as a family.

Saturday morning Jacob took Lily on a date for breakfast at Starbucks. We can tell that Jacob's being gone so much is taking a toll on his and Lily's relationship, so he skipped a meeting at church to spend time with her. I'm very thankful that the daddy/daughter relationship is important to him - even now when she's little. After they had breakfast, they went to Target and shopped for some Christmas presents for me and Levi. 

Saturday afternoon I ran to the grocery store and we did some baking. Later in the afternoon I took the kids to visit Memaw and my Mom while Jacob was at a men's prayer meeting.

Ridley and Lily admiring Memaw's tree. 

Sunday was a normal busy day, plus Jacob had to play in Christmas programs in the afternoon and evening. Getting ready and out the door to church is always a challenge without him, but we managed and actually made it on time!

I was hoping to get some pictures of the kids (sitting together) in their Christmasy clothes, but they didn't really cooperate. Oh well. I made Levi's tie and just love how it turned out! Can't wait to make some more!

I'm thankful for the sweet memories we made together this weekend! My heart is full!

Visiting Pawpaw

Jacob was free on Thursday morning, so we went over to visit Pawpaw. Poor Pawpaw has fallen twice in the last week, and really hasn't been doing well. We were really excited that he was perky and feeling pretty good when we were there. He loved seeing the kids!

 Levi loved the bells!

 Jacob's mom and sister came over too and Lily had fun playing with Aunt Elizabeth.

 Nanny passed away two years ago this week. It is still so hard on Pawpaw. He says that he thinks about her all the time.

 Pawpaw and Levi

Lily and Elizabeth playing Away In A Manger - Lily's favorite song right now.