This is determination.  I am determined to document these important events...even if it's months later. Ha!  We had a fabulous Easter weekend with family.  Our first Easter as a family of FOUR!  We always enjoy the Easter egg hunt hosted by Russ's brother and his wife at their home.  They have lots of land surrounded by woods...and lots of kids roaming and exploring all over.  It was Millie Janalee's version of heaven on earth probably.  Ha!  She loves all the attention from the big girls.

Before the hunt, we always gather the kids on the front steps for a group picture before the big "GO!"  Millie Janalee was obsessed with this pink plastic Easter bucket sitting to her right.  She wanted that basket...not her precious, customized, monogrammed basket that she has.  Of course!  Why do moms go to all the trouble for the perfect Easter basket when all they want is one from the dollar store?!  If we were honest...we do it because we want the perfect Easter basket.  It's not for the kids anyway.  Haha!

I eventually had to take it away from her because she was taking all the Easter grass out of it.  So she pouted.  Front and center pouted.  Before she decided to sit and pout, she was standing in the center of everyone with arms folded and lip poked out - while all the parents were taking the group picture.  Yes.  That's my child.  The one in the sweet dress and big bow...pouting because she doesn't want her pretty Easter basket.  Of course, I took pictures! Because one day, when she's pouting over curfews and boyfriends, I want her to see what she looked like pouting over an Easter basket.

It was a rough start since she was already unhappy, but she warmed up to the Easter egg hunting experience.  She was much more interested in the candy inside the eggs than collecting quantity.  She loved all the chocolate.  Her egg hunt went something like this: find an egg, open it, eat the candy, put the empty egg in basket, look for an egg, open it, eat the candy, put the empty egg in basket...  Ha!

Her daddy was her egg hunt buddy

Russ's cousin, Season

Second cousins - Hunter and Millie Janalee

Sweet girl WITH her SWEET BASKET!  Ha!

This was also Smith's first Easter egg hunt, but of course he wasn't all that into it.  Aunt Jenny served as a great babysitter for the entire day.

Grace, Jenny, and Smith

We spent the rest of the afternoon visiting with family and friends until time to leave for supper.  Millie Janalee soaked up all the attention from the big girls while the adults talked and lounged around in the cool sunshine.

Snacking with the big kids.

Second cousins Smith and Rollins (Hunter's baby brother)

This one cracks me up!

This is how Millie Janalee felt about pictures with baby brother.

And Smith loves her so!

Brothers

Julie and Roan working in the kitchen as usual

It was a wonderful way to start our Easter weekend with our family!  Our first Easter as a Party of FOUR!

Seven Months

Believe it or not...he's growing up!  Smith was seven months old on Wednesday.  We are past the halfway mark to his first year, and I'm dying at how fast it has gone!  The thing about second babies is...there is a first baby to care for also.  All those days I got to sit and hold Millie Janalee and do absolutely nothing else but that...yeah, that isn't possible with #2.  It still has it's own joys and special times - like watching my two babies interact and love each other.  But it FLIES BY y'all!  Faster than the first I think.

At seven months, Smith is taking four 7 ounce bottles a day.  He also started baby food and loves it.  The only food he doesn't care for so far is green peas.  The rest...he eats it up very eagerly!  Ha!  So far we have tried sweet potatoes, carrots, green beans, green peas, squash, pears, apples, bananas, and peaches.  His eating schedule looks something like this:

• 7 ounce bottle when he wakes up
• 10:30 or so - oatmeal with some kind of fruit - followed by a long nap
• 7 ounce bottle when he wakes up from his nap
• Around 3:00 - another nap
• Around 4:30 - veggies and fruit
• 5:30 or so - 7 ounce bottle
• 8:30 or so - 7 ounce bottle before bed

You notice I'm not real strict with a schedule.  I pretty much just feel it out and know the routine.  Plus Millie Janalee's routine falls somewhere in between all those bullet points.  Ha!  I'm still figuring it out, but at some point we will add another solid meal.  I'm just not too sure where or when that will be yet.

We switched his formula back to Enfamil Gentlease after his six month appointment since he was fighting his bottles so badly.  You may remember his pediatrician prescribing Zantac trying to figure it out, but I didn't notice a difference so we stopped taking it.  He finishes all his bottles...it just takes some work.  He is a busy bee and a "jar full of worms" as the church nursery worker called him.  But I've got it down to an art.

Smith is wearing mostly 9 month clothes and size 3 diapers - Pampers Swaddlers.

Smith is at a very interactive stage.  He's rolling and scooting around all over the place!  He wants to crawl so badly.  He will get up on his hands and knees and I just know he's gonna get it soon.  He never does it when I have a camera in hand!  We feel pretty sure he will be crawling by the time we get to the beach this summer.  Busy busy!  His favorite toys include Millie Janalee's Little People princesses and doll house, his shape sorter, and scrunched up water bottles.  Ha!  He also loves to jump around like crazy in his new jumparoo from Susu.  Hopefully he won't have a complex with all the princess play we have going on around here.  But Millie Janalee is certainly getting her sharing time in.  I got so tired of hearing "No Smith! That's MINE!"  So I've trained her to say "No Smith. That's not for youuuu" in a sing songy voice.  It sounds so much kinder...and still allows her to keep her toys away from him.  But bless his little heart!  He just grins and talks to her.  He has no idea she's getting onto him.

He loves Millie Janalee so!  And she loves him.  I mean she's not even 3 yet, so she has to be in the mood to play with him.  But she LOVES to get him to smile or laugh at her.  She thinks she's the greatest thing ever when he does.  Ha!  I am excited to watch them grow and love and fight and interact.  I'm hoping since they are brother and sister (not sisters) they won't fight quite as much.  Is that wishful thinking?

We packed up the swing and the bassinet this month. It was a sad day.  Since he is still in our room until we move in June, he transitioned to the pack 'n play and is doing great!  It took a couple nights to get used to it, but he is such a great sleeper for the most part.  And I enjoy not having to get up and go to another room when he just needs a little paci help.  I'm gonna miss seeing his sweet body when he does finally have his own room.

The boy keeps his hands in his mouth when he isn't chewing on something else.  I check for teeth daily.  Nothing.  But he sure loves to keep something in his mouth.  I think he's been doing this since he was like 3 months old.

OH - and he can say "Mama!"  Yep.  That's right.  Not "dada."  "MAMA!"  I wish I had a video because it kinda looks like he has a mouth full of food and is trying to talk when he does it.  Those cheeks just flapping around while he chews on his lips and says "Mama."  But, of course, every time I get the video camera out...he refuses.  Little stinker!

Oh sweet Smith!  What a complete joy you are!  You are hitting such a sweet age, and I love when we are able to just stay home and sit on the floor to play and talk.  I love your precious grin more than anything I think.  Those dimples and the way you squint those eyes - melt. my. heart!  You have a big summer ahead of you and I know you will be changing and developing by leaps and bounds during those months.  I just want to soak in all the baby things you still do.  It goes by way too fast.

Happy Seven Months!
Love, Mama

Happy Mother's Day

After Smith's baby dedication church service, Kristin and Lee hosted a beautiful reception for our family.  We are so incredibly grateful to the family who were able to attend the service and who joined us to celebrate afterward.  Smith doesn't know any different now, but one day he will look back and see the love we have for him - our second child, our first boy, our only Smith.  Such a blessing!

As usual, Kristin had it decorated perfectly.  We reused all of Hughes's dedication decorations, but it took effort and time to set it up the morning before church.  And I am thankful. Russ and I basically dropped off the food we had made the night before and she plated it and had it looking very nice.

I'm pretty sure it was the hottest day of the year so far, but we didn't care!  We enjoyed the sunshine and family as we waited on Russ to grill the burgers.  Many times, on Mother's Day, we neglect to recognize the ones who help us in this mothering job.  Our hubbies.  I am thankful for all he does for our family.  He is a hard worker and provides for us so that we have everything we need...and even lots of things we want.  He loves his babies and is learning patience as he goes. He's learning just as much how to be patient with me as he is with our opinionated 2 year old and our high maintenance 7 month old.  It's a learning process. Ha!  He loves well.

We took some official family pictures too, of course.  Ha!

My side of the family

Russ's sister and her family

The last time Russ and I celebrated a baby dedication, Millie Janalee was 9 months old!  Where did the rest of that time go?!  She was having quite the day, and this is as much of a smile as we got...but I love that face just as much as her smiling face.  Pouty, grouchy, or giggly and bubbly.  She's all mine!  And I love her so!  This girl that made me a mama first.

We had technical difficulties with the grill that may or may not have included a grease fire...so we played and visited while we waited.  The burgers were cooked VERY QUICKLY and were actually very good!  Always an adventure with us.

Seth, Grace, and Millie Janalee playing with the ball pit

Aunt Jenny took over Smith

We enjoyed a nice lunch in the sun and heat, and several of our guests ended up finding a seat in the shade.

After lunch, we all came inside for cake and gifts.  Several of our guests were kind enough to help bring things inside.  Many hands make the work light, right?

Seth bringing in my shoes.  He loves me!  Ha!

We enjoyed delicious cake made by Russ's sister and yummy cookies made my my sister - they are pretty much way more talented than I am!  While we enjoyed cake, Smith opened some of his gifts.

He knew exactly what to do...eat the tissue paper!

Forget the gifts!  Let's grab the paper!

He loves his sweet little lamb.

Nana gave him this precious pillow for his new room after we move.

Special baby ring from Susu and Pawpaw.  And he couldn't keep his hands off this sweet book from MawMaw.

It was a sweet day for me.  My third Mother's Day.  My first Mother's Day as Smith's mama.  And each Mother's Day just keeps getting better and better.  Because of these blessings.

So immeasurably more!

How Deep His Love Is

"And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is." Ephesians 3:18 (NLT)

Since my first Mother's Day, every Mother's Day is even more special for me.  After so many Mother's Days of praying for a child to call me Mama...He heard my cry and answered my prayers.  Immeasurably more than I asked actually.  This Mother's Day was a special day for our little family.  We dedicated our sweet Smith to the Lord - promising to raise him in the church, teaching him the ways of the Lord, and guiding him toward our Father all the days of his life.  The church also made vows to help guide him as a church family.

We dedicated Smith in our hometown church where my dad is the pastor.  He has been there for nearly 30 years.  My sister and brother were dedicated in this church by my dad, my dad presented us all with kindergarten diplomas in this church, he baptized us all in this church, he presented us as high school graduates on Baccalaureate Sunday in this church, he married us and my sister and her husband in this church, and he presented all his grandchildren with their Bibles from the church family in this church.  It is a special thing to come home for baby dedication.  It is my family.  This church is my family as I grew up here, and they served and an extension of my family.

A special time indeed.

Baby dedication is also a time for us to share the life verse we have chosen for our children.  We chose Ephesians 3:18 as Smith's life verse.  The day we picked up Smith from the hospital, we had to wait a while with the birthmother counselor while some medical things were taken care of.  While we waited, she received a text from Smith's birthmother.  She had just gotten home herself after leaving her hospital room with empty arms.  She stated how she knows God loves her because of how He showed himself throughout Smith's adoption.  I pray that for Smith.  That he know that love and understand how wide, how long, how high, and how deep our Father's love is for him.  Our Father who knew about his life before he was even conceived.  Our Father who has a perfectly planned life for this precious gift I hold in my arms.

Oh, how deep our Father's love is for Smith!

And how great our love is for him too!  What an honor it is to love him.

I am so thankful that Russ and I were both raised in the church.  We were guided by strong Christian parents with grace and truth.  One of us needed much more grace than the other. I won't tell you which one of us!  Ha!  Thank you, Lord, that I know how to parent and raise a child to love the Lord because I've seen it lived out in my life.

Three years - three baby dedications!  Someone better hurry up if we are going for FOUR in a row!  Haha!  What an amazing opportunity we have to hold these precious hands and lead them to the cross.  It is absolutely the greatest responsibility...helping them learn and grow so that one day they will receive the gift of eternal life.  Oh, Lord, give us mercy and lots of wisdom as we learn day to day how to parent!

All presented their Bible by Pawpaw...

I didn't even realize how happy and smiley Smith was until I saw pictures later.  It gives me such joy to see my children joyful and excited about church.  I pray both my babies always feel the joy and comfort of our church family...our sisters and brothers.  May they be encouraged there, challenged there, and loved there.

This Mother's Day - Smith's first Mother's Day - was a special one.  Thanks be to God for the good things He has done!