Dinner Party Fun

Sarah, Rowan, Maddox, and I

Charlie, Maddox, and Rowan

We recently had the Nurse's and Benson's over for a casual dinner. Lindsey and Charlie had yet to meet little Maddox and Sarah's husband, Greg. Rowan had a great time with Maddox, he had quite the ear infection and was not in school for a while so she missed her classmate. It was so fun to catch up. I also REALLY enjoyed getting to hold sweet Maddox, he was such a snuggler...I really miss those days!

Rowan's First Haircut

Our dear friend, and expert hair dresser, Whitney, cut Rowan's hair. She did a great job and it has really helped keep her "bangs" (Ok, I really dont want her to have bangs, but it makes it difficult when a 7 month old doesn't know how to get them out of her eyes) and the mullet growing in the back. Lindsey also came by to take pictures and support Miss Rowan. We love our aunt's Lulu and Nona!!!!

Before...

During...

"What? Like this is a big deal?"

Finished product!

It looks fab! Thanks so much Whit! We love you!

This and that...

Rowan in her first Tech onesie

Here is Rowan in her playard, her new thing is pulling all of the toys out of her toybox next to her.

She's saying "haha mama, I got all of these toys out on my own!"

She also really likes being on our shoulders.

7 Months Old

I know I am extremely late blogging this, but Rowan is 7 months! She is doing great and is really starting to show more and more personality. Her new thing is saying "bah". She says it not stop. She likes to say it will her mouth open and closed. She even likes to say it while she is eating and showers me with her food and she does. She is sitting up great, and really enjoys her time on the play mat. She is rolling all over the place, so I have to keep a close eye on her. She snuggles with her bumper at night. We will go to check on her and she is always on her side holding her bumper with both hands. She still does not have any teeth, but I feel like they are almost here. She absolutely loves her jumperoo. I am afraid she is getting too big for it, though because she looks like she is about to jump right out of it. Grant has already had to raise it!

She loves to pull herself up into a standing position when she is seated. She pulls up and stands on her tippy toes. I laugh that she is going to be a ballerina, but I think it is from her bouncing in her jumperoo. The biggest change I see in her from one month ago is how squirmy she is in my arms. I pick her up, and she twists to face away from me. It makes me sad that she doesnt want to be snuggled with, she just wants to explore the world around her. If I am holding her and take a drink of something, you can bet she is trying to have a sip or grab the drink out of my hand.

Her favorite thing to do is play with paper. I dont give it to her often, but she really likes it. Since the weather has gotten cooler, we sometimes play outside on a blanket. We were waiting for Grant to get home and she was getting anxious for something new to play with. She grabbed a magazine out of my hands, and 5 minutes later, it was in shreds. She went from page to page, ripping them out, then tearing the page to shreds. She did try to put the paper in her mouth, but I had to be pretty diligent to take them away. By the time Grant got home, I had a pile of shredded paper piled up ready for him to throw away.

We are having so much fun with Rowan, I am thankful that she is not yet crawling yet, but I am sure it is right around the corner!

Thankfulness

As the start of fall is among us, I can't help but to feel thankful and truly blessed. At times I regrettably look past the optimism, cant help but to be pessimistic, and am now at a point where I am ready to move on.

I am overwhelmingly thankful for my family. My husband has proven himself to be a loving and involved father, and my daughter is the joy of my life. Just hearing her squeal in the other room makes me smile. I am madly in love with her and enjoy every moment that I get to spend with her. The three of us have such a great time together, I couldn't imagine my life without them.

I am so thankful that I am able to be a stay at home mom. Sometimes I feel anxious to jump back on the working wagon, and then reel myself in by appreciating the incredible opportunity that Grant has given our family that allows me to be with them always.

I am blessed to have such a forgiving and loving God. He is always there for us and I cherish that I always have someone to go to when I need direction. He brought us the miracle of Rowan and is joyfully blessing our friends and family with the same treasured gifts.

I am thankful for dogs. Ours have definitely NOT been given the same amount of attention that they were used to before Rowan was here. They are still the same dogs they always have been, and still wag their tails when we walk outside, and give us the same love and affection that they always have.

I am thankful for coffee. It makes me happy in the morning, keeps me awake during the day, and gives me something to look forward to when I am trying to pull myself out of bed.

First Day of Mother's Day Out

Rowan's first day of school - aka Mother's Day Out - was right after labor day. She is attending University Christian Church on Thursday's for 3 hours. I am so impressed with the school and can't wait for Rowan to continue going there until kindergarten. She is the only girl in the class, surrounded by precious boys. We were so excited to find out that a friend of mine that I have known since high school, Sarah, has a son, Maddox who is also in the same class. It has been so fun to reconnect with her and get to see her precious baby boy every week! Rowan has such a great time and loves her teachers, Mrs. Jennifer, and Nana. They take pictures every week and we were actually sent home with some art work that Rowan did! She is having so much fun and so am I with 3 hours to myself every week!

Here are Rowan and I before her first day of school...