Six Months

Dear Sarah,

Celebrating your half birthday seems like an enormous step! I love this age - you have enough heft to feel sturdy but are small enough to cradle, you can sit up and really play, and your personality has started to shine.

We have embarked on the new world of solids! We let you start a week before your birthday because girlfriend seemed hungry. A little breast milk for flavor and you are a fan! Maybe it will help add some numbers on the scale as you now weigh 15 pounds and 6 ounces (29%) and are 25 cm long (10%). Yet the word that frequently comes to mind to describe you is "rotund".

Drumroll,,,,you are finally starting to (re)grow some hair! The mullet is still in full effect, but hopefully it will begin to fill in soon. You are very skilled at sitting and have perfect posture - not a trait you inherited from either of your parents. You are insistent about sitting and refuse to stay on your stomach, although you will agree to lying on your back to play sometimes.

Sarah, your smile is a beacon of sunshine that lights up your face when your family comes into the room. In almost every picture your mouth is open in a huge grin or laugh. After time apart from you, I am inevitably greeted with a giggle, hug around the neck, and you trying to kiss and nibble my face. Your dramatic flair is evident by the variety of expressions you portray.

Our time with you continues to grow more and more precious. We love you, sweet girl!

Love, Mommy

Baby Dedication

We are here today to present these children to the church and to consecrate them to God.

Who brings them for this holy purpose?

We, the parents, do.

We affirm that they are children of God by creation, that they are loved and will be included in the experiences of this congregation. We will look to the day when they will declare faith in Jesus Christ, confirm the heritage we pass along, and come as adults to choose full commitment to God's will and work.

Sarah was dedicated in our church surrounded by her actual family and our extended church family. We are very grateful to have found a church home that nurtures our souls, our faith, and now our children, too.

Grandparents

Sarah, like Max, wore my family Christening gown. The beautiful, delicate lace gown was handmade by nuns, bringing a little bit of our Catholic heritage to the Baptist ceremony.

The world's first Baptist (and female) Pope?

Our family joined us for a luncheon at our home to celebrate the special day.

The invitation and "gown" napkins

The magnificent cake, which replicated our Christening gown.

Our wonderful and talented friend Reggie Ellison prepared the lunch. She has blessed us many times in the past with delicacies from her kitchen.

If only Sarah had been able to enjoy it!

As usual, Max was able to capture the heart of the day. He told Sarah, "God loves you. Jesus loves you. They love us!"

Yes, they do.

Fall Bounty

Celebrating fall with pumpkins and apples!

What is one to do on a perfect fall day with two children and no sleep?

Apple pickin' at Sky Top

After doing an in-depth report and graph on apples for school,

Max proclaimed "Red" as the most popular.

"Please let me try some apple mush!"

Off to the orchards with Mimi

Branches - Ready

Max - Ready

Twist and Pull!

Bucket - Complete

Baby - Ready

Max - Ready

Pumpkins - Ready

Cuteness - Complete

A few more diversions

Harvest Time - Complete

See you next year!

This Little Piggy

This little piggy went to market.

This little piggy stayed home.

This little piggy had rice cereal.

And cried, "Yay, yay, yay" all the way home!

Our little piggy was ready for solids!

Progress Report

Max adores his new school! He comes home every day bubbling with excitement about his teachers, his friends and their activities. Max is easy-going and adjusts well, so we were not surprised that he was able to handle the change (better than his parents). But there has been a remarkable difference in his position at school. Previously, Max would be shy and hang back until he felt comfortable. His current teachers, Mrs. Leaphart and Mrs. O'Neal, report that he is a leader in class, smart, and very verbal. They said they would love to have 10 students just like him!

Going three mornings a week has been a big adjustment for Mommy. I work the days Max is in school, so I know I'm not missing out on as much Max-time, but I already feel like our time to do other activities is so much more restricted. What will it be like when goes 5 mornings a week or when he goes to kindergarten? Sarah also misses her big brother when he is at school and always seems eager to go pick him up!

One advantage of the new school is that it is down the street from Daddy's office. Daddy has already come to read to the class as Max requested. After careful deliberation, Max selected "Caps for Sale", "The Monster at the End of This Book", and "Thomas and the Big, Big Bridge" for Daddy to read.

Max has been able to identify letters and their sounds for a while, but now he is coming home and forming the letters with objects (like pencils and sticks) and starting to write them - and he is so excited to show us!

His teachers are very caring, but the class is more structured than his old school. He is learning and loving 3K. It seems to be a great fit for our stellar student!

Family 2.0