12 Steps

Shelby took 12 steps today!! (Yes, I counted them.) I was walking beside her, with my hand barely touching the back of her head. When I took my hand away, she took some more steps, and only stopped when she reached her toys. We are very proud of her!

Urgent Prayer Request

Please pray for the Julian family. I won't go in to detail here but please read this blog... http://julian-family.blogspot.com and keep the family and baby Max in your prayers as they are all going through this difficult time. Please pass along this link so Max can have many, many prayers being lifted up for him.

Look at this sweet face!

Nope, this is not an old picture of Shelby! This is Molly's little Zoe. Molly and Rob are doing "tummy time" with Zoe and she definitely doesn't like it. I remember those days. I didn't do too good though, and caved all the time with Shelby. Just look at those eyes! I'm really looking forward to seeing her in person, hopefully next month.

Just What I Needed

Tonight I have to tell you about three fabulous people in my life. I have a ton of people in my life that I'm thankful for, but tonight I'm just going to tell you about three. These three people made my day today. First, my friend Molly Carris. Molly is a Harding friend who lives in Illinois. We were on the phone this morning, and she told me that she's planning to come down to Searcy at the end of September. I squealed in delight, probably right in her ear! I am so excited to see her and meet her baby girl, Zoe. Oh, and it will be nice to see her hubby, too! Second, my husband. For some reason, this week has kind of been a downer for me. Chan had plans for tonight already, but sensed over the phone that I needed and wanted some time for myself. So, he stayed home with Shelby and let me go out with my friend Lauren Orbison. And, last but not least, there's Lauren. She and I went to Midnight Oil tonight. We had great ( and random at times) conversation! I was so blessed by the time with her. It sure was good to get out of the house and even better to be able to have girl time with someone I just don't see often enough!
So, thanks, you guys, for being just what I needed today...I love you!

The Letter Game

My friend Traci Stewart started the letter game on her blog. This is where you are assigned a letter, list 10 words that start with your assigned letter, and then say why you chose them. I told her I'd play and got assigned the letter C. Here goes:

1. Christian - I am a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ. It is a blessing to have been raised in a Christian home. I am thankful that my parents taught me about Jesus.
2. Chocolate - I love chocolate. Right now there isn't any in my house, and it makes me sad.
3. Curls - In case you haven't noticed, Shelby has got some curls. I love them! We aren't sure where they came from, but are crazy about them nonetheless.
4. Coffee - I got hooked on this beloved beverage during my last semester at Harding. It gets my day started off nicely. Guess you could say I'm addicted!
5. Channing - He is a wonderful husband and father. I am so blessed to have him in my life.
6. Counselor - Channing is a great counselor. Even though he does it all day, he continues to give a listening ear to me when he comes home.
7. Crib - Shelby hasn't slept in hers for more than 2 hours in a very long time. She seems to like her Pac-N-Play best, until about 5 or 6 in the morning when she wants to be in bed with Mommy and Daddy. Channing likes to remind Shelby that the crib is actually her bed, and that we picked it out especially for her. It doesn't seem to do any good.
8. Carousel - Shelby had a ball riding the carousel last Friday. Thanks to Nona and Papa for taking us.
9. Cutting Edge - This is one of my favorite movies. I think I have it both on VHS and DVD.
10. Class reunion - My 10-year Class Reunion is coming up in September. It is hard to believe that I have been out of high school 10 years. I'm looking forward to going and seeing friends that I haven't seen in several years.

Well, hope you enjoyed my turn in The Letter Game. Have a great day!

Shelby loves her bubbles

Check out that adorable smile!!

Eskimo Kisses

A while back, I started rubbing noses with Shelby, telling her we were kissing like the eskimos. So, for the past few months now, when you say, "Shelby, let's touch noses," she will lean in and give you an eskimo kiss. Here she is, leaning in to touch noses with Nona. Both of Shelby's grandmothers get a big kick out of this. Memaw especially does since she lived in Palmer, Alaska for six years, along with Channing and some other members of his family.

Papa and Nona

Here's a picture of Shelby with Papa and Nona, Deidre's parents. This picture was taken at the end of July while they were visiting us. Shelby loves them so much!

Check out the hair!

These pictures definitely show off Shelby's great hair. The picture with Channing was taken in March. The second was taken in July. Hopefully you can see how much longer Shelby's hair is. She loves the tub, especially when her hair gets washed. Believe it or not, the only time she cries is when she has to get out of the tub and dry off!

Family Time

Last week provided a lot of time with extended family. Deidre's cousin Tami and her husband Sid arrived with their daughter Nina on Wednesday. Nina is a freshman at Harding this year. Thursday, Tami's daughter Amber came in with her boyfriend Kevin. Amber is a senior at Harding. Kevin and Amber are some of Shelby's favorite people. She was so glad to see them! Thursday night we all had dinner at Colton's. Thanks, Sid and Tami, for our meal! We were glad you stayed with us. Our doors are open to you any time! Friday the three of us headed to Tennessee to see Deidre's parents. After supper Friday night, we went to the mall so that Shelby could ride the carousel. Everyone enjoyed the ride, especially Shelby. The nice operator gave the carousel another whirl after our ride was over so that Shelby could watch it. She oohed, aahed, and clapped her hands over and over again. Saturday we visited Deidre's aunt Pat, Uncle Gene, and cousin Larry in Mississippi. We missed seeing Deidre's other cousin, Gail, and her family, who live down the road. God has truly blessed us with a close extended family. We are thankful for each opportunity to spend with those we love so much.

Way to go, Traci!

Apparently, the hints I gave worked. Congrats to Traci who got them all (see both posts for her answers). Here are the correct answers:
1. The Notebook
2. The Princess Bride
3. Jerry Maguire
4. Beaches
5. It's a Wonderful Life
6. Steel Magnolias
7. My Big Fat Greek Wedding

Thanks to all of you who played! Hope it was fun for ya!

Does anyone out there know movie quote #1 on my last post? Here's a hint: The movie is fairly recent (on DVD) and is based on a novel. I think either Christy (Parrott) McDonald or Christie (Corley) Johnson introduced me to the book during my junior year at Harding. (That's really three hints.) I'll give it another day or two, and then I'll give the answer if no one knows. Those of you who are waiting...BE PATIENT!! :)

Movie Quotes

I'm stealing this idea from Julie Kiser's blog. Here are some movie quotes and let's see who can get them all. Good luck!

1. "I think our love can do anything we want it to."
2. "...You killed my father: prepare to die."
3. "That's more than a dress. That's an Audrey Hepburn movie."
4. "That's no woman; that's my mother."
5. "One man's life touches so many others, when he's not there it leaves an awfully big hole."
6. "Smile, it enhances your face value!"
7. "In the end, we're all fruit."

Weekend Apart

Shelby and I had the house to ourselves over the weekend. Channing went to St. Louis to be a groomsman in Sean Ronnau's wedding. He was kept very busy there, while we just relaxed around the house all weekend. Other than a nasty hotel experience, Channing had a good time. Shelby and I had a good weekend as well, with the exception of a huge temper tantrum Saturday morning. I was able to do one of my favorite leisure activities and read a great book by Mary Higgins Clark. I highly recommend the book No Place Like Home for those of you mystery lovers out there. While we enjoyed our weekends, it was wonderful being together again after Channing got back from his trip. Shelby sure was glad to see her daddy! (Shelby's mommy was glad to see him too!)

Doctor's Appointment

Shelby had her 12 month wellness visit today. (Yes, I know she's nearly14 months!) She weighs 20.2 pounds, which is in the 25th percentile. She is 31.25 inches long, beyond the 95th percentile. We have quite the lean little girl! Unlike visits in the past, Shelby was not very cooperative this time. And it got worse because today she got 5 shots. That was quite the traumatic experience! By the time we got back in the car and left the parking lot, Shelby had calmed down almost completely. She has been fine since we got home.

On the Move...Sort Of

Well, Shelby took some steps on Saturday. And then Wednesday she took a grand total of 5 in a row. But she is still preferring to crawl. One day I'm going to be in the kitchen and she's going to just walk right in from the living room...I'm certain of it!!

If You're Happy and You Know It...

This is another one of Shelby's favorite songs. She has been a pro at clapping along with this song for a while now. Today, she got the hang on the stomping part. Even enough to do it for Daddy when he got home. We'll see if she's able to keep up with that.

In case you haven't guessed from both of today's posts...we do A LOT of singing around here!!

I'm All Wrapped Up...

You know that song? The one that goes, "I'm all wrapped up. I'm all tied up. I'm all tangled up in Jesus." Shelby loves that song, especially when Mommy and Daddy do the motions for it. Today she started doing a motion with it while I was singing it to her. She'll put her arms around herself, kind of like she's giving herself a hug, and leave them there for the whole song. It's adorable! Daddy was so proud when we sang it for him after he got home from work today!

Weekend with Family

This past weekend, Deidre's parents came for a visit. We enjoyed the visit and opportunity to kick back and relax. Judy and Channing played a game of Scrabble on Saturday, and Channing just couldn't keep up. Deidre joined them for a game on Sunday and Judy was victorious once again. Where does she come up with those words?!?

Shelby LOVES her Nona and Papa. They are the best, as far as she is concerned. I'd say they think she's pretty cool too.