First Birthday Party

On Saturday afternoon we celebrated Thomas' 1st birthday. All the grandparents (3 sets) were there, along with uncles, aunts, cousins, & close friends. We grilled out hamburgers & hotdogs & had all the sides. The weather was very nice except for the wind. Everytime we have a party outside, it is super windy and we have to tape everything down. You can see how windy it is in the pictures below (we couldn't even light the candle on the cake).

Thomas loved his cake. At first he wasn't too sure what to do with it, but after I helped him along, he figured it out. By the time he was finished with it, he had cake all over his face, ears, and hair! I think he is going to be just like his daddy - loves the sweet stuff!

Thomas received so MANY gifts! He needed some bath toys and now he has more than he can play with at one time. He got an animal farm that makes noises, a helicopter, train, books, and even a wagon! All of Thomas' friends enjoyed the wagon and it will serve our family well for years to come.

We had such a good day celebrating Thomas' first year of life. What a blessing he is to his mama and daddy!

Happy First Birthday Thomas!!

Today is my sweet boy's 1st birthday! This time last year, I was holding my precious baby in my arms for the first time. Thomas weighed 7lbs and 15 oz and was 20 and 3/4" long and had a head full of dark hair - he looks much different now! Since the first day, he has been such a sweet and even tempered baby and continues to be even as he approaches toddlerhood. Thomas was a big surprise for Josh and I - he was born 6 weeks before our first anniversary - but the Lord was so gracious to us to give us a child before we knew we were ready!

Birthdays are very special to me and we want to make Thomas' birthday special too. This morning, Josh and I went into Thomas' room to wake him up and sang "Happy Birthday" to him. We must have done a great job because he applauded at the end! On Saturday, we are having a big first birthday party with family and friends. We are having his party at noon, so it won't interfere with nap time. I'll make sure and post pictures of the celebration next week.

As I spent time with the Lord this morning, I not only thanked Him for the gift of Thomas, but also prayed that the Lord would one day give him new birth. I pray that one day Thomas will not only be celebrating the gift of life on earth, but the gift of eternal life that the Spirit has given to him.

Happy Birthday Day Sweet Baby Boy! Daddy & Mama love you so much!!

Remembering Papa

My dear grandfather, Papa, passed away on Saturday afternoon after a decade of cancer and recent heart and lung problems. His death was not a surprise to any of us, but death is still hard whether you are expecting it or not. My dad told me that he was very peaceful at the end and there was no struggling; he took two deep breaths and that was it. Thankfully, he is now with Jesus and reunited with my grandmother, which were the two things he wanted most.

What makes his death so hard for me is that with his passing, I no longer have grandparents. My grandmother died on August 14, 2007, exactly one week before Thomas was born, and my grandfather died on August 16, 2008. Their deaths leave a sadness in my soul because two people that have been around my whole life are no longer here. No longer can I call their house and talk to my Papa for five minutes about the weather, Josh, or Thomas and then he give the phone to Grandy and I talk an hour to her about everything - marriage, pregnancy, church, my relationship with God, etc. Oh, how I miss them!

Thankfully, I have sweet and precious memories of them and will one day be reunited with them. I wish more than anything that Thomas could have grown up to know them as I did, but the Lord's ways are better than mine. While I know that death is a part of life, I also know it is not the way it is supposed to be. We weren't created to die, but sin brought death into the world. So, death reminds me of the ugliness of sin, but also that Jesus has defeated sin and death! And I eagerly await when Jesus returns and there is no more sin and no more death!

"O death, where is your victory?

O death, where is your sting?"

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:55-57

Papa and Thomas (8 days old)

Consignment Sale

About six months ago I was talking with my friend/mentor/big sister about buying clothes for Thomas. She asked me if I went to any consignment sales. I told her that I had been to a consignment shop in my town, but she said consignment sales were different - cheaper than the shops, usually very big, and only twice a year. She suggested I look on the Internet to find some sales in my area. Thankfully, I looked just in time and found one nearby. In March, I volunteered and then shopped at My Child's Closet. It was a great experience, but I also wanted to find another one for better variety.

Last week, a friend and I went to Switch-A-Roos in Greenville. We worked a four hour shift on Tuesday (and got a sneak peek at some stuff) and then shopped early on Thursday. The sale I attended in March was much smaller than this one, so I was blown away by how much stuff they had! I was able to get three bigger toys for Thomas for about $20 total (two for Christmas and one for his birthday). The best deal was a very nice winter coat for $5! I also got him lots of long-sleeve onesies, sweaters, pants, and even a Halloween costume for $7 (he is going to be a pumpkin)! Unfortunately, I didn't get him any shoes, because most of the shoes were for little girls. Also, I need to trace his foot to make sure I get the right size.

If you have never shopped at a consignment sale, I would highly recommend it. There are usually two a year - one in the winter (Feb/Mar) to shop for spring/summer and one in the summer (Aug/Sept) to shop for fall/winter. You can volunteer to shop early and/or consign clothes. I'm not consigning anything yet, because I'm saving everything for another baby someday (assuming we have another boy).

The $5 coat

Doesn't he look warm?
I think this was $5.50
This was $10 and looks like a lot of fun!

Pointless, but really fun!

My friend Ashley inspired me to "yearbook myself" because she did it on her blog. Just look at the pictures below of what I might have looked like in a different decade. If you want to try it yourself, go here.

1952 - this really reminds me of my grandmother.

1960

1974 - this is what my mom looked like!
1980 - the worst one!
1994 - oh my!
2000 - I think this one is wrong - I graduated in '01 & didn't look anything like this!

If you decide to join the fun and do it too, let me know!

Beach Trip

Last week our family had the privilege of accompanying our youth group to Garden City, SC for camp. Since we are still looking for a Family Discipleship Pastor, Josh went to teach the youth. Thomas & I went along because we wanted to go to the beach and we didn't want to be away from Josh for a week.

Josh taught on the gospel everyday:

• Monday - Who God Is? Our Creator, Father, & Judge


• Tuesday - Who Man Is? Completely sinful and deserving of God's wrath & Hell.


• Wednesday - Who Jesus Is? He kept the law perfectly, the only way, died on the cross, & rose again.


• Thursday - What Is Our Response? Repent & Believe

It was very interesting to see the kids really respond to Tuesday's teaching on who we are. Josh showed the kids how they have broken all the commandments and how everything they do is sinful, because their very nature is sinful. Most of the kids thought they were okay and were generally "good." They were blown away by the truth of Scripture and it really changed how they looked at themselves and God. Last night, Sunday, we had a time for the kids to share what they learned at camp, and the four who spoke all mentioned they understood for the first time they were not good and they needed Jesus. Praise the Lord for how He worked in their hearts!

We went to the beach a couple of days, but Thomas wasn't too thrilled with it. He didn't like walking in it and really clung to Josh when we stood in the water. On the second day we sat down in the sand and he seemed to like that better. Unfortunately, not liking the beach was the least of his troubles. On Wednesday night, he became very lethargic and was running a fever. I went to buy him some tylenol and we quickly realized he was teething; not one tooth, but four! Poor baby was miserable the rest of the trip. He didn't eat much and only took two feedings on Thursday. Thankfully, he still slept through the night and baby orajel is a life-saver!

Below are some pictures from last week.

Thomas was loved & adored by all - they even crowned him!