All I want for Christmas

is my two bottom teeth! Yes, ladies & gentleman, Caleb has two teeth!

They made their way here sometime between when we left for Christmas vacation and returned home.

Wes and I both told Caleb he is not allowed to get any bigger! It is amazing to watch him grow. Something new happens literally every single day.

We had a wonderful Christmas. Caleb got a lot of fun toys and clothes. His favorite toy (from his mom & dad of course) is his ExerSaucer! He could play in it for hours! It has toys that spin, pull, beep, shake, talk, sing, etc...

Here is a picture of him playing in it today. We hope you all had a very merry CHRISTmas!

stocking stuffer

there is a sweet lady at our church who makes these stockings for all newborn babies. tradition is to put the baby in it and send her a picture.

so here is my favorite stocking stuffer!i have been back to taking more pictures again. here are some updated ones of our little family.

it's the most wonderful time of the year!

is Christmas really almost here? i decided that time REALLY does fly by, i can remember this time last year so vividly.

our tree is up and the stockings are hung and we are just enjoying our favorite gift, our son Caleb!

he is already 6 months old! every day we get a new glimpse into his little world. he is just full of personality!

he is now rolling over and trying to scoot across the floor. he loves toys and anything he can chew on! he does not like to sit still and loves to take in every thing he sees with eyes wide open!



i love being his mommy and i am so thankful the Lord gave us this gift!

we are fam-i-ly

life has been a bit of a whirlwind. i am still learning how to do life with a baby. it is a tough job, but i am having a blast. caleb is so sweet and so fun! can you believe he is almost 5 months old? where did those months go? tonight we went to the fall festival at church, he was a giraffe. and a really cute giraffe i must say!



we also went to a friend's wedding last weekend in edisto, it was at a beautiful plantation...

Cousins

Yesterday cousin Ryder came to visit Caleb with Mimi & Pop! We had a great time at the park!

supper club

it seems the older i get the harder it is to really stay connected with friends. we all live different places, go to different churches, travel on weekends, etc etc

i mean some of my most favorite people in the world live right here in my town and i may go 6 months without seeing them!

so last year a few of us decided we need to do something about this once every 6 months thing, so we started a supper club. i know it sounds so "old", but it really is the best idea. we rotate houses every month and just enjoy an evening of conversation, yummy food and wonderful fellowship.

this past month we went out to eat for Wes' birthday and since one of our topics we discuss are blogs...i thought i would give them a shout out

soongs & trevetts...y'all are some good people

4:45 am

to many 4:45 am sounds super early! to me it means my baby boy slept 8+ hours! yay!!

he has done this 3 nights in a row! hallelujah!

caleb is now 4 months old! he is sooooo much fun! he smiles and coos and basically is just a delightful son!

i am sorry i have been a slack blogger...

here are some pics of my snuggle-bug...

His Gem

Caleb was given this cute outfit with scripture on it..."I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Psalm 139:14". I checked out the website, His GEM (Spiritually Inspired Children's Clothing) and really love their stuff! Great gift ideas!

Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land that the LORD swore to give your forefathers, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth. Deut 11:18-21

3 things

3 things i want to share today

1. my hubby is preaching at first baptist this sunday (in case you do not know, our church has room to seat 2500+ and is televised)
for the past 6 years our church has something called Greek Day. we invite the USC Sororities & Fraternities to church, recognize them for their community service and serve them lunch. we have had up to 700 students before, but so far this year we have 1000 RSVP! wow! so some big prayer requests here, for Wes and for all those who attend! pray that hearts will be soft and ears will be open.

2. my dear friend brooke gave me one of the coolest birthday gifts ever! she hand-painted the letters "C-A-L-E-B" to hang up in the nursery. she painted them to match our jungle decor! it looks amazing and will be a perfect finishing touch to the nursery.





3. my son loves football. ok well he has a football made by taggies and he LOVES it-- thank you to Wade's parents- it is a hit! we did a photo shoot with it today...baby gap, eat your heart out!

the Pumpkin Spice Latte

She said, "But I really want you to. Other husbands write on their wives' blogs." So here it is...as she lies sawing the proverbial logs next to me...a post by this loving husband about the coffee drink that brings joy to the heart.

We spent this past week on the Isle of Palms...which happens to be my favorite isle (an easy decision for me since I can only think of one other isle: the Emerald Isle...and I've never been there). On Friday as we waited for the arrival of Hannah, the unwanted guest on South Carolina's Coast, we ventured over the IOP connector to Mount Pleasant for a little shopping and stop at the bank. Because it was rainy and for other reasons I will not name (but primarily just because), I ran into the Starbucks Cafe at Barnes & Noble and what to my wondering eye should appear but...PUMPKIN SPICE LATTES on the SEASONAL MENU.

If I could actually put into words what level of joy this little concoction of steamed milk, espresso and pumpkin spice syrup brings to my life then I would be a poet of laureate quality (if that even makes sense). I nearly cried when I asked "Do you really have Pumpkin Spice Lattes" and the fine barista responded, "Yes." I said, "I'll have a VENTI, please."

Then as the first sip of PSL (as I affectionately refer to my drink of choice) rolled across my taste buds, I could not contain myself. I had to sing to express my deep joy (Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. James 5:13).

This is the beginning of it...my season of choice: Rachel's Birthday, College Football, PSLs, the Greek Festival, my birthday, the beginning of Christmas Music, State Fair, Pumpkin Pies and Pumpkin Carving, Thanksgiving and Christmas. It never comes quick enough, nor does it stay around long enough.

So, now...my joy will be made complete if you too, faithful reader of these Chronicles, will indulge in a Pumpkin Spice Latte from your nearest Starbucks. It is the flavor of Autumn, liquid joy, delicious on top of delicious, the finest among the fine, an ever-present help in days of drudgery...the pumpkin spice latte. Run quickly, children...it will not disappoint!

In my next piece of bloggery, because I am a minister, I will write on the theology of the Pumpkin Spice Latte. Stay tuned...and I love you wife-t.

3 months old!

well i have learned the main reason people read my blog is to see pictures of caleb...so here is a slide show of him lately. they really do "grow up so fast"!

I declare Your marvelous deeds

14 But as for me, I will always have hope;
I will praise you more and more.

15 My mouth will tell of your righteousness,
of your salvation all day long,
though I know not its measure.

16 I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, O Sovereign LORD;
I will proclaim your righteousness, yours alone.

17 Since my youth, O God, you have taught me,
and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.

Psalm 71:14-17

This just sets it all back in the right perspective.

A woman VP?!

So I am not real big into politics (thankfully my hubby keeps me well informed)...but I have to say I am pretty excited about the republican nominee for VP, Sarah Palin!

I was emailed this article on a lady's blog who let's us get to know Sarah. She compares Gov Palin to Queen Ester. I got a little emotional when I read the line, "She is literally being drug to the palace to be placed on a throne - and it is for such a time as this." Please take time to read!

travels with the babe

well we have had a busy week! caleb and i hit the road to do some jewelry shows in spartanburg and then aiken! he is such a fun travel companion. he is usually fast asleep on the road or talking (cooing) to me about all he sees (the back of the car, some of the window and some dangling toys).

these are fun trips b/c he gets good quality time with the grandparents!

we are now back at home and getting ready to get our garnet and black on--

gooooooo COCKS!!!!!

Food blogs?!?

Ok if you are not already addicted to family and friends blogs, there is more...I have discovered food blogs!! Check out: www.aloveatfirstbite.blogspot.com

This girl loves to cook and she posts her recipes and pictures online! She writes "I am a new Mommy who is finding more time in the kitchen lately and rekindling my love for all things cooking and baking".

Then there is a link to this Tuesdays With Dorie blog and all of these cooks link their cooking/baking blogs to this...it is food madness :)

www.tuesdayswithdorie.wordpress.com

Funny thing is-- I don't really cook, but thought I would share :)

One Day

I just discovered this song and it has been my personal anthem lately. When I face sadness or tough times I am reminded that there is a better day coming! This is all temporary!

Glory by Selah

One day eyes that are blind will see you clearly
And one day all who deny will finally believe
One day hearts made of stone will break in pieces
And one day chains once unbroken will fall down at your feet
So we wait for that one day come quickly

Chorus
We want to see your Glory
Every knee falls down before thee
Every tongue offers you praise
With every hand raised
Singing Glory
To you and unto you only
We'll sing Glory to Your name

One day voices that lie will all be silent
One day all that's divided will be whole again
One day death will retreat and wave it's white flag
One day love will defeat the strongest enemy
So we wait for that one day come quickly

Chorus

We know not the day or the hour
Or the moments in between
But we know the end of the story
When we'll see

Chorus

What a beautiful song with a timeless truth! I am looking forward to that one day!! Com quickly Lord Jesus!

bodily fluids...ewww!

so we have been a household of the common cold-- yuck

it all started with me 5 days ago...itchy throat, runny nose, etc. well when mommy gets sick, that pretty much gives little baby no chance. he woke up yesterday with this pitiful little cough and runny nose. poor baby.

the doc said there's not too much you can do when they are this young, but to get a cool-mist humidifier, saline drops and use that not-so-fun nose-sucker-outter-thingy.

now that i am feeling much better, wes started feeling the love... so today i got to take care of both my boys.

i also feel completely initiated into motherhood with the all the bodily fluids that come from babies...
lets just say the clothes i put in the washer today had spit-up, poopie, pee pee, snot, milk and who knows what else on it. fun, huh?! crazy thing is, i am started to not even get grossed out about it.


thankfully though he is pitiful, he still smiles through the yuckiness.

AN INTERVIEW WITH RICK WARREN (AUTHOR OF "A PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE")

Interview with Rick Warren , author and pastor of Saddleback Church in California .

In the interview by Paul Bradshaw with Rick Warren, Rick said:

People ask me, What is the purpose of life? And I respond: In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We were made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven.

One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body-- but not the end of me.

I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillions of years in eternity. This is the warm-up act - the dress rehearsal.

God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity. We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't going to make sense.

Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you're just coming out of one, or you're getting ready to go into another one.

The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort.

God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy.

We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness.

This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the toughest, with my wife getting cancer.

I used to think that life was hills and valleys - you go through a dark time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don't believe that anymore.

Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life.

No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on.

And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for.

You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems.

If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness, "which is my problem, my issues, my pain."

But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.

We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal my wife or make it easy for her.

It has been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character, given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a testimony, drawn her closer to Him and to people.

You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad of life. Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good is harder. For instance, this past year, all of a sudden, when the book sold 15 million copies, it made me instantly very wealthy.

It also brought a lot of notoriety that I had never had to deal with before. I don't think God gives you money or notoriety for your own ego or for you to live a life of ease.

So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with this money, notoriety and influence. He gave me two different passages that helped me decide what to do, II Corinthians 9 and Psalm 72.

First, in spite of all the money coming in, we would not change our lifestyle one bit. We made no major purchases.

Second, about midway through last year, I stopped taking a salary from the church.

Third, we set up foundations to fund an initiative we call The Peace Plan to plant churches, equip leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, and educate the next generation.

Fourth, I added up all that the church had paid me in the 24 years since I started the church, and I gave it all back. It was liberating to be able to serve God for free.

We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity? Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God's purposes (for my life)?

When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, God, if I don't get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You better ...

God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list. He's more interested in what I am than what I do. That's why we're called human beings, not human doings.

Happy moments, PRAISE GOD.

Difficult moments, SEEK GOD.

Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD.

Painful moments, TRUST GOD.

Every moment, THANK GOD

ramblings

well we had our 2 month check up friday with shots and all! i mean that can break a mamas heart!

Caleb is now 11 lbs 9 oz! Big boy! And he sure feels that big. We went to visit Andrew, Flo and Drew last week and he is so teeny! i can not get over just how fast they grow.

we had an event filled weekend...short trip to TN to see Wes family and then a visit today by our friends Carrie and Brad. Caleb loved Brad and was so happy and peaceful when he held him...maybe that is a good sign Brad...

i love August because it is my birthday month! yes i celebrate all month! wes bought me a really cool stand up mirror to go in our bedroom (as an early bday gift) it matches perfect, now if only we could clean the room

to answer your question "are you getting any sleep yet" umm...not really. we have had maybe 2 or 3 nights where Caleb has slept 6 hours, but typically 4 straight hours is all we get ( i will take it)

he is getting more and more interactive and smiley! i love it! he sure has stolen my heart!

well, its back to work for me this week. jewelry shows in spartanburg and aiken (grandparents are excited to babysit) i am looking forward to getting some sort of routine going

here are some pics...

welcome baby drew

Our good friends Florence and Andrew welcomed their first son, Andrew Brian, Jr. (Drew) into the world at 2:40 PM Friday, weighing in at 7lbs. 5oz. and 20 1/4 inches long.

Caleb can't wait to meet you Drew!!

creativity

so my friend kellie does these way fun lunch creations with her girls...check it out

i think she should create a "cook book" for kids.

i thought all you mom's who read my blog may like the ideas!

your never fully dressed without a...

...SMILE!

Caleb has smiled a few times here and there but this was the first I captured on camera!

New jewelry

I am so excited!!! Our new fall catalog is out! 180+ brand new, stylish, beautiful pieces!

I love my job!!

back to life

hello there, i am alive! last week we went to the beach for my family's annual vacation. i did not see too much of the beach, but it was nice to get out of my house.

caleb had fun being with all of his aunts, uncles and cousins!

since we have been home my little son has been going through a growth spurt wanting to eat as often as every hour...so it has been sort of a long week for me! today is better though! i think he may be back to every 2 1/2 -3 hours!

he is growing like crazy! we just started using size 1 diapers instead of newborns.

this week wes was wave-rider wes at bible school, i am sure the kids loved him in all of his silliness! one awesome thing of the week, my cousin's son, Aden, gave his life to Christ! it is such a reminder to me that we are told to have faith like a child. that even at the age of 7 we can know our precious Jesus and that He died on the cross to save ME!

what an awesome God we serve!

just some updated pics...

all praises to our God & King

God has heard our cry and answered with wonderful news..NO SURGERY!!!

The ultrasound showed the abscess to be small (about a centimeter) and the doctor said just keep up the antibiotics! What a huge relief! Thank you for your prayers!!!

say a little prayer for me

so its been a tough week (or so) WARNING this next part is not for the faint or weak stomached...
last friday the 20th, i noticed a redness on my left breast, since i had heard of mastitis (the inflammation of the parenchyma of the mammary gland) i looked it up on the internet and after self diagnosis and talking with the doctor, mastitis was the culprit. they put me on 10 day antibiotic and we thought that would do the trick...well yesterday instead of being better, it was worse :(

i went to the doctor today and she said it was abscess (bad news) so tomorrow i have to get an ultrasound to see if the abscess cavity is still there. if it is, i am going to have to have surgery-- ahhh!!! so i am asking for lots of prayers. pray for healing and that i will not have to have surgery!

as for our sweet angel boy, he is growing like crazy. i would not be surprised if he was already 8 pounds!

i will post pictures soon!

kisses

my baby has his daddy's lips...we call these lee-yips

don't you want to kiss his little face off :)

it's our anniversary

so thanks to our friend philip, i have been singing toni, tone, tony's song "anniversary" for about 2 days. yesterday was our wedding anniversary! it is hard for me to believe it has already been 3 years! this anniversary was a little different than the rest. first of all we had to have a babysitter! the first to do the honors was aunt kristin and uncle phillip. wes and i went to bonefish grill. it was so nice to really be out of the house and have some time with just my hubby...but of course we were checking our phones often to make sure we did not miss a call from home. he was an angel though slept most of the evening.

before we left, wes dressed caleb in a little outfit with shoes, hat and all...i said he looked like a little smurf! we went to the doctor today and would you believe our teeny 6 pounder is now 7 pounds!! we are proud of our little eater!

where has the time gone?

i can not believe caleb is 2 weeks old. i feel like i have been in some sort of time warp. we have just been hanging out at home. its been nice to relax but i am getting a little stir crazy.

as much as i love my son, i am already learning motherhood is not easy!!! right now he wants to eat eat eat!! every 3 hours is a good thing but sometimes its 1 or 2.

the Lord is teaching me a lot about self sacrifice and how deep His love is for me!

yesterday was the first day with just caleb and me. i learned quickly how to get creative in my daily routine, like nursing while making my lunch, letting him sleep in a bassinet in the bathroom so i can shower, etc... these days sleeping and showering have become a luxury!

my wonderful friend lindsay came and spent the day with us today. she is one of those girlfriends that i can talk to about anything and everything for hours!! i love her and am always thankful for our times together.

father's day

we celebrated father's day last night at the church house. kristin & phillip made a wonderful dinner...steak, corn on the cob, sweet potatoes and more...YUMMY! i was on top of things this year and bought father's day cards end of may. one problem, i did not think that baby caleb would be here yet, so wes's card said "for the father-to-be"
but of course, he got the best gift ever, a son! right now we are having a lazy sunday. i am watching a chick flick (my best friends wedding) while both of my boys are snoozing away.

i just wanted to take some time to brag on the father of my son.

wes is truly a selfless hubby and daddy! since the moment caleb was born, he has gone non- stop...taking care of baby and mommy! labor, delivery and motherhood is tough, but if you are a father like wes, you will be just as exhausted! he loves it though... never complaining or passing off jobs (such as dirty diapers, etc). i could NOT do it without him!

so for his very first father's day, he deserves a looooong nap and day off!

i praise you Lord for the gift of such a wonderful husband, best friend and now the father of my little boy!