1-4/52

have you heard of that challenge to take a picture every day for a year? well i know myself and that would quickly turn into a chore but i still like a little encouragement to get out the good camera and take some pictures. over {here} i saw the challenge originally {here} to take a portrait of your children every week for a year. i can handle every week. so here's the first 4 from this year:

1/52 - last days in MS

 2/52 - a partial nose scrunch 

funny enough, i think the scrunch only lasted a couple weeks

 3/52 - playing guitars

some of my very favorite times

4/52 - sprinting 

11 months

11 months

we got back from spending christmas in ms and i felt like he'd grown a foot while we were gone! he was into everything! he was pulling thing down that he hadn't even noticed 2 weeks before. 

this month he's...

waving

scrunching his nose when he smiles

clapping

clicking his tongue

playing by himself in his room (which makes me happy/sad)

pulling up on everything

standing for a few seconds longer every day

jumping

getting his sixth tooth

sprinting toward the bathroom if we forget to close the door

eating anything

laughing  (best sound ever)

he is so. much. fun.

He is faithful

God is so faithful

that's the biggest thing that the Lord has taught me in all of the unexpected adventures of the past couple years. He is so faithful and he will always provide.

this past summer - for the third summer in a row - i was looking for a job.

when we moved to chattanooga, i applied and applied and applied for months but didn't hear anything. then i got 2 interviews on the same day in july and ended up getting to teach at a magnet school with the best girls ever.

when we moved up here, we totally accidentally stumbled across harvest christian academy where i got to teach last year. teaching at a school where the  main goal is to share Jesus was amazing.

so this year, we were looking for something closer to wheaton - it took me about an hour to get to hca - and part time, so for the first time, i didn't even know where to start looking.

but God is faithful.

late in august, i found a little homeschool group that needed a part time kindergarten teacher. kindergarten is my very favorite. 6 little girls, covington and lots of crafts. it doesn't get better than that.

covington and i also babysit a couple days for 2 different families (and i've asked God to cancel all my prayers for twins - one day a week with 2 the same age is enough for me :)

                            

 it's so neat to see how God knew so much better than me what we would need - covington loves getting to be around other kids and playing with different toys and we're gone just enough to keep us from getting bored at home. i'm so so thankful for all the time that i get to spend with covington and am soaking up these sweet days that are going way too fast. 

i love my kid so much...

have you seen the movie 'what to expect when you're expecting'?

my favorite line is

"i love my kid so much, i'm sometimes afraid i'm going to eat him."

i get it :)

christmas a little late

we had so much fun spending 2 weeks in mississippi. on the way down, we did it all in one day for the first time - we left at 1:30 and got there just before 3am. thankfully, covington slept most of the way, which was our plan. im pretty sure adrenaline and excitement about getting there drove us :)

covington was all smiles on christmas eve but 2 hours later he melted down with his first ear infection, cough, and fever :(   after crying from 10 to 2, james slept with covington out on the porch for a couple hours and then on the couch with the door open so he could breathe better. best dad ever.

just chilin, obviously not doing so great on christmas morning, but james and mb are always great entertainment

 after a couple days of meds we were doing much better

 poppy, mia, and the boys always have a lot of fun. don't you love how hayze and c are playing with water bottles instead of the toys? this is a great age!

covington attacked mary brooke with a big sloppy kiss and she said "awkward!" i love that girl.

granddads, gigi, our little family, and swinging

james picked up a new hobby in the 2 weeks and is really good at it. we were so excited to be outside with sunshine that we might have rolled in the grass the first day we go there :)

poor covington got sick again on our way back but with the second round of antibiotics, i think we're finally recovering and getting back into the swing of things. we so loved being with family and had a great christmas, sick and all :)

10 months

ten months! 

this month was filled with lots more crawling and lots more pulling up,

lots of exploring the apartment,

lots of eating anything you give him,

lots of smiles and laughing,

but definitely more staring and taking everything in 

(which can get a little awkward when he's staring down the people in 

line behind us at the grocery store)

a little clingy stage and 2 calls from the church nursery to pick up early

first christmas

first ear infections 

second trip to mississippi

second hair trim

and lots and lots of fun

merry christmas!

having a baby this christmas has made me think of the very first christmas in a different way - 

mary laying her teeny newborn baby in a manger (hello germs)

cuddling and kissing on the Savior of the world 

no perfectly decorated and disinfected nursery but a stable - with stinky animals

(and we're not even talking about her riding on a donkey for days at 9 months+ pregnant...)

i'm so thankful for that baby that started christmas so long ago. 

"For unto you is born his day, in the city of David, a Savior which is Christ the Lord" Luke 2:11

babies make christmas amazing

Merry Christmas!

from the iphone lately

a whole lot of not-too-interesting has been going on here lately so here's a little recap...

the day before thanksgiving, we took a trip into the city and went on a architecture boat tour that i had gotten off groupon. it was pretty interesting and a good not-too-cold day. lots of fun.

covington is into everything. at least the pots and pans can entertain while i cook.

i went to a pinterest party with some girls in james' program and it was so much fun. there were 5 people and we each brought a craft. lesson learned - 2 people should probably team up to bring a crafts. after a late night, we ended up taking the last craft supplies home. it was soo much fun and we got to leave with lots of christmas decor! win win!

while i get ready, covington cheese's it up in the mirror. it's really funny to watch.


this makes me glad we don't have stairs! one of the families that we babysit for has stairs, and he went straight for them every time he got down this week. hoping the newness wears off soon...



he also loooves the dishwasher!

although he's not much of a helper - i put it in, he takes it out :)

side note - we don't always leave our kid running around in his diaper, but he has perfected the twist and scream while getting dressed lately. james said he's like dressing a rhinoceros. also hoping this passes quickly...

my dad came for a visit this weekend! so glad he think that 6 hours is close enough to swing by for a visit :)


covington was loving his hat

i might had drug covington and my dad to ikea on saturday morning and then my dad spent the rest of his trip putting together shelves for me - it was like a gift to me and james since james got off building duty :)
it was a great weekend!


also - i got bangs :) why not??

9 months

i know i say this every month, but we are loving this stage!  it's really hitting us that we have a real live kid around here - i know, it only took 9 months to sink in, right :)

so covington started off his 8th month by crawling. after rocking on his hands and knees for a while, he finally took off and didn't look back. he's pulling up all the time and getting into everything.

 he loves crawling up to us when we're on the floor, pulling up, and jumping like crazy. 

this is what i feel like he's constantly doing - about to dive off something. one night we put him to bed with an egg on his forehead and a swollen eye. awesome. 

 he's still hanging out at the 10% in height and weight at 17.9 pounds. he loves eating and will try anything. if he doesn't like, no problem - he'll just keep it in his mouth for the next couple hours. a lady at the grocery store was talking to him and said, um i think there's something green in his mouth...just a green bean from lunch and couple hours ago :)  he will also eat anything off the floor. he can find a spare thread on the carpet to chew on no matter how often i vacuum. his 5th tooth came in this week and he's putting them to great use.

 one of my favorite things about this month is that he really loves james. he always loved playing and wrestling with him, but would want me if i tried to leave. no more - now he follows james when he leaves the room and beams when he walks in. he cracks up at any noise james makes and loves to rub his scratchy face. the cutest is when he crawls over and climbs into his lap - melt my heart!

have i mentioned we're in love?

loving...

those blue blue eyes

the little pinchers

his concentrating face

the arched eyebrows

those teeny toes

and our little family picking out cov's first christmas tree