Berry Special Weekend

This weekend we had Maggie's THIRD birthday party! It was a strawberry theme, per her request. We had a blast with friends and family and this little princess is sad all the festivities are over now.

We also had Miller's dedication this past weekend, while friends and family were in town. It was a beautiful dedication. Pastor Jeff said some beautiful things about what a miracle Miller is, and even read a few things from one of my blog post on here! He then got down on his knee to pray for Miller. It was sweet, touching and absolutely perfect. Here is the verse we chose for Miller.

"Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; Give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will give glory to your name forever."

Psalm 86 11-12

*I think it's appropriate to document another special occasion this past week. I got baptized. I was baptized as a baby, and have been arguing the "immersion" topic with my husband for 6 yrs now! For anyone who comes from a Methodist/Baptist marriage, you feel my pain! We LOVE First Baptist here though, and we became members about a year ago. Lately, God has really placed it on my heart to get baptized through immersion. I also thought that it was time I honor the word, and honor the tradition of the Baptist Church.  My grandmother always told me that when I was baptized as a baby, I screamed bloody murder through it and my grandfather leaned over and said, "she's upset because she wants to be a Baptist." Well my grandfather is looking down from heaven smiling, I'm sure. I guess you were right all along JoJo!

Ok, here are the pics from the weekend!

This pic cracks me up! Mags won't dare look at the camera and Miller was NOT happy about his outfit. Poor little guy is outgrowing his clothes too fast and everything is tight on his chubby arms and legs!

He did so good during his dedication. Seriously just the sweetest little guy alive!!

Her first Barbie was a huge hit! She even went to school with her today.

 This picture cracks me up. Miller looks SO BIG in this picture. Well actually he is this big. My healthy baby boy...such a blessing.

Seaside 2012

Last week my wonderful parents took us all to Seaside, Florida! It's a place that gives me the warm and fuzzies since I have been going there since I was Maggie's age! That's hard to believe! We have so much fun on our family vacations and being able to take Miller on his first one was pretty special! Jack(Alison's son) and Maggie played so well together this trip and it was fun to watch them interact! Miller was a doll baby the whole time, except for the last night when he developed a little cold. He wasn't too sure about the beach or the pool, but you take him on a stroll, and he was all smiles!!!

Her best friend, Anna Caston, just happened to be at the beach the same time we were! :)

We rented a golf cart for the week! Best.Idea.Ever.

Love this picture of YaYa and Maggie! She was fearless and wanted to run and chase the birds, then run into the water.

Jack and Maggie hard at work.

Ahhhh my love bugs.

Family photo!

My drama queen:)

I took this picture and I'm pretty proud! Aren't my parents just the cutest? I think they win cutest couple award!

Late night swimming in regular clothes is always the most fun time!!

PRISS!

Sweet Cousins

Is Jack not a stuf muffin or what? He is just the sweetest little thing! Busy Busy!!

Those eyes make my heart smile!

I think they look just alike here.

More late night swimming!

LOVE

Last night out! Miller had a blast at Stinkys Fish Camp and even got to try his first table food. Crackers, mac and cheese, and carrots. He loved everything!

Thanks YaYa and Pop for a vacation to remember!! 

9 months

My main man turned 9 months old on the 8th! Where has the time gone? We had his check up today. He weighed 22 lbs. 3 oz and was 29 inches long??(ok I can't remember how long!) All I know he was in the 75th percentile for head and weight, and the 50th for height.  Developmentally, he is meeting all his milestones, which is a huge blessing. He is trucking along just fabulous!

Miller is full of life, and full of energy! He is army crawling all over my house now and starting to pull up just a little. He is very assertive, and lets me know exactly what he wants when he wants it. I call him the boss. And that he is!!  Maggie loves him soooo much and sometimes is a little into his personal space too much, and he will give her a nice little push. ha! He is a strong little guy. He is saying Dada, Mama, and Baba. He can wave bye bye. He is wearing 24 month clothes and is full of rolls!!  He is so ticklish sometimes I think he is going to cry. He is eating some solid foods now, and is going to eat me out of house and home soon. Boys will always be boys I guess. He is sort of over baby food now and wants to eat things he can feed himself.  He is STILL not sleeping through the night, and lately has been cutting his top teeth so he's been up every few hours. We are pretty tired around here. But if a lack of sleep is all I have to complain about, I am counting my many blessings!!  He has his bottom 2 teeth in, but that is it! We are working on the top right now.  This boy has taken over my heart. We love this little guy to the moon and back, and so does his big sister!

I have a prayer request that is near and dear to my heart. A family in Hattiesburg lost their little boy this week. He was born in March with Hypoplastic Left Heart, and went through the first 2 surgeries just like Miller did. Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worst after the second surgery and he was put on life support. He has been in Jackson in the PICU waiting on a heart transplant, and today the doctors decided to take him off life support. I have been hurting all day for this family that I don't know. You might have seen the group Prayers for Alexander on facebook. Most people who don't know much about HLHS would assume that Miller's case is how they all go, and well, Miller is definitely the exception, not the rule. This just confirms to me even more what a precious miracle I have on my hands. I thank God every day for the smooth journey we have had.  PLEASE pray for this family. I cannot imagine what they are going through, and the dark days ahead.

Ballerina Class

This has been one of my busiest weeks in a long time!! It started with a girls trip last weekend to Orange Beach! It was so much FUN!!! There was lots of laughing, laying out, good food, and a super fun boat ride! It was definitely different than the beach trips we took 10 years ago! Much more relaxing and I am 100% ok with that!! I think I was in bed at 9 on Saturday night. I felt rejuvenated and well rested when I returned, which is exactly what I needed!

 When I got home, sweet Maggie and Daddy decided to wash my car! 

Miller was SO excited to see me. It was the sweetest thing I have ever seen. I haven't left him very much in the last 8 months, so he is definitely a momma's boy! 

His new fascination is Sadie.

Big boy is sitting up all by himself now!

When I returned from the beach, I had a kids clothing show at my house for 2 straight days. One of my friends who sews tons of Maggie's clothes asked me to do it, and it was a big success! We had lots of people in and out and the kids loved it! Maggie played the hardest I have seen her play in a long time!! And Miller loved all the other babies!

THEN...the next day Maggie had her first dance class(ballerina class as Maggie calls it)! On the way there, all she wanted to know is if they had a ball pit. I told her it wasn't going to be that kind of fun...but I think she still had fun! I asked her what they did and she said somersaults. Then we asked Anna Caston what they did and she said high kicks. We weren't allowed to stay and watch, which was a bummer, so all we know is they did somersaults and high kicks. Ha!

The next day we had "meet the teachers" at school. She has the sweetest, nicest teachers and she can't wait to start on Monday! She will go 3 days a week.

We ended the week going to Krispy Kreme today since it was our last day of summer. She had never been before and I hope I didn't start something. She asked for more donuts for lunch and dinner. Oops!

8 Months of Miracles

When I think back on that specific second the doctor told Brian and me the bad news about Miller's heart, we were devastated, hopeless, scared and mad. How could this happen to us? What have we done to deserve this?  What are we supposed to do now?

Are you kidding me? Look at this little guy. He is the best thing that's ever happened to us. In addition to Maggie of course! Just the other night Brian and I were talking about what a blessing it is to be this little guy's parents.  There is a purpose to HIS plan always. And now, 8 months later, I wouldn't trade our journey for anything else in the world.  We get to wake up every morning to a miracle, and rock a miracle to bed every night. We get to stare into the face of GOD everyday. We get to experience a JOY and a thankfulness that we never had before.

Miller turns 8 months old today, and I don't even know where the time has gone. He is full of personality now. He is a little firecracker, and likes attention and things his way. He likes to be held, A LOT! He likes to be rocked. He likes Maggie, A LOT! He doesn't like to be put in one thing for longer than about 10 minutes. He prefers changes of scenery often. He loves it when we make high pitch noises and he squeals in return. I often sing "Miller" to the tune of Thriller and he thinks it's hilarious. You should try it. It's quite catchy. :)  I also say, "Miller Miller on the wall, Who's the cutest baby of all?" at least 30 times a day. He thinks I'm pretty funny. Maggie can make him laugh better than anyone else can.  He is starting to sit up a little bit, but falls over pretty quickly. He can definitely get from point a to point b pretty stinking fast! He just rolls and scoots. Speaking of rolls, he is full of them! And he is so ticklish around this little leg rolls. He squeals if you tickle them.  He is wearing a size 24 month, and a size 3 diaper. He weighs 22 lbs and is 28 inches long. He is not sleeping through the night yet(except if he stays at my parents), but he is getting better at sleeping! He doesn't nap much, unless we are in the car. He is more of a 15 min cat napper. He would hate to miss out on anything that might go on while he is asleep. He is a nosy rosy!

I could go on and on. We just love this little boy to pieces. God is good all the time. Always put your trust in him. The blessings he gives in return are out of this world!!!!

Comparison

Mags

Mills

yep. not seeing any. ha! I think my second baby is starting to look like his mamma:)

New Orleans Getaway

Ahhhhhh!!!! It's amazing how one little night away can revive you! We took a short little trip down to NOLA with some great friends Friday night. We shopped, ate some good food, and went to the Kenny Chesney/Tim McGraw concert. There is nothing better than good food, good friends, and lots and lots and lots of laughing!! We had the best time!

Love a chance to wear my boots!!

Jackson Square

Razoo's

Jazz Brunch at Court of Two Sisters...AMAZING!

We sure were glad to see our little bugs when we got home though!!