She's letting me clean

Andrew got a hold of his vacuum cleaner after naptime so he's been busy cleaning and emptying the bag. He's no longer mad at me 'cause I'm letting him play....oh, I mean "clean".

What's wrong?

Andrew is mad at me. It is time for his nap but he would rather vacuum the floor with the toy vacuum cleaner. Hmmmm...I wonder if he'll be a janitor when he grows up?

Riding my tractor!

Andrew loves to go to the park and ride, slide, and sweat!

Steakhouse & Gum

Yesterday, all three of us ate at a local Japanese Steakhouse for the first time and it was so much fun. Andrew loved watching the chef grill our food in front of us and, even though the heat from the fire was strong, he loved it when the flames went up high and let off lots of smoke. Our chef was really funny and twirled his utensils around, calling himself a "Japanese Cowboy". Andrew laughed so hard and you could hear him all over the steakhouse...I think it was one of our best eating out expereriences with a toddler yet.

Also, Andrew likes to pop the bubbles I make with my gum so when I blew a large bubble yesterday he attacked it with vengeance and yanked the whole piece out of my mouth, putting it into his (it was a small piece so don't worry). I thought he'd swallow it but he ended up chewing it for quite a while. I forgot about him having it until I put him into the bathtub and found it in his hair. Fortunately it came out with some soap and water.

Luke has been "acting up" lately. He's putting lots of pressure on my lower back and kicking me everywhere! I've been able to get some sleep but I seem to have to go the restroom every two hours. I am miserable and am almost at the point where I can't pick up Andrew anymore. I'm glad he's walking!

Today's smile

What a wonderful day! The weather is awesome and makes us want to be outside all the time. Andrew, Mitch, and I went to the library for Baby Reading Time and then to Chick-Fil-A to let Andrew play on the indoor playset. After Andrew's nap we couldn't resist venturing outside once more but this time we went to the park to walk (I waddled) two miles and then play on the huge playground with the rest of Columbus (today was a holiday so school was out). It was lots of fun and we all enjoyed being with family. Andrew is laughing at me for chasing him around the house in the picture here.

TouchDown!

While eating his dinner, Andrew celebrated the Georgia win today over Tennessee by signing, "Touch down!". Go Dawgs! (I must include here that Mitch is a devoted Georgia Tech fan....Andrew will probably grow up at GT fan, too, but he and I can have our small celebrations!).

Like Father Like Son

What a great picture of Mitch and Andrew. Andrew can spot a playground from miles away and loves to slide...especially with Daddy. This picture was taken on our church playground. Can you see how hard Andrew is playing? His face is so red!

Courtney is the best!

I'm seeing my midwife, Courtney, every two weeks now. I've been meaning to get a picture of her with Andrew for quite some time and I finally remembered to take my camera with me to my appointment today. I couldn't ask for anyone better to look after me during my pregnancies. Courtney is the absolute best at what she does and she has also become my friend through it all. This is certainly something I wouldn't have expected to happen between me and a male doctor, if I were seeing one. She is always honest with me and shoots it straight but we can sit and talk about our families and what God is teaching us through motherhood. She was only five weeks pregnant with her son when she sat with me for the 18 hours of my labor. I was one of the first she told so now we compare toddler stories about our boys and more. I absolutely hate this picture of me since it shows how large I'm getting in this pregnancy....Courtney has already expressed some concern about my weight and told me that she wants to avoid a C-section so she might have to induce me early. It would be better to have Luke a littler earlier while he's smaller than he might be at 40 weeks. Ten weeks to go and counting.....

Moments captured in my scrapbook

Just wanted to share a few photos of my newest album pages in Andrew's scrapbook. I had so much fun designing these but I'm still three months behind. I've got to get busy and start his next album before Luke is born in December!

My belly

I've put on too much weight during this pregnancy and still have 10 more weeks to go. I sometimes don't think I'm gonna make it. It takes me so long just to get from one place to the next and I can't keep up with my husband when simply walking through the grocery store. I look at every chair with lust and ask for "just five more minutes" when the clock is screaming at me to get up and start dinner. I'll never post my weight but I can say that I'll be joining Weight Watchers come January with the rest of the world.

Dancing & Football

We attended a friend's wedding tonight and what a blast we had! Not only was it a time of rejoicing for the newly married couple but it was also a time to dance the night away. You can tell from the picture that Andrew loves to shake his groove thang on the dance floor. We also went to a football game Friday night with MeMe and Pop where Andrew loves to sit and listen to the tubas play the low notes in the band section. What a great weekend.

By the way, I tested negative for gestational diabetes....YIPEE!

Winshape Retreat @ Berry College

Mitch & I just spent two relaxing days at the beautiful Winshape Retreat at Berry College in the mountains of Rome, Georgia. Ever have that feeling that you're in "another world" when you go someplace so different than what you're used to....the pace is slower, the scenery is vast, and the atmosphere and fellowship are refreshing. The Cathy family (Chick-Fil-A) decided not to demolish the old dairy barns & decided in 2001 to restore them by remodeling them into a retreat center for married couples nine months of the year (the buildings are used to house school aged girls who attend Camp Winshape during the summer months). Winshape Retreat is one of many spots of ministry on the 28,000 acres known as Mount Berry. Hiking trails can be found around every corner as well as rope courses, student-made buildings, houses, cabins, & even a water wheel (see pictures)...there are more deer on the land than there are people! I highly recommend couples to look into the possibility of attending one of Winshape's seminars that are offered to both thriving and troubled marriages.

Winshape offered a free night to pastor's and their wives so we jumped at the opportunity! It gives Winshape the chance to expose pastors to what they offer to marriages so they can then turn & recommend their seminars/facilities to others. While we soaked up the beauty of the north Georgia mountains & basked in our time together, Andrew stayed with MeMe & Pop overnight & had a blast. I am so glad that he loves being with them & they with him. God has been so good to give us family who love us & want to see us glorify God in all that we do. What a blessing.

Midwife visit today

Visited my midwife today for my normal monthly pregnancy checkup....all is well! Baby Luke is a busy mover and registered a heartbeat in the 150s today. I had to guzzle the gross orange drink in a fast five minutes so as to be ready to be tested for gestational diabetes in the lab. I'll find out the results in a few days. Andrew must be having teething pains because the last two nights he's woken several times.

Tuesday Mail

Mitch and I were able to go to the RUF meeting last night at Auburn University...it was so refreshing! How beautiful it was to sing the old hymns set to new music and hear the singing voices echoing throughout Foy Hall. I hope we're able to go back another time. For a moment it made me yearn for my college days when things seemed much simpler and distractions were few. Oh, and my time with the Lord was much more frequent then than it is now. God is good and I am grateful I was given the opportunity to hear His Word and song last night.

Loving school

Andrew has gotten to where he runs down the hall and into his teacher's arms when Daddy takes him to school twice a week. Even today when I arrived to pick him up he was too busy playing to want to leave. It did my heart good! He also got some new shoes that he was excited about wearing today so maybe they helped him play more comfortably.

I am really enjoying teaching art to the little ones. They seem to look forward to coming to class and pasting, cutting, sticking, and drawing. Coming up with a lesson plan each day has been a little challenging since I have to think for ages three through nine, but I like digging in the art cabinets to find something they'll enjoy.

Mitch is staying busy preparing a sermon each week as well as attending many session and school board meetings. Andrew and I look forward to Fridays since that's Mitch's day off from work. We usually sleep late, play with the toys on the floor, feed the ducks, run errands, and cook dinner together. We were planning on taking him to get a haircut tomorrow but I couldn't stand it anymore so I took him by myself today. We really like the girl, Cher, who cuts his hair every 10 weeks or so....it grows so fast! Even though he's not a fan of anyone touching his head, he usually does ok if he sits in my lap and eats a lollipop while she cuts it. I'll have to take a picture tomorrow of his new "big boy" haircut and post it on here.

Back to the routine....

Ok, our weekend with family in south Georgia was awesome! It was nice to spend time with them around the dinner table, at church, outside, and everywhere else our feet took us. Andrew loved playing with his cousins and getting lots of love from Gami and his Aunt Sassy. However, he just doesn't sleep very well when not in his own bed so neither he nor I caught many consistent zzzz's over the weekend. We did, however, both take good naps! One thing I was glad to get to do with Andrew was to take him to meet one of my college roommates, Heather, and her three children. Andrew also went on a September Easter egg hunt with his great-grandmother and loved looking for the eggs and then throwing them like baseballs. I also managed to sneak away during naptime and buy his Halloween outfit...he's gonna be so cute as a lion!

Taking a break

Mitch is attending Presbytery this weekend which is being hosted by our PCA church in my hometown. So, we are loading up and heading to my mother's for a long weekend and much needed break. I probably won't post anything until we return but I'll have new pictures to show you when I get back!

Labor Day activity

What did you do on Labor Day? We just enjoyed being home together as a family, sitting around being lazy. I think we all got a little stir crazy around 11:00 a.m. so Andrew and I ventured outside to the scrapbook store to use our 50% off coupon. After his nap we grilled ribs and had a delicious meal with another couple and their set of triplets. Mitch is occupied right now...watching the Miami/FSU game. Of course he's still gleaming from Georgia Tech's win over Auburn this past weekend....he preached one of the best sermons ever Sunday morning(hmmmm....).

Busy weekend thus far

It's been a busy Labor Day weekend thus far...and it's only Saturday! Yesterday we took Andrew to the zoo for the first time (see the pictures) and he loved seeing the lions, bears, monkeys, and riding the choo-choo train! It was a nice time to spend as a family on a summer afternoon. We spent the good part of today at Callaway Gardens letting Andrew blow bubbles, ride another choo-choo train, see the butterfly house, and play in the sunshine. Tonight we spent time with MeMe and Pop over at Aunt Val and Uncle Tyler's house. Andrew always loves spending time there with his cousin, Emma, too.

Feeling sad, angry, & guilty

I'm sad. It's heart wrenching to see pictures and listen to TV broadcasts of the many stranded citizens of New Orleans. It's sad to hear that many people have died and there are many missing.

I'm angry. I'm not in the midst of the turmoil, heat, and suffering but none of these circumstances justify the raping of women or the shooting of military officials in New Orleans.

I'm feeling guilty. We're taking my son on a trip to the zoo tomorrow. I can't help but think about the fun we'll have watching Andrew's amazement when he's sees a lion for the first time compared to the misery of the little children sitting in massive heat for hours at a time on an elevated highway, waiting for help.