Today is your lucky day!

If you are like me, you might not have been able to go and hear Katie Davis speak while she was in the US.

But...today is your lucky day!

Here is a link to Katie Davis speaking at Brook Hills!

http://www.brookhills.org/media/series/first-timothy-the-household-of-god/v756

The message is 66 minutes long, but I guarantee it is worth your time! What an encouragement to radically live life for God's purpose!

The entire message is worth your time! Here is one of my favorite quotes from Katie's message.

"You be faithful in the little. You be obedient to the person that I put in front of you. And I [the Lord] will be faithful in the much. I [the Lord] will be faithful in the big."

Family Pictures

A HUGE thank you to Brandon and Stacey for these amazing pictures! See the full set of pictures here.

Lunch with Friends

“A constant friend is a thing rare and hard to find.”

― Mary Engelbreit

Pumpkin Patch

Today we took a trip to Kinsey Family Farm with some friends.

When we arrived, we went to feed the animals. Beau was not too fond of the cow.

Our sweet friend Lily was having fun with her mom and dad!

Ara was helping Beau feed the goat.

Lily and Charlie really liked the wagons!

Beau started to relax as we continued exploring the farm!

He loved looking around in the comfort of dad's lap!

Lily and Charlie were all ready for the picture!

Unfortunately, Beau didn't like it so much! Ha! Ha!

He wasn't too sure about a picture on the pumpkins!

But we still think he is adorable!

Hmmm mom...maybe this isn't so bad after all!

There's a smile!!

Sitting like a big boy by the pumpkins!

Finally having fun!

Sitting with dad is fun!

Charlie was having fun on the hayride with his mom and dad!

Family picture time!

15 Month Check-up

Today we visited the pediatrician for Beau's 15 month check-up. Beau did great in the waiting room. We read Goodnight Gorilla (his favorite book right now), a few times and then it was our time to see the doctor. Beau does not like having his height measured on the doctor's table. He screams every time. :) Then, once he is mad about that, he refuses to sit on the scale so I have to lay him down on the scale. Oh well!! Hopefully one day he will have less anxiety about the doctor.

Our pediatrician said that Beau is healthy is doing great!

Beau had 2 shots today...his prevnar booster (last one) and a flu shot. We will go back in 4 weeks for a flu shot booster. Apparently since this is Beau's first flu shot, he will need the booster this year. Next year, he will only need the one shot. The only thing is, the flu booster is scheduled for the day before his surgery. The doctor said the flu shot booster would be totally fine to have before the surgery, unless it gives him a fever. So, we'll wait and see if he gets a fever from today's shot and make a decision about rescheduling his booster. (sorry, I know that was way too detailed)

Beau's Weigh at 15 months: 20.3 pounds. (4th %)

Beau's Height at 15 months: 29.8 inches (11th %)

Our doctor did note that Beau has only gained about 1/2 pound since he came home, but she is not concerned. She said that he may just be on the small side. He is barely hanging on to the growth chart. It also appears that he lost weight on his growth chart because at his 14 month check-up he weighed 20.7 pounds, but this is not entirely accurate because they weighed him with his clothes on last month and today he did not have on his clothes.

Our doctor also wants us to collect stool samples. Boo! This is just precautionary since Beau was adopted internationally. She just wants to make sure that he doesn't have any parasites that might be overlooked without doing the stool samples. We know that this is highly unlikely since he received excellent health care in Korea, but we are going to follow through and just be sure!

Our doctor noted that many 15 month olds have 1-3 words. Beau hasn't said any English words yet since he has been home, but we are not concerned at all. He has only been hearing English for 2 months. When he was living in Korea, he had 2 words omma (mom) and appa (dad) so technically he is speaking 2 words, just not in English. :) It is interesting to think about how his development would have continued in Korea. I wonder how many Korean words he would be saying now if he was still hearing Korean all day everyday. Our pediatrician's recommendation is to give him time. She suggests we wait until he is 2 and then look more closely at his speech development for any possible areas we need to address. I will continue being intentional about using lots of language with him everyday.

It was a great visit to the pediatrician and she is very happy with Beau's growth and development!

I didn't take any pictures at the doctor's office, but I did get a few pictures when we got home!

Beau loves to crawl and explore the house!

Beau's new trick is to sit on the bottom stair while I sit on the floor a few feet away. He takes a step or two towards me before loosing his balance.

Just relaxing!

I love his smile!

Beau is trying to stand on his own! He tries everyday and just can't quite get all the way up on his own! I love how he puts his arms out for balance!

Thanks Karen for the awesome shirt he is wearing in his pictures!

2 Months Home and 15 Months

This week we celebrated 2 special days. Beau turned 15 months old on Monday and as of Wednesday, Beau has been home 2 months!

Wow! Raleigh and I are so amazed that the Lord saw fit to bless us with sweet Beau. It is a privilege and honor to parent him and we do not take the responsibility lightly. We pray that he becomes a warrior for Christ as he grows up!

Over the last month (while Beau was 14 months old) he got in a new tooth. As of today he has 9 teeth that are completely in and 2 more that are poking through.

Beau has started to use the sippy cup recently. We are encouraging him to use it throughout the day and we are limiting the bottle to nap time and bedtime. Obviously there are exceptions to this some days, but we are making progress towards less bottles. However, we are totally comfortable with Beau still being on the bottle and will continue nap and bedtime bottles for a bit longer.

I know I said this when Beau turned 14 months old, but he really is close to walking. His balance is improving everyday. It is so fun to watch him try to stand. He is an excellent cruiser and gets more adventurous all the time!

Beau is such a joy and we love him more and more everyday! I mentioned in previous post that we were waiting to get a surgery date scheduled for Beau. Well, we were given 2 options...Oct. 31 or Nov. 2. We didn't want Beau to miss his first Halloween, so we chose November 2. We are on a waiting list for an earlier date, so I will let you know if anything changes.

I will leave you with a few pictures of Beau at 14 months old...

Beau loves to eat popsicles with dad!

Ready for dinner!

Beau thinks it is hilarious when he puts his foot on the tray of the highchair!

Beau is in his pj's playing with a new toy!

Beau is playing with another new toy! It is a stacking puzzle from one of my former students.

He concentrates really hard to put the puzzle back together!

Created for Care

I am really looking forward to attending the Created for Care conference in January. I'm usually not much of a conference type girl, but I really felt drawn to this and I'm so glad I registered quickly. It sold out in less than 12 hours. But there is great news!! They have organized a second conference in March! You can get all the details here!

If you have a heart for the children of the world that need a mom and dad, this conference is for you! If you are interested in adoption, this conference is for you. If you are in the process of adopting and want to connect with other families going through the same adventure, this conference is for you! If you want to find ways to plug in and serve orphans, even if you don't feel called to adoption, this conference is for you too! If you just want to know that you are not alone in the highs and lows of adoption, this is for you!

The theme of the conference this year is He makes all things beautiful in His time. If you think a weekend of connecting with other moms that have a heart for the 147+ million orphans in the world sounds like something you are interested in, be sure to check out Created for Care! Registration is Wednesday for the March retreat.

"Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young--a place near your altar, O LORD Almighty, my King and my God."
Psalm 84:3

Football Fun

Yesterday we had some friends over for football and chili. Raleigh met Ara and Jake when they were all three in grad school school together at UAB in Birmingham. Upon graduation, all three guys got hired by the same consulting company for positions in the Atlanta office. So all three couples moved to Atlanta at the same time. Now we've all been in Atlanta about 4 1/2 years and we've got 3 kids between us with 2 more on the way.

We try to get together once a month for food and fellowship. Our Fall gatherings usually center around football. We made this chili recipe from Life in Grace. We also made the Pioneer Woman's hot artichoke dip from her cookbook The Pioneer Woman Cooks. Throw in some hotdogs and other appetizers, and you've got great game day food.

Here are a few pictures from our fun afternoon!

(I know this one is blurry, but it was the only group shot we got...)

Introducing Mr. and Mrs. Sherrill

Last weekend we had the honor of celebrating the marriage of Erica and Matt in Tennessee! Erica is my cousin, although she has always been more like an extra sister to me. Erica and I are 21 months apart in age and have always been very close.

Erica and Matt had a beautiful church wedding and a fun reception at our uncle's barn. Everything was just perfect! Here are a few of my favorite shots taken by Brandon and Stacey of Simple Color. You can see more of their wedding day photos here!

This is Erica and Matt's first glimpse of one another on the big day!

They are married! Welcome to the family Matt!

What a pretty couple!

I love the backdrop on this one!

The beautiful couple can even make a cornfield look elegant!

Their first dance as a married couple! Love it!

The candy table was a big hit!

There were beautiful dried hydrangeas on all of the tables. Erica and Matt did an amazing job carrying the vintage feel of the reception into all of the details.

And away they go!

We love you Erica and Matt!!

Brandon and Stacey...once again you did an amazing job capturing the spirit of the day. Your pictures are timeless and priceless!

If you are ever in the market for wedding photography, engagement shots, or family pictures, be sure to check out Simple Color! Not only are their pictures stunning, they are easy to work with and will take the stress out of any photo shoot.