This Is For You, Aunt Ive!

Georgia's birthday is in two days. So it was much to my surprise when the UPS guy rang my doorbell last week with a package. I knew I hadn't ordered anything recently and Andy almost never does; it just didn't occur to me that it could be a birthday present for Georgia. It was a gift from her aunt Ivy who lives down in Miami. Here is a little video of Georgia's reaction.



I think she likes it! And Mommy LOVES it. Aunt Ivy has great taste! I tried it on her quickly (over the clothes) and it fits perfectly. She'll be able to wear it all spring and summer.


Thank you, Aunt Ivy! You are the sweetest! We will miss you at the big bash, but we look forward to when you come back to visit again. We love you!

It's All Talk

Here are some new words we think Georgia is saying:

*hi
*baby
*book
*pretty
*tickle

Are we, as biased and proud parents, just hearing things?

Daddy/Daughter Night

Last week I had a jewelry show and so Andy and Georgia got to have the evening together. Here are some super cute pics that he took while I was away.

Bebo Norman

My favorite, favorite, favorite Christian musician is Bebo Norman. Last night Andy took me to see him play live at a local church here in Davenport. It was spectacular! It was just Bebo and one of his band members playing their guitars. It gave it a much more relaxed, intimate feeling instead of a hyped-up 'performance'.

For those of you Bebo fans, he played several favorites: Stand, Walk Down This Mountain, The Hammer Holds, All That I Have Sown; as well as a few newer ones: Nothing Without You and I Will Lift My Eyes.

Another perk about having such a small concert, was that he was able to share about his life, his struggles, and his songs. One song that I didn't recognize called The Only Hope, really moved me. He wrote it after having moved to Nashville. He met a woman who lived down the street, Laney. She was close to his age and he said she weighed about 85 lbs. She came over to introduce herself when he moved in and asked him to give her some money. She said she would continue to stop by every now and then and told him it would be nice if he would continue to give her money.

He did give her money that first day and asked her what she needed it for. She said she had a bit of a drug problem (she was honest!), but she also took care of her mother and needed it for food and to use the bus. He told her he hoped she'd come back, but from now on he'd say no to her requests for money. But if she was hungry, he'd fix her a sandwich and if she needed to go somewhere he'd walk her to the bus stop and put her on the bus.

They developed a friendship and she got to know his friends and then later his wife. One day, while Bebo was on tour, his wife came home to find their house broken into and some money taken. Someone had seen Laney there. But all she took was the spare change she could find and left the house a mess while looking for it. She left the furniture, TV, anything of real value, and only took what change she could find.

Bebo later told her that if she had anything to do with that incident, he hoped she knew he forgave her. And she said that if she had had something to do with it, she hoped he knew she was sorry. What is interesting, is that at any time Laney could have asked for far more than just pocket change and the Normans would have given it to her, yet in her shame, she felt she needed to sneak through their house searching for mere quarters.

He then went on to say, isn't that just like us and God? He has so much more to offer to us and tells to ask so that He can give it to us. Yet we, in our humanness and sinfulness, desire such small and insignificant things.

I wish I could sing that song for you, but alas, I am no where near as talented as Bebo. But a few lines of that song can easily relay it's meaning:

I want a crumb, but You are a feast
I want a song, but You are a symphony
I want a star, but You are a galaxy
I have resolved that I'm much better off in what You have for me.

Happy Valentine's Day...a few days early and a few days late

Yes, I am a little late on this post! But we had such a nice Valentine's Day, well, Valentine's weekend really, that I wanted to still share it with you.

Georgia and I were gone most of the weekend for my nephew's birthday party, so we wanted to surprise Daddy beforehand so he would know we hadn't forgotten him. We started the celebrating a few days early; the Friday before Valentine's Day. Prior to him coming home from work, we put up a treasure hunt all around the house, using the conversation candy hearts as part of the clues. At the end of the treasure hunt was Georgia and me with his gift. We picked out some red hots, peppermint patties in the shape of hearts and a cute heart frame with a picture of Georgia in it for his desk at work. Then we had a fancy pasta dinner and had a nice family evening.

Here are a couple of shots from the birthday party Georgia and I went to. We can't believe that cousin Val turned four! We had a nice time in Fort Dodge getting see my sister's new home and visiting with family.

Then, when we got back, Andy surprised me with a CLEAN HOUSE (I love you, Dear) and a box of chocolates with some homemade coupons under each piece of candy. It's funny how much more that gift meant to me with the house being clean. I am not sure I could have enjoyed it as much with a sink full of dirty dishes. Hey, just being honest.

But if you think Andy and I got great gifts, let me tell you about Georgia!! She is one loved little girl! We didn't get her anything (she's 11 months old, she won't remember!), but her grandparents went all out! Look at all her Valentines!

Though my husband and I love each other dearly, I think it is safe to say that this year, this little woman has stolen our hearts and is our Valentine. We are thankful to God daily that He has given us this little blessing. We hope that you all had a love-filled Valentine's Day.

Obsessive-Compulsive?

Do I even have to ask the question? Several of you that know me well would give a resounding 'yes!' to that question. But am I really? Can it be blamed on my first-born status? Here are some goofy things that I do that could be labeled obsessive compulsive:

1. My movies are kept in alphabetical order. There was a short time in my life when I watched them in alphabetical order, too. My sister reminded me of this and at the time I denied it wholeheartedly, but she was right.

2. All of my bath gels and lotions have to match in scent, if they have one. I can't use one scent in the shower and a different one for lotion. And if I receive them as a gift, I have to use them in the order I received them.

3. I rotate Georgia's onesies and I have her Sunday outfits picked out for the next month. I used to do this for our sock/underwear drawer, too, but that got to be too much work.

4. I can't throw away a product unless it has been used absolutely all the way. I'm afraid if I do, I'll feel wasteful, then guilty. But since I have never done it, I don't really know if that's what would happen or not.

5. I love to make lists and cross things off. I also love to add things to lists. My lists are never ending. :) In fact, last weekend Andy and I were in Des Moines and he took me to eat at our favorite restaurant, The Cheesecake Factory. I actually keep a list in my wallet of each kind of cheesecake I've had there so that I don't order the same kind twice.

Why am I sharing all my quirky habits? I don't know! Some of you are thinking how silly I am and others (probably first-born children, too) are thinking, "yes, that makes perfect sense!" Now you all know me a little better, but please don't hold it against me.

Bathtime Fun

I am Georgia's primary bath-giver. One night, while giving her a bath, Andy came in and said, "I just want to play with her!" I told him to get in and so he did. :) These two look for every excuse to play together. This is nice for me because it gives me free hands for a little while and often lots of opportunities for cute pictures.


Obviously, she had a great time taking her bath with Daddy!

Proud Mama

There are a few things Georgia has done recently that I think are noteworthy. What mother doesn't like to brag?

*She is consistently signing "all-done" when she is finished eating. Many of you know that Georgia almost continuously shakes her hands, which is very close to the "all-done" sign. But you can definitely tell when she puts her hands in front of her face and does just one or two shakes that she really means she is finished. Hopefully I'll be able to get this on video soon. We are also working on "more" and "water".

*A couple of days ago, Georgia didn't want what I was feeding her. Who doesn't like pureed green beans and sweet potato? :) She looked over to the counter and pointed at the bananas! I walked over to them, picked one up and she started grunting up a storm and her little hands and feet were a-movin'. It was so cool to see her attempt communicating with me in a new way. And she gobbled that banana right up.

*Georgia is starting to repeat my words. After reading a book to her, I said, "The end!" and she mimicked me. More than the words, the voice intonation was an exact repeat of what I had just said. She also does this with "hi" and now "pretty". One of the nursery workers at church told me Georgia had done the same thing with them. She is a very smart little girl.

My moment of bragging is over...for now!

Christmas in January

I've been wanting to get this post up for the last week, but I've just had too much on my plate.

A week ago yesterday, we met Andy's brother's and their families, along with his dad and step-mom, in Cedar Rapids for a postponed Christmas celebration. We were supposed to have met the day after Christmas, but because two feet of snow got dumped on northwest Iowa, his parents were unable to travel. But better late than never, right? We had a great day together!

Here are some of the highlights:

All the girls wore their black and white Christmas dresses, so of course we had to get a picture of that. However, NONE of the pictures turned out that great. The worst picture is actually the best. Taking a photo of these three was easier when none of them could move. And, again, there is my lovely, no-expression Georgia. :)

My sister in law cooked a glorious ham and we all chipped in with the side dishes. DE-LISH. We actually sat our whole family around one table, which was wonderful. The best part was when my young nephew piped up quite loudly, "Mom, can I please be excused to go poop?!" Hey, at least he was polite.

Then there was some wrestling between uncles and nephews. What holiday is complete without that?

Then we opened presents! Out of all the gifts Georgia opened over the Christmas season, she NEVER reacted to a single one until this day. She oooohhhed and aaaahed and squealed and hugged the box and even kissed the kids on the cover. Needless to say, that pleased Grandma and Grandpa very much.

And one last picture, just because it cracks me up. There is nothing sweeter than a baby who puts herself in a box.