bear with me

July has been a crazy busy month. We have had visitors, went to Schlitterbahn with the Field family for a few days, and Chris and I just got back yesterday from 8 amazing days in Ghana with 10 other incredible people. I have lots of updating to do, but it may take me a few days to get caught up. Check back for updates in the coming days! There are lots and lots of stories to be told, and a certain sweet baby turns 8 months old in 2 days!!! Can't believe it!

Be blessed today.

fourth of july weekend

I am a few days behind, but we had a great fourth of July weekend. My parents came in on Friday evening {after a treacherous drive in lots of rain and storms} just in time for Chris and I to head out to a get together with some folks from church. They gladly kept Micah and put her to bed for us so that we could enjoy a night out. We had lots of fun eating a yummy dinner and playing Apples to Apples with some great friends!

Micah enjoyed lots of attention from Mimi and their dog, Chloe. Chloe loves Micah, and Micah thinks that Chloe is hilarious. Micah will just giggle and giggle when Chloe barks or tries to play. It's pretty cute!

She also spent lots of time being silly with her Pappy. She loves his glasses! Sorry if they are crooked now, Dad :)

Micah has also discovered Wrigley's toy basket and thinks his toys are fun, too. Now that she is crawling ALL OVER THE PLACE, we will have to keep a close eye on her with those stinky dog toys!

After enjoying being spoiled all day Saturday by Mimi and Pappy, we all decided to go to a local pizza place, Palio's, for dinner. It was super yummy, and at the end of our time there, it started pouring down rain! Because Micah was ready to be out of her highchair, she and Daddy decided to go check out the rain together!

Despite the rain, we still heard the fireworks going off as planned on Saturday night. We opted out of trying to see any fireworks this year because Micah goes to bed so early. She is sleeping soooo well these days that we don't want to do anything to mess that up! Fireworks were just totally NOT worth it!

Sunday, we all went to church, and {I have to brag for a moment} Chris spoke a powerful word from God! Seriously, he had me in tears a few times as we contemplated the holiness and majesty of God. Thanks for that reminder, babe! And, thanks for letting God use you for His glory!!! After church, we ate lunch, and my parents headed out. We always enjoy when they visit, and this time was no exception.

{This picture is sort of random, but I just thought Micah looked too cute on Sunday morning all dolled up for church. No bow...she pulled it off ;)}

We spent the afternoon mailing all of the Mercy Project t-shirts that people pre-ordered. I think we sent almost 100 of them!!! Check out this pile...

And, finally, the last one being weighed and stamped.

We ended the day by relaxing and watching the Macy's Fireworks Special on NBC. We had a great, low-key weekend...just how we like it!

Happy Fourth of July from our little cutie!

seven months

Dear Micah Elisabeth,

You are seven months old! That means that you are closer to being one year old than you are to the day you were born. How did that happen? I still remember the first time I laid eyes on you and how my whole world changed in that moment. Somehow, you are still changing me every single day, and I am so thankful for that. I am not the same person I was seven months ago or even one month ago. Being your Mommy is the most amazing and blessed role that I have ever been given the privilege of having. You are such a gift, and I love watching you learn and grow. I feel like this month you have really changed a lot and discovered lots of fun things you can do. Your Daddy and I have seriously had the most fun with you this month, and it makes it really hard to grieve the fact that you are growing up because all this new stuff is so exciting and fun. When I was trying to think of all the "milestone" type things to include in this month's letter, I felt like the list was going on and on and on. So I will try to cover as much as I can without letting it be the epic letter. So, here goes all the fun things you did this month.

This month, you learned how to crawl. Your Daddy and I have known it was coming for weeks because you were trying so hard to figure it out. You could roll and scoot, but you sure wanted to be able to get those arms and legs coordinated to move faster. We would just watch you sit up on your hands and knees, thinking so hard about how to make it all work, and you finally got it together! It is so precious, and you are always happy when you are crawling around. Nothing is safe with you anymore, and you really love to crawl toward cell phones, the TV remote, computer cords, shoes, and Wrigley's toys. Mommy will definitely have to keep an eye on you from now on, but I love that you are beginning to take control of your little world. It's amazing the ways that God created us to learn and develop in such specific, small ways to discover all the things He made for us.

Another exciting new skill you have acquired this month is waving. This is too cute for words, and it melts me everytime you wave that little hand at me. You kind of combine moving your hand back and forth with opening and closing your fingers...you get all the different kinds of waves in one :) You haven't quite mastered doing it at the appropriate times and will often just wave in the middle of playing or your bath or eating, but that is okay. We are working on that, and for now, everyone that you wave at loves it no matter when you offer it.

Your sleeping has been the biggest improvement this month, and not only is it nice for your Daddy and me but you seem to really be thriving with it. After we finished the sleep training, you can now put yourself to sleep which means no waking up needing Mommy to come soothe you in the night. It's great for both of us. You now take two naps each day. Your first nap is in the morning between 9:00am and 9:30am, and you sleep anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour and a half. Your second nap is in the afternoon between 1:00pm and 1:30pm, and you sleep the same amount at that nap. You usually go to sleep for the night around 7:15pm after we do our routine of bath, eat, book, song, and prayer. I still rock you and sing the same 2 songs every night before I lay you down. You will stay asleep until about 6:30am or 7:00am, and you always wake up happy and ready to go! We love it!

You have tried lots of new foods this month, and you quickly let us know whether you like them or not. Right now, your favorites are pears, sweet potatoes, carrots, and peaches. You also like applesauce and sweet peas. You do NOT like squash or green beans or the rice cereal. We got you a fresh food feeder, and you love to eat apples and especially watermelon {you LOVE this!} using this fun contraption. You try to drink some water and apple juice from a sippy cup, and you love to hold it. But, I'm not sure how much you actually drink from the cup! You eat baby food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and you nurse 4 times each day. You seem to be doing really well with this schedule, and it's been so fun to watch you try different things.

You still love water, and bathtime is one of your favorite times of the day. If you are having a fussy evening, we will put you in the bath extra early and let you play and play in the water. You have some squirt toys that keep you company, and you love them...especially when they are in your mouth! I am so thankful that you love the water--you definitely did not get that from your Momma. Because you love the water so much, we have taken you to the swimming pool a few times, and you are a fan. You also like your little baby pool that we bought for you that stays in our backyard. You always look too cute in your little swimsuits!

Here are some other things you did this month: You made your first trip to Oklahoma where Daddy spoke 3 nights in a row at a camp there. I actually went to this camp when I was in junior high and high school, so it was fun to go back and show you off! You also helped Jojo celebrate her 16th birthday, but you mostly screamed and cried the whole time :( It was a rough night, but you love Jojo and hope she had a happy birthday anyway! You have started to really love books. This makes me very happy. It took you a while to care about them, but you enjoy looking at the pictures and trying to turn the pages. You are more interested in your toys by the day and can really use your hands so well to manipulate those toys. It's so fun to watch! You sat in a highchair at a restaurant for the first time and rode in the seat of a shopping cart for the first time as well. You like both of those things because you can see all around you, and Daddy and I like it too because our hands are free! You have decided that your bows are often more interesting in your hands or around your neck than on your head, and that kind of makes Mommy sad! I sure loved my little "bowhead" :) You are still our big girl, and you are wearing size 3 diapers and 9-12 month clothes. I love all 20 pounds of you!

See, this month was loads of fun and action, and I feel certain that I didn't remember everything. This month I have found myself really trying to soak in every moment with you. I don't know if it is how much you are changing or the fact that I know I will be gone from you for 8 days very soon, but I want to cherish each second I spend with you and memorize what it feels like to hold you, rock you, snuggle with you, and play with you. You are more than I could have ever imagined, and I love you more than I thought was possible. God is constantly teaching me about His character and love for all of us through being your Momma. I think I say this almost every month, but I love you more today than I did on the day you were born. My love for you grows every day, and I am humbled by the responsibility I have been given. But, I pray each day that God will teach me how to be the best Mommy possible for you. Happy seven months, sweet girl!

I love you, to the moon and back!

Your Mommy