On The Move

This little rascal is on the move. She scoots and rolls all over the place. I really do think it's only a matter of time before she is all out crawling. Sniff Sniff. I love watching her grow and change but I really wish it didn't go by so fast!

She always has somebody on the floor with her...

 

She's the cutest, sweetest, cuddliest, snuggliest, prettiest, most squeezable baby!  

I'm not biased at all:)...

Cloth Diapers

I've had several people ask me if I'm doing the cloth diapers and if so, how it's going.  So I figured I would just do a post!

Actually, I LOVE cloth diapering.  I really wish our life wasn't so crazy and I could do it 100% of the time.  Maybe if I were more committed I would do it 100% of the time, but I don't.  So there you have it.  When we get back home from Miami, I am going to do it about 90% of the time because I will have my monstrous high efficiency washing machine once again:).  I also think if Anna Mitchell was my first baby, I would do it 100% of the time.  There is just something really nice and easy about throwing on a pampers swaddler when I need too:).

So all that to say, I'll just share a few things about what I do and why I love it.   I don't pretend to be an expert, but just thought I would share a little.   I have 3 kinds of cloth diapers.

I first bought about 8 Fuzzi Bunz diapers off Zulilly when they had a great sale.  Then I decided I wanted a few of the velcro Bum Genius kind, so I got a few of those too.  Then I bought some Sun Baby kind from a person in Tuscaloosa (they were gently used). I have to say that my favorites are the Bum Genius and the Sun Baby.  The Fuzzi Bunz aren't bad but just not my favorite.  They work well though.

Right now I use about 6-8 diapers a day so I wash them every other day when I'm consistent.  Two things that are very necessary with cloth diapering are a wet bag and disposable liners for when the baby starts solid foods or switches to formula (which we have done both by now).  The liner is great because it keeps the solid waste from getting on the cloth diaper.  Some still gets on it but the liner really helps.  The wet bag is where I throw the wet and soiled diapers.  Then when I'm ready to wash I take it down to my laundry room and throw it all in the washing machine (bag and all).  I use charlie's soap detergent and it works great.  I have not had any problems yet with stains or odors.  Woohoo! 

Isn't she cute????

I love that these are natural and don't expose her to lots of chemicals and chlorine.  They really do seem to help prevent diaper rash too.  As soon as I put AM in disposables for 2-3 consecutive diapers, she will have a little red bum.  I love that I don't have to buy disposables that often.  I really wish I had done cloth diapers with all my babies!

Like I said before though, as much as I really do like cloth diapering, sometimes there is just nothing better or easier than throwing on a thin soft pampers swaddlers:).  Just keepin in real folks...

Sunday Reflections

My heart has been heavy lately for so many things.  So much hurt.  Husbands who have lung tumors.  Young moms dying of cancer.  Women longing to be pregnant.  College students addicted to pornography and other things of this world.  If I'm not careful, I can be lured to thinking our God is not good...that He doesn't care...that His promises are not true.  I find myself focusing on the hurts instead of my heart being lured to the cross.  To the One who carries the hurts and is redeeming them for His glory.  There are things I will not understand this side of heaven.  There are things I truly HATE this side of heaven.  I do not like suffering.  I do not like being stripped of comfort and ease.  However, there is a mystery in it.  Suffering brings people to the cross.  Suffering brings me to my knees before the throne and I am drawn into the presence of the Holy One who suffered most Himself so that one day there would be no more.   I choose to believe His promises are true and by His grace I see Him weaving redemption stories over and over again.  This stirs up hope and enables me to trust even when I don't like what I see.  God IS good.  He IS faithful.  He is our shepherd and He does all things for His glory.  I can't argue with that.  

I love this CD called White Flag.  It's from the ministry Passion.  I love every single song but there are three in particular that I just love....Sing Along,  You Revive Me, and Bless the Lord (10,000 Reasons).  Below are some of the lyrics...Download these songs if you haven't done so yet...

 From the farthest corners of the earth Still His mercy reaches
Even to the pain we cannot see And even through the darkness
There's a promise that will keep us There is One who came to set us free
Great God Wrap Your arms around this world tonight Around the world tonight
And when You hear our cries Sing through the night
So we can join in Your song  And sing along
We'll sing along...

{Christy Nockels}

You revive me you revive me Lord  

And all my deserts are rivers of joy  

You are the treasure, I could not afford  

So I'll spend myself till' I'm empty and poor  

All for you, you revive me Lord 

 Lord I have seen your goodness and I know the way you are  

Give me eyes to see you in the dark and your face shine of glory  

That I only know in part  

And there is still a longing a longing in my heart 

You revive me You revive me lord... 

{Christy Nockels}

The sun comes up, it's a new day dawning It's time to sing Your song again  

 Whatever may pass, and whatever lies before me 

Let me be singing when the evening comes 

 Bless the Lord, O my soul O my soul Worship His holy name Sing like never before  

O my soul I'll worship Your holy name 

You're rich in love, and You're slow to anger Your name is great, and Your heart is kind 

For all Your goodness I will keep on singing Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find...

{Matt Redman}

Most importantly I need the promises of the eternal Word...

We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. 

In Him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in His holy name. 

{Psalm 33:20-21}

5 Months Old

 Anna Mitchell you are 5 months old today!

How can that be possible?  You just get more precious with each month.

You are a really smiley baby and are so so sweet.  You sleep good. You eat good (you even started some solids the last few weeks).  You play good. You seem to go with the flow good too (you sort of have to with being the 4th child).  The only time you cry is when you get sleepy, hungry, or have a dirty diaper.  I love this age!  It has always been one of my favorite months with your siblings too.  

You have blue eyes and blond hair just as we expected you would.  You are wearing 3-6 months clothes and size 2 diapers (when we do disposables).  We love doing our cloth diapers.  You are getting pretty mobile much to my chagrin.  You roll and scoot everywhere when I put you on the floor.  I really think I've seen you nearly get up on all 4's a few times (like in the pic above).  That cannot be happening sweet girl.  You have to stop growing up so fast!  

No teeth yet, but you drool a lot and put everything into your mouth!  Oh and the big news is that you are no longer on any reflux medicine!  You still spit up quite a bit but it doesn't seem to bother you too much anymore.  Yay! You LOVE your big brother and big sisters and laugh hardest at them.  But you really do love mama and I love that:). 

You are just my precious love and I absolutely cannot imagine our life without you.  I love having a baby in the house and I am more thankful each day that the Lord decided to surprise us with you.  It's amazing to me how the Lord enables mamas and daddies to enlarge their hearts with each child.

You had an audience while I was snapping your pictures so then I had to get them up on the bed with you, but you were sort of done by that point (of course)...
I sure do love my 4 kiddos!





Annie, let's look at how you've grown...

 

Daddy's Day

I am so thankful for Jeff.   He's the daddy I always knew and dreamed he would be.  I'm so proud of him! Our children delight in him and love him with abandon...for good reason:).  Happy Father's Day Jeff!

I'm also so thankful for my own daddy.  What an amazing man he is.  Truly a humble servant...always going above and beyond for his family.  I'm so grateful that I have such a good earthly daddy for such a great relationship with him!  Happy Father's Day dad!

iPhone Dump

Well, I've gotten addicted to Instagram. Its such a fun way to keep up with people! It also means I take a lot more pics on my phone. So here is my latest dump on the blog (mostly my instagram pics)...

1. view from the treadmil (not too shabby) 2. Samuel and Brady

3.  my 3 girls all snuggly in the morning.  4.  Anna Mitchell has found her toes:)

1.  Ice cream! 2.  Samuel reading to the girls 

3.  Abs at the park  4.  Sweet baby hanging out on my bed

5.  Samuel at the park 6.  My strong girl doing the monkey bars

1.  more ice cream!  2. Bathing beauty

3.  Handsome boy got a hair cut  4. love me some baby toes!

 

1.  Smiliest baby  2.  Abigail floating  

3.  Went to see the Lion King (play)  4-6. at the Lion King!

1.  collage of pics of the cutest baby 2.  EK stole my sunglasses and my lipglos

3.  I have lots of help getting Annie ready for bed  4.  Bath time in the condo sink

1.  Annie doesn't get enough attention:)  2.  The big girls have an entire king side bed to spread out on and this is how they usually sleep. Sweet girls. 

3. Samuel has been catching lots of snails  4.  "Tanning"

All of these 6 pics above are from a local park.  Samuel caught 48 snails and brought every single one home with him to "play" with. 

Sweet sisters!  Enough said. 

1.  Ellie Kate at the pool.  2.  Samuel's newest obsession is making these bead crafts

3.  Cutest baby

We finally went to the beach!!!  While it was fun, Miami has nothing on the gulf coast (which is our usual beach destination):).  

Not shown in these pics is the great time we are having with the college students here.  I have really enjoyed having our nanny Paige here so I could be more a part of the project.  I love our staff team and it has been fun to get to know them too!  Less than two weeks to go before we head back to Title Town:).