Andrew and I flew out to Alabama to visit family yesterday morning. We had a great flight and have already had so much fun with my family. “The cousins” have not been able to get enough of Andrew and follow him everywhere he goes. We grilled steaks, ate watermelon, played some Wii bowling and MarioKart and watched fireworks (or as my nephew Elijah would say “spiderworks”!)

On Thursday we went down to the Capitol and watched the practice performance for the Capitol Fourth. There were some great artist there like Huey Lewis and the News, Taylor Hicks and Jerry Lee Lewis to name a few. Andrew loved the music and crawling around everywhere. We met several of our friends there and had a picnic and enjoyed the perks of living the our Nation’s Capitol.

Here is a quick snapshot of Andrew and me at the concert:

This morning Andrew and I went to the NoVa Playgroup with our friends Jenn and David. We met at Hayes Park which is one of the best parks in our area. They have swings, slides, a sandbox, picnic tables and the best part is a water fountain that all of the kids can play in. Andrew had a blast crawling all around the water area, swinging, climbing through a tunnel and having a picnic with his friends. We love playgroup and will miss it in the fall when the boys come back to stay with us during the day.

Andrew crawling around the water area

Here I come!

Fun!

This is fun, Mommy!

I am not sure about this tunnel! Maybe I will make it.

Monday is David’s day off so we spent the day relaxing and hanging out. In the afternoon, we took Andrew for a walk and stopped by our neighborhood snow cone place. Andrew loved the snow cones and made cute little noises when he shared one with me. If he really likes something, he says “num num num!” It is really cute and it makes me feel good to hear.

Daddy and Andrew at Water Ice

A couple of weeks ago Andrew found my eyeliner while I was putting on my make-up. Here is a cute picture of him after the fact:

Today, Andrew and I met up with our friends Jenn and Nathan and went to our favorite park on the Hill. It has a cute little toddler playground with baby swings and a slide. The boys had a great time swinging and of course putting everything on the ground in their mouthes. After the park, we went to see David at his office. We visited with some of our friends there and then came home to prepare dinner. Tomorrow we are going to a small water park and I will try to take a few pictures of Andrew in the water.

Andrew loving the swing

Today Andrew and I met our friends David and Jenn at the Library for story-time. There were kids everywhere and I think Andrew was a little overwhelmed at first. He liked the music and he really listened to the stories. He loved getting to hang out with his friend David. He even gave him a few kisses and really wanted to love on him. I have a feeling that they will be great friends. I took at picture of Andrew in the library but I am having trouble figuring out how to get it off of my phone to post. I did find some pictures from the past few weeks.

Andrew and I on a walk one afternoon

“I love this pool! Let me go so that I can play with the other kids!!”

What a cutie!!

Out of the pool. Now it is time to warm-up like a burrito from Chipotle!

Father’s Day video chat with Andrew’s Grandma Joyce and Grandpa Grady

I can’t believe that my little man is 9 months old. It seems like we just brought him home from the hospital. Time flies! We don’t go to the doctor for his check up for another few weeks so I don’t know his weight/height. What I do know is that he is growing everyday. Yesterday he took two steps to me and he loves to stand on his own. He is really fast at crawling so if he really wants something, that is how he gets to it. We took him to the pool a couple of weeks ago and he loved the water. He thought that he was big enough to be out of my arms and playing with the other kids in the pool. If he takes after me, he will be a little swimming fish at a very early age. I love the water and hope that he always likes it too. He will attempt to eat anything that you put in front of him. His favorites right now are pasta, mac n cheese (of course), fruit cups, goldfish, Gerber puffs and pretty much anything that I am eating. He loves music and loves to dance. One of his favorite times of the day is when his daddy comes home from work. As soon as he sees him, his face lights up. It is incredibly sweet to see the bond that the two of them share.

Andrew and I are taking a trip to Alabama next Friday and we look forward to hanging with the fam for a week. He can’t wait to play with his cousins Mady and Elijah.

As a church, we are joining with thousands of Christians over the next few weeks and focusing on specific prayers. During this time, some have chosen to fast things in order to get closer to God. Since I stay at home and usually have my tv on ALL day, I have chosen to fast it during this series. It has been challenging but I already feel that God is working in my life and family. I have several prayers that I have been focusing on personally and globally. Today we were asked to pray for miracles. I challenge anyone who reads this to fast and pray for a miracle today. I have been in much prayer today for a family issue and I know in my spirit that God is going to answer it.

Happy Praying/Fasting!!!

I wanted to wish my Father, David and my Father-in-Law a very happy Father’s Day!! My dad has been a great influence in my life both spiritually and personally. He is a man of God and I know that I can always count on him for encouraging words and lots of prayer!! I have always admired his integrity and hope that I can be a small portion of who he is in Christ. Thanks for being a wonderful Father!! I love you!!!

Today is a very special day because I get to wish my Husband a Happy Father’s Day for the very first time. He has grown into a wonderful DaDa and I can really see how much Andrew adores him. I know that in the years to come, he will be a wonderful spiritual leader and show him how to live for Christ just as our fathers have shown us. I can truly see the love that he has for Andrew every time that he sets his eyes on him. I know that there is nothing like a Father’s love and I know that Andrew will grow to learn that as well. I can see them becoming best friends in the years to come and I look forward to watching them blossom together. I love you, baby!!! You are a great DaDa to our baby boy!

Grady, my Father-in-Law has become a huge part of my life. I am so thankful to have a second Godly Father in my life. I consider myself blessed to be a part of the Russell-family. Grady is also a great man of God and has raised his children with great love and admiration of Christ. Thanks so much for who you are not only to your children but to everyone else around you. I love you and Happy Father’s Day!
Happy Father’s Day to all Fathers who read this post!!!

Ok….so I never write quick updates on Andrew’s accomplishments but I thought that I would start. Andrew has been standing on his own for the past couple of weeks. Yesterday, while standing, he took his first step and fell. I was super excited and a huge smile came across his face. He is so smart! Today while I was feeding Nathan his lunch, Andrew said the one word all mommies want to hear. He said, “Mama”!!! Again, I got very excited and he just flashed a big grin on his face. I have been trying to get him to say it for weeks. Now we have to work on him repeating it!!! I love being a SAHM!!! (Stay At Home Mom, for those who may wonder!!!)

I apologize for the lack of blogging over the past month. I have definitely been too busy to sit down and write out my thoughts. Since my last blog, I have been watching an additional baby. Just call my home a daycare!!! It really has not been as difficult as I thought it was going to be. Of course there have been good days and bad days but I have survived. This week will mark my final week with Wesley, the new baby, and next week is Nathan’s last week with us for the summer. It will be nice for Andrew to have my undivided attention over the next couple of months. I look forward to taking him to tons of playgroups, outings and lunches with Daddy! He and I are even taking a trip to Alabama for the 4th of July to visit my family.

On to the important information, Andrew crawls everywhere, climbs everything and lifts up on whatever he can get his hands on. He will even stand by himself for about 30 seconds! He will eat anything that you give him (especially big-boy food) and loves his sippy cup. I imagine that he weighs 20+ pounds and already sits in a regular carseat whenever we ride in the car. In April he had two teeth push their way through and right now he has two more trying to come in. I was expecting a traumatic experience whenever teething hit, but he was just fine. He never even cried once. He is still a very happy baby and will give just about anyone a smile if they talk to him. He is definitely the sunshine to my day and fills my heart with more joy than I ever knew. David and I both feel extremely blessed to be his parents. Andrew also had a great time with his Grandma Joyce whenever she came to visit in May. We were all very sad that she had to leave us and go back to Orlando. David took some great photos while she was here.

Here are a few of the most recent pictures of Andrew:

This past weekend Jonathan, David’s brother, got married so we took a trip to Alabama. The wedding was beautiful and it was so wonderful to see family. On Thursday, my family met us in Douglasville, GA and we hung out for a while. David took some pictures of all of the cousins and then we headed to Birmingham. Whenever we pulled into the parking lot of the hotel, Grandma, Grandpa and Jon were there waiting to see Andrew (and us, but mainly Andrew). The next day we had a little birthday party for Cousin Chris at PF Changs and then hung out at the hotel until the rehearsal and dinner. Grandma Joyce always outdoes herself and found a beautiful little bed and breakfast to host dinner for the wedding party. Everything was wonderful until Andrew came down with a high fever. He had felt a little warm earlier in the day but it didn’t seem like it was bothering him. Whenever we got back to the hotel his temperature registered at 103. Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Keith and Aunt Jennifer along with David and I said a prayer of healing over our little man. His temperature tapered off but came back in the middle of the night. This pattern continued all day Saturday and unfortunately he didn’t feel well during the wedding. He had another rough night of not sleeping which made it difficult for David and me. We finally took him to the doctor in Atlanta on our way home and it turns out he had tonsillitis, pharyngitis and a cold. They gave him a shot of medicine and he started feeling better that afternoon. The doctor let me look at his throat and it was so red. I felt horrible for not taking him to get medicine before I did. I knew that something was wrong because he didn’t act like himself the entire trip. Thanks to God and the medicine, he is almost 100% now.

Andrew becomes more and more mobile everyday. He crawls around everywhere and gets into everything. At playgroup this morning, he kept crawling off the blanket at the park. He’s my little mover!!