Smith would like to introduce you to his new friend, Emma Sutton Beamer. Sutton was born on Thursday in Columbia, South Carolina to her sweet parents Emily and Shane Beamer. Mom and baby...(and daddy) are doing well and came home from the hospital today. Smith cannot wait to meet her! I know they are going to be the best of friends!

happy birthday, Pop!

Reed's dad celebrated his birthday on Friday and we just wanted to say "Happy Birthday, Pop!"

Mr. Steve is one of my favorite people and I am so thankful to have such a wonderful father-in-law. He is also a great dad and a fabulous grandfather!

S is for SUPER FAN!Mr. Steve is a very proud father and one of Reed's biggest supporters. He loves MSU sports and never misses a game!

T is for TALKER! This man can talk. I never thought that I would meet someone that could out-talk me! (Who can out-talk who is still under debate.) We can talk forever about just about anything....and he and Reed talk on the phone several times a day.

E is for ENERGY! I won't reveal how many candles are on his birthday cake this year, but this guy has a lot of energy for a ....well, he just has a lot of energy! He is full of life and lots of fun!

V is for VALUES! He is also someone who values his faith and his family more than anything. He raised two wonderful sons with big hearts and strong will. He believes in the power for prayer and glorifies the Lord in all things.E is for EXCITED! He is so excited to be a grandfather! He can't wait to take Smith to football and baseball games. He is going to be a great Pop and I know Smith will love spending time with him!

Happy Birthday! We hope it was GREAT!

a wake up call....literally.

Smith is a month old now and he is such a sweet baby. He is doing really well and has been such a blessing. Thursday night we had a really rough night. Smith was having a tummy ache and was very uncomfortable. As his mother, I felt that I should know just what to do to comfort him. I wanted him to feel better...AND I wanted to go to sleep.
Reed and I know that we are very lucky that Smith has only had 2 restless nights in his first month of life, but I felt so helpless and nothing I did seemed to comfort him. We rocked, we put Smith in his swing, we tried it all. He was just so uncomfortable that he could not sleep. So finally, as a last resort... at 3:30 am Reed put him in his car seat, stuck it in the stroller and strolled him around the living room! He fell fast asleep, so we just rolled the stroller into our room, and Smith slept soundly for about an hour and a half right next to our bed...in the stroller! What ever works, huh? Unfortunately, I had to get up and go to the store that morning. After less than 2 hours of sleep I was dreading this day and everything about it. My body and my mind were tired. The feeling of exhaustion was overwhelming and I was not sure I could make it through the day....

But then I got a great wake up call. I opened my devotional and began to read. The verse at the top of the page read: "Oh how sweet the light of day, and how wonderful to live in the sunshine! Even if you live a long time, don't take a single day for granted. Take delight in each light-filled hour." -Ecclesiastes 11:7-8 It was just what I needed. A simple reminder that by God's boundless grace, He has given me another day to live and another day to love this sweet child. I am so thankful for this gift and I will "delight in every light-filled hour" and glorify Him in all I do.

save the date...

The BIG BAG SALE is BACK and you do NOT want to miss this! Our first BIG BAG SALE in February was a HUGE success and we hope you will join us for the fun! Anything you can fit in your brown paper bag is $20..choose from around 5,000 items including designer jeans, blouses, tanks, shoes, purses, cocktail dresses and so much more!
(Because of the enthusiastic crowd, we recommend that you arrive at least an hour before the sale begins to ensure the best selection!)

Has anyone seen the boppy? Lovin' the paci..

Smith had his first doctor's appointment this week. He did really well and the doctor said he looked great!

its RED....today at least

Whether or not Smith is going to have have RED hair has been a big mystery! It really looks like it is light brown in person, but I took these pictures of him today and it is SO red! There is no question that he is a redhead in these pics, so I guess as he grows and changes, we will just have to wait and see!

Smith is 2 and a half weeks old and he is already getting so big and changing so much. It is crazy that it is still SIX more days until his due date! You cannot image how thankful I am that I am sitting here watching him sleep and NOT still trying to figure out how in the world my feet got so big! I was so ready for him to be here and I truly had no idea what to expect. He is so sweet and he has already been such a blessing to me and Reed. I have learned a valuable lesson in the past 2 weeks. I have spent the past few months preparing for Smith to arrive. We painted and decorated his nursery, were showered with gifts by our family and friends, washed clothes, read books to gain knowledge about caring for him, took child birth and breastfeeding classes and much more. But in the past 17 days I have realized that there is NO WAY you can prepare yourself to be a mom. I mean this in every way possible. I must admit that being a mom is very challenging. But as I look back on this whole experience... my pregnancy, the labor, the delivery, and the precious little boy that Lord has blessed us with, I consider being a mom the greatest accomplishment of my life. Ever since I was a little girl, all I wanted to be when I grew up was a "Mama." Being someone's "Mama" is the best thing in the world! What an incredible blessing. What an incredible gift. Knowing that the Lord has blessed me and Reed with this beautiful child and that He trusts us to love him is an indescribable feeling. "Seriously....stop taking my picture!"