Christmas 2010

I know, I know. Christmas...really...in March? Ha! Better late than never, right?

This was a really sweet Christmas for the House family, because it was our first with Tripp! Last year we announced to everyone at the family gathering that Tripp was on the way. This year, we had him with us to celebrate. I'm sure we aren't the only young parents who struggle to know how to spend time with your families at Christmas, start your own family traditions, and actually focus on Jesus as the center of your celebration. In retrospect, we both would say this was really hard for us and we learned some life lessons in the process.

Our major conclusions after all was said and done were:
1. We want to honor and celebrate Jesus every day, and especially during this season.
2. We want to be givers, not takers and use this season as a time to give more.
3. Traveling too much causes an incredible amount of stress. We have to make decisions based on what is best for our family, and then make decisions about spending time with the rest of our family. We really love being with our families, but if we are tired and stressed when we do it's not enjoyable for anyone.

We also started our first and only Christmas tradition this year. Before we left town to visit family we has a really small celebration at our house. I debated whether to make a traditional, big meal but we decided to keep it simple. We made homemade pizza (which is DT's favorite meal) and opened gifts together. From now on, Christmas Eve will consist of pizza and gift exchange between our family!

Here is our Christmas chronicled in pictures:

 Picking out our first Christmas tree together

 All decorated! I think next year we may have to switch to colored lights.

 He really loved looking at the tree. Next year I won't be able to keep him out of it!

 Macy Girl Dog all dressed up for Christmas

 Our stockings!

 This is how Macy felt about her Christmas collar. 

 Celebrating with my mom and grandmom, Ma-Ma.

 Good ole' Ma-Ma opening her gifts.

 Tripp and Grandma J.

 The gifts DT gave me...he was VERY proud of his wrapping. I think he did a fabulous job.

 Christmas socks from Bill & Oopsie Daisy.

 Dad's excited about Christmas morning. Look at the loot behind him!

 Tripp and Daddy out in the snow!!!

 Auntie K in her jammies with Tripp in the snow.

 Aunt Kathryn gave Tripp this AWESOME book for Christmas. We love it!

 Our pitiful family Christmas picture.

 The snow outside DT's parents' house. Isn't it beautiful?

 Snowman the Causby's & Keuhnert's built.

Tripp reading with Su-Su while everyone else played outside in the snow. Next year buddy!

6 months

Tripp -

You are six months old! SIX MONTHS OLD!!! Where has the time gone sweet boy? It is hard to believe that you have been with us for half a year.  It's been such a short time, but we can't imagine life without you.

You are a busy little man! We have been amazed at how much energy you already have. If your eyes are open, then your arms and legs are moving. You are determined to be mobile and watching that process unfold has been absolutely incredible. You are rolling over both ways, FINALLY! Boy were we ever so grateful for that development because it rewarded us with a full night's sleep again. Little did we know, however, that this would now become a very efficient mode of transportation. You are rolling all over the place! The sweet girls who keep you in the nursery at church call you their little roller. It's so funny to watch and it already hard to keep up with you. I can't imagine what you'll be like in just a few months. You are able to sit up on your own, but you don't really care to. You would rather be moving! You have figured out how to get up on your hands and knees and we know that it is only a matter of days before you are crawling all over the place.

Su-Su came and spent a week with us this month. She enjoyed spending so much time with you and she just couldn't get over what a happy baby you are. She is so right! You are so full of joy. Your daddy loves to come and get you out of your crib in the morning because of the huge smile and joyful noises you make when you see him. You love to smile and you love to laugh. You also love to talk! It's funny to watch you talk to your toys while you are playing. I wish I could know what is going on in that little brain of yours. You make the funniest noises. You especially love to blow bubbles, sometimes doing it literally for hours on end. You really enjoying when someone reads to you and you love to look at the pictures in the books. It's so sweet and we hope you keep that love for reading!

You are an awesome eater! You love your solid foods and are beginning to prefer them over your milk. I can tell you are really growing by how much you eat! I wonder if that is a boy thing or just a you thing? Either way, you have a big appetite. I have enjoyed watching your expressions as you try new things. Your faces are priceless, and it doesn't take much guesswork to figure out how you feel. We love that about you and hope it never changes.

You had your first real cold this month. Although you were pretty pitiful, I think it was worse on your poor Mama. I think God has many lessons for me to learn through caring for a sick baby. I was a mess for the first few days you were sick!

Each day it seems our relational connection with you grows stronger. We both really enjoy spending time with you, both individually and as a family. You love to touch our faces, grab our lips and noses and smile, smile, smile. When I rock you at night before you go to bed you curl your arm around my neck and play with my hair. It's one of those sweet things about you that I never want to be erased from my memory. I know those little moments won't last for long so I am drinking in every one of them as they come.

You are such a gift to us precious boy. We thank our Heavenly Father, who is the giver of all good things, for blessing us with you. Don't grow up too fast baby!

You are so loved -
Daddy & Mama

Loving on Macy for the first time...she has met her match!

The face says is all!

My two handsome fellas enjoying some book time together! Such a sweet picture.

You finally learned to sleep on your back...and we found you like this!

Pitiful baby with a cold...isn't that enough to make you want to cry???

Playing with your favorite toy, the chubby lion.

november 2010

I know this is literally MONTHS late, but hey, better late than never, right? November was another fun month of traveling for our family. I'm going to use a lot less words and a lot more pictures to record our adventures from the month.

Family Photos:
The first fun thing we did was take some family pictures with a good friend from our church, Shannon Simoneau. She did a great job! We took them at a horse farm up in Durham and the setting suited our family perfectly. Here are a few of my favorites.

 Could this baby be any stinkin' cuter???

 Love this picture of our shoes...so creative!

 We used this one for our Christmas Card picture and lots of Christmas gifts!

I just had to include this one not because it is a good picture, but because it is such an accurate description of our family...dog included. Ha!

Bender Wedding:

The next weekend in November we got to celebrate the wedding of our friends Bryan & Betsy. Betsy is one of my favorite people in the world. She is like a younger sister to me and I feel like we have truly grown up in the Lord together. It was such a blessing to be a part of her big day. I am so sad to say that I took NO pictures from her wedding...boo! I am trying hard to be better about taking pictures of the things we do. It helps having some motivation from the cutest little man ever. I did find this funny picture of me and DT dancing during "Footloose" at the reception. Sorry for no pictures...but Betsy if you're reading this, it just means I spent so much time loving on you I didn't have time for pictures!!!

Thanksgiving:
We spent a wonderful Thanksgiving in Greenville, NC. It was special to be able to celebrate Tripp's first Turkey Day with DT's godparents. Bill and Sandra (also know as Oopsie Daisy) have been like grandparents to DT, so it was really fun to spend this occasion celebrating with them. Oopsie Daisy cooked an incredible meal for us and we spent two full days just eating and relaxing! We are truly thankful for them and for the many blessing God's has showered on us this year! We also we able to spend some time visiting with DT's Aunt Anne. She lives in Bethel, NC, where DT's father was from. This is the small town where DT spent the first few years of his life, so it's always a treat to go there and learn more about my hubby! We had a nice visit with Aunt Anne and she was so tickled to meet Tripp. I did thankfully get a few good pictures from the weekend!

 The most handsome man on the planet :) 

 Can't you tell how excited he was that we were so thankful for him?

 Our sweet, sweet godparents.

 Tripp and Aunt Anne

Tripp, Aunt Anne and DT. 

So thankful to get this one on the books! I'm on a roll folks and I'll be back soon!

playtime

I am having a ball watching our sweet boy actually start playing. Every day is like a new adventure watching him learn new things. I wish I could experience the world through his eyes for a moment. To learn how your hands work, how your fingers work, that you can actually hold things and maneuver them with your hands. Tripp gets so excited when he masters a new skill and he just does it over and over and over again. It's so fun. He relates to the world in true "awe and wonder." DT and I have been watching a parenting DVD series that talks about creating "awe and wonder" for your children so that they see and worship God in everything around them. Tripp is creating awe and wonder for me!!! I am learning to see the Lord in so many things that I normally don't take the time to look for Him. I pray we can begin seeing with wondrous eyes so that we can show Tripp the Lord faithfully. I've taken some really cute pictures that last couple months of him "playing" so I thought I would put them up for everyone to see. Enjoy!

 Feet! He's discovered he can get them all the way to his mouth!

 And he's proud of it!

 The exersaucer has been a source of fun too...and a great occupier of time!

 Could you be any cuter...pretty please???

 Just rolling around on the floor with his soft toys is his favorite thing to do.

 A budding friendship between Tripp and Macy Girl Dog.

 And the "plank"...not sure I'm ready for what comes next!!!

I'm hoping to be better about posting! Thanks for your patience with me.

 

months 4 & 5

 Dear Tripp -

It is so hard to believe how fast you are growing and changing. These last two months have been fast and busy for our family, and you are really learning how to hang with us on our crazy adventures. So many times I have wished that I could stop the clock so I can enjoy the things you are doing on that day. Each day seems to bring so much change that my heart has a difficult time keeping up with you!

Your daddy and I could not be more proud of you. You keep us smiling and bring so much light and joy to our lives and to so many other people as well. You are such a happy baby. When you smile your whole face exudes joy. You have begun laughing and we just love it when you do. It starts way down in your belly and makes your whole body shake! Your sweet eyes are so expressive. I think you will have a difficult time trying to hide how you feel as you get older. We are so thankful already for the passion you show for life!

We have been busy this month traveling for weddings, Thanksgiving and Christmas. We've been amazed at how you've transformed into a fabulous traveler. You have learned to sleep well in your car seat which makes all the difference in the world. Our riding arrangements when we travel are quite humorous, however. Our big girl dog, Macy, loves you so much that we still don't trust her to sit by your in the backseat of the car. So, Mom rides in the backseat with you, while Macy, the queen dog, rides shotgun with Daddy! I think we will laugh at this in years to come! All of your family just adored you when we visited for the holidays. No one could get enough of your sweet smiles!

It's incredible how much you've grown since you were born. At your four month appointment you had doubled your birth weight and grown almost 5 inches longer! You weigh even more now. You are developing so many skills as well. You can easily support yourself on your elbows during tummy time. Your muscle control in your neck is so strong and you support your head well now with no help at all. You are very active and busy. If your eyes are open then you are moving! You have mastered rolling from your tummy to your back. It's an exciting development, but has cost Mom and Dad lots of sleep because you turn yourself over in the middle of the night and cry because you can't get back. Just yesterday you flipped yourself back over for the first time. We will be doing lots of exercising so you can master that skill!

Your little hands move constantly. You explore everything with them. You grab anything that touches your hands, especially fun things like Mommy's hair and glasses! You have fallen in love with your toys. That is so fun to watch you enjoy them. You love any of them that make noise or light up. Your crinkly book and crawl ball are your favorites. You take your pacifier in and out of your mouth now, but I'm not sure that it's on purpose because sometimes it makes you upset! You love to play! Even if you don't have a toy you will wiggle and squirm, kicking your legs with as much force as you can. It's so fun to watch you. We can already tell you are going to be one active little booger.

We are so enjoying watching your personality develop. Each month we feel like we know you a little better than the month before. You are still very independent. You enjoy people, but would prefer someone lay beside you to play with you rather than hold you. You communicate so much verbally, and we can't wait until you can put words to all those noises! Your determination is incredible. Once you set your mind on something you give everything you have to doing it, whether it's rolling over or reaching a toy. I wonder often how God will use that trait as He writes the story of your life. You are so aware of things going on around you, sometimes so much that it's hard for you to even concentrate while you're eating. Not much gets by you! You love to interact with people. Anyone who speaks to you, you talk back to or give one of your gracious smiles. We think you will certainly be a people person.

Tripp, you truly make being parents so rewarding and fun. Each month we are able to see more why God chose to bring you into our family. We feel so privileged to have the opportunity to love you and raise you. I pray God teaches us more and more how to be good stewards of your precious little life. We love you so much. Your daddy and I pray over you for your salvation often. I pray each day that you will never wonder if or how much you are loved by God and by your parents. You are so precious to us. We cherish we day with you sweet boy!

Love,
Daddy & Momma

oh the places you go, october 2010

This fall we have been on more road trips than we ever have, which is just crazy since we have a newborn! Ha! Some days I worry that this sweet child is not going to know where his actual home is but I trust the Lord knew what He was doing when He chose our family for this precious little one. It's actually been incredible to see how Tripp has adjusted to life on the road so well...he gets that from his daddy. :)

Family:

We began our journey heading down to Conway, SC so that Tripp could meet my family. I sadly don't have many pictures from our time there but I did get a few with my mom and grandma. I am so thankful that my grandma (who I call Ma-Ma) got to meet my baby. She has not been doing well for the last year and may not make it through this next year, but I know it was a true highlight in her life to meet her first great-grandchild. I think I will treasure this sweet picture and will love showing Tripp one day how he met my grandmother. Tripp is just 7 weeks old in these pictures.

 

Wedding:

The next leg of our journey took us to Greenville, SC for the wedding of a dear friend. Ashley is a precious girl that I met when she was a freshman and I was a senior at the College of Charleston. I later had the privilege of discipling her when I was on staff with Campus Outreach at the C of C. This weekend was really fun because we got to see so many friends, most of whom had not yet met Tripp.  We also got to see DT's cousin, Hannah, who is in school at Furman University. And to top it off Tripp started giving us full-fledged SMILES. Could you not just eat him up???

Hannah and her friend, Jordan

 some of our favorite friends

 

 our only family photo. as you can see, tripp was the life of the party

 

celebrating ashley's last single-lady night, cowgirl style

me with the cowgirl bride

Halloween :)

I am not the biggest fan of Halloween, but I sure do love an occasion to dress up. And how fun that this year we have the cutest little pumpkin in the patch??? This pumpkin outfit was literally the first thing we owned for Tripp. DT's mom, Su-Su, found it in January last year on clearance at Stein Mart and it was the perfect size. Since you can't really take an infant trick-or-treating (we all know that would really be just building up a candy stash for Mom and Dad, ha!) I took Tripp with me to help me throw my friend Betsy's bridal shower. He was a huge help, or at least he provided lots of entertainment for all the fun college girls there.

...and this was only the beginning of our crazy traveling adventures....