VA Heppdings 4th of July Visit

If you asked anyone who knows me well, they would tell you that my favorite part of living in Destin is having friends and family visit year round.  I absolutely love having a house full of company-as often and as many people as possible.  Phil certainly fills my love tank, but the love tank overfloweth when I have a house full of company.  I love that I can cook, clean, and play tour guide for my friends.  I enjoy that many of my friends come down often enough that they feel like they can just relax and have down time at our house.  Maybe I should have opened a bed and breakfast as a career. 

This summer, we had the best company ever - the VA Heppdings.  Phil's oldest brother, Fred, Heather (not only my SIL, but one of my closest friends), and their 3 kids-Will, Jackson, and Ava came for a week long visit.  They drove all the way from Forest VA, and it was constant fun and go from the moment they arrived.

We got to show off our fun little town by going to see fireworks at Harborwalk on their first night here.  No trip to our house would be complete without multiple trips to the beach.  The boys loved playing in the sand and riding the waves.  Will got to experience The Track and ride tons of exciting rides-all for free!  We also enjoyed yogurt, playing at the house, and enjoying the air conditioned house during the blistering hot summer afternoons.

The most fun part was watching Nolan and Ava play together.  They are exactly 1 month apart in age and play so well together.  There is a precious connection they share and they interact so well together.  They spent hours and hours playing on the living room floor together.  The cutest thing ever was putting them in the toy box, with just their diapers on and some 4th of July headbands, and snapping picture after picture of them.  See below.  They also splashed around in the bathtub together playing with their toys and getting clean.

After the house was quiet and the kids were asleep, Heather and I enjoyed SOOO many laughs and giggles over countless stories about our husbands.  We share so much in common.  She isn't only a sister, she is one of my nearest and dearest friends.  We always talk about trying to find a way to live closer to each other.  Our evenings were spent on the front porch blabbing about anything and everything or in the back room playing with the Cricut machine and scrapbooking. 

It was a sad day when they left, but we have November to look forward to, and many, many more visits after that.  We are starting to line them up-one after another.

VA Heppdings, we LOVE y'all so much!  Can't wait for y'all to come back, but next time, come in the Fall.

Summertime!

Some are wondering why I haven't posted in awhile and I have a great reason!  Nolan and I have been too busy enjoying the summer, and I have been trying to figure out what I am going to do now that I am a SAHM.  At first, I was a little taken back, but now I'm in love with the idea of staying home for a year.  Trusting God to provide, as I know He will, but in the meantime, I am going to soak up every second with Nolan. 

At 8 & 9 months old, Nolan has become quite inquisitive.  Here are just a few of the things you've done the past couple of months:

*Gone swimming (and gone all the way under water) a lot this summer.
*Cut your bottom teeth and getting your 2 top teeth.
*Taking your bath in mommy and daddy's tub.
*Eating lots of peas and pears.
*Opening drawers in the kitchen.
*Got dedicated at church in June.
*Tried mango for the first time.
*Started to have a little separation anxiety around 8 months, but it only last a few weeks.
*Had LOTS of summer company come visit and play with you.
*You are VERY social.  You love interacting with anyone and everyone.
*You started CRAWLING on July 4th, right before being 9 months old.

You are adorable, handsome, precious, and our little (or big) bundle of joy.  Nothing makes me happier than waking up to your smile everday.

Ging & Pop

Ging and Pop are so very young at heart and LOVE to play with Nolan. Ging got to come down to Destin for 5 days during Spring Break and spend lots of time loving on Nolan. Pop joined a few days later. They enjoyed walks around the block, lunch at the Hilton, and lots of toy & snuggle time at the house. We are so thankful that Ging & Pop are a part of Nolan's life. Besides spoiling him with clothes and toys, the best thing they give him is their love.

Enjoying an afternoon at the Hilton for lunch at Barefoots and dipping Nolan's feet in the pool.

Ging & Pop

7 Months and Loving Life!

You are our everything Mr. Nolan Douglass.  You take our breath away, bring endless smiles to our face, and entertain us in so many ways.  Not a day goes by where we don't thank God for you.  You are 7 months and full of life.  Here is what you are up to these days:

*Say dada.  Not so sure you know what it means, but you do know it is important.
*Learning the signs milk, more, mama, dada.
*Waving hello to people.
*Rolling over on your tummy in your sleep and will often stay that way.
*Have a new toy, Scout.  We play with him every morning.
*Finally went swimming for the first time, and loved it!
*Eating solids almost everyday.  Your newest tastes are sweet potatoes and pears mixed together.
*Have cut your 2 bottom teeth.
*Still prefer nursing over a bottle, but will willingly take either.
*Love when there are lots of people around.  The more the merrier with you, kiddo.
*Aren't showing any signs of crawling, but I know that won't last much longer.
*Still sleeping through the night (minus that week of craziness when you started cutting your bottom teeth).
*Can't get enough of peek-a-boo

You're growing too fast!  I want this to slow down.  Every month is bittersweet.  I love seeing you do new things, but I hate that it is going by too fast.  Hopefully, we will have a little brother or sister for you to play with soon.  Mommy and daddy pray everyday that the Lord will grant us the desires of our heart and add to our family of 3!  You will be a great big brother one day, Nolan.  But for now, we are thankful for YOU.

How can you not fall in love with this little man?  Daddy and I can't wait to watch him discover, grow, and learn.  Hopefully, though, it won't go too fast-one can wish, right? 

Sleeping Woes and Easter Fun!

I've been so busy the past few days! Mommy and daddy have had me all over the place. I must admit, I haven't been sleeping that well. Mommy and daddy thought it was because of my teething, but it is really because they had me in hotels, pack-n-plays, and really, I just wanted my own bed. See, I have gotten into this habit of spitting my passy out at night and daddy will come put it back in my mouth. I've been playing this game for about 1 1/2 weeks now. I overheard mommy talking to my Aunt Heather getting some tips and ideas about how to help me sleep through the night again. THEN, I heard mommy tell Ging that this game is now over. I had mommy fooled-she thought it was because of teething, but I was just playing games with them. But, I heard mommy say the game is over. She and daddy will check on me at night, but I have to relearn sleeping all by myself again. Aunt Heather warned mommy that this will probably happen again as I start pulling myself up in the bed. What the heck does that mean? I know mommy will be on the lookout. But I also know she loves me SO much and wants me to be a happy and healthy growing boy-and for that to happen, I know I must sleep well and obey (I don't know what that means yet, but I hear mommy say that word a lot) my parents. Gee, I love them. Now, onto the fun stuff. Here are some pictures from my Easter trip.


Daddy took some fancy pictures of me with my eggs.


I got to meet my cousin Gabe and Aunt Ally & Uncle Chris.


My first family Easter picture.


I got my first Easter basket and daddy help me play with my new toys.


Mommy & Aunt Heather love to be silly together.


I love playing with cousin Ava, we are only 1 month apart. I'm bigger, but she is older.


I love my family!

6 Months Old!

I can't believe it has been 6 months since Nolan entered our world. As everyone has warned me, it has gone by way too fast! In some respects, it seems like my maternity leave was another lifetime ago. However, I also find myself wondering, "how did Nolan already get to be 6 months?" It really has gone by in a blink of an eye.

At 6 months, I'm still nursing and pumping everyday. I'm growing very tired of the pumping. It is going to take a lot of willpower to continue pumping in the summer, but I think the pump is going in the garbage can on August 1st. We are definitely in our groove. I really appreciate routine and Nolan has jumped on board with the family routine.

Speaking of routine. We start everyday with our devotions, followed by work and tutoring. With no breaks in the day, I go from tutoring to getting dinner ready and moving towards spending the evening with Phil and Nolan. We don't do too much. Eat, play, bathe, and watched limited amounts of t.v. But there isn't a minute that Nolan is not being played with. Repeat Monday-Friday (afternoon). Sounds monotonous, but I love my life, my family, and my career.

As I begin to ease up on the nursing and pumping, I hope to devote those precious minutes to running. I'm ready to add about 3 runs a week to my "plate" but right now, I'm trying to find those minutes. Having purchased a jogging stroller should get me motivated!

Nolan, you are our (not so) little man and you bring joy and laughter to us everyday. At 6 months you:

*are sitting up.
*rolling over and pushing up.
*eating sweet potatoes and avocados.
*love being outside.
*sleeping about 9 hours a night.
*still have very dry skin and scratch your head all over.
*are learning the signs for more milk, please, and thank you.
*wearing 9-12 month clothing.
*love your new workbench and crawl ball toys.
*hate when we remove boogers from your nose and become quite wiggly while doing so.
*respond when you hear your name.
*will spend a lot of time in your jumperoo.
*are very unhappy when you have to ride in your car seat.
*sleep half swaddled from your waist down.
*go with the flow.
*are developing a distinct personality: laid back and very social
*are the apple of mommy and daddy's eyes.

Over and Over and Over!

That is what Nolan is up to these days. He rolls from his back to his tummy-over and over and over again. He stays there for a minute or so and then does one of two things: rolls back over to his back or starts crying because he wants someone to do the work for him. He, like most babies, have started this new little game: let me see how many times I can roll over and get mommy or daddy to roll me back over. Yes, I would say he likes this game. While he plays this never ending game, he will stay on his tummy for a few minutes and has learned to push up on his arms. Nowhere near crawling, but he is so cute to watch as he pushes up. I really enjoy grabbing one of his favorite toys and placing it just far enough away from him that he has no other choice but to roll over to get to it.





I am sure it won't be too long until my life goes upside down. The days of sitting and playing are going to be a thing in the past very soon. He continues to amaze me at every developmental stage, and while I don't want to wish the time by, I can't wait to see what tricks he has up his sleeves next.

We love you Nolan Douglass!

Milk Maker or Part-Time Job?

I would consider myself committed to my jobs. I teach full-time, take care of my precious little Nolan, and I tutor A LOT. But this is a job I will leave OFF my resume, but I'm quite proud of:





*If you're a mom, you are probably impressed.
*If you are anyone else you are probably wondering why these pictures are so important to me, so read on.

Initially, I was going to switch Nolan to formula when I went back to work, but these pictures prove otherwise. While I have no place to judge or tell people how they should feed their child, I felt strongly that my son should be able to be fed as naturally as possible-and since I have the goods to provide I started my new part-time job. Yes, pumping. I am very proud of this stash. I would guess it is about 600 ounces of milk. This doesn't include the other milk I pump that he eats the same day. To say I am worn out is an understatement. I cannot wait for the day I can throw my pump away. But I would have it no other way. Thankfully, Nolan will take breast or bottle (but he prefers nursing). While Nolan will never know what a labor of love this truly is, I know that a bond is being formed between he and I that will last a lifetime. Not to mention, he is building a strong immune system.

So you be the judge, milk maker or part-time job?

Having Fun With the New Camera!

We are totally in love with our new camera. We play with it like a child would play with their favorite toy. "Go grab the camera" has become a familiar sound in our house. And we can't think of anything better to takes pictures of than our sweet little Nolan. We really do have our own interests and hobbies, I promise. So much so, that I will devote a future post to it-and I will even include pictures to prove it. But for now, you'll just have to look at pictures of our favorite little subject:





Nolan grows to love his jumperoo more and more everyday. His happy squeals and screams get longer and louder. And has he gets taller, we'll be able to remove the pillow he still needs since his feet are about 2 inches from touching the floor. It never gets old watching him learn and explore.

Without a doubt, bath time continues to be his favorite time of the day. He loves the feel of the water dripping on him and he has certainly found his pee-pee. His first order of business when going in the tub, and only takes him about 10 seconds to do so (thanks to the feeling of the warm water hitting his body) is take a little pee, immediately followed by his little grin.







Well, it is a beautiful day...maybe I should wake Nolan up from his nap and get him outside to play with the camera again. We are going on a walk with our friend, Carter today.

A New Toy!!

We got a new toy today. And it is actually for Phil and me. However, Nolan IS the reason we got it and will be our main subject. I am so excited to learn how to use and play with my new:



We came home from Best Buy and immediately got it out of the casing and all set up. We've snapped a few pictures and I can honestly say, this is one gadget/gizmo manual I will ACTUALLY read. I promise.

Any tips you have for a novice? I really want to learn to take great pictures.

4 Years Ago Today....

Today, I am celebrating life with my two favorite men:


One year ago today, I was pregnant with Nolan and craving pasta!

Two years ago today, we were dealing with unpleasant job changes.

Three years ago today, we were enjoying our first anniversary as a married couple.

Four years ago today, I married my best friend, my partner, my protector, and my encourager. I love you Phil!! Happy Anniversary. Can't wait to see what the next sevearl years hold!

Totally Adorable at 5 Months Old

....And we will let the pictures speak for themselves.

Family Values

Phil and I agree that the sweetest part of our day is going in Nolan's room and waking him up. It is just adorable to watch him stretch and stir as he awakens to a brand new day. From there, we get him ready and the last thing we do before leaving for the day is feed him and do our family devotion. Watching and listening to daddy lead us in a devotion and prayer adds so much umph to the day. Over the past several months we have established these 4 core values that we want to teach our children:

1. Attentiveness - Yes, paying attention. I, myself, struggle with attentiveness and have to work on it daily (just ask Phil). Attentiveness must be intentional and at the forefront of the mind. We want to teach our children to be actively involved and engaged in what they are doing and in their surroundings. Besides, how else are the other values and skills taught without first having attentivness?

2. Respect - Pretty simple, but consistency is the key. Old fashioned values are being established in the Heppding household.

3. Obedience - This goes hand in hand with respect. We hope this will be a reflection of their heart and will be a result of consistency and teaching on our part.

4. A teachable spirit - We are not seeking for our kids to just easily learn new things (though that would be nice). But we hope their attitudes will reflect a willingness, joy, and excitement in learning and discovery.

So, these are our family values. What we want to teach our children. And what's the best way to teach these? Yes, by modeling them. I best be getting to work. I certainly know I have room to grow in all of these areas.

Above all, we want to our home to be a place our children feel safe and loved. They will be loved uncondtionally and will never have to earn our love. We pray for Nolan (and our future children) daily. Our prayer is that he will come to know the unconditional love and forgiveness of our Heavenly Father and that Nolan will one day walk with Him in a personal relationship.

We start and end our day with prayer for our family and for Nolan specfically. There is no great privelege then to be able to pray for the child God has given us.

5 Months Old & Full of Life

We have had such a fun and exciting few weeks. February was full of lots of play dates and traveling to Atlanta. My friend and colleague, Casi, came over for Liam and Nolan to play together. Ok, if truth be told, Casi and I ate lunch and went shopping, and the boys tagged along. Liam is 2 months older than Nolan and we plan on getting them together quite often to play and become great buddies. The picture below shows them hanging out together. We also met some great neighbors, Ben and Dawn, who have a 6 month old son, Carter. Carter and Nolan have already played several times together, and Dawn and I are becoming fast friends.



We made a trip to Atlanta over President's Day weekend to see our close friends David & Jenny Fancher, who welcomed their son, Samuel David, in to the world on February 4th. Samuel was born a couple of weeks early and was a wee 5 pounds. He is just adorable and we can't wait for him and Nolan to start playing together. I'm sure they will have lots of fun times on the beach in the coming years. Nolan will grow up knowing that "cousin" Samuel is a very special and close friend.



Jenny and I spent the afternoon going to lunch and getting pedicures while Phil and David stayed back with the babies. We both enjoyed the girl time, free of parental responsibilities. Jenny is a very close friend of mine and it has been so fun to watch us both encounter major life milestones simultaneously. I know our sons will grow up knowing each other very well. We are thankful for such great friends.

We had our first Valentine's Day as a family of 3. We didn't do anything too exciting, but just having Nolan was enough to make this the most special Valentine's Day ever. He is our bundle of love.












Nolan is 5 months today. The time is just FLYING by!! He is such a wonderful, loving, and fun baby. Nolan, here is what you have been doing lately:

*Have just recently been introduced to sweet potatoes and like them a lot.
*Enjoy sitting in your high chair.
*Do not like your car seat.
*Rolling over to your side and staying there.
*Love to play airplane.
*Blow raspberries out of your mouth ALL day long.
*Like to walk around the block with mommy and daddy.
*Wearing 6-9 months clothes.
*Love to "stand" on daddy's legs.
*Started to laugh.
*Play with your toys.
*So ALERT that everyone comments on it.
*Do not love your passie. You'd rather sit up and look around or suck on your fingers.

I'm about to get a new camera. It took me having a child to realize that a digital camera just doesn't cut it. I can't capture those adorable facial expressions because my darn camera takes forever to reset and by the time it is ready, the expression is long gone. So, I've gotten several recommendations and I hope the Best Buy guy is ready for me because I'm about to go in and play with lots of cameras and find the right one that I can go click, click, click and get a gazillion pictures at a second. Hopefully, I will take my interest in picture taking to a higher level-to more than just turning the camera on and pushing the click button.

Believe it or not, Phil and I do have responsibilities and hobbies we are currently pursuing that don't involve Nolan. I know it is hard to believe, but it is true. We are both in a bible study at our new church called "Empowering Parenting." We are enjoying the curriculum and the new friendships that are being formed. We try to go out with friends or with each other at least twice a month, and having the best babysitters across the street makes it pretty easy. Phil is really a pro a networking and is seen all around town at different public events. He is growing his business and loving his new career. While I enjoy teaching, I really LOVE the tutoring I do everyday. I'm toying with getting back into running, but I'm not sure how passionate I want to be since we ARE trying to get pregnant again. I haven't found much time for scrapbooking, but Nolan's first year WILL be done by his first birthday. But what I enjoy most is entertaining. We haven't had too many people down to visit yet this year, but then again, the season is just now starting, so we can't wait to have people in and out of our house this year.

So, if you read the above paragraph, you read that we are trying to get pregnant again. Some people think we are crazy for wanting to add to our family so quickly and to take time to enjoy Nolan while he is young. Well, he is so amazingly wonderful that he adds to our desire. We also want to have our kids close in age in hopes they will be close friends. I realize the consequences that come with having children so close in age, but we truly hope and believe that God's will is to add to our family very soon. So, would you please join us in praying that God will bless our family with another child soon (and hopefully without the complications we experienced the first go round)?

Well, I'm off to go cuddle on my little Nolan. Can't wait to post pictures with my new camera soon!