Wednesday, December 31, 2014

5 Month Update

Happy 5 months, little love!

Practicing my yoga moves

All smiles!

Hands in mouth are the new norm.

I'm not eating my friend, what are you talking about??

Height/Weight: Using our bathroom scale she weighed in at 16.6 lbs! A healthy girl!

Clothes: Lots of 6-9 month and 9 month clothes. Though she did wear a 9 month jacket the other day and it left creases in her chunky little arms! Haha! 

Likes: Homegirl loves when people clap and celebrate her-I mean who wouldn't? ;) She also loves her daddy and gets so excited to see him! She also loves her daddy. As soon as he is around her face lights up!

Christmas Break snuggles with Daddy!

Dislikes: Not a huge fan of the Nose Frida, aka the booger sucker. She'll tolerate it at times, but mostly wriggles away as fast as her body will let her!

Milestones: She has found her feet! She loves to practice her yoga poses and grab her socks right off. She also seems to have figured out she has hands and can do fun things with them, like grab at her elephant on her play mat or bring things to her mouth. She started showing an interest in eating so she's tried a few foods at this point and loves it! She is definitely a Mobley with her appetite;-)

Monday, December 29, 2014

Christmas Crazy 2014

I love the hub hub and crazy of the Christmas season, and this year was certainly crazy-at one point there were four dogs running around my parents' house. We felt like the Bumpus family from A Christmas Story! But I'm jumping ahead of myself. . .

We started our celebration the weekend before Christmas with the Mobley side of the family. David's parents and brother were headed to Florida for the NC State Bitcoin Bowl Game (which they won! GO PACK!) so they wouldn't be around to celebrate Christmas Day. We had a great time relaxing and enjoying each other's company while also sneaking in a few round of Mexican Train Dominoes! It was the perfect way to kick start the celebrating and fun:-)

How many adults does it take to make a baby smile?

Figuring out this Christmas thing. . .

We then hung around and spent a few days relaxing and visiting with various friends before the big day. We usually spend the days surrounding Christmas traveling in every which direction (and there was definitely some of that!), but we made a point to wake up at our house Christmas morning so we could celebrate just the three of us. I don't know if it was the excitement of the special day or the prednisone insomnia kicking in, but I woke up at 2:30am on Christmas Day and despite all my best efforts could not fall back asleep! So you better believe I was jumping out of my skin with excitement waiting for David and Amelia Grace to wake up. Ironic that the baby slept most of the night, but the momma couldn't. . .


Well, hey there!

Family selfie waiting for Christmas Eve church to start

With some of her loot!

After we exchanged presents and got oodles of pictures of the bebita we hit the road to Winston Salem to see my branch of the family tree. With five kids (three of whom are married) it was a bit of a challenge to coordinate everyone's schedules, but we managed to get seven out of eight of us together for a couple hours! My brother, TJ, had duty at Camp Lejeune, but will be joining us for New Year's! After presents and visiting we snuck in a few rounds of the favorite family game, Catch Phrase, before turning in for the night. The celebrating continued with brunch the next day with more of our wonderful extended family.

FaceTiming with TJ at Camp Lejeune!

Things got cuckoo at times, but it was cuckoo in the best kind of way! We are so blessed to have so many people come around us with love and generosity in this beautiful season. Adding Amelia Grace to the mix this year made it that much more special and we can't wait for her to get even more involved next year!

Thursday, December 18, 2014

Crockpot Chicken Enchilada Soup

I recently stumbled upon the bare bones of this recipe and quickly tailored it to something we would enjoy. I love it because it's easy and the perfect meal for a chilly evening. David loves it because it fills him up with lots of different flavors. Next time you're looking for something to warm up a cold night try this yummy soup!

Ingredients
3 chicken breasts
2 yellow onions, diced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
3 tbsp garlic, minced
1 15-oz can of diced tomatoes
2 cups chicken stock
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp paprika


Directions
Place chicken in crockpot.
Add onion, pepper and garlic.
Por tomatoes and chicken stock over the top.
Sprinkle with chili powder, cumin, oregano, and paprika.
Cover and cook for 8 hours on low.
Shred chicken before serving.
Top with avocado, cheese, and/or sour cream.
Enjoy!

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Do Not Fear

I don't think it can be said enough times, but the She Reads Truth devotionals are always on point! We are currently walking through a series on Advent and today's focus on the angel coming to Joseph really spoke to my heart. 

Do not fear. 

Three simple words that speak volumes. The angel tells Joseph not to be afraid of the uncertainty coming soon. What a bold statement to follow in that time when Joseph had nothing but fear for the future. 

Do not fear.

This is something that I needed to be reminded of. It's been a while since I've posted about my kidneys because, honestly, I've been depressed about it all. About a month ago we learned my kidneys were not responding well (or at all) to the tapering process and my dosage needed to be upped significantly. Cue sinking heart. What would this mean for breastfeeding? What would this mean for the rest of my body? (Prednisone is not a medication you want to be on long term!) What would this mean for my future health? After much prayer and counsel from some very wise friends I accepted it as so and continued on with life. 

Fast forward to earlier this week when I started noticing some swelling and puffiness. Cue sinking heart. I knew what this meant-my body wasn't responding well to the prednisone. How could this be?? I'd always done well on it-what was going on?? After a series of labs and conferencing with the doctor we learned my kidney function continues to be normal (praise!) but I do have protein in my urine. In response, the doctor returned me to a higher dose of prednisone and I have labs in a few weeks to check on how I'm doing with that.

Do not fear.

This reminder came at the perfect time. I have been a hot mess of worry and fear when I really have nothing to be afraid of. God is constantly working in me and through me to glorify himself even if I don't see it now. Even if my kidneys want to act up-I have nothing to fear! God is doing HIS thing on HIS time. What a beautiful reminder for this stubborn girl. I pray that you remember this not just now as you read this full of joy in a holiday season, but also when you are beaten down and tired. 

Do not fear.


Thursday, December 11, 2014

My New Accessory

Some of y'all saw this on Facebook:


And since many of y'all contacted to offer help see what had happened I figured it would be easiest just to let everyone in on the fun at one time;-)

Sooooooo around two years ago my foot started hurting while I was running. I didn't think much of it and just bought new running shoes. Problem solved. At least the problem was solved for a bit. A few months later the same thing popped up so I bought new shows. Problem solved. Then a few months later. . . well, you get the just. I didn't think much of it and just assumed that was my body's way of letting me know I needed to amp up my shoe game.

A couple of months after Amelia Grace was born I laced up my running shoes and hit the treadmill again. Soon after my foot was in pain, so I followed the pattern and got new shoes. Only this time the pain never went away. It got to the point that I couldn't even walk without being in pain. Of all the beautimus shoes I owned the only ones seeing the light of day were my Sanita clogs and cowgirl boots because those were the only ones that offered some sort of support. I finally bit the bullet and made an appointment with our family doctor who took one look and sent me on my not-so-merry way to the podiatrist.

Fast forward a few weeks when my wonderful mother-in-law was available to sit with the princess and I was on my way to the doctor. They took some x-rays and he asked a few questions, but he said he knew what it was just my looking at my history. Apparentlyyyyyyyy I have some fancy pants thing that means two bones in my foot never really fused together (apparently this isn't that uncommon) coupled with an aggravated tendon. This is then made worse by the fact that my feet flattened some during pregnancy. He says he sees lots of new moms with foot issues. Bizarre, right? 

All that leads us to my latest accessory. I get to wear this fun little number until my next appointment at the end of January. I'm supposed to wear it all the time unless I'm driving, showering, or sleeping. After the next appointment I will be fitted for some super high-level orthotics that I will have to wear for a while. He says he thinks he can get me running again, but it may not be for a while. 

Those of you with needy wee ones know this is not ideal. Going up and down the stairs with Amelia Grace is pretty terrifying right now. And trying to carry her around in her car seat is quite the challenge! I'm hoping I get used to it quickly because it all makes me so nervous! 

I would definitely appreciate prayer in this season of change:-)

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Traditions

Just about every family has some sort of tradition. Whether it's to go to this person's house on Christmas Eve or to wait until all the kids are awake to go bounding down the stairs-there is some sort of custom that is followed. As we approach our first Christmas with a wee one we are much more aware of the traditions we want to keep!

One of our favorite traditions is the three gifts. David and I have always exchanged three gifts at Christmas. This helps remind us of the three gifts that were brought to baby Jesus, as well as to not go overboard on useless things! We give a "want", a "need", and something faith-based. Some times it's bigger things like a new coat that you "need" and sometimes it's new cookie sheets. Some years you "want" something to add to the garage gym and some years it's a movie. It's fun to see how things change every year! 

This is a tradition we want to keep up with Amelia Grace. Being the first bebita on both sides has some advantages and one of them is all the goodies! With that blessing we are able to focus on specific things she may "want" (as much as a baby can want that is!), "need", and show her Jesus. Between our house and that of our family's, I have a feeling this Christmas will be very good to her ;-)

Another tradition that is important to us is waking up at our house Christmas morning. I can't remember a time not waking up at our house and racing downstairs (after everyone was awake of course!) to see what Santa brought us. In fact this year will be a bittersweet because it's the first Christmas I won't be doing it at my parent's house will all my siblings, but instead we will be doing it at our house with our baby girl! I remember how much time and work my parents putting into setting up the presents and even creating obstacle courses to block us from getting downstairs too early, and I can't wait to do that for Amelia Grace! 

Something else that we started this year with our Community Group is participating in Operation Christmas Child. This is something David always did growing up and something we want to keep up with our kiddos. We want her to know that the Christmas season is not all about the presents, music, and treats, but instead about continuing to share the good news of Jesus Christ with all and that includes giving back at every opportunity!

And a tradition that I'm not too fond of, but the hubby loves-guessing gifts! I love the surprise of opening it and not knowing, but my beloved adores guessing the gifts. Anyone else do that??

I'd love to hear some Christmas traditions that you follow, or suggestions you have to add to our list! We right at the beginning so there's room for many more;-)

Helloooooooo, David Mobley!

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

4 Month Update!

Happy 4 months, little love!

Growing so big!

All smiles!

I'm gonna get you!

My what delicious hair you have. . .


Height/Weight: Amelia Grace officially weighs 15 lbs 10 oz and is in the 77th percentile for weight. She is 26 inches long and in the 96th percentile for height! Looks like she got some of her parents' height;-)

Clothes: Baby girl is wearing lots of 6 month and even some 9 month, though they are a little big. It's funny how different the sizes are based on the stores. She has 3-6m pants that fall right off, but 12m leggings from Target that are skin tight! 

Likes: She loves when her daddy sings to her-she'll "sing" back! She loves gnawing on her little fingers and has even brought my fingers to her mouth to chew on. Perhaps a little teething?

Dislikes: Not a fan of getting her arm stuck between her crib slats, but I guess that comes with the territory of scooting! 

Milestones: She is propping herself up on her elbows and scooting around some. It's more of a circular movement than forward, but it's still exciting! She's also sitting up really well in the Bumbo without any help. She giggled once a few weeks ago, but we haven't been able to catch her doing it since then. It was a full-on belly laugh!

Monday, December 1, 2014

Giving Thanks

Every year we have much to be thankful for, but this year has brought extra joy by the name of Amelia Grace. 



It's hard to believe this little turkey is 4 months old now (post coming soon!) and showing off every bit of her unique personality. We are not just thankful for our precious gift, but also for the family we get to share her with! Wednesday found us visiting the Mobleys and enjoying our first delicious meal of the year. We even managed to convince David's brother, John, to hold her! 

Thursday morning we woke up and headed to Winston Salem to see my family and chow down on another delicious meal. I think someone counted and we ended up with 20 people at my grandparent's house for our very last Thanksgiving there before they sell the house and move into something smaller. 


Both meals filled our tummies and our hearts. 

Monday, November 24, 2014

Panthers' Game 2014

I may be a week late on this post, but better late than never, right?? Last year my dad's company offered up a block of tickets to a Panthers game and he reserved six for us. We had so much fun we knew we had to do it again! This year we figured we'd strap the princess into the Ergo and make a big day of it. Sniffles and yucky weather intervened so my mom volunteered to stay back with the babe. A warm house with a gas fireplace and baby snuggles? I'm thinking Gigi didn't have such a bad gig after all ;-)

We got to our favorite lot nice and early so we could get a good parking spot for corn hole, Washers, and some grubbin'. I should probably preface this with the information that when my dad does something, he doesn't do it halfway. Go big or go home, you know what I'm sayin'? This was no exception. 

Daddy manning the spread. He even had a tablecloth for the table. I told you-go big or go home.

So much has changed since last year's game and I love it! 

 Officially sisters!

After we had way too much fun tailgating we headed into the game. What made this game extra special was the fact that they were celebrating the different branches of the armed forces. Part of the way through the game they brought a member of the Army's family out onto the field and had a message from him on the big screens. If that wasn't sweet enough the cameras then panned to the tunnel and out came the serviceman! I'm getting chills just thinking about it. The tears just started pouring. 

 View of the field from our seats.

Unfortunately the Panthers couldn't quite pull it off (the theme of this season) and they lost to the Falcons. It was a great day none the less.

On a random side note, as I was looking through some of the pictures of the day I ran across this one:


And instantly flashed back to this the year before:


It appears my dear sister, Abby, has some pretty sweet dance moves she saves specifically for the Panthers. If that's the case I think we need to hit up more games;-)

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Crockpot Chicken Enchilada Soup

These freezing temps have me craving warm soups that I can load with all sorts of toppings. Bonus points if it can be made in a crockpot! Below is a yummy find that I tweaked to fit our tastes:-)

Ingredients
1 1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 yellow onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
2 Tbsp minced garlic
1 15-oz. can diced tomatoes
2 cups chicken stock
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp paprika

Toppings
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
1 avocado, sliced

DirectionsAdd the chicken to the bottom of the crockpot. 
Add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic on top of the chicken. 
Pour the diced tomatoes and chicken stock over the top. 
Sprinkle with chili powder, cumin, oregano, paprika, salt, and pepper.
 Cover and cook on low heat for 8 hours. Shred the chicken before serving. 
Top with cilantro and avocado.
Enjoy!

Monday, November 17, 2014

Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing

Come, Thou fount of every blessing, Tune my heart to sing Thy grace.
– Robert Robinson

Y'all, this is my jam. I heard it for the first time when we attended Vintage and from the very first line it shook me up in a big way. In the seven or so years since then I have cranked it up on various occasions getting goosebumps every time. I sing this song to Amelia Grace on a daily basis so don't act surprised when her first words are "melodious sonnet". I'm telling you, this is my jam. So when She Reads Truth  (the daily devotional series that I ADORE) started a series on hymns I was overjoyed to see this one included. 

Singer and songwriter Ellie Holcomb brought great truth in her devotion. She reminded me how dangerous my life becomes when I am out of tune with God and wandering aimlessly. While I know this in the dark depths of my brain, it's something entirely different when I reconcile it with what's going on in my heart. 

Singing it to Amelia Grace has brought it all into a new light as well. Each day there is a certain verse that causes me to pause and catch my breath. 

tune my heart to sing thy grace; 

Streams of mercy, never ceasing, 
call for songs of loudest praise.

Jesus sought me when a stranger

Let thy goodness, like a fetter, 
bind my wandering heart to thee.

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, 
prone to leave the God I love; 

Spending time in the Word daily has done wonders for my soul, but immersing myself in worship music has taken it all to a new level. God put forth His one and only son for our sinful souls and He continues to seek us out, despite our wandering hearts. That is some big stuff right there. His mercy calls for continuous honor and praise, and I am so thankful to get to sing of His glory through this song. 

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Dedication Sunday

This past Sunday we had the true honor of dedicating Amelia Grace to the Lord. We were fortunate enough to have many of our family able to gather with us on this special day at Hope Church. How many? There were 25 of us on stage praying over that little girl. Yea, I think it's safe to say she is blessed:-) A few pictures from the big day:

 Four generations.

Amelia Grace wearing the same gown I wore on my baptism on her dedication day!

 Uncle Bird and Aunt Ashley

Aunt Mandy, Cousin William, and Aunt Abby

Hanging out with Gigi and Pop Pop!

Snuggling with her great-grandma, Oma

Hanging out with her great-grandma, Grammie

There are other pictures out there that I haven't gotten my hands on yet, but these are just a few to give you a glimpse of all the love surrounding AG on her big day!

Monday, November 10, 2014

It's a Day

Some days are not easy. Today is one of those days. It's a day when you're tripping over multiple piles of mess throughout the house. It's a day when the baby just won't sleep. It's a day when you wait over an hour to see the doctor while trying to calm the crying baby who just won't sleep. A day when the dog runs out the door and doesn't come when you call. It's a day when you have a full to-do list that you're just not going to complete. It's quite a day. 

It's also a day when you look around at your piles of mess and see just how truly blessed you are. It's a day when you have a healthy baby who's so overtired because there was a house full of people who love her and wanted to see her yesterday. It's a day when the doctor tells you things look good and she is pleased with how things are progressing. It's a day when the neighbor catches the dog and sends her back home which leads to a great conversation you wouldn't have had otherwise. It's a day when you can look at that to-do list and thank God you have the ability to complete day-to-day tasks.

Yes. It is quite a day. 


Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Baby Date

About a month or so ago I posted about a little get together I and with some of my old teaching friends. What made this even more special was the addition of all of our babies! The ladies had a couple teacher workdays last week so we took advantage of the down-time after school hours and had another baby date! It was so much fun to get together and not only catch up on our lives (isn't that what playdates are really all about anyway??;-) ), but to also see the babies really interacting!

They have all grown so much in such a short amount of time. You always hear how fast they grow, but you have no idea until it's your little doing the growing! We managed to snag a few pictures of them being precious:

Amelia Grace (3mo), Adah (7mo), Braylen (5mo), Cohen (6mo)
I just love every bit of this picture!

Amelia Grace was trying her darndest to hold her head up like her friends!
PS-Please not Braylen blending into the blanket, haha. 

A little blurry, but I still love. Thanks, Brittany!

I wish we could meet more often, but it makes the dates even more special:-) 



Monday, November 3, 2014

Obligatory Halloween Post

Another favorite part of Fall? Halloween, of course! As a kid, there were few things more fun than wandering around the neighborhood with your friends collecting loads of free candy from the neighbors. It's just as fun on the other side of things seeing all the kiddos in their fun costumes. This year we got to dress up our little nugget!

Before we knew if she was a boy or a girl we called her "Nugget". My dad saw this costume at Costco one day and grabbed it for her. I think it's save to say we have the cutest little chicken nugget around:-)

Her face in this one cracks me up every time!



Riding the struggle bus.

Batman and his sidekick, Chicken Little

We partnered up with our neighbors and passed out glow sticks and candy around a fire pit in the driveway. It was a fun night but I can't wait until we can take her trick-or-treating next year!

Friday, October 31, 2014

Pumpkin Carving

In case I haven't mentioned it enough, I love Fall. One of the sure signs of Fall is when you start seeing pumpkins popping up all around town. Gigi and Pop Pop (my parents) got Amelia Grace a mini pumpkin at the beginning of October, but it rotted in a few weeks. Why did it rot? Because our front porch gets direct sunlight all day. No pumpkin, plant, or flower is safe! Every Spring I try to plant flowers that the lovely people at Lowes assure me cannot be killed, yet every year they are dead in weeks. Too much sun. 

This year we waited until the very last minute to get our pumpkin. We decided to buy local and head over to our a cute farm stand near our house. We experienced bit of sticker shock when we saw that the medium pumpkins were $12.99 each! Maybe I'm a little naive, but that was pricey to me. The big ones were $35.99 each! After deciding that was too much for our budget we headed to Harris Teeter and got a pumpkin the size of the $35.99 ones for $4.99. They're local too, right? ;-)

David took the initiative on the design and carved it like a champ!

You mean you don't want a pumpkin UFO in your face?

She was less than enthused by this part. 

Amelia Grace enjoyed her job as spectator too!



Wednesday, October 29, 2014

3 Month Update!

Happy 3 months, little love!


Practicing her Heisman pose.

You want a knuckle sandwich?

My doll baby isn't very big anymore!


Height/Weight: Through my super scientific method of weighing myself holding her, then putting her down, then weighing myself I was able to determine she weighs about 14 pounds. My arm muscles are definitely feeling the weight of that!

Clothes: She is mainly wearing 3-6 months with some 6 month clothes. It's so heartbreaking packing up all her little clothes that she'll never wear again :-( But I am definitely glad she is healthy and growing!

Likes: Still loves her tummy time and now that her neck is stronger she picks her head up and swings it back and forth showing off-haha! She also loves when her daddy whistles to her. She is also a big fan of the baby in the mirror above her swing.

Dislikes: We are blessed that she is generally a happy baby! She is still not a fan of getting out of the bath, but who is? 

Milestones: She is cooing up a storm! She will also "talk" to her daddy every evening when he gets home from work. It is the sweetest.thing.ever. More purposeful smiling and giggles which melt our hearts.

Monday, October 27, 2014

A Blast From the Past

About a month ago I was going through my old Facebook messages and noticed that there is an "other" category. Yea, yea, yea, I know. Welcome to 2014, Lauren. Anywho, I saw that I had a message from some random person. I curiously clicked it to see what it was about and was shocked to see a picture of some of my stuff. Not just any stuff either, stuff from my past!

I read the message and learned that the woman found the stuff in an old dresser she and her daughter bought at Goodwill. The dresser was MY childhood dresser; the dresser that was in my room growing up. Turns out my parents donated the old clunker (this thing was insanely heavy) to Goodwill in an effort to declutter their house. Apparently they managed to crack open the painted top drawer and found a treasure trove of my old junk.



A few things they discovered:
A cord and instruction manual from my high school stereo system
A list of my favorite recipes my mom used to make
My high school license (hellooooooo over the top eyeliner)
An invitation to my high school graduation (class of 2006!)
A ticket stub from my senior prom
Some old class trinkets from Charleston, SC
A Brad Paisley concert ticket from 2005
A receipt for the final payment for a class trip to NYC
Some random pictures I hung onto from college
An empty bottle of Ralph Lauren's Lauren perfume
My very first pair of glasses!
 Scottish pup magnets from my grandparent's trip to Scotland 
Ironically enough they just returned from Scotland with a Scottish pup bib for AG!
Corsages from my junior and senior year proms
A marker thingy ma bobber for making the varsity swim team
Buttons, buttons, and more buttons!

How random are these things?? I love that the woman was kind enough to find me and let me know she had these trinkets. There are still good people out there :-)

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Asheville Adventures Part 2

Missed the first part? Find it here!

After we left Sky Top Orchard we started down the road to Asheville. There was a nasty wreck on the interstate so David took us down the scenic route and it was beautiful! I love me some North Carolina in the Fall.

Our first stop needed to include food and it being Asheville we knew it had to include some yummy beer too. This lead us to Wicked Weed Brewery where we chowed down on homemade chips and a turkey cranberry panini while we sipped some delicious beers. A pumpkin for this girl and a sour pumpkin for the hubs.


A must-try next time you are in Asheville.


Hanging out enjoying the beautiful day!


These signs were every where-love it!

Afterwards we headed down the road a bit to Hi-Wire Brewery. David tried a brown ale while I tried a flight of their most popular brews. 


A fun new brewery in an old gym.

Amelia Grace was having a blast chatting with her owl.



Daddy and baby girl checking out the options.

 Daisy had a hard time with all the activity. Her ADD kicked into high gear!

It was getting to be supper time so we made our way to my sister and her new husband's house. They lucked out and found a precious duplex with incredible views of the mountains surrounding them. Mandy made us a delicious supper and we all sat around and caught up before we devoured the apple pie we picked up from Sky Top. The boys headed outside for a fire while Mandy and I curled up inside and kept gabbing before heading to bed.

View from the front.

View from the back

The next morning we went back downtown to wander around a bit before we headed back home. It was a great trip even if it was brief and Amelia Grace was such a trooper despite being completely thrown off her schedule. I can't wait to head back again soon!

Two very tired girls after a whirlwind trip!