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;-)

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!

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. 

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!

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. 

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:-) 

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!