amaryllis by morning

our amaryllis is blooming! this one was transplanted from the house where gary grew up in anniston.

henry helped me water the flowers in the comfort of his bouncy seat

miracles are all around us

and they aren't really that hard to see. I know of two that we'd like to write about and for which we are very thankful . . .

1.) Carson Ridley Hess . . . many of you remember asking prayers last spring for Lauren Hess, our friend from college. A link to her blog is on our page. Carson was born at 1 pound 15 ounces. He recently celebrated his first birthday and Lauren put together a rather touching video to recap the events of the last year. You won't be able to make it through the video without shedding a tear and marveling at God's goodness, modern day medicine and technology, and the sheer strength and devotion of two loving parents. Carson is a miracle, and a very cute one at that.

2.) My father in law . . . June will mark the two year anniversary of my father in law's heart transplant. His health took a 180 after receiving his new heart. And, he is well aware of this miracle and is taking every advantage of making the most out of each day. He plays golf regularly, walks daily, participates in cycling and other exercise classes, lifts weights, and has made exercise a way of life. He recently returned from a five day hiking and camping excursion of the Appalachian trail. He provides motivation to many to be committed to staying fit and following a regular exercise routine. His vigor and commitment also leave one with little excuse for "putting off" or not making time for exercise and fitness.

think about your family and friends . . . and I would guess that miracles happen more often than we realize.

fairing well on friday

these pics are in reverse chronological order from yesterday . . . actually, they are in no order, nevermind.

bath time cuteness. this is the softest, snuggliest towel I've ever felt. it was a gift from our cousin, Gail Davis (another "Davis" . . . going back to Henry's namesake . . . Davis is my father's middle name and my paternal grandmother's maiden name). I think she purchased it at Three Sheets in Homewood-I would highly recommend it! A favorite!

oh my cheeks

Daddy Jim came to visit and brought H his very first baseball. He is working with Henry on holding it. Henry has a great grip once he gets a hold of something (especially hair and necklaces).
what a great picture!


ha! this picture makes me laugh


scared of the camera?
bobble head

first ball
Henry is over 14 pounds these days and doesn't miss a meal. He is getting longer and longer too. He is still a happy baby unless he's tired, hungry or needs to be changed. He is an excellent sleeper (is consistently sleeping 11 hours at night), for which we are extremely thankful, and he likes his routine/schedule. We credit this to being blessed with a laid back baby and to implementing the theories presented in the book, Babywise. For you new mothers and mothers to be, I would strongly recommend the book Babywise, by Gary Ezzo. It works . . . and not just on "laid back" babies, but on babies with all types of personalities. Thank you Shannon and Jeff!

Henry loves to be out and about; I guess he gets that from his parents. He is starting to grab and hang on to things if you put something close to his hands. Then he brings it right to his mouth. He has not been enjoying tummy time as much as he used to for some reason. He is showing no interest in rolling over, but can turn his hips as if he were about to, it's his shoulder he can't tuck under yet to complete the roll. He is smiling non-stop and now laughing a lot as well. He is quite ticklish! I know I sound like a broken record, but we just love him so. He is such an absolute joy. I never dreamed I would be so excited each and every day to do such routine "things" with him such as get him up in the mornings, feed him, play with him, rock him, hold him, you name it. And I know I can speak for Gary in saying he feels the exact same way. What an amazing journey.

catching up

we had a little girls night out over the weekend - tricia, nance, and em

Henry's favorite babysitter, Hope. Too cute! Let's hope Henry doesn't get any more frowny faces on his reports . . . some days he can be a little testy.
Mutt Strutt 2008 - H loved bouncing around in his stroller
and, yes, we took all four dogs and Henry to the Mutt Strutt 5k out at Keisel this past weekend. Gary walked three dogs, and I walked one and pushed the stroller. People looked at us like we were nuts (I guess they aren't really all that wrong . . . )

three months old!

our baby boy is three months old-where does the time go?! he is such a blessing and it is truly a privilege to be his mother. enjoy the video!

Lyrics to "Baby Mine" performed by Allison Krauss as used in the video:

Baby mine, don't you cry. Baby mine, dry your eyes.

Rest your head close to my heart, Never to part, Baby of mine.

Little one when you play, Don't you mind what they say.

Let those eyes sparkle and shine, Never a tear, Baby of mine.

If they knew sweet little you, They'd end up loving you too.

All those same people who scold you, What they'd give just for the right to hold you.

From your head down to your toes, You're not much, goodness knows.

But you're so precious to me, Sweet as can be, Baby of mine.

All of those people who scold you, what they'd give just for the right to hold you.

From your head down to your toes, You're not much, goodness knows.

But you're so precious to me, Sweet as can be, Baby of mine.

noise? I can make noise!

Henry discovered his voice this past weekend and is "talking" non stop the last couple of days. It is absolutely precious! We just can't get over how sweet and happy Henry is. We are so very thankful for this gift of life!

good times in Chattanooga

This past weekend we went to Chattanooga for Robbie and Emma's wedding. It was Henry's first vacation and he did wonderfully. We had a blast!

on Saturday we went to the aquarium

a leafy seadragon -what a wild creature!
gary petting a sturgeon

butterfly garden



blue hyacinth macaws

sea nettles
the penguin exhibit was a good one. they also had an exhibit featuring seahorses which was interesting as well.
Joel, Allison and Madeline went to the museum as well. Guess it wore them out!

Lunch with the Solomons and Allison's parents
how cute are they?!
Robbie and Emma at the reception. The wedding was beautiful-very simple and elegant. It was such a nice event!
Robbie and his mom
Papa and Henry

little guy on a BIG bed
he slept great in his pack and play - check out those cheeks. what does he hide in there?!
a few photos before getting H dressed for the wedding

happy boy!

Shelby's Big Day

this past Saturday we took Shelby to a herding clinic in Shorter, AL. the clinic was to test your animal's natural herding instincts and as well as to provide additional training for those animals already "working." shelby went into the pen about four times . . . she did pretty well on two of the four times. she has never seen sheep (that we know of) so it took a little time for her to realize they were there. once she saw some of the other well trained dogs herding the sheep, she was ready for another go at it. it was a lot of fun to see her reaction, behavior, and natural instincts. it was also very interesting to observe the other dogs that had undergone training-they are quite good at their jobs! there were border collies, australian shepherds, and heelers present. Shelby was the only sheltie. gary and I were really proud of our little one!

sheep are so cute! we never had sheep on our farm growing up, but we would definitely consider trying our hand at them once on the ponderosa.

the other dog in the pen is jasper; he belongs to the gentleman that was conducting the clinic. he was an old pro and very patient with the newbies.

henry wasn't all that interested in the day's activities. he was awake for some of it and looked around a bit, but mostly he snoozed.
shelby in action
go shelby!
one of the sheep stomped his hoof at shelby-as if to provoke her. it was hilarious!
rounding them up