more babies and a fun weekend

congrats to megann and david on the birth of Catherine Ellis Cain, born last night, 7 lbs 12 ozs, 20 inches long. exciting! this past week FOUR babies on the "expecting" list at the bottom right corner of our blog have been born. wild!

Catching up from last weekend ... it was a fun one! Last Friday we headed up to Birmingham and made several stops (I only have a few pics though). First we saw my grandmother. Then we went by my Bham office and saw the crew up there. Then we had lunch with Gary's mom. Then we headed to Allison's for a visit. That night a group of us celebrated Allison's birthday at Iguana Grill. Saturday morning Allison and I went to visit Jessica in the hospital. After that we all went to celebrate Tram's first birthday. Then we headed back to Auburn where the

busy-ness continued but will spare you the rest. It was so nice to see everyone!
happy birthday Tram!

sweet Madeline and H

reading to maddie and henry playing the piano

L-R: Allison/Maddie, Tricia/Cole, Catherine, Megann (a few days before the baby arrived!), & Jen

henry giving madeline smoochie kisses. his newest sweet thing.

playing in the hello kitty tent.

ah ... story time with Gary. not sure which Vaughan boy loves Madeline the most - Gary or Henry!

here's to those that encourage us

my friends joy and heather always write such meaningful, uplifting and thought provoking posts. after reading their posts, I always come away with a new perspective and time for reflection.

I tend to steer clear of these types of posts for the most part; I've had a few, but I rarely feel as though I can successfully relate the Biblical thoughts, sentiments, and prayers that I might be experiencing. why is this? I think it goes back to how my faith and walk with God have changed throughout my life. for a long time I held a narrow and lacking in understanding viewpoint of what it truly means to be a Christian. don't get me wrong, I don't have it all figured out yet by any means, but I am eagerly learning! then, for a time I drifted far away from study, faith and all things Biblical. I don't feel as though I ever completely lost my faith, but I definitely put it on the back burner and did not try to be an imitator of Christ. since then I have been rediscovering and redefining my walk with God ... and my attitude and heart have changed. part of this was a result of turning away from some things and some people that were distracting me; part of this was turning TO the points and people in my life that were more important; part of this was being given the incredibly amazing responsibility and charge of raising a child that loves and serves the Lord; part of this was seeing family members and close friends struggle with health and personal trials; and the list goes on ...

I say all of this because I felt as though if I publicly shared certain sentiments, discoveries, and lessons from Scripture, that I wasn't "qualified" from a knowledge and experience perspective, to have an opinion on such matters. Some time ago, I also had the erroneously cynical and judgemental thought about people's motives for publicly sharing such things. However, as time has passed, I have come to realize that whatever Biblical experiences are written on a blog, whatever words of faith are shared by a celebrity, whatever letter is received by an organization, and so forth, we are to always view these in a positive light. For I am no judge of any person's heart. And, how encouraging it is to read something that is joyful, meaningful, and hopefully shares the goodness and grace of Christ rather than another news story about crime, abuse, greed, and poor decisions?

So, as I attempt to find God's purpose and love in each small daily event and experience, I pray that I keep Galatians 5:22 close to my heart and my lips, so that my actions and thoughts represent the fruits of the Spirit ... love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. And I pray that for every person that might read this post and roll his/her eyes and maybe even think "what a long and rambling post!" there will be another who might find encouragement in thinking about the fruits of the spirit and how those fruits are so wonderful! And, when I find myself struggling with clothing myself in any of these, I can turn to Him and ask for His help ... for this is what He intended. Not for us to do this alone, but only with and through Him. And when I fall short in this effort which I most certainly will each day, I know that it doesn't matter how much Biblical knowledge I possess, how many times I ask for help, and what my "old" state of mind was, He is unchanging and His love for us endures forever.

so here's to joy and heather, who have unknowingly helped me get out of my "comfort zone" and realize that sharing God's love, in word or action, can never be "uncomfortable" in God's eyes. you are both such great encouragers!

babies babies everywhere!

Update on Jessica-she had the baby yesterday. Cotton was 4 lbs 3 ozs, 17.5 inches long and both mother and baby are doing great so far! He's able to breathe on his own and is doing well.

Congratulations to Andren, Lauren & Carson-Brooks Phillips Hess was born on April 11th, 7 lbs, 18 3/4 inches long! He shares the same birth time as his brothers, how special! All are doing great.

Also, Janelle had some news over the weekend ... baby Willow was born Saturday morning and was 7 lbs 4 ozs, 20 inches long. Both are doing well!

Lastly, Embree's baby girl (Kealy) is trying to make an early arrival. She is due at the end of May and is at home on full bedrest. She is having lots of contractions and is on the pump to slow down/stop these contractions. Hopefully Kealy will stay put a little while longer. Hang in there Em!

Not surprisingly there is a full moon this week ... :)

prayers for the Murphy family

please keep one of my college roommates and friends and her family in your prayers - Jessica (Jenkins) Murphy. Jessica is about to deliver her second child, a fighter of a little boy to be named Cotton. At 20 weeks she was diagnosed with Crohn's disease. She spent months in the hospital and has had an extremely trying pregnancy. A couple of weeks ago they found out her husband has cancer, that which they are hopeful can be treated and removed by radiation. She also has a 16 month old boy, William, who seems to be handling everything really well. This past Thursday her water broke; she's around 34 weeks. She went back into the hospital and is waiting to deliver the baby any day now-they are wanting him to stay put as long as her fluid levels are sufficient. So far the baby is doing just fine, but it is truly a miracle after everything she has gone through with the Crohn's. Allison and I went to see her this past weekend and she and her husband Murphy have the best and most positive attitude. It was very touching to hear her tell of her trials with a smile and high hopes.

Hang in there Jessica! Many people are praying and thinking of you.

JLLC Art Walk/Run for Children-Saturday, April 11th

This coming Saturday the Junior League of Lee County is hosting a 1.5 mile walk/5k run to benefit the various children's organizations we support within Lee County. Registration starts at 8:30am, timed run at 9:15am and the walk at 9:30am. We will have inflatables for children, live music, Chick Fil A biscuits along with other tasty treats, and all participants have free admission to the museum after the event. It will be a great way to get some exercise, spend time with friends and family, and enjoy the nice (hopefully) weather. So if you haven't signed up yet, come on out! You can download registration forms at www.auburnrunning.org or www.leecountyjuniorleague.com

I am chairing this event and I am hopeful that we reach our fundraising goal . . . we are close, but we need your help. I am thrilled to say we have 350 pre-registrants! We hope to see you this Saturday, April 11th, at the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art. Thanks!

someone help my mum dress me ... please

H: I mean really, mum, what am I wearing? I've got chicks on my outfit!

H: Mum, the man at Sam's Club told me I look like I just got out of a "tiny jail." That's what the man actually said. Unbelievable.

happy birthday dad!

today is my dad's birthday ... he is one crazy but wonderful person. if you haven't met him, you are missing out. he is a devoted husband to my mother, a loving father to we four Edmondson children, and a doting and involved grandfather to all six grandchildren. most importantly, he is a strong and faithful Christian and is always hoping to share his enthusiasm and love for God.

happy birthday dad!

we love you.

also, congrats to Doug and Nancy who found out they are having a little girl! exciting!

14.5 months and cuteness all around

henry was finally able to have his 12 month shots today (this is because we have had to reschedule them a couple of times because of him being too sick to get shots). other than screaming his head off whenever the nurse and doctor just entered the room, he was great. he is healthy and we are grateful. he weighed a little over 23 pounds and was 31 inches tall, which puts him in the 50th percentile for each at his current age.

at the baseball game last weekend. thanks to cousin jake for this hat!
henry LOVES aubie - he kept pointing and talking to him.

before church

these were too funny not to post. I laid him down for a second to turn on his signing video and spaced out ... he stayed laid out like this for a good several minutes until I picked him up. he was so still and relaxed-funny stuff.

bath time - not sure what all the "hailing" is about

you may remember an earlier post stating I loved these cowboy jommers. well, they are still my all time favorite. I wish I had bought a pair in every size from now until he turns 8 or 9 or 10.

question of the day is still "is he walking yet?" answer is: not yet. he is close though. he can walk pretty well now when holding your hand on holding on to something, but he is still cautious about taking steps on his own.

this sweet face makes our day, every day!

a steering wheel for mr.h

from late last week-a lovely day visiting dad at work, checking out the library, and going to the park. henry's favorite "play area" is this steering wheel contraption.

this is what happens when you take him away from it.

asheville, north carolina

last sunday-wednesday we celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary (a month early) in asheville, nc. after 14 months of grandparents asking us to keep henry overnight, we finally caved and ended up leaving henry at home with my parents and gary's mom (they split the time). it was a very romantic and enjoyable vacation ... it was so nice to spend the time together and be on our "own" schedules so to speak. but, we also really missed henry and couldn't wait to see him by the time we returned home.

on the way up we stopped in greenville and had lunch with my sister stacy and her family (no pics though). our drive up was foggy and rainy.
we stayed at the Inn at Biltmore in asheville. it was extremely nice and the service was excellent. would definitely recommend it. the mountain views were gorgeous!

we had a lovely dinner at the Inn ... truffle mushroom risotto, bison carpaccio, short rib, striped bass, a cheese plate and pumpkin creme brulee, all accompanied by some very tasty vino. again, the service was fabulous. the next night we had dinner at the Fiddlin' Pig ... which is a BBQ joint that has live bluegrass every night. I had been excited about this place for a couple of weeks before this trip. it was great! the food was okay, but the music (cane creek) was incredible. I have some sound bites I'll post later. they also had local brews on tap. as much as we thoroughly enjoyed our "elegant" dinner, I can say we loved this casual food/brew/entertainment as much as the other. that is one of the things I love about gary-he can roll along with my wide variety of tastes/interests because he is the same way. the last night we ate at Bistro 1896 in asheville and had some delicious trout. we headed to barley's tap room afterwards for more bluegrass (wise apple) and local brews. we had breakfast each day in downtown asheville (sunny point cafe and over easy cafe)-all very good. asheville is a really quaint, fun and artsy city. we really liked it!

the Biltmore Estate is 8,000 acres with lots of trails, so we took our bikes. the day we rode the high was 46 and rainy but we had a blast. it was a great way to see some of the estate.

french broad river

the Biltmore Estate, former home of George Vanderbilt, in the distance.

the conservatory

neither gary nor I had ever been to asheville and thus had never toured the Biltmore mansion. it was very overwhelming. beautiful and mysterious. hard to imagine/grasp actually living there. no cameras were allowed inside.

mountain views from the terrace of the mansion

plants inside the conservatory

we did have one day of sunny weather - that was the day we went horsebackriding. we had a great guide and it was another unique way to see more of the grounds. gary on "Leon" his wild stallion.

several movies have been filmed at the Biltmore, notably Patch Adams and one of my all time favorites, The Last of the Mohicans.

at the end of the ride ... if you are wondering why we are so far apart, this other crazy lady at the stables was afraid our horses would fight if we got too close together (even though our guide had told us our two horses were good old dependable and agreeable horses). thank goodness she wasn't our trail guide.

the biltmore also has a winery ... so one day we did a tasting. there were some okay wines, some good wines and some excellent wines (Antler Hill). we had a really, really nice time. would certainly recommend asheville as a vacation destination.