Finally, a picture of his 8 teeth!

Here they are!  All 8 of them!

What a whirlwind this last couple of weeks has been.  

Emmanuel is developing more rapidly than I could have ever imagined.  Besides being a lot heavier (not sure how heavy, I just know that my arms are feeling the burn when I hold him), he is very squirmy and desires nothing more than to practice walking.  We are still struggling over sleep issues, but he's healthy and happy, so I am not going to complain.  

Here is a picture of him "eating" my asparagus spear.  My friend, Catherine, would call this "baby-led weaning..." I am not sure if that is what he is doing, I just know that he stole it off my plate.  

Here is BIG MOOK and little e!  Mook is Davontay "Mook" Carr.  His family has become our family here in Baltimore.  They were one of the first families that we met and worked with in Pen Lucy. While we have had the opportunity to walk with them through some hard times, they have greatly ministered to us when we have experienced pain and have been a balm of healing.  We LOVE this family.  God's grace is so evident in their lives.  Mook is one of the sweetest (and tallest) kids you'll ever meet.  


Here is Emmanuel smiling at Chanel, his girlfriend!  I keep telling him that Chanelly-Nell is too old for him (she's about to turn 17).  Chanel and her family are also a source of strength for us here in B-more.  I met Chanel and her sister, Brittany many years ago when I moved to Baltimore and they participated in a dance program that I ran.  It was in God's plan for us to know one another on a more intimate level when we started worshiping at the same church.  Chanel and Brit graduate this summer...but they just live down the street, so we'll still see them all the time (and Brit's supposed to cook me some of her goooood food). 

Here is the little man smiling at Chanel, again.  

That's all for now, friends.  Thanks for reading and for praying for us!

Four Generations

My mom, my granny, my 3 nephews and my niece drove all the way from Nashville to spend some time with us.  

Eli and I have experienced a hard time lately, so it was such a breath of fresh air to have the support of family (and a house full of loud and happy kids!)  One thing that we have learned through this crisis is that support of our friends and family is a necessity in our lives.  We are so thankful for the way that people have shown their love for us over these last couple of weeks (thanks for the crab soup, the truffles, the chocolate chip cookies, the turkey and dressing, the breakfast at Panera, the anointing oil, the offering to fly here, the invites to dinner, the random dropping by at our house while you're on a run, the prayers over the phone and from across the ocean, the shoulders to cry on...and did I mention thanks for the food?)  

The older boys, James IV and Michael, have been looking forward to this trip to Baltimore for several years now.  They like me ok, but the LOVE their Uncle Eli.   (Yes, Eli shaved his head...we are grieving a terrible loss...)

They arrived late on Saturday night and slept....

We played a lot while they were here:  football, soccer, and basketball.  Even though I had to lead the football game (Uncle Eli was at the hospital with a friend), we still had fun.  Here is James IV playing QB.

We played boys vs. girls!  Mia had on a shirt that said, "Girls Rule," so I cheered, "Girls, rule...boys drool!  Girls, rule...boys drool!"  The boys (after some help from their Uncle Eli) came up with "Boys go to college to get more knowledge...Girls tattle tell and wind up in jail." 

I thought my brother would be proud to see that his baby girl had decent form as she threw the football...must be the genes!

I think my mom is crazy for driving all the way up here with 4 kids under the age of 8...but she thoroughly enjoyed herself. 

And...she reminded me that we had four generations in our house.  My Granny Myrtle braved the trip with my mom.  She is 77.  James IV and Michael were trying to figure out how old Granny Myrt was...when they finally figured it out, Michael said, "Wow, you are almost 100.  You just have two more families to go--the 80's then the 90's!"

The kids were acting silly with their Uncle Eli. 

Emmanuel was wide-eyed when he saw all of the kids.  I am glad that he was able to experience his shock in his own environment.  He didn't want to stop playing with the kids.  He went to bed later--but he slept longer than usual.  This little man and his sleeping...maybe one day it will be consistent.

The kids were sooo good with Emmanuel.  They helped me in so many ways.  

We went to the Aquarium...the kids really enjoyed it, especially the dolphin show.  This was my Granny Myrt's first time in an aquarium.  It was special that she got to experience it. 

And, finally, a picture of Joshua.  Joshua was in heaven with Emmanuel.  He was content as long as he was in close proximity to Emmanuel.  He kept saying, "Manuel...Manuel."  It was so special.  He kept kissing his forehead.  Joshua doesn't "like" me too much...he doesn't come to me very easily, but sure enough, he loves his Uncle Eli.  Eli got out of the car, and he yelled, "ELI--ELI."  Oh, well.  Maybe James and Dawn will have to have another child so that I can see if that child likes me (hehe....)
Granny Myrt got top-rate service at the Aquarium.  Eli pushed her around so that she wouldn't have to walk.  Granny also went with me to my work on Monday and watched me teach an exercise class.  It was special to introduce her to my boss. 

Joshua and Emmanuel hanging out. 

Emmanuel has started to pull up and cruise, so Michael was carefully making sure that he didn't fall.

My granny and I slept in the same bed while she was here, and every night it was like a sleepover.  We would just talk and talk with the lights off until we were too tired to talk anymore!  I said, "Granny, this is just like a sleepover."  She said, "Child, I've never been to a sleepover."  I said, "You have now!"

Michelle Zei, one of the youth from FCF, came over to visit the boys (she even brought friends). She talked to James IV on the phone two years ago and couldn't believe his country accent.  It was nice that she was able to meet him in person.

Joshua was all up in Emmanuel's grill the whole time, and Emmanuel just smiled at him.  I think they will be friends forever.  

We also went to the National Great Blacks and Wax Museum.  It was a great experience, although the story about the slave ship was a little scary for a couple of the kids.

It was such a blessing to have the kids in our Baltimore home.  They were such good helpers--they swept and helped cut lettuce and carrots for dinner.  I hope that Emmanuel learns to do chores like his cousins.  

My Granny listened to story after story about my house--I called her when it was broken into--I called her when people stole my flowers--I called her when we ran into problem after problem...I always dreamed that she would get to see my house, but I never thought it would be possible for her to make the trip.  Well, God had other plans...not only did she make the trip to Baltimore, but she got to see my house, and she and my mom were such an encouragement to us to continue to press on and trust the Lord.  

The Apple is no longer "safe"

This is the story about a little boy and his apple.  

One day Emmanuel saw his mom eating a fresh, local apple that she purchased from the Farmer's Market.  His mom was crunching away, and he was staring at her.  Then in a the blink of an eye, Emmanuel grabbed the apple from his mom's hands.

Emmanuel dug his 8 teeth into the apple, pulled it away from his mouth, and licked his lips.  The sweetness of the apple was the best thing he had tasted in his short 8 months.

He was so happy after eating the apple that his mom surrendered.

With 10 little chubby fingers, Emmanuel gave the apple a thorough inspection. 

After he realized that the apple was all his, he quickly posed for a picture....and 

went to town on that apple!

THE END

Cute pics of our little man!

No real content tonight, folks...just cute pictures of our precious son.  We are so thankful for the great joy he brings to our lives. 

Here he is with the remote...

Here he is with the keyboard...

He loves big cardboard boxes...

Inspecting the box...

Making mama happy by looking at the camera for a quick second...

He's finally realized that he can make the swing move when he's not in it!

We thank God for Emmanuel.  He is a great reminder that God truly is with us.  

My failed attempts to get pictures of Emmanuel's 8 teeth

Hi, friends.  Yep, you read the title correctly.  At 8 months, Emmanuel has 8 teeth!  He may be a little guy, but he's got some big chompers.  Below are my failed attempts to get a picture of his teeth.  I have learned that my son freezes when the red light on my camera comes on...but he also loves any kind of electronic device (he gets this from his mama), so he is constantly reaching for the camera or the cell or the laptop.  Needless to say--you can only see two teeth, but I promise that there are 8 :)  

Here's Lil' E playing in the laundry basket...again, our boy doesn't really play with conventional toys!  And, yes, I turned my head to fold some of his onesies and he had flipped the basket over...he's quick!

Failed attempt #1:  He just rolled over--maybe I can snap it quickly?  

Failed attempt #2:  Missed the smile and now he's blowing raspberries...

Failed attempt #3:  Another raspberry...

Failed attempt #4:  Getting close (big gap--this is definitely from the Reese side....miss you, daddy!)

Failed attempt #5:  His fighting face...

Failed attempt #6:  Oh, well...maybe I'll take a video when he's laughing...

Hopefully from these failed attempts you can piece together what his 8 teeth look like.  

Happy 1st Birthday, Bella Boo!

Today Emmanuel attended his very 1st Birthday Party!  Happy Birthday, Bella! 

Our dear friend, Bella, turns 1 on March 14th.  Emmanuel and I had the pleasure of attending her party with some of our other friends.  Bella is pictured below (this is after we sang "Happy Birthday"!)

Here is a picture of me and the Little guy after he ate his butternut squash (no cake just yet!) Emmanuel was one of the youngest friends at the party..

Here we are:  the girls and our babies!  From Left to Right:  Carmen and Emmanuel (8 months), Sherrille and Stephanos (13 months), Miranda and Jordan (13 1/2 months), Jamie and Bella (12 months), Jessica and Chelsea (6 months).

Here he is...all decked out in his sweater vest for his 1st party.

Bella and Emmanuel pose for a picture.  They are such good friends and get excited when they see one another.
I just love this picture of Emmanuel and Stephanos' hair.  Their hair is so different. Emmanuel's is pretty thin and fine and Stephanos' is thick and curly. 

Here is beautiful mama, Jamie, and birthday girl, Bella.

Emmanuel says to Bella:  "Let's play with my mama's bag!"

Bella replies, "Okay, I'll take the bib...you take the straps!"

Emmanuel liked Mrs. Miranda a lot.

He "walked" with her.

We had such a fun time that we've decided we'll try to have food on a more regular basis at our playdates.  Emmanuel is so blessed to have relationships with these kids at such a young age. He and Bella haven't seen each other in about 2 months, so it was cute when they recognized one another.  Friendships are definitely a blessing.  I hope that they are friends for a long time to come.