Flooded Out

We went down to New Albany to go swimming in my parents new pool and to go to my cousin's graduation party and ended up having to stay longer than we had planned. I don't know if you heard, but we had an incredible amount of rain and ended up getting some major flooding in our town. We left about 4 hours before we wouldn't have been able to get out of our town and that's with us using back roads to travel because the road outside our neighborhood was flooded already. Our house never got touched thankfully, but many people weren't as fortunate. Dave's factory had some major flooding and his office had 7 feet of water in it. He lost all of the things he had in there, but he says there wasn't anything that was too important. Lots of people however had major flooding and have lost cars and spent the week tearing out carpet and dry wall. If you travel around some areas of town each house just has a huge pile of damaged furniture, carpeting, walls, etc. Today there were tons of huge dump trucks just going around trying to pick it all up. It's a pretty big disaster for our town. It's especially bad, because lots of people didn't have flood insurance and are facing considerable financial loss. Our hospital had millions of dollars worth of damage and is closed for several months. A man also died trying to drive through the water. I am including all of this information because I ask that you pray for our community. Pray for people affected by this, that they get through this and that our community continues to support one another. And praise God for all the miracles that come from this! Thanks! Following are some recent pictures from the past week....

Anna in her bathing suit for the first time!


The hat really completes the ensemble!


Ready to get in!!!! Kudos to me for being brave enough to show a picture of me in my bathing suit 3 months post-baby!!! :) I couldn't believe it, but Anna really seemed to enjoy the water. She never cried or seemed upset about being in the water and just stared down at the water the whole time! I'm telling you, she is such a sweet and laid back baby! The only things that seem to bother her are being in her car seat for very long and having the sun in her face! We are SO blessed!


Benjamin had a blast! I don't really think this is a good thing, but he was completely fearless! He didn't hesitate to get in and just walked right into the water whether you were there to hold his hand or not! This made for a stressed out Momma, so I ended up getting him some water wings and it made me feel a lot better! It's amazing how fast these kiddos change...last year he got so upset if you barely moved him away from your body he was that clingy! I'm pleased that he isn't afraid of the water and is able to have fun! But if you're ever playing with him in the water, please do my poor heart a favor and keep a VERY close eye on him! :) Jumping in.....

My mom got Anna a new bouncy/activity seat thingy and she seems to really like it! She is getting really good at holding her head up and is always trying to pull herself up to a sitting position, so we felt she was ready! She's a little too short though to reach the ground, but she still enjoys herself!

I'm worried that my little cupcake is already teething. She has her hands in her mouth all the time and is drooling quite a bit! She has had little white spots in her gums where her teeth should come up since birth, so I think she might be an early teeth getter. And while I'm on the subject...I don't think it's wise to criticize how God created us....but I have to say, I don't know what He was thinking when he decided to have poor babies have their teeth break through their gums only to have them fall out a few short years later. It seems like the most cruel thing and I really think it's my least favorite part about having a baby. It just breaks my heart to see them suffering. Poor Benjamin is getting his last tooth (thankfully) and he just got one other and they are his top back molars and they have given him quite a time! He has never been the typical kid to put stuff in his mouth. But with these teeth he bites down so hard on random things all the time and I often find him gagging himself because he's trying to get his hand back far enough to sooth himself. Seriously! This teething thing is ridiculous! Sorry God! (And sorry to all of you for my rant!)

Benjamin got a new toy that is a magnet to the fridge and you put two animal pieces in and it tells you about the animal and sings a little song. Well my little stinker has figured out that it's much more fun to get it wrong and put two different animals together because it sings a goofy song instead and at the end says "that's silly!" Which I don't know if any of you know it, but that is one of his all time favorite phrases! Here he is, tickled with his handy-work!

Here's a funny picture of Anna chilling out on the boppy in what I refer to as a milk coma! :) She just laid there completely still for about 15 minutes alternating between having her eyes closed and open and giving me a blank stare or a smile! Oh, the simple joys of parenthood....you find the silliest things make you happy!

And then some paci time....still just chillin out though! Seriously, this girl could not be more laid back! And honestly, I don't know how I took care of Benjamin now without a paci. They are THE greatest things ever! I often say, it's more important that you leave the house with a paci (or two) than a diaper! :)

Sorry, I realize that was a long post and that I went on and on. What can I say, I like to share about my two sweethearts! :)

We are having Anna baptized on Sunday. Pray that its a wonderful service and a spiritual experience, that we all take our promises seriously and commit ourselves to raising Anna with our faith in Jesus and that we do all that we can to give her a life where she is able to love God and put all her faith in him!

Thank you for your time and prayers! I'm praying for all of you as well. I pray that you are close to God, that you make time for Him each day and that you allow the love He so freely gives to each of us to fill your heart and lead you lives. I pray that you turn to Him in times of sadness and in times of joy. I pray that you realize that Jesus it the greatest gift you will ever receive and that you give your life to Him! I pray that your lives are filled with joy and contentment. I pray that we all realize how truly blessed we are!

God Bless,

Andee