Averi's first christmas

First I just want to say Christmas went by far to quickly!!! It was a great time of celebration we enjoyed visiting with family and watching Averi get SPOILED!!!! We started our celebration by going to the Christmas eve service at church Then we had Meemom, PopPop, Uncle Jon, Miss Lauren, and Miss Sarah over for lasagna, treats and "A Muppets Christmas Carol" We started out our Christmas morning by waking up around eight (Av's usual wake up time)... Kevin made us french toast... ...yummy!!!
Then my sweet husband read Averi the christmas story

Next she opened her presents from Mommy and Daddy... and our sweet neighbor debbie came by to say hi!



We then headed up to Meemom and PopPops tp celebrate and ate a big lunch with them!




After we went to Meemoms and PopPops we headed back to our house and Nana and Papa Yates came from Tenessee to see us! They came bearing an unbeleivable amounts of gifts... I will post the pictures I got from the rest of our fun weekend with the grandparents later!


Christmas was a blast! We enjoyed celebrating this sweet day with our families and specifically our little girl! God has been so good to us! Praise him for sending his son as a human infant to die on the cross for our sins!

She can dance...

A note to the birthday boy... BIG DADDY!

CORBIN,

Two years ago today we were all at the hospital anxiously awaiting your arrival handsome boy! Your mama had carried you to 41 weeks and was most certainly ready to have you on the outside! Your mommies labor was induced, she had made you such a nice home in her belly you did not want to come out.

While Mommy labored your heart rate kept dropping so they rushed Mommy off to a csection and thank God they did because your cord was wrapped around your neck. It did not take long for the nurse and Daddy to bring you by to meet the rest of your family who were all waiting in the waiting room! Your daddy was so proud and anxious to show you off!

You were the best Christmas present that year... we all loved you at one glance!



We have watched you grow from a little baby...


... to a handsome little boy



Happy birthday Corbin James Wayne Murphy...Aunt Rachel's BIG DADDY BOY... you are a blessing and a joy we pray you come to know the Lord at a young age and your life is filled with adventure, love and happiness! We know you will continue to bring joy to others with those blue eyes and sweet grin! HAPPY BIRTHDAY we miss you!

Av is eight months old!

Can you believe it our baby girl is EIGHT MONTHS OLD! This month she has truly mastered getting around but has yet to really crawl (sad times!) she rolls across the room, scoots backwards and scoots in a circle... I guess she will crawl in her own time!
Her eating has changed a lot, she only nurses 4-6 times daily- and those are often a battle to keep her focus. She eats three meals of solids- her favorite being bananas... and she LOVES Ritz crackers- she can down one in a matter of seconds!
Her personality is bright and bubbly- her laughter brings a lot of laughter and joy to our home! She has become a Mama's girl more and more though... she has begun to fuss when I leave the room and even reaches to me and fusses if I am close and some one else is holding her; just this morning she let out a little whimper when I sat her down in nursery- I hate to see her upset but I must admit it makes me a little happy to know my baby girl wants me!!!!
We are cherishing our days with her because we realize they go by so quickly! We are anxious to celebrate her first Christmas. How we love you sweet Av bug you mean so much and truly are a blessed gift from our Heavenly father!!!


Mommy and Daddy love their sweet girl!

Av is eight months and LOVES having no clothes on!

Happy birthday to the best PopPop and Papa EVER!!!!

In our home December is not only for celebrating Christmas but also for celebrating two great men's birthday!!!!
So happy birthday Papa Yates...we love you!

And Happy birthday Pop Pop Buchwald... we love you!

vanity

our daughter may be 7 1/2 months but she has already started kissing herself in the mirror... I cant blame her though she is pretty irresistible

Christmas tree

Our tree is up which means that Christmas is officially around the corner! I love the holidays, I love the lights on houses, the trees, the crowded stores and especially the music!
Kevin and I are so thrilled to celebrate this christmas with Averi and begin our own traditions! We hope to show her, even at seven months, that the focus of Christmas is Christs birth and explain his love to us!

Big girl!

This week marked two "big girl" steps in Averi's life...first she moved out of her carrier car seat and into her big girl seat! She has not passed the weight for her carrier but was close to the limit in height and therefore looked very scrunched in it... she has plenty of room in her new stylish seat her aunt Ruthie got her, Thank you aunt Ruthie!



Averi also got her ears pierced this week! She did so good, she only cried when I had to hold her head still and has been fine ever since. They do not seem to be bothering her a bit! We took these pics right after so her ears are a little red but I promise they are not red anymore...she looks ADORABLE!

Thankful

Kev, Av and I headed to TN for Thanksgiving this year! We left Monday night and didn't head home until this (Sunday) afternoon! It was so nice to visit with our sweet family and friends and OFCOURSE eat A LOT of food!
I was reminded of how much I have to be thankful for this Thanksgiving! Kevin and I are extremely thankful for his parents, they are a constant love and support to us. What a joy it is to watch them play with our sweet daughter and her grin at them. Averi had a hard time sleeping this week, I guess because it was a new environment, and Kevin's mom was more then willing to help us in the wee hours (she took her at four in the morning after a long night) in order to allow us to get some much needed rest! They adore their sweet grand daughter and she as well as Kevin and I are so blessed to have them...we would be lost without Nana and Papa Yates!
I have also recognized, once again, how blessed I am to have Kevin as my husband! I often forget what a gift I have been given to have a husband who desires to serve the Lord in how he leads our family. Kevin and I have so much fun together, and that too is a gift... there is no one in the world who can make me laugh as he does... he often has me laughing to the point of tears! I LOVE cuddling and Kevin knows this and I often recognize his effort to give me extra hugs, kisses and back rubs in order to make me feel special... I am thankful for the Husband God has chosen for me!
I am also thankful for Godly women Christ has placed in my life! I have learned so much from watching women such as Ashley Barrett, Lydia Ring, Beth Blackwell, Erica Roberts, Robin Few and MANY MANY MORE... I have learned many practical things from these women but have also received support and advice as I learn how to be a better mother and wife! I appreciate these women's friendships and admire their capabilities! I thank the Lord for allowing me the privilege to know them!
I am also thankful for the privilege of being Averi's mommy! Nothing thrills my heart more then the way she smiles and wiggles with excitement when I walk into the room! I find so much joy in being her mommy despite the exhaustion it can sometimes cause! Oh sweet Av we thank the Lord for giving us you!
I am most thankful for my heavenly father and his love for me! I am SO unworthy and yet he loves me! I am so often whiny and ungrateful and yet he is steadfast in his patience for me! I so often take for granted the personal relationship i have with God when I should be shouting from the roof top that my God is an awesome God!

7 months!

7 months...can you believe it! Averi is now eating stage two baby food like a champ! She loves fruit but (YEA!!!) also loves the veggies, I so hope she is a better veggie eater then her mommy and takes after her daddy in this area! She can go from sitting up to her belly fairly smoothly but still isn't one for crawling, she gets up and rocks a little every now and then but would much rather we give her what it is she is after, I know she is a little spoiled!
Av's biggest thing in her seventh month has been her babbles... the high pitch squeal has turned into "blablablablablabla", "MAMAMAMAMMA" and Kevin's favorite "DADDADADADAD" I know she doesn't know that "Mama" and "Dada" mean Kevin and I but it is still dear to our hearts to hear her say it! What fun we are having with her in the Yates house! We love you our Love bug!

Look how far we have come!

dear to my heart

I am writing this post without naming names although I know many of you who follow our blog already know who it is I am talking about, I do not however want to embarrass the friend I am talking about but I do want to ask you to pray!
On Sunday some one VERY dear to my hearts husband told her he wants a divorce. My friend said she knew it was long and coming and that for the time they have been married they have done A LOT of fighting! I know my friend is a christian and her husband says he is, after much talking they are going to try to work it out... but there is A LOT to work out. So join with Kevin and I and pray that God will break through their pride, put a desire in their hearts to be married to one another, break down their hearts and remind them why they fell in love in the first place, remind them of the vows they have made and teach the husband the Godly leadership skills he needs in order to lead his family as well as the wife the skills she needs to learn in order to be a supportive and submissive wife! PLEASE pray with God all things are possible, He can heal the broken hearted and renew a broken marriage!

sippy cup

Averi is quickly mastering drinking from her sippy cup... way to go Av!

Date night!

Kevin and I headed out on a "cheap" date last tuesday! We went to McDonald's for a dollar menu dinner and to the movies for a discount movie night! We had so much fun together and enjoyed our time together! Since we live such a BUSY life it was so nice to have a relaxing night of just the two of us! Thank you Sarah for babysitting Averi!