coming up for air...

sorry for the lack of posts this week. been a long one. we have a whole new line launching at work and i'm solely responsible for making sure all the photo-shopping & web stuff is done before the launch next week, plus baby g is either :

a) getting teeth OR
b) not feeling well (which both harold and i have colds or something cold-ish)

i'm not complaining though because she's been super delightful but napping and eating aren't so hot right now and she's been kinda clingy, which paired with work, makes for little blog time durn-it. :)

nevertheless, life is good. she has moved from crawling to pulling up to standing on her own for several seconds at a time unassisted. i'm not saying she'll be walking soon, but i'm not saying she won't either. time will tell.

so here's today...
can't you see those bumpy gums just fresh for some teeth...

and those bumps come with lots and lots of drool too. drool on everything and everywhere to be frank.

notice the red eyes. she was fussing because her socks kept slipping on the wood floor and she couldn't walk around her jumper (which she never uses anymore because she's WAY too busy for anything stationary)

a girl after my own heart. she was finding a recipe for tonight's dinner. she has a opinion you know. no teeth with which to chew, but still an opinion ;)

and finally...

this afternoon when i was driving home i was coming over a hill in our neighborhood and from where i was you could see the rays of sun bursting forth through the breaks in the thick clouds. you've seen what i'm talking about and it's breathtaking. the beams of sun reached all the way from the heavens and scattered about the earth. they went as wide as i could see. immediately i thought of the verse in the OT that says:

"For The Eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him."

2 Chronicles 16:9

just as those strong beams of sun were finding patches of earth to warm from behind those clouds, our Lord is scanning the earth through the sin and darkness to find those loyal ones with which He could warm Himself. oh how i want to be found loyal.

have a good week. love from bham...

a weekend with friends...

this little guy (and his parents of course) has been with us since Thursday. now i think my girl is pretty cute, but is he not the CUTEST child??!! and sweet too. i am kinda in love.

so needless to say, he and g marie have had quite the time these past days. there has been lots of playing, eating, talking and unfortunately for my child, not a lot of napping! she is way too busy to be sleeping when company is present. so here is some pictures of the fun...

andrew was so sweet to just sit in harold's lap and let him love on him. something georgia is way to busy for these days so harold got as much snuggling from that sweet boy as he could. as did i.

andrew, i sure will miss you buddy. and georgia is sure going to be sad in the morning when she wakes up and you aren't here to play with. we love you tons (and maybe mommy and daddy a little...ha)

a late v-day post...

valentines has come and gone, along with the fever, and we are back to business around here (which means a schedule) georgia enjoyed her time spent with her special valentine... as did i.

as you can see there was lots of train rides to keep baby girl entertained. and i'm sure you can see the tornado of toys about the living room as well ;)

and why we thought she would be content just riding, who knows? bet ya'll didn't know a cruisers box could be so versatile eh?!

and i made my two favorite people heart shaped french toast which went over well with both. i'm pretty sure georgia was more interested in the syrup though. she gets it honest.

and can you believe all the sweet vday goodies she got???? she is such a lucky girl to have so many people that love her.

and for mommy...

a very special surprise as well.

hope your v-day past was filled with lots of love as well. and although february 14 has come and gone, love is still in the air...

"Right now three things remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love."

1 Corinthians 13:13

hunka hunka burning love...

despite fever we are getting ready for v-day around here. i keep telling georgia she is my 'hunk a burning love'. literally.

i've whipped up a valentines shirt for baby g to get us in the mood and i'm working on whipping up something else for our most favorite valentine...

you don't think he likes chocolate do you?!?!?

the great '8'

baby g is 8 months old today. it just keeps getting better and better. she has some sort of fever virus right now but besides that (that being the fussiness, crankiness and clingy-ness) she is still up to her usual shenanigans. so here's what 8 months old looks like at the goss house:

she is fully sippy-cup trained and loving it!

she gets water with a splash of juice for her snacks and is down to three meals (bottles & solids) and 2 snacks a day...

she loves feeding herself and has gotten great at picking up her small pieces but we're still having the conversation about which way the spoon works best.

and some other random facts:

she is still sleeping 11-12 hours a night

and naps. whatever. who knows.

she weighes a tad over 20 lbs

and a tad under 30 inches

her eyes are hazel and hair wavy & light

and if the last post didn't give enough insight into the fun we're having around here, here is some more with a 101.6 fever....

what a sport. practicing her pushups despite the sickness. we keep telling her she'll have to have a scholarship if she wants to go anywhere besides Samford, so i guess she's got her eyes on somewhere else (war eagle!)

and lots of peek-a-boo playing around here...

and making sure every last sock is dumped out of the basket 147 times a day...

and this...okay i so did not stage this picture. promise. she was trying to crawl her little self over this lamb and decided she'd just have a seat. then she realized it was kinda neat sitting up there. i was cracking up.

so there is 8 months at our house. have a good week.

love from bham...fever and all :)

todays score: gmarie 1 us 0

okay. i have a confession. we got whupped today. not just whipped. whupped. my baby has ZERO concept of what a restful Sabbath day means. harold and i take turns going to church each sunday while the other stays home with her. (we can't take her to the church nursery because she is still shedding salmonella - will get to that later) anyway, she is teething. and busy. and dropping a nap. been crawling for one week and deciding that she'd rather stand and play then sit and play. and well...see for yourself.

standing to read her book.

standing to get her toys

standing to play her piano.

now mind you that she still has no concept of balance either so this standing business can be quite a problem if quick hands aren't near by to break the fall. but i must admit, after 87 times i was ready to move her on to something else. so it was time for a train ride.

this usually is the highlight of her day. i pull her up and down the hall on this little train and we wave and make sounds and carry on which usually produces lots of smiles and laughs, but today she was so unimpressed with my gimmicks. that isn't obvious huh?!

so after all this 'busy-ness' i thought she might be ready for nap. i was wrong. she has slept a total of 45 minutes today. yes i said 45 minutes. i tried to put her down twice. here she is praying i don't try for a 3rd time...

"please don't let mommy put me down. please don't let mommy put me down"

and just in time her daddy returned home and we went for a MUCH NEEDED walk. a very very long one at that. she had her hat to keep the sun out and her paci to keep the whines in :)

so there you have it. a day in the life. this sums it up pretty well...

have a good week everyone. we certainly will. naps or not.

*oh and another confession...she's been asleep for about an hour and i already miss her.

happy friday grandpa...

i love you tons. muuuaaahhh!

an observation...

when g. marie started crawling on Sunday (which i love that she choose that day) she didn't simply limp her way across the floor. harold got her out of the crib, changed her diaper and set her down. her toys were on the other side of the room so she had two options. cry till her daddy brought them to her OR go get them herself. she got them alright and hasn't looked back since.

this morning as i watched her i just thought of all the ways that i have cried out for my heavenly Father to 'bring it on' to me. rather than stretch and move in ways that aren't comfortable to me OR are simply new altogether, many times i'd rather stay plopped down where i am and wait for Him. and just as my will for her is to crawl...then walk...then run, His desire for us is the very same. (only not to toys) my prayer is that her feet will one day be so fast after the things of God. however, at first she is going to watch my feet to see where they run and then follow suit. which brings me to this poem i read one time and saved. what a reminder.

Sermons We See

I’d rather see a sermon than hear one any day,
I’d rather one should walk with me
than merely show me the way.
The eye’s a better pupil and more willing than the ear;
Fine counsel is confusing, but example’s always clear;
And the best of all the preachers
are the men who live their creeds,
For to see the good in action is what everybody needs.
I can soon learn how to do it if you’ll let me see it done.
I can watch your hands in action,
but your tongue too fast may run.
And the lectures you deliver may be very wise and true;
But I’d rather get my lesson by observing what you do.
For I may misunderstand you and the high advice you give,
But there’s no misunderstanding how you act and live.

-Edgar A. Guest

reading God's word to her is crucial. but the way harold and i live every second, treat every person, spend every penny should mirror what is in that word. what a responsibility AND privilege!

I told you so....

Our gas bill may be $300 this month, BUT...we have a crawler!!!!!!!!

So now the challenge? Getting a picture of something besides her tail. This is all I've seen for the past 24 hours. Yeah!

*now my child can resume wearing clothing*

a very special birthday!

Sarah Avery celebrated her first birthday this weekend! She is one of Georgia's best friends (hee hee) and Dede, her mother, is one of mine. Or Ms. Dede rather. She and Sarah Avery took very good care of Georgia when I was working last year. So anyway, it was a very special day for a very special little girl...

Happy Birthday Sarah Avery. We love you. Muuuaaahhh!!!!!

*And i just have to post this because it is so darn funny. Here's Sarah Avery, Georgia & Maggie. Sarah Avery is 12 months & Maggie is 14 months. And well Georgia? Not even 8 months and please look at her size compared to her friends. I love it!!!!!!!

**(And please notice also, how very busy my child is.) **

Fun times!?!