"Its a Booger...

..."as great-grandpa Garner would say."

Tonight we just had the biggest surprise. Our dear friend, Millie, stopped by to bring Mills a gift for his nursery. As she gave me his gift, my mouth dropped open in surprise. I know what you're thinking, "she gave us money from her lottery win!"...no, it was not money! hehe! Sorry I had to throw that in there :) It was even better than that! My grandaddy, Garner, was always so funny. I remember him sitting in his chair, staring out the sliding glass window, and staring out at the pasture at his cows. He was ususally reading the paper, smoking, and saying a few choice words about something that had happened or was happening at that time. That was just him. His famous line..."It's a Booger," was known by most people who live in this town. He said that about everything! It may be one of my fondest memories of him. Tonight, I will hang this...

in Mills nursery. He never knew his great-grandaddy, but will get to meet him one day. So, until then, we will look forward to the day that we can teach Mills to say, "It's a booger!" haha! Millie, we love you and thank you for such a thoughtful gift. I can honestly say that it is one of the best gifts our Mills will ever receive.

Love,

The Stockings are Hung....

by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Nicholas, soon will be there. Literally!

We have finally finished our Christmas decorations for this year. Last Friday, I was able to get everything done, except for our mantle. I finally received our new stocking holders, so the stockings are now hung. I kept thinking that the UPS man had gotten lost, but fortunately, to my surprise, they arrived on Tuesday. I have been wanting these stockings for almost 8 years now, but was afraid to get them in fear that IF we ever had a baby, I wouldn't be able to find one to match, but this year, is a different story. An early Christmas present from Mom, we now have my favorite stockings and the matching holders.

Mills even has his own tree in his nursery. I bought some ornaments at Hobby Lobby, and Christi and I used paint pens to help them match the nursery. I am still looking for a cute topper and some matching ribbon, and then his tree will be complete.

16 Weeks Old

Our little man is 16 weeks old today. He is growing like a weed. You should see the rolls on his thighs! We are so blessed that he is doing great and gaining weight. All is well, except for the major spitting up he is doing. Last week, Dr. O put Mills on Zantac, in hopes that it may help with the spit-up, but unfortuantely, I did no good. As a matter of fact, I think his spitting-up is worse this week than last. So, last night, we started him on Prevacid. Maybe, just maybe, this well help. He is a VERY happy baby, and he even smiles after he shoots formula over my shoulder. So, its not bothering him, but its awfully messy. We've tried everything from smaller amounts of formula at shorter intervals, to burping him more often, holding him upright etc. All of these things may have worked better if Mills hadn't thrown fits when I take his bottle away. If I stop to burp him, he gets so mad. And if I don't give him enough formula, he gets mad. I can't win for loosing. Wish us luck, hopefully the spitting will subside soon!

New Ornaments!

If you were a follower of our blog last Chrismtas, you may remember this post, from last year, I told you all that I am a collector of Christopher Radko ornaments. I love them! Everytime I receive an ornament box, I can't get it open fast enough. Its always so exciting to see what type of ornament will be inside. The ornaments are beautifully colored and the glittery sparkle definitely makes our tree georgeous! I received a new one last year from mom, after I made the post. I was a new one released for 2008. He is too cute! His name is "Pearly White." How appropriate?

This year, Mills was lucky enough to receive his first Radko ornament, an early Christmas gift from his Nana. It is absolutely beautiful, and...It rattles! I hope he will enjoy them as much as I, but I have a feeling that next year, we'll be putting them waaayyyy up high, out of his reach, of course!

Our 1st Visit with Nash

After church today, Mills and I made our way down to have our first visit with Nash. Due to Mills having a head cold when he was born, we've been unable to visit until now. We had such a good visit. I can't believe how small Nash is. His head literally fits in the palm of my hand and his whole body in my forearm. I told Stephanie and Bo that I had never seen a baby so small...I know, I must live under a rock or something, but its the truth! Mills makes 3 of him. I'm sure that Mills is probably about 13lbs. now, so you can imagine what he looks like next to a 5lb. baby. Here are a couple of pictures from our visit.

Here are our 3 boys...Jon Harris, Nash, & Mills

Here is tiny little Nash

Mills LOVES laying in the floor. I put him on his blanket, and he kept wiggling off of it. You can't tell it here, but Steph, Bo, JH, and I almost witnessed his first "rollover." I REALLY thought he was going to do it, but he kept getting stuck on his shoulders. Its only a matter of days before he does it!! I guess I need to keep the video camera ready, huh?

Thanksgiving Day

This year was, of course, Mills' First Thanksgiving. Our little man did not get to partake in any turkey in dressing, but next year, we're sure that he'll be gobbling up (no pun intended) all the turkey and dressing his little belly can handle. Here are a few snapshots from the day.

We always go to Mom's for lunch....

Drew & Mills...

(*notice Mills' face. He has a rash and scratched it in his sleep last night...poor fella!)

Wesley, Mills, and Nana

So, it is true...turkey makes you sleepy!

Rylee & Mills

Jonathan & Mills

We always go to Mama B's and Daddy B's house for supper!

This is "Jilly." She enjoyed reading to Mills

Mills' New Fashion Statement....

FORMULA! Yes, and he often lets mommy and daddy wear it too! As of tonight, we will be starting Zantac in hope that our little spitter's spitting-up will subside. We've been watching it for quite a while now, but it seems to be getting worse. Our new formula has been great, but like I said before, we've traded constipation, tummy-aches, and fussiness, for spit-up. We've started adding 1/2 tsp. of rice cereal to his formula, but honestly, it hasn't helped :( So, we're on to step two. Wish us luck!

Mills' Dedication

Today, Erik and I dedicated our son, Mills Oliver, to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We made a promise to the Lord to do everything within our power to raise our baby boy in a Godly way, prayerfully until he can make a decision on his own to follow God. We as parents made a commitment to God, and are instructed to raise Mills in the ways of God, and not according to our own way. Some of the responsibilities include teaching and training him in God's Word, demonstrating an example of Godliness, disciplining according to God's ways, and praying earnestly for him.

Today, 4 sets of parents, made this promise. Mills, along with Sebastian, Ebby, and Sophie, were all dedicated to our Lord. What a joyful Day! The service was beautiful, and the music was moving. The choir was wonderful, and Nicole sang, which ALWAYS makes me cry. I knew I was in for it when I saw which song the choir would be singing, and she would be doing the solo.

Mills had a wonderful turnout of about 30 family members and friends, and we couldn't have been more blessed to have them there. Not only were they there to show their love for us, but they were witnesses to the words and promises we made to God and our son, Mills. I pray that they will help us hold to our words.

Later we celebrated with lunch at our home...BBQ & cake! We had a very memorable day!

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.
Proverbs 22:6

Show Us Your Life- Pets

An awesome blog I follow, "Kelly's Korner" has a special "Show Us Your Life" edition on Fridays and this week it just happens to be pets. Since my little man is sleeping, I thought it would be a great idea to finally participate.

Here is our Joey!

Joseph Sanford Beasley d.o.b. 3/19/03
*Sanford was Joey's "birth last name" so we kept it in honor of our friends, The Sanfords

Joey is our 6 year old golden retriever. He was given to me on my 25 birthday by my wonderful hubby. I remember the day like it was yesterday. The story goes like this...
It was April 24, 2003. I had to be at school for a small project that morning, but was free for the afternoon. I had returned home to our little house on Fyfe Street around 10:00 that morning. Erik claimed that he had to run to the bank to see if his check had been deposited, so I stayed home enjoying the freedom of not having to study (for once). It was my birthday and so I was going to do whatever I wanted...nothing!
Erik had been gone an unusual amount of time for just "running to the bank," but I didn't really think twice about it. Finally he returned home. As he walked in the door, he was huffing and puffing. I asked, "What's wrong?" He said, "You're not going to believe this, but the console in my truck just broke! It has a major crack down the side of it!" I sat there wondering what in the world could have caused his console to break and thought it to be pretty weird, so I had to see for myself. We both walked outside and I opened the door to his truck, not to find a broken console, but the cutest 5 week old golden retriever puppy with a huge red bow around his neck. He was shaking scared! I grabbed him and was so excited. Tears were streaming down my face. No, literally, I was sobbing! He was the most precious thing I had ever seen. My friend Larissa's dogs had a litter of 10, and Joey was the first to go. Erik had picked him out because he was the lightest of the bunch. Now that he's older he has reddened quite a bit, but is still a beauty! Joey was our only child for 6 years, but is adjusting to being a big brother quite well. Here are some pictures...enjoy!

Joey was just 6 weeks old in this picture

Puppy mischief...chewing the azaleas (8 weeks old)

a beautiful shot in the kitchen...but in desperate need in a trip to the groomer!

One of my favorite pictures of Joey...He loves snow! We had over a foot of snow this year and it was very hard for him to maneuver through. This is him leaping through the deepest snow we've had in years. It took all of his energy just to get through it.

<

Joey's sleeping quarters. We ordered this bed for him last Christmas. Yes, its camouflage...against my will. The hubby insisted! The bed ended up being much bigger than we had thought, but we ended up keeping it anyway. Next time, we'll know better. Oh, and notice the "blankie"...he carries it EVERYWHERE he goes!




This is Joey in Mama and Daddy's bed. No, he is not allowed in our bed, but during a morning shower, he decided to take it upon himself to enjoy the comforts of our supreme pillow top mattress and our ultra soft pillow and sheets. I had to snap this adorable picture, BEFORE I made him get down.

Our Joey relaxing

Joey is the best dog ever and he's been our baby for a while. We are so proud of him for being patient with us as we adjust to our new little one. He's the best and our best friend.

Our 2 boys...how sweet!

THE END