Happy "6-Month-Birthday" Charlotte!

Six months has never gone by so quickly before. Everyone said it would fly by, and I knew it would... I just didn't expect it to be this fast! Jared and I were talking about all of the things we've learned over the past six months from being parents and thought you would enjoy all the wisdom that we have gained...

Children are little sinners from the very beginning!

Vacations will forever be different. Traveling with a 5-month-old is not necessarily a good idea.

A "full night's sleep" means something totally different after the baby is born. If you get to sleep till 7:00, consider that "sleeping in".


Getting out the door quickly takes much planning and preparation.

Always have a burp cloth handy (we recommend keeping a few tucked in drawers in each room of the house)!

A car ride from Jacksonville to Keystone may only take an hour, but can seem like a lifetime with a squalling baby in the backseat.

Don't read a parenting book expecting your child to follow that plan exactly.

There will be some days where the only thing that gets done is that you change out of your pajamas (and some days where that doesn't even happen).

One of the worst feelings in the world is to know your child is hurting or not feeling well and not being able to do anything about it.

The Proverbs 31 woman needs a good kick in the pants for setting such high standards (Can I get an “Amen”?).

You begin to understand your own parents a little more.

There is no "going by the book" because every book says something different... Wait, I take that back. The Bible is "The Book" to go by.


When Jared suggests something that's different than what I'm thinking, I would be wise not to dismiss it immediately just because "I'm the mom and I know best".

We shouldn't compare Charlotte to other babies and should not use them as a gauge for how Charlotte is doing and how we're doing as parents.

Be quick with the diaper change, lest you want to be peed on (though it's still not a guarantee that it won't happen).

Babies are little Houdini’s with how they can wriggle out of their bouncy seats or car seats if not properly strapped in (see May 13th posting for appropriate picture).

Never say, "This has to be the nastiest diaper I'll ever change..." That's just asking to get an even nastier one the next day.

Seeing our little girl smile is the definition of happiness.







We have loved these past six months with our new family and are constantly amazed by all of God's blessings in our lives. We are so undeserving yet He continues to pour out His love on us. Parenting is a challenge and not for the faint of heart, and there are days when I think, "What have I gotten myself into..." But then she looks up at me with those big brown eyes and lays her head on my shoulder and once again I'm wrapped around that tiny little finger.

This past weekend we went to see Prince Caspian with some of the Rollins family. The Chronicles of Narnia was Jared's favorite book series growing up so it was very nostalgic for him. The movie stayed very true to the book and we're looking forward to The Voyage of the Dawn Treader coming out in 2010.

On Sundays, instead of having an evening service, our church has home Bible studies where we have a discussion about that morning's topic. We used to keep Charlotte with us during the Bible study, but she's getting to the point where she's needing to be entertained more, so last night we sent her to the "kids' room" where our pastor's wife, Heather, was taking care of the younger ones so the parents could pay attention and participate in the discussion. Towards the end of the discussion, I heard Charlotte "talking", which then turned into "fussing". There were two doors closed and a long hallway between her and us and we still heard her expressing her displeasure at who knows what. Charlotte seems to only understand two volumes: off and loud. And more often than not she's in the latter of the two!

We hope everyone had a great weekend!