Redneck Baby?

Sleeveless shirt + JORTS = Redneck Baby???










Nope...just a proud member of the Thomas family!

Procrastinating

I've been up since 6am on a Saturday trying to work on a final project for a class I'm taking this Summer. I'm bored and have no motivation. What to do? Oh, do a blog post!

I received this email today, and I loved it, so I thought I'd pass it along:

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Overcoming Fear

I am Afraid, I hear myself say. And in the saying, I practice the presence of Fear rather than rest in the safety of God. Jesus says His Spirit within me is one of power, love, and a sound mind. But He whispers while Fear is loud.

Fear screams for me to run.
But God beckons me, Come.

Fear pushes me to produce protection.
But God whispers I have already overcome.

And so I stand on rock and watch as the sand sinks swiftly down.
To be love-led rather than fear-driven is to stand on the rock underneath.

http://www.incourage.me/emily.html

Overcoming Worry

I knew I needed to change, but didn't know where to begin. How, Lord?

Quietly, He gathered me in His arms and spoke.
Don't be afraid. I can free you from worry.
Just as I brought light out of darkness, I will bring order out of your chaos.

"Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light." Genesis 1:2, 3.

I have rescued you. Never mind the circumstances. You were always safe.

Faith was no longer a goal for me to reach. It became the bridge I must cross daily to see God's goodness and live worry-free.

That night, I stepped out of denial and surrendered myself. "I am the Lord's servant...may it be to me as you have said" (Luke 1:26-40).

This prayer has become my anecdote to worry. During the day or late at night, I say to my worries, Let it be, if that is what God allows for me.

http://www.incourage.me/bonniegray.html

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Maybe it's a female thing, but I know so many of us women who struggle with fear and worry. I know that my worrying nature can be crippling at times. I needed the reminder today that God has already overcome...what, then, should I worry over? (Perhaps I should be worrying about not finishing this project since I'm blogging instead?? )

:)

Moo Moo Mr. Cow-Cow

We got the chance to head up to Knoxville this past weekend to visit Kurt's family and friends. Kurt spent most of his time recruiting at a local track meet; and Knox and I got to spend some much needed quality time with Uncle David (Knox's godfather) and Nanni (Knox's great-grandmother). Uncle David is in the animal pharmaceutical industry, and he has always loved cows. In fact, he rents several acres of a farm in Oak Ridge and owns 10 of his own cows. So, of course, Knox needed to meet them!!

Of course, he loved every second of it! The boy loves to be outside, and the "moo-ing" of the cows made him laugh hysterically!

We left Rosie at Mom-Mom's house for the weekend, so we drove back through Nashville on our way home to pick her up. After petting the cows, I felt like Knox needed a thorough deep clean. This kid is a monkey and absolutely LOVES bath time!

One day, he's going to hate me for posting pictures of his little wee-wee...and he'll hate me for calling it "little". Sorry buddy!!

Also, as most of you know, my brother-in-law, Kyle, was recently deployed. We are in the process of making him a care package which will include a picture of his nephew proudly wearing his "mini-marine" shirt!

And, finally, in other Knox-related news, he is officially 9-months as of the 5th of July; and I must say that this past month, he has grown up and changed the most dramatically of all the months of his life! He went very quickly from scooting, to army crawling, to crawling, to standing up, to cruising. Maybe I was misinformed, but I could have sworn each of those milestones happened in gradual phases? Not with this kid! As soon as he discovered his new found independence, he has not stopped moving! We are also in the process of learning to drink out of a sippy cup. For some reason, this transition has not been as easy...but he'll learn eventually.

He is always smiling! Knox now weighs 20lbs. 6 oz. (50th percentile); he is 27.5" long (25th-50th percentile); and his head is 18" (50th percentile). Even though he is almost perfectly average (albeit a little short and round...just like his momma), people still stop me all the time to tell me how huge he is for a 9 month old! Why it bothers me, I'll never be able to explain!

That's pretty much it for the Thomas house! Oh, we have FINALLY started to paint! My mom was tired of hearing me complain about how much I hate (and I mean hate with a fiery, burning passion) the green the previous owners painted the living room, dining room, hallway, AND master bedroom...so she went out and purchased 3 gallons of Benjamin Moore paint for us over the weekend! We have pretty much finished the study/Knox's play room - it's now Hawthorne Yellow (I fell in love with it in one of the latest Pottery Barn catalogs...very bright and cheery). And we're going with a color called Grege Avenue for the living/dining room (I'm hoping for a neutral gray/brown shade). I hope I like it because my sweet mom already spent a small fortune on it! Maybe, if I'm brave enough for the feedback, I'll post before and after pictures soon.

'Til next time!

Beach Baby

We've had an exciting week here at the Thomas household! Last Thursday, we celebrated Kurt's 25th birthday (again...for the ?? year in a row) - we had some friends over for food and birthday cake, then went to the Birmingham Barons baseball game for Thirsty Thursday. I hope Kurt felt the love, because we certainly do love him! I told him on the morning of his birthday that I was so glad he was born - I think he laughed at me ;) But it's true! Life is just better with him.









We also got to celebrate Rosie's doggie friend Sadie's 4th birthday at the park!

Then, Friday morning, we drove to the beach with our friends Will and Erin to celebrate 4th of July AND Erin's 30th birthday! We had a great time! But...vacations with a baby aren't quite as relaxing as they used to be...no more sitting on the beach for hours at a time with a cold beverage in hand. It's OK, though - I'll trade that any day for this sweet face!

yes, that is knox pooping :)

It was a quick trip, but it was well worth it to spend time with great friends!

And finally, yesterday, we had Knox dedicated at church. It was an awesome service, and we feel so blessed to have an awesome church family that is dedicated to help raise Knox up to know and love the Lord. Praise God for that! I'll post pics as soon as I get some.

We are off to Knoxville this weekend so Kurt can do some recruiting and so we can visit his friends and family. On the road agan....

And just a little shout out to our sweet friends Kim and Patrick who introduced their sweet baby girl, Audrey Elizabeth, into the world on Tuesday, July 6th. She is beautiful and I can't wait to get my hands on her! Just another girlfriend for Knox ;)