Stuck

So since Ellie has been walking she has gotten herself into a few predicaments. I was able to capture one, where she got stuck behind the trashcan in the kitchen. She had so much fun squeezing her way into the corner, but then soon got really upset she couldn't get out!

All by Herself!

Ellie has been taken many more steps all by herself! She still isn't wanting to walk everywhere, but she is much more confident. We took a new video of her progress :)

Sleeping Beauty

So she doesn't exactly look beautiful... more like silly. It's so funny the positions you find little ones in!

Sunny Day

yea those are my sunglasses...

Walking

Ellie has been walking up a storm this past week! She loves walking with her walker and is taking steps on her own now. So I must show you the moments we have captured:

Ellie walking with the walker (notice how serious her face is):


Ellie taking steps on her own:

Gummy Song

Here is a video I have been meaning to post with Ellie and the Gummy Bear Song. She absolutely LOVES it, I was just playing the video and she heard it and started dancing. You can check out what she is watching/listening to at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z47EUaIFrdQ (it's hilarious, we love how the gummy bear shakes his booty and crip walks)

Step by Step

Ellie is getting closer and closer to walking on her own! She has actually tried to take a few steps on her own, but has failed. Other times we have encouraged her to take a few steps toward us and she makes it! We are so excited because she looks absolutely adorable! Check it out:

First Blooms

It seems like spring is already here... if only it really was. But at least for now I get to see the beautiful flowers that are blooming! Some were even blooming two weeks ago, but they died when it snowed. I hope the new blooms won't wilt with the cold weather and rain coming... Here are some shots I got:

Weekend Fun

Since it was such a beautiful weekend, we definitely took advantage of it! On Saturday there was a Garden Party with pony rides and free hotdogs... yum yum. We also went to get some icecream and cruised in this beautiful weather. I LOVE days like these!

Grumpy Baker Hanlon

Yes this should be her new name... grumpy. You might be wondering where I have been this past week, well I've been trying to de-stress during my free time. We're not sure why Ellie has been so fussy, but she is definitely not her happy self. Last night she woke up 4 times, and we have no idea what was wrong (she hasn't woken up more than once since she was 6 weeks old)! Here is a little slice of the not so happy Ellie:



Ellie is always happy when we are outside, so we are super excited about this beautiful weather... we tend to be outside most of the day. I got a little pink today from being out there so long, but don't worry Ellie was slathered in sunscreen :)

Ellie has been doing so much recently, so hopefully I will get you updated this week with all her new moves! We thought we had lost our camera (in our house) which is yet another reason why the blog is so behind, but found it today! I hope to catch you up this week! Be on the look out :)

Happy Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to my twin sister Ashlei, my mother-in-law Tone, and me! On February 24th, we all shared the same birthday! Ashlei came up from Florida to celebrate our 24 years of life!


(Ashlei and I being goofy)

Birthdays are one of my favorite holidays. I feel that we don't cherish each other enough, and a birthday is a day to remind me how much I am glad you are alive. So Ashlei coming to Raleigh to celebrate our birthday together was something extra special.


(flowers my mom got us)

This year I made a little book for Ashlei that shared some memories and reasons why I love her. Ashlei is the sweetest person I know, each year my love for her grows more and more. Putting together this book made me realize how special sisters are. Sisters know where you come from, every step of your life, and because of that they share something so special, a love that is deep and unconditional. Every year the bond between my sisters and I grow. I know that my sisters will always be there. Thanks for the memories, I love you sissies!


(Carla, me, Ashlei)

So cute!

Zach can be so sweet! On Valentine's day we had a night in, it was so simple and cute. He ordered our favorite pizza in the shape of a heart (he had done this once before we got married... so papa john's stole his idea!). We had such a nice night.



However, Zach doesn't just do cute things on Valentine's day... he does some occasionally, well maybe more like quarterly. Anyways, I took a shot of one cute thing he did in January after he had made me dinner:



so cute! Love you hon.

Ouch!

Yes it has been over 10 days since our last post... definitely unacceptable. We were a little busy this past week. I'll try to catch you up...

Ellie had her first boo-boo last week. She was playing with her toy basket and caught her thumb in between the basket and handle. We took a picture of it of course! It looked a lot worse after it had scabbed over.



She felt much better when we let her play outside. We had some gorgeous 70 degrees days... we tried to take advantage of them!

Happy Valentine's Day

Carboard Testimony

The church we attend, Summit, is launching a new campaign to reach all of the RDU area. This past Sunday, our pastor shared with us the reason why we were doing this. The answer is, "It's about people. People are the mission; they are worth the investment of our lives." They showed this video below, which demonstrates this:


The Summit - Cardboard Testimony from Chris Baker on Vimeo.

What an awesome video. Jesus changes our perspective, our hearts, our lives. I wanted to share this with you, not to show you what our church is doing, but to remind you how Christ has changed us, how he changes others. We want to share Christ with others, not just because we think it's truth, but because of the effect He has on people's lives.

Look at Me!

Here is all the new things Ellie has learned to do this past month:



What excitement! I'm gonna have my hands full pretty soon.

Milk it for all that it's worth...

This past Wednesday at a women bible study I attend, Jill Thomas, an amazing woman, challenged us to celebrate our life and milk it for all that it's worth. This definitely hit home because a lot of times I seem to forget to enjoy each moment, not to wait on what's next or how things could be better, but to really live exuberantly. So hopefully I will be changed, that I will no longer focus on what's next or what I don't have, but I will celebrate all the joys and moments I do have... right now, today.

In Deuteronomy 30:15-16 it says,
"Look at what I've done for you today: I've placed in front of you
Life and Good
Death and Evil.
And I command you today : Love GOD, your God. Walk in his ways. Keep his commandments, regulations, and rules so that you will live, really live, live exuberantly, blessed by GOD, your God, in the land you are about to enter and possess." (the Message)

We don't even know if there will be a tomorrow, so why focus on negative things. I need to change my perspective! God has given me so much, why waste it and this life? I have all that I need, why shouldn't I celebrate and be happy?

Jesus Is Not Your Homeboy

I am a sinner and for that reason I am a huge fan of the doctrine of grace. In fact I could probably go toe-for-toe with Paul as the world's worst. Actually I have no idea how I would rank among sinners in God's economy but suffice it to say we would all be dead apart from the gifts of grace and mercy.

As I have read through the first few books of the Old Testament this year I see, as I'm sure many of you would, a particularly clear pattern that displays the holiness, sovereignty, and omnipotence of God. Read Exodus 20-40, this is the beginning of the Law of Moses and the instructions on how to build the Ark of the Covenant and the Tabernacle. These chapters include precise instructions and specifications for each item to be included and used in the tabernacle. These instructions were so precise because this is where the glory of the LORD was to reside with the people of Israel.

Only the high priest could enter into the Holy of Holies once a year and this was only after he had followed very specific cleansing rituals and was wearing special garments.

Why does this matter? Like I said, Im a very big fan of the doctrine of grace but I also see that there is a lot more to this picture than fluffy sheep-hugging Messiah. Jesus is not our homeboy. We can approach him with confidence to receive mercy and grace in a time of need (Hebrews 4:16) but we should not approach him arrogantly or with an attitude that might make him seem less than the eternal all powerful son of God.

Justin Taylor had 2 great clips on his blog talking about this very subject today. In Mark 14 Jesus stands before the Sanhedrin and they clearly ask him "are you the Christ?" He responds without any caveats or conditions "I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven."

The title Jesus frequently used, "the Son of Man", is not a reference to his humanity while "Son of God" is a reference to his diety. No, rather "the Son of Man" is a reference to Daniel 7 where Daniel said he saw "one like a son of man" who came before the Ancient of Days and was presented with all glory and a kingdom that all people should server him.

Jesus is not A son of man nor is he the son of A man...he is but this is not what the title mean. He is THE son of man as referenced in Daniel 7. This statement by Jesus in front of the Sanhedrin is particularly poignant because only one of them could enter the earthly Holy of Holies one time a year while Jesus, the son of man, can freely come and go before the LORD in the heavenly Holy of Holies.

The long and short, Jesus in not your homeboy.

Meet Jack

You have seen a picture of Jack on a previous post. Here is how much Ellie loves Jack:

Ooops

So the other day when it snowed, I was really excited and let Kayla out to go play in it. Well I got the camera to record her running around and eating the snow, however the camera ended up dying on me.... but not before I caught this (the end is me slipping and falling down our little hill, notice that kayla's nose is completely in the snow):