Broken but not destroyed

It seems like lots of things are getting broken around here these days. The camera needs to go into the shop. The sewing machine needs to be picked up from the shop. Noah's teeth have broken through the skin (and I can see more to come!). Oh, and did I mention that a car broke our house this past weekend? Thanks to God, we are broken but not destroyed.

I debated whether to really blog about the accident that occurred this past Sunday at 2 a.m. I want our blog to be full of wonderful memories and photos that I can look back at years from now and laugh, cry and remember precious moments. This is not one of those precious moments so I think I'll pass on sharing the photos I don't care to remember and just let the story unravel as I type.

We were asleep in dreamland when Lucas and I were suddenly awoken by the sound of screeching car tires. I actually remember feeling myself brace for impact as I somehow knew something more was coming. We heard, and felt, the loud impact of the car hitting the outside of our home. I'm so, so thankful, that the Lord gave me the right mind to immediately grab the phone and begin dialing 911 while running to Noah's room in case I needed to grab him.

There is something so incredibly surreal about seeing headlights shining directly through your downstairs front window, especially when you live in a gated community across from an open grassy field. We are so thankful that for what was a bad situation, it could have been much worse. The Dodge Intrepid ended up running first over our tree and into our large column that supports the overhang to our house, and becoming high-centered on the cement base of the column. This, and the wonderful Hand of God, is what I believe stopped his car from going full-force into our downstairs room. And no, he was not intoxicated...just not the brightest guy on the block.

We're now the talk of the neighborhood. I've seen neighbors come slowly walking past our home (even heard their gasps of surprise) that I've never seen before and cars that literally stop in their tracks to see the accident that is behind that lovely yellow caution tape. Now, we wait. Wait on insurance. Wait on general contractors. And wait for our home to be put back together again.

Everyone is alright. I hear the squealing tires and impact in my head every night as I close my eyes to go to bed, but as I poured out my fears to my wonderful husband he comfortingly reminded me that the Lord is our Protector and I do not need to fear. Relief. So true.

Back in the saddle

It's been a little bit rough this past week-and-a-half. The kind of rough that your entire house smells like a dirty diaper...even though the hundreds you've changed have all been taken outside. And at the end of the night after the wee one is in bed you sit down to reflect on the day (and silently cheer that the wee one is in bed) and wonder how another day passed without getting anything done...no matter how much light you let into the house.

And then while he was on the mend and showing me his toothy grin I thought Noah had been getting just two new teeth. Oh no my friends, our little guy tends to do things in fours these days. And now the past week-and-a-half is all starting to make sense.

A one year old with a cell phone

I don't let Noah play with our cell phones or remote controls...but boy does he love it when he snatches them up. Once I discover the secret in his little hands he just looks up at me and drops it as if it never touched him. It's so funny and makes me laugh every time. We gave Noah one of our old cell phones to play with and talk to whoever he wants. He carries it with him everywhere. I even let him dial international as I'm not too worried about him running up the bill.

So if you have some spare time give him a call...I'm sure he'd love to talk to you!

One year photos

In the midst of the hustle and bustle of Christmas and New Years Lucas lovingly agreed to do a family portrait session and Noah's One Year photos. Noah has the best smile and every photo just makes me feel so blessed he's mine.

I'm not big on the decorative backgrounds so I try to bring a little something from home to add a personal touch. I had purchased this metal airplane for Lucas a few years ago for his birthday and I love how it turned out.












And as for Noah's one year stats:
Weight 20 lbs 11.4 oz + Height 28.5 in = One healthy, happy boy!

Hello Ya'll...

Well, we've spent the last two weeks away spending Christmas with extended family and doing a little vacationing on our own. I think now we need a vacation from our vacation!

We set out to Savannah, GA to meet up with Lucas' side of the family for Christmas. It was a nice time down in Paula Deen country.

Noah loved copying everything his cousin, Nicolae, did. And the newest addition, Gabriel, is so sweet.


Noah ended up bringing home lots of goodies. He is seriously spoiled!

The boys (and adults) loved playing at the park.

What is better than a race down the slide!

After Christmas our immediate family headed to Hilton Head beach where Noah ran into the Atlantic Ocean. He loved it.



We also made sure to hit Tybee Island and the historic area of Savannah.



We didn't make it to Paula Deen's Lady and Sons restaurant but we did head to her brother's restaurant, Uncle Bubba's. It was my first time trying oysters.


Before heading back home we spent our last night and day in Atlanta where we visited their amazing aquarium. The Christmas lights were still up while we were there so we spent the night walking about Olympic Centennial Park. Unfortunately the photos we took were less than adequate of our experience there, but we had a great time.




There was a "petting" area and one of the employees held up the turtle for Noah to pet. I had the antibacterial wipes ready when he made it back to the stroller.

Phew...are you as tired as we are? Oh yeah, and sometime in the middle of our trip I headed to Lincoln for my best friend's wedding...CONGRATULATIONS Jeremy and Sarah Smith! I'm so excited they're stopping by our home on Monday for an overnight stay. Better get the bed and breakfast ready.

We have a ton more photos of our trip for those that want to check them out, click here.

Little shoes

We had a birthday party to go to at the park this morning and knowing that Noah would be walking around in the wet grass, I decided to head to the store to get him his first real pair of shoes. There is just something about little children's shoes that makes you want to squish them and buy them in every color and style. I did stick to buying just one pair. They were an expensive pair. More than anyone should normally pay for a growing boy...but there is something about firsts that make me bypass my knowledge of saving money and go for what I really want. I convince myself that it's a one-time thing and the memories will be worth it! And they usually are. He will, however, be wearing them until his little toes are poking out the top.

And pay no attention to the big boy shoes that are in need of some severe buffing...

A bucket full of toys

I turned around for literally one second and this is what I found when I looked back...

And this is when he noticed I discovered his secret...

And this is him realizing he needs to find a way out...

He was so quiet I have no idea how he managed to get in there without falling in. And then, I saw him do it again. Such a smart little guy.