The Many Faces of Ian

Ian is so expressive. I love to see his happy face the most, but his candid, more solemn expressions are just as precious.

Ian's seventh month

Pulling myself up in my crib

Check out my first tooth!

Trying to crawl

Visiting with Grammy

Playing with Amber and Aprile

Ian's seventh month has gone by so quickly...He finally mastered the art of sitting up without tumbling over, cut his first tooth, and eats everything put in front of him except apples and sweet potatoes. He has developed a screeching scream that he uses when he feels excited. And though it's humorous at home, I'm not sure everyone else finds it so endearing when we're out in public! He wants to crawl SO BAD! He gets on his hands and knees, rocks back and forth, and then scoots himself across the room on his belly. He was such a champ as we traveled cross- country from Athens to Amarillo and then back to Auburn for a weekend trip. He spent time with two of his aunts, Amber and Aprile, and his grammy and grandaddy before our big move. Ian is so much fun and easy to entertain as we read books, stroll, play with toys, and just toss him about. Ian adds so much to our sweet family and his presence is truly a God-send.

Play time with Daddy

Ian has such a good time with his dad and Fred enjoys it just as much (if not more). From tickling tummies to tickling the ivories, Fred and Ian have a great time together.

I Love My Blocks!

Not a day goes by that Ian doesn't pull out his box of blocks. At least one block is in his hand for most of the day or mouth for that matter (at least while he's teething).

My first trip to the Loveliest Village on the Plains...AUBURN!

Tailgating with Shannon and her family

Ian's first Auburn game

Playing with his shaker!

Meeting Amy for the first time

Ian and I at Shannon's reception

We took Ian to Auburn for his first football game against Louisianna Tech. We strolled through downtown Auburn, tailgated with my college roommate Shannon and her family, met Amy and Rocky for the first time and saw her precious baby bump as she carries sweet little Avery, and watched the eagle fly throughout Jordan Hare during the pregame festivities. Ian seemed to enjoy his shaker more than anything else and slept through the first two quarters. I loved showing Ian my alma mater, a place that means so much to me and help shape and define the woman I am. It was also the weekend of Shannon and Dustin's wedding. I was Shannon's Matron of Honor and enjoyed spending the weekend with she and her family so much. It brought back countless memories of our years at Auburn and beyond college. She and Dustin married in the Auburn Chapel and had a sweet, simple ceremony.

From Athens to Amarillo!

Ian wearing a hat from West Texas A&M University

Exhausted after the move

Our new house in Amarillo

Ian and Knox hanging out on our last night in Athens

Watching the movers load the truck

We left Athens on August 13 to make the 1200 mile journey to Amarillo, TX. We loved living in Athens...the town is amazing...so eclectic and energetic. The restaurants are fantastic and the cheesecake at The Last Resort is like no other! But our friends and the students at the Georgia Christian Student Center really made Athens feel like home. We had a nice "going away" pool party with our friends who gave us a great picture of downtown Athens. Our students gave us a great "roast" as we said good-bye to them and the ministry. We will miss Athens and the relationships we formed, but certainly believe it was God's will for us to leave. Adjusting to Amarillo has been interesting...the weather is quite perfect. No humidity and a nice breeze keeps the heat bearable. We really like our new house and we actually have green grass with trees (something that isn't native to Amarillo). The beef in this city is fantastic as it should be considering this is cattle-ranching country! The church is much bigger than anything we've experienced before, but it really seems to suite Fred and I in our walk with God. We're super excited about Ian being involved in such a dynamic children's ministry and have been so encouraged by the Texas hospitality...the stereotype is true...Texans are the nicest people!