Meeting Mommy's Best Friend

My dear friend Melissa lives in Indianapolis with her husband Brian, their son Sam, and their soon-to-be Baby Girl. We were able to meet up in Baton Rouge recently, and they got to meet Lily!  

Melissa and Lily

BFs and their babies!

Melissa's sister, Rachel

Melissa and Brian with Lily

Nice to meet you!

Snapshots!

Here are a few recent pictures!

Reading 101 Dalmatians :)

Hanging with Brittany at Dat Dog

Playing with Grandad

Danielle must have comfy arms :)

Going for a walk!

Love these pants!

Playing with Sophie!

Giggles with Granny

More giggles with Gigi

Playing in her swing

Gramma Smith

Sadly, Strother's maternal grandmother passed away on Saturday, November 15. Gramma Smith lived on a farm in Mississippi where she loved watching Alabama football, cooking for her family, and reading romance novels. She was married to Harold Smith for over 60 years; they have five children and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Strother wrote some wonderful words about his grandmother in an email recently:

We have seen her battle through numerous trips to the ICU during her struggle with congestive heart failure. She had something I don't see very often:  determination for life!  She was a woman who loved her family, especially Lily. I remember when she saw her for the first time and her face lit up with joy. She touched her little toes, giggled with a loving delight at meeting her 11th great-grandchild. She would look into her blue eyes and call her Lily Liz. 

We are so glad that Lily was able to meet her great-grandmother and that we have pictures of them together. 

The services were held the following Monday; Gramma's pastor talked about their many conversations about heaven and how Gramma told him that she was ready and even excited to meet The Lord. This was a new revelation for her that was especially comforting to her family. 

Strother said in his email:

Once when Sarah and I sat with her, she said, "Whenever he wants me, I'm ready."  So I knew she had lived the life she wanted, but I didn't know if she was saved. At the funeral service, the preacher gave us a comforting message. He talked about their meetings together. He would read the Bible to her and he assured us that she had indeed accepted Jesus as her Lord and that her name is written in the Book of Life!

Great to hear!

As usual, funerals are sad events where families come together to mourn. But the "families coming together" part is oddly enjoyable, despite the reason that you are there. Strother's oldest brother Simon came in from Monroe and was able to meet Lily for the first time. Strother's middle brother Jonathan came with his wife Jaime and was also able to meet Lily. Strother's parents enjoyed having all three of their boys together, even if it was for an unfortunate reason and only a short time. 

Uncle Simon

Uncle Jonathan

Uncle Jonathan and Aunt Jaime

The three brothers:  Simon, Stro, and Jonathan 

Lily and her grandmas

The kids

Mimi and Grandad

And just because it's cute:  Lily wore shoes for the first time. :)

Operation Christmas Child

Our church is participating in Operation Christmas Child this season!  Shoeboxes are packed with all sorts of goodies and sent out internationally to children who otherwise wouldn't have a Christmas! Our community group decided to serve together by assembling the boxes (while watching the Saints):

Our crazy friend Mandi put Lily in one of the shoeboxes :)

Stro and I had fun shopping for stuff to put in the boxes!  I think we wore Lily out though!  Here she is during our shopping trip:

A couple of weeks later, Stro and I hosted a packing party!  Everyone went shopping for goodies and brought them to our house. We played a few games, packed boxes, and made s'mores around the fire. It was a super fun night and we were also serving together on an international level!

Meg and I are ready to pack!

Lily took a nap on Sarah :)

Mandi and Cass playing games

JD taking care of Lily while Stro and I help with the boxes!

The group with the boxes we packed!  A fun night and a great cause!

Lily is Three Months Old!

While we were in Virginia, Lily turned three months!  There is no doctor appointment this month, but we estimate that she weighs between 11 and 12 pounds. She has moved up from newborn sizes to 0-3 month sizes. She's a growing girl for sure!

Here are a few pictures and some things Lily has been loving lately:

Lily loves:

**sticking out her tongue

**blowing bubbles

**talking

**smiling at Daddy

She was falling over, but this is the best smile I got during our photo shoot!

Max doesn't like to be left out. :)

Yay for three months!

Love her face in this one!

BFFs

Elvis baby!

Bundled up for a chilly morning walk!