Holy Cow

We are moving to Abilene, Texas! (See previous post for more information.)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEWIS!

Holy Cow. I have so much to write about and not enough time to spend doing it. Let me try my best to include several big events from the last month all in one blog post.

At the beginning of the month Lewis got a double ear infection and came down with Hand, Foot and Mouth. Thankfully, he was better in time for his Birthday 'week'. Yes, Birthday 'week'. Everyday we had a big event happening. Monday night we started meeting with close friends to share the big news of our upcoming move to Abilene. We did more sharing on Tuesday night. Wednesday was his b-day and that night we had a smash cake at church to celebrate. Thursday was a prep day for Friday when a videographer would come film 'A Day in the Life of Lewis'. (More on this later.) That night my brother, Greg, his wife, Melissa and their 3 boys arrived. Saturday was our small birthday party for Lewis. Then Sunday we announced to the congregation our news.

My brother and his family stayed until December 26th and we loved our visit. Actually, I think Lewis had withdrawals after his cousins left. They had such a good time playing with one another.

My parents also made their way down to Alabama for Christmas. Unfortunately, my Dad got the flu just before he arrived and since he wasn't fully recovered yet he and my Mom stayed in a hotel the first night.  Once they came over we crammed 10 people into my tiny house! Yes, it was crazy but so much fun. Tim and I set up a mattress in Lewis' room. Greg and Melissa and the kids had the large guest room and Mom and Dad took Tim and I's room.

While our family was here Lewis seemed to pick up some fun new things. He actually plays peek-a-boo while covering his face and then uncovering it. Before he always relied on me to be the one to hide behind something. Also... he took his first steps today! It was perfect... Tim and I were playing with him in the foyer when all of a sudden he let go of the computer chair and while holding a baseball he took a few steps towards Tim. I cheered so loudly it scared Lewis. ha ha...

Oh and Lewis and I have finished nursing. I know it was a crazy month to be weening, but it went very smoothly. It took us around 4 weeks and Lewis actually quit the last feeding himself. And I must admit I am enjoying my new freedom.

On a sad note... My parents planned on staying through December 29th, but on the morning of the 28th we got the call that my Dad's mother passed away in her sleep. Therefore, my parents took the first flight back home. My parents have been her caregivers for the last 6 - 7 years and it has been a hard few days for them. Lewis and I will fly out Saturday for the funeral on Monday, Jan. 2nd.

Abilene, Texas

It is official...we are moving to Abilene, Texas!

This journey really started years ago when Tim was finishing undergrad.  Harding (HU) had a graduate fair and promoted the Masters of Divinity (M.Div.) program. Tim looked into it and even asked me what I thought about us moving to Memphis and letting him go full-time. I said, "NO WAY!" I was so tired of Tim being in school and I wanted to move on to the next phase of our life.

Tim eventually started the M.Div. program at HU and worked at it part-time online. Over the past few years Tim's desire to finish his degree grew and grew. I knew it was only a matter of time before he would ask me if he could go back full-time. Even though I was not huge on the idea a few years ago, God worked on my heart.

Sometime last spring/summer we started to realize that if we wanted Tim to finish before he turned 40 he would have to go full-time in the near future. Although, we still did not know when we would move or where we would go. At first, we thought we would start looking at schools based on geographical locations (ie. Colorado, Ohio, Virginia, etc.) I kept thinking in my mind, "If I have to move at least I want it to be in a great city." Texas was NOT on the list. ha ha....

We looked into schools, but never seriously. We just didn't feel 'right' about it nor was anything really jumping out at us. We put this idea in the back of our minds and went on about our life. We were happy with our church.  In fact, I'm not sure we will ever get to work for a better congregation! We certainly did not want to move.

Labor Day weekend rolled around and we took our annual trip to Wichita to visit my family. My Dad, Tim, Lewis and I went to lunch one afternoon to Chipolte. We got our food and as I was sitting down I saw a familiar face beside me... Richard Foster. I said hi to Richard and his wife Cheryl and we started chatting. Richard was a youth minister at the church I grew up in many many years ago. They now live in Hutchinson, KS (45 mins. away from Wichita), but happened to be in town visiting friends in the hospital.  As Tim and Richard started talking they got on the subject of Tim's graduate work at HU. Meanwhile my Dad, Lewis and I started eating.  I really had no idea what they all they were discussing. After we said our good-byes to Richard and Cheryl I asked Tim, "What were you talking about for so long?" Tim said, "Richard has offered me a scholarship to pay for my M.Div if I can transfer to ACU full-time." I said, "Well it looks like we are moving to Abilene!" I knew without a doubt God had spoken and we would be moving to ACU by next August.

Like I said before... we were very happy and content at church.  In fact, I cry almost every time I think about leaving our church family.  Although, I knew then and I know now... God spoke!

The last few months Tim has been preparing to take the GRE and submitting his application and letters of recommendation to ACU.  December 9th Tim received a letter with his acceptance into the program! It was official.  After months of wondering and uncertainty we were finally accepted!  It was a huge relief.

We know there are still so many hoops we must jump through before August and there is many more months of uncertainty ahead, but we are confident God is with us!

We announced the news to our church December 18th, which was very difficult.  I cried most of the morning.  Once the news broke the church family and teens surrounded us with encouraging words and loving hugs. Thankfully, we still have until August with our church family.

The M.Div. is a 90 hour program. The majority of graduate degrees are 36-60 hours; therefore, we will be at ACU around 3 - 4 years.   Just before Lewis starts Kindergarten. We have no idea where we will go after ACU, but I'm sure we will be looking to God for direction.

Keep us in your prayers and I will keep you posted on our journey.

Still Sick

For the last 11 months I have prided myself on the fact that Lewis has not gotten sick- not even once. Well I swallowed my pride when Lewis was 11 months and 2 days old, he got sick with Croup. Ugh. It broke my heart to hear him coughing and struggling to breath. It lasted a few days, but we made it through. Then we went off to Ohio for Thanksgiving.
When we returned from Thanksgiving Lewis started acting fussy and by Thursday (almost 2 weeks after getting Croup) he got a horrible fever of 103.7. I took him to the Dr. and they diagnosed him with a double ear infection. Then today, just when I thought he was getting better, a rash appeared. At first I thought it was from his antibiotics, but then I noticed it not only on his bottom, but on his hands, feet and mouth.  Yep, you guessed it... Lewis has Hand Foot and Mouth Disease. I'm telling you... I will never again brag about how healthy my child is.

On a side note: I didn't realize Lewis was sick with Hand Foot and Mouth when I took him to see Santa.
Another side note: I have to give credit to Heather Jiles, because she is the one who realized Lewis had Hand Foot and Mouth. She saved me a visit to pediatric after hours.

Poor Santa and Poor Lewis

Today we went to the Port Columbus Museum to visit with Santa. This event was advertised with the below words:

"Santa as we know him first appeared in Christmas 1862, at an army camp to pass out presents to soldiers," said museum Executive Director Bruce Smith

I was pleasantly surprised to see him in the American Flag. Even though this isn't our typical Santa I thought it was neat. Although, I do not think Lewis appreciated the change! 

I know this might sound bad, but I have always hoped I would have a kid cry when he sat on Santa's lap.... I think it's hilarious! You should have see us... I'm standing there with my camera ready and Tim hands Lewis over to Santa and he just starts going hysterical. The Santa looks at us like he doesn't know what to do and we bust up laughing. To make things worse Santa asked if we wanted to take Lewis back and I said, "No, it's funny... let me get a picture!" 

11 months and 2 weeks old

Lewis' 1st Birthday is almost here and I'm feeling very sentimental. Everyday I find myself thinking about what I was doing just a year ago and then thinking about the first time I saw his face and held him right after the birth. I know everyone says this, but it's true... I CANNOT believe it has been a year since he was born. This year has flown by and yet so much has happened.

The last few weeks Lewis has changed dramatically more than past weeks. Here is a little recap of his changes:

-He waves but not by opening and closing his hand but instead by twisting his wrist back and forth.
-He loves pulling clothes out of the dryer and drawers.
-He likes to roll balls around the rooms and chase after them- giggling the whole time. It's really precious.
-Lewis walks, but only if someone will hold his hand. Actually he will run, but only if someone will hold his hand. As soon as we let go he sits down. I know he can walk I just wish he knew it.
-I heard Lewis say, "No" to Tim in church when he was 'shhhing' him.
-Lewis says, "Mama" Mmm-o-mmm-yyy" and "Mom- Mom- Mom- Mom" all day long. Sometimes he does this while standing at my feet, pulling on my pants and stomping his feet! Yes, the 'I'm so frustrated but all I can do is yell and stomp my feet' has begun.
-Lewis loves to swing at the park.
-If we spend all day at home he goes a little stir crazy and pounds on the front door to go out.
-We had our 1st embarrassing restaurant experience on the way home from Thanksgiving. Lewis threw a fit in Cracker Barrel, but we cannot really blame him since he had been in the car all week! Other than this one time Lewis was extremely good while traveling for Thanksgiving.
-He loves to dance and pound his hands to a beat.
-He is very strong-willed but loves to have fun and laugh. He prefers to be around people and loves to talk to anyone.
-Thankfully, he still takes two long two hour naps.
-He hates shopping. Going to the grocery store is usually awful unless I give him snacks.
-Lewis will sit quietly flipping through the pages of his books for several minutes each day.
-I am gradually weening him and I hope to be done nursing by 13 months.

Ten and a Half Months Old

I cannot believe Lewis' first birthday is just around the corner. Lewis is 10.5 months now and doing well. Here is what he has been up to since I last posted:

- Lewis has become a good eater. He loves textures and really prefers them over blended baby food. Bananas, blueberry pancakes and bread are his favorite foods. We gave him chicken for the first time a few weeks ago and since then he has tried hamburger and fish. Besides a few days when he spit out everything I put in front of him, he has been good at the dinner table.

- He still isn't walking independently, but yesterday he stood up without any assistance. 

- He loves to mimic Tim and I and will do 'back-and-forth gestures' with us.

- His favorite toys are cars, books and balls. 

- Lewis gives lots of kisses and is very affectionate; although, he likes his personal space at times. He does not want to be constrained in anyway. For example, he does not like it if I place my hand on his side while nursing. Lewis wants to be free to move at all times! 

- Eight teeth have made their way through the gums.

- Thankfully, Lewis has become a much better sleeper. He goes to bed around 7:30 pm, nurses around 10:00 pm and then sleeps until 6:00 am. An hour later he takes a two hour morning nap. Then around 1:00 pm he takes another two hour nap.

- We are still nursing 4 times a day. I plan to keep these until his first birthday. I am hoping to drop one feeding a week until he's finished. I wouldn't mind if it didn't take four weeks, but I'm not trying to get my hopes up. 

- I have given him two haircuts. I know some people want to be 'natural' and wait till the first birthday, but I'm the one who has to look at it all day!

Below are some pictures from today. I know this is sad, but this was the first time we've played in our yard. Before you pass judgement:

1. Mosquitos are worse than flies down here.

2. It's finally cooled down.

3. Last spring he couldn't even sit up.

4. He breaks out in hives if I put him in grass without pants. (Just like me.)

5. We do go outside a lot, but we stay on the porch.

Happy boy.

My face is dirty, but that just means I'm having fun.

Chewing on that finger again!

Look at all these pretty leaves.

They taste nasty, but I keep putting them in my mouth.

"Come here and give me a hug."

Lewis sees the phone.

My favorite chew toy- Mom's Phone.

A shot from under the tree looking up.

Oh, we need to rake!

Aren't these so pretty?!?

Randolph Family Tradition

Are we crazy? Yes, we are. Tim and I left Thursday morning and drove to Nashville, TN (approx. 6 hours). The next morning we drove to Danville, IL (approx. 7 hours). Then Saturday morning we drove from Danville, IL to Champaign, IL (approx. 45 mins). Saturday night we drove from Champaign, IL to Effingham, IL (approx. 2.5 hours). Sunday we drove from Effingham, IL to Phenix City, AL (approx. 12 hours). We did this of course with a 10 month old in tow. Poor little Lewis. It was such a whirl wind trip. 

Why did we do this? Well it was all for the family and the Ohio State Buckeyes! Since Tim and I were married (2006) we have made a journey every fall to see the Buckeyes play with Tony, Big Tim and Joyce. So far we have been to Illinois University twice, Northwestern University, Indiana University and Purdue. If you are counting... yes, we missed one year because I was pregnant. This is a Randolph Family tradition and one I absolutely love! For some reason I felt this year was even better than most. Maybe it was because of the beautiful drive up North, or the cold weather, or tailgating, or a game of corn hole. No, I think it was because of the two new additions- Nicole and Lewis. 

The Trip

Thursday night we stayed with our good friends Rob and Jen Hartman and their boys Grayden (3) and Reed (6 months). We got in town early enough for Jen to cook us dinner, which was amazing. The boys went to see the movie Couragous. After the movie was over Rob's Mom babysat and we went on a double date for some ice cream. The Hartman's are a family we make sure to see a few times a year! They are kindred spirits and family in Christ.

The drive was beautiful with autumn in full swing. We took some back roads through Kentucky and found ourselves at the Crofton Diner for lunch. This was the kind of place that doesn't enforce the much appreciated law of no smoking in public places.  At any moment I expected to see Bo Crowder walk in. Well I didn't get to meet good ole' boy Bo, but I did get some good veggies, sweet tea and pecan pie for dessert. 

We spent Friday night in Danville and shared a room with Tony and Nicole. The next morning, not wanting to wake the others I took Lewis to McDonald's.  Lucky me, I have a baby who wakes around 6 am eastern time.  Lewis ended up waking at 4:45am central time!  Below is Lewis in the play place having fun and being as loud as he wants.

The Game

The Buckeyes won and Lewis got to see his first football game. I hope this is the first of many games to come for Lewis.

Uncle Tony carried Lewis to the stadium. Isn't this so cute?!?

Walking to the stadium which you can see in the background. 

Look at all those people! I love it.

Tony, Nicole, Me and Tim- Lewis is in back of Tim, but you can't really see him.

Grandpa and Lewis- This was a special moment... bringing his first Grandson to a Buckeye game!

Hanging on Daddy

The Fam

I have yet to see the Buckeyes lose. Keep it up boys!

Pumpkin Patch

Fall is here! This is by far my favorite time of year. It's time for pumpkin pie, crisp cool air, changing leaves, and pumpkin patches.  

We took Lewis to a Best Nursery Pumpkin Patch today. Oh, we had a great time. The weather couldn't have been better, not too hot nor cold. Lewis had a great time too. I think he enjoyed all the colors and most of all chewing on his pumpkin.

This is a growing boy! He is leaning; therefore, the height measurement might be off a bit.

Happy Fall everyone! I hope you are enjoying the nice weather as much as we are.

Our little Lewis is 9 months old and is weighing in at 20lbs. 3oz. (50th percentile) and he is 29'' long (75th percentile). He is all over the place these days. He is still cruising, but is getting more and more adventurous. Long gone are the days of easy diaper changes. Oh, how I miss those; although, I have learned to not fight it and just move with him. I am usually buttoning his buttons as he crawls across the room. It's kind of funny actually. 

Today was a crazy day... I come home from church to a broken washing machine, which was really bad timing since I've been saving my laundry until today. Then as I am old school washing the essentials in the bath tub I heard a loud cry from Tim, "SARA! COME QUICK!" I run into Lewis' room to find that instead of sleeping Lewis took off his diaper and pooped in his crib then played in it! Perfect timing, right?!?

Did I mention that Lewis is a handful?!? Well he is. He climbs everything. He has gotten good at climbing onto the rungs of our kitchen chairs, making for a nervous Mom.

Really though, Lewis is awesome. We have been blessed with an easy baby. He must have been born knowing the expectations that come with being a minister's child, because he loves people. Except for a few days this summer Lewis is more than happy to let anyone hold him. In fact, I usually carry him facing outward so he can reach for someone else at any given time. 

Below are a few pictures from our session yesterday.