12 Month Pictures of Rowe

Thank you Addie for another great set of pictures. You are truly an artist!

Addie Talley took Rowe's twelve month pictures at our house before his birthday party last Friday. She stayed for the whole evening and got some great shots. Here are some of his twelve month photos.

12 Month Check Up

Rowe went for his 12 month check up yesterday, and it was quite interesting. He was not a patient boy, but what one year old is??? We were there a couple of hours, and he had a good visit with the doctor.

We were concerned about his sudden outbursts of crying and clinginess, but he is just going through separation anxiety that was triggered by Santa Claus. Hopefully it won't last long since he has always loved people and never met a stranger until now. He has a sore throat and some reflux that should get better soon.

He is still quite a large boy, but he is proportional! He has not gained any weight since his nine month appointment but has grown an inch. His hands and feet still look really big. He is wearing size 24 months or 2T clothes now.

His Stats:

Weight: 28 pounds (100th percentile

Heighth: 31 inches (90th percentile)

Head Circ: 18 3/4" (90th percentile)

Fun Facts:

Rowe is walking really well now and is so proud of himself. Although, he looks a bit like Frankenstein when he walks. His favorite toys are his new walker, BallPopper, MegaBlocks, LeapFrog table, trucks, books, and anything musical. He has figured out how to remove the outlet covers. He likes for his learning table to be set to Spanish and will change it immediately if it is set to English. He loves to explore our cabinets so we are having to childproof them. He loves music and loves to dance. He still refuses to say "mama." He is a definite daddy's boy. He just lights up and bursts into laughter when Lee comes home from work or hunting. He will eat anything, but he really doesn't eat as much as he looks like he does. He still has not had any junk food, and hopefully it will be a while before he wants any.

Gillis Gazette

Check out this cool Christmas present from my brother and sister-n-law. Jenny is the publisher of the Covington newspaper in Georgia where they live. She is very talented, and nedless to say, we loved this creative and thoughtful gift. Thanks guys!

HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY CHUNKY MONKEY ROWE!!!

One year ago today, I was lying in a hospital bed oblivious to what was going on around me, but fully aware that we had truly been blessed with a miracle.

I can't believe a year has already passed. As I was making Rowe's party hat, I just sat and cried looking at all the pictures I used. I can't fathom the idea that we only have seventeen more of these before he graduates, God willing. I refuse to rush anything in our lives or take anything for granted. Life is too short.

We had a Chunky Monkey birthday party with our families on Friday night. Our friend, Addie came and took twelve month photos of Rowe before his party and stayed for the party to take pictures so I didn't have too. I can't wait to see the pictures, and I'll be sure to post them. Jenny Holloway made the cute as can be invitations. Taylor Massey made the cake and it was gorgeous and delicious. The company was even better. We decided that Rowe and Lee could invite a friend to our family party and we had a great turn out. We felt so honored to have some of Lee's out of town relatives attend. We don't get to see them enough.

I did get one picture of his party hat that I made. He didn't like it though, since I accidentally popped him with the string. I'm a moron sometimes. Anyway, I think it turned out cute.


Below is a picture from this morning of Rowe eating his birthday breakfast (pancakes) at my parents' house.

Lee's Charm

Lee gave me a charm bracelet with an engagement ring charm on it our first Christmas we were married. He has added a charm each year that represents something significant in our lives that year as a couple. Unfortunately I lost my bracelet when we moved into our house a couple of years ago, so last Christmas he bought me a new one and tracked down all the charms that I had lost. Last year's charm was a beautiful, baby bootie (shoe) representing the miracle that would join us during 2007. This year he gave me a charm shaped like the face of a boy with the initials MGLD engraved in it. It took me a second to realize what it meant. It was Melvin's initials. Melvin is the sweet baby boy that is six months older than Rowe that we sponsor in Guatemala through World Help. I was speechless at Lee's thoughtfulness, and I am rarely speechless. Needless to say, he did good picking out this year's charm!

Merry Christmas

We had a wonderful Christmas this year. I think it was especially special sharing it with our precious gift that turned a year old today. We stayed at my parents house most of the week along with my brother and sister-in-law. They left yesterday and I already miss them. They will hopefully be back in the spring to visit. Mom was not feeling well throughout the holidays, but was a trooper the whole week. I hope she will spend this week recuperating.

My aunt and uncle got us a great video camera for Christmas, so we were able to capture Rowe's first Christmas and first birthday on video which was priceless. We are so appreciative and look forward to making many more videos and posting them soon.

Christmas Eve night, we let Rowe open one present which is a tradition in my family to open one gift on Christmas Eve. It was also my parents' 31st wedding anniversary on Christmas Eve. We love my parents so much, and appreciate them more than anything. Below is a picture of Lee and my dad getting some of Rowe's toys put together.

On Christmas morning, Rowe woke up with a big grin! When we took him to see what all Santa had brought him, he wasn't sure what to do. He just sat there in amazement with his mouth wide open. Once Lee and I started playing with him, he knew just what to do. Then we all ate a wonderful breakfast my dad cooked. My brother and sister-in-law arrived around lunch and we had a delicious lunch that mom cooked, then we opened presents.

Rowe smiling when he woke up

Rowe and his daddy playing with his blocks

Mom looking beautiful with her new cross

Rowe peeking around at mom and Gabe

Gabe and Jenny opening presents.

Friday, we had Christmas with Lee's mom's side of the family. Friday night, was Rowe's first birthday party with the family.

Rowe Meets a Celebrity

Lee, Mom, and I took Rowe to have his picture made with Santa Claus. It didn't go quite as we expected considering he never meets a stranger and will go to anyone. We got him seated in the sweetest Santa's lap, and then we saw "the face." It's that same face he makes when he gets his shots. He opens his mouth really wide holding his breath and we wait for the loud, bloodcurdling exhale. Then we all heard it. We decided not to buy the screaming, tear filled picture and planned to come back later. He latched on to Lee's neck with his fingernails planted in his back refusing to loosen his grip. This lasted about twenty minutes. We waited a while and ventured back to see Santa. This time, I sat beside them and we slowly maneuvered him into Santa's lap and Ta Da - We got a great grin this time! Oh, and he has been extra clingy and shy ever since we met Santa two days ago.

Who's That Hot Babe???

This was me about one year ago and about fifty pounds ago.

This is the first time I have ever posted a bare belly picture of while I was pregnant. I had lots of bruises from my shots and I was a bit modest, so I never showed my belly to anyone.

Rowe will be one year old on Sunday. I can't believe it has been a year since the pictures above were taken! We are having a small family Chunky Monkey birthday party this weekend. I'll post pictures afterwards. Merry Christmas!

Local Lockhearts Love Christmas!

We wish you a Merry Christmas!

From your local Lockhearts!!!

It's Beginning to Feel a Lot Like Christmas!

Meet our newest family member, Buddy K. Elf. He is unlike any other Elf on a Shelf. A sweet friend of ours gave him to Rowe, so we named him Buddy after him and K for his wife's first initial.

We decorated our Christmas trees over the Thanksgiving holidays. Lee has his own outdoors tree filled with hunting, fishing, and other nature ornaments with shotgun shell lights. It is very elegant:) Our family tree is filled with bright, happy colored ornaments that make me smile when I look at them. Some of the ornaments are sentimental and some are just fun and cute. We did not get Rowe a tree for his room this year, because I am not sure how I want to decorate a tree for him. I want to let him decide when he is older.

Lee loves Christmas time more than anyone I know. His favorite movie is Home Alone and we have watched it at least five times already over the last couple of weeks. Soon, we'll go look at some of the Christmas lights especially the house with the music and light show! If you live here in town, go check out the house on Oswalt road and turn your radio to 102.5. The house has a light show that coincides with the music. Pretty Cool!

With all this said and done, we still celebrate the true meaning of Christmas. We know that Jesus' birth is the reason we celebrate at all. Rowe's birthday is only three days after Christmas and I know this could upset him in the future because it will be hard to have a birthday party with friends at Christmas time. Plus, he may only get one gift for both. We plan on telling him how blessed he is to get to share a birthday so close to Jesus.' It is very special to share His birthday month. Hopefully, that will help him keep Christmas in perspective for him.

Christmas Traditions

Please share with me your Christmas Traditions. We have a couple, but I would love to learn of some more. I love learning about my readers and I may want to incorporate some of them into our family traditions. This is Rowe's first Christmas, and our first as parents. I am so excited, and look forward to reading about your traditions. You can type a post entitled Christmas Traditions and leave me a link to it as a comment to this post or you can tell me your traditions as a comment.

Waves Verses Ripples

I choose Waves.

We as Christians have the power through the Holy Spirit to make waves across this world, rather than small ripples in our own comfort zones. We are blessed with God's power that we seldom claim. We have become indifferent, complacent, and apathetic to the world we do not see. We have a purpose that is far greater than our daily routines. I am so guilty of having tunnel vision that is oblivious to the needs, hurts, and need for salvation of the rest of the world. I don't think we are all called to be foreign missionaries, but I do believe we are called to be missionaries wherever we may be. We should also be open and willing to wherever God may lead us.

Little Melvin is one way we are trying to make waves in this world. It is such a priority to Lee and I that Rowe is taught how to give, show compassion, and care for the less fortunate. My parents did a great job teaching these lessons to my brother and I throughout our lives, and it is very important to us that we do the same for Rowe.

Thank you Haley and Addie for helping out little Melvin. If anyone else would like to donate clothing items for him, you have time to get them to me. If you are in Columbus, I can come get them. I will mail them off at the end of the week wrapped in Christmas wrapping paper.

Are you making waves somewhere in our world? I would love to hear about it. Leave me a comment or send me an email.

7 Things

I was tagged a couple of months ago, and I am now finally answering the tag. Enjoy!

7 Things...

7 things I plan to do before I die:
1. Make my funeral arrangements
2. Go to Disney World
3. Write a Book
4. Contact a couple of old friends that I have not spoken to in years
5. Cheer for Rowe at a Little League game
6. Teach Lee the proper keyboarding technique
7. Grow daily (not in size, I hope) as a Christian, wife, mom, daughter, sister, and friend
8. Take singing lessons (I can add one if I want to.)

7 things I can do:
1. love
2. hug
3. dance
4. type using the proper keyboarding technique
5. laugh
6. write
7. think

7 things I cannot do:
1. sing
2. sleep well all night
3. stay away from my family for long
4. do anything without making a mess
5. focus on only one thing at a time
6. control my craziness sometimes (I get a LITTLE anxious sometimes, but I’m working on it.)
7. juggle without any arms

7 things I say most often:
1. All eyes on me (to my students, not everyone I meet)
2. Yes Lee, you do look HOT in that. Now quit changing clothes. (Don’t tell Lee about this one.)
3. I love you!
4. I miss you!
5. Do you think I’m crazy?
6. Rowe, please say MAMA
7. I miss my brother

7 celebrity crushes:
1. Jonathan Brandis (all time biggest crush, but he committed suicide five years ago. So sad!)
2. Joey McIntyre from the New Kids on the Block
3. Josh Hartnett
4. Zack Morris (Mark Paul Gosselaar) Who didn’t have a crush on him???
5. Edward Furlong
6. Nicolas Cage
7. Jonathan Taylor Thomas (I used to think, Mrs. Celeste Thomas. That was like fifteen years ago, not recently.)

7 People who I want to know these things about
1. Gabe
2. Lee
3. Jenny
4. Tori
5. Erika
6. Jenn
7. Heather
If you have already done this, just ignore.

Fly Again

Thirteen years ago today my grandfather passed away. I still have so many wonderful memories with him. A few months ago, my dad sang a song at church called Flay Again that I wanted to share with you. I'm not going to sing it, but I am posting the lyrics. My grandfather loved to fly his airplane when he was younger, so this song fit him so well. I hope these words touch you in a meaningful way.

Fly Again

His trembling hands held the church pew that day,
struggling to stand when they asked him to Pray.
With wisdom and strength his words were spoken.
but his body grew weary for his wings were broken.

But he will fly once again. He will soar with his wings unfolded
Hear the angels applaud as he rides on the wind to the arms of God.
And he will fly. He will fly again.

And on that day when he left for the sky
I saw him smile as he told me goodbye.
No more would he weep for missed tomorrows.
No more would he suffer in this land of sorrows.

But he will fly once again. He will soar with his wings unfolded.
Hear the angels applaud as he rides on the wind to the arms of God.
And he will fly. He will fly again.

I know that he’s in a better place.
I still dream of the day
when I’ll see his face.
Then we’ll embrace, and...

We will fly once again. We will soar with our wings unfolded.
Hear the angels applaud as we ride on the wind to the arms of God,
and we will fly. We will fly again.

What I've Learned Since I Got Married

Hamburger Helper does not come with the hamburger.

Frozen pie crust is not as good as cooked pie crust. I sometimes forgot to read the whole recipe.

Dishwashing Liquid soap is not made for the dishwasher unless you need to clean your floor.

If your spouse hunts, get a hobby. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

If you don't like doing certain chores, just say your allergic to dust and house hold cleaners. Now Lee or the maid does them. But, I really am allergic.

I have learned much more over the past five years, but I can't think of them all right now.

5 Year Anniversary Weekend

This past weekend we celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary in Birmingham. We wanted to stay close to home, but still have some quality time together. We had a blast with each other, our aunt and uncle who we are close to, and two of our prettiest friends.

Lee and I caught up on some much needed sleep, and a little shopping. We are so blessed to have family that is so willing to take care of our baby boy for us while we were gone. He has had a yucky cold which has been interfering with his sleep. My parents' house is Rowe's other home. He loves it there, so we had no worries all weekend. Lee's sister Trish watched him for an afternoon, and Rowe loved playing with her boys. Needless to say, even while he was sick, he had a fun weekend too, except the times he crawled to the door crying for DADDY. He still calls us both daddy, but ROWE IS DEFINITELY A DADDY'S BOY. Yes, that makes me jealous!

Back to our anniversary. I just want to tell you how much Lee has enriched my life over the last several years. He tells me he loves me and misses me at least ten or more times a day. When he gets home everyday from work, I basically tackle him with a hug and he does the same for me. He eagerly seeks God's will for His life and our family. He loves for me to tell him jokes, but he doesn't really laugh at all of them. I of course think they are all hilarious. Life is not perfect, but he is my favorite blessing in life. I do have to say also, he gets better looking everyday!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO US!

11 1/2 Months Update

It is amazing how so much can change in less than a year. It is so disheartening to me that eleven months can go by so fast! I have not had enough time with my baby this year to love and kiss on him, to sing and read to him, or to just hold him, yet the year will pass anyway and he will grow up daily. This past year has not asked me if I would like it to slow down, nor did it slow down when I begged it to. I guess one of the biggest lessons I have learned this year is to not take any moment for granted. I shouldn't jam pack my schedule nor should I waste time being bored, but find the balance. I have never said, "I can't wait until...." because "until" gets here much sooner than I would like. I hate to sound so down and out, because I am also overwhelmed with gratitude and joy for what we have experienced this year with Rowe. God has truly blessed us beyond what we ever prayed for. I look back and want to kick myself for spending so much time worrying and lacking trust in God's will during the time of our miscarriages and trying to have a baby. I always trusted God to be able to do whatever He wanted which could include a baby for us or could not. I just didn't trust His will as being the best for us. If you facing a time right now where you aren't sure if you're ready to trust God's will completely, just take into consideration His track record. Has there been a time in your life that you trusted him completely and He didn't take care of you? I will be honest, I have not liked every way that God has answered my prayers, but I do know His answers are much better for me than my own in the long run.

Back to Rowe! Sorry, I got a little sidetracked. That little monkey of ours is PRECIOUS!!! Lee is still kissing him all the time, and I'm chasing him all the time. He is holding onto the furniture and walking everywhere. He only takes a couple of steps on his own and then dives face forward with a huge grin and his mouth wide open. He hits the ground announcing, "UH-OH."

His favorite toy is his Leapfrog Table with lights and music. He always changes it to the Spanish setting, and will not play with it if it is set to English. Such a little weirdo! He also loves any musical instruments. He loves playing his drums, xylophone, and he is getting an electronic piano for Christmas, but don't tell him. He has teeth marks on all of his shoes and most of ours. If he is sitting in a highchair, car seat, or most laps, his legs are swinging. He will kick you a million times while you feed him in his high chair. He no longer does his hands like he is cranking a motorcycle when he gets excited. I kind of miss that. It was his trademark.

He still has a sensitive tummy, and we have to be careful what we feed him. He still does not eat a lot of people food yet. There just isn't a big enough selection of organic food in Columbus, MS. The more I read and talk with his doctor, I think organic is the best way to go for our family. I don't think our parenting decisions are right for everyone or perfect, I just think they are best for us.

Rowe is saying "daddy" all the time. He also says "Missy," "Hey," "Mo" (more), and shakes his head no quite a bit. I don't think he knows what the head shaking means. He still refuses to say "mama." His first sentence was, "I love you." It was not pronounced perfectly, but he sometimes says it back to us when we tell him "I love you." He has also said it when we pick him up, because we always say it then, so I guess he thinks that is just part of it too. It will melt your heart. He loves for us to talk, sing, or read to him. At night, he snuggles his lovie under his head like a pillow and tucks his knees and hands under his belly with his bottom in the air. Too cute! He goes to sleep and wakes up singing. I love to hear his sweet voice over the monitor.