8 months

It's amazing as a parent how fast time goes by and how hard it is to remember your baby as an infant. I've visited with two friends recently that have newborns and I honestly don't remember Jacey-Kate that tiny, unless I look back at pictures or videos. I thought being home with Jacey-Kate would slowly allow her to grow up before my eyes, boy was I wrong. Our days are full of fun and fly by! We hang out, play, read books, go for walks, nap, visit with friends and eat...a lot. She still loves her baby mush that I make and is drinking well from her sippy cup.

This is Russ' last day working from home. He'll be starting a new job with Wilmington Trust in Buckhead this coming Monday. Jacey-Kate and I are very sad and will miss him terribly. We've gotten use to seeing daddy at breakfast, lunch and before dinner, so it's definitely going to be an adjustment period for the ladies of the house. We're hoping to make it in to the big city for lunch with daddy once a week.

Jacey-Kate is getting so big. Russ said today that she's not really a baby any more, but a little girl. She's sitting up well and so close to crawling. I've been a little worried about her not crawling yet, but then I remind myself that as soon as she starts, it's all over....she's going to be every where. Jacey-Kate loves to talk and does it constantly, just like her mommy. She might look like her daddy, but her actions so far are like her mommy...non-stop.

We had Russ' sister for a visit a couple of weeks ago and then had his grandfather and dad in town last week. Aunt Laura helped me make baby food and hair bows for Jacey-Kate. It's so nice to have a sister to do the fun creative girly stuff with. Great Grandman loved Jacey-Kate! Grandpa also had a great visit with her and was able to share his 60th birthday with us. We're so thankful for all of our family and for the time they have with us and more importantly, Jacey-Kate.

Charter School Pot Luck

To celebrate the petition being finished and turned in, the project team hosted a pot luck. Despite the fierce wind and cool weather, there were a lot of excited families that attended. The kids weren't bothered by how cold it was, they were ready to jump on the trampoline and play corn hole. The food was great, some of the favorites were corn pudding, broccoli slaw, upside down pineapple cake and the chocolate rice krispy treats. We're all excited about the spring weather and look forward to many more charter school get togethers!

Serenbe Snow

The weatherman proved himself last Friday as the snow came down all day through the night. I definitely think we had up to 3" which is a lot for us Georgia peaches! Russ and I can't wait until Jacey-Kate can play in the snow. She enjoyed watching Jonah and Daisy play in our side yard from the kitchen window. The dogs loved the snow and jumped around in it until they were both covered. I wish I had a few pics to share. We drove through the neighborhood Friday night and then again on Saturday morning to capture Serenbe's beauty in the snow. Too bad it didn't last longer than a day!

Jacey-Kate 7 Months

Our sweet little girl turned 7 months last Monday. Jacey-Kate is sitting up by herself, but topples over if she gets too excited which is a lot of the time. She's so smiley and loves to laugh at us. We keep hearing how lucky we are that she's such a happy baby and sleeps so well. Russ and I are loving every minute of parenthood and just can't get enough of our precious little girl.

From JK 7 Months

Jacey-Kate patiently waiting dinner in her new chair. She loves to eat and makes the funniest noises when she watches us get her dinner ready. I'm so thankful that she's a good eater, too.

From JK 7 Months

From JK 7 Months

From JK 7 Months

Jacey-Kate loves her doggies, especially Daisy because she lets her pull on her hair.

From JK 7 Months

Rivalry Dinner

Russ and Rob have a bet over the Clemson vs. South Carolina game each year. This has become a new tradition which definitely benefits the wives because the loser has to cook dinner at the winner's home. This year's dinner was prepared by my fabulous husband. He cooked for 2 days and it was totally worth every minute he spent in the kitchen. The food was delicious! Here's the menu and pictures of each course. Go Tigers!

2nd Annual Rivalry Dinner 2010

Snack

Selection of Charcuterie and Farmstead Cheeses

2004 Schramsberg “Ouerencia” Brut Rose, Napa Valley, CA

Salad

Baby Greens with Goat Cheese and Dried Cherries

2007 Fournier Pere & Fils Sauvignon Blanc, Loire Valley, FR

Soup

Silky Corn Soup with Gulf Crab Fritter

2006 Matanzas Creek Chardonnay, Sonoma Valley, CA

Fish

Pan Roasted Halibut with “German” White Bean Salad

2006 Matanzas Creek Chardonnay, Sonoma Valley, CA

Intermezzo

Pink Grapefruit Sorbet

Pasta

Riverview Farms Sausage Meatballs with Tagliatelle and Red Gravy

2007 Moobuzz Pinot Noir, Monterey, CA

Meat

Wine-Braised Short Rib with Wild Mushroom Ragout and Nora Mill Grits

2005 Kathryn Hall Cabernet Sauvignon, St Helena, CA

Dessert

Blueberry Cobbler with Lemon-Buttermilk Sorbet

Batdorf & Bronson Dancing Goats Blend, Atlanta, GA

My First Cold

Jacey-Kate woke up with a cough about 2 weeks ago. This cough led to a cold which led to sleepless nights. Of course mommy was the only one that daddy thought could comfort our sweet baby at 2:45 in the morning. Even the 30-45 minutes in the middle of the night were priceless moments with Jacey-Kate as she nursed, babbled, coughed and sucked her thumb. Mommy is so thankful that she's on the mend and sleeping through the night again. We were shocked that she was so playful during the day, very much her sweet self.

From Cold

From Cold

Grandma and Grandpa Kiefer came for a visit while Jacey-Kate was sick. It was so nice to have extra hands to hold and love on her. Jacey-Kate kindly, or not so kindly, passed along her cold to mommy and daddy. Poor Grandma now has a stuffy nose, too. We'll miss you grandma and grandpa, but look forward to your visit in March with great grandpa Kiefer.

From Cold

Jacey-Kate's Half Birthday

I can't believe my precious baby girl is 6 months old. I feel like someone pressed fast forward because of how quickly Jacey-Kate has grown up. She's just adorable and so busy. I think she's starting the phase where she wants to be near mommy or daddy at all times because when I leave the room, she screams. Russ said we're going to have to condition her to being in a room by herself, so we're letting her scream. She eventually gets the picture....we'll be back. :-) Everything Jacey-Kate touches goes in her mouth, but no teeth yet.

December was a busy month. Joey Potter, FCA director, gave Russ and I tickets to the SEC Championship game. It was sooo fun! Our dear friends, Pam and Aaron Lake, babysat for us. When we picked Jacey-Kate up, Aaron informed us that Jacey-Kate might end up being a professional bonger when she grows up because she drank her bottle in about 6 seconds flat.

Russ and I volunteered for Passion Jan. 2-5th, so Jacey-Kate stayed with Lulu and Dee in the mountains. She had a great time with her grandparents and didn't wear them out too much. We're so thankful she's sleeping so long at night and napping well during the day. Passion was amazing! It was so cool watching 22,000 college students worshiping together. The speakers were perfect for the conference the bands were awesome and the four days volunteering really helped to center me which was a great way to start out the new year.

Hope you had a wonderful New Year, too!