Special Gown

About a month ago, Ansley was baptized at our church.  She wore a special gown that dates back to her great grandfather.  Mitch's granddad, Waller, wore the gown when he was baptized.  It has been worn by almost every baby in Mitch's family.  Mitch's mom has a picture of her as a baby, Mitch, and Kyle in the baptism gown, and she really wanted to get Ansley's picture taken with it too.  Donna Davis from Candid Creations and We Do Photography stopped by this morning to snap a few pictures.  While she was here, she took a few other pictures of our sweet Ansley.  Here are three that she posted on her site.  I'll add more when she finishes editing.

Ansley wearing the special baptism gown.

Ansley and SueSue

Five month update

We have reached the five month mark!  I can't believe how much she has grown.  She's such a sweet baby.  We really couldn't ask for a happier, more content girl.  She sleeps 12 hours each night without waking up, which is so nice.  She's discovering new things each day.  She has found her tongue, and she loves to stick it out!  Thank you Lord for this sweet blessing in our lives.  Here are a few pictures of our sweet Ansley at five months.

 

Sitting up in her crib after her nap.

Please get me up!

 What a sweet face!

 Practicing some tummy time.  She can roll over from tummy to back!

I found my tongue!!  I love that smile!

Easter Sunday

Easter 2012 was a great weekend. We enjoyed spending time with both families. We went to church Sunday morning, ate lunch and spent some time with my family, and then ate dinner and spent time with Mitch's family. The food was delicious at both meals. We were definitely exhausted after the weekend, but it was all worth the time. Although we had fun celebrating with egg hunts, Easter bunnies, yummy food, and the Master's, we were thankful that Easter is not about all of those things. It's easy to get caught up and forget that the most important message of Easter is that Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. His resurrection fulfilled the prophecy and allowed us to have eternal life with him if we believe. Thank you Lord that He has risen!

The Easter Bunny made a stop to get Ansley ready for Spring and Summer.

Family photo at church on Easter.

Kyle and his sweet girlfriend, Candace on Easter morning.

The family photo after church on Easter.

One more shot.

Asher has warmed up to baby Ansley, and he even smiled for the picture!

Ansley's basket of goodies from Nonny and Pappy.

Asher digging through his bucket of goodies from Nonny and Pappy.

Asher hunting a few eggs with his new glow stick. He loved that gift from great grandmama.

Nonny and Ansley hanging out on Easter.

Four generations of girls!

Easter Egg Hunt

Ansley attended her very first Easter Egg Hunt this weekend. Ashley and Art McSwain were so sweet to invite Ansley to their annual egg hunt. It was a fun afternoon with friends. We look forward to next year when Ansley can actually hunt a few eggs. Here are some pictures from the afternoon.

Family photo at the egg hunt.



Emily and AnsleyNathan and Ansley

Mitch and Nate...two of a kind.

All of the precious children before the hunt. I picked a sweet girl to hold Ansley for me so I wouldn't have to be in the picture. Can you find Ansley???


Ansley loved Emily's mom!


Ansley's helper each day at Mrs. Cathy's, Molly James. Molly is so sweet!

All of the children huntin' their eggs.


I thought this was so cute. After the hunt, all of the children were sitting around looking through their goodies!

We had a fun Easter Sunday with both families. I'll post those pictures soon! :)

Visit with Uncle Kyle

Kyle and Candace were able to come for a visit this weekend. We were so excited to see them again! The last trip they made was an unexpected one the weekend Ansley was born. Kyle was able to get a quick visit with Ansley in the NICU, but he wasn't able to hold her or visit long. Candace didn't get to see Ansley that weekend, so we were looking forward to them returning. Ansley has more than doubled in size since she was born, so she's definitely bigger than when Kyle first met her. Kyle and Candace stopped by the house while they were out visiting Friday afternoon. Ansley loved her visit with the two of them. She had so much fun with Uncle Kyle, and she loved looking at Aunt Candace. Here are a few pictures from their visit:

Smiling at Uncle Kyle.

She loved looking at Aunt Candace.

Aunt Candace trying to make me smile.

Weee! Uncle Kyle is fun!

All that playing wore her out!

So sweet...! Ansley was up past her bedtime when we went over to SueSue's and Granddad's to eat dinner, and she was so sleepy and wanted to snuggle.

Ansley's Baptism

Today was a special day for our family as Ansley was baptized at church. Infant baptism dates back to the Old Testament and New Testament churches. The Bible says that God considers the children of believers as members of His church, and as a result, children of believers should receive the sacrament of baptism. Because Mitch and I are believers, Ansley was able to receive the sacrament of baptism. In the Old Testament, circumcision was the sign of the covenant for believers and their children, but the sacrament changed to baptism in the New Testament. Infant baptism does not mean that Ansley has received salvation. Salvation is still through grace and faith alone in Jesus Christ. Mitch and I are still called to bring her up in a Christian household, pray for her, and teach her about Christ. Infant baptism is a covenant to God to bring Ansley up in the way of the Lord. When infants are baptized, the parents and the church commit to nurturing the child in faith. We shared this special sacrament with our family. Both of our parents were there, along with my grandmother, Shana, Chad, Asher, Aunt Denise, Uncle Ken, and Hayley.

Family photo before the service started. Ansley is wearing the baptism gown that her great granddaddy wore. It has been worn by several members of Mitch's family, including Mitch. The gown was beautiful and wearing it made the day so special.

Parker introducing Ansley to the congregation.

Quick Update...

Happy 4 months sweet Ansley! I can't believe it's been 4 months already. During the first month when we were feeding every 3 hours around the clock, I felt like time was in extreme slow motion. I loved every minute with my precious newborn, but sleep deprivation is rough! Since then I feel like someone has hit the fast forward button! It seems like just yesterday we were bringing our tiny bundle home from the NICU, and now she's 4 months old. I love this age though. She loves smiling, and she smiles for us constantly. The morning is the sweetest. She's just laying there waiting for someone to come get her, and when she sees us her face lights up. If that doesn't help your day start off great I don't know what will. I can't seem to capture a good smile on camera though because she's not quite sure how to react when she sees the camera....we're working on it! She's starting to make a few noises too, and they are so sweet to hear. She's also sleeping wonderful at night....12 hours each night (knock on wood!). We're going on over 3 weeks of sleeping through the night, which is a huge blessing now that I'm back at work. She's a little snuggle-bug too. She will sit in your lap all day if you let her. She loves to stare at you and be held. I think I've created a monster sometimes, but I love the sweet love! :) She's also starting to entertain herself. She has so much fun on her mobile gym looking at the lights and making the toys move. I love watching her discover new things. I know that every good and perfect gift comes from above, and I thank Him each day for our wonderful and perfect blessing.