Lake Ouachita

My dad and Sheila rented a nice cabin at Lake Ouachita and invited us to come up for a little getaway. It just so happened that they had the cabin the week of Alex's birthday, so we decided to make it Alex's birthday trip. I was really looking forward to it because I hadn't been to Lake Ouachita in years and Alex had never been to the area. We had a great time hanging out around the cabin, but mostly enjoyed our time on the beautiful lake. The only bad part of the trip was when a dog came on our porch and devoured three of the four prime fillets my dad had grilled for Alex's birthday celebration. That dog had a $50 meal! It was really not funny at the time, but we had to laugh to keep from getting too mad.

This lasted about 10 seconds before Perry was back in the boat. I don't blame him...those infant life vests are not comfortable!

Why is it so hard to get a good family picture?

These next shots are from when we went to this old country barbecue place. They had lots of antique/rustic decor, so I decided to turn it into a photo op.

Cute boys!

The leak (not to be confused with the lake)

This week has been extra crazy for us and NOT in a good way! We returned home from a great weekend at Lake Ouachita (post on that later) on Monday evening and found that there had been a water leak at the house. In fact, just as Alex was finished opening his birthday presents, we discovered the problem...as you can imagine, it was not a good end to his birthday! After three days, the plumbers finally finished and the clean up was complete. The house still needs lots of repairs, mainly new wood floor in the den and hallway, but we're not going to get started on them until after our California trip. Throughout this week, I've been reflecting on a verse that came to me as it applies to our situation.
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:19-21
I'm thankful to remember that the promises of heaven are true and that ultimate fulfillment will only be found in Christ and not in how pleasant, comfortable, or easy life is.

First Father's Day

I think Alex really enjoyed his first Father's Day. Perry woke Alex up on Sunday morning and gave him a little present, a cute book called "Just Like Daddy". I hope it will become one of Perry's favorite books for him and his Daddy to read! I suggested that we have breakfast at Another Broken Egg, to which Alex happily agreed. We don't normally go out to breakfast, so it was a fun and spontaneous way to celebrate. Thankfully we got there when we did because the entire city of Shreveport arrived shortly after us! Alex had to go to church alone because Perry desperately needed a good morning nap. I dropped Perry off at my mom's around noon, and headed downtown to the Shreveport Club to meet Alex and my dad's family for lunch. Nonnie treated us all to a fabulous lunch at the club and although Alex and I had a rather heavy breakfast, we didn't let that stop us from having another delicious meal! Alex was able to take a good afternoon nap before heading out for a church meeting that evening. Basically, Alex's first Father's Day consisted of family, food, a nap, a book and church. If you asked Alex to list his top 5 favorite things, I bet he would list those things. I will stop feeling bad for not doing something more special...he got everything he would have ever wanted! Perry is very blessed to have such an amazing father and it's evident that he loves his Daddy a lot!

7 month review

Perry,
This past month has been an exciting one! It seems like a lot has changed in a very little time. Most notably, you went from being stationary to mobile by learning to scoot/army crawl. You are pretty efficient at moving this way and like that you can follow us around. Some other things to mention about month 7 are:
-You're demonstrating classic signs of teething (drooling, fussing, biting/gnawing) but there are still no teeth to show for it.
-You learned how to play your little piano.
-You shake and bang toys as well as transfer objects from one hand to the other.
-You love playing in the mirror and splashing in the bathtub.
-You sat in your first wedding ceremony (uncle Evan and Sarah) and did great. However, I took you out before the vows because I was too nervous!
-We are in the process of shifting to a 4-hour feeding schedule.
-You like to scream whether you're happy or mad and you can get quite loud!
-You're still taking 3 naps during the day.

I love that face!

All smiles

Practicing your yodel

Your favorite place!

Super-baby!

Our big boy

Captain Perry

We recently went for a sunset cruise down the Red River on my dad's boat. It was our first time to see his new boat and it was Perry's first time to be on a boat. We all had a great time eating, drinking, visiting, and enjoying the ride! I can't wait to do it again soon. Thanks Dad and Sheila!

Momma with her baby captain

My aunt Winnie and uncle Kim

Great-grandmothers

Perry is blessed to have two loving great-grandmothers who live here in Shreveport. They both have water, ducks and turtles in their backyard, so I bet Perry is going to want to play at their houses a lot when he is bigger. 

Grammy

Nonnie

Basketbaby

This laundry basket has been quite handy lately. Before Perry was sitting up securely, I would put him in the basket while I stepped away from him for a while. He has continued to enjoy sitting in it and now it has become a toy box of sorts. I like that I can tote him and his toys all in one trip, but it will not be long before this load becomes too heavy for me!