Mmmmm...Giraffe Feet

Maryn is getting more skilled at reaching for toys and putting them in her mouth. It keeps her entertained for quite a while. This is a long video but she starts talking at the end. I think the grandparents will be the only ones with the stamina to last that long though, haha.

Happy Birthday, Graycie!

Last week was Graycie's 4th birthday. We had a little celebration for our sweet pup (Gross-ie, as Billy likes to call her, haha). We love you Graycie!

When I'm with You

I first heard of this song by JJ Heller through my friend Kim. It is such a sweet song, and I wanted to share it because this is how I feel every morning when I get my sweeter-than-strawberry-pie little girl out of bed. :)

Thanksgiving

Even though we had to be away from our families, we had a very nice Thanksgiving, just the three of us. We made hand turkeys (wow, is it difficult to trace the hand of a squirmy 4 month old). And instead of attempting to make an entire Thanksgiving feast on my own, I decided to start small and make my mom's famous pumpkin bread, which actually turned out quite yummy.

And then we went out to eat.

And then we stayed at home in our pj's and watched the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving special, the one about the Mayflower and the first Thanksgiving. All in all, a very good day, and a good reminder of all we have for which to give thanks!

Psalm 100:4-5

Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.

Four Months Old

Maryn is four months old! Time is really flying by. Billy and I were just talking this week about how wonderful life with Maryn is and we can't remember life before she was born. Before we became parents, of course we knew we would love our child, but we thought life with a baby would be really stressful and hard. But in spite of the fact that life is definitely more complicated, we are happier than we have ever been, this little girl is such a joy. We can't wait to see her each morning and experience the new day with her. Life could not get much better.

So here's what Maryn has been up to these days. First of all, lots of growing. Today at the doctor she was 13lbs, 2oz (26th percentile), 24 inches long (26th percentile), and her head circumference is 16 inches (29th percentile). Apparently, the nurse incorrectly measured her length at her 2 month appointment - it was at the 90th percentile, which I knew was wrong; today's measurements make a lot more sense. We were wondering how the two of us could possibly have a tall baby, but it turns out she is a shortie like us. :) No shots today, though, because she is still sick (I think she planned that, haha).

A couple of weeks ago she got her first 2 teeth! We definitely weren't expecting teething this early, but we're thankful it wasn't too terrible. Here's a picture of the first tooth peeking through, although now both bottom teeth are in.

Maryn is much more active these days. She's rolling over, reaching for toys, and stealing the glasses off her daddy's face. She continues to be highly entertained by Graycie. She has also started noticing animals outside; she closely observed a squirrel yesterday. She loves for us to make animal sounds for her, like "a cow says MOOO!". It makes her laugh. Maybe she's going to grow up to be an animal lover.

Maryn has started mimicking sounds. She likes to play this game where she growls and we growl back and it goes back and forth. She also likes to fake cough to get our attention; it's so funny. She recently started noticing herself in the mirror on her play gym; she stares and smiles, and then bats at the animals and links hanging above her. We can't wait to see what changes this next month will bring!

Influential Authors: Kate

Today is a sick day. I caught a cold at the walk-in clinic, and then I passed it on to Maryn. It's her first virus; she has a fever and it just breaks my heart! So in between naps and soothing a fussy baby, today is a good day to curl up with a book. Last week, our pastor blogged about the authors who have most influenced him in his lifetime. I thought it was a good idea. He listed 15, but I could only come up with 11. If Billy gets the time he'll put up his own list. Oh, and yesterday Maryn turned 4 months old; I'll do a blog update about that tomorrow after her 4 month check-up so I can include her current stats.

So, here it is, 11 authors who have influenced Kate:

1. E.B. White - Although I could list countless classic children's books that I read and loved during my childhood, White's Trumpet of the Swan was one of the first books I remember feeling deep affections toward. I read it countless times.

2. C.S. Lewis - I have read several of Lewis' books (most of which I need to re-read now that I'm older) but there is no series of fiction that can compare to The Chronicles of Narnia. From the first time my mother read them out loud to me when I was seven, to the most recent re-read last year, they never fail to teach me something new. It's probably the only literature that I reference in daily speech on an almost weekly basis.

3. John MacArthur - I read MacArthur voraciously as a teenager. Through his writing, I learned to love theology and to begin know what I believe.

4. R.C. Sproul - His book Chosen by God, which I also read in my teens, solidified my understanding and embrace of grace in salvation.

5. Elisabeth Elliot - I consider Ms. Elliot to be one of my all-time spiritual mentors and heroes. Her writing has changed me in ways I can't describe. My two favorites are Let Me Be A Woman, which highly influenced my views of biblical womanhood, and Discipline: The Glad Surrender, which worked sanctification in my life like no other. Other favorites include Passion and Purity, Keep A Quiet Heart, and The Shaping of a Christian Family.

6. Corrie Ten Boom - Her book The Hiding Place has taught me so much about true forgiveness and trusting in the sovereignty of God. Plus it's just an amazing story that I re-read every couple of years.

7. J.I. Packer - Knowing God helped me do just that. Such an essential book. So many things I know now just seem instinctive but really can be traced back to what I learned from Packer.

8. Mark Dever - This is a new one for me. Last year I went through his The Message of the Old Testament: Promises Made and I was transformed by a new understanding of how the gospel fits into the Old Testament and how the Bible all fits together as one overarching story. I plan to go through The Message of the New Testment: Promises Kept soon.

9. Carolyn Mahaney - Her book Feminine Appeal as well as other various writings including that on her blog girltalk have highly influenced my views of what it means to be a woman.

10. Dave Harvey - I have only read one book by this author, but When Sinners Say I Do is easily the best marriage book I have ever read (and I've read a lot!). It changed my views on how the gospel affects my relationship with my husband every day.

11. Jonathan Edwards - I wouldn't be Mrs. William Smith if Edwards didn't make it on the list, would I? I've actually only read one work by Edwards (gasp!) but Charity and Its Fruits opened my eyes to what true biblical love really is. I read it a year or two ago and I know I'll definitely read it again. I'm currently reading George Marsden's biography of Edwards; I also thoroughly enjoyed Marriage to A Difficult Man by Dodds.

Fall...?

Fall is beautiful here in northern Indiana. We are surrounded by trees and when the leaves changed it was just breathtaking. I should have gotten some good pictures. We have been enjoying the cooler temperatures, the smell of bonfires, and the crunchy leaves underfoot. We celebrated Maryn's first Halloween. Too bad she isn't old enough for candy and trick-or-treating and such. She was an adorable little surgeon. Next year will be more fun. Billy wants her to be a historian. :)

We took some fall pictures of Maryn in our little back yard area. We have such a cute little pumpkin!

Then what do you know? Two days later the back yard area looked like this:

Yep, snow! In early November! It was beautiful - big, fluffy flakes. Thankfully, it didn't stay around very long. The next week temperatures were back in the high 60s and low 70s. But it gave us a little taste of the winter we'll soon experience here.

We aren't sure what we'll be doing for Thanksgiving. We won't be able to go home to Oklahoma, which makes us a little sad. (Although we have already planned our trip home for Christmas and are counting down the days!) We definitely have lots to be thankful for, especially our little Maryn-turkey! :) God has blessed us above and beyond anything we could ask or imagine. Speaking of turkeys, we often have wild turkey visitors on our back porch in the morning (sometimes deer too - we saw a little fawn the other day - so cute!). I guess they aren't too worried about becoming someone's Thanksgiving dinner! :)