Of Dell

The lack of posts over the last few weeks is due to major malfunctions of my four-year-old laptop. Actually, it is not four years old. Four years ago, my father generously bought me a laptop to aid in my studies at grad school. This laptop has been replaced by Dell three or four times over the years. I have spent countless hours on the phone with non-American, non-English-speaking men who are able to read an algorithm (althoug in broken, impossible-to-understand English only), but may not be able to think for themselves attempting to get various laptops in working condition. Usually, after enduring a period of trials and tribulations, the computer has been fixed. Not this time.

The Dell laptop is now very much dead. It takes over an hour to turn on, and then flashes warnings like, "File ://!XYZ has been erased. This may indicate a problem with your hard drive." before showing me a beautiful blue screen which reads, "Dumping physical memory." In my very limited experience, when your computer suggests that hard drive problems may exist, it is usually correct.

Now that I am married, my husband has generously bought me a new laptop. (Because that is what good husbands do for their internet-dependent wives.) Eric may have just been sick of getting phone calls like, "Ok, look this up for me. How many cups of dry long-grain brown rice do I need to get three cups of cooked rice?..........I mean, are you busy there at work?"

My new computer is on the way. I sincerely hope it is more reliable than my Dell has been.

Don't you love calling customer service when you have a computer problem? The customer service reps must have a very tainted perspective on humankind, for who ever calls them without being frantic and angry? (Perhaps Eric, actually....)

He Rolls!

Elijah has been diligently working at rolling over for the past two weeks. He has been able to roll from stomach to back since he was eight days old (save a brief obese stage he went through). Rolling from his back to his stomach has proven a little more difficult, especially given the weight of his head. Sunday night, however, all his hard work paid off! He rolled over all by himself, even pulling his arm out from underneath his chest. He was so happy and proud of himself. The novelty has yet to wane apparently - Elijah continues to be proud of himself at each subsequent roll-over. "Look! Did everyone see that one?"

His behavior reminds me of yelling at my Mom to watch me jump off the diving board every single time I jumped. "Mom!...Mom! Mom, watch this one - it's 'Lady on the Telephone.' .......Mom? Did you see it? Get it? How it was 'lady on the telephone'? Here, I'll do it again."

Now I must begin childproofing my home; crawling will not be far away, I believe. Elijah already somehow mysteriously scoots from one end of his blanket to the other. Here are some action shots of his new trick:

Elijah continues to be a delight. His laugh is becoming more intentional; he loves to be tickled on his chest and legs and talked to by anyone. Give him some eye contact and you will receive a wonderful smile in return. Play with him and you may even here a gurgly, deep, almost-grunting laugh (which is the best sound I have ever heard). We love this baby!

While Cooking Lentil Soup

Lentils take more than 20 minutes of simmering to arrive at the intended "tender" stage. And so, I am awake, awaiting tenderness.

Eric and I had a wonderful time celebrating our second anniversary in Chattanooga. Elijah stayed with Grammie and Grampa, who took very good care of him. They even let us call all the time to check in. We stayed in a great cabin, ate good food, and toured Chattanooga. The best thing we did was rent bikes and ride along the riverwalk. Here is Eric modeling the next fashion craze. (Sorry ladies - he's taken!) Eric discovered a fascinating bamboo grove during one of our expeditions. Another photo album, "Why It Is Important to Wear Clothing that Fits" or "Terrible Angles at Which to Take Pictures," was also shot during this trip.


MawMaw, Uncle Dwight, and Mom took the three of us to Myrtle Beach. We had a great time! Uncle Dwight is probably the absolute best person with whom to go on vacation - he even suggested putting Elijah's carseat in his car so we could all travel together!

Before hitting the shore, we stayed a few days with my parents.
Elijah loves his Grandpa

Mom & Elijah wore matching sailboat outfits~:-) After having strangers help her out, MawMaw became an expert in navigating the lazy rivers. "Just get me near the rail! Just get me to the rail!"


Elijah's first time at the beach was so much fun. He hated everything the first day (after Momma failed to "look out for big waves" and a wave washed over Eric's back and chest and hit Elijah), but had lots of fun afterwards.

Burgers and much good food were had.

We were able to see our friends Keren, Jordan, and Grace who now live in Myrtle Beach. Grace pushed around her little stroller and took care of her baby during their visit.

Our little man got his four month shots today. They were terrible. Unlike last time, he cried and cried as soon as the needle touched him. The rest of the day has involved a lot more crying and a lot of Children's Tylenol. He weighs 18 pounds & 5 ounces and is 25 inches long. Our fabulous pediatrician, Bram Pinkley, said of Elijah "I really wish he would gain some weight."
Tomorrow Eric will go to work, and I will rub knots out of Elijah's legs.

Time to check on the lentils...

"Abortion: The Context of our Praise"

This convicting excerpt from this insightful blog points out the flawed attitude we often have regarding church services.

"This emphasis on the cultivation of shallow but pleasant feelings and a sense of fun in evangelical churches is a large part of why the church finds itself irrelevant to contemporary culture. While we are busy trying to show the world “Christians can have fun too”, the world around us grows an ever darker, more murderous place.
We fail to consider our context. The most significant fact we should carry with us about our culture as we consider how we might design church services that speak to it is the reality of abortion. We should remember that while we fill our services with clever skits and shallow songs and advice on achieving your best life now, the streets of our cities run with the blood of 50 million babies.
Whatever we do in church, it should point to something, indeed someone, strong enough and virile enough, to gain victory over evil of that magnitude. The culture of death is the culture into which we speak. Abortion is the context of our praise. A church dedicated to her own entertainment, to feeling good on Sunday mornings will fail, indeed has failed, to point to Jesus, the one who will redeem and punish the evil of our age."

Perhaps next week instead of wondering if my crockpot is plugged in or hoping my child does not scream, I can instead consider the bigger picture: I am worshipping a just God, a God who sees the evil in me and the evil of my surroundings.

And yet, this same God takes delight in being merciful.

10 hours, 45 minutes

Superbaby (seen above) is sleeping longer and longer. Wednesday night he fell asleep on the way home from prayer meeting and did not waken until 7:30 Thursday morning. It was amazing. He has now had two nights of over ten hours of sleep. Hopefully this is not a sign of lethargy in the child.
Elijah had a playdate with his friend Lily this week. They were so cute together!They even held hands~:-) We are thankful for our friends!

Van-Buying Tips?

Eric had the opportunity to preach at our church last Sunday. His sermon, on Hebrews 12:1-3, describes how we are to "run the race" - looking unto Jesus, without whom we will not be able to endure. Tooskie and I were only able to hear the first and last ten minutes that Sunday due to an inflexible feeding schedule. Thanks to SermonAudio we are all caught up now. Eric's preparations were a good reminder of how much work each sermon requires.

We had a good week catching up on laundry and getting back into a routine after all our travels. We saw friends, danced, walked, tried lots of new recipes, went to a barbecue in our own backyard, and went grocery shopping at midnight. (Despite my behavior, I do not still think I am in college. It was Eric's idea.) Currently, we remain homebound as Eric's car is in the shop for some major repairs. Lord willing, we will be able to sell it and get a van in the near future. What tips do you have on buying vans? Essential features? We are rookies in all aspects of van ownership apart from childhood memories of Old Blue and The Tank.

This is the way tummy time often ends:

The above should also explain Elijah's affinity for bath time.

Elijah is having a great time with his new toy, an exersaucer. During our recent visit to Atlanta, PawPaw decided Elijah needed "one of those things." Then, he went right out and bought one. Elijah loves to be in it, mostly because he can move all he wants yet still remain upright. Please notice ample rolls in the picture below. This week holds much promise - every Monday I think of all the projects I will certainly have time for this week. Becoming a mother has prolonged my lesson, begun in middle school, on time management. Surely this week I will excell in this essential duty....

Jiggety Jig

Elijah is a travelin' man! He is also now 3 months old! Measuring in at 16 1/2 pounds and 25", he has certainly slowed down his growth rate this past month. Which is a good thing, because he is already in six month clothing!


Packing was an ordeal. Eric pointed out that we were taking our entire house. Elijah won the prize for heaviest packer; he filled our biggest suitcase with just his own things. The necessity of planning for five cute outfits a day won out, only because Eric's parents let us borrow their van.







We stopped at this great hotel in Roanoke, Virginia to give Elijah (and us) a break. Roanoke really has a lot of fine dining to offer; each restaurant has its own trademark perks such as, oh, air conditioning.



















We had promised my paternal grandparents that our first big trip with the baby would be to see them since they can no longer travel. It was a long trip up there, but I would do it over again anytime. A friend said, "If children's children are the crown of old men (Pr. 17:6), then what are grandchildren's children?" Elijah brought such joy to his great-grandparents. I loved being able to watch them love him. My grandfather bounced Elijah on his knees and tried to teach him how to "give me five." He was also the first one to get Elijah laughing during the trip. Grandma had the privilege, numerous times, of rocking Elijah through his screaming spell into sweet slumber. Both great-grandmothers proved to be excellent rockers.

We spent a lot of time on the balcony (because sometimes the outside summer temperature is cooler than inside their apartment) which had wonderful freshly-painted rocking chairs. Here we are playing bus-ride:

Elijah tended to be the center of everyone's attention.
Eric held a photo shoot for the four generations present.



Eric was able to be with us all day for an entire week! Elijah LOVES his Daddy so much; they got lots and lots of play time together.
In South Carolina, we spent lots of time at Mom and Dad's house. I also consumed quite a lot of ice cream...mmmm. We tried to hang out on the back porch but the stifling heat and humidity of the deep south prevented us from staying out there long. Elijah was able to meet our friends Dorothy and Sandy; we even made a trip to Dad's office. Elijah decided he would become a lawyer too...but only if it entitles him to such a wonderful chair.

Next we headed to Atlanta where Elijah's spoiling continued by constant holding and rocking. He met Aunt Donna, Uncle Dennis, Aunt Heather, and Uncle John. Maw-Maw and Paw-Paw ensured that Elijah never had to cry himself to sleep during his stay. Mom, Maw-Maw, and I took Elijah swimming which, as always, he loved!

Our trip was wonderful, but we were very glad to get back to Daddy. The day after our return Grammie & Grampa came over to see Elijah.........and me. Eric and I gave Elijah his first haircut which, at best, could be called uneven.

Praise the Lord for so many wonderful friends and family members to visit, for our safe travels, and for providing a home to which we can return!