My sister is a ROCK STAR – she’s lost over 100 pounds in SEVEN MONTHS!

She was home over Thanksgiving and we took some pictures to show off her new bod!

Fitzy had to join in too!

OH MY HEART!

HANDSOME! OH SO HANDSOME!

Baby boy – you hold my heart!

Samm – I am SO proud of you!

And we can’t forget to add one of Fitzy and Gramma!

ONE HUNDRED POUNDS GONE! SO PROUD OF YOU! She’s got quite a bit more to lose to reach her goal! Pray for her with me! Encourage her! Uplift her! I’m afraid to say that she will probably be skinnier than me when she reaches her goal! I better step it up too!

I am SO behind on this blog – getting caught up slowly – but this was written a little over a month ago!

On October 28th – Fitzy officially turned a year and a half – 18 months. It’s crazy!

It’s gone SO fast overall and sometimes so slowly day by day. Looking through his month pictures – I can’t believe he was ever so tiny.

He is such a little toddler now – it’s hard to imagine that at one time he didn’t walk – didn’t babble – didn’t give kisses.

He loves farm animals. He can moo like a cow – bock bock like a chicken – cock a doo like a rooster – roar like a lion and dinosaur. He moves his head out when you ask him what an elephant says. He loves to read. He loves to cook and clean. He loves Barney and Fraggle Rock. He understands SO much but doesn’t say a whole lot of words. He babbles almost constantly – repeating himself quite a bit. He has said I LOVE YOU – 3 times – and only to my sister. He LOVES his grandpas and grandmas. He eats a TON and weighs 31 lbs. He is in 24 month to 3T clothing. He has one bottle at night about an hour before bed. I still rock him to sleep and sing Silent Night – every night. He hates socks. He loves to throw balls. He brings it up by his eye and looks at the ball and looks at you and then the ball again and aims – he’s a pretty good shot! He is beautiful and wonderful and such a miracle.

I love his little belly in that shot! I was kinda sad – it’s 18 months – that’s a big one – and I was only able to get pictures of him in his jammies – around the house in our horrible lighting. It’s been raining all day – so no handsome little man pictures today.

He LOVES his dadda!

I got him this little cow on a shopping trip. He dances and does a split. Within 30 seconds of having his chubby little fingers on him – he now ONLY does splits.

ROAR – like a lion!

I got this picture in the attic and planned on giving it to my friend Belinda. Fitzy took one look at it and has been carrying it around mooing. He is so cute about it – it’s his new favorite.

Fitzy – I love you SO much. You’ve changed our lives and our hearts. Happy half birthday baby boy!

I put our Christmas tree up REALLY early – before Thanksgiving – I just had to!

LOOK AT THAT HAPPY FACE!

Fitzy is doing so awesome! He LOVES to play with his little kitchen! He loves to carry balls of yarn around and unroll them – much to my dismay! He carries around Jared’s striped shirt and says – daddy’s shirt! He points to himself and says – Fitzy’s shirt – but he says his name like – Itzy! SO CUTE!

He isn’t really running – just walking really fast. He LOVES cheese and marshmallows – the two words he says ALL DAY!

I cannot WAIT to experience Christmas with him!

For the month of December – we are doing a 25 days of kindness for Christmas!

Share on INSTAGRAM when you participate with us – #ADVENT #SHAREADVENT #25DAYSOFKINDNESS #25DAYSOFCHRISTMAS

1. CHRISTMAS CARDS TO SOLDIERS

2. FOOD TO LOCAL ANIMAL SHELTER – PLAY WITH ANIMALS

3. DONATE ITEMS TO PREGNANCY CENTERS

4. ANGEL TREE

5. DONATE CRAYONS AND COLORING BOOKS TO CHILDRENS HOSPITAL

6. DONATE ITEMS TO GOODWILL

7. DONATE ITEMS TO HOMELESS SHELTER

8. HOT CHOCOLATE TO BELL RINGERS

9. CHRISTMAS CARDS TO STRANGERS WITH $ IN THEM

10. HOT CHOCOLATE TO CROSSING GUARDS

11. COOKIES AND COFFEE TO POST OFFICE

12. COOKIES AND COFFEE TO MAIL DELIVERY

13. COOKIES TO GARBAGE MEN

14. PAY FOR SOMEONES MEAL

15. QUARTERS AT LAUNDROMAT

16. QUARTERS AT GUMBALL MACHINES

17. FOOD PANTRY

18. COUPONS AT GAS PUMPS

19. COOKIES FOR NEIGHBORS

20. DONUTS TO POLICE OFFICERS

21. VOLUNTEER AT NURSING HOME

22. LEAVE A TIP THAT EQUALS THE BILL

23. COOKIES TO LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENT

24. LEAVE QUARTERS AT CAR WASH

25. $ AT GAS PUMPS

I am SO excited to start this tradition and waive gifts for Jared and I (which we normally do anyway) in place of sharing the LOVE and JOY of Jesus during the month of December!

I can’t wait to see the excitement on Fitzy’s face as he gets older and can really understand the season of giving and love!

Jared’s cousin Alyssa is a photographer in Florida! She was up visiting in October and took Fitzy out for some pictures!

(ALL the pictures in this blog post are taken by Alyssa Northcutt Photography)

I am so in love with ALL these pictures – but these three especially!

OH MY HEART! He is just the sweetest boy EVER!

I couldn’t pick between color and black and white – so you’ll get both!

Alyssa – thank you SO much!

It was so great to spend time with you and restore our friendship!

The weather here was HORRIBLE the week of Fitzy’s 18 month birthday so I didn’t get out to take any “real” pictures of him that day. I’m SO thankful you got these shots to mark that milestone for us!

These photos are so beautiful and precious to us! Thank you again! We love you!

I have to tell you something. When I found out we were having a boy – I was a little sad. For one main reason. Boys aren’t as fun to dress.

I was wrong.

I added the black and white shots because our lighting in this house is HORRID.

OH MY WORD! I am having SO MUCH FUN dressing Fitzy!

I found that the key is to not worry about anything matching! So many people told me he looks a like a little guy going off to college in this!

While I know that will happen much sooner than I’d like – he does look pretty handsome!

When I was in college – I saw a poster for a Student Activities trip – to the Renaissance Faire. I thought – my dad would LOVE that! I wonder how much it costs. I checked – $5 for me and $10 for my dad. SERIOUSLY?! That covered the fee into the Faire and the bus ride down!

That was 10 years ago! TEN YEARS! We went with the college up until they changed the policy on who could go. Then we made our own trip!

It’s kind of like Christmas for my dad. He saves all year and makes a suit of armor. We watch glass blowing – eat giant turkey legs and soup in a bread bowl – get cinnamon almonds for the trip home – bid at the pirate auction. The first year we went – it was just the two of us. We watched the glass blowing demonstration – they made a pumpkin. I’ve always wanted one and since this year was our anniversary – I got TWO!

We were hesitant about bringing Fitzy – but he did FANTASTIC! He slept a little on the way down and chatted with grandpa. Walked around the park or caught a ride on shoulders. Posed for pictures and roared like the dragon he was! He took a nap in the afternoon and met a little friend who shared her goldfish and some kisses. He slept almost the whole ride home – we tired him out!

Belinda let me borrow her dragon costume!

Make up artist – I am NOT. But it worked – till it got warm anad melted off!

The dragon and the knight he defeated!

It got REALLY warm – so the dragon turned into a pirate!

He was too little to ride the elephant – maybe in a few years!

Fitzy met this little girl on our trek around the park. He loved her.

I love these pictures! It’s just a mango Slush Puppie people!

We switched to the dragon costume I had originally bought because it was a little lighter and I would have felt horrible if he got the one from Belinda all sticky!

On our way out of the Faire – we had SO much fun!

He is TOO big!

The dragon and the knight – friends after all!

At the end of September – we spent the day with our friend Aszur and her family!

She took a few shots of us on their property – thank you Aszur – I LOVE them!

I am so in love with our little family! It’s been a difficult year – and we are so looking forward to moving on and embracing what life has in store for us – even if it’s more rough roads (which seems to be the norm for us).

Seventeen. I cannot believe that Fitzy’s been here for 17 months!

I brought Fitzy along on a session – which I don’t like to do – but Jared was along in no time to pick him up!

OH MY HEART! I cannot even deal with the cuteness!

I LOVE that series – so sweet!

One more shot – on my way home from the session with the *B* family that night!

BEAUTIFUL!

Today is Thursday – October 11th – your 3rd birthday. I have a dear friend who has a daughter your age. It’s bittersweet. I love watching her and witnessing her growth – but it reminds me of the little boy you would be.

I truly believe that you had your daddy’s eyes – a sea green. You would probably be tall like your little brother. You would love Fitzy. You would be building legos together and reading books. You would love your grandparents and spend all day in the field with gpa Trout or dancing with gma Barden.

I have a picture of you in my head – but sometimes I just like to keep it safe in there instead of describe how you look to me.

You’ve got your hands full in heaven – with a little brother and sister – cousins too. I’ve wondered before if you have birthdays in heaven – but I’d like to think you do.

Today you’ll play with your little friends – maybe run through a sprinkler. You’ll open presents – mostly just cotton candy – since it’s easily made in the clouds. You’ll eat cake and ice cream. It will be a great day!

I’ve been really sad lately. I’ve been really angry. And jealous. Your daddy struggles with anxiety – and it’s been pretty bad lately. I’m trying to help him – but it doesn’t seem to be working. I’m wishing for the year to be over – we lost two more babies this year and it seems like it’s been years since it happened. I take pictures of people that have babies when we should have. It’s hard. I love capturing those moments for them but I can tell you that I cry on the way home. Sometimes even on the way there. It’s funny how time as a whole seems to go SO fast but as a day by day process – it creeps by at an extremely slow pace. We found a house we loved. It didn’t work out. I’ve been so very sad about it. I’ve been so angry with people that were able to move whenever they wanted. I’ve been so jealous. I’m trying to be excited about this house we are in. But when I look around at all that NEEDS to be done – I get sad again. We need to do SO much to this house to make it even remotely what we might want. I see a mountain – that I don’t want to climb. A mountain I never wanted to be standing on in the first place. Maybe it’s because I’m home all day and I just see every little thing that I don’t like. Sticking it’s tongue out at me – teasing me. But I’m having a very hard time accepting that we are here. To stay.

I’ve also had a really hard time trusting. It’s been a really hard year and your daddy and I know that we will get through this rough patch – but the hits keep coming – knocking me down again and again.

I feel like God has forgotten me. Seriously.

Now you have to understand something about me that might surprise you – or not. I have control issues – you know this. But I also have trust issues – because I have control issues. When you think you’re in control – the only person you trust is – yourself.

I don’t trust God – wholeheartedly. THAT might surprise you. I talk about it a lot – that God is in control and He will do what He does. But when I really truly think about it – I don’t completely trust Him. Or maybe it’s better put this way – I don’t trust that He will indeed make it all good.

I just needed to get it all out there – and since you are hanging out in heaven with JC all day – I thought maybe you could cheer me on as I try to embrace a new attitude of trust. I want to be happy in His will – not just wishing I was.

Little Enoch – we miss you terribly down here. I can’t believe that we’ve spent three years without you in our arms. I never knew your face but I see it everyday. I never heard your voice but I hear it now and then. You are loved. You are missed. But for some reason – heaven needed you more than we did.

We live in Jared’s grandparents’ house (and it’s looking more and more like we won’t be moving to Wellsboro (insert sad face) so I better start saying OUR house) – and while his grandparents are here in PA – they stay with Jared’s parents.

They left a little early this year and I wanted to make sure to get some photos with them!

My dear friend Megan came up and took these photos really quick for us –

After dinner I took these ones!

SO SWEET!

OH MY HEART!

16 months in this photo – 16 months going on 5 – oh my goodness!

Megan – thank you SO much for coming up and taking a few shots for us!

Outlaws – I love you dearly!