Miller's First Christmas

Today was a wonderful Christmas and the fact that it was Miller's first made it all the more special. We're looking forward to when he is more aware of what's going on, but we're not wishing any of these precious moments away. We started the festivities yesterday with a brunch at my mother-in-law's house. Miller was the only boy so he'll only be allowed to attend this for a little while.

He wouldn't quite sit still for this picture so he's a little blurry. However, Santa had a gift in store for me the would alleviate this problem...

Christmas Eve we went to my inlaws' church in Boaz for a beautiful service. Afterwards we went to Miller's great-grandmother's house {Betty Jo} for a delicious dinner, gifts, and fellowship.

Miller started the day as any excited child by waking up earlier than usual. At about 5:45 I woke up to hear him screaming because he had scooched out of his sleep positioner and rolled over onto his face. After a few wasted attempts to get him to go back to sleep, I went ahead and got up with him. Once he wasn't stuck on his face he was in a quite a good mood.

We had our family Christmas at home and then headed over to Bryant's parents' house for Christmas with them. We didn't help Miller out much, because we had to wake him up from his morning nap in order to get there at the time we'd promised. We were hoping that he'd fall asleep in the car but as we would find out {all day long} sleep would not come easily today. I hated that he spent much of his first Christmas pitifully too exhausted to sleep, but all in all it was still a good day. The gift I was referring to earlier was a Canon Rebel from my inlaws, Frank and Margaret. I had so much fun playing with my new camera and I'm looking forward to some wonderful pictures {once I practice a little more}. I was completely overwhelmed this year by how blessed we truly are. I also had a special appreciation for Mary this year and how humbling it must have been to know that her precious child would one day be her savior. Wow.

Here a few pictures from our day. We hope your Christmas was as blessed as ours!

Poor Margaret spent most of her day in the kitchen, but she did get to play with her grandson a little bit.

Margaret and Frank {aka Nana and Papa Frank} surprised Miller with his very own red wagon. And let me tell you, these suckers are fancy these days. Complete with cupholders and seatbelts, the only thing we had trouble finding was the iPod plugin :) I'm sure Miller will make may memories in his wagon!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

So much for the video...

After several attempts to get the video of Miller trying to eat solids for the first time and my computer telling me it would take 26 minutes just to export it, I have decided that a snapshot will have to suffice. It was pretty difficult to get a good picture of him with since he was squirming around so much.  The good GREAT news is that last night we had Christmas with my dad and Cindy and we got a Flip Video camera!!  So, you should be expecting more videos since it is MUCH easier to upload from.  Yay!  It's been a while since I've cleaned off my camera and I thought I'd share a few random pics that I've taken lately.  Hope you enjoy!

4 Month Check Up

Miller had his 4 Month Check Up today and everything went well. He is 24 1/2 inches long putting him in the 22nd percentile and weighs 14 pounds 12 ounces putting him in the 35th percentile for weight. This is really funny to me because everyone who sees him talks about how big he is for his age. He's actually on the low-average end of things. Hmm. Interesting. He had to get two shots but only cried for a few seconds and then he was fine. He is such a sweet baby. Dr. Chupp did confirm our suspicion that Milller has started teething although he told me that it doesn't really mean anything regarding when those teeth will actually come in. He also told me to go ahead and start him on solids. This excites me in some ways because I love getting to see Miller try new things and grow. It is a little sad too though because I know he's growing up and I also realize this is one more thing I'll have to manage. Nursing is so simple because I'm all he needs. Now we'll have a few more things to pack when we go places and a few more things to wash at home. I think this will all be outweighed though when I see how cute he is with carrots all over his face. :) We'll let you know how his first encounter with a spoon goes. Be back soon.

Meeting Santa

We took Miller to see Santa for the first time last Saturday. He's still too young to really know what's going on so he wasn't scared at all as you can see from the picture!

Photos by Bentley Gray

Back in November we took Miller for his three month photos. Here are a few for your viewing pleasure! Thanks, Bentley!

Four Months Old

Miller is four months old today! It is amazing to watch how much he is changing everyday. Here are a few of his "tricks":
I can almost roll over from my back to my tummy.
I'm getting better at finding my hands when I'm upset. Mommy really likes this because she doesn't have to come in and give me my paci as much anymore. It comes in handy in the car too. (No pun intended). I wonder if she'll like it when I'm two and sucking my thumb?I can spin around on my playmat to look at different toys and I'm figuring out that I can use my feet to hit them. (By the way. Pay no attention to my PJs and mismatched socks - it's laundry day :)I can sit up in my Bumbo seat all by myself.
Now if only I could figure out how to tell this lady she kisses me too much?

Thanksgiving

Last week we headed down to Lake Martin to spend Thanksgiving with my mom, my step dad, my brother, and my brother's girlfriend. It was a wonderful week and I was reminded of all I have to be thankful for!

Here's a little recap of our week. The boys watched lots of football......Miller gave a few kisses out...
...Gran and Miller hung out and played a lot...
...we were lazy and attempted to sleep in (Miller had a few early mornings which is why he's in our bed - this is NOT where he usually sleeps)...
... and Miller read a few books.
On Friday we went to Auburn for the Iron Bowl. Miller was so good at the tailgate and my mom and step dad were gracious enough to watch him while Bryant and I went to the game.

It was such a great, relaxing week and we enjoyed ourselves very much! In fact, I don't think Miller was too happy about leaving...

Cathedral Caverns

We decided to get off the couch yesterday (we're sort of TV addicts) and take a trip to Cathedral Caverns. It is just about 25 minutes from our house and I was shocked by how interesting and amazing it was. How have I lived in Alabama all of my life and I've never even heard of it? I'd highly recommend it! Miller on the other hand, was not as impressed.
He slept the whole time. I guess I can't blame him though. It was cool and dark inside the cave and we had him bundled up in his stroller. I'd probably nap too. He would have probably preferred being at home and trying to eat whatever he can get close to his mouth.
This is hysterical to watch. His face sometimes looks like he really thinks he can shove the whole caterpillar in his mouth. An onlooker might think he's hungry. We've seen those chubby cheeks though. He's fine.

Well, like I said, I would highly recommend a trip to Cathedral Caverns if you've never been. For those adventurers out there, they are going to start "Wild Cave Tours" in a month or so. This is where they take you off the beaten path to some of the rooms that are more difficult to get in to. I'll probably just stick to the path. We'll definitely head back once Miller is old enough to know what's going on. It was such a fun day!

Miller's Dedication

We had Miller's Parent/Child Dedication last Sunday, November 15th, at our church. Our ENTIRE family was so sweet to come up and stand by us as we committed ourselves as parents who will bring Miller up to know the Lord and as we committed Miller to God, recognizing that he belongs to the one who created him. (Wow, that was definitely a run on!!) It was such a fun weekend and a special day I will always remember!Miller was so good!! He even laughed when Joel gave him a Bible and asked if he could hold on to it :) Priceless.
With our Preacher, Joel Samuels
I wasn't kidding when I said the entire family made it. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Miller looked precious in this gown which his daddy and Papa Frank both wore for their baptisms (along with many other Mastins before him).
Afterward, everyone came back to our house for a simple lunch. It turned out to be a beautiful day so we could use the back porch. The alternative would have been 13 adults and a baby crammed inside our somewhat quaint kitchen and den. I meant to get a few pics of everyone eating and hanging out, but I was enjoying myself so much I forgot! Oh well!
We pray that Miller will choose to follow Jesus and be baptized at an early age and we can celebrate again!

When will I wake up?

Figuratively. Well, maybe literally too.
I know it sounds cheesy, but everyday I think, "How blessed am I? Is something bad about to happen?" Seriously, I have such an amazing life. Great husband. Precious baby boy. The grace of a loving Lord. Plenty to eat (too much probably). The list goes on and on. I hope I don't ever grow sensitized to how truly wonderful these gifts are.
On to the literally part...each morning is a fun surprise these days to see how long Miller will sleep. He is making it to about 6 am pretty regularly now. (You can't see me but I'm doing a toe touch). Naps are not so good, but getting better. He wakes up after about 45 minutes and usually won't go back to sleep. By the end of the day, he is EXHAUSTED. It is so pitiful.
This is how we leave Miller at night.
And... this is how we find the little caterpillar in the morning. He's a scooter!

Tailgating in T-town

We went to Tuscaloosa this weekend and took Miller to tailgate on the quad for a bit. At first I think it was a bit of sensory overload, but he warmed up after a while. I'm pretty sure he wants to go back sometime.
He slept most of the way, but played a little bit too. He is starting to hold toys and try and figure them out.
"Whoa... where did all these people come from?!?!"Three generations of good-lookin' Mastin boys!


Isn't his outfit cute? My sweet friend Hannah made it for him. If you look closely you can see that it's reversible. Bryant has already informed me that he can't wear it on the Auburn side. I quickly informed him that simply meant the orange and blue would be closest to his heart.
All in all it was a fun day and it was great to see friends and family. Miller and I headed back to the Mastin's house in Tuscaloosa while Bryant and his dad went to the game. Margaret watched Miller for me and I got to go play around town a bit. Old Navy, a manicure, Hobby Lobby... ahhh... perfection :)