Boot Scootin' Birthday Party

On Saturday, we took Hannah to Mama-Jo's friend, John's, 75th birthday party. We had so much fun watching everyone line dance and we even joined in on a few. Of course, we had to find Hannah a western-themed outfit. She looked so cute from her red bow to her red cowboy boot socks (thanks to Aunt Rebecca). Below are some pics of the shin-dig:

Nana (Scott's mom) and Hannah

The birthday boy, John, and Me

Cindy (Mama-Jo's neighbor) and Hannah in her cowgirl outfit

Selfish Me

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 4:8-11

As human beings, we are all born very selfish. And I believe it gets worse as we age because that is exactly what society tells us to do. The world says to do whatever YOU can to make YOURSELF happy. If YOU'RE not happy, change something or get something that will make YOU happy. Therefore, we (myself included) can become very selfish and consequently disregard the needs and feelings of others around us. There have been two times in my life when the Lord has revealed how truly selfish I am.

The first was the day I married Scott. All of a sudden, I had someone else in my life on a daily basis. It was not just me anymore. Instead of doing everything my way and making the decisions that I wanted, I now needed to discuss it with my husband first. I needed to SERVE him. WHAT? Serve a MAN? I had learned about this phenomenon in marriage counseling, but to actually put it into practice was another story. This meant being the best wife I could be by submitting myself to him and serving our family. Again...WHAT? SUBMISSION to a MAN? Yes, submission to a wonderful man. I found this (and still do) very difficult at times, but also very rewarding. Through marriage the Lord has shown me how to serve someone besides myself. Now I did not say that I serve Scott as much as I should, but I am getting better. I am definitely a work in progress.

But just when I thought I had this serving thing down, the Lord humbled me again when He blessed me with the gift of motherhood. To have another life to nurture and look after brought a whole new level to the meaning of serving others. I realize now how much my mother served our family. She put our needs first and for that I pray she is richly blessed. I pray everyday that I can use the gifts that God has given me to serve Hannah and teach her through words and actions about the love of Christ.

However, as the mother of a 9 week old, sometimes I get tired at the 4:00am feeding and don't know how I can be of any use to anyone the next day. This is when the verse from 1 Peter reassures me. Peter says that when we serve others, God gives us the strength we need. Wow! Not my strength (because I couldn't make it a day), but God's strength. Christ was the ultimate servant. I pray that, with God's strength, I can learn to love and serve my family in a way that would bring Him glory.

Hannah's trip to Evadale and Devers

After the reunion, Scott came back to Ft. Worth and Hannah and I went to Evadale with Mom and Dad to visit family who hadn't seen her yet. We had a great time and can't wait to see everyone again!

Hannah and Pop (my dad).

Four generations: Me-Maw, Mom, Me, and Hannah

Me-maw, Sam, and Hannah

The Hubley family: Great-Granny, Grandad, MiMi, Aunt Cheryl, and Aunt Donna

Great-Granny Hubley

Uncle Will learning how to hold a baby!

60th Annual Fling Family Reunion

My family has a long and wonderful tradition of gathering once a year at Toledo Bend Reservoir for a family reunion. We start out on Friday night with hamburgers and karaoke. Saturday begins with breakfast and a fishing tournament followed by sandwiches for lunch. At 2:00 there is an auction (we raised over $4,000 this year), and the day ends with a fish fry. Sunday morning we have a short business meeting and devotion (led by my husband this year) and a potluck lunch where everyone brings their favorite dish!
I know what your thinking: "All this at a family reunion. I thought they were suppose to be boring." Contrary to popular belief, my family reunion is always lots of fun. I have looked forward to this weekend every year since I was a little girl, and I was so excited to take Hannah this year to carry on the tradition. Below are a few pictures:

All the kids swimming in the lake (this use to be me).

Aunt Margo hard at work pouring the tea for lunch.

Me and my cousins that I usually only see once a year.

We rented a sno-cone machine this year.

Ashly and Weston with a fish he caught.

Me, Dad, Hannah, Amber and Sam.

Some of the great-grandkids.

Daddy frying the fish for dinner.

Uncle Tony and Papaw resting after a hard days work.

Holding Pattern

We are in the process of changing internet providers at the house and are without internet for a few days. Stay tuned for updates on our recent travels to visit family and new pictures of Hannah.

Hannah Smiled!

Hannah smiled a REAL smile for the first time yesterday, June 8th! I know it wasn't an "I'm dreaming" or "I just passed gas" smile because it was more than a twitch; her whole face lit up! It was very exciting for us (as you can see). Everyone says babies should start smiling around 4-6 weeks, so I have been waiting anxiously. I had made every funny face and noise in the book to make her smile, but just couldn't get it out of her. Instead, she waited until she was ready to grace us with her beautiful all gums smile, and it melted my heart. I forgot just for a moment all the crying, nighttime feedings, and dirty diapers...it is all worth it! As soon as I can catch it with my camera, I will post a picture.

4 weeks old

Hannah went for her 1 month check-up this week and the doctor said she is doing great! For those of you who didn't know, she wasn't gaining a lot of weight in the beginning, so we were having to supplement and wake her up every 2-3 hours to eat. But she now weighs 7lbs 7oz (an average gain of 1oz per day), so that is all behind us....praise the Lord! I can now let her sleep as long as she wants during the night (which is usually about 4 hours), so we are very excited. It's funny how 4 hours seems like a lot of sleep now...my how things have changed!

She loves going outside and swinging in the hammock.