Look who's Crawling

Guess what folks? Oliver is CRAWLING! Yep, he is boogie-ing all over the place!
Check it out:



Oliver also learned how to make a little "Clicky" sound with his tongue:



He also started doing a "Crinkle" face, (not sure exactly what to call it). In this video, he even makes a disgusted type of face after the crinkle face. Haha.



As I've said before, each new stage just gets more fun and more fun! I can't wait to see what he does next...

Making a Difference

There are people in life that make a difference everyday. People who seem to radiate the love of God in not just their long term goals for their lives, but in the small mundane tasks that is everyday life. I long to be one of those people. I long to be present in the here and now, not just consumed with the difference I hope to make one day. After all, that "one day" may never come.

A person in my life that who makes a difference in her everyday life is one of my dear friends and co-workers. In my opinion, she exudes the life of a true Christ follower. In this day and age, being a cultural Christian seems to be the norm; sometimes, it is quite popular. Many people associate the phrase, "I'm a Christian" to their general upbringing or the fact that they grew up in America. Most folks do not associate the term, "Christian" with what a Christ follower is. After all, shouldn't a true Christian follow Christ? How do we truly follow Christ? What does that mean?

I grew up in church. With that said, my faith is based on a personal knowledge and heartfelt experience with my savior, Jesus Christ. Although I am thankful for growing up in church, I also realize I take a lot for granted and sometimes wonder, "Am I truly living out the gospel? Am I a true follower of Christ?" After all, the desciples gave up everything to follow Him. Jesus calls us to care for the poor, the orphans, the widows...the "least of these." How am I caring for these precious people? I often feel so guilty for going to work everyday, coming home to a roof over my head, complaining that my pillow isn't fluffy enough, when halfway across the world (actually, not even halfway across the world...but probably in my own backyard) there are homeless people, children without parents, and men / women who are lonely. I ofthen feel guilty that I lead such a busy life that I forget. I forget that Christ commands us to care for these...to love them as we love ourselves. Yes, as we love ourselves.

My friend and her husband are planning a mission trip to Haiti during the week of Thanksgiving. They are stepping out of their comfort zones and will be caring for the "least of these" as they minister at an orphanage and rebuild houses. She also volunteers at Pregnancy Support Services and the church nursery. I believe she also works as if she is working for Christ everyday...this is exemplified in her work ethic. This friend of mine is also extremely passionate about adoption. She and her husband plan on adopting in the not so distant future. She even made the comment once that if she is unable to have a biological children of her own, she would be ok with that; because she knows there are so many orphans in the world in need of a home.

You may think to yourself, "I know many people who have gone on missions trips and who volunteer for various charities / ministries. What's the big deal?" Yes, there are many people who make that sacrifice. Many people who give their lives to the cause as missionaries. I am sharing this friend's story simply because her passion to live as a Christ follower has made an impact on my life. One thing that stands out is the fact that she has dreamed about becoming a mom for a long time, and yet, she put that dream on hold in order to go to Haiti. Her and her husband could have put Haiti on hold in order to go ahead and start a family...after all, isn't that what most people do? They go ahead and have kids, and will say, "Oh, we'll do mission work once our kids are grown and out of the house." This friend of mine did the opposite. She wanted to make a difference in the here and now.

Another reason I mention this friend is that she had her share of heartache in life. Her mother passed away from cancer when she was either in high school or early college, (I'm not sure of the exact timing). She has also faced some other family type of hardships through the years, and yet- she pursues the Lord with all her heart. She doesn't let the tragedies in life she has experienced get in the way of what God wants to do in her life. Instead, she seeks to follow Him with everything she has. She made a statement once, that if it weren't for God being in her life when tragedy struck, she couldn't have made it. I have a feeling that the little kids in Haiti as well as people she comes in contact with everyday, will say of her, "If it weren't for God sending this courageous woman into my life, I don't know how I could have made it."

If you wish to donate money or material items needed for my friend's Haiti trip, as they are still in need, please message me on Facebook or send me an email at candace.p.nichols@gmail.com. I will then send you her contact information. Thanks!

Reach for it

We went over to my sweet and fun friend Kim's house this past weekend and had a blast! She bought him his first car toy thingy, which he loved. He even took two tiny little "Crawl Steps" for the first time trying to reach it. We got it on video:



He also "Finger Walked" on his own for the first time (this was his second time doing it...the first time, it was even more pronounced). ;) Here it is:



...Whenever Oliver learns something new, I clap my hands crazily and with a loud, "YAY!", I smile at him. He looks at me like he knows I am just so proud. Since God is our father, I imagine He gets excited too, when we- his children- learn something new about our faith. It is kind-of like taking "Crawl Steps", as Oliver did. We see something in front of us- say our friend in need of prayer, or our spouse in need of our encouragement and support- we reach out in hopes to fulfill a need. We may succeed at first, but eventually, after many attempted efforts on our own strength, we fall flat on our bellies. All of a sudden though, God extends His hands to help us. Thus, we "Finger Walk" with God as we rely on His strength to meet the needs of others...

Praise the Lord for always being there to help us whether we are just learning to crawl when it comes to our faith, or if we have been walking with him for many years. He is faithful!!!

Eight Months

Eight months ago I was a brand new mom
With so much to discover about both of us
A brand new life for us to embrace together
Eight months ago I was a brand new mom

Eight months ago he changed my world fovever
With so much love and joy to behold
A world of love and joy that would grow beyond measure
Eight months ago he changed my world forever

Eight months ago my husband became the happiest he's ever been
With so much to discover about this new found love and joy
A brand new life as a dad that caused all his dreams to come true
Eight months ago my husband became the happiest he's ever been

Eight months ago we became a family of three
With a brand new world of love and joy to discover for the rest of time
A life that we are so are so blessed to live and never want to take for granted
Eight months ago we became a family of three, (well, five counting our fur-babies) ;)

Eight months ago
So hard to believe it has gone by so fast
Yet so easy to believe it will only go by even faster
Eight months ago...

Happy eight months Oliver!!!!!!!!

Some of his new milestones are:
~Getting up on all fours and rocking back and forth

~Eating a cheerio for the first time

 

~Getting his 3rd tooth

~Standing by himself in his crib

~Banging two toys together
~Crying when you take certain toys away (like his plastic key especially)
~Drinking juice out of his "Stage 1" sippy cup
~Trying to teach him sign language ("More" and "All done") but I don't think we are being consistent enough...oops

Ohhh...a huge milestone would be...possibly...SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT! We'll see...

Here are his 8 month pics: