Easter & 2 months!

Your first Easter! Ahhh.. it amazes me how my perspective of every single little thing in life has changed since becoming your mommy, and Easter is no exception.  I am even more thankful for Jesus' sacrifice and salvation than ever.
This Easter was spent at Gammie & Gampie's church with your daddy's family and your Tone-tone!  It was fabulous!  You slept through the entire service in tone-tone's lap :)
I am so glad we took family pictures BEFORE church because as soon as the service was over we walked in to the foyer at church to talk to emily & grant and you pottied OUT of your diaper all over your dress :))...Mommy got to change her first diaper at church with Tone-tone's help!

what???? TWO MONTHS?..goodness gracious, Mills slow it down, sister!
As if you don't already know, you are the BIGGEST blessing to us (other than our salvation & finding each other)!
Millie, I have always loved babies, but the love I have for you is so unimaginable!  I love you so much it may be unhealthy :P!

At two months old you are a GROWING machine!!
-you grunt-- A LOT!
-you can hold your head up! (sad and glad all at the same time)
-you smile and giggle constantly.  You are seriously the happiest baby!
-you are amazed with ceiling fans & different lights
-you recognize my voice & your daddy's voice
-you follow my voice & some objects with your eyes
-you make a very interesting face when I make a snorting sound like a piggy :)
-you are beginning to discover your legs/feet... meaning you raise them up a lot more and I think you are SO close to grabbing your feet
-you LOVE your piano play mat.  You lay there for so long giggling, cooing, and cackling
-you've discovered the mobile on your swing ... you watch it, smile, and giggle at it
-you wake up SO happy around 6 am each morning & "talk" to us.  It's my favorite time of day.  We stare at you in amazement every single morning!
-you poop/poot SO loudly :))
-it never fails.. every time I change your pee diaper you poop :)
-you have started sleeping longer stretches of time at night.  I won't type how long because I don't want to jinx it ;)
-you still love to eat!
-you love being in the car... you watch yourself in your mirror and laugh the whole time!
-you looove to kick while you are in your car seat ;)
-like most babies you do NOT like the sun in your eyes.. fussy wussy
-you're growing out of your 0-3 month clothes (mainly shirts)
-I think you are one of the happiest babies I have every been around!

It's funny how much easier it was to take this month's picture than last!!  

You had your two month check up on Monday!  You had started getting a rash or what I wanted to believe was baby acne two weeks ago.  I tried to hold out on going to the doctor until your appointment but it just kept getting worse!  So, daddy had the afternoon off on Friday and we took you.  I got super annoyed because we waited for over an hour only for the doctor to talk to us for less than 2 minutes to say "oh yea baby acne wash her face with a mild face wash and it should go away soon"... sooo we did that over the weekend and no change.  As soon as Dr. Benafield walked in the room on monday she said "oh no.. miss millie has a rash"  GERR so I explained to her what happened friday and she said it's definitely not baby acne and gave us a prescription cream.  We've been using it for 2 1/2 days and your face already looks AMAZINGLY better!!!! woo hoo!  It clearly wasn't bothering you or I would have taken you in so much soon, but I'm glad it's gone because it was making me sad!

You now weigh 11.10 pounds and are 23 inches long!!!  You can still wear 0-3 mo clothes, but the 0-3 mo onesies/sleepers are too short!  You are filling out 3-6 mo pants (length-wise)..:)

I go back to work in a week and a half.  I can't type much about it because I've already started to get a little anxiety over it.  I will definitely be happy to be back to see all my co-workers, my students, and to just get out for a little while, but geeee golly when I look at you and think about it I can't help but cry thinking of not seeing you every second of every day! UGHHH.. and that's all I can type right now ;)

Here are some of our other favorite pictures from month 2!

thank you, Jesus for this precious and most beautiful gift!!  We love you, Mills!!!

the weight of every curse upon Him...

This morning I was feeding millie with music shuffling on the computer.  We have an unhealthy amount of kari jobe on our iTunes account so it was no surprise to me that her song Forever came on. I have listened to this song on repeat so many times that i think i may have become numb to the words and their meaning and i hate that.  this song is the most beautiful testament to the crucifixion story in my eyes aside from the Bible.  it so amazingly paints the picture of what a beautiful yet excruciating debt Jesus paid for MY sins.  This morning I wasn't really paying attention to what song was on, but I heard the words "The weight of every curse upon Him"..(or so that's what I thought the song said)...That's where this post comes in.
(forgive my lack of capitalization & typos.. i'm typing most of this with one hand as millie sleeps on my chest :)).  As I sit here staring at her pure and innocent face (and might I add the most adorable face I've ever seen :)), I have this overwhelming conviction that she won't be pure forever.  we are all sinners and someday very soon my daughter will be pulled in by sin--the Bible says we are all born sinners.  no matter how much i pray for her protection from sin she will sin.  As heartbreaking as that is to me, i know that that sin is what is going to form her testimony and make her who she will be and provide gateways to share the Lord's story with the world.  And oh how I pray she will be that light among this dark world.  That's not what this post is about, though.
While i was sitting here thinking about her innocence, I realized that I was once a baby.  I was once that baby that my parents were praying for.  I was once pure--without sin.  it didn't take long, though for me to be tempted and to become the sinner that Jesus paid it all for.  Thankfully, He did pay it all... for ME. NOW I AM A SINNER SAVED BY GRACE.  As the old hymn says "When he was on the cross, I was on his mind".  What a wonderful promise that is and how numbing that is at the same time.  There's no way for me to ever know what a sacrifice took place on  Calvary or what pain He must have felt.  Pain that i will never have to endure.  Does the word pain even do what he felt justice?
 Isaiah 53:4 says:"Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted."  NO... he wasn't being punished by God.. God SENT him.. his sinless, most pure and innocent son to SAVE the world.  To suffer the lowest of all deaths for Me and for You.... 

Today on the anniversary of Jesus' death on the cross (more than 2000 years ago) I am thankful and I rejoice in the hope that he brought to the world.  As he was breathing in pain and suffering He thought of me.  Let us not be mistaken... He did not HAVE to take on our sins or die on that cross.  The Lord could have rescued him at any moment.  He could have rescued him as they nailed his hands and feet to that heavy wooden cross.  He could have rescued him as he carried the cross all the way to the hill of Calvary  and every time he stumbled.  He could have rescued him from the pain of the crown of thorns that he bore for hours.  He could have rescued him from the lashes of the whip that cut into his side.  He also could have rescued him as he took each breath and then collapsed onto the nails holding up his feet and tore through his skin a little more.  BUT HE DIDN'T.  Jesus remained on the cross until his last breath..... with which he breathed the words "Father, forgive them.  For they know not what they do."  -LUKE 23:34

WHAT????  With His final breath after suffering through all of that and more He asked for forgiveness of my sins?  Sins I hadn't yet even committed....but he knew....he already knew my name and how many times and all the ways i would betray and forsake him, and he died to take my place.  

He died to promise that we would never have to suffer for our sins.  It's the most beautiful love story ever lived out or written.

As I think about what this day means I know it is important NOT to forget the crucifixion.  It's important for us to reflect on what a price was paid that day.  However, it is equally important for us to remember HE IS RISEN.  HALLELUJAH... HE IS RISEN!!!

HAPPY EASTER!

The moon and stars they wept
The morning sun was dead
The Savior of the world was fallen
His body on the cross
His blood poured out for us
The weight of every curse was broken

One final breath He gave
As Heaven looked away
The Son of God was laid in darkness
A battle in the grave
The war on death was waged
The power of hell forever broken

The ground began to shake
The stone was rolled away
His perfect love could not be overcome
Now death where is your sting
Our resurrected King has rendered you defeated

Forever, He is glorified
Forever, He is lifted high
Forever, He is risen
He is alive
He is alive