PASSED!!!

I passed my second licensing exam! I am now provisionally licensed as a psychologist in the state of Texas! I only have one more exam to go before I can practice independently. However, I can't take that test until January, because it is only offered twice a year, and that is the next test date. God is so good! Without Him and the prayers and support from all my family and friends it would not have been possible. Thank you to all of you who prayed for me and supported me through this stressful time. Thank you especially to Max and Breanna, who were so patient with me through this process. They loved me unconditionally and supported me every step of the way. Max you believed in me when I didn't believe in myself. You are the best and I thank God for you everyday. Thank you also to my parents and brother, Jason. Your love and financial support allowed me the opportunity to pursue my dreams sooner than expected! Thanks for pushing me to reach my goals and believing in me without a doubt. I love you all and I am where I am today because of your love, encouragement, and support.

6 months

Bre had her 6 month check-up today. I can hardly believe it has been 6 months. Time has flown by! It feels like only yesterday that we were bringing her home from the hospital and she looked so tiny in her carseat. Now she is about to grow out of her carseat and will soon need a bigger one! She has learned more in the past 6 months than I think I have learned in the past 2 years! Her innocence is so amazing and I love to see how the smallest things can bring her such joy. If only we could hold on to that innocence and sweetness as adults. Breanna has brought such joy to our family. Max and I are continually amazed at how are lives have changed for the better.

Over the past few days we have transitioned Bre to her own room. She had been sleeping in a bassinet in our room because her bedroom is across the house and Daddy wasn't comfortable with her being so far away. However, we decided it was time to move her to her own room (mostly for Mommy's sanity!). So far she has done beautifully! We're so proud of her!

Six months stats:

Height: 27 1/2 inches

Weight: 18 lbs 5 oz

Rolling over

Sitting on her own without support

Cousins

My sister-in-law and I took Bre and my nieces to get pictures taken together at Sears this past weekend. The pictures couldn't have turned out better. We were so pleased with them and had the hardest time deciding which ones to order. I might add that our photographer was AWESOME! I highly recommend her for anyone wanting to get pictures taken of their kiddos! Her name is Laurie and she is the manager at the Sears at Southwest Center. Just

to show you how great she was...as you can see

Bre was smiling in all her pictures! If you don't already know, Bre has a tendency to give quite a stare to new people and takes awhile to warm up enough to smile. However, with this photographer, she instantly was laughing and smiling! Are these pictures so good!!

Aubrie--age 10

Taylor--age 7

Breanna--5 months, 4 weeks (almost 6 months)

Dedication

Bre was dedicated at church this past Sunday. For those of you who don't know, a dedication is different than a baptism. Our church does not baptize infants, instead they "dedicate" them. Basically the pastor and church pray for the family and baby and the family makes a commitment to raise the baby in the church and teach them about God and so on. It's a pretty neat event. Baptism occurs later on when the child/adult can make the decision on their own.

Both Max's family and my family were there for the dedication which made it even more special. Max's grandmother flew in to surprise him and got to see Bre for the first time. My family also came down from Missouri and spent the weekend with us. It was a great time and we felt so blessed that both our families took time out to be here for this special event. Thank you to all of you! We love you dearly!

Here are some pictures from the weekend:

Bre and her Great Grandma Flo

Bre with Grandma, Taylor, Aubrie, and Daddy

Bre and Uncle Jason

Us with Pastor Gary

Max and his Dad (don't they look like twins!)

Pastor Gary praying for us and Breanna

Aunt Keilah, Nana Linda, Bre, and Great Grandma Flo

Papa Pat, Bre, and Grandma

Papa Ceo, Bre, and Nana Linda

The whole gang!!!

Aunt Terri and Bre

Max and his sister Keilah

Fun at Papa Ceo and Nana Brenda's!

We spent last Sunday at Max's dad and stepmother's house. Breanna had such a good time with her Papa Ceo and Nana Linda. Bre and Papa "tried" to take a nap on the floor (at least that was what Papa hoped for), but Bre had other things planned. She played, kicked, hit, pinched, rolled, and scooted all over. She absolutely wore her Papa out. But they had quite the fun anyway! Bre also tried watermelon for the first time and LOVED it! She couldn't get enough of it. We put it in her mesh teether and she demolished it! It was a great day! Here are some photos from our visit.
Bre and Nana Brenda.


Nana's trying to teach me how to crawl, but I just can't get my belly off the floor yet.


I really want to walk, but I just can't always figure out how to get these legs working right!


Watermelon! YUMMY!!

Hey Papa!!

Sugar from Papa!

Papa wants to nap, but I want to PLAY!!!

Too Cool....

Nana Linda found some sunglasses that were just Bre's size. Here are some cute pictures of Bre in her new shades.

"I'm am just too cool!"

"Look at me, I'm a star!"

"Mom, could you please push these things up so I can see!"

"Could I look much more like my Daddy?"

Mommy Play Date

I recently went to a Mommy Play Date with some other ladies from church. We had a good time and the babies all got to interact. Here are a couple of pics of Bre with her friend Luke.

"I really like your toy Luke. It look's like a lot of fun!"

"Do you think I could play with that too?"

Sitting up!

Bre is now sitting up all on her own!! She is getting to be such a big girl! Here are some new pics of Bre sitting up all by herself!!!Look what I can do!!!

Pretty in Pink!

This is my favorite toy!

Teething???

Well the past few days have been a little challenging. We believe Bre is teething and bless her heart, she is just miserable at moments throughout the day (she can turn into a real cranky monster!!). Her nose is a little stuffy which makes her even more upset. Max did discover something that soothes her sore little gums. He sliced up pieces of apple and put them in one of those mesh teething feeders. Bre went to town on those apples. She loved it and it seemed to really make her feel better!

Here are some pics of Max's first time feeding Bre:
Daddy's making a mess and I'm loving it!

Hey Dad, those are my carrots!