Pics from February

So, this blog covers all of February. First of all, I wanted to show Sarah how cute Braelyn looked in her outfit that she got her. Everyone at church just went on and on about it. And as you can tell, I think Braelyn liked wearing it too :)


Next, we have the one and only 1st place winner of the Chili cook-off at our church about a week ago. There were 16 chilis entered and Aaron won!!! I was shocked, mainly bc he just threw it together about an hour before we went and had never made it before. But apparently it turned out GREAT....people are now asking for the recipe. He even got a trophy!! And a $50 gift card to FATZ. Sounds like a date night to me.
And here is Braelyn modeling an outfit I put together and thought was pretty cute. The sweater is from Aunt Sarah (you got it a long time ago, when she was little) but it has little bunnies on it. And the dress part was Caryss'. Thanks for all the clothes, we really enjoy them.




We got to go visit my friend, Stephanie and her little girl, Addie. This was the best picture I had of them. Maybe we'll get a better one next time. It was fun to visit, even though Braelyn was a bit rude to her friend Addie and kept wanting to hit her :(.


Valentine's Day!!!! Thank you Dwight & Andrea (all the Disneys) for the cute dress. It was perfect for the occasion. Aaron got me the Glory Revealed 2 cd, which is really good. We made it a week long celebration bc we went to Knoxville for a few days and got to go to a movie and out to eat a few times while Aaron's mom watched Braelyn.






Braelyn has begun brushing her teeth now and she really likes doing it......BY HERSELF. She gets frustrated when I try to help her, but it must be done. One good thing is that I can clip her toenails and fingernails while she brushes her teeth....good distraction.
And this is a picture of her first ponytail. Her hair is getting really long, but she won't leave anything in it for any amount of time. Usually by the time we get to church or wherever we are going, she has pulled out the rubberbands. Oh well, maybe someday.
We are really looking forward to spring and ready to get out of the house!!!! Goodbye February, come on Spring!

More pics from January

This is Braelyn's favorite place to be outside, even in the snow!! She loves her swing.


This is Braelyn's new friend, Madelyn. They are really sweet together. I am thankful that Braelyn has a friend here. She has another friend, Kyrin, but we don't have a picture of him yet. They all three like to get together and play.
I think Madelyn is reading to Braelyn, while they both watch some PBS.

For some reason this picture just cracks me up. Just hanging out with God's word. She will find my bible and say "bible".

update on pics

Thanks Aunt Laura for my cute outfit!! I really enjoy wearing it :)
Dreaming of going outside to play...one of her very favorite things~
Striking a pose
Would someone please take me outside?
)Cheese!!!

Carla and the boys (left to right: Jackson, Hayden, Braelyn, and Colton) came to stay with us one Friday night and it was a lot of fun. Colton especially enjoyed putting bows in Braelyn's hair. And believe or not, she actually let him and LEFT THEM IN!! Only for her cousin :

This is the first time she ever "cheesed" like that for the camera! It was SO FUNNY :)
My Granny and Pop Hasty.....with some of the GReat grandkids

Sorry for the long delay in updating with pictures. Here are a few to start with and hopefully more to follow soon. Braelyn is 17 months old now. Hard to believe. The first year seemed to go by pretty slow for me, but since she has turned one, it's passing quickly. I am enjoying this time though. Braelyn is so funny and is such a happy girl most of the time, thank you Lord. She is getting a lot more teeth, and has to be reminded often that it's not ok to bite your Mommy :) And she is learning to say "sorry"...it is so cute. Sometimes I struggle with keeping a "stern" face when correcting her bc she makes such funny faces even when she's not trying to. She LOVES to dance and is able to put her CD into her CD player all by herself and push play. She can even change CD's. She also likes to fake sneeze and just say "achoo". And she will say "Hi" to everybody we pass in Wal-mart or at the mall. One of my favorite things she does sometimes is when I am putting her to bed at night we always pray right before I lay her down and sometimes she will reach her head up and give me a kiss while I'm praying!! It just melts my heart. She is kinda stingy with her real kisses, but will blow kisses to anyone. ok, gotta get to bed....will continue this on another day.

Get to know the persecuted church around the world

Hey everyone, I just wanted to share this, in case there are some people out there who are not aware of this great ministry and resource for the persecuted church. It is called The Voice of the Martyrs, they have been around since 1967. They have a website www.persecution.com . Please check it out. My favorite thing is they have a FREE newsletter that you can sign up for, once a month, that gives you updates on what is going on around the world with our brothers and sisters in Christ. When you read these updates, it really brings things into perspective AND it really reminds me that we are ONE BODY of believers here on this earth and we are called to pray for one another and bear one another's burdens. There are even links that you can go to on the website and are able to print and send a letter of encouragement to another brother or sister in Christ who is being imprisoned for their faith!! Isn't that amazing? I haven't done it yet, but I plan on it. Can you imagine how encouraging it would be to get mail from someone halfway around the world and hear that they are praying for YOU?? These Christians you read about in this newsletter/magazine......they are the REAL DEAL. They are risking their lives and they are losing their homes and jobs and loved ones because they LOVE JESUS!!! Their boldness and their faith encourages me, and convicts me of why I am not sharing Jesus with more people here when I don't even have to fear my life??? Lord, give us all boldness and opportunities to share and bring glory to your name.
So, PLEASE, share this info with others you know, sign up for the newsletter, and PRAY for our brothers and sisters around the world!