The Fanning Four

Do you ever wish you had one of these at the end of the day? I do!

I am studying Esther with the youth small group I facilitate and we just learned Sunday night about how pride comes before the fall. Haman gets so full of himself and then is totally taken down by the King. If you haven't read Esther, you should! It's like a soap opera!! Well, I should have listened to the lesson more carefully Sunday night..... I took Bethany to the play area at Chick Fil A yesterday because she has a fascination with climbing stairs and sliding down slides. She thinks she's a two year old I guess! So, after a bunch of playing, a bit of chicken, fruit, and ice cream, I took her to the bathroom for a quick diaper change. As I was washing my hands I let her wander around in the handicapped bathroom (where the changing table was) and I stood there thinking how nice it was that she could walk. "Everyone says it's more trouble when they start to walk, but this is great. I mean look at her, walking around like a big girl while mommy washes her hands. ...

There is a waterpark in Panama City and I plan on getting a season pass this summer so that Bethy and I can spend our days floating lazily down the lazy river. The reality of that may not be so lazy (10 month old, water, tons of other lazy drifters, sunscreen, bathing suits, you get the picture). Anyways, today was the day. After thouroughly sunscreening my fairskinned self and my just as pale daughter, putting on bathing suits, packing a bag, and grabbing a snack for the baby, we headed out. We pulled up into a prime parking spot (yes!!) but to my dismay there was no one in the park! It was not open today- come back Thursday the sign says! Dang it! Ok, on to plan B- there's a park near by with a fun kiddie pool area that Bethany loves. It's $10 total for the two of us but it beats dealing with the sand of the beach (I wasn't in the mood for sand today). So we drive the 15 minutes there, get out of the car, and head to the ticket counter. I hand her my credit card and she t...

Bethany had her nine month check up today. She's gained a whopping 1 pound in the last three months, weighing in now at 17 lbs. 5 oz. But she is up to 27 inches. She's a petite little girl to say the least. But the doctor didn't seem worried at all. She said she looks good and we could start giving her more big people food and even some whole milk. I haven't updated in a while so I'm not sure if you know that: 1. She can crawl. 2. She can babble. 3. She can pull herself up to standing. 4. She can take a few steps if she's holding on to something. 5. She continues to wave at anyone and everyone. 6. She has the cutest smile and laugh EVER! Ok, she's up from her nap so that's all for now

How finding a house is like finding a spouse: 1. There are many to choose from but few that seem livable. 2. You just want a place to call home. 3. You can't help but imagine your kids running around. Is it kid friendly? 4. Sometimes you like it instantly but when you take a closer look, it's just not the right one. 5. Some give you too much space, some not enough. 6. Sometimes you make an offer and get rejected. 7. Sometimes an internet search can be very helpful. 8. Sometimes you go back to tour a house you've already considered just to make sure. 9. A solid foundation on high ground means a lot. 10. A Realtor/Builder knows your needs and wants and can help you find/build the perfect house. We are trying so hard to find the right house for us. And I really can't help but compare it to finding a spouse. It's quite funny to me how similar it is, although not anywhere close to the same emotional investment. One of the first houses I found, I fell in love with instant...

I have been horrible keeping up with this blog lately. And actually, I've been horrible at keeping up with a lot of things in life these days- there are thank you notes to write, phone calls to be returned, emails to reply to, facebook wallposts to be responded to. So here's the latest: 1. Bethany passed her hearing test although they didn't do as in depth testing as we were hoping for. But she has started vocalizing more and here and there I hear a consonant thrown in there. So, it will come eventually. 2. She waves hello and goodbye now. If I am nursing her and Tom walks by she will just wave at him without even looking up. She just raises her little hand and gives him a wave- cute!!!! 3.She can CRAWL!!! Aaaaaahh! She started a couple weeks ago- but it took until yesterday for her to master it. And oh boy!! We are in trouble. She is into EVERYTHING! How does she find every little thing on the floor- and how do I keep those things off the floor so they won't end up in ...

I read this amazing blog by a mom I've never met. Her baby boy Stellan had a lot of heart problems in the womb but was born in miracle fashion just as healthy as could be. But suddenly, he has become very sick again and he needs our prayers. Go here to check out the blog: My Charming Kids In honor of Stellan they are doing a Stellan Name Gallery II (the first was before he was born). Here is my contribution. Please pray for his family and the many families who are walking through the difficulties of having a sick child. I have good friends who also have a boy with heart problems and he is a trooper but I know they and all the other families need our support!

I realized that I never update about Bethany's 6 month check up. Overall she is healthy but we did have some concerns. 1. She only grew 1/4 inch in two months. She is very low on the percentile now for her height. But she did gain almost two pounds. The doctor didn't seem concerned but I, of course, am still worrying about it two weeks later. 2. We started her on solids over Christmas and slowly realized something we were giving her was causing a rash and eczema to form all over her back, stomach, and neck. So we were told not to give her bananas or carrots until she's a year. We also have to restart the introduction of foods and give each one for two weeks. It's going to take a LONG time to make it through the foods. So far, she seems to be ok with green beans and pears. The rash is totally gone now. So that is a praise for sure!! 3. The doctor's main concern was that Bethany is not babbling yet. She does squeal and make noises but there are no consonants. She doe...

Well folks, this is how it all went down. One night last month, my friend Tiffany was hanging out at our house while Tom worked late. She mentioned that the local radio station was having a cutest baby contest and suggested I enter Bethany. Clearly, she is the cutest baby, so we got to work at picking out a picture. A voila, she was entered. The voting didn't start for a few more weeks and in those few weeks my enthusiasm about the contest wavered a bit. In order to beat out the 450 other babies, it was going to take some work. Was I up to the challenge? I decided "no". But then halfway into the contest, I decided $1000 was worth the effort so my crusade began. And after weeks of begging friends and family and total strangers for votes, we are proud to introduce our very own Bethany Fanning, Baby Idol 2009: On Thursday the radio station called to say that we had made the top ten but not to tell anyone. They said to be ready on Sunday between 2-3pm. And if they didn't...

Well, I started running again. I made a goal to run another 5k and it's time to get on with it. Plus, I'd like to lose the whole "Still look pregnant 6 months later" style I have going on. So, I am following the Couch Potato to 5K plan and going to the gym three days a week to run. But that's really not what I'm here to blog about. It's just that while I was running the other day, the movie Juno was on so I watched it while running. I've seen the movie before and loved it. So, even though it was the last 20 minutes of the movie, I didn't change the channel. In case you don't know, Juno is about a teenage girl who gets pregnant and chooses a family from an ad in the newspaper to adopt her baby. So, halfway through my run, sweat pouring down my face of course, Juno heads to the hospital. It's time!!!! As she, also covered in sweat, cries out in pain and gives birth I also began to cry. It could have been an all out sob, but since I was at th...

As many of you know, I play oboe in the Panama City Pops orchestra. I LOVE it. We have a major concert tonight. It will be a celebration of Panama City's 100th year and it is at the civic center. Two guest composers have written pieces for the occasion. And we have been rehearsaing our butts....er, I mean, lips off this week. So, needless to say, music has been on my brain. Last night during rehearsal I was missing the good ol' high school band days and thinking about how much I learned from band. I was fortunate to be in an incredible music program with great teachers. This train of thought led me to think about the parallels between music and my faith. And here's what I came up with (During rests,I jotted them all down on an old bulletin)..... 1. First and foremost you have to watch the conductor. Without him, everything gets off track. But if you keep your eyes on him, you won't miss the beat. The parallel is fairly obvious I reckon'. 2. Strive for perfection- al...