Pumpkin Patch

Matt, Meredith and I decided to go out to a local pumpkin patch this morning for some family fun. You may be asking yourself, "Why would they be going so early to a pumpkin patch?" Well, last year Rachel made the mistake of going out to the pumpkin patch early with Meredith, and Matt just thought that it wouldn't be special if we went again another time (Who knew that guys would be that sentimental?). So -- trip one for Fall 2007 to the pumpkin patch was very successful. Meredith pointed out several pumpkins to us, by saying "ball," and she really enjoyed pushing and pulling the wagon. Pretty soon she'll be doing it all by herself.

For those Central Arkansas readers, the jams and jellies don't come out until Monday; but other than that everything is pretty much exactly the same. We went around 10, and things weren't too crazy -- but the crowds were already coming in when we were leaving. It looks like they will have another successful year.

Happy Birthday, Liz!

Happy Birthday, Liz! It's hard to believe that you are old enough to be teaching college kids. However, I am so proud of you and hope that you have a wonderful day. Meredith is waiting for you to come back for a visit so she can say "Diz" down the stairs and you will come running to her. Enjoy these young birthdays, little sis, because pretty soon you'll want to start counting backwards!

All Wet

Meredith and I thought that today would be a perfect morning to go on a walk. We get a good 1/2 mile from our house, and the clouds open up and rain keeps falling on us all the way home. No -- I didn't take the time to look at the weather report (who has time for that when your 18 month old is saying "go, go, go"), so I guess I deserve my little shower.

Bible Sunday

Today was Bible Sunday at Park Hill. At the beginning of each year, our new first graders are given a copy of the Bible from the church. It's hard to believe that its been 21 years since I received my Bible from the church, but I am so glad that the tradition continues to this day.

We are taught from a very young age that the Word is living and active, and to set its words in our hearts. It holds the very words of God, and is a guidebook for life. However, today our pastor told the kids that its the most important story, and the one story that makes all other stories make sense. I had never thought of the Bible in that way -- probably because us Baptists place so much emphasis on the Bible being concrete and the exact Word of God that the word "story" doesn't seem adequate enough to define the Bible. However, today I was reminded of all the Parables in the New Testament that Jesus used to teach, and how even the Savior knew that telling a story was a good way to teach the Truth.

I'm so thankful that God still teaches us through his stories in the Bible, and that he still speaks to me even after all these years of having a copy of his Word. Now that is a Living Book!

Rough Day......Go to the Park

Today was apparently a rough day for Miss Meredith at MDO. So, after I picked her up, we went to the park, ate lunch and played on the slide. We saw the ducks and turtles in the lake, and of course the normal people watching. Here are some pictures of the outing.

Yum, Yum Applesauce




















Do I really want to go down that slide?















Come on Mom -- its much more fun up here!

Welcome to the Blog

So, hopefully I can do better at this blogging thing than some of my other on-line endeavors. While putting up my family picture, I've noticed that pretty much all of our pictures are of Meredith. So, I'll try to hand that camera over to some one else so I can update our family portrait!

Update on the Lipsey's

Since Matt and I got married, we lived in Oklahoma for 1 1/2 years while working on graduate degrees. Norman was a great college town, and its also nice to have two football teams to root for in one family -- because when one team is doing bad, usually the other is doing ok. However, Arkansas has nothing on Oklahoma Football atmosphere. It may have just been because we had tickets to OU's 2003 season (Jason White winning the Heisman and an undefeated regular season), but Football is VERY serious business there.

In January 2004, we moved back to Little Rock. Matt took an electrical engineering position with BEI Technologies in Maumelle, and after interning with NRCS I ended up with an ag engineering position at the U of A Cooperative Extension Service. We kind of got back into the swing of Central Arkansas by getting back involved at Park Hill Baptist and seeing many of our high school friends. Both sets of families live in the Little Rock area - so it was nice not having to rush around like ants during the holiday season anymore!

Onward to 2006, and sweet little Meredith entered into our lives. She was a very good little baby, and now is growing into a lovely, energetic toddler. She keeps us on our toes all the time! Meredith and I try to stay busy during the week with playgroups, library story time, and Mother's Day Out. I am so blessed to be able to spend so much time with my daughter. Here are some of our favorite pictures of her.

The first "eye open" picture (Spring 2006)

Matt and Meredith giving her "Kermit the Frog" face (Spring 2006)

Hi Mom, I'm "flying" (Summer 2006)

The Birthday Girl (March 2007)

Such a Cute Hog Fan (September 2007)

We are getting excited about the upcoming addition of Russell. The second pregnancy has been fairly uneventful. I am starting to feel big, and getting those "how much bigger" can I actually get thoughts again. Its hard to believe that in less than three months I will have another kiddo to talk about.

Thanks for reading my first blog, and I'll try to keep you updated!