Birmingham take two

This weekend, we made another trip down to Birmingham. This time we came down for Courtney's baby shower. It was a great party and they really racked up on lots of great gifts. And I think I learned a thing or two about all of the stuff that Blake and I will be
researching/assembling/etc. over the next 6 months. Yikes!!
We were also able to do a little shopping and pick out some potential fabric for our nursery. Although we have not decided that these will definitely be the fabrics that we choose, so far, they have been the favorite of what we have seen. What do you think?
In this first set, the solid fabric would be the inside of the bumper, the stripe would be the outside and the circle fabric would be the bedskirt.


This shot shows the same three fabrics with some accent fabrics. Maybe some pillows or something? The whales would only be used if this baby is a boy. But the dots could go either way, right?
Anyway, I am not 100% on these choices, but I do like them... a lot. So, we'll see if anything comes along that makes me change my mind.

As a side note, here's a random shot of Millie in the Greene's backyard. Isn't she beautiful?


This weekend was also a great time to celebrate Gail, Bob and Blake's birthdays (2nd, 19th and 1st of April, respectively). In honor of the multi-birthdays and the upcoming births, we decided to plant this beautiful red maple in the yard. It was a little chilly on Sunday morning when Blake and Bob put it in the ground, but they pressed through and got it done. That's one good looking tree.


Many other memories were made this weekend, but my computer/camera is not cooperating, so maybe I'll get around to sharing more moments with you over the next few days.
Love you guys!!

Little baby Greene!

Ok, so for 99% of you, this will come as no surprise, but it is time that we roll this information out on the blog, so here goes! Little, tiny, baby Greene will arrive in September 2009 and Blake and I could not be more excited!
Back in early February, we made the trip down south to tell our parents and this is how it went down... See, Blake's sister Courtney is due in June, so we made a little gift for Little baby Cox from Little baby Greene. Isn't that adorable? I'll be honest, my mom was the only one to "get it" right away. It took everyone else a few seconds to catch on.



I am pumped to finally be sitting down and making this official so that I can start sharing the hilarious stories that we have experienced so far in this amazing journey. For example, a few Sundays ago I was standing in church when I remembered that the baby's ears are now fully developed and so he/she can hear me. It was moving to think that this baby could hear me singing worship to God at that very moment. So, when I get home and share this moment with Blake, I invite him to sing to the baby too. At this invitation, Blake leans over and gets his face really close to my stomach and sings, "I'm too sexy for my shirt, too sexy for my shirt." HA!
Hopefully, we will have many more fun stories to share along the way, but for now, I will leave you with this: the first belly pic. It still just kinda looks like I have had too many Chick Fil A number ones, but oh well. I am sure that come month 7, 8 and 9, I will not disappoint. I love you guys!!

Cancer Challenge 2009 Deep Thoughts

So, Blake and I have become involved again with the Cancer Challenge fund raising effort through Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and this year it holds even more special meaning for me.

Last year, we helped raise money for brain tumor research and it was an amazing experience. We were able to tour the Comprehensive Cancer Center and meet doctors, we learned about cancer-treating procedures and what research they would be involved in specifically.

This year was a little different, but it got me thinking in a new way. You see, this year we are raising money for lung cancer research. And this year, we simply met with other members of our team and were educated on the statistics associated with lung cancer. I was amazed at the lack of funding for this devastating disease. This is how our Cancer Challenge web site states it, “Due in part to the stigma associated with smoking and the low survival rate, lung cancer has historically held limited appeal for patient advocacy. In turn, funding for lung cancer research continues to lag behind other diseases both in terms of total dollar amount and amount per patient afflicted.” www.wfucancerchallenge.org

Wow. The “stigma associated with smoking.” Basically, they are saying that as a society, we have decided that because people have a choice to begin or continue smoking that they are somehow less worthy of advocacy when they become afflicted with lung cancer. That hit me deep.

This may seem a bit of a stretch to you, but hang with me here. What if God had said “due to your decision to begin and continue sinning, you are not worthy of my forgiveness.” That would mean no Jesus, no grace, no heaven. Let’s be honest, we would be ruined.

Thankfully, He didn’t. Thankfully, rather than leaving us behind, he sent his son, Jesus, to pay the price for our sin. And we didn’t even make any promises that we would stop sinning!!! “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

So, in the same way that Christ demonstrates his love and grace towards us, we should demonstrate that same love and grace towards each other. To me, the opportunity to impact lung cancer research, even in a tiny way, is giving me an opportunity to do that.

If you are involved in a philanthropic effort (whether it is volunteer, fund-raising, or both) I want to take a moment to say thanks. Your choice to give of yourself is a demonstration of Christ’s love to others.

If you would like to give to this cause, please visit our website and donate today! Blake and I are trying to raise $5000 as a couple and we could use your help! No gift is too small. www.wfucancerchallenge.org

Thank you for reading this and allowing me to share my heart with you.

We love you! Sara Kate

Freakin' Winter Wonderland

Well, it happened again (over it). This morning, when we got up, we found 4-5" of snow on the ground (over it). So, I bundled up and snapped a couple of shots (beautiful, but so over it).

Millie, however, is not over it. She LOVES the snow. She likes to go outside and try to eat it and then make warp speed loops around the backyard. When she tries to eat it, she ends up getting it all over her face and then she looks like this:

Unfortunately... and this might be why I am so over it... snow days don't necessarily mean that you get to stay home and drink hot chocolate and make snowmen. So, we went to work. BUT, when we got home, we couldn't resist playing with Millie in the remaining snow.

Because Blake knows how much Millie loves to eat snow, he thought that he would help her out by throwing snow balls at her face. It looks rough, but seriously - she LOVES it!

And then we took advantage of the lighting and the neighbor's pristine yard to take some pics with our little one.


How hot is my dang husband....

So, March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb, right? Well, if by "lamb" you mean blue skies and seventy plus degree weather... count me in!
Love you guys!