Finally... some new pics!

Aidan is now almost 14 months old.... and cuter than ever! We love our sweet baby girl so much, and there is nothing in the world that compares to her contagious laughter. We are in the process of closing on our first home. It's been a lot of paperwork, but we're almost there. We are so thankful for this home. It has a big fenced-in back yard and deck with a couple of peach trees and a swingset.... plenty of room for busy little feet to run around in. It's in the middle of Headland and has plenty of room for our family to grow in. It's an older home with lots of character, and we cannot wait to put some TLC into it and make it our own. Hopefully, we'll be moving in sometime in the next few weeks! Truly God is good!! He is once again showing us His faithfulness and provision above and beyond what we could ask or imagine.

So, I'm not a very good blogger!

Well, as you can see... haven't updated the blog in FOREVER! I will try to get some new pics on here asap. Derek and I are living in Headland and looking for a house right now. Derek is working at a landscaping business and I'm teaching a 3 year old class at the First Baptist Day Care where Aidan is staying while I work. We are enjoying our jobs and Aidan is a constant source of joy! She just turned a year old, and I do not know where all the time goes! She is a happy little girl with tons of energy. We got her a baby pool for her birthday and she is loving it. The past several months have definitely been challenging as we've been transitioning from ministry life to this new chapter, but the Lord has shown Himself so faithful to provide, even when it is in a different way than we would choose. Derek and I have been learning to trust God and be content with where He has us... it's been a daily fight, but one that I can see the Lord using to draw us together as a family. I think that through this I've begun to learn to be thankful for the truly important things the Lord has given me, namely my salvation and hope in the Lord, my husband, who I love more and more each day, and my sweet baby girl, whose laugh can wash away all the cares of the day and remind me of how blessed I am.
I'll try to post more soon and get some pics up. Love you guys!

Look what I can do...

Here we have the surprised look and the "stink eye."

Aidan is mesmerized by her feet these days.
Daddy and Aidan right before we went on a walk... a girl's gotta protect that pretty skin from the sun. :-)

Go Bama!

Aidan loves her books (to chew on, that is). And she also loves her bunny and pacifier.

Aidan's already a Bama girl... her Daddy is so proud!

Today was Aidan's first College Football Saturday. We had a family day of watching football and just hanging out. It has been several weeks since we've had a whole day to relax and spend time together as a family... and it was wonderful. To top it all off, the Bama game was awesome!! Alabama beat Clemson 34-10! Woo-hoo! But the real highlight today... Aidan rolled over 3 times in row! We even caught it on video. You would've thought she'd just won a gold medal if you'd heard us cheering for her! :-)

Last weekend, we were both in the wedding of our dear friends Pete and Heather. The wedding was beautiful, especially the glowing bride, and we had fun catching up with some of our old friends. Claire and Lucy... so great to see you both!! Lov ya'll!

In campus news... I baked 120 cookies this week and stuffed cups full of treats for the girls in KD. Derek has started coaching a freshmen flag football team and has the jammed pinky finger to show for it. I guess that's about it for now...

Tummy time and smiles...

My, how time does fly! Aidan is 2 1/2 months old now, and I can't believe how fast it's gone by. She is now lifting up her head, smiling, cooing, sleeping through the night and wrapping her Daddy around her little finger. She is such a joy to behold. We're convinced her smiles and coos are the sweetest sight ever beheld! :-)
I am also seeing how the Lord uses our little blessing to make us more like Himself. Derek and I have decided that the best way to come face-to-face with your own selfishness and love of comfort is to have a baby. Somewhere between 5am feedings, diaper changes, and sleep deprivation, we have seen the Lord slowly (and sometimes painfully) draw our sin to the surface like dross and lovingly refine us. We are also seeing such a picture of the Lord's love for us during this time. While it is often so hard as we learn how to take care of our little one, the love we have for her and the joy she brings so far surpasses the hard times. She is worth it all a hundred times over. I stand in awe of the fact that our Heavenly Father loves us in the same way... even more so. It reminds me of 1 John 3:1 "See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; and such we are." We have so much to learn, and I often feel overwhelmed. But what a comfort that the Lord loves us as His very own... that He delights in us even!
Ministry is going well. We spent a few weeks at the Summer Beach Project, and it was so encouraging to see that the Lord has done an amazing work in the lives of many students here at West Georgia. Four of the students became Christians this summer! Our semester kicked off Sunday with move-in day on campus, and classes start Friday. So, we've officially begun the whirlwind that is the Fall semester. We are looking forward to what this year brings! :-)

And Baby makes three!!!

So... I'm a little behind on the baby update! Our baby girl was born at 5:48pm on May 30th after about 24 hours of labor. phew!! Her name is Aidan Grace and she weighed 7lbs 12 ounces and was 21.5 inches long. She looks so much like here daddy right now, and we're convinced she's the cutest baby ever!! She's growing like crazy and is definitely keeping mommy and daddy on our toes. We're all doing well, albeit a little tired. :-) I'll try to write more later... but for now here's some pics!

I'm all about saving time these days. So, to keep from writing all the same stuff twice...here's a recent update Derek and I sent out to our support team:

Dear Family and Friends:
Several of you have asked how Kim and I are doing personally. So, here’s a more detailed update on the Dobson household!
Kim has being doing great. She is almost 38 weeks pregnant. We went to the doctor two days ago and she said that Aidan is dropping and Kim is progressing well. Also, the doctor is estimating the baby is around 7 pounds! Kim’s due date is May 26th, so we are hoping that the baby comes sooner rather than later. We are anxiously awaiting Aidan’s arrival… we’re a little nervous, but extremely excited! Kim has been washing Aidan’s clothes, packing the hospital bags, and putting the finishing touches on the nursery.
Kim continues to build relationships with girls in her old sorority and has enjoyed getting to know all of them so much. One girl is going to SBP, and 2 others are considering going. The other night around 15 girls had a girls’ night and watched a girly movie and had dessert. It was a great time of getting to know some of the girls better.
I have been battling sickness for the past two weeks. I had some kind of stomach virus which won’t leave our staff team, and a bad cold. Also, I got poison ivy when I went fishing with some students. Ha ha, not all is bad though. I’m feeling much better, and I’m excited to tell you that one of the football players I’d asked you to pray for is going to SBP. And it looks like we’re going to have about 20 or so students from UWG going for the summer. We had our leader’s retreat this past weekend for all the students who will be leaders on the beach project, and it was extremely encouraging to see their excitement about how God could use this summer to impact the world and generations to come.
I’ve been taking guys fishing and caught a few nice-sized bass and catfish. We actually cooked up some of the catfish the other night and they were delicious. I’ve also been having some great hang-out time with guys… from cornhole tournaments to softball games. It feels great to be back on the field after the knee injury of ’07! In my spare time, I’ve been nursing my struggling tomato plants back to health. If anyone has any suggestions, I’m all ears!
I guess that’s about it for us right now. Please let us know what’s going on with you and how we can pray for you.
Love,
Derek and Kim