Pictures

We recently received the proofs from our photo session we had back in early November. Until we can get them directly on here, you can check them out at the following website:

http://www.amiwirges.com/ritchieproofs/

Caroline received some gifts this past week from her cousin Addison and cousin Jacey. Addison colored a picture for Caroline and Jacey made her this braclet. Addison just found out this week that she will be having a little baby sister. Our family is full of little girls, and we are excited to add another one to the Ritchie family!


This is Caroline Friday in her crib right before we left to go see Daddy. We met Matt in Tupelo this weekend. We just could not wait three more days! Matt will be home Wednesday and we are counting down the days! We will be spending Thursday with the Ritchies and putting out our Christmas decorations around the house, Friday enjoying time together, and Saturday with the Guinns.

Amanda and Karley come over to visit us on Sunday nights so we can all watch Desperate Housewives together. Karley brought Caroline her pacey this week...

We met in Tupelo this weekend and just had a nice, relaxing time. Caroline was grinning from ear to ear at her Daddy. She did great on the trip to Tupelo. We will see how she does on the care ride home...

Friends and Family

We had our first annual Veteran's Day Celebration at our church and Caroline got to meet up with her buddy Aubrey. Aubrey is Charles and Kristi Austin's little girl, and she is a couple of weeks older than Caroline. The Veteran's Day Celebration was hosted by the Sardis Junior High Youth. They did such a great job! The slide show was wonderful and was a great way to see all the men that have served or are serving that are members of our church. Caroline is so proud of her Daddy for serving for our country!

We got to catch up with our Cousin Lakyn and Uncle Du a few weeks back. They live up near Salesville, so we do not get to see Lakyn as often as our other cousins. It was exciting to get to catch up with her and it was her first time to see Caroline. Lakyn, Lana, and Will were all excited and had many stories to tell about Fred. Fred was the deer that Lana shot while they all went hunting.

Our other side of the family stopped by that same day after church. Caroline got dressed up in her pumpkin outfit, so she could show off for her cousin Hannah and Aunt Karen. Hannah and Karen brought Caroline a "Gobble Gobble" turkey bib that she will get to wear next week. The pumpkin outfit was once worn by Holly and Shelby Taylor. The Taylors are our second family. We do not know what we would do without them!

Back Home

The three of us left Alabama, and what had been our home for the past month on Friday, November 6, around noon. Recall that on the trip down, Caroline wasn't even 2 weeks old and slept almost the entire way. Sirron and I had the feeling that we wouldn't be as lucky on this trip.


We left in 2 cars and dropped mine off at the airport in Montgomery, where I would be flying back into on Sunday. Sirron's car was packed to the fullest with two cars worth of things that we came down with. Caroline slept from well before we left, until just before we arrived at the airport. We stopped at a gas station across from the airport to feed and change little-miss, all in the car, where we experienced screams that we never have...it was quite the scene, and all that Sirron and I could do was laugh. We got back on the road and were right back to sleep. 2 hours later we were on the other side of Birmingham where we stopped again for Sirron and I to eat a bite. Caroline still slept. The stretch of road between Birmingham and Memphis is very bare and long...Caroline slept the entire way.


Our last stop was in Memphis, where we gassed up and fed and changed Caroline again. This stop was much more pleasant. With Caroline having slept the majority of the day, Sirron and I were waiting for her to wake up, at any point, and not be happy strapped in to her carseat. That time never came though, as she slept all the way home, where we arrived around 10:00 that night. Sirron and I have been blessed with such a wonderful baby.


We prepared for a long night, again, as Caroline had slept nearly all day, but it was uneventful. We did start Saturday off early though, which was fine, it being our last day together. Caroline and I watched the Hogs beat up on South Carolina, and at 2:00 that afternoon, the photographer for Caroline's baby pictures showed up at the house. We took countless pictures for 2 hours and Caroline was just perfect, beautiful, and awake, the entire time. We are very excited about getting the pictures back and can't wait to share them with all of you.

Sunday morning came too quickly, and we departed for the airport for my 8:30 flight back to Alabama. I connected in Dallas and got back home mid-afternoon. Life is back to "our normal" for the next several months.


The 6 weeks that the 3 of us were able to spend together were amazing, and such a blessing. It was a time that we will never forget and will get to tell Caroline about through the years.


Sirron starts back to work on November 10th, and I start my next class on December 7, which will be a very intense 5 months. Our parents and Sirron's grandparents will keep Caroline during the day while Sirron works, and we are so thankful for that. The three of us are meeting in Birmingham for the weekend of November 20-22, I will be home for 3 days for Thanksgiving, and then again for 2 weeks for Christmas. Please keep each of us, and the three of us as a family in your prayers.