Gettin' Some Good Practice

We have two precious families in our church that both had beautiful baby girls last Friday. Chad and Katie Cottle welcomed Molly Kathryn (Molly Kate) last Friday morning and James and Cindy Skipworth welcomed Ruby Jeane Friday afternoon. Garrett, Saralynn, and I visited the hospital on Saturday to visit with the new bundles of joy and their glowing parents.

Chad and Katie have both chronicled Molly Kate's birth on their respective blogs: http://chadcottle.com/ and http://katiecottle.wordpress.com/. She is absolutely precious. We made it to their room first on Saturday, and I thought Saralynn would warm right up to Molly Kate. She knows more of Chad, Katie, and Charlie than she does the Skipworths because the Skipworths moved away for a bit before returning "home". I was wrong. She wanted nothing to do with anyone in their room, which was so surprising to me. We had talked about the babies all day, and when we asked her where we were going as we were driving, she said, "Going to see Molly Cake and Ruby." Big Brother Charlie called Molly Kate the same thing for a while. I think it's precious. We visited with the Cottles for a good bit before Miss Priss got hungry. That was our cue to move down the hall. We ooed and ahhed over her one more time, said our goodbyes, and were on our way.

We got to Cindy's room and Saralynn hesistated at the door again. I think it might be because they had visitors she didn't know. Once the room cleared, she opened up some more, and at one point said she wanted to hold Ruby. I was a little uneasy, but Cindy was totally fine with it. The pictures below chronicle Saralynn's love story with Ruby. It was absolutely the sweetest thing I think I've ever seen. I can't wait to see her with her own brother or sister. I hope you enjoy the pictures as much as we enjoyed watching them together.

We took dinner to the families last night, and the same thing occurred. She visited with Charlie pretty well but still didn't want much to do with Molly Kate. But, on the way to the Skipworths', she said "I gonna hold Baby Ruby and play with her toes." Oh, be still my heart. The one picture we got of them is below.

I am so glad to have the Bowies (Cindy's family) and the Skipworths in my life. I could fill the entire blog with stories about them, but they are some of the most special people in my life. Sondra (Cindy's mom) took a chance on a shy kid with coke-bottle glasses that showed up in her choir when we first joined FBC and made a singer out of me. Dr. Pat (Cindy's dad) is one of the most gracious people I've ever known. He always has a smile on his face and a hug to offer. Cindy is my musical hero and I want to be like her when I grow up. In all honesty, one of the biggest compliments I've ever gotten in my life involved Cindy. She asked me to sing "Is This Not the Carpenter?" with her at Christmas, and I was thrilled! I was working at the day care at the church at the time, and the assistant director told me the next day she caught the service on TV and saw both of us singing. She stepped into the other room and heard who she thought was Cindy singing, but it was me, which meant we blended well together. I think we always have. I've been Cindy's "understudy" more than once, and I LOVE the chance to sing with or for her. She, like me, has a heart for music and for leading worship. James is equally as precious and I could tell numerous stories about him, too, but the one that stands out involves my grandmother that went to be with Jesus in 2002. James went to the nursing home to visit her, and filled me in later on his visit with her. Ice battled the most horrible dimentia I've ever seen anyone go through, and she was not herself for the last year or so of her life, but James visited with her and had a sparkle in his eye when he talked about her as if he knew her before the disease took over. She would've loved James had she had the chance to know him, but it was an absolute blessing to me to hear James speak of my grandmother with a love that he would show his own grandmother.

It was such a breath of fresh air to visit with them last night. We talked church, life, our hearts' passions, and it was so nice. I'm forever changed by this awesome family. Oh, and Cindy's brother Brett is our OB/GYN. Just another thread of the tapestry that is our lives woven together. Ruby is sure to carry on the legacy. I hope Saralynn becomes good friends with Cate, Lily, Ally, and Ruby. What a precious family. The picture below tells the story that my heart longs to share...

Intentionally,

Mary Beth