The Texas State Fair

We had much more success at the State Fair barnyard area than we did the zoo. Jbird did seem to have more fun playing with the shovels intended for feeding the animals than looking at them - as you can see by the pictures below. I made him touch a camel and that didn't go over well. He was really just excited to hang on to the gates and take it all in - he is a definite people watcher!

This picture we took at the end in the designated "picture spot" shows his excitement over the entire adventure. My expanding belly is hidden a bit in this picture, but rest assured - it is getting bigger!












This is my favorite shot, I think... we are looking at the goats... then I had to post the pic with the "do not feed fingers to the animals" sign...too funny!














Even with a goat right beside him, Jbird enjoyed watching a little girl fill the shovel with feed! I'm still not sure if he ever saw the goat! What a great day!

The zoo with Mimi and Grandaddy

I'm sorry for the long lapse in posts...Mimi and Grandaddy came to visit and then Jbird got sick after they left - an ear infection AND a virus. We are now in "detox" from the illness...Jbird doesn't quite get why he isn't getting whatever makes him happy now that he is feeling better. He's developed a new scream and his temper tantrums are now grade A. We are just thankful to be back among the healthy.

During Mimi and Grandaddy's visit, we made Jbird's first trip to the zoo. He was not as interested as we had hoped. It ended up being the hottest day we had in over a week by 15-20 degrees so the animals weren't moving much. Jbird was much more interested in the water flowing through the exhibits. We did catch a few pictures before he fell asleep...

Notice that his eyes are focused down (on water) while his dad's are higher (on the animals). He did get a little intrigued with the gorillas at one point or maybe he was just excited he could stand on the rocks!

Christmas came in September

Christmas 2005 finally came - in September 2006! Last Christmas I asked for a new kitchen faucet (ours leaked unless you held your mouth just right), and my sweet husband threw in a whole new kitchen sink. We decided to wait to get it until after the holiday season since I had no real idea what I wanted. I finally picked it out in April or so, but long story short we ended up not buying it (and we ended up getting a different model anyway) until June. It sat in our garage for over 2 months as we had a busy July and a surprise pregnancy. Finally, he and a friend installed my WONDERFUL new sink in early/mid September. Isn't it beautiful? I just love it!!! Clay thinks I'm odd that something so practical excites me like it does, but none-the-less...I smile when I see this shiny new sink. Christmas is great any time of the year! Now, we need to work on the pink countertops!

Fun with Pop

Jbird had some time with Grannylou and Pop this past weekend while we went to dinner with friends. Grannylou caught some of the fun on camera...so I thought I would share. How cute are they?

Here they are concentrating hard! Then here's proof he is crawling!


I love Pop's face in this one and then can you even see J's left hand?


Grannylou actually caught the process of him standing up without holding on to hands or anything...Pop the jungle gym...what great moments!

Melting Daddy's heart

Clay's heart has been melted a few times over the last few days... Jbird began crying when Clay leaves! This is quite a change from a boy who wouldn't care if Daddy was right there playing with him if Mommy left the room. However the last few days have produced many tears as Clay left the boy's presence... and if it was simply to head into our bedroom, Jbird quickly made his way following his dad's path. I know this is only the beginning of the male bonding that will happen over the years. What a joy it is to watch!

You are God alone

God has been speaking to me clearly over the last weeks through His Word, music, others, and the book I am reading. I love these times of sweet communication with Him in every area of my life. Nothing is new, but it is all fresh to me at this time in my life. One song has been going through my head repeatedly, and I wanted to share it. It reminds me that He is the one in control (not me), nothing phases Him or surprises Him, He does not need me (but He sure wants me involved where He is working), and that He is simply GOD ALONE.

You Are God Alone sung by Phillips, Craig, and Dean
(words are listed as we sing it at church)

You are not god created by human hands.
You are not god dependant on any mortal man.
You are not god in need of anything we can give.
By Your plan, that's just the way it is.

You are God alone
From before time began, You were on Your throne.
You are God alone
And right now, in the good times and bad, You are on Your throne
You are God alone

You're unchangeable
You're unshakeable
You're unstoppable
That's what You are
You're unchangeable
You're unshakeable
You're unstoppable
That's what You are

You're the only God Whose power none can contend
You're the only God Whose name and praise will never end
You're the only God Who's worthy of everything we can give
You are God that's just the way it is

You are God alone
From before time began, You were on Your throne.
You are God alone
And right now, in the good times and bad, You are on Your throne
You are God alone

You're unchangeable
You're unshakeable
You're unstoppable
That's what You are
You're unchangeable
You're unshakeable
You're unstoppable
That's what You are

You are God alone

Tennis shoes!!!

We got tennis shoes on Jbird's fat little feet!!!! It really makes him look like a little boy. He did well walking in them - even better than his sandals which are really too small now. We've had such a hard time with shoes...his feet are so small (he's just now in a size 3) and so thick that the smaller sizes barely go over his toes. Thankfully, in a box handed down from my sister and her son, we found these velcro shoes which allow for thicker feet. As you can see, the velcro isn't overlapped much, but they stay on his feet! He was so cute when I put his socks on...I think it's been since March/April since he's had socks on...he showed much interest in them and the truck on the side. As you can see, the socks were a little tight, but the blood still seemed to flow.

Amazing progress

The little one continues to amaze us with his quick grasp of the motor skills he skipped. Over the weekend, he made his first attempt at crawling...and he gets better every time. Sometimes it is an interesting way to crawl (on one knee and the other foot, and sometimes on one hand and the other forearm), but he is getting it! We are so excited! We have watched his confidence grow over the last 2 weeks - he is just so proud of himself and what all he has learned. I will add pictures soon... they are hard to get since he usually crawls to me! Our cup overflows...

One of those days

I thought it was going to be one of those days when I first came to consciousness this morning... it was WAY too early to be hearing from my son on a Saturday. He didn't quiet down so I decided to try starting some music for him, but that didn't work. I kept hoping he would settle down for another hour or so as I pulled the covers tighter, but his volume only increased. I finally gave up and went to rescue this poor little guy from the solitude of his room. The morning didn't get much better as he proceeded to whine throughout breakfast and a bath. I got a few moments of silence as I took a shower, and he seemed excited to head to watch Daddy's team play their first Upward football game. We had not been at the field long when the whining began again...I guess I can't blame him, he had been up much longer than normal! Juice satisfied for a bit, but soon not much would bring a smile. He crashed when we came home (as did I), and I hoped his nap would help wipe out his whining...I wasn't sure I could handle much more of it today... I, too, was feeling the effects of less sleep after a busy Friday, a short night, and a busy morning.

Wouldn't you know that I found myself overwhelmed by this precious little boy after lunch? Then it became one of those days where I just can't seem to get enough of him...I can't squeeze him tight enough or get enough kisses or grasp that he is really here. I am silenced by this blessing given us by our Father...and humbled to think we have another one on the way. I am so undeserving...so thankful...so awestruck by the goodness of our God.

How great is our God?!?!?!?!

Fun weekend

Here are pictures from our weekend...mainly Clay's birthday party. Clay is now on his way to 30... doesn't he look happy?















Pictures of the young boy playing during the party...




A major accomplishment over the weekend was watching our son learn how to sit up on his own. For those who don't know, he has skipped some gross motor development steps. Long story short, we will start physical therapy soon to teach him the basics that he missed (how he skipped some and got harder things, we'll never know!). At the evaluation with the therapist, she showed me some ways to help him learn how to sit on his own and such...and he caught on like wildfire. My mom caught him in action Sunday night...he is always so proud of himself! Our fun now is that he doesn't know how to lay back down yet...so nap time has become quite interesting! He has turned a major corner with things and will now pull up on me if I am anywhere close by. He isn't far from walking on his own... requiring less and less to steady himself and feel comfortable. As our pediatrician said... he's just an interesting little boy doing things in his own time... he walked before he could get himself to sitting or pull up... Clay just hopes this means he didn't get my athletic ability!

Bulldog love

Our son may have skipped crawling, but he did catch a very crucial skill tonight: ringing a cowbell!!! In honor of Mississippi State's first game of the season, Clay retrieved the cowbell from the State room... and our son quickly fell in love! He inspected it, rang it, and cried when we took it away. We are proud parents... gladly saving money in hopes he will one day be a Bulldog himself! (Click on the pictures if you want to see a larger version.)

Where did these curls come from?

It's hard to capture the ways the little man is changing in pictures...except for more hair, he hasn't changed all that much to me lately - then again, I see him every day! He does have more teeth with another breaking through, but he will hardly open his mouth to brush his teeth so a picture is out of the question. His little personality continues to blossom as well as his adventurous, inquisitive side. He loves anything with buttons to push or holes to stick his fingers or something else in... now you may be getting a picture of what my days are like. This could be fun as my body continues to get bigger and thus, me slower. I am thankful to have an engineer husband who can retrieve just about anything from its current lodged position. What a joy to watch our boy discover his world and what he can do. I love this job!!!
There is the question of where the curls came from... Clay and I have NO body or curl in our hair so this must come from other family genes.

He still loves to smile for the camera, but with molars coming in it's hard to get one without a finger/hand in the mouth!

In the midst of play, he got distracted by a commercial!

Bottoms Up!

Encouraging words

As I was reading this afternoon, I was struck by these words...and I thought that others might all be encouraged by them regardless where you are in your current journey.

From The Attributes of God by A.W. Tozer, pages 22-23

"God is above all things, beneath all things, outside of all things and inside of all things. God is above, but He's not pushed up. He's beneath, but He's not pressed down. He's outside, but He's not excluded. He's inside, but not He's not confined. God is above all things presiding, beneath all things sustaining, outside of all things embracing and inside of all things filling. That is the immanence of God.

God doesn't travel to get anywhere. We may say in a prayer, "Oh God, come and help us," because we mean it in a psychological way. But actually God doesn't have to "come" to help us because there isn't any place where God is not.

'If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; event here shall they hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me...If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.' (Psalm 139:9-10, 8)

So it's impossible to think of a place where God is not."

Stopped in my tracks

I was simply making tea this morning when I was stopped in my tracks as the image of my late grandmother's face flashed in my head. What brought her to mind during such a normal task? Usually I see her in my mother (and soon enough I will see her when I look in the mirror), but this morning I realized it was my own action that brought her to mind.

Somewhere along the line I picked up her habit of biting the inside of my lip...now this isn't a normal biting of the lip. See, she would scrunch her mouth to one side to bite the inside corner of her mouth...and my mouth was as far to the right as I could possibly get it this morning.

I immediately smiled when I realized what I was doing...and then a few of the many other things she taught me (good and bad) rushed my mind:

- her amazing love of roses (I, unfortunately, have a brown thumb)
- her fear of tornados (her stories scared me silly!)
- her love of books and writing
- her ability to throw a pity party
- her ability to laugh at herself
- her love of studying God's Word

One of the most precious things she gave me came just days after her death almost 3 years ago. (For those who know the road I have walked over the last years, you will understand why this is the best gift Mama Cleo could have ever given me.) My mother asked if I would like to speak at the graveside service and gave me Mama Cleo's worn Bible to sift through the night before for more insight into this little lady. Her Bible was full of notes and thoughts, the pages well worn and tear stained. Her love for God and His Word screamed from those pages. One of the pages at the back contained only a one sentence prayer in her messy handwriting. Her words lept off the page and into my heart...and I have treasured them since that day. I summed up what she taught me by sharing these words the next day:

"What a mess I would be in if You gave me everything I asked for."

Change is brewing

Our precious little one shocked us both last night as he took a couple of unaided steps!!! We were so excited we scared him to tears. He did take a few more with our encouragement and he was just so proud.

For those who haven't known...Jbird totally skipped crawling along with transitioning from one position to another (from laying to sitting, sitting to standing, etc.). We've had much longer than most parents of immobility...and the ability to leave him in one spot while we step out of the room knowing he would be in the exact same spot when we returned. June 5th he took his first steps along furniture, and has enjoyed using various objects to get around the room over the last couple of months. But, we could still sit him in one spot and he wouldn't budge!

We know he may not repeat this fun for a few days or weeks, but needless to say we are excited! Just thought we would share our joy...

Sometimes boring is nice

There hasn't been much to blog about lately... life has been pretty mundane and normal actually. And we've been enjoying it honestly. After such a crazy July, it is nice to have routine again. Sure, we've had some fun and worked too - and Jonathan continues to makes us laugh - but there haven't been any grand stories or moments. Just small things that are a part of everyday life that make us thankful for "boring and normal." We are enjoying the simplicity and the memories made during "mundane" life.

Funny, we used to be on the go all the time and we loved that life... now, we still go but not as often and not as fast... and we love this life. Some may say we are "old and boring", but I think we would say that we have simply changed - joy in the simplicity, shift in the priorities, and an appreciation for just being.

The last 24 hours (give or take)

The last 24 hours contained some memories - a new tooth (we're up to 8 now), a first busted lip (surely it won't be the last) and we got to hear our newest one's heartbeat (170). Pretty eventful 24 hours if I do say so myself...

Efficiency

Our son continues to keep me on my toes... once again he has taken to a new skill overnight. He finally figured out how to drink from his sippy cup by himself. That was yesterday... today, he showed his efficiency skills as he kept the cup in one hand while shoveling food in with the other! He is quite proud of himself and I think he is thankful he no longer has to wait on me to figure out he wants a drink!



Another story that might make you laugh... Tuesday he figured out how to turn the TV on and off. He did this as fast as he possibly could until Wheel of Fortune came back on... he LOVES this show! We're hoping it will help his future reading skills!

A new shirt for Jonathan

Yes, you are reading that right... our little boy is going to be a BIG BROTHER!!!!

I got the surprise of a lifetime Father's Day weekend when two lines appeared on that little stick. This shirt was Clay's Father's Day gift (on Saturday because I just couldn't wait any more!)... needless to say, he was shocked too.

The shock has turned to excitement and reality as we saw our newest one's heartbeat... we are so humbled God would choose to create another life through us. See, our situation hasn't changed - meaning we still had less than a 5% chance of getting pregnant without medical assistance. We had recently acknowledged and accepted that our family may be complete at three... then God decided to reveal a bit more of His plan. For two people who wondered if we would ever get the joy of being parents, we will now have two children under the age of 2 before we are 30!!!!

For those who like details... we will be 10 weeks pregnant tomorrow making our due date February 27th. The kiddos (man, that still seems weird) will be almost 20 months apart. My nausea seems to be diminishing, but the exhaustion remains. We appreciate your prayers for the health of this little and me. We'll keep you posted on the newest member of our family...

Precious moments and funny faces

Do you think they have identical hairlines?









I had to capture this moment on camera...the boys were watching a little TV together... isn't this just adorable? The littlest one soon discovered I had the camera out so he had to ham it up!











Here are some funny faces I just had to share... what a little personality!