My Little Drummer Boy

So we have one of those big popcorn tins, and Jack's been playing with it and banging on it like it's a drum. Yesterday he was doing that and I started singing The Little Drummer Boy. Every time I got to the Pa Rum Pa Pum Pum part, he would start going MaMaMaMaMa. He was trying to sing with me! It was so precious. I often think about the scripture that says Mary treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart. It's the little things like this that I will always remember and treasure. A few years from now I probably won't remember what I got for Christmas this year or even what Jack got for Christmas this year, but I'll always have the sweet memory of singng The Little Drummer Boy with MY litle drummer boy!

Good Times

Jack's buddy Cooper came over to play last week. They were so cute together. Jack loved watching him run around and was very excited to have a little friend to play with. Cooper was really sweet with Jack too.


Last weekend we went to Macaroni Grill with the Tenbush family. There was this really cute old guy walking around playing the guitar, and, since we had Jack and Skyler, he came over to our table and sang Twinkle Twinkle Little Star with us and he let Skyler and Matt and Jack play the maracas. It was so cute, and Jack did so good. He said he thought Jack would be a drummer someday.

We took Jack to see Santa a couple of weeks ago. We didn't go to the mall, just a toy store near our house. The Santa was so cute; I'm pretty sure he was the real thing. And they just let you take your own pictures with your camera. Jack wasn't so sure about him, but we got some pretty cute pictures anyway!

A letter from Jesus...

I heard this on the radio and I liked it. Sometimes we need to be reminded that Christmas is all about Jesus, and we need to be more like Him!

Dear Children,
It has come to my attention that many of you are upset that folks are taking My name out of the season. Maybe you’ve forgotten that I wasn’t actually born during this time of the year and that it was some of your predecessors who decided to celebrate My birthday on what was actually a time of pagan festival. Although, I don’t mind… I appreciate being remembered anytime.
How I personally feel about this celebration can probably be most easily understood by those of you who have been blessed with children of your own. I don’t care what you call the day. If you want to celebrate My birth feel free to do so at any time by showing love to others as I have shown Love to you.
Now, having said that let Me go on. If it bothers you that the town in which you live doesn’t allow a scene depicting My birth, then just get rid of a couple of Santas and snowmen and put in a small Nativity scene on your own front lawn. If all My followers did that there wouldn’t be any need for such a scene on the town square because there would be many of them all around town.
Stop worrying about the fact that people are calling the tree a holiday tree, instead of a Christmas tree. It was I who made all trees. You can remember Me anytime you see any tree. Decorate a grape vine if you wish: I actually spoke of that one in a teaching, explaining who I am in relation to you and what each of our tasks were. If you have forgotten that one, look up John 15:1-8.
If you want to give Me a present in remembrance of My birth here is my wish list. Choose something from it:
1. Instead of writing protest letters objecting to the way My birthday is being celebrated, write letters of love and hope to soldiers away from home. They are terribly afraid and lonely this time of year. I know, they tell Me all the time.
2. Visit someone in a nursing home. You don’t have to know them personally. They just need to know that someone cares about them.
3. Instead of writing George complaining about the wording on the cards his staff sent out this year, why don’t you write and tell him that you’ll be praying for him and his family this year. Then follow up. It will be nice hearing from you again.
4. Instead of giving your children a lot of gifts you can’t afford and they don’t need, spend time with them. Tell them the Story of My birth, and why I came to live with you down here. Hold them in your arms and remind them that I love them.
5. Pick someone that has hurt you in the past and forgive him or her.
6. Did you know that someone in your town will attempt to take their own life this season because they feel so alone and hopeless? Since you don’t know who that person is, try giving everyone you meet a warm smile it could make the difference.
7. Instead of nit picking about what the retailer in your town calls the holiday, be patient with the people who work there. Give them a warm smile and a kind word. Even if they aren’t allowed to wish you a “Merry Christmas” that doesn’t keep you from wishing them one.
8. If you really want to make a difference, support a missionary, especially one who takes My love and Good News to those who have never heard My name.
9. Here’s a good one. There are individuals and whole families in your town who not only will have no “Christmas” tree, but neither will they have any presents to give or receive. If you don’t know them, buy some food and a few gifts and give them to the Salvation Army or some other charity which believes in Me and they will make the delivery for you.
10. Finally, if you want to make a statement about your belief in and loyalty to Me, then behave like a Christian. Don’t do things in secret that you wouldn’t do in My presence Let people know by your actions that you are one of mine.
Don’t forget; I am God and can take care of Myself. Just love Me and do what I have told you to do. I’ll take care of all the rest. Check out the list above and get to work; time is short. I’ll help you, but the ball is now in your court. And do have a most blessed Christmas with all those whom you love.
I LOVE YOU,
JESUS

Jack's latest trick

So this video of Jack walking along the couch is for MiMi. She's been asking to see it for awhile now. This is really a lot slower than he usually goes. He knew I was videoing him! Notice how he tries to climb the couch at the end. I think we have a little monkey on our hands! I added the first part because I thought it was funny. He likes to jump like a wild man in his exersaucer.



Here's another picture just for fun. Making weird eyes like Daddy!

Thankful

So I haven't written anything in a long time. Here's a little update on us, mainly Jack. He's crawling, although still not conventionally. He pulls himself with his arms and pushes with his legs. He gets around pretty well though. Last week he suddenly started pulling up on stuff and walking along furniture. He practically runs across our couch to get to the curtains! I'm trying to get a video of this that I will add soon. My camera was not cooperating.

Also, he got 4 new teeth on top just in time for his first Thanksgiving! He did have some turkey today, and he loved it! We are so thankful for what God has done in our lives this year. We've had a lot of changes, but I know we're exactly where we need to be. Jack has been such a blessing to us, and we've both become better people because of this tiny person God has entrusted to us. We're so thankful for our sweet little Jack!

And we're very thankful for our families too. Becoming a parent has made me appreciate my parents and grandparents so much more. If you're reading this, thanks for all you've done and sacrificed for me. I'm also thankful for Matt's family, because I know they had so much to do with his becoming who he is today.

Of course I'm very thankful for Matt. He is so good to me. And he takes care of Jack every day! Not just any husband is brave enough to do that, and that makes me appreciate him in a whole new way! He is God's perfect provision for me.

Happy Fall!

It's finally fall here, and we're so glad. I get so anxious for cooler weather when it's the middle of October and we're all still wearing our summer clothes. But it's started to cool off a little, and it's been almost cold a few mornings this week.

We took Jack to a pumpkin patch and got some cute pictures of him. We had trouble getting him to smile, though. I think it was because we were outside and he was distracted by all the pumpkins and the hay--he kept trying to eat the hay.


Our sweet little pumpkin


Mmmmm...hay

We went to Abilene last weekend for ACU's homecoming and especially to visit Jenny, Matt's sister. The picture behind them is one that Jenny took of Jack for her photography class. Her teacher liked it so much he chose it to be displayed in the art building. She had some others chosen too, but this one was my favorite of course.

Jack loves his Aunt Jenny!

It's really funny how he's learned to smile at the camera. No matter how tired or fussy he is, once he sees the red light on our camera, he puts on a big grin. It's a little bit like Pavlov's dogs. We should give him a treat.

We went to the parade on Saturday morning, then Homecoming chapel. Jack was so worn out. He missed his morning nap, and while he was eating his lunch (in his stroller, by the way) he crashed. He had food all over his face, but we just let him sleep. He didn't care!

Zzzzzzzzzz

Swinging

We got Jack a little toddler swing last weekend, and this video shows him swinging in the garage. We already had some hooks in the ceiling, and Matt thought it would be great fun for him to swing over the bed of his truck while he worked on it. Don't worry. We didn't leave it there. It is now hanging in the tree in our front yard. Jack LOVES it. We always get big smiles from him, and sometimes even giggles. Thank you God for such a sweet boy!

Don't Blink

So tomorrow Jack will be 7 months old. Time is flying by so fast. I know everyone always says it will and it sounds so cliche, but it's so true, and you really don't know until you live it. Yesterday Matt got my oil changed, and the little sticker on the window said 3/08, and I cried a little bit when I saw that. Jack's going to be 1 then! I'm not ready for him to be 1 yet. He's my baby!

We got his picture taken last weekend and he looks so big in some of them, like a little boy, not a baby anymore. It's funny how becomng a mom makes you really sappy about those things. I can just think about him going to kindergarten or to college and start crying. Matt thinks I'm crazy for that, but I think it's just part of being a mom.

Jack is having some problems sleeping lately. He had allergies with a runny nose a couple of weeks back and he had trouble sleeping at night, and ever since then he's been waking up two or three times every night. He started sleeping through the night so early, I don't quite know what to do with this problem. I'm trying so hard to let him get back to sleep on his own because I don't want it to become a habit for him (although I'm afraid it already is) and I don't want him to need me to go to sleep. But sometimes he just can't do it. I have to rock with him a little to calm him down, and then he'll go back to sleep immediately. It's really frustrating, though, and it makes me so tired. But I know all you veteran moms out there will tell me that it's just a phase he's going through, and I might as well enjoy it because, after all, he'll be leaving for college soon, right?

"Hey..Hey...Hey"



Jack seems to be chattering more and more lately. It sounds like he's saying, HEY a lot of times. Sometimes he even uses it appropriately, like when one of us comes into the room. He is so funny!

Our Happy Boy

Here are some new pictures we took this weekend of our smiley boy.





This picture shows his two teeth. I've been trying to get a good picture of them. Ignore me in the background! :)



Jack and cousin Skyler at IHOP after church. Skyler LOVES Jack, and Jack loves to pull Skyler's hair!

Happy Half Birthday to Jack!

Our little Jack is 6 months old today, and I guess he's not so little anymore! He weighs 20 pounds and 3 ounces and is 28 inches long. He's in the 90th percentile for both height and weight.

This week he's figured out how to roll around to get places. He rolls all over the living room, but once he gets stuck, he can't really figure out how to go the other way. I'm sure he will soon though. We better get busy baby proofing our house...

Here's a picture of our sweet little boy. Can't believe he's six months old. Time is going by WAY TOO FAST!

Time is getting away from me...

Two weeks have gone by and I haven't written anything. I've been VERY busy, but it's no excuse, I know. Oh well, I think only Kathrine and my mom read it, so hopefully you two won't hold it against me! :)

Here's a list of all the things Jack's done/learned since I last posted:

1. cut TWO teeth on the bottom (I wasn't expecting that so early)
2. sitting up independently
3. laughing out loud when we tickle his tummy or neck (We've tried getting this on video, but were unsuccessful. We'll keep trying)
4. put his hands all over his baby food after it's already in his mouth. It's really gross. Take my word for it.
5. picked out his first toy (a gigantic stuffed dog at Sam's that makes him very happy)

So, school started on Monday. I'm teaching second grade now, and I love it! My class is so sweet, and they can already do so much. I never realized how much of kindergarten is teaching them how to walk in a line and how to sit still and be quiet. Second graders are just like kindergarteners, except with brains!

One boy in my class is particularly funny. Yesterday they were writing a list of memories from when they were young and he came and asked me if he could write about a bad memory. We talked about it a little, and I told him sure. He said, "I have a metal foot. Shark bite." !!! It was so funny! I have several more stories from him already. :)

Matt's doing a great job taking care of Jack. And really, this situation is working out pretty well. As much as we wanted it to work out differently, I've realized lately that this is really a blessing. I'm so glad that I'm not having to take Jack to daycare or to someone I don't know. I'm not worrying about him all day...missing him, yes, but I have a shrine to him in my classroom. Anyway, I think this is going to be okay, even though it's not ideal. I guess it's just one of those weird times when God does something that looks totally different than what I thought He would do. Sometimes it's just hard to trust Him--but He alwaysknows what He's doing.

Jack's Life in Pictures

Jack's first swimming experience...and other stuff

So...A lot of stuff has happened since I last made an entry. I've really got to get better at this...I'll do my best!

Last week I kept Cooper (our friends Luke and Sara's little boy) for one day because their babysitter went out of town. He's almost 2 and VERY busy! He was great--I'm just not used to having two little ones around. After that day I definitely decided it would probably be best to wait a few years before even considering another baby! Not that we were...you know what I mean!

Cooper had fun I think. He's all about the phone, so he found one of our phones (that doesn't work) and played with it all day. He was so funny with it too. He called everyone in his family I think! He even wanted to sleep with it.




Then my parents came to visit us on Wednesday. We didn't do a whole lot, but I always enjoy them being here. Jack had a lot of fun with his MiMi and PaPa. He's getting to the age where he's really aware of people, and you can tell when he sees a face he doesn't know (he's started screaming at them!). Even though we live far away from my parents, I really want Jack to grow up knowing them and being around them a lot. I know that's really important to them too, so I'm sure it will happen.



Jack with MiMi



Jack with PaPa

We went to Wimberley on Saturday with my parents too. For those of you who don't know, Matt's parents have a booth there (trade days every first Saturday of the month). It's fun to walk around there, but it was really hot. The minute we got there Jack's face turned red. So, we didn't stay too long. Matt sells his glass belt buckles there, and I've started making pacifier clips. I sold several that day, so I was happy!

Then we had our new swimming pool installed!



Just kidding! It's really one of those $30 above ground pools with the inflatable ring around the top. Matt's parents had bought it for Skyler (their other grandson) but their backyard wasn't flat enough. So we decided to try it in ours, and it worked! It's actually pretty cool. And Jack likes swimming in it. It gives me something to do with him when he gets fussy. He gets in his floaty and kicks his legs like he's running . He must feel like he can go anywhere in there!

I'm just a few years behind!

So I'm finally gonna start a blog! We tried it a few years back, but I never really seemed to have anything exciting to write about. But now I have Jack, so I figure he'll supply a few stories. :) He's almost 5 months old (wow!) and he's getting bigger every day I think. The last time we checked he weighed 17 pounds and 2 ounces. He's a big boy, but we expected that. He's also very happy and just about the sweetest blessing we could ever get. Here's some of my favorite pictures of him. Enjoy!