Another little Roberson is on the way!!

Howdy friends. :) So....it's been 6 months I think since I've posted! I thought now would be the perfect occasion to pick the blog back up! 


Well..the big news (as most of you probably already know) is that I'm pregnant! I'm almost 14 weeks now, and honestly I can't believe how fast this pregnancy has gone by. I realized I so diligently posted each week of Jackson's pregnancy, and I want to do the same with this sweet baby. I think it'll be fun to chronicle the similarities and differences. But before I talk about the difference/similarities so far...let me share the story of how and when we found out I was pregnant. 


The truth is, we had been trying for many months to get pregnant with this sweet baby. Although it had been several tries, I (thankfully) wasn't at the point of utter hopeless or frustration. As anyone who has tried for any amount of time to get pregnant knows, it's a journey. It's a faith journey really. It's recognizing that you can do all you can do, but ultimately God has to perform a miracle. And His timing is perfect, and it can't be rushed. So thankfully, in February, we got another miracle. 


I had been so very sick for a few days. I had a fever, and was on the couch. I didn't want to take any medicine because I knew there was a chance I could be pregnant. By the 4th day I had started to feel better, and that night for whatever reason, I wanted steak SO badly! I thought it had to be because my iron was low or something because I had been sick.  I talked Adam into going to get me steak nachos as like 9:30 that night. AND they were AMAZING. That should have been my first clue, but it wasn't. Then a few days later, I woke up that morning and just knew. I had the same thing happen with Jackson. I woke up on a Sunday morning with him and just knew. And this time, I woke up on a Wednesday morning and just knew. It's strange how that happens, ya know. We can buy millions of pregnancy tests hoping and praying they come out positive, but when we actually get pregnant, we don't even need one. Or I didn't anyway. I totally, absolutely just knew. That afternoon I took a pregnancy test to confirm, and while Jackson was eating lunch, I read a clear "positive" sign on the test.


I was overwhelmed and cried, and was so excited. I ran into the kitchen swooped Jackson up, danced him around and told him he was a big brother! I immediately tried to come up with a creative way to tell Adam, but that plan was thrown out the window immediately when Adam got home. I couldn't hold it in. I was sitting on the couch with Jackson, and he walked in, sat down with us, kissed me, and asked how my day was. I just started crying. I was so overcome with thankfulness and excitement, so my creative plan became a simple, "I'm pregnant", which was creative enough for Adam. :) He was so excited! 


That was February 8th. About 10 weeks ago! I can't believe that much time has passed! whew!  

I thought it would be fun to show a current belly shot, and the pic from Jackson's pregnancy at the same week. You can tell that I'm showing slightly more this go around (and my belly expands even more by the end of the day). Here I am at almost 14 weeks...the current shot is on the left, the one with Jackson is on the right. 

So far, this pregnancy has been as care-free as Jackson's. I haven't gotten sick, or had any super crazy cravings. I did crave steak for a few days at first (counting the steak I wanted before I knew I was pregnant). And I've craved coke with this one just like with Jackson. And chick-fila haha... One difference is that I've been waaay more tired, and instead of waking up at 5 am hungry with Jackson, I've been more hungry in the afternoons. Well, actually I've been more hungry in general with this one- a lot more hungry. And I've had more heartburn.

But other than that, it's been very very easy. I'm actually super excited to know the gender because I think it will make it more real for us! We find out in about 4 weeks what the baby is, and I absolutely cannot wait. We don't have names yet, but I think this time we are going to wait to know the gender before we decide. 

As far as what Jackson knows...well he knows there is a baby in mommy's tummy, and he prays for baby when he says his prayers. But he obviously doesn't really know what's happening. But I look forward to watching him learn and grow and realize that he is going to be a big brother! 

We are so so thankful that God has blessed us with another sweet child, and I am so thankful that I get to do what I know I was created to do-be a wife and mommy. So it makes my heart swell with joy to see our family grow. Most of you prayed with us through Jackson's pregnancy, so if you are reading this, I ask you to please pray with us through this pregnancy as well. I can't wait to meet this sweet baby!

~Monica

The past few weeks...

So....thought I'd update you all on what we have been up to at the Roberson household for the past few weeks..

• My awesome husband and I went on a date to get Sushi. We LOVE sushi. Especially deep friend and drizzled in a sweet soy sauce glaze....yumm!

• I had a bit of a sore throat about a week ago. Thankfully we are friends with a doctor in town, and he lets us come in the back door. He gave me some medicine for my throat...and he gave Jackson this:

Right after we left the doctor, I had to run in to a store and pick up something. When I went to get Jackson out of the car, he started freaking out. Naturally, I thought he just didn't want to get out. But oh no, he wanted his new friend, and wouldn't get out of the car without him. :) We creatively named him, "Cat", and Jackson has been loving on him ever since.

• Adam went to a leadership conference in Atlanta for a few days. Jackson and I missed him terribly. Every couple of hours Jackson would start calling out for his "Dadeeee!" and looking all through the house. Then when he wouldn't find him, he would find a picture of him and carry that picture through the house. Then he would find my phone and bring me the phone saying "Dadeeeee", so I would call him.  To say we missed him, would be an understatement! While he was gone Jackson and I sent him these pictures:

And I had to send him this picture. If you look closely, you'll see that Jackson fell asleep with Cat literally on top of his face. :) He loves that cat...almost as much as his daddy :)

• After Adam got home from Atlanta, he set up a date for us. It was awesome. Here's a hint of what we did:

Guesses anyone?! My sweet, thoughtful, awesome, husband paid for us to take horseback riding lessons, just me and him! It was awesome really. When we got there, we were shown how to groom the horses, and make sure they were cleaned and ready to be ridden. We then learned how to saddle them up and put their bridle in their mouths. Then we learned how to ride them, including how to get them to turn, turn around, walk, trot, stop etc. Once we learned all of that, we were able to take them through the woods on a trail. For this lesson we had a teacher, but the goal is for us to be able to arrive and get our horses, and ride them through whichever trails we want. We decided we would do it once a month. Honestly, it was so much fun, and so great for us to be able to learn something new together! 

• And here are a couple of other pictures of my cutie little boy:

Wearing daddy's cowboy boots. :)

Eating toast and jelly. :)

Hope everyone is having a great week!

Monica

The Blessing of Motherhood

For as long as I can remember, I've wanted to be a mother. I always knew I would love motherhood, and I can remember crying tears of joy and love before I was even pregnant because I loved my future children so much already. 

But nothing, and I mean nothing compares to the real deal. Actually carrying, and delivering, and raising, and cleaning, and taking care of a little person has so far exceeded any thought or notion I thought I had about motherhood. Literally there are times that I realize just how blessed I am to be a mom, and that realization causes my heart to swell so much that it feels like it just might explode.

He's showing me the dirt on his hand. :)

The older Jackson gets (he's 17 months old now), he makes me and Adam laugh more and more. His little personality comes out, and I realize just how much like us he is becoming. There are times when I am in the middle of getting on to him, and I'm down on his level, making him look at me, and telling him "no," and trying to be stern, and his reaction is to  to give me a kiss. It's precious, and sneaky, and smart. And he gets what he wants, because I cave. Thankfully he only tries that tactic every now and then. :)

He's so precious at this age...giving kisses, and hugs, and squeezing my arm, and laying his head on my chest, and giggling when I'm rocking him, and squealing when he sees he's getting a waffle for breakfast, and missing his "daddee" during the day, so much so that he wanders through the house calling his name and checking the bathrooms and the showers, and the closets hoping to find him...and he "helps" us sweep, and wipe up messes, and put away his toys...he picks up every picture in the house and brings it to me so I can tell him who is in the picture...he laughs ALOT, and cries hard when he's disciplined (obviously not all the time)...and he tries to learn new words, but pronounces them all wrong in an adorable kind of way.  He LOVES "belbo" elmo, and won't get up from his nap until he finds  elmo in the crib. He's energetic, and cautious, and affectionate, and into everything, and determined, and silly, and such a joy to me and Adam. 

He teaches us every day more and more about Christ's love for us through our love for him. There's nothing like being apart of creating a new little person, and then getting to watch him grow. 

My heart is full tonight. Hope your heart is full too. 

~Monica

30 years

Happy 30th Anniversary mom and Dad!

(Picture taken at the same church they got married in. They look pretty snazzy uh?!)

"The most wonderful of all things in life is the discovery of another human being with whom one's relationship has a growing depth, beauty and joy as the years increase. This inner progressiveness of love between two human beings is a most marvelous thing; it cannot be found by looking for it or by passionately wishing for it. It is a sort of divine unity, and the most wonderful of all things in life."- Sir Hugh Walpole

We are SO blessed to have such caring parents who are so dedicated to each other! What a wonderful legacy to leave! Thank you for honoring the gift of marriage, and for giving us the gift of stability and enduring love.

I love you!

BigStuf '11: Part 1 A trip down memory lane...

Hello again friends!

This past week Adam and I, along with a few other adults, bravely took 60 or so middle and high schoolers down to Panama City for BigStuf '11, which is a week-long summer camp on the beach. This camp is pretty special to Adam and I because not only was this year our church's 7th year to go (Adam has gone 6 of those years, and I've gone 4 of those), but it was also the first summer camp Adam and I ever took a group of students to, back in 2005, when we were 20 and took the kids from the church we went to in Mobile.

Here we were all young, and silly, and "surferish":

Here's another one of Adam from that week that really highlights his long hair. Whew!!  I was (and am) smitten for this boy! 

Fast forward 6 years, same hallway at Bigstuf:

Not the BEST picture of the two of us, but how fun to see the difference. Adam's hair is still long but not quite so long, and thankfully I got rid of that awful hemp and shell necklace, and replaced it with this one, (you can barely see it in the picture) only mine has the letter "J" for Jackson. I love, love, love it! And  I would say that was a bit of an upgrade- hemp to silver. 

Anyway, that's all I have for today. Be back later with more highlights from the trip!

Jackson's FIRST haircut

Welp, the time had come. I simply couldn't put it off any longer. On good days, little man's hair was curly and precious, and well, NOT haircut worthy. But on not-so-good days, his hair was "mulletish". See below....

Yes, I was that parent. You know, the one that other parents point to and whisper about, "Wonder when they will cut that poor boy's hair?" Well I LOVED it! So I put it off, and put it off, and put it off, and well, after watching his hair constantly get in his face, and realizing that now that it was so long the only way his curls would cooperate was if I put  product in them  (which I was certainly NOT going to do. Or to be honest,  Adam would certainly not LET me do) we decided to bite the bullet, and take the plunge! 

So we pulled up to the place, and Adam went in to make sure they cut children's hair. I won't lie, while Jackson and I were waiting in the car I was thinking about leaving and never going back. Kidding. But seriously, this was a huge moment! I felt like I would be saying goodbye to my baby and welcoming home a little boy. Would he cry? Would they cut him? Would I cry? Sheesh, this was a BIG deal! :) 

Mid-almost-meltdown, Adam hopped back in the car and told me that not only did they cut babies' hair, they had a certificate for him once his first haircut was completed. I was sold.

Here are some before pics in embarrassingly poorly lit and blurry light:  

Ashley, the girl that cut his hair, let him sit in my lap and play with all of her tools while she (patiently) cut his hair. Adam was hysterical and went to crazy lengths to keep Jackson happy and entertained. At one point I think he was dancing for him. Man I love that guy! Anyway, it was all over in 15 minutes, and believe it or not, no one cried! Me or Jackson. :) 


Here's an after pic taken on Adam's handy iphone:

SOOO cute uh?! 

And here's the cute certificate I told you about. Obviously we've still got to add his name to it.

And yes, that is his hair in the box (in a little plastic bag taped to the back). I love it, in a creepy, but sentimental kind of way. :)

J-man is growing TOO fast!

Well friends, our little guy is just growing leaps and bounds. 

He is almost 15 months old (wow!), and he is learning so much!

Here is a fun list of what Jackson is up to:

• Little man is sleeping about 10-11 hours. Thankfully though if he wakes at 6 or so, he'll play and roll around until I go get him.

• He is trying to drop his morning nap, which means he sleeps longer in the afternoon. I am trying to let him drop it. :) Two naps have been a beautiful thing.

• He eats everything one day, and NOTHING the next. I am desperately trying to get Jackson to eat new foods.

• He says, "Dadee" (daddy), "Buh buh" (bye bye); "Baw" (ball); "Daw" (dog); and his new words are "Belbo" (elmo) and "Uh Aw" (uh- oh).  Notice that Momma or Mommy is not  on the list. We are working on that though. I'm not bitter. ;)

• Jackson is wearing mostly 18 month old clothes, some 12 month shorts and 24 month shirts. He's still very tall for his age. Wonder who he got that from? 

• He has just discovered how to use a spoon, so I've been giving him a spoon for most of his meals. Not much makes it into his mouth, but he has fun trying!

• He has always loved books, looking at them himself. But now he loves us reading to him. He wants us to read the same book over, and over, and over, and over.....

• He also loves playing peek-a-boo with anything... his hands, a shower curtain, a blanket, the occasional box of Cheese-its. You name it, and he's probably played peek-a-boo with it. The other day he spent a good 20 minutes playing peek-a-boo with the closet door.  He would hide in our closet and jump out to scare us, over and over. He loved it, and Adam and I couldn't believe how long he would stay in there before pushing the door open to "scare" us. At one point, Adam opened the door first to make a face at Jackson, and Jackson about fell over from laughing so hard. 

• Jackson has also gotten really good at following simple instructions. I can say, "Jackson go get a book, and I'll read to you." And he will go to the corner of the room, grab a book, and bring it back. Unfortunately when I say, "Jackson, let's eat our broccoli," or "Jackson, let me change your diaper", his instruction-following and comprehension skills are conveniently lacking.  

• He hates being told "No" (well, let's face it, none of us likes to be told "no"). Anyway, it's his reaction to being told no that is so interesting. If he were like his dad (when his dad was younger) he would rebel at being told no and emphatically and proudly do the opposite. :) But it is apparent, at this point, that he is more like his sensitive-hearted momma. All we have to do is look at him sternly and say "No sir" and the precious little baby bursts into tears. (Break my heart!) However, although he doesn't like being told no, he does mind for the most part, and for that, we are so so so appreciative!

• Jackson gives lots of slobbery kisses, high-fives, and he is trying to learn to touch his nose. If, he tries, he ends of picking his nose instead...oh well. :) 

Honestly, we love this little guy more than we could ever have imagined. And I love being a mom more than any other job in the world.  

One last thing...totally unrelated. If you haven't hear of Pinterest, go check it out. You will be addicted. Consider yourself warned. :) Here is the link to my new, but growing Pinterest board. 

-Monica

The Mission of Motherhood

 

I am currently reading one of the best books I've read in years.

For the past few months, I've had this book on my "Must Read before my kids are 40" list. And, thankfully, a friend of mine had it, so I started reading through it about 2 weeks ago. And honestly, and I mean this with all of my heart, this book is one of the most inspirational books I've ever read. It has helped encourage, equip, and inspire me to know, accept, and love this gift of motherhood. (I apologize for all of the verbs in the previous sentence. :-) )

Here is one of my favorite quotes:

"I've come to appreciate the importance of the many thousands of routine moments in a mother's life, for it is in these moments that real greatness tends to be taught and caught. It is certainly important  to grasp the great calling of motherhood and respond to a  vision for what a family can be. But it's the way I respond to my children in everyday moments that gives me the best chance of winning their hearts. If I have integrity and patience in the small moments of life that are so important to my children, and if I approach them with a servant's heart, then I have a far better chance of influencing them in the larger and more critical issues of life."

Anyway, if you are a mother of small children, a mother who is expecting, or a mother at heart, please read this book. It will change you life.

Buy it on Amazon here.

Here is a link to Sally Clarkson's Blog  (author of Mission of Motherhood): I Take Joy

Happy Reading!

Monica

Busy as a bee....

Well friends, for the past few weeks we have been SUPER busy! Here are some highlights of what we have been up to lately

• We spent Memorial weekend with some friends on the lake. It was J-man's first boat ride. :)

• After Memorial Day weekend, we left for a week at the beach with my parents, my brother and his wife, and my sister!

• One night on the trip we all sat around and ate some yummy food, watched my sister perform a monologue for us, had a mini dance party, and played a serious game of ERS...it's a card game. :) Look it up!

• Then we spent a week watching 4 of the most precious children we know! I was a momma to 5 kiddos for the week and LOVED it! Am I crazy?! I would love for Adam and I to have a house full of our own one day. My favorite conversation with one of the kids from the week went as follows:                                                                                                                               

          Her: You know, you remind me a lot of my mom.                                                                     

          Me:  (smile, sigh, and feel deeply touched) Why do you say that?

          Her: I don't know. I guess it's because you like to get on your computer, and so does     

                    my mom.

          Me:  (well, isn't that nice.)  Oh really? That's why I remind you of your mom?

          Her:  Yeah, but there's another reason.

          Me: (totally expecting to hear something profound and moving) Yeah?

          Her:  Most mornings my mom doesn't usually wear make-up or fix her hair either.

          Me:  (Oh).  Thanks dear. You are so sweet.

This is the whole gang eating dinner one night...

• And since today is Father's Day, I thought I'd (publicly) say Happy Dad day to the two greatest dads I know. :) Love you both!

~Monica

Makeover, and Jackson's Baby D Video

Hello friends! Can you tell I've done a little 'remodeling' of the blog? The flowers make me happy. :) 

Honestly, I spent an insane amount of time trying to decide on what background I liked, what header I wanted, how to center the header, blah blah blah...seriously I wasted too much time in the blogosphere. 

Anyway, it's changed (for now), and I think I like it. :) We will see. 

I mentioned awhile back that we had Jackson's Baby Dedication at church....well for the event, Adam and I had to listen to 4 talks (on cd), write  a letter to Jackson, decide what traditions and family values were important to us, and record a video. So for your viewing pleasure...here is the video:

Enjoy!

What I'm loving....

Hello friends! These are some things I'm loving right now.....

These yummy HEALTHY brownies that are only 95 calories, 3 grams of fat and zero cholesterol a brownie, compared to a regular boxed brownie's doubly high calories, nearly quadrupled fat, and 60 milligrams of cholesterol. (If you use an 8x8 pan and cut the brownies in 16ths) 

(Recipe from Good Housekeeping)

INGREDIENTS:

      1 teaspoon(s) instant coffee powder or granules

         2 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract

         1/2 cup(s) all-purpose flour

         1/2  cup(s) unsweetened cocoa

         1/4 teaspoon(s) baking powder

         1/4 teaspoon(s) salt

         1 cup(s) sugar

         1/4 cup(s) trans-fat free vegetable oil spread

         3 large egg whites

             Preheat your oven to 350°F, and grease a 8'' by 8'' metal pan. Dissolve your coffee in the vanilla extract. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. In a bowl, whisk the sugar, vegetable oil spread, egg whites, and coffee mixture until well mixed. Then mix in the flour mixture. Spread it in the pan, and bake for about 22-24 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Eat and enjoy :)

            This recipe makes fairly dense brownies, but they are rich, and chocolatey, healthy and yummy. If you are looking for the chewy, extremely soft brownie...umm...don't make these.  :)

**My tips and changes:

- I used a glass pan, and it worked just fine.

- Also, on a couple of occasions I haven't had instant coffee, so I've used instant cappuccino mix that I had, and I've  used regular strong coffee. Both worked well. The strong coffee worked better. Of course, the instant coffee is the best.

- I used Smart Balance butter spread.

- And if you don't want to wait until the brownies cool to cut them, use a plastic knife. It works like a charm cutting warm brownies.

Adele's new CD. It's AMAZING. She is AMAZING. And you should buy the cd.  My favorite song on it is "Rolling in the Deep", but I'm sure you've already heard that song, so here's my second favorite,  "Set Fire to the Rain". It's mysterious and dark, and her voice is simply stunning. Also, in case you are a google nerd like me and are tempted to look up what the phrase "roll in the deep" actually means, rest assured, it DOESN'T mean anything naughty. It's a nautical term, which apparently supports the nautical theme of the song's lyrics. But that means nothing to me really....I just like the song.  :)

My sweet baby boy after he has had a bath, especially when my sweet husband is playing with him. The two together melt my heart. Since it has been so unbelievably hot lately, we have spent some time at the pool (I'm hoping to post pool pictures soon), playing in the water faucet outside, and playing in our kiddie pool. All of which mean that J-man requires a bath before bed. I love bath time, Jackson, well, not so much. But who can resist a sweet smelling freshly bathed baby! Not me!! (I'm hoping to post pool pictures soon)

Hope you take the time to to count your blessings for the things you love!

~Monica