Starting my Mornings with Jesus

I am so blessed to stay at home with this precious angel. 

I was putting clean sheets on the bed in the guest bedroom, and Jackson found himself in the mirror. He was smiling and talking to himself, so I had to grab the camera. 


Before Adam and I got married we talked about how we wanted me to stay home with our children. We knew that we would do whatever it took to make that happen, and I am so glad we did.  Although my days are partially filled with doing things that never end (laundry, dishes etc.) the other parts of my days are spent taking care of the blessing God has thankfully given to us.  


One of my favorite parts of our day is right before his nap. We snuggle and I rock him and pray over him and sing to him, and he sweetly lays his head on my shoulder. I listen to him breathe in and out, and he pats my face as I'm singing to him. I will cherish these moments forever.


Lately God has been stirring my heart to really think about what I want our home life to look like, what my role is as a wife and a homemaker, and how important those two jobs are. The home is so important. I want it to be haven for Adam when he comes home. I want it be security and love and acceptance, a place where our children know that they are loved, and know that they are safe. I want it to be a place of learning and fun, where they can ask hard questions, and get hard answers in love. Where Christ is honored and glorified. 


I know that this doesn't happen overnight, and it doesn't happen without Christ in me, which is why I've been making myself get up early each morning to spend time with Jesus. I've felt convicted for a while now about doing that. Once Jackson was born, I was just so sleep deprived that getting up early was not going to happen. But now that Jackson is consistently sleeping well, the Lord has been whispering to me that it is time, time to start back spending  those precious first few minutes of my day with Him.


I have so much that I want to be praying for, so much that I am anxious for God to do in my heart, and in other's lives. I also have a few things I have felt the Lord nudge me to start doing. I can't wait to see what He does! 

As I watch Jackson crawl and explore, I can't help but feel the weight of the responsibility that Adam and I have.  Jackson NEEDS me to start my day talking with Jesus. Maybe you would disagree, but I know that in order for me to be the mom that God has called me to me, and be the wife that Proverbs 31 speaks of, and in order for my home to be a haven, I must start my day with Jesus.  Do you feel God calling you to spend time with Him? Oh how I pray that you and I both would be diligent to do so.


Blessings,
Monica

A Giving Heart

My husband has the biggest heart of anyone I know. Period.

The other day we were in the car talking about our future, and where we would like to be (God-willing of course:)) Anyway, we were talking about money, and I threw out a relatively high number, and asked him how he would feel if he made that salary. I, of course, was somewhat joking, somewhat serious. And do you know what my precious husband's response was? He got huge smile on his face and said,


 "Gosh Monica. Just think, if I made that much, can you imagine how much we could give away!"


Melt my heart. Honestly, that man would give you the shirt off of his back, if he thought for a millisecond that you needed it. I love him so much, and I am so blessed to walk through this life with him!

Halloween, Atlanta, and Babyfood

Hello all! So I'm not so good at posting weekly, oh well:) We have been quite busy lately. 


A couple of weeks ago was Halloween and Adam, Jackson, and I all dressed up. Adam picked out my costume. Enough said. It was ridiculous. He was spiderman, which was awesome, and I ...well I was some dumpy version of Mary Jane. If I had known she was a model in the comic books, I would have changed my costume. But apparently neither of us knew that, and Adam thought a pre-teen boy shirt from Old Navy would suffice as part of my costume. Well that and a hideous red and black wig from the halloween store. Oh dear, I was a mess! I'll post pictures of that too. Jackson, on the other hand was adorable! He was the most precious Tigger I had ever seen:) Next year I will do the planning, and the three of us will coordinate:) We went with some friends trick-or-treating, and Jackson stayed in his stroller holding up a bucket as people gave him some candy. We felt a little strange since everyone was aware of the fact that Jackson could clearly not eat his candy. But it was so fun taking him, and I think some people genuinely liked dumping candy in his bucket anyway:)


Last week, I went up to Atlanta to meet up with several women who do what I do with The reThink Group. We were there for 4 days, and it was amazing! A good friend of mine just got hired with the company as well, and she and I rode up to Atlanta together. Each day we had several creative meetings with a few fun lunch and dessert breaks:) If you've never heard of us, The reThink Group, you can visit the following sites. You should especially read the posts on the parenting website. They are great:  Orange Parents  and Orange.


I had a little bit of anxiety leaving for the week. I was worried I would not have a good place to pump, that Jackson wouldn't nurse when I returned home, and I worried that I would have a melt down missing him so much. I know lately God has been giving me numerous opportunities to trust Him, and to prove Himself faithful. And that He did. As small as it may seem to others, it was a big deal to me that I made it through the week, had fun, and didn't have a melt down from being away from Jackson (I was able to skype with my boys while I was in Atlanta. Skype is wonderful!) And the sweet lady who is my direct boss had set up a discreet place for me to pump while I was there, AND Jackson nursed like a champ the minute I got home. God is faithful! 


I got home on Thursday, and Saturday we took Jackson to the fair! We met up with some good friends of ours who also have a little boy about the same age as Jackson. The fair was great, but it was freezing! I really think we picked the coldest day to go! Oh well! We had Jackson bundled up pretty well, and he had on his toboggan just like his daddy:) Adam and I ate our favorites: roasted corn, corn dogs, barbecue and elephant ears! yummo!


Speaking of food....Jackson has been eating pretty much anything that I have been feeding him, and a lot of it. I am still making his food, and I would def. recommend doing so. So far I have made:
-pears
-plums
-applesauce
-peaches
-sweet potato
-squash
-green beans
-sweet peas
**And I've mashed avocado and bananas. He LOVES bananas!


I will not make applesauce again though. It took way too long, and it didn't save us that much money, since I can buy huge jars of All-Natural Applesauce from Publix. But everything else was pretty easy to make, sweet potato being the easiest! All I do is wrap them in foil, bake them, slide off the skins and blend em up! SO easy.  I try to alternate yellow vegetables and green vegetables, so if I'm low in green beans, I pick up sweet peas the next time I'm at the store. Same for yellow. If I'm low in sweet potato I just pick up more squash at the store. I have found it is easier for me to make batches as I go. I plan on adding some blue/ purple fruits and vegetables soon. So far though, I love doing it, and it has been so easy and cost efficient!


I know I've said this in the previous posts, but Jackson is getting more and more fun each day. His little personality is coming to life. Sometimes he will just talk and talk to himself and play with the toys around him. And other times he wants to snuggle with me or Adam on the couch and play with either our cell phones or the remote control, neither of which I particularly want him to play with, but he is so good at spotting them and crawling/ reaching for what he wants before I even realize what he has done.


He is also sleeping great. The time change did rattle us just a bit. He was waking between 7:30-8:00, but for the past 3 mornings he has woken between 5:30-6:30. I don't think he knows that we have changed times on him:) I'm hoping he can settle back to where he was soon. But I'm not complaining. I've been going in and rocking him when he doesn't settle in the early morning, and that has been great. I know he won't be this little forever, so I'm trying to soak those moments in. 


He is also really really close to crawling. He has been pushing up on all fours and rocking back and forth. And he is also scooting sideways and backwards. It's just the funniest thing! Adam and I laughed and laughed at him the other night trying to crawl. It's precious! I did take some video. I'll post the video at the bottom of this post along with some pictures. 


Ok, I think I've caught you up over the past couple of weeks. I hope you are enjoying your fall, and I hope you are all thanking sweet Jesus for all of the things you have to be Thankful for this holiday season. 


Be blessed,
Monica

I know this video is a couple minutes long..but I think towards the end you can see where Jackson is almost crawling! He is so close!

Spiderman and Mary Jane

Our little Tigger:)

 I just love this little rascal!

These we took before we left for the Peanut Festival.

Family pic at the fair.

Happy Half Birthday Jackson!

So, it appears that I am not as good about updating this blog as I was when I was tracking the pregnancy...oops! I want to blog every week, so that is my goal. We will see how it goes :)

Jackson is just over 6 months old, and at his 6 month check up he was 29 inches long, and weighed 20.5 pounds. And everytime we go, the nurses say he is the cutest, albeit, biggest baby they have seen for his age. Haha. I think they throw in the word "cute" to make sure I'm not offended by the big part. I'm not of course:) 

Honestly, I cannot believe we are halfway through his first year. It feels like we just had him. I will say that the first few months were the hardest so far, just adjusting to our new normal, but lately we have just hit a stride I guess. Jackson teethed for about 2 months, and it was ROUGH. But once those little boogers popped through (approximately 1.5 months ago) he immediately felt better, and I am so glad he does.

We are just loving the age he is right now. He is just such a joy! We can make him laugh so hard that I'm afraid he's going to stop breathing..haha. He LOVES to laugh with Adam. It's just so precious. And he has started putting both arms around my neck and sort of squeezing me. He may just think I'm a big toy, but I love the squeezes anyway. And it has been so much fun watching him try new foods. This morning I gave him pears for the first time and he loved them. 

Also, he has been trying to crawl. He can move around in circles, and sometimes he can scoot just a tad to reach a toy. I know it won't be long until he is mobile. He's also sleeping like a champ at night. He usually averages 11-12 hours at night, which is AMAZING considering how many nights were entirely unpredictable thanks to the teething.  And he is down to 2 naps a day, which is fine with me because the third nap was just becoming a battle. I'm actually a bit surprised just how well only 2 naps have worked for him. 
 
Jackson is teaching us so much. Everyday I get a glimpse of just how much God loves me through my love for Jackson, and everyday I learn that I am not in control. That seems to be the running theme for my life right now. God knows what is best for Adam, me, and Jackson, and I have to daily surrender to His will and not my own. 


Ok, that's it for this week! Be blessed:)

I Know that You are for Me..

Did you know that God is for you? That he is on your side, that he is your biggest fan? Sometimes circumstances do not go as planned, or when our prayers seem to go unanswered, we may not vocalize it, but we feel like God is not there, or worse, that God is against us. We think because we didn't do such and such, or because we did such and such, that God is against us. You should know today that God is not against you. God is not your enemy. The bible says that God is for us. Praise Jesus. This means that the creator of the universe, the maker of heaven and earth, the redeemer of souls, the ultimate healer is on your side, shepherding you towards what is best. 

Lately, for whatever reason, I have had to remind myself that Jesus is on my side. That he is not disgruntled with me. He loves me more than I could ever possibly comprehend, and he wants abundant life for me. He is for me. I know that he is for me. I've listened to the following song over and over and over, and over, making the song my prayer, to remind myself that God is FOR ME! Listen to the song, and be blessed:)

Kari Jobe "You are for me"

Just Mommy and Baby

Well, this week it's just mommy and baby. Thank goodness for baby, or mommy would be very lonely!

Adam is at a Lighthouse Retreat this week, serving families who have children with cancer. He is the emcee for the week, which means that he's the "fun" guy who lets everyone know what they will be doing each day, and I am at home holding down the fort without him. 

I don't know about you, but I HATE it when my hubby and I are separated. If I had it my way, we wouldn't spend another night apart for the rest of our lives   for a very long time. Sheesh! Can't wait for him to get back...ok on to other things.

About a month ago, our local bible study started back up again, and once again, I am amazed at what God is teaching me through these women. And to think, I almost didn't sign up.  Last year I wasn't  in a core group. I taught the home school kids who came with their moms. So when this year rolled around, I had a decision to make. Would I teach the kids again? Be in a  core group? Or not do it at all?  Just between you and me, part of me didn't want to do it at all. They do have childcare, but I didn't know how Jackson would do, when I would feed him etc. etc. I think those were just excuses because, newsflash, I don't really like change! And I had just just settled into a nice routine with my little man. Anyway, I bit the bullet and signed up to be in a core group. And I am SO incredibly glad that I did. Jackson does great every Wednesday (the lady who keeps him is excellent), and God has been teaching me a ton of stuff so far. Lesson learned: don't let fear cripple you!

Jackson is about 3 weeks away from being halfway through his first year! I cannot believe how fast time flies. So far, I love this age/stage the best. Mainly because he can reach out and touch my face, and because I can so easily make him laugh:) I also love how observant he is. When I take him outside, or when we walk into a place he's never been, his face lights up in wonder. It's like I can see his brain working to identify all of what he is seeing. Each day I'm also getting a few more glimpses into Jackson's budding personality, which is so fun to see. I love learning what makes him laugh (tickling his hip bone, or collar bone) and what makes him frustrated (the star toy on his exersaucer.. we actually had to remove it from the exersaucer because Jackson kept getting so very mad at it).

And, thank goodness, he has been sleeping wonderfully lately. For awhile he was sleeping about 9-10 hours at night. Then we hit a roadblock of teething, rolling, and congestion.  Now that his first tooth has popped though (thank goodness!) and he can roll both ways, he is sleeping much better now! He now averages 10-10.5 hours at night. And some mornings he wakes, but happily plays for another 30 minutes or so which means 11 hours for me in my bed:) Well, I'm not technically in my bed for 11 hours, but you get the point.

Onto something non-baby related....If you like to read, and you like adoption stories, but you don't mind shedding a few tears, I highly recommend you read Mary Beth Chapman's Book Choosing to See.  Mary Beth is Steven Curtis Chapman's wife (the famous christian music guy) , and about 2 years ago one of their adopted daughters was tragically killed in an accident involving her older brother. It was a terrible terrible terrible tragedy. BUT, Mary Beth has hope, and she shares it boldly and courageously, and at times gut-wrenchingly honestly in her book. There was one point in the book where I had to literally put it down because I was crying so hard. But I don't say that to discourage you from reading it. I cried because I was so overwhelmed with how short life is, and with just how so very good our God is. He is so good. He brings hope where there appears to be none. Praise God. Anyway, get the book. It will minister to you!

Ok, well I think that wraps things up for now. I am going to turn off the Food Network Channel (that I have kept on for just about 24 hours a day since Adam's been gone. It has become "background music" while I'm home:) and I'm going to hit the sack. Goodnight!

Jackson update!

Well for days and days....er weeks and weeks...I've been telling myself that I need to chronicle what happens in our life. If anything, I want to have written down (or typed) what Jackson is doing, learning, how he is growing (and boy is he growing) etc. etc.  So, here goes!


Our little guy is almost 5 months, and I CANNOT believe how fast time flies! Seriously, I feel like we just had him, and his first year is almost half over! Sheesh. Anyway, 3 weeks ago at his 4 month checkup, he weighed 18.5 pounds and was 27 inches long!! And he is mostly wearing 9month-12 month clothes. We have a big boy. 

We just started him on cereal, and he is still getting used to it! I think he is most upset about having to be strapped down and somewhat still for a long period of time. I'm telling you, he wants to move all the time. I'm hoping that he will be more willing to sit still for fruits and veggies, since the cereal is sort of on the bland side. And speaking of baby food, I think we are going to make our own. I've done some research and besides being cheaper, I think it will be fun! I'll keep you updated on when I start that.

A couple of weeks ago we got out Jackson's exersaucer, and he LOVED it! Lately, however, he has more of a love/ hate relationship with it because he can't get all the toys all the way into his mouth. Adam and I just laugh and laugh at him! We try to distract him from the "Sun" toy. That toy seems to aggravate him the most. And we try to direct his attention to the puppet on the exersaucer, that Adam so cleverly named, "Fred".  :) Jackson is too funny!

Also, Jackson loves to play under his floor gym. He will literally do circles on that thing. Again, we laugh and laugh at him as he holds on to the bar of the gym and flips himself around. 

Just recently he has gotten pretty good control over his hands. My absolute favorite thing he does is put his hands on my face. I will hold him, and he will just look up at me and place both hands on my face while smiling. Those moments just melt my heart!

As far as Adam and me, well we are doing great. Adam just held a weekend retreat for some of his student ministry team. They had some training, and did some vision casting for the next year. Adam is so great at what he does.  I am still working part- time at home for a company that I do believe is one of the greatest companies that exist, and I am attending a weekly bible study that I love. I also still lead the senior girl's small group at church, and I just joined a book club! Yeah! I'm so excited about that. 

Anyway, I am learning every day a little bit more about Christ's love for me through my love for my child. I am also learning just how little control I have over my life. Sometimes I try so hard to make days go the way I think they should go, and then NOTHING goes as planned. I am wired to crave routine, and I do believe that the Lord is ever so sweetly teaching me that He ultimately knows what is best, and I must trust Him. His grace is sufficient for me!


Be blessed,
Monica