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

Making Messes

Before having my little munchkin, I couldn't understand why people who have kids always talked about how daunting of a task it was to keep their house cleaned, to keep their car cleaned, to keep the kitchen mopped etc. etc. Honestly, I naively (and perhaps a little arrogantly) thought, "Well I will keep my house, car, kitchen clean. It really can't be that hard. How much mess can a little kid make after all?"


That was until, munchkin became a food throwing, crumb making, drool dripping toddler. 


Now I know. 


Little precious toddlers make BIG messes.


Now I completely understand why hardwood floors are preferred over carpet, why cars seem to stay filled with crumbs, and why at any given moment you might find a cheerio in a corner crevice of my kitchen. 


Oh little man doesn't do it on purpose (most of the time); it just seems to be innately in him to make a mess. 


I was thinking about all of that when I was on my hands and knees wiping up some spilled applesauce on the floor after Jackson ate lunch. I was thinking about how after I finished cleaning up that mess, he was sure to make another one at dinner, and I (or Adam) would clean up that mess too. I  wasn't frustrated. I was just thinking about how if I didn't love Jackson so much, I might be. (And to be honest, one day I probably will be frustrated, but hopefully not.)


As I was wiping up the sticky goo, Jackson came up behind me, squealed, and laid his sweet head on my shoulder.


And just like that, Jesus whispered truth into my heart. "My child, just as you spend countless hours cleaning up after your child because you love him, I do the same for you. I clean up your messes. Do you notice?"


I'm sure I'm not even aware of just how many messes God has cleaned up for me. And to think he does that joyfully, and not frustratingly really does overwhelm me. 


I spent a little while that afternoon thanking Jesus for taking care of things for me that I have probably overlooked, or  that I've not be grateful for.  And when I cleaned up after Jackson that night after dinner, I cleaned up the floor thanking Jesus for all the times he has does that and much more for me. 


Thankfully, we serve a God who continues to mop up our never-ending messes. 


Praise Jesus. 




~Monica

Giving back (and receiving)

Hello. :) It is waaaay too late right now for me (11:17), but I've had it on my heart to share with you some things for a couple of days now. I know that we are not anywhere close to a major gift-buying holiday season, but if you are looking for some gift ideas, or even ways to give back through what you purchase, here are some things that I love, love, love.

LUO PROJECT

The Luo Project is an awesome non profit organization headed up by two gorgeous people (inside and out). They provide food, education, and medical needs to children in impoverished areas. You can read about them here. 

One way you can support them is by purchasing  a painting like the one below:

One painting is $250 dollars, BUT what you are paying for is nutrition, academic education, medical care, and biblical curriculum for one child for one year, AND, each canvas is hand painted by a child from their partnership. The children pick the colors, and sign each canvas with a hand or foot print. How precious is that!? We have one, and we love it. You should have one too. :)

Here is the link to the canvases:    Canvas

TOMS SHOES

If you haven't heard of Toms Shoes by now, well, you are crazy. Just kidding, but really, you should know what Toms Shoes are, and if you've known about them for awhile and haven't purchased a pair of shoes, now is the time. 

These are the ones I want to buy next:

Toms Shoes is another non-profit organization that gives shoes to needy kids. They took the traditional Argentinian shoe and re-modeled it. When you buy a pair, you are actually purchasing two pairs. One for you, and one for them to give away to a child in need. Adam and I both have some Toms and love them. Go here to buy your own:  Toms Shoes

PLYWOOD PEOPLE

The Plywood People are an "innovative community addressing social needs" based out of Atlanta GA, they do a lot of things, but I wanted to share with you one creative project they have started- recycling old billboards. Crazy right?! They actually make fun small messenger bags out of the recycled billboards, and the money they make goes straight to helping refugees in the area. 

Each bag is unique, depending on what type of billboard it came from. Anyway, we had them at the Orange Conference. Adam and I have a bag, and Adam bought a ton to give away to our students at Walking Wisely Weekend.  To get your own, go here.  

STELLA AND DOT: supporting an adoption

I follow the blog of a girl who I went to high school with. She recently adopted a little girl from Uganda. On her blog she mentioned some friends of hers who are in the process of adopting a little girl as well. To help raise funds for them, they are selling jewelry from Stella and Dot. I'm wanting these two pieces:

When you purchase something, if you enter "Rachel and April" as your hosts when you check out,  100% of the profit goes towards their adoption! Isn't that awesome! Here is the link to the blog post:  Heirs with Christ.

So these are just some of the things I love supporting. Do you have any organizations that you support? Or products you purchase because of what the company does for someone in need? If so, please share!

blessed beyond measure,

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!