Jacob is ONE!

How is it possible that he could go from this....

To this...in just one year? 

His first year of life was a rocky one, but blessed none the less.  After the most incredible birth, he started showing signs of colic around 6 weeks.  From there it continued until he was finally diagnosed with silent reflux around 8 months.  Then entered Prevacid & saved us all!

After getting the Prevacid, he blossomed.  He started schooching, babbling & SLEEPING!   He currently will say sounds of things (like...vroom vroom for car, mow mow for cat, nahhh for horse).  He even started crawling & is getting very brave with walking while holding onto things.  He hasn't let go or stood on his own yet, but he'll get there.  He only has 2 teeth, but the boy loves to eat!  He's adventurous & I finally have someone else in the house that likes sweet potatoes.  He's been feeding himself for about 4 months now, so dinner time is always very messy :) He's lived in three different houses and states in his first year.  Military brat at it's finest!

This year just flew by to me...but stood still at some moments.  There were countless nights I just had to resolve to get no sleep, rock & hug him.  It was those nights I prayed for him, for our family & begged for mercy.  Jacob taught me that I'm a lot tougher than I thought.  He's taught me that my wants & needs aren't always met, but that it's the kid's that the most important. 

I will never forget the incredible joy when the Dr said "It's a BOY!"  I couldn't imagine my life without this precious little boy and I am so incredibly thankful and honored that God chose me to be his mom.  Happy Birthday little Jacob!!

Which Direction to Take?

I've been pondering LOTS of ideas recently and I have NO CLUE which direction to take.  I told James the other night that I have so many DIFFERENT interests and have no idea how to put them all together. 

1)  My first interest is obvious:  I am passionate about fitness & healthy living.  I'm always on a journey to "fit" and love bringing people along on that ride.  Zumba has opened doors and my mind to group exercise and now I want to teach other formats.  (Body Pump, Spin & PiYo are next on the list). 

2) My second interest is natural childbirth.  After my epidural experience with Connor and amazing natural birth with Jacob, my mind has been forever changed.  I want to tell the world how to do it, that they can do it & advocate for it.  But, I don't know where to even start.  I think my mind is ahead of my feet on that one.  Does that make sense?  It deeply saddens me that doctors have made something natural, beautiful & God given into an emotionless pruduction.  Like Dr. Jones told me after Jacob's birth "I'm trained to keep you out of pain, so I don't understand women who want to be in pain."  Well, my friends, there is a difference between pain and suffering.  There is always going to be pain associated with any kind of physical exertion, but what doctors don't know, is that a woman can keep from suffering given the right techniques.  Having Jacob naturally is probably the most beautiful thing I will ever do. 

The question is:  how do I combine these two things?  If I keep them seperate, I fear I will never fully pursue childbirth education certification.  Fitness is always at the forefront of my mind  and will always beat out childbirth education.  I'm not sure why, maybe it' because I know it, therefore, it's easier to come up with a plan and do it. 

So, friends, please help me pray over this as I explore how to do both (or if I should do both). 

Painting With a Twist

I decided to do an art project with Connor today.  He's been eyeballing my paintings that I've brought back with me from Painting With a Twist & begging to go with me.  So, we set out to do some artwork for his bedroom.  I had a simple idea to do basic colors with handprints.  How hard could that be?  

Our supplies.  It took a while to decide which kind of paint to use, but I ended up with acrylics.  They are easy to wash off so that sold me right there!

For the life of me I could not find the painters smock that Brooke gave us for his 1st birthday.  I knew exactly where it was in the Basswood house...but that's two houses ago.  So, we improvised.  I just cut holes out of an old pillow case.  I'm sure that is not original, but I felt pretty brilliant!

The control freak in me had to let go.  After the first canvas was covered, I decided to let Connor have at it.  What could he mess up, right?  Well...nothing!  He did great!  Way better than I could've.  He kept repeating something I said, which was funny.  He said "We need to make it darker.  Cover the white!"  The things he picks up on :) 

He even got the edges!

Our covered canvases, ready for handprints. 

Handprints are easy, right?  HA!  Connor decided he would do more than one!  He loved it, so I let him have at it.  And of course, we had to do at least two Baylor Green & Gold prints :)  Sic 'em!

We did let Jacob in on the action as well, but there are no pics of that because I was too busy trying to keep him from eating the paint :)  So, here's the finished product...top row are Connor's and the bottom is Jacob's. 

 

I think I am going to keep them like this.  I might try to find some ribbon to hang them, but I will wait until we move.  I don't want to keep planning decorations in a house we're not going to live in much longer!

And here's evidence that Jacob helped.  Notice paint on hands, feet, legs, belly, face....:)

Making the Old New!

When James & I first got married, we decorated our house the best way we knew how. Target style! James actually started with the Mission set from Target when he moved out on his own, so I just slowly added to it when we bought our first house. Needless to say, the cheap veneer was slowly peeling off & was looking pretty used up 6 years later. Pre-move I gladly gave away the coffee table to the local Mission. Hmm...never thought about that before, but it's kinda ironic.

On my mission to re-decorate my house for as cheap as possible, I wanted to find a way to keep these end tables, but re-do them & make them a fun, funky addition to the living room. I also wanted to match my favorite Pier 1 pillows & picked a muted green. So, armed with my BFF by my side & 4 cans of spray paint, we were off to re-style my living room!

Pre-paint

Me & Megan spraying away!

Pre sanded edges. 

The pillow below is what I was trying to match.  I think it came pretty close, don't you think?

I'm obsessed with distressed edges.  LOVE it!

Beautiful Things by Gungor

God makes beautiful things out of dust if we let Him.  How beautiful is that?  Messed up, broken, sinful, selfish, unloyal us.  He can do ANYTHING!  We sang this song in church last week and it's been on my mind since.  I've been singing the lyrics over, and over, and over, and over...as if to fully engrain the message in my mind.  Take a listen:

Zumba makes me HAPPY!

This is a video from our Zumbathon we did a few weeks ago to raise money for the military families that lost their homes in the Minot flooding.  Even though it has caused a slight hold in our move, I am so thankful that I wasn't already there.  Many families are still living on base, in a shelter or having to declare bankrupcy beause the insurance companies are not covering flood damage. 

We raised over $1,000 that was sent to the Airman and Family Readiness Center.  Zumba ROCKS!!

Is Jesus Enough?

"Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this city or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money."  Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow.  What is your life?  You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.  Instead, you ought to say "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that."  As it is, you boast and brag.  All such boasting is evil.  Anyone then who knows the good he ougth to do and doesn't do it, sins."  James 4:13-17

I've been mulling over this post for a while, but wasn't sure how to link it all together.  My best friend Megan just returned from a mission trip to Liberia and reading through her posts has made me think long and hard about my trip to Kenya in 2005.  I remember returning to our culture totally shocked.  Not prepared for cell phones, computers, or running water (or heck, even toilet seats).  However, I immediately jumped into a summer internship in Washington DC so I didn't really have time to soak it all in.   

My question to myself recently has been:  is Jesus enough?  Or do I feel like he owes me things.   Is my love conditional?  Do I trust Him FULLY, whole heartedly with my life?  Is His Word enough to sustain me?  It should be, but I think when we look at our lives, we will find that sometimes, it shows He isn't.  I want to change that. 

Is Jesus enough?

Or is He only enough when I can drive to my fancy church, on my fancy road, in my fancy car, drinking my fancy coffee?  Or would it be enough to walk miles and miles to worship each week?  Would I do it?  Not to mention facing persecution from tribal leaders for doing so. 

Is Jesus enough only when I can see his beauty in the majestic views in the Masai Mara?  Or do I look for Him here in Bossier City?  Do you see Him where you are? 

Is Jesus enough or do I HAVE to have the 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom house with a den AND a living room?  Or is enough to share my small 900 sq ft "apartment" with my family of 10?  Am I thankful for the roof over my head or do I need more?

Is Jesus enough or do I have to have the most fashionable clothes?  Do they HAVE to match?  Do they HAVE to be the latest season?  Or is enough to have clothes on my back? 

Or is He only enough when I don't have to walk a mile to the local water hole to wash my clothes with a handmade bar of soap? 

Is Jesus enough when drought and famine are my reality and I can see, taste and even smell the storm that just won't reach my crops?  Do I praise him in the midst of it?  Or do I grumble and distrust that He will provide? 

Is Jesus enough or do I have to have running water to praise Him?  Or is He only enough when my water comes out clean and at the right temperature from my faucet?  Is He enough even though I may have to walk miles and miles with buckets on my head to retrieve enough water to last my family a day? 

Is Jesus enough or do I have to stand on the equator to realize it?  Do we really have to go on mission trips to spread the gospel or is it enough to do it at home?  Am I reaching my world now or am I waiting on another mission trip to do it? 

 Is Jesus enough or do I not share my wealth with others the way that Kenyans did with me? Do I trust Him enough to give the top fruits of my earnings or do I give what's left or the bottom? Do I give my guests the best of me or do I give them the least?

The point is this:  do we trust God with all of our decisions, big or small?  Do we still thank him for our daily bread or do we just expect it to show up on our table?  Do we praise God for a roof over our head or do we grumble when our home isn't the right size, updated enough, or the right paint color?  Or do we expect that we will be given things or think that we, ourselves, did them?  Do we praise God for the money in our bank account, or do we grumble that we don't have enough in our retirement accounts?  Do we live for today or tomorrow? 

At the end of the day, God is God and He alone can give or take away.  "For you are but a mist that appears for a little while, then vanishes."