Sand Sand and More Sand

Hello from Gulf Shores, AL.  We have had a wonderful family vacation.  It was much needed!!  Jackson loved the beach and the seafood.  Tilapia is his favorite!  His uncles spoiled him rotten and he stole tons of glances from pretty girls.  I'll upload a video when we get home, but enjoy the picts for now.

Ice Cream Face

During our recent visit home, Jackson's Momma Z had the honors of feeding Jackson his first bite of ice cream.  His face was priceless!  Hope you enjoy.

Busy Summer!!

Jackson is working on quite a busy summer. He has taken his first swim, firsts of many foods, and even his FIRST STEPS!! He isn't truly walking yet, but he is on his way! His first trip to the beach is coming this month!! His favorite foods right now are avocatoes and watermelon from our weekly trips to the farmers market. We take daily walks with our friend Erin and Cara (his new friend who will arrive in November) and are enjoying more time with Dad now that he is out of school for a few months. He is such a happy baby....yes, he smiles all the time...just like the pictures. He brings us such joy every day. We are headed to TN for a short visit soon and are hoping to make it for a 1st Birthday Bash in September as well. Hope to see most of you between the two trips. Hope your summer is as exciting as ours!!

Just Strollin' Along

Hi everyone, Mom has been holding down the blog lately so I thought I'd get a post in before my summer class starts tomorrow. We got a new jogging stroller! We have been using the Chico stroller that came with our car seat set for everything, including Jackson's running excursions with Dad. As all of you who have visited us here know, the sidewalks in are area are to be considered truly off-road. The Chico stroller was taking a beating that it wasn't meant to take and we wanted to keep it around for the next kiddo to use. So, Holly found this stroller on ebay and won the bid at $133.00! Brand new they run $280-300 in the same model so she did a great job. I took care of getting it cleaned up and in proper working order, as it had seen some garage time, and we are off to the races! It runs so much smoother and takes the treacherous sidewalks like a champ. We are all really excited, especially Jackson! Mom plans on using it for her walks and trips to the arboretum and now I feel like I can really run with him. 

I am amazed everyday as I watch Jackson progress this this time of rapid development that Holly described in the blog below. I remind myself everyday that I can't slow it down (no matter how bad I want to), so I have to engage with every moment that we have, even when that means letting some other things on my agenda slide or wait. The time with Jackson-Man is priceless. Not to mention he's a fun guy to be around! His smile is just infectious and he spreads it everywhere he goes. Strangers see his smile and I watch as their face lights up right back. He's a good man. And he loves his mommy too! It is a joy to see the two of them interact with each other as the affection flows between them. 

I am kind of dreading my upcoming class as I had just enough time off to remember what it is like to not have class and I am not ready to give it up. But, It is not that long (3 weeks) and I'm taking it with Jonathan Deatherage (my class compadre), so we'll make it through together and enjoy the rest of the summer. I hope that you all enjoy yours too! 

[P.S.- For any parents out there, we got the fixed wheel sport utility stroller instead of the swivel front wheel revolution because we knew that I'd be really running seriously with it, but after having the thing inside Starbucks this morning I would recommend the revolution for those who are doing more around town stuff with power walking to jogging. The fixed wheel can be manevured inside, but it is a challenge and you often may need help with doors and have to ask people to move over in walkways.] 

Time is Flying By...

Lately life has been all about phases...stepping out of old ones and entering into new ones.  Jackson's first 6 months of life were full of new things, but I usually had time to adjust to each new development.  NOT NOW!  He has learned to crawl, pull up, stand (with the aid of the couch), and get into everything 1 foot above his head in a matter of a month!  It has been a blast.  I didn't think it could get any better than holding a newborn in your arms, but watching them grow and learn new things makes each day better and better in this whole motherhood thing!  Jackson loves people.  He is a social animal!  He loves to crawl into his room and pull out all his drawers, dump them onto the floor, and play with all his toys.  He even pulls the drawers out in the middle of the night and pulls it's contents into the bed with him to play with....hey, as long as I'm sleeping and he's not making a peep I have no problems!  I love being at home all week with him every day and enjoy our time at night together with Jonathan.  Enjoy the few pictures and videos we have to update you on all he is doing!  Much love to all our family and friends!

He's getting around!!

Jackson is now mobile!!  Enjoy these new pictures of him getting into everything.  He is such a joy with every new accomplishment.  

Who in the world is Melchizedek?

I have to tell you all about the last 24 hours of my life.  Then I'll ask you about Melchizedek.  So....yesterday I had this really wonderful plan.  (God really must laugh when we make plans.)  My morning was planned out perfectly.  First, Jackson and I headed out to Itsy Bitsy Yoga.  He loves his yoga class.  He laughed throughout the whole thing.  Next was supposed to be my yoga class.  It is something I look forward to all week.  Usually Jackson sits quietly in his car seat and falls asleep or plays with a toy because he is all tired out from his workout.  I and about 7 other mommy's do postnatal yoga for about an hour and the instructor holds a few of the crying babes to get us through a semi-relaxing class.  Well, our 8 month pregnant instructor already had 2 babies on her knees including her own inside when about 2 poses into the class Jackson decides this set up wasn't going to work.  I knew he was already tired and if he didn't fall asleep, he would be hungry before too long.  He wasn't falling asleep.  I didn't really even try too hard.  I just decided to leave, get him home and feed him.  My decision mostly based on the afternoon I was looking forward to spending with Jonathan.  We were going to go to the Arboretum together and enjoy some family time....first time in a long time.  Before I could get out of the parking lot I noticed a text from Jonathan.  It said, "call me."  OK.  I called him.  He proceeded to tell me of a minor home emergency and asked me to come on home.  The "minor" pipe that broke above our apartment flooded our laundry room and bathroom.  Luckily, since Jonathan was home at the time, maintenance was able to shut the water off quickly and fix the problem.  My whole "planned" day turned into a problem.  Jonathan and I spent from about 11:30 to 7:30 cleaning up this PROBLEM!!  We both crashed last night.  Of course I crashed until Jackson woke up at his usual 2:30 for a back rub.  Yes, really, a back rub.  He doesn't want to nurse usually, just a reminder that I'm here and a back rub back to sleep.  Any mommy's reading this?  I'd love suggestions on how to stop this habit!!  So, finally, this morning, we are working hard on a schedule and Jackson is taking his first morning nap in days!!!!  I'm working on my 3rd cup of coffee...decaf, of course, and catching up on some Hebrews.  This leads me to the passage of Melchizedek.  I did an Old Testament study last summer with my friend, Erin, and we asked the same question.  Who/what is he, really?  I'm reading Hebrews in the first place because Jonathan is writing a paper on it now.  I plan on asking him when he gets home.  Even thought I don't completely understand the passage, there is something I do understand.  This is why I'm blogging today.  Hebrews 7:15-28 describes Jesus in the most encouraging ways.  "Jesus became a priest, not by meeting the physical requirement of belonging to the tribe of Levi, but by the power of a life that cannot be destroyed."  That verse made my heart well up with hope!  I believe in a God whose life cannot be destroyed!!!!!  There is more..."There were many priests under tho old system, for death prevented them from remaining in office.  But because Jesus lives forever, his priesthood lasts forever.  Therefore he is able once and forever, to save those who come to God through him.  He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf."  Who cares about laundry room floods and sleepless nights!  I have a God who saves me once and forever!!!!!  My heart is happy this morning, even thought I'm not quite sure who Melchizedek is.