Fun at the Zoo

When we took Jackson to the Fort Worth Zoo on Wednesday we thought that we were going to see the wild animals. As it turns out, we brought the wildest animal with us! He ran amuck through the place, causing mayhem among the monkeys, excitement among the elephants, giddiness among the giraffes, and laughing among the lions. He had so much fun greeting every animal with a prompt and stern "NO!" thinking that they were all going to bark in his ear like Cinders (Jonathan's loud and boisterous lab at home.) Jackson kisses goodnight his stuffed elephant, lion, duck, and puppy every evening and he sings with his monkey rainforest animated crib light as he drifts off to sleep. It was a joy to see him light up while seeing the real things. Mommy and Daddy had the best time of all just being together as a family.

His Provisions

Our family has been quite busy and I'm so excited to share some of the amazing things God has been doing for us lately!!  We had a wonderful Spring Break last month.  Our apartment was in need of some attention as well as some family time of togetherness.  We got to do them both!  Jonathan spent several days hanging pictures and curtains for me since NOTHING had been done other than unpacking back in January.  My oh My how seminary and pregnancy can put a halt to interior decorating :).  Each morning Jackson wakes up and plays in his bed for about 30 minutes...it's a great snooze for me.  Each day when I go in his room to get him out of bed, he smiles and promptly says "Daddy"?  Each morning I have to say, no, baby, he's at work, school, studying, etc.  To his delightful surprise each morning of spring break he was answered with a big hug from Daddy.  I think he was pretty thrilled to have us both home together for a little while.  Later that week, Jonathan and I got to enjoy some major one on one time due to a sweet gift from our friends from church.  Our friends Alondra and Gerald volunteered to watch Jackson overnight while we enjoyed a night out at the Hilton (dinner included) compliments of another friend, Bob.  What a blessing for our friends to recognize our need to spend some time together.  We have true family and community here in Dallas. God never fails to provide even when we do not ask!!  

As the weeks continued Jackson got a pretty bad case of Croup.  We called the doctor's office pretty early on and they were sure there was nothing we could do but let it run it's course.  That's what we did for several days until some of his symptoms became worse.  We took him to see the pediatrician not really expecting much except maybe some steroids to ease his struggle breathing and found out he had a double ear infection :(.  We finally got some sleep a few nights later....all of us once the antibiotics set in.  That was really the worse I've ever seen him feel and it was heartbreaking!  Only several days later Jonathan came down with the full blown flu.  It lasted over 2 weeks.  I've never seen him feel that bad...well maybe except for the last time he caught the flu!  It hit him over a weekend and our sweet friends Benji, Rebekah, and Caroline volunteered to take Jackson to a fun Easter Egg hunt to give Jonathan a break.  Just another example of how God is taking great care of us here in Texas.  Alondra was sweet to take Jackson the following day as well since Jonathan was barely making it out of bed.  We kept expecting him to feel better the "next day" and it didn't seem to happen for yet another week.  He missed lots of school and work but seems to have caught up pretty well so far. 

This leads me to the next wonderful provision of the Lord's to share.  Jonathan and I both felt several months ago that we wanted to attend a marriage conference called "Weekend to Remember" put on by Family Life (a division of Campus Crusades).  Jonathan is extremely interested in pursuing a ministry in family and marriage and we felt like after 7 years it might be a good time to evaluate and enrich our own.  We recognized, however, that the funds really weren't available...so we  started praying.  This is a huge area of lack of trust in my department.  I'm very independent and like to think I can make thing happen on my own.  Seeking out support isn't something I'm very comfortable with, however, I knew we both needed to pray about that option.  Only a few days later, after Jonathan made a request during opening prayer in one of his classes, our trip was covered by 2 generous classmates.  Both Jonathan and I were both a bit stunned.  We shouldn't have been, but we were.  Never should we be surprised that God hears us and meets our needs, even beyond our expectations. 

Our parents paid a visit over Easter weekend and took Jackson home for a week so Jonathan and I could work a bit extra and attend the conference this past weekend.  It was a wonderful experience that truly did enrich our relationship.  We had a really nice time in Little Rock and were eager to get Jackson back on Monday.  I think I missed him even more than usual since he had a relapse of his double ear infection while in TN :(.  We are so blessed to have great family (Jackson's Momma Z, Pappa Z, Gran Pat, PopPaw, and Nana and Granddaddy all got turns hanging out with the little socialite.)  

Hope this catches you up on most our news, except for one exciting part.  I saved the best for last.  We are looking forward to having a LITTLE GIRL!!  I feel a little more validated knowing this VERY different pregnancy has had it's struggles thanks to some extra female hormones floating around!!!  She is already doing flips and misshaping my tummy when she wants more space :).  I don't remember feeling Jackson that much this early.  Guess my muscles don't care as much this time about keeping a 6 pack.  Ha Ha, I've NEVER had a six pack!  The weird picture below is really a sweet one of  Jackson "kissing the baby."  I'm not sure how much of it he really understands, but he caught on pretty quickly that my growing abdomen was called baby.  He kisses it every night before bed, before he kisses me!  

Enjoy the pictures below.  We enjoyed all the memories that made them!

Jackson and Cara with their Daddy's on Easter

Jackson dressed himself this day.

Sitting pretty in the Hilton Suite we had for the night.

Jackson wanted to help Daddy hang curtains.

It's the Green Nakey Monster!

Look out! here comes the Green Nakey Monster! AGGHHH! RUN! 

Jackson broke loose after bath time and ran around the house giggling and laughing and yelling as the "Green Nakey Monster," you have to watch out for those things, they'll get you...

It has been busy the past couple of weeks in the Jones household, and I'm not just talking about Mommy and Daddy.... Jackson has been busy growing up.

Amidst all of my assignments and reading, there has been a first haircut...

... and an airplane ride to North Carolina (to visit Aunt Heather and Uncle D)... 

... and the daily comings and goings of laundry, dishes, and playtime fun... 

... our little boy has changed a lot over the past few weeks. 

He is saying more words and saying them a little more clearly, such as "apple, shoes, mamma, da-doo, socks, car clock, dog, hungry, ice cream (etc.)...", 

and he is climbing everything! 

He is such a joy, full of laughter and smiles. 

He misses his momma on the weekends and looks for her when he gets up.

Our nighttime routine continues to get longer as we have to have kisses all around, nose kisses all around, and then family kisses, and then hugs and songs and "bye-bye's" all the way out the door. Then he blares the music on his Rainforest mobile and talks to the lighted moving rainforest critters that are probably his best friends. 

I know this is mainly just a gushing Dad session, but I just love our precious little boy and want to share his growth with you as most of you can't be as near as we would all like. I hope that you are all doing well and looking forward to the beautiful spring. - Jonathan

Mommy's Helpers

Life has been a bit of a challenge for this pregnant lady lately.  I've been battling several colds, viruses, fatigue, and just pregnancy sickness in general.  I had a couple of break downs last week when I thought I was never going to get better!!  Luckily, I have two of the most wonderful helpers in the world that won't let me get too down.  Jonathan made it his mission to have the house clean and all the laundry done on the last 2 Sundays while I've been recovering.  I think yesterday was the first time I've set foot in a grocery store in 2 months!!  I'm happy to report that I did wake up yesterday with a newfound sense of hope and energy thanks to rest and prayer.  I knew 2nd pregnancies were tougher, but wow!  Thankfully, Jackson takes long naps during the day....and so do I.  God has truly blessed me with a beautiful family.  Check out the precious video of the boys working hard to make my life a little easier :).  You may want to turn the volume down first, though.

Prayer for Friends

We would like to share a prayer request tonight.  As many of you already know, some friends of ours, the Bakers, have been walking a very hard road these past few months.  Early into their second pregnancy, Benji and Rebekah received sad news that their newest little girl, Gracie, had some severe health problems that would prove to be fatal.  We have been praying along with them and their friends and family for healing and/or strength to deal with God's will, whatever it may be.  This past weekend, Gracie went to be with Jesus during Rebekah's labor.  We wanted to give you the opportunity to meet this sweet family via their blog and ask you to continue to pray for them as they trust their Savior through this loss.  Their faith and transparency through all of this has been such a testimony to the greatness of our God.  We encourage you to draw strength from them as we have and to interceed for them as well.  Our God is faithful.  We believe this and so does this precious precious family.  www.thebenjamites.blogspot.com

Hi everyone, 

We finally finished moving out of our old apartment including the cleaning (thanks Holly for being my superwoman), painting, and turning in the keys. While I was there at three am on Saturday morning finishing up the painting, I looked around at the empty apartment and expressed my thanks to God for providing a great place for us to live and for keeping us safe while we were there. Still, I am so glad to have some closure there and only have one place to be concerned about. I still have a lot to do at the new place as I have yet to hang a single picture on the wall (sorry hunny). But, we are getting a little more settled every day and it's just gonna be a slower process with school in full swing. 

School is going well so far and I am really enjoying all of my classes, especially personality theory and preaching. I wasn't expecting to enjoy preaching class all that much, but I have a great teacher in Abe Kuruvilla www.homelitix.blogspot.com Read his latest entry on JIF Peanut Butter for a taste of what I mean. I am learning a lot about the exegetical/theological/hermeneutical process that applies to preaching and truly all other forms of communicating to others about God and his Son in a thoughtful and meaningful way. I am also getting to teach again these days for the first time since we've been here. Every other week I am leading the final leg of our church's eschatology study through Revelation 21 and 22. I love that section of scripture and it has been a window of understanding and challenge over the past year as I continue to work through my grief over the loss of my Dad. It had been a long teaching break and I was ready to get back into it. 

I find it harder though... I have all of these threads of stuff that run through my head (and seminary has added a lot of new threads to the mix) and I often find that I don't know what to say because I can't weave them together in a coherent way. As I read scripture and think through all of the facets of the text itself and how its historical, theological, and homiletical message applies to me and all the facets of my cultural world, my mind often raises way more questions than it can adequately answer. Even so, I still have to learn to weave some form of meaningful communication. Dr. Kuruvilla says that our weaving of the threads together into a tapestry for others to see is a lifelong ongoing process and it is how we present Christ to others through God's grand story and our own story. I think his class is helping me to learn some skill in how to begin to weave it together. 

While I try to soak up as much as I can at school, I am SO EXCITED about our new little one in the oven! I was talking to Jake the other day and in the course of our conversation he pointed out that we were going to be a family of four, but I realized that we already are. Holly is doing such a good job taking care of the baby and keeping her cool during a stressful time of transition. I can't say enough about what a good mom she is to both Jackson and our new little one. She has definitely been more sick this time around and it hasn't been easy for her to find time or ways to care for herself in the middle of the moving process. If Jackson (or Daddy) doesn't need her time, settling the house does. So, we are both looking forward to getting even more settled and a routine going so that we can focus on taking care of Mommy the best we can. By the way, many of you know this already but, I truly have an amazing wife! I am blessed that she chose me and I get the privilege of sharing life with her in the most intimate way. 

Finally, I can't blog without talking about our boy. He is getting over his cold (finally) and we went to the park to play today (thus the pics in this blog). He has been on a Daddy kick lately and I have to say that while I don't want him to give me more affection at the cost of not giving it to Holly, I am truly relishing this time as he seeks out me out. I know that this time will pass quickly and he'll be all grown up way too soon, so I am constantly aware of being thankful for the time that I have with him by fully engaging him in all the aspects of his life (except cutting toenails and fingernails... that is a special Mommy/Jackson thing, he holds so still and just lets her do it!). I truly am a blessed man. I guess that's all for now. We have sonogram pics from a couple of weeks ago of the new little one that I hope to get scanned and put up this week. I think that they're pretty special! Until then, -Jonathan

Settling

Hello friends.  We have been a bit absent for a while now.  Much has changed over the past 2 months.  Christmas was wonderful here in D.  Jonathan, Jackson, and I spent a quiet time together just being a family.  We enjoyed watching and helping Jackson open a few presents from Mommy and Daddy.  I cooked a small meal.  That was about it.  We are always running and visiting when Jonathan is out of class and always a bit separated in our own little worlds when he is in class, so we chose to spend Christmas together, but definitely not alone!!  How can you feel alone with a 16 month old and a 4 week old hanging around.  Yes, you read correctly.  WE ARE EXPECTING AGAIN!! We found out the week of Christmas, so Mommy and Daddy got the best gift and exactly what was on our list.  As you can imagine, the next few weeks were fun for us as a family as we visited over the New Year and got to break the news to our families face to face (a lot of them at least... missed you Dustin, Heather and Jake).   Immediately following was a week of packing up the old place to move into the new.  We finally surrendered to moving on campus at DTS in Swiss Tower.  We have some amazing friends just 10 steps down the hall that drew us in like fish on hooks.  Jonathan, Erin, and Cara have been such a blessing in friendship and fellowship since our first days here in D.  When we got the call to pick which floor we wanted, it was a no brainer!  Erin and I are looking forward to our kids hanging out as they grow and we have already shared several dinners together when one of us cooks a meal designed for 6 instead of 2. :)  Of course, since I've had morning sickness (well, more like all day sickness) for several weeks, Erin has cooked way more than me.  I think my little growing one owes much of his/her nutrition to our friends down the hall. God always seems to provide!  Moving into our small new place was no small task.  We owe much thanks to all of our friends from church and to Momma Z and Pappa Z for all the help.  We are glad to be where we are now.  We know it's where God wants us.  I put a few picts of Jackson below getting to know his surroundings.  He loves his new crib!!  Even though it's smaller than our last, he has more room to move and play.  He actually has his own REAL room.  Not just a closet!  I have more room in the kitchen as well, so what more could a woman ask for, right!!!!??  We'll try to do better on the blogging in the future.  I think life is going to be simpler now.  God Bless.

Jackson rocking in the same chair his Mommy rocked in 28 years ago!

Lovin' bath time again!  He went through a phase where he was petrified of the bathtub.  Not sure why, but glad that's over!!