Almost Famous... In Tennessee Anyway!

Hey Everyone, Jackson and I sure do love hanging out together on the weekends! We help each other enjoy the long hours until Mommy gets off work by eating big meals, playing with toys, going to the park, and (of course) watching/listening to the Volunteers play football. Granted, it has been a hard season so far, but we still love it. Hey, the defense is playing lights out and that's the fun part anyway... tackling! I got some good pics this past weekend of J-Man in his UT game day gear while we were at the park before going home to listen to the NIU game on the Vol Network over the internet. The editors for "YouT snapshots" at www.utsports.com thought two of them were pretty good too. Check them out at http://www.utsports.com/view.gal?id=35456

Enjoy the pics and maybe look for Jackson in a future installment of the "Almost Famous in Tennessee" slide show.

AND HE'S OFF!!!!

Hello friends.  Jackson is walking now.  He's been practicing for a few weeks and now he's got it down pat.  Just wanted you all to have the opportunity to see.  He is such a joy in our lives each day.  What a blessing the Lord has given us. The video and pictures are of him checking out the pumpkins and hay at the Dallas Arboretum.  Such a cutie!!

For God so loved the World...

Jackson's birthday present from Mommy and Daddy!!

Currently we are studying both the book of John and the book of Revelation on Wednesday nights at the house church that Jonathan, Jackson, and I attend.  It has often been difficult for me to listen and absorb in depth what is being taught since I have become a mother and my time is divided between tending to Jackson and entering into discussion each night.  Recently, however, we have started putting Jackson down to sleep soon after we arrive and I am actually able to pay attention and learn a few things.  I am also making more time during the week to study on my own which, of course, makes a ton of difference!!  For several weeks now I have concentrated on Revelation since we have been out of town so much and always missed the nights when John was being studied.  I found that I was struggling quite a bit with the heaviness and sadness of the book as it concentrates mostly on how ugly we are as sinners and how severe God's judgement and wrath must justifiably be during the end times. (We haven't gotten to the end of the book....which is of course full of hope and victory.)  I have found it very hard to swallow the reality of suffering that believers will go through and how many are suffering now in other countries on a daily basis.  Somewhere, though, in the midst of becoming more aware of the depravity of man, I am seeing even more the love of God.  For God to even care enough and love enough of His creation to spend the energy and effort to give us a way to His Kingdom is stunning to me.  It only takes a few verses from John to help me understand how beautiful the love of Christ is when reading through Revelation.  I thought about His beautiful love today when I was playing with my son.  He was laughing and hugging me and showing so much affection!  I felt like I was getting a small glimpse of how sweet and precious His Creation was meant to be.  As sinners, we have corrupted so much of what He intended here on Earth.  I was overwhelmed alone by the love of a small little boy and can't wait to see how God will display is great and mighty love in the new and restored Earth!!  I know I will never truly understand the depth of God's love for me until my time here is over, but I am so thankful that I am allowed glimpses through the love of my friends, family, husband, and yes....Jackson.  

So much of that love was shown during the celebration of Jackson's first birthday last weekend.  We were surrounded by our friends and family and couldn't have wished for a better day.  Enjoy the pictures and know that I am so thankful for each friendship God has blessed our family with in this precious life.

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.]