Sweet Susie...

I thought I'd take today to really introduce you to Susie. If you caught the blog yesterday, you saw a couple pictures of her from Christmas. We like to think of her as our 3rd grandma. She truly is like family. And she's so special - I have to tell you more about her.

Susie might - being generous - reach 5 feet tall. But this little lady has more energy, more spunk, and more joy than 10 people half her age. Susie came into our life when she joined my mom's Sunday school class at church, gosh I don't know, about 7 or 8 years ago. Maybe longer. Anyways, she joined my mom's group because she didn't want to be in Sunday school with people her age. She said old people complained too much. She is certainly young at heart. She doesn't have any family nearby, so we get to have her as part of our family for the holidays (well, and all the time for that matter.) And we love it.

Susie has a story and a past (who doesn't?) - one that she isn't proud of, but isn't afraid to share with others because it gives her the chance to share of Christ's redeeming power in her life. And let me tell you, she shares it every chance she gets. There's no doubt (and no wondering) where Susie's joy comes from - she will tell you! She loves the Lord SO much and isn't embarrassed or ashamed to incorporate Him into every conversation. Because He truly is in EVERY part of her life.

I wish everyone could have a Susie in their life. Her joy is contagious. Susie not only inspires me to have joy and energy like her when I'm "old" - she challenges me now. Challenges me not to be ashamed of the Gospel and to see God in all the little things. What an amazing woman of faith! I wish you could all meet her. She would bless your soul. :)

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes..." Romans 1:16

Christmas Recap (in pictures)...

I realize I'm, oh 2 weeks late on this, but better late than never. My entire immediate family got to be together both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. It was such a blessing - sure wish that happened more often. I love my family. Here's a recap in pics...
 

 First pic of the break. Ryan and Libby at the "bar" - where we spend most of our time. Eating.

Mom doing what she does. This is what you find her doing the whole time we are there. No exaggeration. Hence all the eating at the "bar."

Luke and Uncle Josh enjoying some Veggie Tales on the iPad. Such a great purchase for multiple reasons.

 Luke helping Nana sweep the kitchen...

 Well, sort of.

 Such a sweet picture of Luke. He is SO cute.

Helping Mom in the kitchen. 

Eating. That's what we do. And this was just part of the appetizer spread that came before the huge meal on Christmas Eve.

Football with Pops. Luke knows exactly what to do. Even the celebration at the end.

 Pretty sure we can blame this on Uncle Josh, seeing as he is always throwing a ball at Luke's head.

 Me and my little man.

 Luke providing entertainment as usual. (That's our "adopted" grandma, Susie. She's amazing!)

 Unfortunately, this is the best family picture we got. Jake didn't feel like cooperating.

 He decided to smile for his individual shots instead.

 Perfect.

 Aunt Libby and Jake.

 Luke is kind of obsessed with the pantry. Sneaks in there every chance he gets.

 Nana with her boys.

Sisters. :)

Mom and her girls.

Grandma Susie with all the "kids." Yep, we are still kids.

Luke was more fascinated with our frosty mugs than he was with his own gifts. Isn't that how it always goes? Who needs toys?

 Pops and Luke dancing on Christmas morning.

The guys all got jackets of some sort for Christmas. (And Luke just wanted to be in the picture.) :)

Our perfect little Christmas present. :)

Repost..."Something has to Change"

So, clearly I'm not a very consistent blogger. I'm also not the best at keeping up with others' blogs. I try, but with the little guy it's difficult. But I have a few of my favorites - friends and family and a few others that I try to read on a regular basis. Such a great way to keep up. Such a great way to be inspired by diy projects, photos, etc. And then every once in a while, a great way to be challenged.

That's what happened when I read Jami's post the other day. I don't REALLY know Jami. She's a friend of a friend. Josh and I did play spades with her and her husband one night and ended up spilling some of the deepest parts of our hearts with them. Pretty cool. But we lost to them. Bad. I digress...

Jami's blog is pretty popular. It's worth adding to your favorites. She is a solid believer. She is raw and real. She is crafty and talented. And did I mention hilarious? Her and her husband Mark have an amazing story and they share their testimony openly. Such a great story of Christ's redeeming power. And if nothing else, you can listen to some pretty cool, eclectic music when you go to her blog. Who needs iTunes or iHeartRadio? :)

So, all that to say - she wrote this post shortly after Christmas. It's thought-provoking and unashamedly convicting. Thanks for sharing Jami.

Something has to Change

It's funny how materialism and money are a battle, no matter which side of the "tracks" you are on. Interesting how Josh and I are more in the place where Jami and Mark used to be. I mean we can buy milk no problem, but we do have to watch every penny, wondering if we'll be able to save at all this month. But yet it's still a struggle. Am I grateful? Do I worry so much about money that it robs the joy and gratefulness out of all that we've been blessed with? There is definitely a reason Christ talks more about money than anything else.

"No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." Matthew 6:24

Lord, be our Master.

Lucky Girl...

I am one lucky girl. Warning: this post contains some boasting (no worries, not about myself) and may even be considered a little cheesy. I go on...

So Friday when I posted my update about Jake and how well he has been doing, well...he made me eat my words. Not the first time or the last, I'm sure, that I'll be doing that. But pretty much since then, he has had 3 really rough days. Maybe he's sick or something. We can't figure it out. The inconsolable screaming has ensued and nights have even been rough. No, this isn't why I consider myself lucky. (Although I am still trying to "embrace" these days and not wish them away...sometimes I feel like we are still in survivor mode. Lord, teach me to be grateful for even these tough days.) Anyways, why I'm lucky...

So Friday night, Jake decided to wake up at 12:00, 12:30, 2:00, 3:00, and 4:00. (Not to feed...he wasn't hungry...just fussy and not sleeping well.) So after going in there again at 3:00 to shush him and calm him down, I gave up. I brought a pillow in from the guest room, grabbed a blanket, and laid down on the floor next to his crib. The going back and forth from my bed was making it harder. I fell asleep at some point while laying on the hard floor and then woke up around 3:30 to my husband putting another blanket over me.

Josh, having noticed that I didn't come back to bed, decided to check on us. He came in to find me asleep on the floor. The next thing I know, my husband is curled up next to me with his own pillow and was covering the two of us with a quilt. Simple, I know, but there was something so special about that moment. I felt so incredibly lucky. So blessed. How did I end up with this man? He has always gone above and beyond to serve me, but has taken that to a whole new level with Jake on the scene. And that moment on the hard floor, laying next to our son, was the perfect moment for me - I want to treasure it forever. I don't know that I've ever been more grateful for Josh.

I don't post this to paint some fairytale picture of our life. Our relationship isn't perfect and clearly (based on the night we were having), it's no fairytale. But it's real. And he's real. Over the next few days that passed, I thought multiple times of my small group girls and all the girls I've had the privilege of discipling at kamp and the TONS of conversations we had about dating and guys and relationships. My prayer is that each one of them knows that there really are guys out there who will pursue the Lord harder than they will pursue you, and this is the result. I pray that each of them are blessed enough to have a "Josh" in their life someday.

I understand how much the Lord loves me so much more clearly because of the way Josh loves and serves me. Thank you Lord for my simple, but perfect reminder.

House Hunting...

As mentioned yesterday, Josh and I are officially house hunting again. We sold our house in Branson back at the end of August but we weren't in a hurry to buy another one right off the bat. We've been renting a house from a wonderful couple from our church, and it has been a great set up for this "in-between" phase. However, the couple may have the opportunity to sell this house - which is great news for them - but really puts the pressure on us. Chances are we will probably need to be out of here by March. That will be here in no time!

Part of me is really excited to start looking for a house again. I think it will be the final thing to make NWA really feel like home. We already LOVE it here, but I'm excited to have a place to call our own. But the other part of me is a little anxious because I want this next house to be one we can be in for A WHILE. Not just because I don't want to have to worry about selling another house, but because I am tired of moving! Here's why - Josh and I have moved SO many times in our 5 1/2 years of marriage. It's crazy. Check it out...

1. Lived in Josh's K-Life apartment in Harrison for a month (while he wrapped up K-Life)
2. Lived with the Neaville's (amazing Searcy family we consider our own!) for a month while our house was finished being built

3. Lived in our Searcy house for 2 years

4. Lived with the Neaville's again after our house sold before we moved to B-town (I told you they were amazing!)

5. Rented an apartment in Branson for 9 months while house hunting

6. Lived with the Grimmer's (good friends in Branson) for 3 weeks before heading to kamp (our lease was up but our house wasn't ready yet)

7. Lived in our Branson house for 2 years

8. Moved to Northwest Arkansas and lived with the Harris family (more great friends...thank you Lord for the people in our lives!) for 4 months until our house sold in Branson.

9. Currently renting a house in Springdale until we find one of our own!

Yep, count 'em. That's 9 moves in less than 6 years. And that's not counting the two summers we "moved" out to kamp for 3 months. It is true though - home really is where your family is. I can vouch for that! As long as I'm with Josh (and now Jake), I'll be at home. But needless to say, we are ready to be somewhere for a while.

We actually already started looking and have a house that we have our hearts set on. We are in the middle of that process so any prayers would be much appreciated. Now it's just a waiting game. We'll keep you updated.

Long Overdue Update...

So, yep it's been over one month since I last posted. I have such high hopes for this blogging thing and just can't seem to live up to them. Here's my excuse - my child only naps for 25-30 minutes at a time during the day. I'm not trying to complain and I know every mom out there is just thinking "Welcome to my world," but I'm still adjusting. Jake is a GREAT night sleeper so I wouldn't trade that, but when I only have a total of an hour and a half to myself during the day, laundry, dishes, and showering take priority over blogging. :) So anyways, onto the update.

We are all doing really well. Sad that tomorrow wraps up our Christmas break at my parents' house in Mtn. Home. Josh is so blessed in his job and was given this whole week off, so we took advantage of the time to spend with family. And to be honest, it's nice having the extra help. I'm sure it will be a bit of an adjustment going to back to 2 on 1 again after being here for a week.

Jake is doing so good. It seems like it was just a couple days ago that we were coming back from his 2-month check up (and I was planning to post about that) and here we are past his 3-month mark. I know these little tidbits and milestones about Jake may not interest everyone, but I want them for my own keepsake. So skip if you choose, but here are a few updates on the little guy...

• At his 2 month check up, he weighed just short of 14 lbs. He's in the 90th percentile. Yep, he's a good eater...never had to worry about that. :) (His height was 23.5 inches - the 50th percentile.) 
• During Thanksgiving break (actually at my parents), he started dropping another night feeding. I would feed him at about 7:30 each night and he would sleep until 3 or 4ish. Now he stretches even further on most nights. Last night he fed at 7:30 and didn't eat again until 6:15. (That was a first though.) It's amazing what 6 or 7 hours straight of sleep feels like again! Thanks buddy. Still hopeful that he'll get to that 12 hour mark soon! 
• Right after we got home from Thanksgiving, we finally moved him into his own room. I missed having him next to us, but we are sleeping much better! We definitely should have made that move sooner, but couldn't b/c we didn't have a crib. Seeing as we didn't even move into our own rent house until 5 days before he was born, his room wasn't exactly set up and ready. It's still not but we at least have a crib and a glider. We're getting there!
• It was also just after Thanksgiving (just past his 2 month mark), that he seemed to outgrow his colic. THANK YOU LORD for bringing that earlier than we expected. We had a lot of rough days the first couple months. He just could NOT be consoled. Felt like we tried everything and he would just scream. I've never felt so helpless. :( But it really did just shut off one day. 
• He smiles and laughs all the time now. And seriously, he has the sweetest (toothless) smile. He smiles with his whole face, and it absolutely never gets old. We are the classic obsessed parents.
• He loves the mirror, LOVES his changing table, and loves to be naked (which is why I think he loves his changing table.) 
• He gnaws, I mean GNAWS on his pacifier. Sometimes he'll actually suck on it, but rarely. I would be concerned that he's an early teether but he's been doing this since like week 4.
• And a few pics of our little man from the past few weeks...

 

As far as an update on Josh and I, not a lot to report on except that we are on the house hunt again. More on that tomorrow (I know, I know you don't believe that, but for real, tomorrow.) 

2 Months (a little late)...

This past Saturday Jake turned 2 months old.  I'm a little late in posting these pics. Can't believe how much he's changed in one month. Makes me a little sad. Enjoy!

Gotta love those thighs.


Couldn't resist myself in posting this one. He has lots of big smiles these days. And did I mention a double chin?