Spring Break & Jack Update

Spring break is off to a nice start! We left right after work on Friday & headed south to meet some dear friends for dinner. After that we proceeded to John's brother's house to hang out with (almost) the whole family & celebrate Billy & Grandma M's birthdays. On Saturday we headed out for the state capital to let our legislators know (again) how we feel about the HUGE budget cuts planned for public education. I've never been to a rally or anything like this before & I've gotta admit it was pretty cool. I think teachers often get so bogged down & isolated in the classroom, we forget there's a bigger world out there & that we're allowed to speak up when we don't like what's going on. As we were leaving I told John that it's really cool to see that many people who are all fighting for the same thing - that we're not alone in wanting things to change. By the way, if you want to learn more about this topic, you can check out savetexasschools.org then if you want to contact your representatives (or find out who they are), you can follow the links on that website, or click here.

I will now step off my soapbox & talk about my cute baby boy. ;o) Jack is doing awesome. Here are the latest developments:

• He pretty much rolls over to his tummy every time we put him down now.
• He spends a lot of time testing the range of his vocal skills. This includes a lot of screeching sounds which he seems rather proud of. Newest nickname: my little pterodactyl
• We're working on solid foods & he seems to have gotten the hang of it pretty quickly. Now he will lean forward and open his mouth like a little bird when he wants another bite. so cute.
• In addition to milk, he now eats rice cereal 2xs a day, apples, and the latest: squash.
• His six month appointment was last week & here are the latest stats: weight: 17 lbs. (between 25 & 50th percentile) and height: 27 & a half in. (between 75 & 90th percentile)

Other than that, I spent today working on the yard & hanging out with my boys.

Happy (Half) Birthday!

Jack is six months old today!

I love you, Baby Boy!

Jack is so much fun! He spent 3 days this past week at camp with all of my 5th graders and did great. He smiled, played, hiked around in the Ergo with mommy, & watched everything that was going on around him. He is rolling over back to front pretty easily now, although sometimes his arm gets stuck under his body & makes him mad. He loves to grab anything and everything & spends a lot of time working on perfecting control of his hands. He is very vocal & is adding consonant sounds to his vowel collection (his favorite at the moment ba ba ba). We love the sound of him babbling to himself, or to us - it's the best.

This is How I Roll!

Today was the perfect family day! Jack 'slept in' until 7:30, ate, and fell asleep again for a while. He woke up a little later & played while I made breakfast. After that we woke up Daddy & got ready for the day. We ended up running some errands, then grabbing sandwiches & going to the Botanic Gardens. We ate our lunch & walked around enjoying the perfect weather. After that we decided to make use of our zoo passes & stop by for an hour or so. Last time we went to the MOLA & Texas Wild areas, so this time we headed for the primates, elephants, giraffes, etc. Jack was more alert this time & actually looked at the animals. :) We stopped by John's parents house to water their plants & check on the pool (they're traveling around Australia & New Zealand right now!) then headed home. Jack spent the evening on his blanket & rolled over 3 times in a row (back to front). So exciting! We'd been waiting for him to make it all the way over for a while now & my mom told us he did it Thursday while we were at work, but it was even cooler to see it first hand. Way to go, Baby Jack! We love you so much. Here are some random pics since we didn't take any zoo or garden pics today. Check out the rolls on those thighs! Right before he rolled over for us!

Lunch with Daddy & friends on Friday.

Zoo Trip

It's been a while, but better late than never, right??? Here are some pics from Jack's first zoo trip. I love the zoo!

5 months old

Today Baby Jack is 5 months old! And for his birthday he got...a tooth! Poor guy. His bottom middle/right tooth emerged yesterday & I think it finally broke through today. It's been a rough couple of days with a bit of a fever, lots of crying, a runny nose, and some 'impressive' diapers. Today he was so tired, but couldn't fall asleep for a nap. I finally ended up putting him in the ergo carrier while I cleaned out my closet, sorted laundry, & rearranged our bedroom. He slept on me for about 45 minutes while I did all that. Today was a lot better than yesterday, so hopefully tomorrow will be even better...

Happy Birthday to ME!

My birthday was on Monday & I got 2 birthday cakes, a dozen pink roses, and 4 days off with my 2 favorite boys! :)

Face to Face

When the scripture was read today verse 12 was the one that hit me. In the Amplified Bible version it reads: For now we are looking in a mirror that gives only a dim (blurred) reflection [of reality as in a riddle or enigma], but then [when perfection comes] we shall see in reality and face to face! Now I know in part (imperfectly), but then I shall know and understand fully and clearly, even in the same manner as I have been fully and clearly known and understood [by God].

This wasn't the focus of the sermon, but it's what I needed to hear this morning. Do you remember your best friend in elementary school? Mine was Shohrae. We grew up together climbing the willow tree in her front yard, playing at recess, & dressing her cats up in doll clothes (and we wondered why they always seemed to run away from us...) Shohrae has been fighting a type of sarcoma for a while now & last night she breathed her last breath here on earth. I am filled with grief, & saddened for her family and all of those who are close to her. Yet God sent me this reminder of His faithfulness. Verse 12. I can almost hear the whisper: Shohrae has made it!

She is with Our Heavenly Father - Face to Face.

She is whole again.

Healed.

Complete.

May God be glorified...through the tears, the mourning, & the remembrances of His precious child.