This and that

Yay for a new blog design!

Jax is going to be ONE in 6 days. Holy crap.

Ryan has a 4-day weekend, then works 4 days, then is off for 2.5 weeks!

Parents come out in 2 weeks!

Jillian Michaels is kicking my butt and I'm hoping to lose these last 5 pounds.

We've been BBQ'ing tons and it has been UH-mazing!

So there you have it ;)

Because there haven't been enough pictures recently

Parenting 101

Our pastor is doing a FANTASTIC series on parenting. It is all about how to raise godly children in an ungodly world, following biblical principles. This last week was about discipline. It is such great advice and our Pastor Michael has 8 kids, so he kinda knows what he is talking about! He said that he didn't stray more than about 5 times from his 7 principles of biblical discipline. His wife was on stage and backed that statement up! Go HERE if you want to check out the series and watch or listen to them. He's really fun to listen to and we are getting so much out of it. Tomorrow is week 4 of 6, so keep checking back for the newest ones.

Proverbs 13:24- He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him. (Emphasis mine)

Prayer Requests

Hi everyone! Hope ya'll are having a fantastic day. Things are slow around here. We've mostly been hanging around the house for the last few days. Not necessarily by choice, but because the Army is stealing our money and making it hard to do anything. Ha! Okay, so they're not really stealing our money but they did accidentally over-pay us right after Ryan got home from Haiti and now we are paying that back. Soooo... we're doing lots of creative things at home these days. Which is just fine because it's quality family time and that's a good thing. I have a brief list of some prayer requests for our family. Some are for right now, while others are for the next few years. If ya'll wouldn't mind praying for us and possibly passing them on, that would be great! Here goes...

• We are really trying to get pregnant before Ryan deploys. We are quickly running out of time, so please pray that it happens. And if it doesn't, please pray that we will have peace in knowing that it's God's plan for our family.
• Jax is being a super picky eater these days. It's not such a huge deal, but since we are trying to get him to chubby up, it's making it hard. He's healthy so we aren't really worried, but please pray that he has a strong appetite and that he eats lots!
• Pray for Ryan's upcoming deployment. I can't post any details, but please just pray for safety, protection, lots of peace and comfort while he's gone, and for the time to FLY by. Also pray that plans work out for me to go home to CA for awhile during that time.
• We are in the early stages of figuring out what Ryan "wants to be when he grows up". Or at least that's how he puts it :) He has a little less than 2 years left in the Army and he isn't planning on re-enlisting at that point. We would love to move back to Clovis/Fresno, but that mostly depends on finding a job there. Please pray that we hear God's voice when it comes to this process. We are specifically praying for connections to job opportunities. For a job that pays well enough for us to not feel stressed about money. For a good place to live. For a smooth transition back into civilian life.

I'm sure there are more things that I could list, but those are the things that are almost constantly on our minds these days. Thank you so much for your support and for continuing to keep our little family in your prayers. It is appreciated so much more than you know!!

VOTE VOTE VOTE!!!

Head to the link below and vote for Jax! All you have to do is click the "like" button under his picture, and while you're at it make sure to "like" the main AAFES page too so that your vote will count. If you don't want to see things from AAFES posted on your wall, then just "hide" them once they post something. Please forward this to all your friends and family... we would really love to win this! Thanks a million!!!

CLICK HERE!

Oh Toddlerhood

We're not quite into toddlerhood yet, but man oh man Jax is into EVERYTHING!

Example A-- a deck of cards

Example B-- the toilet paper roll

Example C-- a bathroom drawer
There have been many other things that have been hit by tornado Jax, I just haven't gotten pictures of them all. As frustrating as this can be, it's also super cute. I love watching him explore and learn. I wouldn't trade it for the world!

Pee Pee on the Potty!!

We decided to buy Jax a baby potty to start putting him on. We don't expect him to be potty trained anytime soon, but the sooner we can get him familiar with it, the easier it should be. I had heard good things about THIS potty from Target so I went and purchased it a few days ago. 1 or 2 times a day I sit Jax on it and say all kinds of potty words and phrases. Nothing ever happened, but I was totally okay with that. I just want him to get used to it. Wellllll... tonight it happened! I stripped him down for his bath and started the bath water (hey, it can't hurt right?!). I set him on his potty while the tub filled up and a few seconds later, PEE! I'm sure that it was the running water in the background but who cares?! He pee peed on the potty! Of course we made a HUGE deal out of it and he was so happy! This is just the verrrry beginning, but it looks like we are off to a great start!

Mother's Day

I just realized that I didn't get one picture of my baby on Mother's Day. How lame am I? So much for documenting our first Mother's Day! Oh well... it was still a good day for me. I woke up and lazied (is that a word?) around in bed while Ryan made yummy waffles for breakfast. When I wandered out to the living room/kitchen, I noticed a box on the counter. A box that had a combo griddle & grill in it! We have been wanting a grill pan and a griddle for a while. Ryan found THIS Cuisinart one that does both. We haven't even used it yet, but I plan on making pancakes tomorrow for breakfast.

Back to Mother's Day... we went to church after breakfast and Jax wasn't too happy in the nursery, so I spent some time walking him around. I finally got him calmed down and took him back in and left him there. When we picked him up, they were holding him by the front desk. They said he was being a "sympathy crier" and crying when other babies would cry. They said he was happier out front... whatever works! After church we got some stuff for a BBQ and had some friends over for yummy burgers and grilled veggies. Once lunchtime was over, our friends left and I had to study for a final. That was not the best way to spend my Mother's Day afternoon, but it had to be done. Overall the day was really good and I am so incredibly blessed to have my sweet baby. I can't put into words how much my heart melts for him everyday. I am so thankful that God chose me to be his mommy!!

To My Amazing Mother

You taught me everything I ever need to know about being a mom. You were the best mom a girl could ask for. You supported me, believed in me and loved me unconditionally. You give me advice when I don't know what to do. You laugh with me when things are too funny to contain. You are an amazing grandmother to my baby. I hope that when Jax grows up, he feels the same way about me that I do about you. You are the best and I am so thankful God chose you as my mom. I love you!!

Nightlights

Growing up, I remember having a nightlight. I think most kids do. It's just an accepted fact that as a child you have a nightlight in your room or in the hall nearby. When Jax was born, we put a nightlight in his room. We also put one in the living room to help during those first nights when I slept with him in our recliner.

Fast forward 11 months... the nightlight in his room broke, and so did the one in the living room. I didn't really care about the one in the living room because that hasn't been necessary since he was about 6 weeks old. But I figured that the one in his room was pretty important and I needed to get a new one ASAP. I didn't get a chance to do it that same day, so I figured that I would step out the next day and buy one. Well guess who slept in an extra hour the following morning?! Yep, my kid. My kid who has been waking up between 5:30 and 6 for the last few months. He slept til 7:15. And when Ryan and I woke up, we both got a little nervous. I quickly went to check on him and there he was, sleeping peacefully in his crib. It occurred to me that it might have something to do with it being a little darker than normal. I decided to wait to buy another nightlight and see if that really made a difference. Well guess who has been sleeping til 7 or 7:30 for the past few days?! Yep, my kid again. WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT?? I can't believe that all I needed to do was take out that dern nightlight. I was getting so tired of hearing about my friends' kids who would sleep until 7 or 8am. Now my kid is finally doing the same thing after months of waking up super early.

Praise the Lord for broken nightlights!!