Getting Bigger

On the day our nation celebrates its birthday, Jonah will celebrate his 5 month birthday. It just amazes me that he is getting so big. We moved in to size 3 diapers today. They are a little big but the size 2 were getting a little snug. Each day we spend some time working on rolling over and we are slowly making progress. Yesterday I had toys on both sides of him to see if he would roll one way or the other. He seems to favor the left side. I keep helping him over but he has yet to do it all on his own.

He is also becoming very aware of the dogs. He loves Mo. Mac doesn't really want to have much to do with him. Mo is a pretty good sport whenever Jonah grabs him.

Today while I was getting ready I propped Jonah up with some pillows. I couldn't help snapping some shots. He also sat up by himself for about 5 seconds before falling over.

Visitors

This weekend our Aunt Hannah and Uncle Josh came to visit. Josh's girlfriend Alanna go to come and see us all the way from Australia. Josh and Hannah haven't seen Jonah since he was 3 weeks old and Alanna had never met him. We had a great time just hanging out and visiting. Enjoy the pictures.


Can you tell we're related? Just playing around...............

Jonah and the girls went to the pool on Monday. He loves the water! (and the girls)

How do I get these things off????

Hanging out with Aunt Hannah. My thumb is beginning to taste really good!

I'm not sure Jonah has met too many people with long hair. Both Hannah and Alanna have really long hair. He was mesmerized and wanted to grab it.

(We're hoping that they get married so we can take a trip to Australia :) )

Who is this and what is she doing to me?!?!

I am ashamed to admit that I didn't get a picture of Jonah and Josh together on Father's Day. I did get a picture of all his cards though. Jonah and I gave dad a guided fishing tour while we are on Beaver Lake next month. We hope he catches LOTS of fish!

Fun in the Sun

Jonah and I took our first trip to our neighborhood pool on Tuesday. I was a little anxious because I wasn't sure how he would do in the cooler water. Needless to say we are going to have a fish on our hands. He loved the water!

Yesterday we were able to go to our Gma Pam's and swim with our "cousins" Hannah and Wyatt. I had to snap a couple of Hannah and Jonah. He just kept looking at her like she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen (which she is). She was a great help. I wanted to get a picture of all of us but Pam and I had our hands full.

After swimming for 30 minutes or so Jonah was tucked out. I couldn't resist snapping a few shots while he slept.

Aunt Hannah and Uncle Josh are coming for a visit this weekend so look for pictures soon. They haven't seen him since he was 3 weeks old.

Sacrifice

I am continuously amazed at how God uses different avenues to speak to us when he is trying to teach us. Lately I have been challenged to live righteously. A couple posts ago I was talking about what exactly that meant and what is my part in it.

During one of my days of study in Having a Mary Spirit I began reading about righteousness. The author was making the point that righteousness comes by faith. Hebrews 11 is full of examples of those who walked by faith. One of the examples is Abraham. Earlier I posted about Abraham bargaining with God to find 10 righteous people in the city before he destroyed the city and 10 people could not be found. This last Sunday our pastor focused on the part of Abraham's life where he was tested to sacrifice his son Isaac.
Pastor made the following points

• God wants to know if we trust him enough to cling to him to take care of us.
• Sometimes when God tests us it doesn't make sense.
• Will we let go of what we are clinging to and trust Him with it?
• What has God asked you to give Him?

In my book here is what the author says: "True faith requires obedience. It requires being willing to stake everything on God's love and faithfulness-and then doing what He asks. Even when we don't understand. Even when He demands that we give up the things we love the most."

I had a hard time dealing with this very thing when my mom was sick. Why would the Lord ask us to give up a wonderful mother, sister and friend. I still deal with those questions, but I have come to realize that I have to live by faith and know that God has a bigger plan. There is good news in the midst of the heartache: "When we stop trying to manhandle our circumstances and start giving them to God, something incredible happens. God takes everything we give Him and begins to work on our behalf. Because we've chosen to believe and trust rather than doubt and fear, He makes all of it-the good and the bad-count for us rather than against us. And that is when we start laying up serious treasure in heaven. And treasure on earth. Faith is counted to us as righteousness-and that righteousness comes in the form of Christlikeness. For when I believe that Jesus is not only able to save me but also to make me holy, I make deposits in my righteousness bank."

I hope this encourages you if you are dealing with circumstances in your life where your faith is being challenged. Know that we serve an AWESOME God who loves you and wants you to trust him with every aspect of your life.

Fun Times

This will be short and sweet but I had to share this picture. Jonah and I were goofing off in the kitchen this afternoon while I was making cookies. I was doing some crazy dance or something trying to make him laugh. Then as I was loading us up to go and pump in the other room I didn't even notice where I put my equipment. I just needed to be able to carry him and the stuff to the other room. You can see the result below.

As I was laughing hysterically I was suddenly overwhelmed with emotions over my mom not being able to share in these crazy moments. I often tell Jonah that he comes from a long line of crazy people. My mom just had this crazy way about her. I have so many things to be thankful for but sometimes I think I would give it all up just to have my mom back and have her share in these precious moments with my son.

On a lighter note. I do not believe in evolution but my son might be able to make a case for the scientist the way he uses his feet to grab stuff. He almost go his foot stuck in one of the links today.

The Cutest Boy EVER!!!!

Enjoy the pictures from the last coule days. It seems that each day Jonah is growing bigger and letting out more laughs then ever.

What's Up People??

I think I just tooted :)

For Christmas this year I'd like a bike, a bunch of toys, no more soy milk.....

Hanging out with Dad

We are enjoying walking with a new friend from down the street.

Walking Righteously

First- I have to correct a mistake from my post a couple days ago. My husband was so kind to point out that it was Abraham who was bargaining with God for righteous people not Moses.
Second- After I posted the other day about our latest sermon and living righteously I came to the conclusion that I'm not sure what it means to "live righteously." So many times I think I/we throw "christian" words around and are not sure what they mean. My husband and I got in a discussion about the murder of the abortion doctor in our area. We began discussing if we thought he would be in heaven. No need to go into details about our discussion because it isn't our place to judge, but it brought about a theological discussion and we were left with the question,"What gets you into heaven."
As a child attending Sunday school so many times I heard that if I accept Jesus into my heart I will live with him in heaven. I believe that is true with all my heart but more complications arise as an adult. What if I stray from the Lord? What if I accept him as my savior but then live a life full of sin? If I invite him in once is that my golden ticket? Are there different rewards for those who follow him daily and those who, like the thief on the cross, repent at the last minute?
I don't mean to belittle the topic by asking these questions but it really caused me to question about living a righteous and holy life. I know I sin on a daily basis. I try not to but I know I do. In my mind living righteously is following Christ, having a personal relationship with him, seeking him daily, and striving to live a sin free life. This brought us to the topic of sin. I was telling Josh that we had a skit/trick we used to do when I was young. Someone would have three different size ropes. One really long one that represented someone who murdered someone, a shorter rope for someone who committed adultery, and then a shorter one for someone who lies. At the end of the "trick" they all become the same size. Sin is sin is sin. As a human I want to think of murder being a bigger sin than lying but in God's eyes they are the same. So again that brought us back to living a righteous life. Josh reminded me of the verse that I have been memorizing over the last week and that part that says, "Brothers and Sisters, I know I have not yet reached the goal (of being who God wants me to be), but there is one thing I always remember: Forgetting the past and striving towards what is ahead I continue trying to reach the goal and gain the prize for which God has called me through Christ to the life above."
I think that verse answers the question of how do I live righteously: Forget the past (God has) and strive daily to live as Christ.

Again, I challenge you to be one of the righteous in this world full of unrighteous!

Pampers-Gifts To Grow

Just a small post for today. I thought I would let all the mommies out there know about the Pampers "Gifts To Grow" program if you don't already know about it. On each package of Pampers diapers and wipes there should be a 15 digit number/letter code. If you enroll in the gifts to grow program you can earn points by inputting these codes into your account. After so many points they have rewards you can choose from. I wouldn't go out of my way to buy Pampers just to do this, but Jonah does so much better in them that I might as well take advantage of the extra perk. **Make sure that if you buy a big box that you look for the codes on both packages in the box. Happy Hunting!

Jonah's First Baseball Game

If any of you know my husband you know he is an avid St. Louis Cardinals fan. Unfortunately we are not able to take Jonah a game but the next best thing would be to see his uncle Ben play. Last night Jonah and I, along with my dad (Jonah's Papa) went to see uncle Ben play. My dad was so excited to see Jonah and spend some time with him after being on vacation for the last week. Here are some pictures of Jonah and Papa at the game.

On another note.................

I wrote last week about memorizing scripture. I finished the verse today so here it goes... Philipians 3:12-14 " I do not mean that I am already who God wants me to be. I have not yet reached that goal, but I continue trying to reach it and make it mine. Christ wants me to do that which is the reason he made me His. Brothers and Sisters, I know I have not yet reached this goal but there is one thing I always do. Forgetting the past and striving towards what is ahead, I keep trying to reach the goal and get the prize for which God called me through Christ....." I almost made it. There are a couple words at the end that I am missing. It is a little hard for Jonah to help me when I say the verse to him every morning. :)

Our pastor preached this weekend on the verses where Moses is bargaining with God to save a city. He starts by asking God if he will save the city if there are 50 righteous people in it. Then he keeps bargaining until he gets down to 10 righteous people. Needlss to say the city wasn't saved. I kept thinking, "How could there not have been 10 righteous people in the city?" Our pastor challenged us to be one of the righteous. The Lord kept recalling my memory verse to my mind. I know I am not a righteous person everyday but, " I continue trying to reach the goal and make it mine."

I hope you all will strive to be one of the righteous.................

6 Years And Counting

Yesterday Josh and I celebrated our 6 year wedding anniversary. Needless to say we have come a long way in 6 years but still have a long way to go. I found myself several times yesterday thinking what was I doing at that moment 6 years ago. Here's what I remember:

8 a.m.: A picnic breakfast made by a family friend in the livingroom of our just aquired house

9 a.m: Off to the hair dresser in the limo with my sister and bridesmaids

10 a.m.: Dropped the bridesmaids off at the church and went to pick up my mom and sisters at their hair dressers.

11 a.m. Getting dressed, makeup, and preparing for pictures.

2 p.m. Racing down the isle to meet my groom. My dad had to hold me back and tell me to walk slower.

3:30 p.m. After what seemed like hours of taking pictures Josh and I were able to greet friends and family at the reception (I never got any of my cake)

5 p.m. After changing Josh and I exited the church while our families and a few friends (they were the only ones left) blew bubbles. I seem to remember someone tossing the bubble mixture at me insted of using the little wand.

6 p.m. Timberline Steakhouse. Josh and I were starving after the long day and decided to share our first meal as husband and wife at one of our favorite steakhouses.

The first year and a half of marriage was tough. Not only were we getting used to each other and all that comes with sharing a house with someone but we were dealing with the illness and death of my mom. I thank the Lord every day that I have such a wonderful husband who put with a lot of emotion those first couple years.

We now have a beautiful son and a new house. The Lord has so richly blessed us. So many marriages don't even make it this far. I know that we are older and wiser now and I pray that we continue to grow closer and closer as husband and wife but also closer as parents to Jonah and hopefully more kids to come.

We hope to get away soon to celebrate but Josh and a family friend spent the weekend putting in our sprinkler system. I couldn't resist taking a couple pics.

The pictures don't have anything to do with our anniversery but I have to keep my family (now 3 gone) updated. Here are some pictures of Jonah this weekend.

Does anyone know how to get these things off my feet?????

I promise that I don't usually put my child in front of the TV. Unfortunatly he already loves it. If we are in the living room he is automoatically drawn to it. I just had to take the picture!

Lists

Lists, lists, lists, lists, lists. I am a list maker. My colleagues would say it is because I am a gold (personality test thing). So every summer I make lists of things I need to do. This year has been pleasant because we are in a new house and the in depth cleaning that had to be done at the old house doesn't exist here. Although, have you ever noticed how much dust accumulates on the top of your refrigerator? We have lived here 5 months and let me just tell you, there was A LOT of dust up there already. Anyway. This morning after my devotional I made a list for this week. I quickly realized that I might have been a little ambitious. Life is definitely different now that there is another person to take care of on a daily basis. I suppose that I should be thankful that he isn't mobile yet or I would really be in trouble.

I said in my first post after school was out that I was really looking forward to having time to do an in depth devotional. I am reading Having a Mary Spirit by Joanna Weaver. It is all about letting God change you and having intimacy with God in this busy life. The study guide for this week had me memorizing scripture. I used to have to do this in elementary school when I went to a Christian school but I have wanted to get back into it. So here goes my couple phrases for today. Phil. 3:12-14 "I do not mean that I am already as God wants me to be. I have not yet reached that goal. I continue trying to reach it and make it mine. Christ wants me to do that, which is the reason he make me his."

Memorizing is much more difficult as an adult. I hope to have the whole verse memorized by then end of the week. I also wanted to point out a key part of the book that really struck home. She says, "I can't imagine anything more terrible than getting to the end of my life only to discover that God had so much more in mind for me-more freedom, more joy, more peace, more true effectiveness. And I missed it all, simply because I refused to change." Changing is not easy, but if I refuse to grow and be stretched who knows what I will have missed.

Another activity I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to do is walking with Jonah. We have a great neighborhood and love to go walking around the mile and a half circle that makes up the whole edition. The other night we went walking and Jonah fell asleep. I couldn't pass up the pictures.

Snoozing while we walk

To our Aunt Rachel: WE MISS YOU ALREADY!!! My sister Rachel graduated early from HS to babysit Jonah after I went back to school. I couldn't have asked for anyone better to spend each day with Jonah. She is now on her way to Alaska to go to a missions school there. We will miss you and can't wait until you get back!

Jonah and his Aunt Rachel

Last thing for today. My mother-in-law got me this book that shows you all sorts of activities that kids should be doing at different ages. One of the activities was putting a towel under their arms while they are on their tummy to help them work their neck muscles. These are some of the pictures from this morning. Have a great day!

Here is Jonah playing in his little "Jungle Gym"