My Heart is Full!

It has been an exciting time in our house and nothing will ever top that excitement! Nothing. On November 15, 2012 our beloved son accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior!! That decision brought both Mom and Dad to tears. Hours later, Jackson jumped out of the bath and exclaimed, "I have Jesus in my heart!!" It was awesome! Last Sunday, he walked down in front of the church to share his exciting news. When he walked down, the pastor introduced him to the church and said, "I think this was the age that James Dobson accepted Christ." I would venture to say that half the congregation could not see him, as small as he was standing up there making this announcement. It was then that it occurred to me how incredibly blessed I was to have a son making a decision to follow Jesus at such an early age. And then, I wondered, how would the pastor know for sure that he was making an honest decision full of understanding of what it truly meant to follow Jesus for the rest of your life? Last night, we were blessed again. Our pastor called to set up an appointment with us and Jackson. I thought we would all three be talking with Pastor Coleman together, but once we entered the office, we were separated from Jackson. I soon found out why. Pastor Coleman sat with Cody and I first and talked to us about our journey to Christ and our family backgrounds. Then, he asked us to tell him a little bit about Jackson's journey to accept Christ. And, at the end, he said something like he always asks parents to explain to him what happened, especially with young children. Six years old is young to have a basic understanding of what it means to truly follow God in your life. But from what we had told him, Jackson understands what sin is and is convicted by his sin and understands what sinning means. Confirmation. For everyone. Then, he brought Jackson in alone...we switched places. We can't seem to get Jackson to tell us what the pastor asked, other than "What did Jesus do for you?" But, other conversation was had, as he was in there for a while. And, after that, we prayed together. Then, our pastor took Jackson up to see the baptistry. Awesome!! I wish I'd had a camera, but the picture in my mind will have to last forever. The pastor holding Jackson's hand as they looked out into the empty church from the baptistry. My heart was full!! Our son is a Child of God and will some day meet us in heaven. What a great warm fuzzy feeling!!

Rolling into November...

The time seems to have flown (except maybe a week in there somewhere that went really slowly...Jackson was ill with 3 different illnesses!!) and I cannot believe we are into November already!! Jackson and I were counting the weeks until Christmas this morning on the way to school...6 1/2 weeks!! I cannot believe this year is almost over! To recap the last month, here are some photo updates. Our "baby" turned 6. We had a birthday party at the YMCA here...baseball themed of course...with 6 of his closest friends. Sweet kiddos from all of his "walks of life" here, church, basketball and school. It was a fun time!

Then, the next weekend we took a small drive to Wetumpka, Alabama (yes, Wetumpka...I think it's a funny name) and visited some Greek Gardens that were absolutely beautiful! It was a perfect day to be outside taking in some history...in Wetumpka =)

And then the Fall Fests started...one for Jackson's school focused on reading called the Reading Raceway. They were supposed to dress like their favorite storybook character. So, here's our little "Peter Pan"!

(That's Jackson's teacher in the picture.)

Then came the Fall Fest at Cody's work. Jackson dressed like a ghost because he "had to be a ghost" ... for about 15 min. That was costume #2 for this fall:

Then the Candy Walk in Prattville followed by the Church Fall Fest and Halloween the next day! Anakin Skywalker it was (costume #3) for the 3rd year in a row!

(That's one of his good friends who lives 10 doors down from us...yay!)

On Halloween, he went to the Pumpkin Patch with his Kindergarten class.

And somewhere smashed in the middle of all that, we painted pumpkins!

And now, it's November! October was packed with activities...November and December's calendars are looking like they will be just as fun!!

Feeling Nostalgic

So it's around this time of the year that I get a little nostalgic. Yes, Jackson turns six in two days. This is what he looked like days after he was born.

Oh, so very little! He came into this world nearly 6 weeks early...a shock to us all (including sweet friends who had a baby shower planned for me the day after he was born...and I was beginning my stay there at the hospital with a preemie baby and myself who was not allowed to get out of a wheelchair =) Memories...!! Well, I have to say that that little kid has grown up. I'm so proud of him. God gave us a perfect blessing...and I love that blessing to pieces!! He stole my heart nearly six years ago. He now knows he came early, and can tell you his real birthday and the birthday he was supposed to come on. He is growing so much and learning so much. I am amazed at all he knows and love to watch him discover new things, and play with cars, and create masterpieces of art, and read, and play, and love on others, and care for people, and just be a child of God. It makes me smile and gives my heart a little flutter when I hear him talk about Jesus and the things that remind him of Jesus...like the treasure he got from the treasure chest the other day. It was a stretchy heart with arms and legs. Pretty pointless to me but a treasure to a 5 year old. That is, it seemed like a piece of junk treasure to me until he told me why he chose it. "It reminds me that I have Jesus in my heart! That's why I picked it Mom!" So, now we are entering the time in his life that I've been praying for...he's so very close and understands it but I continue to pray for the confidence he needs to ask God in prayer to come into his life and for me to know when that time is and how to help him. And that stretchy heart? Well, it's thrown on the floor now, and as I clean up today, you'd better believe that heart will not get thrown away. It's become a treasure of mine too! Memories... So, in two days, my baby will turn 6...6!! I cannot believe it...6 years old!! I'll post some pictures then of him on his birthday, but I just wanted to share my heart right now...and this picture of the athlete in him. He stopped for two seconds to smile for the camera after his basketball game.

I love that smile.

The Pumpkin Patch

One of my favorite pictures of Jackson is from the Pumpkin Patch last year. He's holding up this huge pumpkin from his school's pumpkin patch. Imagine my excitement when we had the opportunity to go out to a real pumpkin patch this year!! A real one, where the pumpkins were still lying IN the patch and we picked them up!

It was a "Trips and Tours" event arranged by the one of the spouses of one of the students in Cody's class. We didn't really know that many people, but it was kindof cool, because the farm closes at 6pm, but they stayed open beyond that for us, lit 5 bonfires and we went to town roasting hot dogs and marshmallows for smores! Prior to dinner, we enjoyed the many activities that the Farm had to offer to include Jackson riding the "Cow Train", going through the corn maze, a hayride, picking our pumpkins and Jackson getting to expend some energy jumping around on the inflatable playground!

Letting Him Go/Grow

A friend posted this on facebook and I had to share it here so I can look back at this one day...and remember how it felt! "I wonder what you're doing and if everyone is treating you kind. I hope there is a special person, a nice friend that you can find. I wonder if your teacher knows just how special you are to me. And if that brightness of your heart is something she can see. I wonder if you are thinking about me and if you need a hug. I already miss the sound of your voice and how you give my leg a tug. I wonder if you could possibly understand how hard it is for me to let you grow. On this day know that my heart breaks; for this is the first step in letting my baby go." For some strange reason, Week 2 has been a harder week for me with Jackson in Kindergarten. Starting on Monday, the school no longer let us walk our children back to their classrooms. "Why?" I wondered at first and then I told Cody, "This is good. And I understand. It's good Jackson's being forced into becoming a bit more independent." So, on Monday, I walked him in the front doors, and in front of me was a barrier/rope to kindly remind parents to say their goodbyes in the Foyer. I leaned down, kissed Jackson, told him I loved him, he smiled up at me, waved and then walked forward and around the corner out of my sight. No problem for him... What I didn't expect was the wave of emotions that would come over me when I turned around and walked out of the front doors of the school. I got choked up. (Uh...I think the independence step is for ME! It's good I'M being forced into it!!) Back at the car, I thought, my only baby has grown up! Have I cherished all the moments enough?? Have I hugged him enough?? Did I teach him how to treat others and include others at play?? Did I teach him how to respect his teacher?? Does he know how to open his yogurt on his own?? What if he gets lost going to his class?? Does he know not to talk to strangers?? But, most importantly, does he remember that GOD IS WITH HIM EVERY STEP OF THE WAY?? And, I was reminded that God is with me every step of the way...He's here to comfort me and give me the peace I need throughout the day to know that Jackson will be fine...and so will I.

First Week of Kindergarten...COMPLETE!

I asked Jackson yesterday after school, if he could sum up his first week of kindergarten, how would he sum it up? His response, "I love Kindergarten!!!" He woke up this morning and informed me that he wanted to go to school. I explained that it was Saturday and the school was locked up and no teachers were there. He asked what the teachers were doing today. "Relaxing!!" I said!! In his little mind, Monday can't come soon enough! I love his enthusiasm for school and hope it lasts until he's at least 23 years old! Here are some pictures from his first day of school! No tears from him or me at drop off! I consider that great success!

And this one, was a picture of his "First Day of School after-school ice cream."

This week, they will not allow me to walk him down the halls, so he will be on his own making his way to the back of the school. We'll see how Monday goes!

"Where are we going next?"

Today on the way back from swimming lessons, Jackson asked me, "Mom, where are we going after Alabama??" First of all, he doesn't waste anytime (hope this is not a sign that he is already tired of it here). I responded with, "Well, we don't know and probably won't know until a few months after Christmas. Here are the options..." and I listed many options, because quite frankly, we have no idea where we'll be. His top choices from the ones I listed were Germany, Japan, Hawaii and maybe England. Yep, looks like he's our son!! Sounds like he had as much fun as we did overseas!!

Our Journey: From NV to AL

Ahhhh...we made it across the country and have now been official residents of Prattville, Alabama for 3 1/2 weeks! We are settled here and about to get into some sort of routine...I think. Cody starts his classes on Wed. and Jackson starts his on the 20th of August. Me, well, I haven't decided what I'll do this year, but we are now proud members of the YMCA so I have a strong feeling part of my time will be spent utilizing that membership! So, let's rewind........... Back at the beginning of June, we packed up and cleaned up and Cody had his last flight.

We took some time to have one last stay at Caesar's Palace down on the strip and stayed a few nights with some friends that will be dearly missed.

Then we hopped in an airplane and headed north for a week of beautifully cool weather to visit my parents in WA. We enjoyed being outside, walking on the beach and even stayed a night out at sea on their boat! It was the perfect vacation, full of relaxation and much-needed family time!

We then flew back to Vegas, stayed with our great friends for one night and headed out on our 6 day driving journey to Alabama! The nice thing about this journey is we broke it up tremendously. We were able to stop in Cleburne, TX for a week to celebrate Cody's birthday, the fourth of July and our nephew, Hudson's birthday and see Cody's parents and his brother and family! While we were there, we saw a rodeo, rode their tractor, Jackson spent lots of play time with his cousins, and for the Fourth/my nephew's birthday, we celebrated in style with a HUMONGOUS water slide that my brother-in-law and sister-in-law rented for my nephew's birthday!! It was a blast!!

After 7 days of fun, we continued on our journey but just a short jaunt on down to Houston to visit my sister and her family. Once again, fun with cousins and some catch up time with my sister, brother-in-law, niece (whom Cody met for the first time!) and nephew.

We finished our trip with one last night in Farmerville, LA to see Cody's Grandfather, who met Jackson for the first time! That was such a blessing to see him and spend some time with him. Then one last 7 hour day of driving to finish off our driving. We arrived at our new home in Prattville, Alabama on the evening of the 10th of July and the movers came with our household goods the morning of the 11th! And for those of you who know of our moving history, all of our stuff was located and delivered (for the most part) actually to Alabama!! It's a toss up though as to whether I would prefer a delayed delivery of our furniture and it still arrive with no nicks, scratches, bumps, gouges, holes, missing parts, paint missing, screws gone, etc. or an on-time delivery with nearly every furniture piece having a nick, scratch, bump, gouge, hole, missing part, paint missing, or screw gone. Let's just say, the contents of our boxes arrived fine...but our furniture was quite a different story. Oh well, just stuff, right?!? None the less, we are settled, enjoying small-town life and the slower pace that hopefully this assignment will bring. It's lonely right now, just as every move to a new place is at about this point for me. It's about now that I begin to miss my friends, church and activities, but God is good. I know He will bring someone or something into my life to make me less lonely...and if that is simply more time to spend with Him, I am grateful for that! I leave you with one more picture...one of my favorites from our trip!

I love these boys!!

I've Been Blessed...

...by a supportive and loving husband ...by a wonderful and compassionate son ...by family who care ...by friends all over who are just like family ...by the LOVE OF CHRIST!! I have NOT been blessed with a patient, calm spirit in unplanned circumstances. It is something I must rely on God for. For those that know me well, I panic easily before thinking rationally about an unplanned situation. There, I said it! I am often irrational! I feel for my husband and my son, because when these panic situations happen, they receive the brunt of it. Up until now, with this move, I have praying that things will fall into place and that I will remain calm...and I have. And, just as I thought, "ok, I feel like things are under control," that's when it went array. I should have known. So, our water pipes started banging three days ago in our house. After 2 service professionals honest work and opinions, I'm bringing out a plumber. The last time I called a plumber was in Florida like 7 years ago. Plumbers scare me...only because they seem like one of the most expensive services out there This is strictly based on nothing but my own thoughts...so I am probably incorrect, but alas, my blog, my thoughts =). Anyway, so the plumber is coming tomorrow. That's not what this blog is about though...carrying on... My ladies Bible Study that I have fascilitated in our home over the past year an a half had its last session on Monday. This is always hard for me because these are generally the women that I share my deepest concerns and prayer requests with. These are the women that have prayed fearlessly and continually for my requests about my nephews, my dad, my husband, my son, my in-laws, my nieces, my mom, my sisters, my brothers, and me, and every situation in between. So, the prayer request that I left them with on Monday was that I remain calm over this move b/c I was on the edge of losing it as things 'seem' like they are falling apart around me (more specifically in our house). I know they are praying...but Satan attacked me this morning. I'm ashamed to say that for an hour or two, I fell. But, just as God always does, he picked me up...and here I am writing this blog entry, because I need accountability on a large scale. I need to keep it together and only God can do that for me!! One of the ladies that I admire from my Bible Study mentioned Zephaniah 3:17 to me. So, yesterday, I read the history behind Zephaniah and read the whole 3 chapters that it encompasses. Zephaniah 3:17 says this, "The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." "quiet me with his love..." "QUIET ME WITH HIS LOVE..." That stood out yesterday, and Satan knew it did! I forgot it this morning until I was heading to drop Jackson off at school (which, if you remember from past posts, is a good 30 minute drive...unless you run into traffic as we did this morning, and then it is longer =) ). God brought it to my mind... And so, I'm claiming that verse...I'm going to memorize it and live it out! I want to...I want to change...I do...but I cannot do it myself. Dear Lord, Help me. help me to know that you are with me, to trust you that you know EXACTLY what you are doing and how to "fix" it. Help me to remember that you are the great provider of peace and quiet in my life. Remind me that you delight in me and to never let that go for even a split second. Help me to be patient like you, knowing that means you will provide situations in which my patience is required. Most of all, Lord, let me show who you are through love. No problem is so big that I cannot lean on you and we can handle it together! Your are my rock...don't let me forget that!! I close this blog, asking you, as my faithful readers, friends and family to keep me accountable. I desperately need it now. I'll be good...I know, God always brings me through my rough spots because he knows me and he knew when they would happen. God is good...all the time.

From California to Alabama (with Vegas in between)

This kid was all smiles at Disneyland a few weeks ago! We had a blast...more fun than last time we went a year and half ago!! Both trips were great, but we realized we have a grown little boy now. The first trip there at age 4, he was very much into Mickey Mouse and all the characters, getting their signature and doing all the little kid rides! This time, as we entered Disneyland the first day, here was the conversation: Me: Jackson look!! There's Pluto! Do you want to go see Pluto and get him to sign your book?? Jackson: (looks up at me) No.........(long pause) Mom, who plays Pluto?? Me: Well, Pluto plays Pluto. Jackson: No, Mom. Who's the person inside of the Pluto. Me: (in between laughing) I have no idea. Shall we go find some rides?? Jackson: YEAH!! Clearly, I realized right away, this trip would be very different. That kid walked for three straight days!! We opened and closed the park all three days!!!! When we asked him if he wanted to go back to the hotel and rest a bit or go on another ride, his response was consistent...go on another ride! Could be the reason we felt like we did both Disneyland and California Adventure in two days! The last day, we re-did rides! His favorite was Autopia...we rode it 5 times! He even rode the roller coasters with us! It was an awesome vacation to remember. That brings me to today!! We are countdown 3 weeks to the date our movers arrive. Things are starting to fall into place. We just got tenants and a signed lease, so we are working on all the details of that now. Praise God that worked out. He certainly provided!! So, round about the end of June, someone else will be in our Vegas home and we will be headed to "our" new home in Alabama! Life is good.

To Charleston and Beyond!

We finally made it up to Mt. Charleston...in March. Yes, March. I do realize I'm just now posting pictures, but it honestly took me until this week to hook up the camera and load...a BUNCH of pictures. So, pictures from our fun in the snowy mountains!

Then, if you are on facebook, you saw our pictures of our little baseball player. This kid can hit that ball!! So proud of him. Here were some pictures of his first baseball game!

And then, some fun with the squadron on a Road Rally on The Strip! Complete fun!! Here is a picture of the entire group in front of the Red Square in Mandalay Bay before the "maddness" started! Oh, and yes, our team won! We found/got/videoed all but about 5 of the items on the two page list.

That's a quick update!! Next up...DISNEYLAND!!