When I look back at the year, I love smiling at what a blessing it has been. We have had our share of challenging moments, sure, but our time here in Alabama has been just what it needed to be, a time for us to come back together as a family and reconnect...most of all focus on God as a family.
Alabama will hold a special place in our hearts...forever. It is where Jackson came to accept Christ as his Lord and Savior and was baptized by Opa (Cody's dad) in our church here.
Alabama is where Jackson started Kindergarten...and Daddy could be there for the first day of school.
Alabama is where Jackson tried basketball and played in Little League baseball. Thus, it is where we discovered the seriousness of sports, especially football and baseball, in the South! (And, where we discovered that, yes, Jackson's sport of choice will most likely be baseball.)
We have traveled to Tuscaloosa to experience the atmosphere surrounding an Alabama Crimson Tide football game, and our son has become an Alabama football fan!
We managed to travel to Atlanta, GA; Gulf Shores, AL; Destin, Pensacola & Navarre, FL; Huntsville, AL; Birmingham, AL; and of course Montgomery, AL. (We are hoping to add a couple others before we leave, but our time is running short and movers must be scheduled.)
We visited the Pumpkin Patch in Alabama and decorated two Christmas trees again in our home.
In Alabama, we discovered that Jackson loves to write and enjoys creating stories and books! He was selected and attended a Young Author's Conference here and read his story aloud.
And, with that picture up, it reminds me that here, in Alabama, Jackson lost 4 teeth...that makes 6 adult teeth in his mouth!!
We have celebrated two of our birthdays here and made some great, lifelong friends!
It's funny how a place that you live, that might seem so "normal," can all of a sudden in the blink of an eye be in the past and mean so much. This place has made me realize that the everyday things of life are BIG BLESSINGS!! And, when you stop to reflect on them, they mean so very much!
I've learned a lot here...I've learned to function independently of my son (and him of me), which was a challenge for both of us but has been such a wonderful growing experience. I've also learned to slow down a bit and cherish every minute of life. Some days, that means we eat dinner out so that I can throw the ball with Cody and Jackson; some days that means that the house doesn't get cleaned for yet another day, and sometimes that means that I spend that extra time reading 5 new books instead of folding the laundry. I'm learning to be a better wife and mother~this assignment has taught me about the IMPORTANT things in life!
For that, I will always be grateful!
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