Merry Christmas!

What a wonderful Christmas we had this year. Jonathan was so excited by just everything. He loved the tree, the lights, everyone elses lights, blow up Santas, reindeers, baby Jesus, church, etc. He truly was just joyful for the season. It made each thing so much more fun for us to be able to share it with him. Made each thing that much more special.


We went out one night to check out the lights at Burns Park and Sherwood Forest. They were just great and he LOVED the lights. He especially loved the displays where the lights went over the car. It was so much fun.

We went to the Christmas Eve service at church. Jonathan nevers goes into the service, so we was quite excited by...everything! After each song, he would clap and say, yeah!! He loved it, but was not so much into sitting still. Mark tried to take him down front for the children's moment. It was an adventure as Jonathan starts screaming "Daddy!" when Mark moved away from him. They didn't stay for the whole time; came on back to our seats. But it was nice and he loved singing songs about "baby Jesus" as he calls him. He has really loved going to Sunday School this month to talk about baby Jesus. What a neat and fun time it is.

Christmas Eve we set out milk and cookies for Santa. Jonathan helped carry them into the room and put them on the table. We told him he had to go to bed so Santa would come and bring him presents. He looks at us and says, "I see Santa." We tell him that Santa cannot come until he goes to bed. He thinks about this for a minute and says, "No, I see Santa." How do you explain this to a two year old! It was so funny and just precious. We finally got him to sleep and then poor Santa's elves stayed up for several hours getting his kitchen and car put together. Magic really would have helped!

He was so excited Christmas morning to wake up and see his two big presents. He went running straight for them and just had a blast riding in the car, which he has now termed his "truck," and cooking up a storm in his kitchen. Needless to say, we didn't open any other presents for a while!

After breakfast, we got down to business and opened presents. Everyone had a great time with their gifts and watching Jonathan open his. He had so many that he got tired of opening them after a while. He had to take a break and open the rest of his presents after his nap. So funny.

My Daddy made Jonathan an airplane. A scale model jet fighter airplane. It is so very cool. Has foot pedals and steering stick. Even stickers that say, Pilot: Jonathan, Crew Chief: Grandad. Jonathan absolutely loves it and has begged to go outside everyday to play in it. We put it in the garage so that he can play and not be quite so cold!

Mark grilled steaks for Christmas dinner, which were delicious. We also had potato salad, green beans, baked beans, etc. plus numerous pies, cakes, candy, etc. Over the next couple of days we also had deviled eggs, banana pudding, Heavenly ham, etc. Needless to say we ate and ate and ate.

The day after Christmas, we took Jonathan to Chuck E. Cheese to play games. Everyone had a blast taking times playing different games with him and chasing him around the place. We all had fun playing the Deal or No Deal game. It was so funny to watch everyone try to win the game. We had pizza afterwards, NOT at Chuck E. Cheese, and Jonathan chowed down on crackers and pizza. He is such a ham!

I had to go back to work on Monday. Mark and Jonathan are both staying home the whole week. So far, they have been having a great time sleeping in and playing the day away. They met me for lunch today which was a very nice treat. We are going to a friend's house tomorrow night for New Year's Eve which will be fun. And Friday, some of our best friends from MS are coming in which will be a lot of fun. We haven't seen them in forever it seems.

Hope that everyone is having a good holiday. I'll just share one more thing from our holiday time. Jonathan loves to pray. We have been teaching him praying hands and he has been doing that for a while now. Just this last week though, he has been wanting to say the prayer. He likes for one of us to pray first. Then he will say, "pray, Mommy, pray." So he puts his praying hands on, closes his eyes, and then repeats after you a prayer. At the end, on his own, he says, "I love you baby Jesus. Amen." It is the most humbling, awesome, happy moment. We are so blessed and so happy that our precious little baby loves our Lord Jesus.

Two Years Later

We took the first picture a few days after we got home from the hospital (1-4-07).

The second picture was taken on Jonathan's 2nd birthday (12-21-08).

What a difference two years makes. Look at how big our little man has gotten. We are so blessed. Jonathan has undergone two surgeries in the past two years and has come through both just great. Mark's Dad has had four surgeries (heart, leg, each eye) this year alone, and is also doing fantastic. We are so thankful for our family. We would not be where we are without them.

Merry Christmas everone! Lots of love to all!

Happy 2nd Birthday and Two Year Old Checkup

Getting ready to blow out my candles!

Our birthday boy, the big 2!

He was way excited about the presents!

Jonathan went to see Dr. Lu today for his 2 year old checkup. We just love Dr. Lu. He is so kind and easy going and so very good with Jonathan. The visit went really well and he looked good. Jonathan now weighs 31 pounds and is 37 inches tall. He is in the 80th and 100th percentiles. Boy is tall!! He did have to get one shot today, which he was not a fan of, but it went well.

His birthday was yesterday and he had an absolute blast. I got the pictures uploaded to his picture website today. They are great. But the video is even better. Unfortunately, I have no idea on how to get video off the actual video camera onto the computer. Off my camera yes, the video camera no. Suffice it to say that he was not a huge fan of getting clothes as a birthday present. He threw them down and then kicked them. It was hilarious...for a two year old. Luckily, Mark's Mom was not offended. She did tell him that he was getting more clothes for Christmas though!


But he loved all his toys and gifts, especially his Handy Manny tool set, Corduroy bear, and John Deere coin tower (see pics). He also liked the cake with Mickey and friends on it. He kept saying "Me-Mou Mommy, Me-Mou!"


I cannot believe that my most precious gift from God is already two years old. We are so very, very blessed. I could not have imagined the joy and wonder that one little child could bring into our lives. My cup runneth over. Thank you Lord for my little boy. Thank you Lord.

Happy Birthday and Merry Christmas!

What a wonderful month of fun we have had already. The first Saturday of December we had Jonathan's 2nd Birthday Party. We had it at Oogles and Googles. Ten of his friends were able to come to the party. Everyone had a ton of fun- singing songs, playing with toys, shaving cream, decorating cupcakes, putting handprints on a t-shirt, etc. Jonathan was so excited to see all of his friends. Everyone had such a nice time.

The next week, Jonathan's class took a field trip to the mall to see Santa Claus. Jonathan did a little better than last year. He got close enough to give Santa a "high five," but was having nothing to do with sitting on his lap. Only one of his friends actually sat with Santa. They are all so funny. We had Chick-Fil-A after seeing Santa, and they all loved that part of course!

Mark and I have been to two Christmas parties in the last week and actually left Jonathan with a paid babysitter. He has only ever stayed with grandparents or with a friend from work. So it was an experience for all of us. The first night was not so great but the second night he did really well. Of course, we found out after the fact that he was getting sick the first night. Oh well!

Santa Claus came to preschool yesterday and once again Jonathan gave him a high five. He let me hold him next to Santa for a picture, so that is closer. Maybe by next year he will sit with Santa. Here's hoping anyway! As he was walking away from Santa, Jonathan turned around and said, "Mary Kis-mus Santa." It was so sweet. They had their Christmas party that afternoon. The kids were more excited about the fruit and cheese than the cupcakes and sweets. They are so funny. He is a huge fan of "Ru-off" the red-nosed reindeer. Any show with Rudolph and/or Santa is a big hit at our house right now.

We had Jonathan's birthday party at school this afternoon. We had Mickey Mouse plates and blowers with either Mickey Mouse or Thomas the train on them. The two year olds are not quite old enough to make the blowers work, but they had fun with them regardless. We had a giant gingerbread man for his cake, with more grapes of course! Everyone had fun eating and playing. After we left school, we went to NLR to take his two year old pictures. A friend from church, Heather Owens, is now a photographer. She did a wonderful job and Jonathan had fun being cheesy for the camera.

Sunday is Jonathan's second birthday. Can you believe that my precious baby is about to officially be a Toddler. He is just getting bigger every day and is such a joy to us. He is so smart and so funny with the things he says and does. Just a few examples- He figured out how to use the bathroom scale as a step stool to climb into the bath tub. Climbed up the ladder after Mark while Mark was puttting the lights up on the house. HAS to watch "Me-Mou on TV" (also known as Mickey Mouse) everday. His vocabulary is growing every day too. "I fall down" is one of his favorites and he falls/sits on purpose so he can say it. "Want Mommy/Daddy/Me-Mou/cars back" is also a common phrase. Every day is "Where Daddy go?" to which the answer is 'at work' and his reply to that is "see Big Buck!" When Mark went to the deer camp, he told Jonathan he was going to look for the Big Buck. So now, whenever Mark is not at home, he is looking for the big buck. Much to Mark's dismay, he is usually just at work.

Jonathan has also really started learning and retaining a ton from his Sunday School lessons at church. He is a BIG fan of "baby Jesus" and likes to talk about Him and read His stories in Jonathan's picture Bible. It is just amazing how much he remembers at such a young age. And is able to transfer it to other settings. We were at Hobby Lobby today and he saw a nativitiy scene. He looks at it and tells me "baby Jesus, Mommy!" He was so excited by it. I was so excited by him being so excited!! They send a sheet home from church each week that tells you what they talked about that week. A few weeks ago it was the story of God giving Abraham and Sarah the gift of a child, Isaac. On the sheet was a song you could sing with your child. We now sing this song on a regular basis. He tries to sing it too which is so fun to watch and listen to. Anyway, for those who don't know the song, here goes!

God gives joy.

God gives joy.

Abraham and Sarah had a baby boy.

With a jump up and down, and a turn around and round.

Let's all shout 'cause God gives joy.

Just a simple little song, but so fun. If you ask Jonathan questions about the story, he is very accuarte in his answers. God gave Abraham and Sarah a gift of a ..."baby" and the baby's name is..."Isaac" and we read about their story in the ..."Bible." God is so good. Never think that it is too early to teach your children about Jesus, God, the Bible. They are just sponges and eat up every morsel of God's Word.

Anyway, there is a quick synopsis of our month so far. Lots more excitement to come with birthday on Sunday and Christmas next week. This will be a fun Christmas as Jonathan is old enough now to really get in to all that the season has to offer. We hope that each of you has a wonderful Christmas. Know that we miss you all and hope to see you soon. May God bless you as He has well and truly blessed our family.

New Pictures Up on Website

I haven't posted in over a month. Sad, I know. Wish life had been moving a little bit slower so I would have had time to do it! And yet, here it is, late at night, and I'm still not going to make a true post. I did, however, finally get a TON of pictures downloaded off of both of the cameras. They are posted on his picture website: http://picasaweb.google.com/mjt011mark

New pictures in August, September, October, and Branson Trip. So, enjoy the pictures, and I will try to make a real post soon. We're hoping to go to the Pumpkin Patch tomorrow, so I'm sure I will have plenty of pictures from that!

Hokey Pokey Time

Jonathan learned how to do the Hokey Pokey this weekend with his MaMa Deb. He had her do it over and over and over. His favorite thing was to turn around and then fall down. He would fall down on purpose, and then tell you, "I fall down!" He would laugh and laugh, then get up and do it all over again!!

Fun With Friends and Family

I just had to share a few of these pictures. Jonathan is just such a happy and loving baby. Jonathan had this shirt on after church last weekend. He thought he was hot stuff even though it is still WAY too big!

We went to Karen's house after work the other day. Jonathan and Katie had a great time running around the house. We finally got them to settle down to read books. They were just too cute sitting there together. Plus they play together so well. Megan just sits back and watches them run around. They stop by to tell her hi every once in a while, then keep running!

Paw Paw came to take care of Jonathan Wednesday and Thursday of this past week. Preschool was closed Wednesday to Friday to get ready for the new school year. Jonathan had a wonderful time playing with his Paw Paw. He did not want to take a nap for him, but never really got fussy during the day. They took walks, played outside, ate who knows how much "snacks", and just really enjoyed being together. The ice cream man came by on Tuesday afternoon when Paw Paw got here, and of course Jonathan got an ice cream. He was very excited! Mark was off on Friday, and the three of them went to Two Rivers Park. They had a good time out there. Jonathan was a big fan of playing in the dirt. All boy.

Paw Paw and Mark went to the deer camp to run water and power lines to his trailer on Friday afternoon. Late Friday night, MaMa Deb and Grandad came. Jonathan was so excited to have new people to come love on him and entertain him. We took MaMa Deb out for her birthday, and had yummy cake for her at home. Jonathan was very excited about the cake! The ice cream came by again on Saturday. So this time, Grandad got him a different ice cream cone. He was so proud of himself strutting back into the house with his ice cream.

Jonathan had his first day of school today. He was SUCH a BIG, BIG boy. I was so proud of him just walking into the new classroom without any kind of fuss. He looked so cute in his new outfit and new shoes that Grandma and Paw Paw got for him. He has three new friends this year, two of which are little boys. I know he will be excited to have some boys to play with. (Last year he had six girls and one other boy in his class. Now there are seven girls and three other boys.) He has the same teachers. They said he did very well today and had a great time with the new room and the new toys! He also had three servings of mandarin oranges for lunch today. What could be better than that?

We did have one bad thing happen today. When we got home from school today, I got Jonathan out of the car and walked down the driveway to get the mail. When I was almost to the mailbox, I noticed a car coming down the road. I turned to check on Jonathan and see where he was. When I did, my ankle rolled and just collapsed. I fell flat on my back in the middle of the road. Luckily the car stopped and did not run over me or Jonathan (who was safely up by the house). Unfortunately, I sprained my ankle pretty good. I can't even walk on it right now. I called Mark and he came on home from work to take me to the ER. It isn't broken, just swollen and colorful and hurting!! The doctor sent me home with a splint, crutches, drugs, and instructions to stay home and elevate my foot. The whole thing has been completely crazy. One of the weirdest things I have ever done to myself. Jonathan was just wonderful. He tried so hard to help me up and when we finally got inside, he crawled in my lap and loved on me and patted my back. It was very empathetic for a 19 month old. And if you ever need to go to the ER, go to Baptist. They were so nice and concerned for my injury, and actually pretty fast...for an ER. Unfortunately, we have spent a lot of time in ER's over the past year and a half, and trust me, none of them have been fast! Thank goodness I didn't break the silly thing, that would have been a trip. Hopefully this will heal fast. Mark is supposed to go to Atlanta on Wednesday. Great timing right?

Scrapbooking and Church

I was able to take some time for myself this weekend and go to the Cropping For Kids scrapbooking weekend. It was a fundraiser for Easter Seals and just a ton of fun. Two people I work with and a Mom/friend from work were there. It was a complete blast to just have some dedicated time to work on my scrapbook and have some girl talk and recharge my batteries. My husband is completely wonderful and kept Jonathan Friday night and ALL day Saturday so I could play. Not that he minded, he and Jonathan had a great time together. I feel so revitalized and ready to face my life again. It is funny how just a little time away can put everything back into perspective. I was literally ten minutes from my house, and I was still missing my boys like crazy! I am really glad that I got to go, but I was even that much happier to be back home with them. Sometimes I think we just need a little change in our perspective.

We went to church today, and Jonathan transitioned really well to his Sunday School room!!!! This is such a huge relief to me. It was just breaking my heart when he was screaming to stay. I am so glad that he is finally starting to have fun. He just loves his Sunday School teachers. It is a husband and wife team. Jonathan just walked in today and went straight to the husband, climbed in his lap, and waved goodbye. They said that he had everybody dancing during extended session too. (Gonna be a dancer Aunt Kim!!). We also had lunch today with some friends from church. Mark and I feel so blessed to have found a place where we 'fit' and where we can raise Jonathan in a Christian environment.

On the way home from lunch, Jonathan was trying so hard to tell me something. I finally figured out he was saying, "Mommy, it raining." He is so smart and so funny. He was doing his hands like rain coming down. And he was right, it was most definitely raining!

This is the last partial week of preschool for the year. He is only going to school on Monday and Tuesday. His Paw Paw is going to come keep him Wednesday and Thursday, and Mark will be off on Friday. Then next week he will be in a new classroom. How fast this year has gone. Makes me sad that he is growing up so fast, but happy that he is doing so well and that he loves to go to school. I cannot imagine him not being there. He loves to be with his friends, do all the art projects, read books, take walks, play on the playground, sing LOTS of songs, eat lunch at the 'big boy' table, see Mommy in the hallway, get cookies on the way out the door from the receptionist, and be with his teachers. God has truly provided us with a wonderful environment and people to take care of our son. And even more for me to be there in the same building, able to watch over him and see him during the day.

We had a guest preacher today at church. He was talking about the importance and power of prayer. He had the most interesting ideas on HOW to pray for your family, coworkers, friends, etc. He said that instead of just praying for what he thinks someone needs prayers over, he asks God to lead him to what he should pray for people. What a neat idea. Completely changes the way we can pray. I'm definitely going to be giving this one a try. So get ready, prayers coming each of your way!!!

Love to you all and miss you bunches! Come see us anytime!!

Our Busy Weekend

We had a busy but wonderful weekend. We actually woke up early Saturday morning to go do a couple of fun things. First, we went to take some family and 18 month old shots at this neat place I found. (And yes I know, he's 19 months old). They are cutting in a new road but have left all the trees on either side. It was really pretty. Unfortunately, it was also really hot. Even at 8:30 in the morning, we were sweating up a storm. But it was still fun. The pictures are not the best we've ever taken, but they turned out ok.

After we left there, we changed clothes and went to The Wonder Place. It is a neat indoor play area that's been open about a year here in Little Rock. It is a really neat place with a ton of different play areas. There is a whole area dedicated for the under two crowd, a water table, a sand table, veterinarian area, play house, pretend grocery store, play kitchen, art/craft area, books, and blocks. As you can imagine, it was a little overwhelming, but tons of fun. Jonathan loved everything, but most especially the water table. He splashed and played and just loved it so much. He did a great job on the art project too. He's finally starting to figure out how markers and paint and that kind of stuff works.

We finally left there around noon. All three of us were just exhausted. We had lunch, and then went home for a nap.

Sunday we got up for church. Jonathan went to his Sunday School class without fussing!! He has been having a hard time with the transition, but he went happily, so we were very excited. He really loves his Sunday School teachers right now. They are truly nice people and take good care of him.

Sunday night, we went to a church swimming party and cookout. It was only Jonathan's second time in the pool. He loved it! They had a baby pool that he could walk around in. He stayed in there for a while, and then he was ready to party! He loved "jumping" off the side of the pool to Mark or I. Then he wanted to "swim" around the pool. We really enjoyed being together and seeing some people from church. We left around 8:30 p.m. Once again, we were exhausted!

So that is our weekend! We truly enjoyed being together as a family and doing some different things. Sometimes we tend to get stuck in a rut, so we just really loved doing something fun together.

Jonathan Loves Lucy

Here is a video of Jonathan telling his baby cousin Lucy, "I love you." He tries very hard to say her name. Right now it is coming out as Tu-cee. I think that's pretty good for 19 months!

Jonathan loves to look at Lucy's picture. We have looked at it every day since she was born.

I can't wait for him to meet her. I know they will have a wonderful time playing together.

So much to say...

Well, it has been a while since I wrote. So much has been going on that I haven't had much time to type, but I do want to share our lives!

Last weekend, my parents came up for a visit. Jonathan was so excited to see his Grandad and Mama Deb. He is trying so hard to get their names out. He is getting really close. He loved having Mama Deb read him all his books and sitting with Grandad to watch some of the "Cars" movie. We went to the AR Traveler's baseball game Saturday night. It was hot, but fun. Jonathan really likes to see the ball and watch all the people. He also ate all of the lemons out of our lemonade. Kept making the most horrible faces while eating it, but insisting that you give him more. He is a mess! Jonathan loved having his grandparents there in the morning and we loved getting to sleep in.

On Monday, Jonathan had a doctor's appointment in OKC. The doctor was very pleased with his studies and his progress. He feels that this last surgery was successful and that Jonathan is healing nicely. God is so wonderfully good. We just give God all the praise and glory for the healing of his body. It is just such a relief to see God move in our precious baby. I cannot express the joy in my heart. Thank you Lord for healing my baby. We don't have to go back to OKC for six months! That is the longest we have ever gone without a trip there, so we are very excited about that.

Our other good news this week was that Mark was promoted to the Manager of Transmission Security Coordination. He is still in the same office in Pine Bluff. We are so very excited about this opportunity for him. He officially starts his new job on Monday.

Jonathan is just so easy-going and happy. Michelle, another PT and friend from work, kept Jonathan Friday afternoon while Mark and I had a meeting with a financial planner. He was so happy to see her and they had a wonderful time playing. Saturday night, we went to the AR Twisters football game. It was an event for the summer interns at Mark's work. They had reserved the company suite. We had a blast. They have food catered in, which was actually quite good. There is an inside area with couches and then three rows of seats in the arena. Jonathan had a wonderful time running around the suite and up and down the steps. He smiled and talked to everyone. His favorite person though, was definitely Clint. He is one of Mark's friends from work. They occasionally have lunch together on Mark's Friday's off so Jonathan knows him. He kept dragging Clint everywhere and climbing up on his lap. It was hilarious. Also nice for us as we were able to let him run and play without having to keep him in one seat. I sat and talked to Clint's wife, Elizabeth, while Jonathan ran around and had a great time.

Jonathan now has a cousin! Baby Lucy made her arrival to the world on Friday, July 25th, at 11:28am. She was 21 inches long and weighed 9 pounds! This is Mark's brother and sister-in-law's (Russ and Katherine) baby. We are so glad she is finally here and we cannot wait to meet her. We showed Jonathan her picture and told him it was Baby Lucy. He points at the picture and says, "Tu-ce." It was just too cute. He is a big fan of babies. I cannot wait until he gets to meet her. It will be interesting to see what he thinks of the actual baby. I have always enjoyed spending time with my cousins, so I hope that Jonathan and Lucy will have a great time playing together as well.

A Jonathan anecdote to end up this post. We were at Home Depot this afternoon to find a replacement handle for the toilet. (Silly thing just broke right off). Mark is looking at stuff to rent and I had gone to look for carpet cleaners (my carpet seems to get random spills on it all the time now). Jonathan is getting tired of sitting in the cart. He starts pulling on my arm saying, "Mommy, Mommy." I tell him, "Just a minute." He looks at me and says, "Let's go." Clear as can be. Absolutely hilarious. Can you tell that someone else in our house says that to me all the time? He is just so smart and so funny. So, yes, we left, with the replacement toilet handle.

So there you have the short version of our lives lately. We are well and truly blessed and are looking forward to what is to come. God is awesome and we are so thankful for our blessings.

Happy Fourth of July

We had a wonderful Fourth of July holiday. Grandma and Paw Paw came up at the beginning of the week to stay with us while Daddy was in St. Louis. Jonathan had a wonderful time staying home and playing with them. He definitely has his Grandma wrapped around his finger! We celebrated Grandma's birthday with her on Tuesday. Jonathan was excited about another cake!

We left Friday morning for Monroe. We had a great time visiting with my grandparents, Jonathan's great-grandparents. Grand Bode found all kinds of toys and stuff for Jonathan to play with. Grandpa Paul and Jonathan had a great time playing with the massager. It was pretty funny to watch them. Grandpa Paul would put it on his back and then Jonathan would take it from him and try to put it on his back. They had a great time playing. Grand Bode and Jonathan played the "Ride the Horsey" game over and over and over.

Friday night we went to the levee to see the fireworks. The whole night was just hilarious. We drove down close to the levee to see where we could park. The policeman started to tell us that we needed to park "way over there..." when he realized that he knew Grandpa Paul. He let us park right next to the levee. Sometimes it really is who you know and taking the time to ask. So Grandpa Paul and Mark took the chairs up to the levee to save us a spot. Grand Bode, Jonathan, and I decided to sit in the car until it was closer to time for the fireworks. It was so hot that we didn't want to get Jonathan out in the heat. About ten minutes later, rain drops. Mark and Grandpa Paul ran back up the hill and brought the chairs back down. As soon as they got back in the car, it started to pour. All the people on the levee start running for their cars, all of which are half a mile away. So of course they are soaking wet. We were sitting in the car, nice and dry! We decided to wait to see if they would shoot the fireworks anyway. They did. They shot them off super fast which was kind of fun. I think the firework people were tired of getting rained on as well. So, there we were, sitting in the car, in the rain, watching fireworks! It was so much fun and such a great memory. Plus, since we were in the car, it wasn't nearly as loud or as scary for Jonathan.

Saturday we went over to Aunt Ninette and Uncle Danny's house. Jonathan had a great time running around their house chasing their dog, Bam Bam. We also got to see Scott. He looks pretty good considering he was involved in a major wreck a few weeks ago. He has definitely lost some weight and still has a way to go before he is healthy again. Uncle Danny has been working on an elk. Mark and Jonathan went out to his shop to see it. The thing is massive. Jonathan was impressed, as was Mark.


The other big surprise at their house was that my parents surprised up by showing up. They had flown home from Yellowstone on Friday, so we were not expecting them. But they could not stand Jonathan being that close and not seeing him. So funny. Jonathan was very happy to see them and had a great time running around with his Grandad. They brought him a cute t-shirt from their vacation that he put on and showed off.

So it was a great weekend. We had such a nice time visiting with everyone. Jonathan did end up getting sick when we got home. Had a hard time at church Sunday and then threw up Sunday night. By Monday morning he was running a fever. So he stayed home Monday and Tuesday from school. He is going back to school tomorrow, so hopefully he does well.

Eighteen Month Checkup

Jonathan had his 18 month check-up today with Dr. Lu. Jonathan had a great time trying to destroy the office while we were waiting on Dr. Lu. For the first time, I didn't bring the stroller in. That might have been a mistake. He is so inquisitive and in to everything! Jonathan just loves Dr. Lu though. He has such a gentle calm manner and always makes Jonathan feel at ease.

As usual for Jonathan, he is at the 50th percentile for weight and above the 95th percentile for height!! He weighs 27 pounds 12.5 ounces and is 35 1/2 inches tall. My baby is almost THREE FEET TALL!! I cannot believe that. And I wonder why my knee hurts with him sitting on my hip. The check-up went really well. Dr. Lu said all looked good. Jonathan did have to get one immunization. He was not impressed and definitely not happy with the nurse. He immediately pulled the band-aid off his leg, and then walked out of the office telling everyone he had a "boo-boo."

Dr. Lu also said we could go ahead and turn Jonathan's car seat around. He is in a convertible seat that is rated to 30 pounds in rear-facing. The car seat experts at Children's Hospital had recommended that we keep him rear-facing as long as possible for safety. The problem now is that he is so long that his little legs are all bent up in the seat. Dr. Lu said it was ok to go ahead and turn him around. So I am finally ready to concede the point. We are going to turn the seat around tomorrow. I wonder what Jonathan will think about seeing where he is going for the very first time?

Where Did It Go?

I haven't posted in a while. We have just been so busy lately. Mark is traveling so much lately, that it is hard to keep up at home. New Orleans this week, St. Louis next.

Anyway, we had a potato bug in the house the other day. Jonathan was chasing it around the living room. It flew under some toys in the corner. He looks for it for a second and then turns to me. He puts his hands up, shrugs his shoulders, and asks, "Where did it go?" It was one of the funniest, cutest, sweetest things he has done. I say that phrase a lot about different things, but he just used it so appropriately and meaningfully. Every day is more and more phrases.

Mark's Dad came to visit last week. I thought Jonathan was going to take me out trying to get to his Paw Paw when he got here. It was so sweet. They played and played. Each night, Paw Paw went to bed about the same time Jonathan did. They just wore each other out. They read books, went on walks, played with toys, etc. He went home Monday morning. When we got home from work Monday, Jonathan walked around the house looking for his Paw Paw. The he asked, "Where's Paw Paw?" Poor baby just doesn't understand why people have to leave.

Saturday was Jonathan's Half-Birthday. Yes, we feel for the baby that his birthday is so close to Christmas, so he got a mini-party for his Half-Birthday. I made cupcakes, and he and Mark decorated them with sprinkles. They did a really nice job (and made a really nice mess). His Paw Paw got him a remote control car. It has two buttons, forward and turn/reverse. He loves it. We got him a couple of toys, so he is in hog heaven with new stuff to play with. My parents sent him a Thomas the Train DVD and some new books that he has to read every day. Our little baby is 18 months old. My how fast time flies. I wish so much that I could make time slow, if just for a moment.


Jonathan absolutely loves books. He wants to read them over and over. Then he gets tired of us reading them to him, so he goes and reads them by himself. Right now his favorites are his two Thomas the train books, Elmo animal book, The Big Red Barn, two Christmas books, and about four picture/word identification books. And yes, we read them all, all the time. Which is fine with us. Mark and I can about read some of them with our eyes closed!

They had a petting zoo at preschool last week. They brought in cages and animals and let the kids run around. I didn't get to see all of it, but what I did see was fun. Jonathan was running around to all the animals. They would get a few out at a time to let them pet the animals. Jonathan was a big fan of the bunny. He has a bunny book that he likes to read in the car. And they had goats, which he was a big fan of at the zoo in New Orleans.

Jonathan's still working on potty training at home and at preschool. Today he stayed dry during nap. When he woke up, he ran to Ms. Lauren and started signing potty. So she got him to the potty real fast and he went! Woo hoo! Progress! We went to Sonic after work for a special treat for staying dry. Jonathan is quite a big fan of tater tots and milk jugs. God is good.

Tonight we went to J.C. Penney's. You would have thought we were at Disney World. Jonathan loves to go there. He laughed and giggled and ran around the store like a wild, little heathen child. We had a hard time shopping, but we did have a good time chasing him around the store. We went to Cracker Barrel for dinner after. We used to give him about half a serving of veggies and a biscuit and he would be full. Not anymore! He ate two full servings of veggies (green beans and okra) and about half a biscuit. He is a growing boy, that's for sure. I have visions/nightmares of what my grocery bill will be when he is older. Oh my.... :)

Well there you have it. Our lives for the past week or so. And my ramblings on all the wonderful, funny, loving things that Jonathan has been up to. He is just a wonderful little boy. We love him so very much and are so very proud to call him our son. He just lights up my day and I cannot wait til the next one to see what it will bring. Thank you Lord for giving us this most precious of blessings and such a wonderful opportunity to raise Jonathan in Your word.

Old Video of Jonathan

I was working on the previous post and found another video of Jonathan that we had loaded on Google Video. Jonathan was two months old when this video was taken. He was quite into the "Grease" show that was on TV then. As his Aunt Kim loves to say, "he's a dancer." I watched it about five times today. I absolutely cannot believe how big he is now compared to then and how extremely fast this year has gone. Seems unfair sometimes that the clock keeps on turning. I just want to pause each day and remember each beautiful moment, each kiss, each smile. So enjoy Dancing Jonathan!

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1997509458287812773&hl=en

Jonathan and Mark Video Conference

Mark is in Seattle this week for business. Jonathan has been missing his Daddy and calls for him all the time. When we got my new laptop, we got a built in camera. Mark got one to go with his laptop as well. So now we can video conference while he is out of town. Jonathan absolutely loves being able to see and talk to his Daddy. Mark is quite the fan as well. He likes to travel, but he does not like being away from his Little Man. Tonight, I decided to video Jonathan talking to his Daddy on the laptop. Jonathan was right in the middle of dinner when his Daddy called, so we just set the computer up on the table. It was quite funny as you will see. (After several days of trying, I couldn't get the actual video to load on the blog site, so we did it on Google).

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4973191856140963879&hl=en

I started physical therapy on Tuesday for my knee. Yes, the physical therapist is going to physical therapy. Ironic, I know. I tore the meniscus in my knee when I was six but it has been bothering me a lot lately. So, I'm going to therapy to hopefully postpone surgery. It was an interesting experience being the patient again. Plus my knee is so sore today! I think I like being the PT better than being the patient. Oh well, back again tomorrow for more Pain and Torture as Mark likes to call it.

Jonathan is starting to go pee-pee in the potty both at home and at school. He is so proud of himself and we are so very proud of him. He is such the big boy. I should really get video of the 'pee-pee in the potty' dance that we do for him when he does go. It would be hilarious. Jonathan is quite entertained by us acting silly for him. Which, of course, we are more than glad to do at any and all times. Two of the girls in his class are also starting to work on pottying. We are all hoping that they will encourage each other to learn this pottying thing. And I just have to praise God for all our blessings. His doctor said that Jonathan would probably be late potty training, but here he is already starting to work on it. We still have a ways to go, but it is just so calming to see something actually going in the right direction. Thank you Lord.

Those are my ramblings for today. Thanks to each of you for being a part of our lives. We would not be the people we are or the people we hope to be without you. And many praises and thanks to the Lord for all of our blessings. I am so thankful for each day with Jonathan. He is such a blessing to us. He makes us so very, very happy.

Visit From Friends and Mowing the Grass

We had some good friends come to visit us this weekend. One of my roommates and best friends from college, Melissa, and her Mom, Ms. Jenny, came up for the weekend. Melissa lives in Orlando now and Ms. Jenny is still in Monroe. We had a great time seeing them and they were glad to spend some time with Jonathan. He was sick Friday with a fever virus, but was back in shape by Saturday. They babysat Saturday night for a few hours while we went to a baby shower. Jonathan just had a great time showing off all his toys and having new people read ALL of his favorite books. The current favorite books are the Thomas book - he makes all the sounds, "toot-toot," "pssst," "swoosh," and "night-night" - and the Elmo select a page book. He also loves his Big Red Barn, First Words, and Things that Move books.


We got Jonathan a new toy last week. It is a lawn mower that also blows bubbles. He absolutely loves it and has mowed every bit of carpet in the house. Tonight, Mark went outside to mow the grass. You should have seen how excited Jonathan got when he realized his lawn mower was just like Daddy's. He goes taking off across the grass, which was quite high, as fast as he could go, so he could mow the grass with Daddy. He followed Mark around the entire backyard until it was done. I think Mark had as much fun as Jonathan did. They are just so happy to be with each other. I just had a great time sitting on the back porch watching them.

Jonathan is learning new words every day and is putting two words together. Tonight it was "elbow." He loves to do body parts, and teeth are his favorite. Tonight in the tub, I was trying to get him to wash the different body parts himself. (He loves to wash himself). When I asked him to get his elbows, he pokes them both at me and says elbow as clear as could be. He gets so proud of himself when he gets a new word out too. It is very sweet. Other favorite words are puppy, Paw Paw (for both of them), mo' mik (more milk), peez (please), hep me (help me), bye-bye Daddy, and he's just starting to say i-uv-u (approximation of I love you).

We have had a great weekend. We were worried about our little man being sick on Friday, but he bounced right back Saturday. It was really nice to catch up with our friends as well.

Mark is going to Seattle tomorrow for the week. Please keep him in your prayers as he travels and us as we go it alone. And thanks to everyone who has prayed for my cousin. He is home and doing a little better. He got engaged this week. He had already planned to ask her and didn't want to wait any longer! God is so good. We are so very blessed. Here's hoping that each of you have a truly blessed and happy week.

Travelers' Baseball Game

We decided to go to the Arkansas Travelers Baseball Game Friday night. This first picture is our pre-game shot. We finally got Jonathan to wear his baseball hat. I guess he thought if we were wearing ours, he would wear his. The funny thing is Jonathan was the only one with a Traveler's hat. I, of course, had on a Braves hat. Mark had a 2007 World Series Boston/Colorado hat that his friend Floyd got for him from the games. We didn't think to buy tickets ahead of time, so of course when we got there, all they had left was sitting on the grass. We, of course, hadn't brought any chairs or blankets, but it turned out just fine. Jonathan had a great time running around and watching all the other kids and the baseball players. We sat right behind the bullpen, so Jonathan got to watch all the pitcher's warm up. He was so excited by all the balls.

Mark and I got fresh-squeezed lemonade at the game. Jonathan wanted the lemons, so we gave them to him. He was hilarious with the faces and he ate most of the silly thing! They had fireworks after the game which was fun. Jonathan did not quite know what to think about the fireworks. He was a little scared, but he was very brave and did not cry. He wanted to be held, but he wanted to watch the fireworks too! He loved all the music at the game. He danced and danced.

We had such a good time being together. Each day is such a blessing and a joy with our little man. He is just so very, very happy and so excited to see what each day has to offer. God has blessed us beyond our comprehension.

Prayer Request: We had a bit of a scare today. We found out that my cousin, Scott, had a very bad car accident last night. He swerved to avoid a deer and rolled his truck. They had to cut him out of the truck. He has fractured his C2 vertebrae. This is the second vertebrae in his neck and is extremely serious. The doctors have told him that he is extremely lucky to be alive and to have survived the removal from the truck. He also has a broken collar bone, a torn rotator cuff, and possibly a broken wrist and elbow on the other arm. Please lift him up in prayer for healing of his body and also praise God that He was with him and protected him through this horrible ordeal. The doctors believe that he will not have any paralysis, however, he will have to be extremely careful of his neck for the rest of his life. God truly had his hand on Scott to keep him here with us. Thank you Lord for watching over Scott, and thank each of you for praying for him. This picture is from last September of Scott and Jonathan. Scott is just so good with kids. Jonathan loves him to pieces!

New Orleans Vacation

We took our first 'Mark, Jennifer, Jonathan' family vacation over the Memorial Day holiday weekend. We went to Vicksburg Thursday night and spent the night with Mark's parents. Jonathan loved seeing the "puppy," also known as Mimi. Friday, one of Mark's best friends, Alex, graduated from medical school. We were so happy for him. After the graduation, we headed out to New Orleans.

Mark did such a great job planning our trip. He found a fantastic hotel that was really close to everything. He got a really great rate on the room. It was a huge room with a seperate living space, which was great for Jonathan. He could go to bed and we could stay up later and watch tv. The room also had a kitchenette area so we could keep his milk refrigerated.

Saturday, we went to the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas. Jonathan loved looking at all the fish. Most of the tanks were at a perfect level for him to be able to see everything. He especially liked the penguins that swam right up next to the glass and the huge tunnel of fish. We ate dinner at Jacque-Imo's, which was delicious, loud, crowded, and definitely New Orleans.

Sunday, we went to the Audubon Zoo. We got there right when they opened, which was neat because we got to see the elephants eating their breakfast. Jonathan was amazed at how big they were. They have a great petting zoo area. He just loved the goats. He kept calling them "pup-pees!" and running around. He was just squealing and giggling. It was absolutely delightful to see him so very happy. He also loved the jaguar "kitty". It was very active and moving around the enclosure. I think he thought Jonathan would be a good lunch for him; thank goodness for lots of bars! There was also a great Carousel at the Zoo, which was also a lot of fun. Jonathan rode the white alligator, which is what the Zoo is famous for. Unfortunately, it was just too, too humid to stay at the zoo for long. We were all completely worn out by 12:30 or so. Jonathan passed out in the car on the way back to the hotel and slept half the afternoon.

After Jonathan got up from his nap, we went to the swimming pool. It was his first time to go swimming. He enjoyed it but definitely did not want us to let go of him. He was a little worn out, so we only stayed in the pool for 15-20 minutes, but it was still a lot of fun. We went to Morton's Steakhouse for dinner. Sunday was also our 7th Wedding Anniversary, so it was nice to go somewhere nice for dinner. They were not quite sure what to make of us having Jonathan at their fancy restaurant, but he did terrific. He is such a happy baby. After dinner, we rode the trolley car down to Jackson Square. He just loves trains and could not believe that he was actually riding in what he considered to be one. We walked around the square and then decided to take a horse carriage ride/tour around the Quarter and back to the hotel. The horse was actually a mule. His name was Clay and Jonathan was very impressed. He would not touch him though! The ride was very nice, but expensive. However, it was our anniversary, so it was well worth it.


Monday morning, we slept in. We had a late breakfast at Cafe du Monde. Jonathan had his very first beignet. He was not quite sure of what to make of it or the mess that it made. It was fun. The drive home was not so much fun, but we survived.


We all had such a wonderful time spending time together, getting out of town, and doing fun and different stuff. We are so very blessed and so happy to be a family.

Happy Mother's Day!

What a wonderful Mother's Day weekend we had. Mark had Friday off so he and Jonathan had a fun day running around together. Jonathan is in love with "pup-pees" right now so they went to the pet store to see all the dogs. Mark said he loved them and went to each window to tell each of them hello. He is so loving to other things. Tells everything and everyone "hi" and "bye-bye." They also went and picked up my present.

Saturday, we went to Two Rivers Park for a picnic. We had not been there before, but it is a beautiful little peninsula of land that lies between the Little Maumelle and Arkansas Rivers. There are a ton of beautiful paths. We walked out to the little point and Jonathan enjoyed looking at the river. However, it was a SHARP drop down into the swiftly moving rivers, so we moved on. We found a beautiful field to have a picnic in. Jonathan ran around and found rocks on the paths and wild flowers. We got a ton of great pictures. I put the rest up on his picture website. See the link on the left of this page.

Sunday, we went to church. The preacher gave a really great sermon about the Sword of the Spirit. He has been going through The Armor of God in Ephesians 6:10-18. I have heard most of these things before, but our new preacher really has a way of making God's word come alive. We have really enjoyed hearing him preach. During the service, we had a special prayer time for all Moms, Moms-to-be, potential Moms to be, etc. It was very, very moving. I am so very blessed to have this beautiful little boy in my life. They gave out little devotionals to the Moms after the service which was a special treat. After church, we had lunch at El Chico's (20% discount with church program!). That was an experience. Jonathan is learning to eat with a spoon. He will not let anyone help him. Needless to say, Mexican rice, refried beans, and cut up soft tacos make QUITE a mess. But we had fun regardless.

What a blessing in my life these two are. Mark grilled Sunday night for our Mother's Day dinner. It was delicious. We sat outside to eat. Jonathan loves to eat outside because we can just pull his high chair right up to the patio table to eat. Jonathan got on our neighbor's trampoline after dinner. He can't jump yet, but he sure did try. It was truly a wonderful weekend. God is good.

Oh, I forgot about the present. The best part was the card that Jonathan picked out. It is a music card that plays Tina Turner's "Simply the Best." How funny is that. Jonathan had taken great care to color the card for me. Plus they had gotten me a Nintendo DS. It is a hand-held video game unit. I know it sounds crazy, but I love this game 'Brain Age' that you can get for it. I have been talking about it for a while, but would have never bought it for myself. Always thought it would be great for our loooonnnnnggg car rides. I have had a good time playing with it. Mark has too!

I hope that each of you had a great Mother's Day as well!