Thanksgiving

We enjoyed a lovely Thanksgiving with our families last week. The Parkers hosted us out in Forney and were kind enough to invite the Jackson clan along for the celebration. We all ate well, zoned out in front of the less-than-thrilling Cowboys game and ate some more. Perfect.

Jeff and I are thankful for so many things. This has been an eventful year - I quit work, we had a baby, we are building a house and trying to sell our condo. There is no one I'd rather be navigating these day-to-day adventures with than my wonderful husband. We have had a blast getting to know our precious son and learning how to be parents together. We've been able to look forward and plan and dream for our family's future as we prepare to move. We have taken time to look back and be thankful for where God has brought us in four and half years. I am so blessed.

We are thankful for sweet time with our wonderful families. Thankful for parents that love the Lord and love us well. Thankful for fabulous siblings that are fun to be around and care deeply for us and for Bennett. We are thankful for the friends that surround us and bring joy, encouragement and wisdom to our lives. Above all and even if none of this existed we would still be thankful for our precious Savior and the grace freely offered to us that we in no way deserve.

There are not enough words for all of the ways we are thankful. I pray that I am able to live a life that is simply an outpouring of my grateful heart. God is so good.

Bennett and His Boys

We have had a full week this week! Between Fort Worth, Allen and Dallas Bennett got the chance to hang out with some of his favorite friends. I love taking pictures of him with other little boys that I hope will be a big part of his life in upcoming years.


Wednesday we went to Fort Worth to see Tricia and Elliott. Tricia is one of my most dear friends and we've been "BFF" since 7th grade. It is so fun to be figuring out this whole mommy thing along with her! We are both working hard (along with our husbands) to teach our children that the Mavericks are the only NBA team worth cheering for.

Friday we went to Allen for my MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) meeting and to check out progress on our new house. After MOPS Bennett and I went to Chick-fil-A with Haley and her crew, Cobb (4), Charly (2) and Ridge (almost 1). We foolishly thought Ridge and Bennett would sit with us and watch the older kids in the play area but they had other plans. These boys wanted to be a part of the action! Ridge and Bennett will soon be neighbors and I'm excited for them to grow up together.


Saturday night Jeff, Bennett and I hung out with friends from our community group, David, Alli and Chapman Penuel. The adults had fun just eating dinner and talking about our babies. Bennett tried to eat Chapman, but Chap is a pretty cool, calm kid and didn't freak out about it. I'm not sure if you can tell from this picture, but Chap has the most awesome baby hair ever. No joke.

Lesson for Dad #1

Well, here I am. I will surely weigh in on the most random things - and will focus often on what God is teaching me from watching my baby boy. I don't presume that these things are original thoughts or new truths. But I do believe that there is a big difference in hearing truth and experiencing it.

Now let me move on. Yesterday, I was playing with Bennett on the floor and I was evidently pretty entertaining. I kept batting/juggling one toy in the air and he got the biggest kick out of it. He was laughing so hard and few things make me happier than hearing Bennett laugh. I really look forward to those moments and getting my son to laugh and just have fun with his dad.

I also love watching him explore the world and his world. The way that he watches cars as they drive by or plays with the fountain near our community pool. With much curiosity, he roams around our house. I love presenting him with new things to play with or carrying him on my shoulders as we walk to new places. There's nothing like sharing that with him.

Then there are moments where we must develop discipline (as best we can with an 8-month old) for him whether it's sleeping or diaper change time. There are times that he needs protection and longs for that security. There are times when he needs to be consoled. Times where he needs nourishment. Times where he learns just how much he is loved.

You can probably see where I'm going and that's fine.

But fatherhood has caused to me to sit back and wonder about God in new ways. How great is God to put me in situations where I can have fun and laugh. I'm sure it makes God happy to hear me laugh. And I bet He loves to watch me explore new places and reach new heights in my marriage and understanding of Him. I do not doubt that He is there watching my every move and pointing out things that I may be missing.

And how well I know and trust in His discipline, protection, consolation, nourishment and His love for me.

As I explore being a dad, it's so fun to watch my boy and give him the gifts that I can offer him. But I really enjoy putting myself in Bennett's place and thinking of the gifts my Dad is offering me. And don't I just know that as I delight in my son, my Father is reminding me that I too am beloved.

Zephaniah 3:17 (NIV) 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.

Moving Along

Well over a month ago I declared that Bennett would be crawling "any day now". With much grunt-filled practice my boy had learned to get on his hands and knees and was rocking back and forth, often raising one hand and putting it down again in the same spot. I just knew that with a bit more practice he'd get all those appendages coordinated and be scuttling around our little place.

Fast forward to today. He is certainly on the move...just not quite the way I expected. I love that he is learning to get places independently (although I also realize this is the beginning of the end of my going to the bathroom alone). One of our new games consists of me crawling from room to room and calling him to follow me. Yesterday he made it from the hall bathroom into the living room and around the corner to the kitchen, doing his "wounded soldier" crawl all the way.

Why do we call him a wounded soldier, you may ask. Certainly you've heard of the "army crawl" when a baby scoots around on his belly, propelling himself by pushing with his feet and pulling forward with his forearms, as a soldier avoiding gunfire. Bennett has modified this typical style by using only his left arm and right foot, dragging the rest of his body along like so much dead weight. He's getting pretty quick at it too, especially when making a beeline for electrical cords or any other dangerous prize.

It's pretty cute, if you ask me. But feel free to form your own opinion after watching it yourself - Bennett "crawls"

And We're Off!

Well friends, I have given in and joined the world of mommy blogging. I look forward to archiving some of our day-to-day adventures and sharing them with you! Jeff will pop in from time to time to contribute his take on life and daddyhood as well.

It just drives me batty that I didn't start this up as soon as Bennett was born (or before). But I guess jumping in at 7 and 3/4 months is better than nothing. Don't be surprised if you see some "throwback" posts from me as I attempt to play catchup from all the months and milestones I've missed.

Jeff and I are both hoping that this serves as a place to stay connected with those we care about and also that it helps us take time to slow down, reflect a bit and record snippets of our lives.