Caleb's First Year Montage

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

First bike ride

So, Bryan has been DYING to get Caleb on his bike here recently. He bought a baby bike seat from some guy on Craigslist a few weeks ago, and then got him a baby helmet. So this week we decided to try it out! I must say, I was a little nervous about this whole thing, but I know Bryan is a really safe biker and they only went on very quiet neighborhood streets. They had a great time and Caleb came back fast asleep from the trip. :)

First Father's Day

Bryan has to work at the hospital today, so we are celebrating Father's Day tomorrow, but I just had to take the time to write a little post about how incredible he is. I'm sure you are all tired of hearing about how great he is, but it's true!! From about middle school on, I've always wondered who would be the daddy to the babies I was sure to have. I had a vague idea in my head of what I hoped he'd be like--patient, understanding, calm, godly, hard worker, loving, fun, funny, etc. (Ok, well, maybe not so vague) Well, Bryan met and exceeded any expectations I ever had. I know Caleb is not even 1 yet, but if this first year is any indication of what the rest of his fathering is going to look like, I know I am a blessed woman. He has never complained about any of the "fun" of this year--changing MANY yucky diapers, getting up in the middle of the night for months on end, cleaning up vomit, going to doctor's appointments, calming him when he cried (and cried and cried)...the list could go on and on. He has let me sleep in on many occasions, given me a break when I've needed it, helped clean the house, do the laundry, take care of the yard and the dogs, read a million stories, sang a million songs, prayed many prayers, put many many miles on the rocker, etc etc etc. All while working a full time job and going to school part-time. And he has seriously done this all without a complaint or any bitterness whatsoever. I have loved watching him with Caleb from the very beginning...especially when he would fall asleep on Bryan's chest when he was a newborn. And it's been so fun and amazing to watch them together ever since. He picks him up and swings him upside down (causing a minor heart attack in Mommy!), sending Caleb into giggle overload. When Bryan comes home, Caleb gets so excited he can't stop smiling and waving. Bryan lets Caleb climb all over him like a jungle gym. He is never too busy to spend time with us, never makes excuses for other things he "needs" to do (yet not neglecting his school work and work-work), and is unbelievably excited about the future of our family with a son...vacations, Cub Scouts, t-ball, legos (he cannot wait for this day), Star Wars, etc...This whole fatherhood thing has made me fall more in love with Bryan than I thought imaginable. How on earth am I worthy to be blessed with such a man?? I'm totally not. But I accept it as a gift from MY Heavenly Father, who is gracious enough to answer the cry of my heart for a godly husband and daddy to my children. I couldn't ask for anything more. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Caleb will come to know God as a loving, patient Father because he has seen that in his own daddy. And that makes my heart abundantly glad. :)

 

First trip to the public pool

Bryan didn't work yesterday, so once Caleb woke up from his afernoon nap, we headed out to a public pool nearby for the first time! They have a GREAT kids area, and Caleb really loved it once he got used to it. For the first time in my whole life, I was HAPPY when they blew the whistle for all the kids to get out so parents of little ones could get in without all the craziness. :) I must be old. Anyway, we had a lot of fun, and will be returning soon!!

...and did I mention...

that Bryan passed the NCLEX (nursing boards) so he is now officially an RN?? :) He was so worried, but I knew he'd do awesome! Praise God! Now, to get him a totally cheesy t-shirt/mug/magnet that says, "RN means 'real nice'!" Hahahahaha. So proud of him.

Random thoughts!

I have a lot of random thoughts going on in my head these days. For one, I am super nervous/excited/etc. about buying a house here in the near future. There are so many things to consider-it's such a HUGE decision, and we want to make the one that is the best decision for us financially. We don't want to be "house poor" and never able to do anything, save, give, etc. because every penny is going towards the mortgage. We want to buy something that we can turn around in 5 or so years and sell, hopefully making enough of a profit to buy our house we'll stay in for a long time. I struggle with wanting what others have, so I know I'll need to get over my issues of "everyone else" having a bigger, better house than us. It will have to be small, but it will be filled with so much love, and that's what matters, right? Right. :) Bryan is giving me an amazing blessing of not having to work so I can stay home with Caleb, and I know that if I was working, we could afford a bigger house, but then I wouldn't be home with Caleb...when I step back and look at the "big picture" I see that Caleb being with his mommy is more important to me. A sacrifice? Yes. But with so many rewards. So, anyway, location is key, but Lexington is so weird when it comes to location...and it doesn't help matters that Bryan works on one side of town, but our church is on the complete opposite side of town...it'll be a matter of give and take, for sure. I'm just scared of getting in over our heads, but I'm sure it will work out--God has the perfect house for us, we just have to figure out which one that is! :)

Other thoughts revolve around Caleb turning 1 next month. I just can't believe a year has already passed. Those first few months seemed to go really slowly, but then WHAM, he's almost a year old. He is becoming more and more like a little boy every day, and less like a baby. He can hold his own sippy cup and drink from it, he cruises everywhere, claps when someone says, "Can you clap?", does this hilarious thing where he "snaps" his fingers, goes to sleep on his own, the list goes on and on. He means the world to me and I'm so happy I get to be his mommy. I'm sad about his birthday, but also excited to see what's next...I am anxiously awaiting the day he says "I love you mommy..." :)

I've been thinking a lot about our church, too. I've been reading this guy Steve's "church experiment" where he is visiting 52 churches (synagogues, mosques, etc.) each of the 52 weeks of the year. It is extremely intriguing to me, and as I read it, I realize more and more how happy I am at Southland. Is it perfect? Definitely not--having a husband who was on staff for 2 years made me more aware of its imperfections, but no church IS perfect! They are all filled and run by imperfect people. But there is something to be said for a church that is ALIVE. I have NEVER understood why people who have heard and understand the message of the Gospel would want to passively sit in a pew every week and sing songs they put no emotion behind, listen to a boring message from a boring or inept preacher, and go home unchanged (and bored). Shouldn't we have EXCITEMENT when we enter God's house? I mean, the message of Jesus is that we were bound for hell-not just in the afterlife, but in the here and now!, but His sacrifice rescued us from that, forever!!! We were orphans, and God adopted us into his family, no strings attached. And we mumble the words to the songs we don't understand and check our watches to see how much more we have to endure before lunch? I think there's something wrong with that kind of thinking! Jesus came to give us LIFE, right? How much life do you see on the faces of most churchgoers? Not too much, unfortunately. And I think a lot of that is the fault of churches who are content with being complacent.

There was a man who got baptized at the service we went to this week, and it just blew me away. He was middle aged, and apparently has/had an issue with staying sober. The message this week was about sin and taking on the life of the Spirit once we accept Christ...this man was convicted and knew he needed to change-or, let God change him is more like it. Seeing him baptized in the water and raised to new life had me reaching for my tissues, because isn't that what it's all about?? Changed lives. Not a nice (or boring, or irrelevant) message to listen to (or not) before lunch. Something big is going to be happening at Southland this fall. www.itlexington.com. I'm not sure exactly what "it" is all about-Jon said he will be unveiling it in August...but it will be big. And all about getting out of the pews and being the hands and feet in our town. I can't wait.
:)

Wow, well, those are my random thoughts at the moment. Just had to get them down in writing!

The difference a year makes...happy birthday, Braeden!

We are headed to Braeden's birthday party later today, and so I thought I'd share some pictures of the night he was born compared to just a month or so ago. Bryan and I (and Caleb, in my belly!) stayed at the hospital for what seemed like ages, waiting for Braeden to be born! It was so exciting when Dave (daddy) came out and told us the good news!! The nurses seemed to keep looking at me warily, like, shouldn't YOU be in a labor room?? Haha. Happy 1st birthday sweet boy! :)

Summer fun in pictures!

Ah, summer!! I must say, this June is much more enjoyable than last June when I couldn't move off the couch due to carrying an almost 12 pound baby in my belly!!! :) We've been having fun playing in our pool, going to the park lots, meeting friends for playdates, eating (and enjoying!) spaghetti for the first time, drinking from a sippy cup, and many other things! Enjoy these pictures! :)