New

Here I am with my new hairs...unedited, no make up and with bags under my eyes.  Just keepin it real, yo.

Big

This week marked a huge deal in the life of our little dude.

See, he figured that being a baby was a little less than "cool" these days, and he opted to discard of those silly little baby diapers.
(with the exception of nap time and bedtime, of course.)

Now we are strictly a panty wearing bunch...even outside the house.

On Monday JJ got to go to the store and pick out whatever undies his little heart so desired.

I bet you'll never guess what he picked...

So far, we have only had one very minor accident.  I guess you could say I'm a proud Mama:P

  

On Sunday

DON'TCHA WISH YOUR BABY WAS COOL LIKE ME?

-----------------------------------

Jon is currently sitting through his very first episode of Yo Gabba Gabba.

He is hating it!

or was...

until he started singing along.

HA!

A Long One

Lately, I have been seeing the ill effects of not having a car while living in ocean country.  It is mid June...and still there is oh so much rain.  This means we are home bound...because walking anywhere in a torrential downpour is really no fun with a 21 month old.  You try it!

I have a project that I am to finish by Sunday.....and I really need to get to the store.  Sigh.  But Jon has "Guys Night" tonight and I am hoping he is going to car pool with someone and I can steal the car tonight.  Either that or its a stroll in the rain for us!

----------------

This week has been hard.

Very hard.

The family stuff I mentioned before has now unfolded into a different chapter.  We are thankful in some things and left questioning in others.  Its hard to remember that Gods had is in everything, that He has a ultimate design for every little thing in our lives...or at least its hard to see that when you are in it.  I thank those of you who prayed and ask you would continue to do so....for healing.

-----------------

Allergies...

(or at least I am hoping they are and not sickness...)

(it probably makes me a  pretty terrible mama if I don't know, huh)

They have made for a long few days of...

{yes, i know it blurry....but you try getting a screaming child to sit still for a picture!}

I am by no means complaining about my son.  I know that he is miserable (poor little guy).  I know he feels awful, and with just cause. 

There have just been some long days.

So here's hoping that the rain goes away so we can do something different today.

until then, I'm off to cuddle with a disgruntled toddler.

  

A Thought

{source}

The Hood

{co-op picture source}

Boys And Their Toys

Yesterday was filled with road trips, cheeseburgers, ice cream sandwiches and remote control cars.

See, around here,when a holiday come up....like fathers day...you get the whole weekend instead of just one day.  Yesterday was the last day in Jon's fathers day weekend, so we chose to live it up in our typical fashion.  For us that usually means food and travel...and just hanging out, of course.

Well, actually, for Jon it just usually means ice cream:P

  

Its nice to have weekends like that now and again.

When you just get away,have fun and worry about nothing.

No dishes, no laundry and no piddle marks on the toilet seat.

Its always going to be there when you get back, but at least you don't have to look at it for a while!

Jon pulled down his old RC car from JJ's closet. 

It has been taunting JJ for some time now, just sitting there in his closet...wanting to be played with.

*sigh*

But of course, this car is one of the eco friendly models they built in the 90's....*cough*

which means it takes about a zillion batteries to run if for about 10  minutes.

Evidently, it was worth it this time round:P

So, twenty dollars in batteries later...

the boys got to have some great guy time.

Throw in some ice cream, and those boys were set for hours:P

JJ picked out some squirt guns for daddy for Fathers Day.

A little cheesy...but something they would both totally enjoy.

(after all, the day is kinda about BOTH of them...cause Jon wouldn't be a daddy without JJ:)

Perhaps they will actually get to use them today if the sun shines long enough.

xoxoxoxo

My Little

All My Boys

Happy Fathers Day!

to all the wonderful men in my life.

You have been such great examples of what men should be to me.  Thank you for your love, your wisdom, your strength.  I love you all and am so bless that you have been a part of my life.

A Video or Two

Some videos from early this year:P  Random I know...but whatev:P I'm working on backing all of these up so I thought I would share! Its crazy how little he seems...and this was only a few months ago. sigh:( 

  

Job And Conviction

I have been reading Job lately, strangely fitting for some things going on around me as of late.

But I wanted to share it today.

{Job 26}

How have you helped him who is without power?
How have you saved the arm that has no strength?
How have you counseled one who has no wisdom?

And how have you declared sound advice to many?
To whom have you uttered words?
And whose spirit came from you?
The dead tremble, those under the waters and those inhabiting them,

 Sheol is naked before him, and destruction has no covering.

  He stretches out the north over empty space, He hangs the earth on nothing.

  He binds up the water in his thick clouds, yet the clouds are not broken under it.He covers the face of His throne and spreads his cloud over it.

  He drew a circular horizon on the face of the waters, at the boundary of light and darkness.
The pillars of heaven tremble, and are astonished at his rebuke.

  He stirs up the sea with his power, and by his understanding He breaks up the storm.
By his spirit He adorned the Heavens, His hand pierced the fleeing serpent.
INDEED THESE ARE MERE EDGES OF HIS WAYS, AND HOW SMALL A WHISPER WE HEAR OF HIM!
BUT THE THUNDER OF HIS POWER,

WHO CAN UNDERSTAND?

-----------------------------------------

So often, in our ignorance and stupidity,

we doubt God's power.

We hold on to things because we would rather "fix" them, handle them, take care of them. 

Unconsciously,

denying Gods sovereignty.

But the Bible tells us that the awesome power of God that we see around us, that is just a small piece of how powerful He actually is.

It is so great, it is beyond our comprehension.


It would be foolish of us to fight Him for control, wouldn't it?

  

I Heart Art : Oana Befort

The sun chose to peek its head out from behind those pacific clouds today.  Lovely.

However, there were things to be done and...at least so far...we haven't made it outside to enjoy it.

I am,  instead, cooking dinner in attempts to have dinner on the table when Jon gets home....(then maybe I can persuade him to go do something tonight!)

Its a "OH MY GOSH I NEED TO GET OUT OF THIS HOUSE!!!!" kind of day.

*sigh*

Its been a down day and I have spent some time looking at art and whatnot.

Sigh.

My paint brushes have not seen the light of day for a while.

(maybe I should change that)

I came across this lovely lady and her lovely art.

{ source}


I love her stuff.

In light of my day and my discoveries I chose to fill up what would be my sponsor list with

some talented artist whom I would love to support (free of charge) on my blog.  I plan to add more.  Lots more.  But if YOU are an artist and would like me to support you, feel free to contact me!  I would love to showcase your work!

I do mean artist of any medium.

  

A Little Room

JJ wanted to show you around his room.

  

Our Weekend In A Nutshell

I swear the best form of birth control is a two year old...

or almost two years old, as the case may be.

I love my son with all I have, but he has been absolutely exhausting lately!  Such a big attitude for such a little person! SO. MUCH. WHINING.

On a better and much happier note, our weekend was lovely, that's for asking:P

After a long week of barely any sleep (due to a certain little person who decided that sleep is now over rated and he would rather revert back to the sleeping patterns of a four month old) we brought the tv into the bedroom and went to bed while the sun was still up.  Watched movies. Just hung out.

That was nice, and all three of us are on a much better page for this week.

Or, at least, here's hoping:P

Yesterday was park day, cause that's what we do on half rainy days before payday comes.  I really do love our park, which is why there are probably 105 pictures of JJ at the park already on this blog. (even JJ's first birthday party was there!)

But daddy rarely gets the chance to join us.....

its a lot more fun when daddy is there!

Other than park days, we have spent a lot of time doing this:

I couldn't be more proud.

and yes, he's a toilet reader....of which daddy couldn't be more proud.

Yesterday also marked JJ's very first taste of a root beer float

or "Floaf" as he calls them.

He was a little more than thrilled about that!

Happy Tuesday to ya'll, and happy Monday to us.

Hope you have a lovely week!

Marriage: A Work Of Art

This is my husband.

BEST FRIEND

LOVER

CONFIDANT

he is

TALENTED

GOOFY

INTELLIGENT

SOULFUL

LOVING

GIFTED

A SPIRITUAL LEADER

and

STRONGER THAN HE THINKS HE IS

and sometimes he takes goofy pictures of himself with my camera...

just so I can find them and laugh later

If you were to ask me if I believed there was one person for everyone.

I'd say, most definitely...

YES!

Jon is most definitely my other half, my missing piece, my intended.

Gods gift and a big part of Gods plan for my life....

for 

OUR LIVES

Marriage isn't easy...

its a constant struggle and a daily choice.

Anyone who thinks that married was designed to make you happy is a fool,

marriage was designed to make you

 HOLY.

Rooted in that design is happiness, its a part of the design but its not a guarantee.

I think that our society cheapens marriage way to much, giving up too easily on it when it doesn't fit our ideals.  Marriage has become about the singular person and what he/she can get out of it instead of being about the union it was originally intended to be about.

Learning to be selfless, to live for and with another person.

To truly grow together into one flesh,

glorifying God in the process.

No, marriage is work.

But it is worth the work. 

Its a process that never ends, you can never reach the point where you have the "most perfect marriage".

But you can grow stronger every day and fall deeper in love with your spouse until the day you die. 

If you make that choice every day.

If you glorify God by loving your spouse.

I vowed to Jon, the day we were married, that I would make that choice every day.

"...for better or worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health..."

I promised him that I would 

LOVE 

HONOR

and

CHERISH

him.

and I do.

Our marriage isn't perfect, because we are two sinners, two imperfect people.

But God gave us a beautiful thing.

Somethings not to be taken lightly or thrown away when it is inconvenient.

Something to hold onto with both hands.

Something to WORK for!

As long as we keep Christ the center of that,

it will only grow in that beauty.

I thank the Lord for the gift of my husband,

the blessing he is to my (our) life(s)

Outside Time

Today my goals were simple.

Get back on the "Workout Wagon" that I had seemingly fallen off of since vacation

and

try not to die doing it.

As you can see, I did not die.  But that's not to say I didn't think about it a time or two.

Ladies and gentle people, if you are one of those people who enjoys sweating actually do it for fun...

(and let me clarify here, I LIKE the outcome of working out....I like how I feel AFTER I work out, but the act of actually working out is not on my top ten list of things I L.O.V.E.)

Anyway...back to the point....

If you are one of THOSE people, I don't mean to upset you....

But you may quite possibly need some counseling.

I speak from a knowledgeable place, as I am married to such a person.

Yes, the kind that like to work out so hard that they want to throw up...

you know...

"just for fun"

And that, my friends, is proof that I will never fully understand my husband.

:P

I broke out the big stroller (a.k.a. bike cart) today, 

that lives a shameful life in the back of  my sons closet.

Its one of those things I pull out when I need to get out of the house but JJ doesn't.

He is pretty smitten with it and calls it his "Car Car".

So it keeps him happy for at least a little while, which helps.

a lot.

I *GASP* chose to share a picture of my workout outfit today.

Lucky you, this one was taken smack dab in the middle of the workout, so I am looking a bit like a boy and rather shiny.  You can guess why I don't wear my hair like that:P

I am not a gym bunny.  

I don't have track suits that match my diaper bag that in turn match the $800 dollar stroller I am running behind.

No....

You can usually find me in my husbands gym shorts and a ratty old t-shirt when I run.

I know I'm eye candy to those cars driving by....lol.

So far, I have not caused and accident.

Today I looked a little like an 80's poster child with cut off/off the shoulders tee and leggings.

I almost ratted my bangs and put in a hot pink scrunchy.....just for the heck of it.  I am, after all, a product of the 80's.

(though not really enough of one to pull it off successfully I don't think)

Still, I could have rocked it.

_____________________________________________________

Tomorrow is Farmers Market day, which is a highlight of our week.

Even if we don't buy anything!

Except for the cheese.....

we always buy fresh cheese from our favorite local farm.

Sometimes it even makes it home.

*wink*

:

JJ For Pres

Okay, so maybe we aren't there yet.

But we are running for coolest blog around.

Or...at least cooler than last time:P

The stats were all reset, and its my goal to at least make it in the 100's this time around.

I think that's reasonable:P

So, what do you say....

VOTE FOR JJ? 

 (pretty please)

WHO COULD SAY NO TO THAT FACE?

you can vote here if you like!

(and every day from now till eternity!)

THANKS!

Thanks all

Potty

great post title, I know.

I am a genius with them there words!

Right now, we are watching crows yell at cats.  What better entertainment than that on a rainy day? 

JJ decided to take up the camera today to provide, for your enjoyment, some visual stimulation.

Super flattering, I know.

And, now everyone has seen up both of our noses.

Its a total upside for ya'll, I know!

ah.

We have big Target plans today, I know, exciting. 

(This is what I get for writing a post in the morning and having nothing to talk about)

It seems the time after we've gotten back from vacation is crawling.  Maybe it because we were going going going for two weeks, or maybe it because we came home and all out usual things were over for the summer.  Mondays, we would usually go to story time at the library.  Then a play date later in the week, along with some other randomness.  But now its summer schedule, and we are just not used to it yet. 

Mommy needs a playgroup or something:P

______________________________________________________

Okay, lets talk about potty training.

Its been, oh say, about two months now of consistent toilet usage.

(for JJ....er um....well for everyone....but that's beside the point:)

I DO NOT believe in pushing kiddos to use the toilet.  I encourage, and ask.....but I never make him use it. He uses it cause he wants to. 

That was a key part of the beginnings, we took it slow, no rush.

However, I am happy to inform you that he is doing FANTASTIC.

We are down to using about 2-3 diapers a DAY!

One of those being a nap time diaper.

I really am surprised at how quickly he caught on, and how stinkin proud he is of himself.

He has gotten fairly efficient at knowing when he has to go...or at least stopping himself so he can run to the bathroom.

Oh goodness...

you should see the run!

I should post a video of that run.

Hilarious!

Well, a certain young man is trying to eat the dog food right now...so...

I should go.

Treasures From Bnana

My grandma (JJ's Bnana) gave me a bunch of old linens while we were visiting them last week.  Most of them are made my my great grandma or my great great grandma.  I. LOVE.

For Fun

The Aftermath

Pardon my absence.

I took some time for me, for us, just...

to breathe.

After returning home, after "decompressing", after things slowed down...

the emotions welled up.

JJ's hospital visit had a happy ending (and we do praise our savior for that!) but it was traumatic.

This first week back at home was hard for both Jon and I.

Overcoming those leftover emotions.

Letting go of fear.

Trusting God in the care of our son, and not holding on so tightly in our tightly gripped hands.

Trading in paranoia for the comfort of Christ's embrace.

Some might think ours an over reaction, some know exactly what we have gone through this last week.  I know it didn't turn out to be a life or death situation, but in the moment, it felt that way.

Life is a fragile, temporary thing.

A think not to be taken lightly...

but something not to be held onto too tightly.

Your child's life is something you hold onto tighter than your own.

Always.

We are doing better now, I think I only check on JJ 4 or 5 times before I can sleep instead of  9 or 10.

We really are thankful for all your prayers and kind words, they have helped a lot!

Vacation : Part 2

This morning we were supposed to go to see our NP Doctor for a follow up to Saturdays happenings, but my keys and wallet got locked in the car.  So we will try again for that tomorrow.

In other news, I promised more pictures from the vaca:

( you may notice that most of the pictures of are of the back of JJ's head, that is because he has decided that that is his best side....he is just so darn cooperative)

And that concludes leg one of our journey:P

oh, except for some yum yums:P  JJ and I made these for Auntie Amy to make her smile while we were visiting the desert.

Dessert in the Desert:

Home / Travel

We drove for about 9 hours yesterday, most of the way with a restless, crabby 20 month old.  We crossed a little over an entire state, and even though I love where we visited and love where we live....the in between parts suck.  I'm not a desert girl.  At all. And when that is all you have to look at for hours, it gets old.  Thank goodness for this mix of modern and ancient technology to keep the landscape interesting!

JJ is back to his good ol self.

(and we continue to thank the Lord for that!)

Some random pictures from the first half of our vacation:

theres a peek:)

Right now the mounts of post vacation laundry are calling my name and I am trying to work up the motivation to work out!  I, uh, need to lose a few vacation eating/stress pounds. ehem.

Aaannddd perhaps a shower.