Where I am at.

I would like to say that during the summer, my blogging is less due to gardening.  Unfortunately the truth is my blogging is always sparse.  So, here is where I am at.

As of recent my sister journeyed to New York, her new place of residence.  She previously resided in Tulsa, just a short drive from where I am.  I loved our time spent together while she was so close.  We had not lived that close to one another since she was a Senior in her undergraduate studies and I was a freshman in college.  I'm not going to date myself, but folks, that was a looooonnng time ago.  

My husband and I (and kids) frequent Tulsa a lot to visit family.  Every time we went, my sister and I would try to make a point to get together for coffee, or shopping in Utica Square, porch chiminea time at her cute bungalow house, or bat watching when she lived in her duplex before finding her home.  Oh nostalgia.  I sure do miss her.  I was in Tulsa last week and weekend.  I left without seeing my sister for the first time in several years.  Ouch.  How do I describe that except it was nothing short of painful.  I sure do miss her.  Bittersweet.  I sure am happy for her new journey ahead.  The sweetness was her living so close, the bitter part was her leaving.  My mother recently told me, you cannot have the sweet without the bitter.  They go hand in hand.  

On another note, I love gardening and have really been enjoying it this summer.  My husband built two above ground flowerbeds for our garden.  My father-in-law supplied us with sixteen tomato plants, so look out when those things start producing.  Currently in our garden we have tomato plants, pepper plants, basil, spearmint, lavender, thyme, cilantro, eggplant,  and sunflowers that will hopefully grow to be seven to twelve feet tall.  I am really trying to eat healthy and cook healthy, thus I am enjoying using that things from our garden.  I especially love the basil! Did I mention I planted the eggplant in memory of my sister.  She loved that stuff.  Hope I do too. Ha. 

The children are amazing and wonderful.  Jaben is so smart he amazes me all the time.  His little memory is so good.  He remembers stuff from when he was not even two yet. I love hearing his little feet pattering down the hall in the middle of the night to come get his Daddy.  The other night he did that.  He came walking in with his blanket and said he wanted his Daddy to come sleep with him and that he needed help finding Mr. Bear.  I sure am going to miss that when he wants to sleep all by himself when he wakes up at night.  

Jaben has really been enjoying gymnastics this summer.  He has been flying on zip lines, jumping in foam pits, doing back flips, front flips, walking balance beams, etc. When did he get to be this big?  :)

Josiah seems to have gone from a baby to a toddler in one day.  He is almost running.  His vocabulary has increased immensely.  He is saying the basic mama and daddy and etc....but also he is saying ball, bird, shaking his head no in response to questions, understanding things such as going to Jaben's room to wake him up from a nap when I tell him what to do (he loves waking big brother up), he is saying belly, he can point to his belly, eyes, ears, head, hair, foot.  

Perhaps one of my favorite things right now is watching the boys play together.  They love to get in the trampoline and play crack the egg....the egg being Josiah.  Josiah loves it! Josiah loves to stalk Jaben when Jaben is eating.  And Jaben loves to feed him.  Josiah will just keep coming over to the table for more food.  Josiah loves to blow kisses to Jaben when we tuck him in for a nap and then he will close his door.  Children are such a blessing.  Thank you Lord!

Well, speaking of children, I need to go wake them up from their sweet slumber.  Best wishes for a Happy 4th of July!

Jessica

Dear Sister,

Dear Sister, I've always admired you from a young age.  Always looked up to you because you were my older sister. Of course, I wanted to be just like you when I was a little kid.  I always tried to dress just like you, always wanted to play with your friends, and even begged to be the maid of our playhouse just to be a part of your fun world.

Dear Sister, now you are thirty-one, and I am twenty-eight.  And here we are.....temporarily.  The reality of your move to New York set in tonight....hence the blog. This is really happening.

Dear Sister, here are just a few of the things I have learned from you....in just the few short years you were in Oklahoma. Most of these things I learned while sipping coffee with you, sitting on your porch next to the glowing chiminea.  And for that, I want to thank you.

Dear Sister,  you have taught me a lot about compassion.  You have taught me what "loving your neighbor as yourself" truly means. You have taught me the real meaning of "community" as Christ intended.  I hate admitting this one, but you have taught me to open my eyes to the hurting world. By that I mean, to be aware of the hurting parents who are unable to provide daily bread for their children, to the people who work multiple jobs and still cannot get by, to the people who truly need help to survive....dear Sister you have taught me much.

Dear Sister, you inspire me. You inspire me to have a flourishing garden so that I may donate all it produces to those in need.  You inspire me to toggle with the idea of really teaching Yoga, on a donation basis, and then using those proceeds to help Moms in my same community feed their hungry children. You inspire me to love people, truly love people, with a heart that does not judge.  You have taught me that a person cannot be judged by the situation that may lie before them.

Dear Sister, you have taught me much.  You have taught me that we are called to love people.  You have taught me that loving people means caring for those in need.  You have taught me that caring for those in need means helping provide for basic needs.

Dear Sister, I dedicate this excerpt to you. Perhaps it will be of a familiar comfort you.  We all read this together on your wedding day.

Lord, make us instruments of your peace.

Where there is hatred, let us sow love.

Where there is injury, pardon.

Where there is discord, union.

Where there is doubt, faith.

Where there is despair, hope.

Where there is darkness, light.

Where there is sadness, joy.

Grant that we may not so much seek

to be consoled as to console.

To be understood as to understand.

To be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive.

It is in forgiving that we are forgiven.

It is in dying that we are born to life.

Dear Sister, I love you. I am sad to see you go, yes, but happy to see what your next journey holds. And, dear sister, I am so very proud of you.

Dear Josiah,

Dear Josiah, as your Mommy, I want you to know.....

I love holding you why you sleep,

I love that every time you are sleepy, you hold onto my thumb.  Your little fingers just fit perfectly.

I love the way you give sugars.  You lean in with your mouth wide open and just slobber all over my face.

I love watching the birds on our feeders with you.  Every time a bird lands, your little finger points and you say "brr." 

I love dancing with you in our living room and listening to your deep belly laugh.

I love your smile.  

I love playing chase with you down our hall.

I love reading stories to you.

I love pushing you in the swing and watching your excitement.

I love watching you toddle around in our backyard.  I love how you notice every little weed, flower, bird, wind gust.....I should learn from you.

I love feeling you nestle your little face against mine, with your head on my shoulder.

I love sneaking in your room at night to just watch you sleep...it is as if time stops.

Tomorrow, you will be one.  As your Mommy, I want you to know....I love you because you are my son.  

Happy Birthday Josiah!

  Oh the places you will go.........

Happy Birthday Justin

My husband, oh how I love him.

My sophomore year of college, in a Western Civilization class at Oklahoma Baptist University, I noticed him. That was in 2004.  Almost eight years later, almost six years of marriage later, two children later, three houses later, three states later, I am more in love with him now than I have ever been.

Thank you for loving me, for asking me to be your wife, for our precious boys, and for the adventures we have shared together.  Praying for many more.

Happy Birthday!

Peter Rabbit Meets The Easter Bunny

Jaben has been waiting to meet the Easter Bunny since before Christmas.  Yes, for almost four months now he has been asking me to take him to meet the Easter Bunny.  One day he asked me to take him to the mall.  I figured he wanted to go to the play area.  Nope. He thought the Easter Bunny lived at the mall year round.  This was in February. 

All that to say, the Easter Bunny has finally arrived at the mall.  I promised Jaben that we could go meet her after school today.  When we arrived at school this morning he informed me that he only wanted to go inside to play with the bead maze and then head straight to the mall and not go to class.  He needed to meet that bunny.  Well, of course we didn't do that, but we did go visit that bunny after school.  

I picked him up from class and he ran out the door to where his artwork was lying.  He picked up this purple paper with a bunny on it.  The ears were made of his footprints.  Jaben told me he made this for the Easter Bunny and that he was going to tell the bunny he had a surprise and then give it to him....that the bunny had to keep his paper. Oh, and one more detail, Jaben's Peter Rabbit had to meet the bunny too.  So of course, we did all of that.  And then some...such as hugging the Easter Bunny goodbye, then walking away, then running back over to the Easter Bunny because she forgot to hug Jaben's Peter Rabbit goodbye.  And yes, the Easter Bunny actually hugged Jaben's bunny, Peter Rabbit, goodbye. Here are the pictures. 

 Jaben with his picture for the Easter Bunny. 

 Behold, the Easter Bunny.  Notice Jaben handing his picture to the bunny.  

 Jaben sitting with the Easter Bunny and Josiah just hanging out.

 Play area at the mall.  Ribbit!  Notice Peter Rabbit is with Jaben too.

 Playing in the boat together.

 Josiah standing up in the boat. 

Josiah's favorite!

Three

My precious baby boy turns three years old tomorrow.  My goodness!  Time has gone by so quickly.  It seems like just yesterday when Justin and I found out we were expecting for the first time.  I thank God that He has given us Jaben.  

I praise God for his protection over our sweet boy everyday, in the midst of illnesses, and especially regarding the car wreck in Houston.  I know that you truly are a gift and that God has special plans for you.  I pray John 3:30, "that I might become less and He might become more." Only then, can Christ truly live through me and pour into my children.  

 Jaben on his 1st birthday eating chocolate cupcakes out of his new sandbox.

 Jaben 1 year old.

 Jaben Easter 2010.

 Jaben just barely over a year old. 

 Jaben and Daddy. Mother's Day 2010.

 In Houston, Jaben loved to put buckets on his head and walk around the house.  He was barely a year old.

 Jaben visiting Daddy at his Houston office for Daddy's birthday.

April 2010.

Happy Birthday Jaben!

My family and I are so blessed!  Recently, my amazing sister asked if she could host a family birthday party for Jaben at her house.  Jaben loves Aunt Tiff and Uncle Luke!  He was thrilled to hear that he would be having a bonus party in addition to the party Mom and Dad would be hosting for him.

We celebrated with my family this past Saturday at Aunt Tiff and Uncle Luke's house in Tulsa.  Tiff is so good at hosting!  And, she sure does know how to make a little boy feel very special.  She made sure to ask me all of his favorite foods, interests, etc.  And she sure did have all Jaben could ever dream about from reese's butter cups (which he almost ate an entire bowl), lime chips, reese's pieces, lemons (he loves for Tiff to make sour lemon faces), chocolate teddy grahams, temporary tattoos (Cars of course), suckers, a Cars birthday cake, balloons, a Cars game, you name it...she had it all.  I am so thankful for family that loves on our boys!

My sister knit Jaben a gnome hat, which he is wearing in some of the pictures.  She and Luke also got him some garden tools and seeds (amongst other things) to accompnay his awesome gnome hat.  Gnomes are infamous for residing in gardens right?

It was so sweet to also be celebrating with Jaben's Great-Grandmother and his Great-Grandfather who were also at the party.  And, he loved having Grandma, Pop pop and Connie as well at his party.

Toward the end of the party, Jaben had a dance party in which he wanted all the guests to come into the office, closed the doors, and danced.  I caught Grandma doing the hold your nose fish move at one point, Pop pop dancing like a duck and stomping his foot, Aunt Tiff dancing with Mr. Bear who was instructed to catch a balloon with his hands (he really has know hands...this was almost asking for a miracle), and Great Grandma being pegged with balloons being projected from the moving fan...on her head. Ha. 

Here are a few pictures from the party, compliments of my sweet sister.

My sweet sister who asked to host a party for Jaben at her house.

She knitted this awesome gnome hat for Jaben.

  

Daddy and Uncle Luke working on Jaben's new John Deer Power Drive Barn.

Jaben with Pop pop and Grandma.

Uncle Luke and Jaben.