eleven.

So, is this my LAST month post????
Or do I still say 12 months, 13 months, 14 months....?  hmmmm...

Regardless, you are ELEVEN MONTHS OLD.
Meaning, next month, NEXT month, you will be ONE YEAR OLD.
oh.my.goodness.gracious.

Last year at this time we were saying, "he could come annnnny day!"
What we didn't know was just how comfortable you were in there!

So, what has been going on this past month?!

-you are talking more!!!  you are saying ma-ma, da-da, daddy, nana (banana), hi, bye-bye, PARKER, AND PAPA!!!!  So, let me explain.  We were going to see Parker, Ness, and Zach the other day and I was telling you all about where and what we were doing and I kept saying Parkers name.  And then you started saying it...it sounds more like Ba-ka.  So sweet!  Then, we were home playing and you, all by yourself, started saying PAPA.  (this really isn't a surprise considering ever time you see your PA he drills you with "PAAAAAAAA."  You said it over and over and over and I got an awesome video of it that Pa enjoyed quite a bit.
I love hearing you say new things!

-you are having a hard time leaving mom (and dad!)
going to the nursery (aka discovery land), staying with friends (z and ness, mama v(ness' mom) ) has been quite the battle.  we get called out of church to get you every time, but this is a SEASON and I know you will get better at being away from us.  

-you love the dishwasher

-and banging the child-proof doors

-a stinky stomach bug went around like crazy this month.  sadly, you were sick for a few days.  i dont like seeing you sick, but i did love the extra cuddling! pretty much all of our lifegroup babes got sick and unfortunately we passed it on to caro, who got the worst of it. :(  makes me so thankful for healthy days!

-we joined "play-group" this month.  four amazing moms and babies get together on thursdays for a couple of hours.  2 moms watch the babes (which is fun because the kiddos get to play together and the moms get to catch up) and the other 2 get a "whatever you wanna do" break.  i love these friends so much...we are so so blessed!!!

oak, cooper, asher, and clara.

-you have FIVE teeth and are working on one on the top and bottom...this teething thing pretty much is ongoing!  (check out the dirt/sweat in your neck rolls!!! :) )

-you are working on walking (meaning, mom and dad could or could not be practicing with you a WHOLE LOT), and TODAY, after World Mandate, you took 2-3 steps while walking with daddy and Heather!!! whoo hooo!  I can't WAIT to see you take off!

- you are eating pretty much everything that you can, and trying new stuff all the time! i love that i can usually find something you can eat off of our plates now! so convenient!  your favorite thing to eat right now are your yogurt melts.

you love "rocky" and his truck. (aunt amy's early b-day gift!)  your dad and I started crying today watching you play by yourself and work so hard to put rocky in his truck.  you tried and tried and finally got it, then looked up at us and smiled so proud!  you melt our hearts!!!

- your love of balls has truly blossomed...especially with this ball, which has a very funny story tacked to it for life. 

We have a busy, fun month ahead of us, Oak Jack.  I am sooooo excited for all it will bring.  I love you!

Mothers Day

(First of all, I know Mothers Day was 3+ months ago...my blog roll says I started this post on June 1st. whoops. :) )

Oak, 

Thank you for making me a mom.  This has been an incredible 10+ months.  I had no idea how amazing taking care of you would be.  I have SO SO SO SO SO much to learn and such an incredible responsibility.  I am so thankful for Jesus, for GRACE, and for a plethora of incredible moms to learn from.  I am so proud to be your mom.

I remember this day like it was yesterday...  

Oh man, and this one too...

some of my most favorite moments so far of being your mom:

But THIS....THIS could be my all time favorite picture of MY mom.  Every time I look at it,  I could cry...

...Because I know what she was doing.

I know what she was thinking.  

Amongst everyones excitement (and we WERE excited) of your arrival, she was thinking of ME.

And I don't know what I would do without her.

Man oh man,  I am so thankful for this woman. 

This picture sums up her presence in my life.   

A completely prayer-filled, selfless mom.

hmmm...yup...I want to be just like her.

We always laugh because mom doesn't really have any "hobbies" (well, besides walking 1st monday and creating fairy gardens).   

But I think when my mom became a mother, she took this role on with her whole being.  

She did, and continually puts all that she is into mothering her kids, (and loving her husband) and selflessly making us everything we are supposed to be.

NOT THAT HOBBIES ARE WRONG (we are so proud of the fairy gardens!!!).  

But I love this about my mom...she puts 110% into what she does and she is incredible at it...being a mom and a wife. 

These are pics from the day we celebrated mothers day with mom:

I am so thankful for moms, and the women that have shaped my life.

(I started to list them, but that was stupid and impossible.)

"She is clothed in STRENGTH and DIGNITY, and she LAUGHS  without fear of the future." Proverbs 31:25

eddie and judy.

In July, we took a weekend trip to Louisiana to the Parish Hermitage.  

Sounds weird, right? 

It's not, it's pretty much AMAZING.

The Parish Hermitage is a ministry ran by Eddie and Judy Parish in their home.  Eddie is an incredibly gifted therapist/counselor, cook, and worshiper... and Judy definitely has the gift of hospitality and is the most genuine, sweetest, open armed person, ever.  

So....it's like a retreat.  

Marriage. Family. Whatever needs to retreat. 

Us? We needed a marriage retreat.  

Not gonna lie, it has been a hard season.  

I was suppose to leave and cleave over three years ago, but i forgot to. 

or didn't want to. or didn't know how to.

This, plus five years of stuff, came to the surface, and it needed to get out.

There is no way I can sum up, on this post, all the past 8 months have entailed...but if you want to know...I'd love to talk about it.  I'm an open book and talking helps me process.

I can sum this up:  

I got mad at God. REAL mad.  Like, I didn't know I was capable of, mad.  He forgot about me.  He left me.  I felt abandoned. 

So, He let me get mad.  He let me do my thing.  He KNOWS me, way better than I know myself.  How much I can take, how I'm wired, how I think.

Things would happen, big and small and He would quietly speak to my heart.

He pursued me.  

He went after me. 

He wooed me.

Not in a loud, kinda way.  

In a way only He could speak to ME.

And thats where I am right now.  Learning to let Him love me.  Learning to trust Him.  Learning to really let Him clean me out.  Learning to give up CONTROL and receive HiS FREEDOM.

So the Parish weekend...

They live on a river in between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Their place is lush and beautiful and full of big trees.  They have a board walk on their property by the river.

They have a guest house.  Eddie came and met with us about four times.  He walked us through our story.  He helped us along the way.  He gave us incredible take aways and tools that we have found to be life saving in our marriage right now.  He loved on us and prayed for us.

Judy made us breakfast and lunch and we joined their family for dinners in their home.  Not just a normal dinner.  An INCREDIBLE dinner!  Like, steak with sauteed incredibleness on top, rolls, grilled veggies, fried okra kinda dinner. 

FANCY. 

Not stuffy fancy, but appreciation of GOOD food fancy.

We walked away from this weekend feeling...HOPEFUL and REFRESHED.  

At the Parish house, enjoying the RAIN.

This is Eddie and Judy with their children.

We looked around New Orleans before we flew home.  

After we took these pictures (with the horse statue and big pretty building) and left, we realized we had no idea the significance of them.  We just took some pictures because it looked important or something!?

I am so thankful for the Parish family, my persistent husband, and our Louisiana weekend.  

"You are not bad communicators.   You know what needs to be said.  You are just lacking the honesty and integrity to say it."  Eddie Parish   (OUCH.  THIS HIT HOME.)

Hi.

ohhhhh I am PRETTY SURE you said "hi" this morning.

"HI."

Well, this word just got bumped up on my favorite words list.
I love you oak jackson!

TEN.

Oak Jackson, 

today, you are ten months old, and...

I love you.

You bring so much joy to my life. 

I am learning so much from you and through you.

You are one amazing boy.

I love your backwards laugh, and the space between your teeth.

I love your superman curl and how your hair goes to a point in the back, on the left side.

I love that you laugh when others laugh and clap every chance you get.

I love that you love the itsy bitsy spider and butter-cup.  Best lyrics ever.

And that you think the best book in the whole wide world is "Shake It Up Baby."

I love how excited you get when you are going after something, and how broken hearted you are at the smallest things.

I love that you love trucks and cars and trains and wheels and airplanes.  

I.LOVE.YOU!!!

happy ten months dude.

this month...

You are "cruising" a whole lot more...and a lot faster.

I'm ready for you to walk so you will be further away from germs. :)  Makes sense to me.

-you colored all by yourself with markers for the first time.  you prefer your skin way over paper.  so, we bought some crayons.

-you are a champ at waving.  i love it. hi. goodbye. all the time.

-still giving high fives...but now we are working on "knucks."

-you are eating A LOT of new things...yogurt, hard boiled egg yolks, zucchini and summer squash, asparagus, cheese, blueberries and the list goes on...
AND your first ice cream cone!

-we played and swam at Mama's house.  Grandma has this exact picture of me looking out these windows...

-you have conquered feeding yourself puffs and yogurt melts...for a while you really emphasized your pointer finger and thumb little pincher action...VERY meticulous (that might just run in the family)...you are even taking bites with your new teeth

-speaking of TEETH, top two...CHECK.  goodness gracious those two caused some snot and congestion and ear infections and sleeping out a wackiness and pain... BUT they are quite lovely and i think you will find they will come in handy.  you are pretty cute with teeth.  i secretly hope you keep a space in between the top two.  AND your two fangs are coming in also!  wow, four on top!

-you went on your first real beach trip (Cali. was more of an ocean viewing)
you didn't much care for the sand or waves the first day, but each day you liked it more and more

-Norman still doesn't care too much about you...BUT yall  have started playing ball together.  you like it. he doesn't.  you hold the racquet ball in your hand and norman tries to get it.  we throw the ball, then force norman to bring it back.  again, you like it. he doesn't. BUT we are working on it.  I gave Norman a big ol' lecture the other day about shipping him to Mama's house if he didn't start loving you.  I think its  working...

-you went to Louisiana for the first time (even before we drove through it on our way to Alabama.)  We went on a retreat between Baton Rouge and New Orleans...i'll have to do a post about this trip.

-we celebrated Pa's birthday with Parker

I love you Oak Jack.  

TEN MONTHS.  TEN. TEN!  

This mama is in full party planning mode...at least in my head.
Man oh man...this is gonna creep up on us!  2 months. ready. set.
I'm so excited.
You are going to be ONE. A whole year.

BUT...TODAY you are ten months, and I'm so glad.  I love you today.