The Webers

Generosity

2012-02-03T10:49:00.000-06:00

There is something beautiful and life-giving about a person who is generous. Generous in his/her time, kindness, resources, etc. There is something that is contagious about a generous person. I love that generosity implies a lack-of-strings attached, and a genuine desire to give.

I wish I could say that being generous is such a natural overflow for me - but it isn't. It can be hard to give that $20, that extra hour, that moment of slowing down to help someone. It can be hard to choose to have an attitude of giving, when I would rather be selfish.

There have been so many people who have challenged, encouraged and shaped my life in regards to being generous. It is hard to face the ugliness of my selfishness, but it is so worth it.

Someone just recently gaves us an anonymous gift. This gift could not have come at a more perfect time. I have been completely humbled through this gift. We don't deserve it. I struggle with the fact that I especially don't deserve it, all things considered with the accident this past month, and some lovely miscalculations on my part (and I am the math person!). I feel awkward and both completely grateful for the gift. Overall, the concept of mercy and grace really is speaking to me in this. I am humbled by whoever gave so much to us, and that God cared so much to provide this.

Jon and I live on one main income, and I teach a bit during the week. While we do have little - especially compared to others around us - Jon and I strive to be generous.

It is hard to put down in words the depth of my heart - how I have been so touched by another person's gift - how it makes me want to give to others - how it continues to change me and help me be less selfish. I hope some of this has made sense.

To whoever chose to give to us - we are so thankful. Your gift is more to us than what it is at face value - it really has touched our hearts. Thank you for giving to us. You are among the people who challenge us to love more, and give more.

Two steps forward.. One step back...

2012-02-01T10:09:00.000-06:00

It seems that whenever we commit to something new, life in that area becomes harder. This isn't a foreign experience to me, but for some reason it is really hard to accept right now. You see, Jon and I are working very hard to be disciplined in our finances. We are no big spenders by any means, but we are really good at going out for that dinner we just don't want to cook. I usually am the biggest contributor to this, because when I feel depressed I just stop wanting to do much, and so by the time Jon gets home from work I usually just want to go somewhere.

You see, this adds up. Financially, we are trying to pay off debt.. and well, as you can imagine, this issue makes this hard to make much headway on.

This month we did phenomenal with our budget.. however, we have run into some other issues which will strip us down again. We are not sharing this to complain, but just to say - it is hard. It sucks. It is easy to emotionally want to just throw in the towel.

BUT... we are still moving forward. Thankfully Jon and I are really good at helping each other up through struggles. Thankfully we serve a God who is bigger than all of this. We can celebrate moving forward this month, and thank God for giving us the strength to move through the hard things hitting us. Yes, we may not be moving as fast as we like, and February might be a complete bomb... but we are moving together, and we can rest in God having a bigger plan than we see, and His grace.

Walking has FINALLY begun!

2012-01-28T09:11:00.000-06:00

Lina is 16 months now... and took her first steps on her own 2 days back. This mommy was ridiculously happy. Finally! Lina and Ezzie are very different (people talk a lot about your children being different from one another... so true!). Ezzie was the child who would take a long time to learn things. It took him a couple of months of rocking, crawling backwards, and throwing himself forward before he really crawled. It took Lina a day. However Ezzie began his crawling endeavors around 7 months.. Lina, right before her first birthday. Verbal skills - the same way. Ezzie practiced a lot. Lina just began blabbing one day. So, this whole walking things is not too much of a surprise.

While I do love cuddling with my sweet girl, I have to say that I am tired of not going outside without too much mess. It is wet outside. It would be SO nice if she could just walk so she could run around outside with her brother. Plus the chances of her losing shoes would be lessened... yes, we are in that stage of her losing her shoes :( I am SO looking forward to her being a walker!

Lina began walking when we were hanging out with our friends - the Bulgriens. Kim caught it on film. We laughed the most at the end of the movie. Lina kind of just rolls over when she is done walking - she cracks me up.

We hope you enjoy this!

He Did It!

2011-08-20T20:40:00.000-05:00

Finally.. after a crazy, busy, season of life, Jon has finished his Master's Degree in Business Administration!!! The structure of the program has been the major exhaustion on us - he has 3 weeks off total during the year - and the other courses overlap throughout the rest of the year - and these are 7 week and 3 week long courses.. blah.. but HE IS DONE!!! I am so proud of my man, and so excited for him to have a break for himself!

He is such a great husband and dad. I have been so blessed by how he has made the time everyday to spend time with us - from when he gets home from work until the kids are down. He has worked until midnight or later many nights - sometimes because I simply needed him, and he was willing to place his school work on hold. He is my hero, and such an awesome example of a man who loves his wife and kids more than his own academic progress and even sleep sometimes.

Jon and I have really found ourselves challenged in our marriage - especially with adding Lina to the family at the peak of his travel season and crazy school work almost a year ago. I have learned how selfish I can be, and how hard it is to communicate my needs - and to even know what I need! I have been challenged to sacrifice more - even though I feel like I need to sleep in every day since Lina has regressed and doesn't sleep through the night.

All in all, the past 2ish years have been incredibly hard for us, but as I sit at the end, I see how they hold their own sweetness. Their own challenge. Their own insanity. Their own laughability. I wouldn't trade them.

Now we enter life without school work, and Jon's crazy fall travel season. I already know we are prone to bicker and fight a lot - reentry is hard for us. Hopefully, with God's grace, love and guidance, we will grow more in this new transition period. Thankfully, through having to go through reentry many times, and simply being honest with one another, we have a taste of our propensities.

This House is beginning to feel like a Home

2011-07-03T11:08:00.001-05:00

We have been in our new house for over a month now. We have been slowly unpacking, fixing things that break, and working on house projects - like putting in the backsplash:

The projects never seem to end... I think I am getting a flavor for what infinite means in the home-owning-project-world :)

We just discovered that our washing machine drain pipe (the one attached to the house) has some leak in it that has been draining between the wall in the kitchen and the utility room. If we didn't need to do laundry, we could put this project off, but we know we can't. The wall that is being ruined is the wood-paneling in the kitchen. So, we now have to consider whether we should just rip out the wood paneling period and drywall the 2 and 1/2 walls that would need to be replaced. The lovely owners before us only redid part of the walls. Yes, decisions, and $. Gotta love it!

But, you know what made this house start feeling like a home? Well, it began with simply putting together the bedroom set my parents bought for us. Once together, we had an extra dresser that needed to be put somewhere - guest bedroom/office it was! Well, we had empty drawers in it, and extra space in the new dressers. Since we lack closets, I decided to put the guest sheets/towels/blankets/pillows into the old dresser, and to put blankets we use in our room into our dresser. For some reason, this small task made this house feel like a home. I wonder if it has to do with the feeling like we have a place for people to come and visit us, and not be squished into our front room. I wonder if I just felt maternal/homey in this bit of organizational love. I really don't know. However, since then the little steps we take to organize and unpack things are just making things feel more homey to me :)

Yesterday, Jon and I bought curtains for our bedroom. They are up, but we are going to hang a few things on the wall before posting pics. For my own sanity, I have needed just one room to be 99% complete - this is our bedroom. The only thing that is really left is the molding between the ceiling and the wall, and repainting the molding around the floor and the door frames. I'll post pics when our decor is on the wall :)

Anyways, off to just rest. Lina has a mean fever that began last night, and she is actually napping now - poor girl!

Mommy's Get-away...

2011-05-20T14:16:00.000-05:00

Last night my tutoring session was cancelled. Thanks to my loving husband, I was shooed out the door to have some "Tamryn-time." I have been aching for this for awhile. Sure, I have some space when the kids are down for a nap... but there is a difference in the quiet when they are napping, and my ears are still attuned to their cries, and the quiet of Starbucks, or some other place, where I don't have to even think about their waking up and wanting to play.

My first stop was an errand-stop - Lowe's - our new best friends. I then went to Starbucks. I didn't noticed how many women about my age were there.. all by themselves, like me. One was reading a book intently, the other was just sitting with headphones on, and I was journalling. I imagine these women were also having some alone time.

Target was my last stop. I love the coffee at Starbucks, and the ambiance, but my activities there are limited. Target is my go-to for some refreshing time by myself. Surprise-surprise, more moms by themselves :) I actually got to look around as slowly as I wanted. I came up with 2 amazing deals after coupons - 2 shirts for myself totalling 74 cents! I also found some tights for Lina for this next cold season for 74cents each!

When I was younger, I didn't always like shopping with my Mom. The trips that I look back on with bad memories are the ones where it seemed like we were in a store for hours while my mom combed each aisle. I know I loved many of the shopping trips my Mom took my on... but now I have a little more sympathy for my Mom on the trips that I disliked so much - she must have been needing some space! I guess there was no one to babysit me when she needed the space the most :) I never thought I would love combing each aisle as much as I do at this stage in life. Obviously, a lot of moms feel the same way (and maybe some daddys too?). Sorry I gave you such a hard time Mom!

So, now that I have had some space I am more rejuvenated, and I look forward to my next outing by myself.

It has been awhile....

2011-05-13T13:47:00.000-05:00

Since I last posted, we have added a beautiful little (chunky-monkey :)) girl into our family, and have purchased our first home! It is not like we haven't been busy or anything :) We have until the end of May to move our of this current home.

I have to say, I am a bit sad. Yes, the commercial ceiling tiles, brown linolium in the kids room, yellow hexagonal kitchen countertop tile, lack of insulation, etc... are not exactly things we will shed tears over when we move.. but, this house was the place we brought Ezzie and Lina home to for the first time (and our dog Kass). The place where so many "firsts" have occurred. I love sitting at the kitchen table and looking out at the neighborhood and up at the large trees as the wind makes their branches and leaves dance. I love sitting on the porch and playing with our kids and the neighborhood kids. Despite us living "in the hood," I have made so many wonderful friends, and will miss my neighbors dearly... especially our 2(am)oclock conversations over the phone about the gunshots and such. I have teared up a number of times at the thought of leaving, and may shed a few more tears as we lock the door for the last time and say goodbye. While I love an adventure, I do very poorly with endings.

As we update the house we will be calling home in just 3 weeks, I'll try to do better with posts :)

Here are some fun pics for now :)

Our Old House

Our New Home (My panoramic attempt :))

Our kids when they were both 7 months old!

The BEST Mother's Day ever.. well, so far :)

Meeting out needs...

2011-05-13T13:21:00.000-05:00

Over the course of everything concerning our new home, we have been so blessed to tangibly see and experience how God has provided for every need, and even desire. Today I experienced another blessing. I received a call from our contractor informing us that our dishwasher was just a bit too tall for our counters. He did the leg work for us at Lowe's and found one that would fit in the space.. problem was, it was almost $200 more than what we paid for the other one. I hit my stress point yesterday over this... one more thing to go wrong.. one more thing to elongate how long all of the contract work is doing.. one more thing before Jon leaves on his trip tonight at midnight to put us behind schedule. Well, after doing some research I found that Lowe's matches advertised prices that are less than their cost, and then gives you 10% more off the price.. so the 699 dishwasher came down to 485.. yes, you see the right numbers. When I went in to Lowe's to speak with the man who has been so helpful, everything was set up. We even have the dishwasher being delivered tomorrow night.

This is just another of the many ways God has provided for us in ways we did not expect.. sometimes His answers of providence have required us to sacrifice, and sometimes He has provided in simply giving to us. Just wanted to share :)

Scandinavian Festival and Reunion

2010-08-26T17:21:00.000-05:00

So, this August was a monumental time for Jon. He had his 10 year high school reunion, and it was the 50th anniversary of the Scandinavian Festival - in which he has danced and been a part of since he was a wee little tot. We had such a blast! The festival was so much fun, and did not have your traditional fair fare. The majority of the food was Scandinavian or European, and they had dancing and other events all day - the fun kind of dancing that doesn't all look the same :)

Jon lit up like it was Christmas as the festival, and Ezzie was super cute in how he just took everything in. You'll notice in the pictures the authentic costumes Jon and his family wear - Ezzie joined the ranks, but I didn't :) I was in charge of the pictures :)

Ezzie had a blast with his grandma, grandpa, auntie and uncle - as you can see from the pics below :)

I also loved getting to know and meet Jon's friends. I had met many of them before, and had a great time catching up. His friends, who I had only heard of, were a lot of fun to talk with as well. Being up in Oregon made me wish, again, that we lived closer. At this point we do not sense God leading us that direction, but in 3 years, when our commitment to LETU is over.. we hope that is where we end up :)

Jon also took me to see his grandma's house. We visited her gravesite as well. Jon loved her so much, and I was not fortunate enough to meet her - she passed away the summer before I met Jon. She sounds like such an awesome woman - I look forward to meeting her in heaven someday :)

The time is coming...

2010-08-26T17:05:00.000-05:00

very soon where we will get to meet our little girl! I am filled with excitement, nervousness, and a little anxiety. For those of you who know me well, you know it takes me quite a while to process my emotions and responses to situations. I usually hit a depression and take a while to even realize I am in it, and why. With Ezzie this happened after his birth due to a lot of factors - broken trust with my doctor, the shear shock of how hard the labor experience was, his 5-week undiagnosed diaper rash which became obvious as thrush based on my symptoms, his surprise hospital visit and horrible spinal among other things, and just the transition from working to being at home full-time. I hit a major depression which put me on the couch crying for hours each day, and Jon reaching out the best he could and lots of prayer and support.

Why do I mention these things? Well, I want to step into this next phase of my life aware of what I have been through, affirming myself in what has occurred, and being ready to embrace and work through whatever comes our way with Pi so that I hopefully can bypass the months of depression and the length of more than a year it has taken me to be ok with who I am as a mother, woman and wife as I adjusted to becoming a mom.

When we found out Pi was a girl I teared up - I was so excited. I am still just as thrilled. She is a gift from God, just like her big brother Ezzie. Jon and I are so blessed to even be able to add another member to our family. I have no idea what it is like to have 2 children, but even with the nervousness of how we will adjust I am really excited to see our family grow.

I have been reading up on babies again... even though Ezzie will only be 21 months when Pi arrives, I don't really remember when he did what (I'll probably have to review his calendar to double check these things :))! I am reading through The Baby Whisperer right now and really enjoying it. The review is very helpful!

Well, I know these updates are few and far between. I think part of my not updating has come from me pulling into my shell a bit more simply because we are about to embark on a major transition in our lives. Here is a picture of me at 36 weeks... not sure how much she can grow in me at this point :)

Pi's quilt

2010-05-24T14:17:00.000-05:00

When I was expecting Ezzie, I dared to make him a quilt. Now with Pi coming, I was excited to make her one too! This quilt is a little different in approach. I will also be making her bumper pads too. Not so sure about the shirt and skirt... those seem a little far-fetched... maybe by the next one I'll be up for something new :)

Here is the front, and close-up of the bird, and back:

I love this stage!

2010-05-24T14:09:00.000-05:00

Even though I struggle with the cost of being a mother - in the continual sacrifice of time, energy, and so many other facets, I cannot deny how much I love being a mom. We have heard other couples comment on how they cannot imagine their lives without their kids. We are shocked to see that this saying is our reality... we didn't quite understand how this could be the case before Ezzie :)

We have 4 months left as a family of 3, and I want to take it all in. We are excited about Pi's arrival, but we don't want to miss out on the joys of this season of life. Right now Ezzie continues to surprise us with how much he is picking up. It seems like each day brings some new development.

Communication has been a big development. It really goes back to the day I was tired of Ezzie fussing when he wanted more food. At snack time I said "more, please" and signed it. I kept doing this, and showing what the reward would be, until Ezzie finally chose something from the 3 options... "more," "please," or signing. He chose signing. It was worth the battle for him to choose something. I have noticed his fussing when he is hungry has gone down, and he now employs the signing for more than food.

Even since then he has been imitating more words. Even today, his friend Sam was over and he said "yuck," and so did Ezzie (a new word to add to his vocab :))

Just to name a few - last week, Ezzie began dipping his fries in ketchup. He also has been playing differently with other kids. He and his friend Evan are now initiating high-fives on their own and even giving each other hugs. Evan is only a month older than Ezzie.

I have a feeling that Ezzie is going to be a great big brother. Today Titus (who is almost 3 months) was playing in our playyard. Ezzie was playing with him, and even began to lay down and cuddle with him. It was completely adorable!

I am so proud of my son. My heart just feels with joy when I think of him.

Our little Pi is a mover and a shaker. I absolutely love feeling her move around!

Ezzie kind of understand baby... he says "ba-ba." He often will point to my stomach. Sometimes he points to Jon's stomach or my chest. I am not sure what his understanding is exactly :)

Here is a picture to leave you with of Ezzie, Pi and I.

Our little girl :)

2010-05-04T19:25:00.000-05:00

Today we found out we are having a little girl! Jon and I are both so excited. I actually got tears in my eyes when the technician told us. I was so sure we were having a boy. I would have been happy with a boy. I think I just wanted a girl a little more.

In some ways I am a bit frightened. I remember being this way with Ezzie too. I felt uncomfortable having a boy, and then once he was here, I have become so used to raising a little boy. I feel the same anxiety with a girl... what do I do with her? I know the answer is simpler than I make it.. I just have a gold medal in worrying. Wish I got an honorary mention in that category in life!

Despite all the worry, I am already planning things in my head. We went to JCPenney and got a few things, and then to Hobby Lobby to look at fabric for her crib things. I am SO thrilled. I am also planning little dresses to make, and even thinking about bows in her hair - something I have never even had an inkling of excitement over.

It does seems surreal, but it is real, and I am really happy.

Her due date is September 22nd, and we will announce her name then :)

Here are some super fun pictures of her:

The Proof:

Profiles:

One of my favorites: Her feet. She has them crossed at the ankles. On the left you see her foot upside down, and on the right you see her little ankle behind the foot :)

15 weeks down, ~25 more to go

2010-03-29T14:12:00.014-05:00

Wow, this pregnancy is going by so much faster than Ezzie's. I definitely have noticed a difference in my obsession with reading up on every development and week of the baby's life. I also have not taken any preggo pics until now. I hope we will atleast do great at taking lots of pics of baby pi when s/he arrives!

I think we will find out in May whether we are having a boy or girl. At this stage, I can see the pro's of having either. Regardless of the gender, our hope is for a healthy baby and a better experience during labor and delivery. So far we have loved our midwife. The more I read up on her background and meet with her, the more I sense I can trust her. See, we trusted my last doctor, but in the labor/delivery process found her to be untrustworthy. It really put a damper on a lot of things surrounding my labor with Ezzie. Thankfully God blessed us with amazing nurses who were so attentive and encouraging.

Well, here is my preggo pic with Ezzie on the left at about 15 weeks, and my preggo pic with Baby Pi at about 15 weeks. Can you see any difference???

Zoo!

2010-03-29T14:06:00.005-05:00

Our cutie on the way home :)

One thing I love about Jon's job is the flexibility. He worked on Saturday, and got to take today (Monday) off. We both have needed to get out of Longview. Originally, we planned to take a small overnight trip Sunday. Thankfully we nixed the plan last week. Had we made the reservations, we would have had to cancel due to Ezzie being sick. This morning he was well enough to do something - so we took a family trip to the zoo. This was Ezzie's first visit.

Ezzie is now starting to distinguish people and animals from the surroundings. If an object is moving, he can easily distinguish it, but if the item is not moving, he doesn't do too well. It is neat to see him develop this skills. He often brings me a book, and we look at the animals on each page. I can tell he still is not quite distinguishing the animals from the backgrounds, but he is getting better! We saw this skill come out at the zoo today. Ezzie loved watching the birds and other animals that moved a lot, but he surprisingly loved this green lizard that just sat in his cubby. I tell you, his little squeals and laughs just make my day :)

We got a membership to the zoo. We are excited at how this opens up opportunities to visit other zoos around the country for free of a 50% off discount. Zoos are so much fun. Here's to more trips!

Petting the goats! Here little birdie!!

Looking at the birdies with Mommy, Checking out the birds in the water

A Haircut - It can be revolutionary!

2010-03-21T19:59:00.002-05:00

So, we cut Ezzie's hair for the 2nd time. This time we pulled out Jon's clippers and gave little man a shave. I was not prepared for my gut reaction. I knew he would look different. Knew he'd probably look more grown up, and even wondered if he would look more like he did when his hair was that short at about 3 months. Wow - my reaction was so much more.

I felt like my son had grown from a 15-month sweetie into a possible punk kid. I immediately found myself unsure of his temperament and wondered if he was going to stop smiling and giving my those grins that delight my heart. I have no idea why a haircut spurred these feelings and gut reactions, but as soon as I vocalized my feelings I was grateful for Jon reminding me that Ezzie had not changed.

I feel there is a great lesson to learn from this for the future. I have no idea what may cause me to stop and question who my son is, and even other people in my life again. I hope that when I do, I will remember this haircut - something so small and completely unconnected to who my son is and remember the truth that I know about him, others, myself, and even God.

Sometimes that truth is hard for me to hold onto. Last night I had a very rough night, and Jon spent a good portion of it just holding me as I cried and hurt over questioning my worth, value and significance. His comfort, and God's peace finally lulled me into a sleep where I woke up with peace in my heart. See, nothing had changed my worth or value to anyone, except for my own perception... my haircut.

I wish everything could be as simple as "that haircut didn't change who he is," but it is not. Things are more complicated, but in essence, perception is not always truth. I know Ezzie will have more haircuts, and possibly make other choices that are really out there. I am so grateful for Jon in my life. It is amazing to have him as my partner in life.

So, my thoughts for today. And, a cute pic to leave you with.

Another Miracle

2010-03-09T21:26:00.004-06:00

Every time I see a baby being born or cared for, I tear up. Whenever I see a picture of a baby in-utero I get so excited, and also tear up. The whole process from conception to birth is amazing. A process that no human, in all of his/her intellect or strength could recreate.

Today we were met with worrisome news when we visited our midwife (atleast more to me than Jon :)). Our midwife couldn't find the heartbeat. She told us she wasn't too worried because my uterus was developing just fine. However, she did not want us to go home without hearing or seeing our baby's heartbeat. So, off to make an appt with the ultrasound technicians. At 2:30 today we had out appt. I was so excited when I saw a flicker of movement as the technician was measuring one of my ovaries - and of course, I teared up. Baby pi is so cute already. Pi was moving like crazy, and every time I laughed Pi would bounce to the top of my uterus, and then settle down to kick again.

Our original due date of September 28th has been moved up to the 20th based on growth. We'll see how little Pi develops. Who knows if Pi has a long torso like Ezzie, and simply is measuring big.

On another great note, before pics, I found out that my gestational diabetes tests came back clear! I am sure I will develop it at some point, but it is nice to know this is not the time :)

Picture 1: Profile

Picture 2: Head and hand. The hand is on the right of the head (as you are looking at the pic). Can't tell if the baby is waving or sucking his/her thumb - but the hands by the head thing is the same thing Ezzie used to do :)

The sequel...

2010-02-10T09:41:00.002-06:00

We are really excited for our family to grow. It is crazy how the timing of this has worked out, and how perfect things are lining up. Our little one should arrive around September 28th. That allows us to fly to Oregon to participate in the Scandinavian Festival (50th anniversary!), and Jon's 10 year reunion. Jon grew up dancing in the festival, and every year that we have not been able to go, he has been a bit bummed. I will be around 34 weeks - safe, though barely, to fly :)

We also will be able to visit my family for Christmas this year! The baby will be around 3 months old... perfect for traveling! I think my stress level will go down too after having that time to adjust to 2 little ones :)

Right now I am just making it through the pregnancy. I have been hit hard by nausea, sugar level issues, and a perpetual cold that has a pretty strong crush on me. I am hoping the cold gets the hint, and leaves soon for good.

One of the main issues Jon and I have struggled with (and it has been me who has felt the most stress :)) is our plans for the labor and birth of this child. We did not want the same hospital/doctor experience as last. We both had never considered a home birth until we met a fabulous midwife. However, after thinking through the details of the situation (she is having her first child in July, and there are no other midwives close enough to us), we found that option just to not be the one for this birth. After making some calls, and talking with people, we discovered a doctor who has midwives under him. We would give birth at the same hospital as Ezzie, but not be confined to the bed, or have pitocin pushed on us from the get-go. I am very excited about this option, and meet with one of the midwives in 2 weeks!

It has been hard to keep my spirits up - I just feel so bad. But, I am trying. I told myself I would embrace my second pregnancy even more than my first... and this is a struggle, but it is worth the work to try to keep my mind and heart focused where it needs to be, rather than wallowing in feeling blah.

Looking forward to good news in 2 weeks... hopefully all is well, and the baby's heartbeat is strong and pumping!

Our walker!!!

2010-01-18T19:42:00.002-06:00

I know it has been a while since I last wrote. I know, Ezzie's birthday has come and gone. From Nov 18-Jan 10th our life has been crazy. All of the major special dates for our immediate family fall between those dates, not to mention Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years and Annette's wedding!

I wanted to share with you Ezzie's latest endeavor: walking. He began to make real strides (haha :)) on Jan 7th, and is now walking like crazy. He is definitely not a total walker, but he is taking more risks and going farther than before. Hope you enjoy this video. I had to bribe him with keys. When I first began trying to get him on film he resorted back to crawling. Even when we would pick him up to attempt to get him on his feet, he would go limp like a noodle.

It's been a while!!!

2009-11-21T14:15:00.010-06:00

10 Months

11 Months!!!

You can barely see him! He's so fast!

These last few months have flown by! I can't believe Ezzie is 11 months today, and we are only 1 month away from him being a year old - where did the time go? Our little baby boy is turning into a big boy before our eyes!

My attempt to capture his 2 teeth! (With Jon's help, I'll get a better show later :))

Has grown 2 in the last couple of weeks, and is cruising and crawling around at warp speed. Chuck Norris can't keep up! Opening and closing doors is a common past-time of his, and I am proud to say he actually understands the words "open" and "close"! He is now eating a lot of the foods we eat, and gabs up a storm. He's at a stage right now where he stands by himself for a while and looks like he is contemplating his first step, and then he squats down and crawls instead... I imagine walking isn't too far in the future for him.

We took our very first family photos, and professional photos of Ezzie a month ago... I don't have them just yet, but if you visit my facebook account, you can see them there! Ezzie is so stinkin' cute!

One of my favorite expressions of Ezzie's is when he tilts his head to the side and smiles. When I tilt my head, Ezzie will then move his head again, and I will copy him, and we continue this little game. He has this smile, that I cannot seem to capture, that gets me everytime - and the head tilting just adds a million times more cuteness!

These few months have been fun clothing-wise, because Ezzie is able to wear a few of Jon's
outfits from when he was younger. The retro clothes sure are cute on Ezzie!

Speaking of Jon, we captured Ezzie looking at an airplane as it was flying in the air - just like his daddy :) Jon used to hear airplanes and then look for them and point, and I believe he would say "go-go" (Marla, correct me if I am off!)... Ezzie isn't quite at that level of talking yet, but this picture is priceless!

We had our traditional Halloween celebration and made family pumpkins. Last year Ezzie was in the womb, and this year he got to hold his own pumpkin - wow (atleast for me!). Ezzie was a pumpkin this year, courtesy of his Nana making him a pumpkin hat, and his auntie sending him a cute Halloween onesie! We went to a pumpkin patch with him dressed up - can you find him???

Grandma came for a visit less than a week ago. She and Ezzie had a great time together. It is so wonderful when we get visits from family! Marla (Ezzie's grandma) got him this awesome playset, called Mambo Combo... we had to convince Ezzie to crawl through the tube :) He, and his friend Sam, kept wanting to push it around, rather than crawl through and play in it!

Finally, a video to send you off!

9 Months and September!

2009-09-22T14:56:00.008-05:00

9Months

He is growing so fast! At the beginning of the month Ezzie was beginning to his trek towards crawling forwards. About 2 weeks ago he made a great breakthrough and began going forward pretty well. Now he is gaining speed and cruising along. I am amazed! He is also beginning to try finger foods. We are still waiting for his little teeth to poke through, and then he may be able to do better with the bigger chunks of food :)

We were able to take a small trip up to Little Rock - which I might add has the most amazing park! They have tunnels and cool playground equipment. If I was a kid I would have rated this the BEST park ever! We went up there to visit a little with my cousin Christina and my Uncle Russ. We only got to spend a couple of hours together over lunch, but it was such a great visit. I'm so glad Christina is moving to Nashville and will be closer than she was before :) She is such a great cousin and friend!

One of my favorite things this month is that Ezzie is now playing. Ezzie, up until now, has played with other people by taking their toys, and kids taking his toys. Well, he recently began playing chase and hide-and-seek. It all began with his friend Sam. Sam, who I have mentioned before, if 5 months older than Ezzie. He is running these days. He now runs away from Ezzie, who follows him crawling. It is hilarious! It made my heart so happy to see him playing with another kid and making this huge transition. Ezzie also likes to play chase and hide-and-seek with mommy and daddy. Below is a video of him playing hide-and-seek (the short version) with me.

This update is short, but I hope you like the pics and video :)

8 months!

2009-08-25T21:39:00.016-05:00

8 Month Photo Shoot - Discovering the Basil, taking a stand, and loving on Gerry the Giraffe

Getting his crawl on!

I love the stage Ezzie is in right now. I know, I know - I have loved them all, but it just keeps getting better! This month Ezzie has been crawling backwards, and is beginning to make his way forwards. He does an arm, arm, leg, leg, flop things, but he has moved about 2 feet forward! No matter where I put him sitting up, he keeps laying himself down and trying to move. One of my favorite moments was when he first crawled forward. Jon and I were on the couch, and Ezzie on the floor. We both called to him with a lot of enthusiasm. Ezzie was so overcome by excitement that his face lit up and he began crawling (one crawl I might add) without thinking and just trying to be near us. I hope I have his expression etched in my mind forever - it was priceless :)

One of my favorite things right now is that Ezzie giggles up a storm so much easier than before. I simply squeeze his little tummy and tickle him and he laughs so hard! I often find myself so overwhelmed with pride and joy in him. He makes my heart swell with happiness :)

Ezzie is beginning fingerfoods, and the two little teeth are beginning to surface little by little. Hopefully he will have some teethy grins by 9 months :)

The onesie, Daddy and Ezzie going to Daddy's Aero meeting

Ezzie finally can wear the onesie I made for his daddy when I found out he was coming. It says, "Don't worry, my daddy's a pilot." For those of you who know Jon well, he commonly will say, "Don't worry, I'm a pilot."

The pool, Ezzie doing what he does best - chewing on things :)

As our summer is drawing to a close, we are taking advantage of the pool Grandma got for Ezzie. He loves sitting in it and splashing. Summer run long here, so hopefully we can get another month out of it!

Speaking of summer - it is finally drawing to a close. We have had a couple of mild, non-humid days this past week which offer us promise of a beautiful fall. Ahh, changing leaves and cool, non-humid days. Something SO needed!

California and Oregon Adventures

2009-08-12T20:11:00.006-05:00

Ezzie looking at the plane - who knows if he will be like his daddy :)

We had such a great time visiting family and friends this past week. I must say that my husband and little guy were incredible troopers! Jon had been traveling and working crazy hours for over a week straight in Oshkosh (his dream aviation conference) before we left. He actually flew home Monday and we left Tuesday really early in the morning. Ezzie, who had a lot of time in a carseat and on our laps, also did amazing. It can be so much work traveling with a little guy!

Cool dude, Looking at Burney Falls (Ezzie loved watching the water - probably thinking huge bath!)

We first went to Camp Pit. It is a campground I grew up going to with my family, my Nano and Nana, and my Aunt Debbie and her family. This year was a little different without Nana and with all of the extended family. Just writing about my Nana brings back a flood of memories. I loved her dearly, and took it really hard when she died when I was nine. It took me until I was 12 to actually cry over her death, but I showed my grief in my writings and simply thinking about her all the time. My favorite memory of her was getting up really early, wandering into her garage, and sitting with her as she did the crosswords in the paper. Ahhh, Nana.

Back to our trip. We had a great time hanging out with family and eating a lot of good food. One thing about our family is that we eat well, eat a lot, and usually have a lot left over when we are done. We seriously need a fast after we are together :) This year Dani commented that we were sympythizing with Sarah, who is pregnant :)

The red sun, A helicoptor with the water basket, Dipping the basket into the reservoir

One big event that surrounded us had to do with wild fires. There was a lot of smoke - so much that the sun was almost red. This pic doesn't even do it justice! Our campground is near a reservoir, so hellicopters were coming in and out and getting water. We went up and checked it out - and yes, I was just as interested as Jon in this one :)

My nephew Jackson has been healing really well from his burns, and was a lot of fun. Here is a video of my brother, Matt, throwing him in the air and him laughing :)

Aidan and Faith with Ezzie, Mom about to teach me how to help Ezzie swim, The lesson in progress!

The weather was cool - especially compared with Texas. We braved the cool, and took Ezzie swimming. His cousins, Faith and Aidan, surrounded him as they did every day giving him attention. Faith especially enjoyed pulling him around the pool, and squeezing his cheeks - ah, they are so kissable and squeezable! My mom also showed me how to teach Ezzie to swim at a young age. She used to do this with Sean. It is amazing how they still have their fetal swimmers legs and arms! My mom showed me how to hold him so he could do it on his own - it was amazing :)

After saying goodbye to my parents (and family), we went for a trip to Trader Joe's before hitting Oregon to see Jon's parents - I know, surprise, surprise. My favorite thing about the trip was that Ezzie was thrilled to be there! His little legs were kicking, he was laughing and talking like crazy and that smile kept on coming. Sure, maybe part of it had to do with him not being in a carseat, but I think he has a love for Trader Joe's that is so innate! :)

Grandma and Ezzie, Ezzie loving the swing!

We spent less than 24 hours in Ashland with Jon's parents. It is such a quaint, romantic, and lovely city! We visited the downtown and walked through Lithia Park. Jon and I talked about it being a great weekend getaway location. Ezzie got to swing for the first time and loved it. What doesn't he love, other than Mac N'Cheese from the jar?

Our final destination took us to Mark and Tracey's house. It was so great to catch up after not seeing her and Mark for a while. They treated us to an amazing meal, and made our last night such a relaxing evening. Thanks again!

Friends and Cows

2009-07-19T21:03:00.010-05:00

Back in our Gladstone teaching days - we were "Dryer Lint" for Halloween, and made Pi shirts on Pi Day (3-14).. just to name a few things :)

Jon told me on Mother's Day he had a surprise coming my way - one that wouldn't happen for another month or two. He threw me off from my original guess - that Benny was coming to visit - by date-napping me for the night while Ben and Teresa came over and took care of Ezzie. We went out for a special dinner and to a bookstore. I didn't exactly think this was too out of the ordinary, but considering our not really eating out anymore, I took the bait. Well, the next evening Jon said he had to go pick up a potential instructor for LETU. He returned and pulled me outside, telling me he wanted to share the sunset with me. Well, I looked for the sunset, and found something better - Benny!!! Out from behind the car she came! We only had a couple of days together, but those days were so refreshing and such a blessing. I miss her terribly. I miss teaching next to her, collaborating, doing crazy things with our students, going to walks pretty regularly, and just being able to be around a girlfriend who I totally can let my hair down with.

Check out Ezzie's long Torso and squatty legs :), Zinks, Webers and Benny!, Herd Names

While Benny was here, she got to meet some of our friends and have go to Chick-Fil-A dressed like a cow for free food with Bill and Crystal Zink, two of our really good friends here. We made shirts and gave each other fun bovine (cow means female bovine) names.

Benny = Cow-lifornia
Tam = Moo-my
Jon = Papa Bovine
Ezzie = Calf
I miss Benny dearly right now, and wish we lived closer.

I am also so grateful to be married to a man who is so thoughtful and loving :)

7 Months and More!!!

2009-07-19T20:17:00.016-05:00

7 Month Photo Shoot

Ezzie is now 7 months, and has developed so much in the last month. I am continually amazed at how fast he picks up on things and becomes more expressive. As mentioned in the 6 month blog, Ezzie began turning over from back to front on Father's Day. He has since grew to be a roly-poly! He rarely stays where we put him anymore. He also loves to stand by himself when he is holding onto something stable.

In the pic on the right, Ezzie was originally in front of the mirror - he backed himself into the corner :)

He went through a phase where he would cry when he rolled onto his tummy - because he forgot how to roll back over - even though he began doing that months ago! Now he has transitioned to crawling backwards and crying when he gets himself into a corner. It is hilarious :) We know crawling is coming - in some ways I am not ready for this. I knew time would fly - but, really, this fast??? I cannot even imagine how fast the next year will go. All I know is that Jon and I continue to find ourselved overtaken with how much we love our son. We heard people talk about not remembering life before kids.. and thought this was silly... well, silly no longer :)

I think Ezzie really wants the coffee - not the glass :)

Ezzie has reached the age when he wants to eat whatever we are eating. He especially loves glasses - cold coffee cups. It cracks me up when he grabs for my glass and tilts his head up to suck on the bottom. He is beginning to become more interested in the top though. This adds some lovely moisture to my drink, but I just shrug it off :) I have tried giving him water from a glass a few times, and he does pretty well with it!

All sunscreened!, Loving it!, Family Pic :)

Another big thing this month is swimming! We have heard from friends that Daingerfield State Park was beautiful and relaxing. My image of the other lakes around here made me reluctant to really check it out, even though a part of me was curious. So, we got Ezzie a floatie, and headed to the park to get away from Longview. As a side note - I have been craving a change of scenery - mountains, wild rivers, the beach... something!. This proved to be a solace from the boring-nothing-to-do-outside place of Longview. It was so relaxing and beautiful! When Ezzie first began to swim around he immediately loved it! His legs are powerful, and he loved to jump and stand up. We weren't totally surprised when he began to kick in the water - our little waterbaby :)

We are headed to California soon to spend time with my family, and hopefully Jon's family for a day! One drawback of being here is them missing out on all of these changes. It'll be nice for them to have a chance to see Ezzie in these stages of cuteness, allertness, excitement and discovery! Plus, we will have a chance to visit some beautiful rivers, waterfalls and lakes. I already am looking forward to Burney Falls and Whiskeytown Lake. I love the beauty and clarity of Whiskeytown Lake, and have heard Burney Falls is beautiful!

More to come :)

6 Months and Father's Day!

2009-06-22T15:16:00.008-05:00

So, Jon had a very special Father's Day this year - Ezzie turned 6 months. We had a very relaxing day, and ended the day with Jon's favorite dinner that included Mac N' Cheese (obviously, it was made with Tillamock). We took a few pictures to commemorate the day. Ezzie is wearing his daddy's old shirt from when he was a baby.

Ezzie is becoming more and more captivated with the world around him. If there is anything new around, he will even refuse to eat just to take it all in. So, I find myself having to change the scenery fairly often when he is ready to eat. Ezzie is eating lots of fruits and vegetables, and sweet potatoes and applesauce seem to still be his favorite - though Apricots seem to be giving them a run for their money :)

(Here is Ezzie in his daddy's overalls, and a pair of shoes I made for him... I love creating things!)

On Father's Day Ezzie turned from his back to his belly when he was in his crib for naptime. He is developing so fast! He also is laughing more, and Jon taught me the trick to get him to giggle. He picks up on things pretty well too - when I show him raspberries (tongue vibrating - watch the video) he actually will imitate me. In this video he simply responded really cute :) He is also sitting up by himself! We stll put pillows around him, just in case, but he rarely needs them anymore!

We love that he still has bright blue eyes. I call him "bright eyes" and have since he was born. We are hoping they stay. His eyes remind me of my little brother's eyes. He has brilliant blue eyes. Ezzie also is getting blonder hair, and Jonathan had blond hair - so, who knows, maybe he is getting the recessive gene from my side, and Jonathan is the one he links to. He is such a joy. We hope you enjoy some of these pics, and these videos!

5 Months and Seattle!

2009-05-28T21:19:00.010-05:00

So, our little guy is now officially 5 months... crazy.. absolutely crazy! I weighed him again at Kroger, and he is now 14 pounds - so double his birth weight at 5 months. I absolutely love this stage he is in. He is so excited and interested in the world around him. He loves solids, and now recognizes his bottle. As soon as he sees it his hands and feet begin to wiggle and his eyes get really big. He tries to hold the bottle, and usually pushes it down :) We noticed in Seattle that he especially loved red plastic cups and plates. He is hilarious. He tries to put whatever is of interest to him completely in his mouth. All I have to do is hold something where he can see it and his arms lift and he is immediately lured into getting the object. The problem, other than the size of the item, is that he still tries to bring his body to the object, rather than the object to his body.

Ezzie also is sucking his thumb again. He sucked his thumb in the womb, and now he is beginning to do it outside of the womb for the first time! It is fun to watch him suck and chew on this new-re-found discovery :) His hand coordination is improving with leaps and bounds, and he even can pass an object from one hand to the other!

Ezzie is also sitting up better and better and just wants to go. However, he really only can scoot himself around on his back - we wake up in the morning to find his fully rotated and on the other side of the crib... he only does this when we aren't watching :) And, speaking of sleep, Ezzie gave me the best Mother's Day gift - he slept for 11 hours straight without a peep. Sleep is something so amazing! I am not quite used to it yet - I tend to still wake up randomly in the night - as does Ezzie sometimes. It helps me to have patience with him in the middle of the night when I also struggle with getting out of the "waking-up-in-the-middle-of-the-night" sleep pattern.

Four Generations

So, you noticed Seattle in the headlines. We went to Seattle to visit Grandpa (or Great-Grandpa for Ezzie) Karl. He is the person who Ezzie's middle name comes from. We visited with Jon's parents, sister and brother-in-law. It was so much fun to see family, and Ezzie loved the extra attention. We also got to visit with Jon's friend Matt Knepper and his wife Amber. I was especially excited to meet Amber, as I had not met her before. We spent a lot of the time just hanging out, playing Wii, and going to Pike Market (where I got a drink and pic at the original Starbucks :)). The highlight of the trip for Ezzie was meeting his great-grandpa Karl Weber at the Weber reunion. Grandpa Karl was smitten with Ezzie, and Ezzie loved sitting on his lap. We are so glad we made the trip and got to visit with him... he is 96.5 and such a wonderful man.

This visit makes me think of my own grandpa Calvert and how much I wanted him to meet Ezzie, and to have Ezzie know him. My grandpa was such a loving, fun and gentle man. I miss him a lot, and hope that I can pass on some of the things I learned from my grandpa to Ezzie and any other future children we have.

Down

2009-05-09T12:53:00.003-05:00

I knew that women often find themselves in emotional slumps after giving birth. I had moments of feeling down, but worked really hard to try to balance taking care of Ezzie and taking time for myself. However, I hit a patch about a month ago where I began feeling terrible and had daily bouts of crying. I was riding the fence between having baby blues and having postpartum depression. I am not sure about you all, but the thought of me getting it seemed impossible. Through a lot of support from Jon and friends, through talking with my nurse, and through not trying to do so much in the day, I have been able to really appreciate life and enjoy it more again.

The biggest challenge for me is to rest. I have this belief that I need to fulfill my checklist (which I tend to make very long) in order to be a good mom and wife. This isn't true - but as a mother who is staying home and not going back to working full-time, it is easy to buy into this belief. I have been meaning to write about this for a while, but just made the time. I just want to say thank you for supporting and encouraging me as I weather being a mom and figuring this all out. Without Jon, I am not sure I would have gotten through some of this - he is my best friend, and is so amazing in his love for me. I thank God each day for going beyond what I asked for in prayer, and giving me Jon.

Little things

2009-04-24T16:29:00.008-05:00

We may not have a lot in terms of money, achievement, and objects, but we have so much when it comes to the quality of our relationships, our faith, and our joy even through the toughest of times. Sometimes it is really easy to look at what other people have, and wish we could afford more. This has really been a struggle for me, especially, with the arrival of Ezzie and the realization of the dream I had not even identified in having our own home at this point and a bedroom specifically set apart for our little one. At this point in time we are renting a little home, and Ezzie's room is shared with our office. But... I have been picking out the little things over the past month and mentally making a note to write about the things that have blessed us so much, even though they aren't what everyone else might see as meaningful. First off, we are renting a house.. a house that has become our home. We have a backyard, and a dog who has made me feel safe when Jon has been traveling, and who does keep us on our toes. Ezzie's room may be a baby room/office, but it feels warm. I love the starry fabric hanging across the ceiling above his bed, and the suggestion of my friend Esther to put twinkle lights between the ceiling and the fabric to make it even more starry :)

I love how God has blessed us with the means to get things just at the right time. For example, I was in Target and browsing through the baby clearance isle. I found a bed skirt for his crib for a couple of bucks that matched the quilt I was making him. A couple of months later, there was a crib set for more then 75% off.. and a steal.. that was really cute, and surprisingly matched the bed skirt.

I have been able to find the time to complete the quilt I began making for Ezzie before he is born, and he fills my heart with joy everytime he begins staring and smiling at it. The colors really capture his attention - something I hoped to do with the quilt :)

I love that we had a free turkey for Easter that we could share with our friends. I love having people over and making them feel welcomed. We just added a recliner to our living room, compliments of our friends, and this has helped to add more seating and make the living room look more "homey."

We recently were able to get a trailer for our bikes that Ezzie can ride in... this has helped us to find another way we can enjoy the outdoors (even with the humidity and mosquitos) with Ezzie.

Our little boy is healthy - and I love getting to know him... what he likes, dislikes, what makes him smile, laugh, and what draws his eye.

The herbs I planted are actually growing, and we may get some fresh greens here to spruce up our meals.

There are so many little things I am sure I miss in the day, and I am so grateful for God's provision for what we need, and His help in being content with all He has given us and allowed us to give to others.

4 Months!!!!

2009-04-22T15:30:00.008-05:00

So, our little guy turned 4 months! He is growing so fast, and learning quickly too! We have had some fun "firsts" this month. Ezzie laughed for the first time, began eating solid foods, went on his first bike ride, is holding things on purpose!, and is pulling himself up into a sitting position little by little! It is all very exciting :) Right now he is 13 pounds, 6.5 ounces. He is nearing double his birth weight (which will be 14lb, 2oz). We love getting to know our son. Right now he seems to prefer "seeing" us to "hearing" us. If he can't see us, even if he hears us, he usually will begin fussing until he can see our faces. He also loves bright colors, and stares at our airplane pillow cases, and the quilt mommy made for him. He fills our hearts with joy with his smiles, squeaks, and facial expressions :) Plus, he also just made it 10 hours without a feeding last night!

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T19:56:00.002-05:00

We had a wonderful day celebrating the Lord's resurrection today. We spent time with other believers at church eating and then celebrating life and hope. Jon and I then had friends over for a feast later in the day. Jon and I made a turkey for the first time! It was edible and actually ok :) We had such a great time just talking and laughing with our friends. They say laughter is good for the soul - it was good for mine today :)

I was reminded of the healing God has done in my life, His power, and the hope I continue to hold onto... as time and time again I see His faithfulness. While I seek God each day, it is refreshing and encouraging to remember Christ's sacrifice that has brought life and hope into this world. We are so blessed to be surrounded by a community of friends, and even moreso to be able to see the work of Christ in their lives and our own. Sometimes it is easy for me to struggle with my faith - especially since God is not a tangeable human person who I can sit and talk with. However, I am reminded again that He has walked on this earth, and even though He may not be able to come and talk with me and give me a hug, I see His hand continually in the world around me. The beauty of truth to me is that there is nothing that can make it become un-truth. Even when my questioning becomes the strongest, God answers my need of assurance through revealing Himself through people, nature, or even an inner peace and insight into my own life and who He is.

Today was a special gift.

Auntie Julie and Uncle Russell Visit!

2009-04-11T18:53:00.004-05:00

We had a great visit with Jon's sister and brother-in-law. We spent most of our time around Longview, but did take a small trip to a little tourist town called Jefferson. On our way we stopped at a historical marker in Harleton. Why is this important? Well, only 2 days after they left we had a tornado watch because a tornado had touched down - guess where? In Harleton.. and itty bitty little thing that only has a plaque to its name.

Ezzie loved meeting his auntie and uncle. His favorite thing to do was listen to his Auntie Julie talk to him about Oxford, college, and read Shakespeare, to name a few topics and things. He also had to have her finger in his mouth! Our little guy is teething, and loved her finger specifically :)

One thing that Jon loved doing while they were here was watch "Warbirds." This is a movie that I just shook my head about when we'd go to the movie rental store. Long story short - it is a movie about a group of female pilots in WWII who crash on an island infested with Japanese troops and dinosaurs. They kill the dinosaurs. Julie and Russell, more specifically Russell, took the time to watch this with Jon :)

Learning to sit up and use those legs!

2009-04-07T09:41:00.000-05:00

"Boppin" in his Boppy - gotta love the spitup in the last pic :)

So, we have begun to encourage Ezzie in building his muscles to sit on his own! Boppies are one of the best inventions and really helpful when trying to let a little guy learn to sit without him plowing his head into the floor :) Though Ezzie is not quite able to sit on his own yet, he is getting better, and is discovering a whole new take on the world!

I discovered the jumperoo online a week ago, read all the reviews, and had to get one for Ezzie! (I think I may be more excited about his new toy than he is!) We tried it out last night for the first time and once he understood that he could bounce by using his legs he loved it!

I'm 3 months!

2009-03-30T08:38:00.000-05:00

So, our little guy is 3 months old, and 12.5 pounds! The time has flown. We were told it would fly, and to really appreciate these days when he is so little - we are definitely taking this advice :) Ezzie has been smiling more than ever (but is SO hard to catch on camera!) , and has had a lot of firsts. He got his first cold about a week ago, went on his first plane ride with Mommy, put his hand in his mouth consistently for the first time without hitting his nose and eyes ;), discovered himself in the mirror - just to name a few! We also think he may be teething!!! He also has gotten to meet a lot of his family, :) and is excited for his Auntie Julie [Being weighed at Kroger]
and Uncle Russell's visit this weekend!

Mommy and Ezzie, Big Boy!, Daddy and Ezzie, First Flight!

On Mondays and Friday's Ezzie gets to play with his friend Sam. I, Tam, watch the boys on Monday, and my friend Deb watches them on Friday while I go to work. I am working at Heartlight Ministries teaching/mentoring students who are their for counseling and guidance in dealing with hard issues. This is a place I have wanted to work at since I learned about it 2 years ago. I am really excited about how God has opened the door for me to serve at this place.

Ezzie and Auntie Sarah!, Cuddles with Ari!, Good Friends :), Uncle Matt with his perfect "Ezzie hold"

Jon and I are doing well here in Texas, and we are looking forward to another year here. Jon wants to continue working at LeTourneau, and I want to continue working at Heartlight. We also love our community of friends, and are excited to be able to have another year growing in friendship. One thing that is neat is that a lot of our friends have kids around Ezzie's age, so he has a lot of friends to play with. We are blessed to be here. Someday, however, we still want to get back to the West Coast to be near family, and to have more of a rugged outdoors environment, but we are happy to be here right now where we feel led.

Great-Grandma Harmon, Great-Nano, Nana and Papa, Grandma and Grandpa

This is kind of an overview, but there will be more to come that are not so "broad" in detail :)

Playtime w/ Jackson, Eating w/ Uncle Sean, Finding Joy in Little Things :), Sam giving Ezzie kisses

Welcome to our blog!

2009-03-30T08:36:00.000-05:00

We hope these blogs will help us keep you up-to-date on the happenings in our life (as well as help us to regularly keep you posted!)! We also hope to hear from you too in all of your endeavors.