e blinks...

7.22.2011

Friday Friday

Here are a few pic's of my boy. He was watching his daddy mow and I just had to capture his sweet face, crazy hair after a nap and the days he can still wear a diaper and t-shirt. I love him so...

And then we moved to playing with a puzzle. I love his concentration in these pic's. Sweet Boy.

7.19.2011

14months old today, baby boy! My goodness. I haven't done a post about how much you've changed in a long time. In fact, I think I skipped out on it even when you were a year old. I looked at the date today and woke up thankful for you my sweet boy! Seriously, sometimes it is still unreal to me that I get to be the mom of Parke. I have a son, amazing.

So Parke is still a joyful child. He is a lot of fun. I could tell you so many things about him. Something that I've taken to heart is how he plays like a "big boy" now. He "vrooom" cars, fly's airplanes, knocks on the window, climbs on furniture, knows how to get down feet first...etc. He is in to boy things. Like a friend said it's just amazing sometimes that boys and girls are interested in different things from the beginning. My mom has a playroom upstairs with tons of toys my cousins have generously passed down and he isn't so much interested in the dolls and strollers and bassinets. He ignores them completely. He loves the blocks, the little people toys, the radio/microphone (b/c he loves music and dancing) and the puppets. He loves puppets...they are kind of ugly puppets but he loves them! He also loves the water, loves to splash and recently has learned he loves the water hose.

Parke is getting pretty good at picking up sign language too. He can tell you he is all done, wants more, please, bird, elephant, airplane (his own sign), giraffe (who is so tall) and eat. He roars like a lion too. He still loves his blankie and paci but only gets them at sleeping time and says bye bye to them when we leave them in the crib. OH yeah...and he gets them in the church nursery....yep, he does.

Parke is getting more excited about taking steps. He is not walking and actually hasn't been that interested. We practice and he pulls up on everything but just in the last week has he actually wanted to hold onto my hand and walk everywhere. He giggles, he loves to tickle people, he still loves to read books and some days (like today) is pretty much only interested in reading. I'm glad he thinks of it b/c there are plenty of days I forget to read with him! He is also still a tentative child but getting less tentative. Sometimes he is still slow to go to new people or someone besides me and Blake. At playgroup he still has days he would rather sit next to me and watch everyone than play and then sometimes he is crawling everywhere and playing with the boys. I can relate :).....

After his nap he loves to roll around in his bed when I go to get him. He smiles, plays peek a boo and loves taking his time to wake up. He still kicks his feet in bed like he did when he was little (sometimes). He is less afraid of his toys that make loud noise but has days when he is still as fearful. He loves to hug stuffed animals and if something is soft he will probably just lay down on it for a second. If he hits his head he touches his head to tell you he hurt it. It's just a really fun age and I am so thankful I am home with him to take in every part of it.

Lord, continue to give me joy in the moments, to slow down to take them in and relish in every little gift you have given us through Parke. Thank you for Blake who works hard so I can stay home! Thank you for trusting us as Parke's parents. We are blessed...tremendously blessed.

7.06.2011

Wordless Wednesday

6.30.2011

Jesus Wept

http://www.tapetyzdarma.sk

A couple of days ago I was reading in John 11. Sometimes I feel like a new believer when reading the bible. There are just a lot of stories that I haven't read in a while. Reading them in this stage of life really sheds light on different things (almost every single time). I pray for the Holy Spirit to reveal things to me and He does. So last week it was when I was reading about Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. How many of us have heard the shortest verse in the bible is "Jesus Wept". I think it's even on game shows...

Well, I so happen to have forgotten, or may have never known it was about Jesus weeping after Lazarus had died. So let me give you an idea of things that stuck out to me about Chapter 11 in John. I realize there is more to this chapter but here is how the Lord used it this day:

1. vs. 3 "Lord, the one you love is sick". So here we learn Jesus loved Lazarus.
2. vs. 33 "When Jesus saw her weeping (and the jews) he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled"
3. vs. 35 "Jesus Wept"
4. vs. 38 "Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb"

As you can tell by my bolded words it really stuck out to me that Jesus was so moved by the death of Lazarus. For me, I use the word "deeply" and "wept" for very, very strong emotions. If tears came to my eyes or a feeling merely passed by I wouldn't use the words deeply or wept. Jesus cared, a lot! He loved this man a lot! He knew, more than anyone, where this man would end up for eternity. Yet, he wept. He knew he was going to raise him from the grave. Yet, he wept and was moved deeply. Jesus, of all people, who has the perfect picture of eternity, heaven, and of His father, God....wept.

It just encouraged me b/c I feel like so often as believers there is an either unspoken/spoken expectancy to not grieve when someone we love deeply dies and goes to be with our heavenly Father. So many times it seems like we are expected to grieve for a short time but it better end rather quickly "get over it" and end in joy! I feel like so many times we sweep these hard, deep emotions under the rug and instead remind people to be joyful that their loved one is with Jesus.

So here, in John 11 the Holy Spirit reminded me that Jesus, of all people, cared deeply, was moved deeply, and wept. He wept. The God I worship, the son who died for me wept over the death of a loved friend. That's all...it encouraged my heart greatly that day and made me thankful Jesus felt "deep" emotion and was "moved" for this friend he cared deeply for. Just as we would for a loved one we cared deeply for.

6.22.2011

More Birthday Pic's

I wanted to post a few more pic's that we just got from Tiffany. She came to Parke's bday party and was in charge of the camera. She now has a website up and you should totally go look at it! Especially if you went to ACU (Tiffany McGinn). Her story of why she wants to take photo's, why she named her business Seka and what she intends to do with the $$ is great!
Check it out....Seka Photography.