smiles.

Tomorrow, Jake, you will be 8 weeks. I want smiles on demand. I see your
a d o r a b l e smile in your sleep, but you only give me a few when you are awake and have only captured 2 on camera. Come on, show Mama. PleaseandThankyou.

Encouraged

As I am taking pictures of little Jake, I am thinking about how he was wonderfully made. He is still so new.

Of course a song popped into my head by Steven Curtis Chapman "All Things New.""You redeem and you transform , you renew and you restore."

So many times we can get so caught up in our life and our stuff, we forgot about God. He never forgets about you.

I am so thankful that no matter what we do, he can make us new again.

Atleast there is something in life that is always for sure.

Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Never grow up.

Okay, I just about DIED when I took this picture...look at our little man in the bumbo! I thought for sure he would be too small for this chair..and low and behold..there he sits! He looks so cute but so OLD! Jake will be 6 weeks tomorrow and what they say is true: Time flies!

A while ago, I posted the lyrics to Taylor Swift song "Never grow up," and now I can really relate. Take a listen.

"Don't you ever grow up, just stay this little."

tear.

A Devotional Written for Jake!!!

Joel's aunts threw us our last shower "After The Baby," It was decorated soo cute, food was great, and the fellowship was wonderful....and the shower was themed western, of course :)

Aunt Nancy wrote the SWEETEST devotional that I have to share with you all. I know God has got GREAT plans for our little boy..and this devotion is something we can share with him when he gets older!! Enjoy!

Jake's Devotional

Yee-Ha! Obviously you can see our theme for tonight is “cowboy”. Jenalee and Joel love country western. Jakes nursery has a “cowboy “ décor. So it was fitting to carry that theme into his shower and devotions for tonight.

Branding is something the cowboys do to their livestock as a visible mark that showed identification of who they belong to. Jake too someday will be branded so that all will know who he belongs to. Christ puts His mark on him and sets him apart. He has ownwership of Jake and his body. I Cor.6 :19 “Know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit which is from God and not our own.”

Horseshoes- The purpose of horseshoes is to furnish protection for the horses hooves. Christ did not bring Jake into the world and expect him to handle all of lifes friction and bumps in the road without protection. Jakes God will protect him as he rides through life. Psalm 27:1 “The Lord is my light and my salvation whom shall I fear?”

Chaps- Cowboys wear chaps to protect their legs from shrubs and vegetation that tear at the cowboys legs. God provides his word for Jake so when the world starts tearing at him, he can find peace and comfort there. Psalm 119:50 “This is my comfort in my affliction, Thy word.”

Cowboy Hat – The cowboy hat is used for protection from the sun, but it is also useful to the cowboy. On cattle drives, they use their hat to dip water out of the streams when they are thirsty. Jake can dip into his Bible and learn to pray and be refreshed. Psalm 91:1 “Dwell in the secret place of the Most High and stay under his shadow of protection.”

Saddle – Saddles are used for working cattle ranchers. As a Christian Jake will be set apart to work and serve his God. He needs to be in the saddle for Jesus sharing his love for others. Mark 16:15 “Go into all the world and preach the gospel.”

Tumbleweeds – Tumble weeds are dried up plants found in the old west. They can be troublesome and take over. Sins are like tumbleweeds, they roll into our lives and take over. Teach Jake that God is in complete control of his life and can control the tumbleweeds of his life. Romans 8:28 “All things work together for good to them that love the Lord.”

Spurs- A spur is a sharp metal piece attached to the cowboy boot. It is used to prod the horse forward. The Holy Spirit is Jakes spur. He is there to poke and guide us forward as Christians. May Jake be spurred on to great things for his God. Romans 15:13 “May you be filled with joy and peace in believing that you may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Hair Dilemma..

So I need to get my hair done very badly. The question is...do I keep it..or cut it off??

I need you're advice. Whether I take your advice, who knows, but I'm curious as to whatcha think.

So here are the options:

• keep it long (its not really LONG, but long for me) and get a few layers
• Cut it to shoulder lengthish


• SHORT

So what do we think??????????

Oh, and I can't have a post without something Jake..so enjoy!!

Jake's Snort & Other Ramblings

Well, its been 1 month since our lives have changed forever!!! I cannot believe it, the time really does go by so quickly!

In my last blog entry, I was telling you about Jake and his snort when he cries. I had wanted to take a video because I think it soo cute, but Joel said it was mean...but I took one anyway..so here it is. Kristin and Holly came over for a mini photo shoot..so he is wearing his "0 month" tie. (You can hear Kristin's laugh in the background lol) Now, I'm not sure WHO Jake gets the snorting from..because I NEVER snort when laughing...ok sometimes. lol

Anyway...life has definitely changed since our arrival...not in a bad way...just different. I no longer can make plans on a whim...everything has to be planned, especially with breastfeeding, which is fine because now thats my #1 job! No more "Hey lets go grab lunch right now...ok be there in 5 minutes" its more like "What time do you want to do lunch?" Lots of planning around Jake!

I'm not gonna lie, this past week has been rough. Lots of tears (just because I'm still an emotional, hormonal, basketcase!) and lots of prayers! Jake does NOT like napping unless he is in the moby wrap, or I'm holding him. This wouldn't be a problem because I LOVE holding him..but I don't want to spoil him or make it difficult with someone watches him. When I lay him down for a nap he will only sleep for about 20 minutes, then wake up. However, he DID take a 2.5 hour nap yesterday! Woo! As for as sleeping at night, we do 3.5-4 hour stretches. On Thursday night, Jake slept for a whopping 6 hours! Hooooray! I felt so refreshed!!!

I can't complain. I'm loving this new, crazy adventure. I still look at Jake and marvel at every detail of him and how he was wonderfully made. :)

Thats all for now!!!!!!