Mr. and Mrs. Phillip Ball

Yesterday, my baby sister and very best friend got hitched to a really great guy! First of all, I must say, my sister is wonderful and I thank God daily for her. She has always been there for me and our personalities compliment one another perfectly. I am so proud of the young woman she has come! Secondly, Phillip is a pretty great guy himself. He was one of my brother's college roommates and was such a rock for Zach during the time of his brain tumor and his recovery. He loves the Lord and I have confidence that he will lead Jillian according to scripture. May God bless you Auntie J and Uncle Phil in your new marriage!!!

Jude had to see Auntie J before she walked down the aisle to wish her good luck! :)

Jude and Jamen were AWESOME ring bearers. Sweet Geoffrey (a precious 3 year old Jillian babysits) pulled the boys in this great wagon that our sweet friend Matt's stepdad built by hand. It turned out precious and made for some very special memories!

Jillian looked breathtaking and I am so honored to be able to stand by her as her matron of honor as she makes this important and holy commitment to her husband!

And, I just had to add this one along with it...I can't believe it's been almost 3 years since Jillian and I had switched roles on my wedding day. Wow, how time flies!!!

We love you Jillian and Phillip!!!

Happy 3 Months!

This picture was a trial run to make sure Jude's outfit for Auntie J's wedding fits. It's a little long, but it's going to work really well!!! (I bought it from Fun and Fancy before he was born...I could not decide to go with the 3 month or 6 month and I'm so glad I went with the larger one, even though he's only 3 months, because there is no way the 3 month would have fit. Thanks to my sweet friend Katie for the advice.)

Before Jude was born, I didn't want to get a whole lot of things monogrammed because even if we don't have another boy, I'm sure I'll have a nephew at some point, or friends will have boys, and it makes it impossible to reuse clothes. However, now that Jude's here, certain dressy outfits look so classy with it monogrammed...I have debated getting this one done, but since it's VERY nice outfit ($79 nice + tax) and certainly can be reused, I guess it will not have JAD on the front. $5 onesies I can handle using with only 1 child. :)

Just like his arrival, the last 3 months of Jude's life has flown by. Friends and family have warned me that the days sneak by quickly, but there were not kidding! 3 months ago today at this time, Jude was roughly 9 hours old. I can not believe the changes that have already occurred. He can hold his head up all by himself pretty much all the time except while lying on his tummy. He gets tired then. He is very alert and loves all of his giraffe toys for some reason. He enjoys being outside, especially in his Chicco baby carrier but the last week or so, he has not loved his stroller. Jude, you have blessed your Mommy and Daddy's life more than you'll ever know!

Blessings

All good and perfect things are from above... Thank you Lord for your many blessings! The Lord has been teaching me a great deal over the last few months. Perspective is very different when we allow the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us. If you have not heard the song "Blessings" by Laura Story, go to youtube and listen to it now...very moving and the lyrics have spoken right to my heart during this season of my life. I have had to get to the point where sometimes God's plan is different than mine, but it's always better. Here is the last part of the song:

"Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise"

May the Lord bless you today.

11.5 Week Stats

Kisses from Mommy

Playing in his new toy

This little man loves his bath time!

So, just an update on Jude's growth and a few milestones...at his last dr.'s appointment, Jude was right at 10 weeks old. These are his stats:

Weight: 13 lbs. 6 oz. (75%)
Length: 23 in. (40%)

As far as other things goes, he's really becoming super alert...smiling and laughing, knowing when I walk out of a room and acknowledging me when I come back. He does well with playing with himself and he loves to sit in his Bumbo seat on the kitchen counter while I cook. He has really great head control and rolled over for the first time this morning!!! (We'll see how frequent that is.) He also picks up on my tone of voice...when I scold Mason and tell him "no" in my mean Mommy voice, Jude starts crying, haha. He was nursing this morning and Mom was on speaker phone and was ranting about something and he started to cry because she sounded mad. Too funny! He is doing great on his schedule. He slept through the night the day he turned 8 weeks and consistently goes from 9-5 or 5:30 every night. I'll have to stick his paci in sometimes, but no feedings needed. I'm eager for him to back that time up, but it's the only time I let him drift back off until around 7 am until he can go longer. No awake time following feeding that early. :)

We are immensely blessed to have such a happy, healthy baby boy...who will be 12 weeks old on Tuesday!

A Little Late...

We have been super busy around here, but with multiple blessings. Justin's grandparents came to visit after our trip to Wilmington and Jude got to meet one of his great-great-grandmothers. This little man is really blessed. He has 4 grandparents, 5 great-grandparents, and 2 great-great grandmas! We had a great visit with them and are looking forward to meeting the other "greats" later this month!

After they visited, Auntie J (my sister Jillian) wanted to come for a visit before her boards and she begins working so we had a great time with her last week. Needless to say, Jude man is spoiled rotten, but in a good way. Last weekend, we made our first visit to Athens, TN, where my Mom's family lives. Jude got to meet his Mamaw Peggy for the first time, as well as all my aunts, uncles, and cousins on my Dad's side. One of the high lights was meeting his cousin Jamen. (My cousin Jeff's son.) Jeff has always been super special to me and now our boys are only 4 months apart, so they will get to grow up together!

While in TN, we got the share a bridal shower for Jillian and my cousin Brian's surprise 40th birthday bash. We had a great time hanging out with family and everyone getting to meet Jude. I feel like I might jinx myself, but Jude has really been a trooper with all the travelling in his short 11 1/2 weeks. He's been to Greenville, SC twice, Wilmington, NC, and Athens, TN! Whew...he's burned some miles already!

Lastly, I do want to give a Memorial Day shout out to all of the men and women that have or are still serving our country. We are immensely blessed to have the freedoms that we have. I think some people forget that these freedoms are not really "rights" but blessings the Lord gives us. From our own immediate family, I would like to thank...

Paul Lamb-Army (served in WWII), my grandpa
Sonny Brackett-Army (served during Korean War), my grandpa
Roger Cantrell-Marines (served in Vietnam), my uncle
Dennis Barnes-Army (served during Vietnam), my uncle
Tommy Brackett-Air Force, my uncle
Brian Cantrell-Air Force, my cousin (and his wife Consuela)
Jerry Dellinger-Army (served during Korean War), Justin's grandpa
Tracy Caldwell-Army (I think), Justin's Uncle

Pictures from the last few weeks are to come...