Big Week

 As usual, time is flying by this summer. I have several things I want to post about, including our trip to Auburn, our visit to Tennessee, and some good girl time thoughts, but for some reason, I can't seem to find time. Any who, this week is BIG for the Dellinger family.

First of all, this little man above turned turned 16 months old on July 15. It is unreal to me to think that he's such a big boy. Over the last month, his vocabulary as soared tremendously. He will attempt to say just about anything we say, but still needs to be prompted to say the right words. He LOVED our zoo visit as well as our trip to a Bouncy House. He is becoming super independent, but when he is unsure of something, he'll still hold his hand out and ask for help. He eats pretty much everything we do. He doesn't love green veggies, so we keep veggie/fruit pouches on hand. His favorite foods would have to be fries from Chick fila, blue berries, and frosted mini-wheats. He enjoys reading books, playing in water, and snuggling in the mornings. His favorite songs, still including The Wheels on the Bus, include This Little Light of Mine and Bingo, but we change the name to Mason. He cracks up every time. Good news is, for about 3 weeks, he has started going to bed by 9:30 (It will go back to 8:30 or 9 when school starts) and sleeping until at least 7:15, usually 7:30 am every morning. Talk about one happy Momma.

I may be a little bias, but this little guy has one cute personality. He's also all boy, meaning when he poots, he laughs, and can be rough while playing. We're really working on "gentle hands". 1 week before Jude turned 16 months, he weighed 25 lbs and was 31 1/4 in. tall. Both are between the 25-50% so he's kinda small. He eats like a horse but is super active, going non-stop so he's burning calories! He naps great, usually going down between 12:30-1 and sleeping til 3-4.

Every day I realize how much I love him more and more. I am so blessed to have been given this little one to be my son.

 The second thing to celebrate this week is Justin's 26th birthday, which was July 17th! We celebrated with his family, grilling out steaks and having cake and ice cream. He used his birthday money to buy new boots for his PhD program and some cold weather gear, so he's ready for our move in August.

Justin's parents were 16 and 18 when Justin was born, with Justin's Mom still having her senior year of high school left. They chose to keep Justin, in spite of how difficult it would be and the sacrifices it would take, and I am so thankful they made that choice. I know God placed Justin in my life and I pray that the Lord blesses Justin with many more birthdays.

Lastly, tomorrow, July 19th, Justin and I will be celebrating 4 years of marriage. Look how young we look in this picture! Looking back, we were so young and naive at times, but we've grown tremendously and I am so thankful to be living life with this man.

I've wrote on my blog before about the trials Justin and I faced his past year while living in Arizona. While celebrating our wedding anniversary this year, we plan to focus on the vows we made to one another, to our families, and most importantly, to the Lord. This past year, there was more than one occasion when it would have been easier for both Justin and I to walk away, but we know that's not what God has called us to. I am so thankful during those hardest moments, mostly times of selfishness, financial strain, and simply figuring out life, that the Holy Spirit led Justin and I back to a place where we know we called to love, no matter how difficult it can be.

Happy Birthday and Anniversary to the love of my life. May the Lord bless us with many wonderful years together.