Happy 2nd Birthday Sweet Baby Jude!

 This captures my favorite smile!

 My sweet boy!

Being adventurous with Daddy.

I could go on and on about how I can't believe Jude is already 2 years old, but I won't. The second year has gone even faster than the first and I keep loving this sweet little man more and more every day. In the past year, Jude has lived in 3, yes 3 states (AZ, NC for the summer, and now WA). He's visited 7 states total and been on many adventures including many hikes, museums, libraries, family and friend trips, and zoos. Here is what I always want to remember about Jude during his 2nd year:

Favorites:
Color: Pink (I know, we're working on this one)
Toy: Brown cow, new Thomas, and Chalkboard Easel (He also loves anything with animals and Elmo, his helicopter, and puzzles.)
Activities: Playing outside, drawing/coloring, doing puzzles
Books: Brown Bear Series, Sesame St. Books, and Big Red Tractor by Francis Chan
Food: Cheese, yogurt (particularly squeezers from Trader Joe's), sweet potatoe fries
Drink: Milk
Movie: Lion King
Game: Hide and Seek
Friend: Kate and Raegan from church and Reese, Evie, and Mackie (McKenzie) at school (He told me this one.)
Song: Praise Him, Old MacDonald
Animal: This can change daily, but usually elephant or cow
Shoes: Crocs
Hat: Reindeer and Auburn tobogan (I don't know what we'll do when it's too warm for tobogans, or what west coast people refer to as beanies.)

What he knows:
-Can identify all his ABC's but does not know the song yet
-Can count to 10
-Colors: blue, pink, purple, green, yellow, orange, brown, black, white, grey
-Shapes: square, rectangle, circle
-We're trying to learn a new Bible verse every month (paraphrased any way) but only January's has really stuck "Jesus washes white snow" aka "Jesus washes us white as snow."
-Jude knows more things about animals that I do. I say this seriously. He knows what many of them eat, where they live, and in what order they appear at the zoo. The other day I said, "There's a bird." and he replied, "No bird Mommy. Albetross." I guess we're both correct, but still.

Jude officially has ALL his teeth for 2 years old, as his last 2 top 2 year molars started breaking through this week. His bottom 2 came in a few weeks ago and I never realized until they were all the way in..oops. Of course, his minus his right bottom canine from his December fall (sad face) but he's proud to show his big gaping hole off and tell you the story of "fall down Mo Mo's stairs". 

As I've mentioned before, this blog serves as a keep up with family and friends, but also for my memory sake. At turning 2, Jude is sensitive. When he saw me cry when leaving NC in February, it made him very concerned and he will take his little chubby fingers, put them on my cheek and say, "No cwy Mommy." then squeeze my neck. He is also concerned about people's boo boos, especially Uncle Zach's. He is also opinionated. He wants to have a say in his clothes, mostly if they have animals, Elmo, or Thomas on them and of course his crocs and hat of choice. He does like his 1 "war eagle" (blue and orange striped) shirt.

He still enjoys being outdoors. Just this week we had a wonderful evening (enjoying the time change) of running up and down the hill by our apartment. He would squeal and laugh over and over and ask for "More outside." I burned some serious calories during this adventure. He enjoys riding his bike, running, and playing ball outside. He also loves looking for the moon. Unfortunately, due to our cloudy skies, he doesn't get to see it as often as he would like. Jude also loves coloring. He prefer markers over crayons and he loves to use his chalkboard. He likes to draw "nakes" (snakes) best.

He is also attentive to our prayer time. We pray before every meal, on our way to school, and at bedtime. He always ask for prayers for family and friends and the occasional toy and Mo Mo and Pop's doggies.

He is doing well with following directions and becoming more independent, including putting away toys, watering my plants, brushing his teeth, etc. He likes being a helper and wants to help me put clothes in the washing machine and sweep. I pray that his helping heart continues.

Jude is struggling with transitions. He does not like to change clothes, at all. He also doesn't like going to different places (unless it's very preferred) but of course he enjoys it once we're there. He certainly has his moments, but overall (knock on wood), he is obedient and is learning what it means to do what is asked of him. He can be strong willed at times, but pretty typical of his developmental stage.

He still goes to bed around 8:30 and wakes between 6:45 and 7:15. He naps every day from 1'ish to about 3 at school, but he'll stretch it out to 4 at home with less distractions. He still has his bap at night time. He also sleeps with his "babies", Monkey and Lamby. Bedtime routine consists of rocking and reading books, then being sung to by Mommy. He laughs when Daddy sings. :)

This sweet, beautiful boy is definitely not a baby, even though he asks to be Mommy's baby sometimes while I'm rocking him. As I think about how quickly these moments pass, I hope that Jude will know how much he is loved and how thankful I am to be his Mommy.

Happy Birthday sweet boy! We love you to the moon and back!

The Lord God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing. -Zephaniah 3:17

Trip Home

 Jude and I had the wonderful opportunity to go home to NC over my mid-winter break. What a blessing. After heading to the airport on Saturday to get on the plane and sitting on the run way for 2 hours, they cancelled our flight due to electrical issues, AHHH. We did the whole thing over on Sunday and finally made it home (aka Jillian's house) for me to have little Eli in my arms for the first time. Jillian was in the delivery room with Justin and me when Jude was born so to wait nearly 4 weeks after his birth to hold him was very hard. He is so precious and such a content little guy.

 Jude did really awesome with meeting Eli. We had talked about it quite a bit. Right after this picture, Jude politely said, "Mommy no hold dat baby. (while pointing) Mo Mo hold dat baby." As soon as my Mom had Eli, Jude wrapped his arms around my neck.

 By the end of the week, Jude was really loving on Eli. He would put his bap (pacifier) in his mouth, rock him, flap his ears, and even asked to "Jude hold dat baby." He wanted to "bounce him" on his knees, haha. He even shared a Fruit Loop with him which we had to quickly grab out of Eli's mouth. I think my favorite memories of Jude with his first meetings with Eli were how he referred to him as being "so tiny" and saying that he "ate JJ's boobies". (sorry it that's TMI but it was hysterical)

 Right before this picture JJ's dog Alli was on the bed with the boys but we couldn't snap a picture quick enough.

In spite of starting the week with a virus, messed up plane trips, and travelling across the country, Jude was and always has been a trooper. We only had a few through yourself in the floor tantrums. :)

We had such a wonderful visit. It was great to spend time with family and friends (my college roomie Boofee came for dinner one night) as well as Justin's family. Jude had a quick visit with great- grandparents and my inlaws came to visit for a day. We also had an early birthday party for Jude while they were there, including cow and Elmo cupcakes, per request. Jude wanted me to keep lighting his candle over and over so he could blow it out. He cried when we sang to him, but he LOVED the cows on his "cupakes".

We are so blessed to have had our time with family. To say it was emotional to leave is an understatement as our boys are growing oh so fast. The Lord is always faithful to fill the void in my heart when I miss my family.

Here Lately...

 Life has been a little hectic here lately. Unfortunately, living 3,000 miles away from family, I haven't been able to help nearly as much as I would like. Since we returned from our holiday visit, my  brother had a brain bleed linked to his radiation treatments 7 years ago and is now in extensive therapy and recovering. My sister and BIL also welcome her first baby mentioned in my prior post, as well as Jude having his tooth extraction procedure. (After having a double ear infection and having his tooth become abscessed.)

It's been a lot, but let me tell you, God is faithful. Jude has been an amazing trooper through it all and continues to melt my heart every day. His love for books, animals, and choo choos blows my mind and how he is able to express himself blows me away. His vocabulary grows more and more every day and Justin and I are going to have to work hard to stay ahead of him. Let me give a disclaimer, my child is not perfect. He has began to learn the "art" of throwing himself to the floor but I think he's quickly learning that gets him no where fast. He can be whiny and bossy. But, in the midst of his sinful nature, he is sensitive, sweet, and pretty dern smart.

Thankfully, my boy does not like messes like his Mommy so he's pretty good about wiping up spills and helping with chores like sweeping, putting laundry in with Mommy, and picking up after himself when asked. There is the occasional "no" he gives me, which is usually ignored while he is then guided to do the said task. He knows where every thing is, meaning, his animal magnets on the fridge, yeah, when he plays with them and one random "dino" is missing, he tells Mommy, "Find dino peese!" It's usually behind the recycling bin or slipped under the fridge, but he knows it's not there, and he has over 20 of them. Maybe type A personality?

What has really melted my heart this month though is his spiritual development. He has learned 2 new Bible verses, 1 from church and one we've been working hard at home with. He says "Jesus washes white snow." Meaning, "Jesus washes us what as snow." and "I can all thing thwough Chwist". He's also started to help say the blessing at dinner, which makes my heart so happy.

There are so many horrific things he can and will be exposed to in this world. Oh how I pray for his soul and that his heart will be sensitive to the moving of the Spirit as he grows. I can't believe next month we'll be celebrating another birthday but until then, we'll enjoy these daily steps of Jude learning and growing.

And, on another note, is my nephew not the cutest thing you've ever seen? I can't wait to see him in just 2 more weeks. I love getting my daily updates on him from my sis and Jude asks to see Eli too. I hope and pray they grow to love one another and be best buddies.

Welcome!

Welcome Elijah Mason (Eli) Ball! My beautiful nephew was born Thursday, January 23, 2013 around 6:30 pm. He weighed 8 lb. 3 oz. (just like his cousin Jude). My sister is doing great and Phillip was a champ in the delivery room. My Mom had the honor of helping Jillian through the delivery and see Eli be born! (I'm pretty jealous but I did get to hear Eli's sweet cries only minutes after his arrival over the phone and got to watch him nurse for the first time ever via webcam and "spend time" with him and family that way.)

I am so thankful this beautiful blessing has arrived and I know he and Jude will be into some rowdy trouble in the years to come! I love you so much Eli and can't wait to meet you in just a few weeks!

To God Be The Glory

 Not only has the Lord given me a very brave, sensitive, sweet big brother to begin with...

He has given me the chance to make many more wonderful memories with him.

Thank you Lord for healing Zach again! We love you and know You alone are worthy of praise!

Why I Like Police Officers

This is a slightly random post, but I feel that I hear a lot of negativity about police officers, especially when we get speeding tickets or we see a cop drive really fast down the high way with no lights or sirens on. I know, like in ANY profession, there are cops who don't really do what they need to do or actually do what they shouldn't do, but I feel that being a police officer is a noble job and one that many people do not take advantage for and truly do want what's best for their community.

Over Christmas break, Jude took a bad tumble face first down my parents' back porch steps, taking us to the ER and now a series of doctors and pediatric dentists. (As of today, one tooth has become abscessed aka infected) and will more than likely need to be extracted, meaning general anasthesia and a gaping hole in Jude's mouth for the next several years. (X rays will also tell us if any damage was done to permanant teeth.)

With all that said, when the fall happened, Justin, Jillian, Jude and me immediately jumped in the car and my Dad, like any good Pop would do, drove like a crazy, yet being responsible person would do to get us to the ER. He sped a little and did some illegal passing, but overall, was safe. At one point we got behind a car that had a fire fighter license plate so my Dad put his 4 way flashers on, honked the horn politely, and tried to motion that we needed to get up the road or have him pull to the side so we could safely pass. The car SLOWED down and any time my Dad tried to pass him in a safe zone, he would speed up. My Dad was finally able to get around him and we pulled into the ER. I ran in with Jude, not knowing the damage, with him screaming, blood all over him and me, and Jillian explained what happened. There was a very nice police officer standing there observing what was going on. (Take note my Dad was parking at this time.)

A few minutes later, the police officer came up to my sister and asked her if she drove a silver camry. She said, "No I don't, but my brother does." (This was the car my Dad was driving to the ER.) Any who. The car that we passed who was being such a jerk had followed us to the ER and made a complaint about my Dad's driving to the police officer. The police officer politely told him where he could put it and reminded him that any family rushing their child to the hospital was ok by him. He told him he saw a baby with a bloodied face and screaming, he would have done the same thing for his own child.

That is why I like police officers. He took the high road and though technically, did my Dad break a few traffic laws that day, yes, but for the greater good. They're still out there, doing the right thing.

2012 Recap

 Wow, 2012 came and went in a whirlwind. I hope to use this post to remember all the wonderful memories we shared in 2012. Many memories indeed! We started the year out with Jude's 9 month pictures taken by a wonderful family friend who is a photographer while still in NC for the holidays. They were taken in downtown Asheboro and I love how L.C. captures our family.

 Jude continued to teeth in January, having 9 teeth by the end of the month. (He would go on to to have 12 by his 1st birthday and all 16 "baby" teeth, only minus his 2 year molars by 15 months. Whew. January was a hard month in that Justin and I both had stomach viruses, again, and Jude kept a cold. We had a good visit over MLK weekend when Boofee came to visit!

 February was special because Pop and JJ came to visit and we got to see the Grand Canyon! Justin hiked the 19 miles down and back in 1 day and the rest of us stayed up in a hotel enjoying the scenery from above and having fun within the town. We also visited Sedona and Justin, Jude, and I travelled to Seattle at the end of the month to check out UW. (Little did I know this town would become my new home.)

 March was very special because not only did we go home, but we celebrated Jude's first birthday! He was also dedicated to the Lord at my Dad's Church, Iron Mt. Baptist, and all our families got to join. It was a very special weekend!

 3 days after Jude's birthday, he took his first steps. We weren't sure how quickly he would walk simply because his walker was his favorite toy and he would zoom around the house like Mario Andrette, but once he took those steps, he never looked behind. He also began to verbalize a lot more this month and continued to shower us love and snuggles.

 April was fun too! We celebrated Easter with Mamaw Joyce coming to visit! We had an Easter picnic with our church on a ranch which was amazing. Jude continued to learn more gross motor skills, trying running and jumping. We also enjoyed the warm AZ weather in our new kiddie pool and going up the Pinal mountains to go hiking.

 I surprised my Mom and MIL for an early Mother's Day present and flew home. Only my FIL, my brother, and BIL knew and everyone was surprised. It was especially fun seeing my Mom's face at the airport (she thought she was going with Zach to pick up his girlfriend at the time) and my MIL was totally shocked when we walked into her work office a few days later.

 Also in May, Justin's grandparents on the Caldwell side and great grandmother Mart drove all the way across country in their RV to spend some time with us. We visited Canyon De Chelley, the Painted Desert, and the Petrified Forest. We had a great time with them, enjoying the sights and spending time with them. They also helped begin packing our first home into a storage unit and helped prepare us for another move. We also found out my sister and best friend was pregnant!

I must pause here and say, this was a HUGE turning point for me emotionally and spiritually. At this time, we had made the decision to move to the Seattle area which meant another job hunt, house/apartment hunt, child care hunt, church hunt, and new friends. (We had only lived in AZ for 10 months.) I didn't want to move unless it was back east and man did the Lord do a work on my heart. I still struggle sometimes being so far away from family, but I know God's plan is better than mine and he will bless me for being obedient and submissive to my husband's leading.

 I finished out my school year at the end of May and we started our summer with a sweet couple's wedding in Prescott, AZ before flying home for the summer. Justin found a job in NC while I spent time traveling between family and friends. Justin's younger brother also graduated high school and his Dad celebrated a birthday. In June, Jude and I got to spend a week in Auburn, AL visiting old friends. Y'all, it was a really beautiful week and such a blessing to see Jude interact with my best friend's children, several who I had yet to meet b/c they were born while we were in AZ. I hope to have the same opportunity this coming summer.

 We also spent a week at N. Myrtle Beach with my family. Jude loved the tide pools, playing in the sand, and napping with Mo Mo daily. We enjoyed good sea food and lots of time with family. Jude also dropped his morning nap this month and officially began taking a 2-3 hour nap after lunch.

 In July, we spent a lot of time at the YMCA's Splash pad. Boy did Jude love it. We also had the opportunity to spend time with Justin's family. Good family dinners and playing out doors made for some great memories.

 Mom and I also spent some time in TN with her side of the family. Jude and Jamen loved going to the lake together. Jude also adores Mamaw Peggy.

July was also special because we celebrated Justin's birthday. Justin and I also celebrated our 4th anniversary. The inlaws kept Jude so we could do dinner and a movie.

I also got to go to Ocean Isle Beach with my best friends from college for a few days. (Minus Candice...we missed you.) I got to see my sweet friend Natalie's baby boy, Colt for the first time. He and Jude were born almost a year apart exactly. July also held 2 visits to the NC zoo, one being with some of my small group friends from college and their children and/or neices and nephews. What a blessing.

 In August, we celebrated my Dad's birthday and found out that my sister and BIL are having a BOY! Elijah Mason Ball (Eli) should be making his debut literally any day now. In mid August, Jude and I made our way back across the country to begin our new life in WA state. Justin had gone before us and drove the moving truck from AZ to WA with Mason. (After the 3 day drive from AL to AZ I vowed I would NEVER do that again.)

I started my new job, Jude started day care for the first time, and we found lots of new parks in the area, including the one above that is walking distance from our new place. Jude loves going to parks, even now when it's cold and wet outside.

 September was beautiful weather in Seattle. We continued to enjoy all the local parks, and there are many, and the Woodland Park Zoo. Jude's vocabulary had really spiked at this point and his love for animals was more apparent than ever. He also fell in love with "choo choo's" after seeing one at Kirkeek Park.

We realized the importance of webcams, making it a weekly tradition with both sets of grandparents.

 October was really busy and lots of fun. I celebrated my birthday and used my b-day money to invest in some rain boots, haha. Some of our best friends from AZ came for a weekend visit and we enjoyed showing them Pike's Place Market and the Space Needle. My Mom and sister also got to come for a whole week and see Jude be the cutest tiger in the town for Halloween.

 We also showed my family down town, the awesome dog park Mason gets to enjoy, and the fishery in Issaquah, one of Jude's favorites. Jude continues to blow us away with what he's learning, including his colors and most of his alphabet.

November was our "slowest" month yet, meaning that we were able to buckle down and spend time continuing to learn the city and spend time just us three. We celebrated Thanksgiving on our own for the first time ever and enjoyed the Seattle Christmas parade the day after Thanksgiving.

Justin and I used the fall to really embrace our marriage. We made a point to go on more date nights and be more intentional (my one word for 2013 by the way) with one another.

December was another wonderful month. We enjoyed going to Snowflake Lane in Bellevue, going to the Reindeer festival, decorating, and celebrating my personal favorite holiday, Christmas! Jude loved opening presents and Justin and I enjoyed teaching him about the true  meaning of Christmas, the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We made it home to NC for the holidays and what better way to end a year than with family.