Happy Halloween!

...from the cutest little puppy dog- ever.More pictures to follow, of course. We have a fun-filled evening of trick or treating and trunk or treating planned... Can't Wait!

Seriously?

Are you serious? In West Hollywood two men dressed a mannequin up as Sarah Palin, and hung her by a noose outside of their home. They also placed a mannequin representing John McCain, engulfed in flames and burning alive, on their roof. Apparently these men are protected by the First Amendment's right to free speech...

So, what do you think would happen to a person that hung a mannequin representing Barack Obama on a noose outside of their home?

1 Week From Today...

...our nation will elect a new president. Never before have I ever been in as much prayer for our country. Now, I would almost rather talk about anything than politics- and I know that there are only about three people that even read this blog. But just in case someone accidentally happens upon this, my conscience will not allow me to be silent.

It seems that atleast half of our nation is in complete and utter darkness (I'm sure more than half. I'm just trying to be optimistic here.) People are ignorant of Obama's policy and hypnotized by his fluff. People say he is for change. You're right, he's for change. Very very very scary change. I'm not going to lie, I have a really sick feeling in my stomach. We need to be in prayer for our nation more than ever before... Pray about who God would have you to vote for. Make sure you know what your candidate stands for. Vote like a Christian next Tuesday. Our future depends on it.

Read this:
https://coe.murraystate.edu/owa/attachment.ashx?attach=1&id=RgAAAAA2LwGaWv1SSIbf9WvH8hBLBwBfLCfHM9xkQZ92wHpTqk2oAAAABmQvAABfLCfHM9xkQZ92wHpTqk2oAD7YAupQAAAJ&attid0=EADagfdTQ9KyQIcYh28Ymg8m&attcnt=1

8 Months Old...
Everything else in the world disappears when this smile comes out... 8 months ago today, Jaxon came into my world. He has filled a place in my heart that I never even knew was empty. I swell with pride every time I look at his sweet face.

Some things that my little man does at 8 months?

-He crawls every where...

-He pulls up on absolutely everything (and can stand for a few seconds without holding on)

-Walking is in his near future...

-He loves table food, but he always throws it up. If we are eating, he will have nothing to do with his baby food. He thinks he's grown.

-He sleeps by himself, in his nursery, all night long (for 5 nights in a row now)... :)

-He turns the world on with his smile...

-He can flirt with his eyebrows and his cute little shifty eyes look. He knows what he's doing.

-He laughs all the time

-He is really into physical comedy- being tickled, bounced around, and having somebody blow on his tummy...

-His cuteness is at a maximum

-He lights up our lives...

I want so much for him and love him so much that it hurts sometimes. I, obviously, know that it won't, but it is hard to imagine that my heart won't stop the day that I have to let go of his hand and leave him in a classroom all day or the first time that he is in tears because someone made fun of him. Apparently this is when the wrinkles and the gray hair start! For a person that overthinks everything, I find it amazing that we have made it 3/4 of the way through his first year without my head exploding.
Jaxon really is growing up in the blink of an eye. I'm trying not to blink.

Rest in Him

My heart is heavy tonight. Gunner Gillespie went home to be with the Lord today. I know that he is so much better off and that he is not hurting anymore, but my heart is broken for his family. I cannot imagine losing my child. It's just something that my heart can't even fathom. There are some things in life that I guess we'll just never understand... I am a need to know kind of girl. But the truth is, I don't need to know. I just need Jesus. So for today, I rest in Him. And tomorrow, I rest in Him. And the next day. I think you get the idea.

One day, the Gillespie family's life was normal. The next day, it was turned upside down. I'm not beyond that. What happened to the Gillespies can happen to any family. It can happen to the Masons, and I find myself wondering, how would I respond? The Gillespie family has been the epitome of strength and courage for the past year. Would I be so strong? I know I can't protect Jaxon from all the evil in the world but I WILL be the best mother I can be and guide him in the right direction no matter how hard it may be. So, I'll take as many home videos as my camera allows, boo-koo's of pictures, blog my heart out about each and every precious moment and cherish these memories and the ones to come for the rest of my life.

And tonight, I just want to hold him. I want to hold him while I can, and pray that God gives me many more days to hold this little man who is my world...

Panama Jaxon

Jaxon has a new favorite toy at Bridgette and John's house... a cowboy hat.

Happy Birthday Anna Grace...

Sunday was Anna Grace's 7th Birthday... She's getting so big. Anna Grace is special to our family. Our friends, Teresa and Tony, adopted Anna Grace and her brother Will from Russia when Anna Grace was 18 months old. It has been so fun watching her grow up! She was the flower girl in our wedding... and we love her so much. Jaxon loves you Anna Grace! Happy Birthday Big Girl!

Fun at Great Great Aunt Bonnie's...

Saturday night, Aunt Bonnie had her annual fall get together. Daddy put his scary mask on and got to scare the hay ride... Jaxon got passed around from person to person, and loved every minute of it. We are so blessed to have such a wonderful family. Daddy's scary mask... but Jaxon didn't mind. He still smiled.
Uncle John and Aunt Bridgette. Sorry about the turkey and rice Bridge. Hope your clothes came clean, and your nose recooperated from the smell...

Our family...

The two loves of my life. Sometime I just don't know who to kiss first...

4 Nights in a Row...

and counting...

I love you Jaxon.

3 Years Ago Today...

My Knight in Shining Armor asked me to be his wife. I said "yes" and the rest is history...

Jus, I love you now, more than I did then. You're still my Knight in Shining Armor...

3 In A Row!

My Little Man has slept through the night THREE NIGHTS IN A ROW! That means that Mommy has too, and it's amazing....

The Pumpkin Patch

We went to the pumpkin patch today... I was able to get some awesome shots of Jaxon in his sweet pumpkin shirt that Aunt Ber and Uncle Josh got him, and in his 'puppy dog' halloween costume. He was absolutely precious, and every one around couldn't take their eyes off of him. A few older women at the pumpkin patch were actually taking pictures of him with thier cameras, too! But who could blame them? He's the cutest little 'punkin ever!

In My Rearview Mirror...

I see this... and nothing makes me happier...

Rylee Madison...

Jaxon has a new friend! Baby Rylee Madison was born Sunday, October 12th. She weighed 7lbs. 12 oz and was 12 in. long. She has beautiful blonde/white hair! She's such a pretty girl! Congratulations Mommy Kayla!

Thankful Thursday...

Some things that I am thankful for today:

1. A husband that is "babysitting" our child today... (I've tried to tell him that if it is YOUR child, it is not considered "babysitting" but "raising").
2. A little boy that adores his mother more than anything.
3. Light at the end of the tunnel. I am four days more than half way through with my student teaching...
4. Tomorrow night. It's girl's night out, and it is much needed.
5. Down time. Everyone needs it. It's nice just to be able to sit down and blog every now and then.
6. God is good, all the time, no matter HOW I feel.

There is so much more that I am thankful for... But not enough time, or enough words to list every thing.

Thank You Lord... How could I ask for more?

Let's Get Down On Our Knees...

When Jaxon was first born, and all I did was sit at home and hold him, I read Janna Gillespie's blog daily. I'm sure that any and every one that reads my blog knows about the situation with her son Gunner. Gunner's father, Gus Gillespie is the head boy's basketball coach at Marshall County High School. Gunner has been fighting a brain tumor for almost a year now. When my student teaching began, I found that I didn't have much time to continue reading Gunner's updates every day. But today, I sat down, and did. And after reading it, I walked into Mrs. Craig (my supervising teacher)'s office, and got down on my knees. This little boy needs our prayers... He isn't far from his eternal home, and he is going to experience peace and joy like never before, but my heart breaks every time I think of this sweet family. I can't imagine losing my little boy. It makes my heart hurt to even think about it. So guys, let's pray for this family like never before... Gus, Janna, Gunner and Garlynn, I am praying for you. I hope that you can feel it...

Here's is an excerpt of one of Janna's updates from last week. It really made me think:
As I sit here and feel the fear rising in my body. I ask you all to pray. Please, pray harder than you ever have prayed in your life. Now as I sit here and think about this for a minute – have I ever prayed this hard for anyone else? Have I prayed this hard for a total stranger? I ask those things because that is what I am asking you to do. Some of you have never met us but yet I ask you to get down on your knees and ask God to save this little boy. I ask you to ask our Heavenly Father to give Gunner life on this earth, whole, and tumor free. I just know he has so much more to do on this earth. Now as I ask you all to do this, I know that this is not about Gunner or me. It is not about the plans that I have made for Gunner or me. It is about God. It is about God’s plans for us. It is about God’s plan for Gunner and for me. It is about God’s plan for each and everyone of you. My hope is that Gunner has shown you that God does have a plan for each one of us and that we have to be open to hearing from him. However, my hope is that he is open to hearing from us and listening to our persuasion of why he should grant a little boy a miracle.
This time is difficult and this time is bitter. This time is just plain torture. Please pray and ask every prayer warrior you know to pray for Gunner.

Let's get down on our knees.

Weddings and Shopping Carts...

Saturday was Jacob and Lindsey's wedding... the ceremony was beautiful and the bride looked gorgeous! The groom looked okay too, I guess. :) Congratulations Wyatts! We will be praying for both of you, as well as for little Micah Dale, as you begin your life together as a family! We love you...

And I'll end today's post with a picture of Jaxon passed out in the shopping cart at Wal-Mart. Oh to be young again....!

Painting Pumpkins

Friday night, we painted pumpkins at Nana and Pappy's house. It was so much fun...Jaxon mainly just wanted to eat his pumpkin...

Aren't they just so cute? Don't you just love Jaxon's mohawk?

Jaxon and Mommy after I finished painting Jaxon's little baby pumpkin...

Daddy painted our pumpkin black and white and then wanted Mommy to paint a UK symbol on it... too bad we didn't have any blue paint...

Daddy, Mommy, Jaxon, Kyler, Uncle Jonathan, Aunt Angie and Mya after we all finished our pumpkins... Didn't they turn out great!?! Thank you Nana and Paps for providing us with a night full of fun!

So Exciting!

Jaxon slept through the night last night for the first time... He fell asleep at about 11 and slept until 8 o'clock this morning, in his own room, all by himself... Words cannot express how excited I am! What a big boy Jax is....

1st Night in Big Boy Bedroom...

Yesterday, Connie and I cleaned Jaxon's bedroom and got it ready for the big night... the first night Jaxon slept in his crib. (Note: Yes, Justin's treadmill is set up in Jaxon's room right now. But Jaxon likes to sit in his rocking horse, and watch Daddy run.)

Okay, so at 10:30, I rocked Jaxon almost to sleep and laid him down in his crib. I turned the monitors on, and with tears in my eyes, walked to my bedroom... without my little boy. He slept until 1:30. He woke up again at 2 and at 2:30. At 2:30, I picked him up and rocked him back to sleep and he slept all by himself in his crib until 7. What a big boy he is! I am so proud of him (even though, I must admit, I did miss him a little.)

Jaxon's 1st Oreo...

Justin had oreos for breakfast Saturday morning (I know, really healthy...). There were only about three left in the package, so we just let little man play with it. Later on in the day, he accomplished the task that he had worked so hard for all day... HE GOT AN OREO OUT OF THE PACKAGE! He loved it. Connie (Nana) told me to get it out of his mouth, but all I could do was laugh and take pictures... A little chocolate never hurt anyone...!

Happy Boy!

Happy (late) Birthday Daddy!

Saturday was Justin's 25th Birthday... we spent the weekend at the lake to celebrate, so I haven't got a chance to post until now. My husband is a wonderful father. He is interactive, helpful and loving. I can’t guess how many times a day he kisses and hugs Jaxon, telling him “I love you, buddy” or “You’re beautiful” every time. He works long hours so that we can support this family. He is such an encouraging father, always helping Jaxon practice achieving his next developmental milestone and building up his confidence and self-esteem. He is so proud to be Jaxon’s Daddy. He thinks the world of our boy and is determined to raise him to be a good, godly man who loves his mother and appreciate the little things. He’ll do it, too, watch and see!

Happy Birthday Daddy! We love you so much!

All that I am...

...is simply because You Are.