first day of school

John Mark starts preschool today.
I'm excited for him- he has awesome teachers.
But I'm also sad.
PRESCHOOL???
It just sounds so grown up...

He was excited to wear his new "wolverine" shirt.
And show off his new haircut.
He was not excited when I told him they don't get a snack.
I'm not too thrilled with that either,
but that's another story.

A sweet college freshman, Haleigh, watches him for an hour each morning,

Then brings him to me to walk over to school.

It's a nice system, and JM loves Haleigh.

Unfortunately, today I forgot to have her bring his bag-

which has his lunch...

Fortunately we don't live far.

And Micah is at the eye doctor.

So he's bringing the bag to him.

This is John Mark with his teacher, Ms. Casey.
She is awesome.

I know her from my brief year at CLC.

I'm excited he gets to be a part of her class.

Here he is, playing puzzles with his friend Leslie.

I was trying to be sneaky when I took this,

but he obviously sees me.

So to sum it up, I'm excited for John Mark's year of preschool.

I know he will learn a TON,

and hopefully make some new friends.

I'm not excited that he's big enough to be doing this.

He should still be a baby...

many faces

John Mark has many faces.
Last night, he as in a good mood and willing to take pictures
(which never happens!)
so we laid on the floor making faces.

fishy face

sad face

silly face

surprised face

getting too big

Seriously- where did the summer go?
I can't believe it's almost September...
or that my baby is 3 and starts Pre-STOMP tonight at church...
And preschool next Tuesday.
It's MADNESS, I say!

Anyway, tomorrow night is meet the teacher night at "school."
I'm so excited about the two ladies teaching preschool.
I love both of them and I know that John Mark will too.

Did I tell you that John Mark is potty trained?
It finally happened.
He just decided to go in the potty
Since his 3rd birthday, he's had maybe 3 accidents.
Awesome.

These pictures are from last night.
JM decided that he wanted to sleep in "just boxers."
And he looked so cute, I had to take pictures.

3

It was three years ago, RIGHT NOW, that I was laying in a hospital bed, getting prepped for a C-section...

Oh, if only I could have truly known how my life was about to change.

Actually, I take that back...
I'm glad I didn't know.
Not knowing was (and still is!!) half the fun.

So I thought we'd take a little step back in time and see what each year has held for us

This photo was taken pretty much as soon as JM was born.
I can still remember how sweet he was, how snuggly and warm.
It seems like yesterday... and forever ago all wrapped into one...

That first year was full of SO MANY firsts...
teeth, sitting, crawling, walking, babbling...
first car trips, play dates, ice cream...

To all you new and soon-to-be mommies:
TREASURE THIS BABY TIME!!
They grow up wayyy too fast and before you blink,
you're at:

The first birthday

As we move on into the next year, we had more growth and changes...
talking, singing, SCHOOL...
sleeping through the night, sippy cups, haircuts...
birthday parties, weddings, dancing...
What a year!

The Second Birthday

I think that this year brought more changes than a little boy should deal with...
I went back to work...
Micah changed jobs...
We moved...
and LOTS of other new things:
big boy bed, spankings, vacation...
weeks at bb & poppy's house, the ocean, a cousin!
What a blessing this sweet, flexible, easy going boy is!

The Third Birthday

I wonder what this year will hold...
I'm guessing lots of laughing, hugs and kisses...
probably a few fits, some tears and owies...
but one thing I KNOW-
this year will be filled with LOVE.
And hopefully each year John Mark will realize not only
how much I love him...
how much his daddy loves him...
but how much GOD loves him...

This is my prayer everyday.

adventures in potty training

I have to say, after a long summer,
I think we're getting somewhere.
In fact, I think I would say John Mark is 90% potty trained.

Ok, ok, so maybe it's more like 85%...

Anyway, I've learned some things through this whole process.

For example,
Just because he says he wants to wear big boy underwear,
and he promises to tell you when he needs to potty,
doesn't mean he will.

In fact, he might just empty his bladder right there,
while looking at himself in the mirror,
leaving a giant puddle in the floor of the store.

And just when I convince myself he's too young,
that maybe he can't control it yet...

I find him in a friend's playhouse,
"maybe going poop"
And when I beg him to hold it,
he actually makes it to the potty.
Thus proving to me that this is a matter of the will.

And the will in question...
well, it's pretty darn strong.

I've also discovered that potty training leads to some interesting
(and by interesting, i mean hilarious) conversations...

Like the day he announced...
"Mommy, i need to pee-pee FIRST
so my poop has something so swim in."

5 years

I have been married for 5 years.
FIVE years.
That sounds like such a long time to me.
And yet it seems like a day ago...

Five years ago we said our vows,
each with different picturs of our life.
We both had our plans and dreams,
and while of course we had talked and planned,
each had our own secret hopes...
our personal dream of how our life would turn out.

If you had asked me then whose dream would win,
I would have said mine.
I always get my way.

But to quote the mister:
"baby, you completely underestimated just exactly how okay i am with the rest of the world not being okay with my decisions."

A truer statement has never been spoken.

And you know what,
I'm glad he "won."
Life is simpler his way.

So in short,
Nothing is as I ever imagined it.
Nothing has gone according to my "plan."

Everything is better.

"I was a little girl
alone in my little world
who dreamed of a little home for me.
I played pretend between the trees,
and fed my houseguests bark and leaves,
and laughed in my pretty bed of green."
--priscilla ahn

we will remember

Isn't it so true that we are bent on forgetting.
We can go through something so powerful,
so life-changing, so totally GOD...
and years later we've completely forgotten.

“But watch out! Be careful never to forget what you yourself have seen. Do not let these memories escape from your mind as long as you live! And be sure to pass them on to your children and grandchildren." Deuteronomy 4:9

Today at church, we remembered.

It was moving to remember-
Christ's sacrifice...
His sovereignty...
His power...

It was powerful to remember-
how He saved me...
how He changed me...
how He lifted me from the pit...

It was awesome to remember the stories-
of His faithfulness throughout the Bible...
of His salvation in my own life...
of His hand in the lives of friends...

May we never forget.

"When we walk through life's darkest valleys
We will look back at all you have done
And we will shout, 'Our God is good!!!'
For He is the faithful one...

We will remember the works of your hands
And we will stop and give you praise
For great is your faithfulness"
--Tommy Walker

try to be better

I was mildly scolded by some of my faithful followers this weekend when visiting my parents, so I will try to do better at updating!

Here are some recent photos of John Mark and a couple of funny stories about the goober.

On Sunday night he came up to me and said "Mommy, I think that maybe I need to use your phone. I need to text Kelly."

I have to say- having an "almost 3 year old" is teaching me a lot about myself. For instance: I start a lot of sentences with "I Think". Also, I use the words maybe and probably quite a bit too. John Mark tends to enjoy putting all of those things together into one sentence, which makes for some hilarious thoughts, I'm not going to lie.

Also- I think maybe (see, I just typed that from my thoughts without even realizing what I was thinking!!) I text a little too much...

Tuesday night, John Mark and I went to a party for staff wives from church and their kiddos. We played games and ate yummy food. John Mark thoroughly enjoyed playing with the big kids and kept up with the biggest of them. My sweet friend Amy gave us a ride, along with 3 of her kiddos. As we're driving, John Mark loudly proclaims: "Hey! Don't pick your nose. That's gross!" He was talking to Amy's youngest son, Aiden. So funny!

And now for a poop story, since we haven't had one of those in a while. We're working on potty training, really we are. And we are just SO close.....

At the party, I went outside to bring JM in so we could pray and eat. I found him hiding in the little playhouse, and he said "mommy, I think I probably pooped." Since I hadn't brought anything with me I told him to stop pooping so I could take him to the potty. Fortunately, he hadn't pooped just yet, and I ran him in to the bathroom where he immediately sat down and let it go. It might have been my proudest moment of the month.

slacker, i know

I sincerely apologize for my lack of posting.
To make up for it, here are some fun pics from the last month or so!

silly boy

with "Ranga-Roo" at VBS

the river in Tulsa

park on the River

"cry, uncle kyle"

"look, mommy- i'm a turtle"

new best friend, hudson

home.

We are home from camp.
I am beyond exhausted.
Not to mention every part of me hurts.
I am too old for my competitiveness...
But it was totally worth it.
My team took REC CHAMPS.
I'll post pics and stories tomorrow.
For now, I'm going to take some Advil PM and sleep.
Tomorrow I get my boy back!

reflection

It's been 10 years since I graduated from high school.
It seems like yesterday and a lifetime ago, all wrapped into one.
Micah and I were talking about how different life is than we thought it would be when we graduated from high school.

Here are some things I NEVER thought would happen:
-living in Edmond
-being married to a student pastor
-being a member of a HUGE church
-loving that huge church
-running half-marathons
-spending weeks every summer at camp

(Speaking of camp, we're headed to camp wow with 210 MS students tomorrow. If you think of it, say a little prayer for us!)

Anyway, while I never would have picked this life for me,
my God has written every day in my book...
and I'm so glad He holds the pen and not me!

oh how the years go by

Today was John Mark's last day of "school." He has had such a great year. I have been so blessed by his awesome teachers, and he truly has learned so much. They gave us a book filled with pictures they made with their handprints each month of the year. Look how much his hand has grown from October to May...

The little turkey has also grown 4 inches (41" tall!!) and gained 5 pounds (40 pounds!!). He is losing that sweet baby look and is starting to really look like a big kid. :(

bad blogger

Sorry I've been so bad at updating the blog. I promise to post pictures and stories tonight. But for now I will leave you with a video of the little mister being superman!

john mark-isms part 2

Man, oh man... this kid is FUN-NAY!! I seriously need to keep a pencil and paper with me at all times just to write down the hilarious stuff that he says. Here are some of my most recent faves...

-Yesterday at church to the MS Intern "Hey Brett, look- I have ears. They're coldy. Wanna feel em?"

-Last night after his bath, looking at his armpits "Daddy, I don't got a pit-stache like you... There's no hair."

-One night sitting on the couch "Mommy, my skin is white. Urs skin is brown. Daddy... urs skin is black and white polka dot."

-Every time he seems me pick up my camera I get the same response "no pictures... no pictures..." followed by him putting his hand over his face and running away

-Last night as we were laying in bed... "Mommy, I hear robot john mark. He's crying. He's sad because Dr. John Mark had to give him 10 shots and now he is in bed. His mommy didn't snuggle him just a little bit, so he is sad."

-Every night after saying prayers and reading our story "snuggle me just a little bit my mom... no, not just a little bit- BIG. Yeah... big snuggles."

I love him so much! It makes me sad to think that someday not too far away he will say all of his words the right way and won't tell me every thought in his head... But until that day comes, I'll just enjoy the silly things I get to laugh at along the way!

micah's birthday

I'm finally getting around to posting the pictures of Micah's birthday celebration at Cuppies & Joe. If you live in Oklahoma City and you haven't been there... you must go now! If you live somewhere other than Oklahoma City, well you should go too. And come say hi to us when you're there!! It's the cutest, sweetest little coffee shop with AMAZING cupcakes. (I don't work for them- I promise!)

Anyway, we met some friends there for cupcakes and coffee. It was such a fun time. There were lots of kiddos running around, so it was a little crazy... but definitely a good time. Here are the pictures!

um... i want that cupcake

he's so grown up!

my sweet niece, elliana

a glimpse into their future perhaps?

seriously- i love this girl!

"ca-line, urs my best friend"

sweet baby logan came to micah's birthday

work buddies

jamie sat on wehunt's cupcake...

don't worry- he ate it anyway

i love these girls!

race day

Today was the OKC Memorial Marathon. I ended up running on a relay team with an awesome group of women from my church. I did the final leg- 10K, or 6 miles- thinking I would just take it easy and not have to push myself too hard. Plus I wanted to try and improve my 10K time. Once I realized that my leg of the relay was entirely uphill, I wasn't as hopeful for my goal time of 9:00 miles. But then I had to run INTO the wind. For those of you not in Oklahoma today- let me just tell you- it was crazy windy!! There were points in the race when I literally felt like I wasn't moving because the wind was pushing on me so hard. But I finished in just over an hour, so slower than I had hoped, but still finishing.

I've been a little mopey about running since I decided not to do the full, but my sweet friend Natalie gave me an attitude check tonight. So I leave you with the fact that 6 miles is still good, and I will hold my head up high and stop saying I "just did 6 miles..."

PS- I'm sorry for my lack of updates. I have a ton of pictures and cute stories to post. I'm off work tomorrow, so I will have a whole new blog hopefully sometime tomorrow afternoon!

my love

"For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up His life for her..." Ephesians 5:25

When I was younger, I remember dreaming about my future husband...
would he be loud? funny? shy?
would he love sports? fishing? books?
would he be tall? short? blonde?

But I never wondered if he would love me. In my mind, that seemed like a given- of course husbands always love their wives- that's what they do, right?

As time went on, I watched many marriages crumble around me. I saw husbands no longer love their wives. Marriage vows forsaken, I started to question if a sacrificial love was truly possible anymore.

Then true love walked into my life. In all my dreaming of the man I would some day marry, I could never have dreamed of someone so kind, steadfast, wise, and yes- LOVING.

My precious husband has showed me Christ's love. He has spent the past 5 years painting a beautiful picture of Christ and the church in the life that he lives with me.

His is a true love that gives more than it takes, is patient, kind and selfless... it's a jealous love without being jealous. And while I know he is proud of me as his wife, his love is never arrogant or rude. His is a love that never fails.

I am so blessed to have married you, Micah.
I can only pray that I can love you each day as wonderfully as you love me.

Happy birthday, honey. I love you!

cardboard testimonies

Here is a video from our church services over Easter weekend. These testimonies are so powerful. Try to watch them without crying. I dare you!

melts a mommy's heart

Today we were eating lunch after church.
Out of the blue, John Mark looked at me & Micah and said:
"Jesus died on the cross.
He loves us very much."

Oh my gracious.
I started crying right there.
Oh, how I long for him to know this...
to hear the Savior call His name...
to follow after Him all of His days.

my sin

My sins are the nails
that held His sinless body
to that cross of wood.

My hands are the ones
that drove the nails
into His spotless flesh.

My selfishness pierced His side,
as blood and water poured out.

I am the one who mocked.
betrayed.
abandoned.

But the sweetest words ever spoken-
"Father, forgive them"

The veil was torn.
Christ rose from the dead.

I believe.
I believe.
I believe.

I am forgiven.
I am free.
I am Yours.

"He made him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him." 2 Corinthians 5:21

a puke story

My poor baby is sick. It all started on Sunday night. When we came home from church, he told me that his tummy hurt. I just figured that it was because he was hungry. I fixed him lemonade in his rocket cup (his newest obsession, both the lemonade and the cup) and turned back to the kitchen to find something for Micah and I to eat.

I heard John Mark crying from the playroom. When I turned around his shirt was all pink and he was crying. He said "sorry i spilled my juice my mom." I looked at his cup, which was still basically full, but I could tell from the spot on his shirt and the floor that SOMETHING was there.

And then... he just started puking. Oh, poor baby- it was so sad. He hasn't thrown up at all since he was a baby, so he just kept telling me that he was sorry for spilling his juice. After that he acted much better, so I thought that maybe that he had just eaten too much candy this weekend. We put him to bed and he started to go to sleep. But then I heard him say "my tummy hurts" from the other room.

Let's just say we had a long night of cleaning up... him, the bed, his sheets, every single old towel in our house... Monday he laid on the couch all day and was just so pitiful. He wouldn't even laugh at his cartoons.

Anyway, it's been a sad couple of days. But I do have to mention that I have the BEST husband in the whole world. He mopped up pink puke and cleaned carpet while I was taking care of John Mark.