this is for nat

Since Natalie has been SO scared since I said that I had exciting things to post, this post is dedicated to her. :o)

A couple of weekends ago we had a rockin' 80's prom to celebrate Chris Howell's birthday. The Van Zandt's even got to fly in from Houston to celebrate with us. It was so fun hanging out with them and dressing up in our rad 80's clothing.

You might think pictures like this are the reason Natalie has been shaking in her shoulder pads, but no. I'm pretty sure the thing she dreads the most is this video right here. Give it up for p-hatty rockin' sabotage.

18 months

Today is 18 months since our crazy little man came into this big ol' world. In so many ways I cannot even believe that 18 months have gone by. It seems like just yesterday I was eating Saturn Grill with Jamie and walking around Target thinking that I just needed to sit down. What a difference 18 months make.

We went to the doctor today. Here are our current stats:
*Height- 35 inches, 100%
*Weight- 29.7 pounds, 90%

In conclusion- we have a big boy who is still in the midst of a huge growth spurt. It had better end soon though because I refuse to buy new winter clothes for 2 months of wear!!

Since John Mark is 18 months old, I decided that I would post 18 things about John Mark for your viewing pleasure.

1. He loves to eat. In the morning we hear him in his bed asking for "milts" (milk), "dooce" (juice), "onches" (oranges) and "bk-tst" (breakfast).
   
2. The next thing he asks for when I take him downstairs is "dowa" and "dedo"-- he loves Dora the Explorer and Diego. You can hear him walking around the house singing "do, dedo, do" and "bat-pat, bat-pat." Those who have kids know exactly what I'm talking about.
3. He has a "night night" blanket that he sleeps with every night. It is blue and has furry bunnies on it. He does not cover up with it or snuggle with it. But it has to be in his bed with him every night or he freaks out.
4. He also sleeps with "ee-yo"- Eeyore. We just learned this weekend that Eeyore is not a "orse" but is in fact a "onk-dy". Seriously, my life is a comedy.
5. John Mark loves church. Any time I say "John Mark, let's go!" he runs to the door into the garage, holds his hand up and declares "do chuwch." When we pull into the church parking lot he is very excited to be at church. I love that.
6. He has several friends that he loves to talk about- "abwy" (avery), "ro-ra-yine" (caroline) and "bey-do" (breydon.) He loves to play talk to them on the phone. It's hysterical.
7. He also loves a lot of our friends. Yesterday we were driving to the gym and I told him he was going to go play. He got really excited saying "telly" (kelly), "chris" (he actually says that one so you can understand it), "eva" (evan) and "buddy." For some reason he only calls Daryl buddy. It's awesome.
8. He loves, loves, LOVES his daddy. When he hears the garage door open at the end of Micah's day, he runs to the door saying "daddy, daddy, daddy!" I know that melts Micah's heart.
9. Sometimes he calls me "honey." This is funny- one day he heard Micah call up the stairs for me. Now if I'm upstairs and he is downstairs, he stands at the bottom of the stairs yelling "oney" as loud as he can. You can't make this stuff up.
10. He loves to eat. I know I already said that, but it deserves to be on here twice. It's probably his favorite part of his day. His recent favorites are "dot dods" (hot dogs), "sits" (meat sticks), "nats" (fruit snacks) and of course, "tooties" (cookies). He asks for them repeatedly. If he doesn't get them when he thinks he should, he throws a fit.
11. He has a little song that he sings if he is in a chair that rocks. "da di da di da" It's great! I need to record it and get it on here.
    
12. He is obsessed with my uncle Bob. Any time we are in public and he sees an older man, he starts saying "bot!" over and over. Then he gets upset when "bot" doesn't respond.
13. He is also very much in love with his grandparents. He asks for "bb", "poppy" and "poppa" all the time. If the doorbell rings he always thinks that it's my parents. He is always disappointed when it is not.
14. He is very independent and has a mind of his own. If you want him to say something, chances are he won't say it until he is good and ready. If you want him to do something, he does it on his own time. Very much his daddy's boy! ;)
15. He gives the best kisses!!! He has finally mastered the closed mouth kiss and loves kissing his toys, and sometimes even his mommy.
16. He is an excellent sleeper. I can't think of a time in recent months that he has been awake before 7AM. Not to mention that fact that he sleeps through rock band parties downstairs... Very much his mommy's boy! :)
17. He is the best snuggler in the world! When he is sleepy and lays his head on my shoulder and just sits there... man, there is nothing better than that in the world!!
18. John Mark has completed our life! We love him more than we ever knew was possible. I can't remember life without him, nor do I want to think about how boring life would be without him.
    

my big boy

John Mark got a BIG haircut today. I know we cut it before, but that was really just a tiny trim. Tonight I don't have a baby any more, he is officially a toddler- a very opinionated toddler who knows exactly what he wants when he wants it. Yes, we have officially entered the fit throwing stage. Hopefully this stage passes quickly and we can move on to a more fun, exciting time in life!!



I have other more exciting things to post, but that will have to wait until tomorrow. I'm tired. Good night!

the great pudding stand-off

Tonight John Mark revealed his true stubborness. He had just eaten his supper, and since he ate his green beans without complaining, I was going to give him a treat. I got a carton of pudding from the refrigerator and showed it to him. Of course, John Mark got really excited when he saw the pudding. I told him to say "please" and he could have it.

He turned his head.
He said "no."
He asked for "BB" & "Poppy."

With each request, I told him he had to say "please."

And with each command, his fit grew.

Until he was sitting alone at the table screaming as we went on around him cleaning up the kitchen.

Finally, after several agonizing minutes, he finally managed to squeak out a "PLEASE" (insert your most pathetic, whiny voice here) and look at me with a single tear sitting on his cheek.

And at that word I was most happy to give him the treat I had wanted to give him from the beginning.

As I sat there, waiting for my stubborn little boy to do the one, simple thing I asked him to do, I thought of how many times God has asked me to do something that I felt was impossible... or maybe I just didn't feel like doing it. I wondered if He sits in heaven shaking his head saying "Just do this one thing and you'll get the gift I am longing to give to you..."

And as much as I wanted John Mark to have that pudding, how much more does MY Father long to give me the gifts He has waiting for me? If I will just "say please."

"Every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is NO variation, or shifting shadow." James 1:17

did you know...

that if an 18 month old little boy were to eat a green crayon, it would not digest?

boy genius

Tonight, we thought Kelly's prediction of a child prodigal (she meant prodigy) had come true. While coloring at his new table, John Mark grabbed the red crayon, held it up and shouted "Ret! Ret! Ret!!" As Micah was bragging about this to Chris, John Mark happily snatched the blue crayon and shouted "Ret! Ret! Ret!!"

Hey, you gotta start somewhere, right? :o)

my 2007 playlist

As I sit here marveling over the fact that yet another year has come and gone, I am amazed at all this past year has brought my way. I wanted a way to sum up everything, and so I decided to make a playlist of my favorite songs from the year- songs that will forever take me back to this period of my life. And so here is a list of my songs from this year. Some hold deep, personal meaning, others are simply fun songs that are tied neatly to my favorite memories throughout the year.

1. Much Farther to Go- Rosie Thomas
This song is a beautiful picture of this journey we call life. In both the new things (teaching, motherhood) and those things that I've done for years (marriage, friendship) I am constantly aware of how much room there always is for growth.
"I have much farther to go
Everything is new and so unpredictable"

2. All I Can Say- David Crowder
I know this is an old song, but at times this past year, this song has been the cry of my heart. So many times in my walk with God I become overwhelmed with my need to express my desire for surrender. And it is usually in those times that I have no words.
"this is all that I can say
oh, I know it's not much
this is all that I can give
that's my everything"

3. Heavenly Day- Patty Griffin
In February, I had the privilege of going to dinner with two beautiful friends from my past. I remember that night, sitting anxiously in my car wondering what the night would hold. Would it be awkward? Would we fall back into a comfortable place? I am so happy that I went that night. My life is richer and fuller because of these old friends. This song reminds me of them.
"I got nothing much to say
Only I'm glad to be here with you
On this heavenly day"

4. Stained Glass Masquerade- Casting Crowns
I heard this song early in the year, and I fell completely in love with it. As I have come to realize more than ever, our relationship with Christ is so much more than the "everything's awesome!" mask that we have such a tendency to wear. These lyrics became the anthem of my days, as I was challenged to admit my weaknesses and drop the perfection charade.
"But would it set me free
If I dared to let you see
The truth behind the person
That you imagine me to be"

5. Everything to Me- Avalon
Again, I know this is an old song. But it will forever be in my heart the song that perfectly sings the story of my life. The speaker at our Ladies' Retreat sang this song as part of her message. As tears streamed down my cheeks, my heart cried out that He become my everything.
"I grew up in Sunday School
Memorized the golden rule
And how Jesus came to set the captives free...
He changed my life when he became
Everything to me"

6. The Boys of Summer- Don Henley
This one is just for fun. When we were in Nashville, the performer at The Wildhorse Saloon sang this song. I will never hear this song without seeing Kelly screaming "BOOMER SOONER!!!" at the top of her lungs. Did I mention he was from Oklahoma? And she didn't give up screaming that until he acknowledged that we must be from OK too? :o)

7. Hey There Delilah- Plain White T's
This song was on a CD that I burned for Jamie and I to listen to on our trips to Dallas to meet Nat. And even though it's a love song, I will always think of my friendship with Natalie when I hear this song- the fact that our friendship has stood the miles between here and Houston. Plus- I now have the bonus memory of seeing Chris Newkirk attempt to act out the word "delilah" as a flower during charades.
"A thousand miles seems pretty far
But they've got planes and trains and cars
I'd walk to you if I had no other way"

8. Grace- Phil Wickham
I have found myself praying these words when I have felt that I was failing. It is a beautiful prayer, asking God to come down and save us yet again. It reminds me that a day will never come (until the day He returns) that I will no longer need His grace. It must be what sustains me.
"Grace I call Your name
Oh won’t Your smile fall over me
I’m cracked and dry on hands and knees
Oh sweet grace rain down on me I need You grace"

9. Umbrella- Rhianna
This is just one of those completely catchy, totally overplayed songs that has attached itself to my memory as 2007. I know that years from now when I hear this song, I will see myself dancing in the car with Kelly as we drove to the church on her wedding day... or I will hear Jamie singing it in XXI forever while Natalie and I laughed.
"you can stand under my umbrella, ella, ella"

10. My Savior My God- Aaron Shust
This year has seen a LOT of heart ache. Not necessarily in my personal life, but in the lives of those I hold closest to my heart. Whether it was the breaking of marriages, the death of a child or any other number of things, I have wept for those I love. Through it all, I have had to remind myself that regardless of what I can see here on the earth, my God is in control of each of these situations.
"I am not skilled to understand
What God has willed, what God has planned...
My God: He was
My God: He is
My God is always gonna be"

Well, there you have it- my year wrapped up in 10 songs. If you read all of that- WOW! I did most of that writing just for my own memories! But if you did make it this far, and are now reading this- what would your 2007 playlist look like?

a very vegas christmas

WOW! What a Christmas we've had! We flew out on Saturday with my family to see my beautiful cousin, Camille get married. After a 2 hour delay because of the weather, we finally made it to Vegas. The wedding was on Sunday, and of course the bride looked gorgeous! The rest of our time there was spent hanging out with family. Christmas day was filled with people (28 of us!), TONS of food, laughter and of course- CHARADES! It just isn't Christmas until nanny has to act out the clue "sick." :o) Here is a slide show of pictures from our trip, since it would take me days to actually list them all. I hope you and your families had a wonderful Christmas as well!

and we're off

Merry Christmas everyone!

After a full week of Christmas parties, plays and shopping, we are finally ready for the big trip.

Our bags are packed .
(Is it so wrong that I had to have a completely separate bag for shoes?)
(Yes, girls, I did in fact pack my heels... and not just wedding heels!)

The house is clean.
(Yet another little mom-ism ingrained in my psyche!)

The dress fits.
(I was a little worried. I ate a LOT this week!)

My new i-pod is loaded with awesome newly created playlists.
(Not that I'll get to enjoy it. I'm sure John Mark will see to that.)

And now... bed,
with visions of a beautiful mountain wedding dancing in my head
and nightmares of a 2 hour plane ride with a busy 17 month old.

tonight's conversation

Me: "do you want daddy to put you in bed for night night?"

JM: "no..."

Me: "do you want to sit and rock with mommy?"

JM: "no..."

Me: "well, then what do you want?"

(pause)

JM: "juice."

mary's treasures

"but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often." Luke 2:19 (NLT)

This is probably one of my favorite verses in all of the Christmas story. I just love the images that these words conjure up in my mind. I can so vividly imagine Mary, so young and afraid, sitting in a stable holding the King of the universe. So many thoughts must have been swirling around within the confines of her mind and heart... a heart swelling with pride as she looked at her beautiful, perfect newborn son, and also humility, knowing that this same child is the Son of the Living God...

And so tonight, in the midst of shopping, parties, cooking and wrapping, I want to take some time to ponder the blessings in my life... to treasure the things that will last, and empty my mind of the trappings of this world that will soon fade away.

Would you do the same?

WELCOME!

Well, since John Mark is no longer a "baby" and I have finally got this site to meet my standards, I have decided to bring about the NEW and IMPROVED Rigdon family blog. I'm sure you all know what to expect... lots of pictures of the little mister, and of course funny stories that happen to our family.