Twenty Months

My bouncing baby boy Parker has turned into 100% pure toddler BOY. And it's happened way too fast. He's into everything, never stops moving until he's asleep, and is a very spirited little boy. That can be good and bad. Depends on which day you ask me! He's very independent these days, and wants to do everything by himself. Although when he's getting tired and sleepy, he might come sit with me and get all cuddly for a bit. Those times make the hard days so worth it! He throws a thousand fits a day, and all I want to do is laugh when he throws himself around so dramatically.

He LOVES it when I chase him. He loves to hide, and he loves to run.

And this is the result of his independence. He loves to make a mess, and then say "I make mess".

He loves his daddy and loves days where he can be outside with him.

He loves going to visit his grandparents. He loves all of his grandparents so much, and I am so thankful for that.

And he loves to swing and eat Bugles with Papa.

My favorites things right now are hearing him say "alright baby", "oh man", "oh my goodness", and "cock-a-doodle-do".

He LOVES to be outside. Doesn't matter what he's doing, as long as he's doing it outside.

I love to watch him. He's such a little busy body, and it's neat to see how he's learning and changing his ways.

I LOVE that he LOVES sleep! He usually goes down without a fuss, sleeps all night, and takes a nap sometime during the day. As long as he has Dog. He won't even think about laying down without Dog.

I just love the closeness I have with him. I love knowing that he wants me when he doesn't feel good, or when he's sleepy. I love it when he comes to me and wants to rock with me. I love it that he loves to go bye-bye with me. He's quite the little shopping companion when he's not throwing a fit or throwing random items into my buggy that I find when we check-out.

I love that he loves church. I pray that we can teach him how to always love it and know the importance of it. I pray we can show him how to love Jesus and how to serve Jesus.

He's growing so fast. I watched a couple of videos last night of him as a baby, and it was not that long ago that he was. And look at him now, doing everything on his own at 20 months.

We love you Parker and are so thrilled that you are ours!

The Miracle League

I've been wanting to share this post for a few weeks now, and I have really struggled with what to say. This day was so incredibly special to me that I'm still guarding it in my heart and thoughts. Though late, it's not due to ignorance, but to wrestling with God over this.

My nephew, Brent (aka little Brent), has cerebral palsy. There is a lot that I don't understand about CP, and the questions just make my head hurt when I think about it too much. I just know he's had it since he was a baby, and my understanding is that he has a more severe case than not. However, Brent is one of the happiest, most loving, funny, and honest little boys you will ever meet. He always has a smile on his face, and most importantly, he loves Jesus unashamedly. And he loves sports. For a couple of years now, he has had the incredible opportunity to play baseball with The Miracle League. I had the incredible opportunity to watch a game a few weeks ago. This was my first, but Lord willing, it won't be my last. It brought me to tears. Not sad tears, but rejoicing tears. The girls and boys playing ball that day didn't have ego's, agendas, scores, attitudes, or an over eagerness to only win. There were no losers that day. They simply played baseball, but they spoke loud and clear to me. Brent became my hero that day, and he taught me to look at life a little different. It was so much fun for me, but it was so humbling for me as well.

The people there that day didn't see handicaps, they saw willing hearts and children with an appetite for life. It reminded me that our Heavenly Father doesn't see handicaps either. He sees His children that He loves dearly. God doesn't look at us and doubt our capability, but we look at Him and doubt His. God looks at us and sees a vessel He can use regardless of our physical, emotional, or spiritual handicaps. Believe Him and trust in Him are two things I am repeating over and over to myself lately.

It's easy to get caught up in the why's and how's of life, especially in cases of children with sickness or handicaps. Again, there's a lot I don't understand. But this I do know. God made Brent just the way He is and intends for him to be His vessel, and Brent is willing to show God's love no matter his circumstances.

God works miracles in our lives everyday.

I'm so proud of you Brent. You love life and you let nothing stop you from living it. That takes courage. You are truly an inspiration to me. Always remember how much God loves you and know that I love you too.

I still can't look at this picture without crying. One of Brent's teammates absolutely loved Parker's stuffed puppy. He kept coming over to the fence to play with it. He couldn't speak, but he didn't have to. His face said it all. At the end of the day, he and his mom were walking to their car, and they had to pass us at our car. While we were talking with his mom, he came over to Brent (my husband Brent, aka Big Brent) and just instantly started hugging him. He teared up, and that moment touched us so much. I've beat myself up everyday since then for not giving him that stuffed puppy. Why I didn't even think about it, I don't know. It seems so selfish, but I honestly just didn't think about it or wasn't in tune with the Spirit or something. I was so upset at myself for days. And even though I still think that's what I should have done, I know it wasn't really the puppy he wanted. He wanted love and acceptance. He wanted a hug.

I am so glad I went to that game that day. It was the last of the season, but I hope it was the first of many more for me to attend. I look forward to what Brent will teach his cousin and my little boy one day.

Mr. & Mrs. Chris Clark

I know it's been a while... again! I've been distracted with all sorts of things the past couple of weeks. First, my sister got married May 29. It was a beautiful ceremony, and we had lots of fun seeing so much family. I have included a collage of photos below. There was one certain little man who was just too adorable, even though he was running a fever during the whole wedding! He did great though as one of the ring-bearers. Daddy had to walk with him down the aisle, but that's alright. After all, he's only 19 months. My sister looked beautiful and happy. I love weddings. I love the traditions, the decor, the fun, the laughing, and most importantly, I love that it celebrates love. It's so crazy because you spend so much time planning and busying yourself and then the ceremony is over in no time, but it is so special. Marriage is something that should be celebrated. It's a beautiful thing that God allows us to have such a special companion to go through life with. It's not to be taken lightly. It's a covenant relationship, and weddings always remind me of that. The reverence of it all is very humbling.

Then we battled a 12 hour drive home, sickness, busyness, and vacation planning. So, this post is a little late, but all is well again!

Congratulations to Mr. & Mrs. Christopher Clark!