Posts Tagged ‘Jackson’

Jackson’s Red Banoon

November 17th, 2008 Amanda
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Yesterday after church, Curtis, Jackson and I had a yummy lunch at Luby’s Cafeteria with all the other church-going folks on this side of town. As we were leaving, Jackson was given a big red balloon on a string. It was his joy and his delight. Let me just say that his joy and delight are fragile things. Having seen this particular joy swept away in the wind too many times before, I tied the balloon onto his clothes to keep him from losing it. Of course he had a fit about that. My banoon, Mommy! My banoon! He wanted all the control in his sweaty little hand! To my very great surprise, the balloon actually survived the trip home. It was still intact this morning and he enjoyed several more hours with it. He loved it so much. I cringed though, seeing my son get all of this happiness from something so fragile and temporary. It would only be a matter of time before it popped or sprung a leak out of nowhere. Then I’d have a sad, sad boy on my hands.

I think God must look at me in the same way when I’m trying to get my joy and happiness out of earthly things. I wonder if He thinks, Oh, baby girl, that is so temporary. It’s already got a leak in it – you just can’t see it yet. Find your joy in me! I’m everlasting! My unfailing love it what your heart truly seeks.

So today I’ll remember that my beautiful white house, compliments I may get because of this or that, my cute new maternity clothes, the holiday atmosphere that will soon surround us – all of these things I like and love so much – are about as safe for my heart to depend on as a simple latex balloon. These things add color and festivity to my life, but they are not sturdy enough to support my soul. There’s only One who is, and He’s more than willing to do it for me! He wants to! Thank You, Lord!

What a man desires is unfailing love; better to be poor than a liar. (Proverbs 19:22)

I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,
and in his word I put my hope.
My soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning.
O Israel, put your hope in the LORD,
for with the LORD is unfailing love
and with him is full redemption. (Psalm 130:5-7)

But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him,
on those whose hope is in his unfailing love. (Psalm 33:18)

In him our hearts rejoice,
for we trust in his holy name.
May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD,
even as we put our hope in you. (Psalm 33:21-22)

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Batman Forever!

November 3rd, 2008 Amanda
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These are not the best pictures, but I thought I’d share some from our church’s annual Fall Festival. Jackson wore a Batman costume and HE LOVED HIMSELF. He really had no idea what he was, but he was completely energized by his built-in muscles, cape, and mask.

Right before the fun began.

Batman flexing his bat muscles.

One of the highlights of Batman’s night was a baby pool filled with balls. He worked himself into a frenzy. Look at his red face.

As I ironed my son’s costume that evening, I realized I should have dressed as Alfred. But that would have been quite a stretch for Pregnant Girl.

Upon seeing the two firetrucks, one with a giant ladder reaching into the sky, I asked Jackson if this was the happiest day of his life. He said yes.

My, how things change! Look at my child’s face. Sheer terror. Someone blasted the other fire truck’s horn when we were standing right by it. It was L-O-U-D.

Don’t tell Jackson that the Batmobile isn’t an inflatable red car.

Batman’s smooth exit from the Batmobile.

What can Batman conquer next?

Here are some pics from Fall Festivals Past, AKA “the years when mommy got to dress Jackson however she wanted.” We are currently in the superhero-for-boys/Disney- princess-for-girls years of toddlerhood.

The first year Jackson was a frog.

Last year Jackson was a golfer. I could have eaten him up with a spoon.

Next year I’ll have another little one to dress!

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My Daddy’s Work

June 24th, 2008 Beth
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Hey, Siestas! How are my favorite bloggers doing?? I don’t get to really tarry right now on the blog because I am officially one month out from my Esther manuscript coming due (you won’t waste a prayer on me) and I’ll need every second of it. When I sign a contract, my schedule is nothing but a well planned theory. It never takes into account that sometimes over the course of a project Dad’s die, daughters get married, bodies get viruses, ministries need running (I praise You for the privilege, Lord!), husbands need tending, Christmas needs celebrating, dogs get cancer and might, if it’s a hard year, even need burying. Deep sigh. Anyway, you’ve heard enough about that so I’m not going to go there with you again. Just wanted you to know why some of my times on here have to be briefer right now. I always forget to take life into account when I plan my work schedule. Then again, I wouldn’t be much of a servant to you if I weren’t living life right along with you.

I just had to hop on and tell you something I thought was kinda fun. Yesterday Amanda stopped by the ministry with Jackson. He’s almost two and a half now and at the cutest age imaginable. I’d met AJ out in the parking lot because I love to surprise the boy by popping up at the window next to his car seat. He’s always so glad to see Bibby and makes such a big deal out of it. Man, I’m so drunk on the little guy I can hardly stand it. Anyway, after the half hour it took me to unlatch him from that gosh-awful carseat, we brought him in and he immediately owned the place. Of course he did. He gets to. What I found so delightfully endearing was that, no matter where he went (and he went practically everywhere in the building), he patted things in that particular office and confidently, possessively chirped, “Daddy’s work!” Mind you, Curtis has one office just like the rest of us and it is down on the first floor but to his son who thinks he is the END ALL, the whole building was Daddy’s work. Even Sabrina’s office was Daddy’s work and she directs the whole shebang.

I loved it. So did she.

I just wanted to remind you today that no matter where you go, you can freely pat everything in the room or everything in sight, for crying out loud, every single thing on God’s green earth, and say, “Daddy’s work.” Go right ahead. Be confident. Act possessive for His Name’s sake. Sound a little sassy when you say it because it’s the truth beneath all truths. It’s all Daddy’s work. He owns the place. For “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” Psalm 24:1. He not only owns the cattle on a thousand hills. He owns the thousand hills under the tails of the cattle.

“This is what the Lord says: ‘Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool.'” (Is. 66:1) If it’s on Planet Earth, Darling Thing, it’s under His feet. Don’t sweat it so much. It’s Daddy’s work.

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Summer Vacation!

June 2nd, 2008 Amanda
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Popsicles: sometimes they aren’t worth it.

(He’s showing us that it’s dripping.)

Our first non-work-related, just-the-three-of-us, family vacation with Jackson: totally worth it.

Curtis, Jackson and I just got home last night from our weekend vacation to none other than San Antonio, Texas. I thought of all my siestas while we were there. I can’t wait until we converge on that beautiful city in a couple of months!

We stayed at the wonderful Hyatt Hill Country Resort from Thursday night through Sunday. I’d found a great deal on rates for a stay before June 1. What an amazing place! It was really unique to be at a nice, beautiful resort that totally catered to families. I’d heard that it was a great place for kids and it definitely was. We spent most of our time in the pool and lazy river. In the evenings they do s’mores over a fire and show a movie on a big screen over a beautiful lawn. They even had pony rides! This is not where you’d want to stay for the Siesta Fiesta due to its location, but if you are ever in town with your families, definitely consider it.

On Friday we stayed at the hotel and enjoyed everything there. For Mother’s Day, Curt and Jackson gave me a gift certificate to have a massage at the hotel’s spa and I got to enjoy it that day. It was wonderful! The spa building looked like an old ranch house attached to a red barn. Check it out:

On Saturday we got up early and headed to Sea World, which was only a mile or two away from the hotel. We watched the Shamu show first thing and I won’t lie – I totally teared up. What kind of God do we have that would make such incredible creatures? And that He would give man the ability to have some sort of relationship with them? Our God is awesome! Sea World also has a water park and we took advantage of it in the afternoon when the sun started beating down on us. Jackson, our little water bug, had the time of his life.

We checked out of our hotel on Sunday and drove to Gruene, Texas, to have lunch at the Grist Mill. It is not to be missed. After that, we stopped briefly at the San Marcos Prime Outlet Mall where they have a Pottery Barn, Williams-Sonoma, Restoration Hardware, Crate and Barrel, and a ton of other great stores. (I think we were about an hour away from San Antonio.) I didn’t need one thing, but it was fun to look! We grabbed some ice cream cones from Baskin Robbins, taking great care not to repeat the Popsicle Incident of ’08, and started the trek home.

You may notice that I don’t have any pictures of us at the pool or at Sea World. As usual, I didn’t want to take a chance on getting my camera wet. So just imagine the three of us drenched from head to toe, smiling big, having pruny hands and feet, and looking slightly more tan than before. Welcome, summer!

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First Event of 2008 and A Party for the Tods

February 26th, 2008 Amanda
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Can I just say that I’m so glad we have our first Living Proof Live event of 2008 this weekend? It is going to be in Vancouver. After the last event of 2007, I felt like the blog’s right arm was in a sling. We’ve had no commissionings, no video recaps, and no before and after comments from the local siestas! I’m ready for my mom to get back to doing her thang!

Since the conference is still a few days away and my mom is getting ready for Bible study this afternoon, I will share some pictures from Jackson’s second birthday. (Well it looks like we were blogging at the same time!) When I wrote the date in my prayer journal this morning, I realized it was my old due date. I don’t think about it much because 2/17/06 was The Big Day, but I did cling tightly to 2/26/06 for nine months. It will always be special to me. It was also the date of a very large, sold-out conference in Birmingham, Alabama. Lord, help us! Well, He did help us! God worked it all out and everyone was there for Jackson’s birth. I can’t complain!

We had a birthday feast for Jackson at Pappasito’s the afternoon after Melissa’s wedding. The servers brought out a sombrero and a brownie sundae to celebrate. They even sang him a song. At the very end when everyone clapped, he looked at me and said, “Mommy? Mommy? Whaaaaaaa!” It was so tragic. But he bounced back.

Then we played in a park.

You can walk a bit taller when you’re two.

Here are some pictures from Jackson and Ella’s joint birthday party at Pump It Up on Saturday. They are only two days apart and have all the same friends, so it worked out great!

Me and my boy in a bounce house.

Curtis and Jackson shooting hoops.

Jackson on a slide.

Janelle and I got a sneak peek of the party room before it was taken over by toddlers.

Do I even need to tell you who this is? In case I do, it’s Pablo from the Backyardigans.

A toddler birthday party takes a lot of moms working together.

Ella and Jackson having a snack.

Jackson really just wanted to play with the balloons.

We couldn’t wait to take a picture of the Tods in this fun chair. They were not as enthused about it.

Janelle and Ella, Jackson and me, and Sunni and Ava

We played hard.

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It’s All About Taste

February 8th, 2008 Beth
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I was putting on my mascara in front of the den mirror so I could watch Good Morning America when Keith looked up at me and said cheerfully, “Well, isn’t that a cute little make-up frock.” (I think he meant smock.) I looked back at him, using my mascara wand like I pointer and said, “Honey, this is a dress. It’s what I’m wearing to work.”

“Oh!” he said.

“What’s wrong with it?” I asked.

“Nothing’s wrong with it, Baby. I see exactly what you mean now. It’s not a frock for putting on make-up. It’s a dress. And you’re wearing it to work,” he replied. He quickly went back to his newspaper.

I went back to my mascara. And then, for some reason, I got tickled. Tickled enough to nearly have tattooed my hairline with L’oreal Volume Shocking Mascara: Blackest Black. “Poor man,” I thought. He meant to come up with somebody so different than me. But, then again, this entry is not about marriage. It’s about different tastes between people who, ironically, have a strong taste for one another. Keith and I did not start out with one single shared taste. Not one. Not in denominations. Not in vacations. Not in friends. Not in hobbies. Not in jobs. And most assuredly not in wardrobe. And that one, like most of them, never changed. He is all western. I am…not. I don’t know what I am. Neither does he. No big deal except that Keith likes to buy me clothes because that was his sweet daddy’s love language to his mother.

For the first 15 years of our marriage, Keith took every special occasion to dress me like a business executive. Lots of black or navy suits with white blouses. Expensive things for our tight budget. I loved him so much that I acted thrilled but my inner man was asnore. I’d imagine how many conglomerations from Weiner’s (a low-budget, high-clutter department store back in the day) I could’ve mixed and matched for that kind of money. A whole closet full of frocks! He’d interrupt my thought process with stuff like, “I got you this because I never see you in anything like it and thought you could use it.” Where? Taking the kids to MDO? But he was so precious, I couldn’t resist him. I’d think of places to wear it, especially when I had to go somewhere I didn’t want to go. That way I could offer a sacrifice of praise.

The second set of fifteen years, he gave up on the executive look for me and took a giant step upward to western wear. Between the wide open cactus-lands of West Texas and the cold mountain air of Wyoming, my well-worn boots and scruffy leather jackets testify to his celebratory success…in the casual-wear genre. The problem is, he doesn’t just have casual western wear in mind for me. I have a closet full of fancy jackets with studs and fringe on them (a few look to have been be-dazzled) as well as a multi-colored assortment of broom skirts. Though I’m tempted to stop here and make several comments, I’m going right on to the next sentence. What doesn’t help Keith’s shopping variety is his strong propensity to be in West Texas just prior to every special occasion we have: Christmas, wedding anniversary, you name it. Since he’s not one to shop in advance, he invariably panics on the way home then, thanks-be-to-God, remembers that great Texas icon, the D&D Western Store on Interstate 10 at Seguin. (Good Heavens, I just had a flash back to all Keith has taught me about Texas hero Juan Seguin and the history of that town and actually came within a dot of thinking you’d care to hear it.) Awash with relief, Keith eagle-eyes the exit in the horizon and flies so fast that Beanie’s birddog-lips nearly wrap around her head. He then, the way I picture it, commences to have the sales woman ring up everything fancy in my size. Another occasion saved.

And sometimes they’re just darling.

And other times only he is. Every time I see one of the less worn western frocks in my closet, I feel really guilty. Right then I wish I fished or something.

Keith has a small measure of mercy on my lack of good taste since it wasn’t my fault. It was my parents’. They took too long to get to Texas. Back where I come from, western was something you were for Halloween. In Keith’s estimation, tastes are developed early which is precisely why Jackson has had a wide assortment of camouflage in every size from newborn on. Keith intentionally waited to purchase the boy’s first western wear until just last weekend, however, because it’s more sacred. He believes a soul ought to be old enough to appreciate the privilege. He walked through the door from out of town with an arm full of boxes and presented Jackson his first ensemble: a snap-up western shirt, Wranglers and Justin boots. I could have sworn I saw a tear in his eye. (Not Jackson’s. Keith’s. But I’ve had tears in my eyes on my own occasions.) Keith awarded him the prize with all the pride and emotion of a Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo first-place bull rider. Praise God, it wasn’t wasted on the boy. To his Bibby’s delight, he is big on enthusiasm. Though he walked a bit strange in his boots at first (kinda like he was walking in meadow of fresh cow patties), Jackson clearly knew he was a stud. He’s already worn the ensemble to church. Amanda says he loves to put the boots on but they have to make sure they’re going somewhere he can mosey since he has to stop every few steps to stomp one foot. And make sure everybody’s watching. Especially Ella or Ava. It just makes a woman swoon every time.

I know because I did.

But that doesn’t mean I have a mind to wear them.

My make-up smock.

The big day.

Trying to get a picture of the all-important Wrangler tag.

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Hurricane Tod

January 23rd, 2008 Amanda
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Hi ladies! I just got an email from a siesta asking if we are okay since it had been so long since the last post. I’m so sorry! Yes, we are okay! I took a weekend road trip to my parents’ house in Houston with one of my best friends and her little girl. Needless to say, my mom is recuperating from that and so are we! We had an incredible time together at the Great Toddler Invasion of 2008. I spent three hours yesterday sorting through the pictures and preparing to make a full report. There were over 200 pictures! Janelle took most of them because my camera battery kicked the bucket upon arrival.

In case anyone is new and hasn’t heard me talk about Janelle and Ella, you should know that Janelle and I went through our entire pregnancies together and then ended up having our babies two days apart. We were right down the hall from each other in the hospital. We, along with our sweet friend Sunni and her daughter Ava, have had the craziest, most wonderful two years with our babies. They are a huge blessing in my life.

The babies, recently renamed “The Tods” by my sister, played so hard the whole weekend. I noticed that Jackson was particularly well-behaved and I think it’s because he never had one moment of boredom. He was thrilled to have a friend at his Bibby’s house. By the way, he learned to say “my” and “mine” this weekend. I can’t imagine why!

It’s been a while since I shared any pictures of Jackson and I’m going to more than make up for that here. Here you go! Hurricane Tod!

Hit the road, Jack.

We had to make a stop on the way to Houston. Can you guess where?

Amen.

When Jackson had had enough of the car ride, he took off his shoes and socks and picked fuzz out from between his toes.

At The Houston Zoo

Janelle and her Tod.

Me and my Tod.

The Goat Whisperer.

Ella enjoyed brushing the goats’ hair.

That is one intriguing animal.

The Tods looking under the fence to get the best view.

Our favorite picture of The Tods.

Amanda, Jackson, and Bibby looking at something.

Mom and Tod looking at another Mom and Tod.

Big mom, big tod.

The Tods racing up the jungle gym stairs at the zoo.

Jackson was much happier going down the slide than brushing the goats.

Jackson jumping on the bridge, catching air under his feet. Mommy holding her breath.

In the car

Guess who wanted to ride in the back every time we got in the car?

Guess who’s faking it in this picture?

Guess who’s not faking it here?

Ella’s hat hair.

A cookie liquefied in Ella’s mouth.

At the house

One Tod’s favorite thing is to put water on his hair and the other Tod’s most hated thing is to have water on her hair. This was an interesting time.

We like to do draw-rings.

Mexican food. What else?

The Tods dancing.

The Tods in a moment of sharing.

Ella and Bibby doing their floor exercises.

Ella imitating Bibby’s stretching moves.

The Tods trying to spy The Dogs in the backyard.

Ella being adorable.

Me and both Tods. I was the luckiest person in the room.

At the mall

Janelle and Ella at the Memorial City Mall playland.

Jackson relaxin’.

Ella at the playland.

Ella climbing some cute stairs.

The Tods on a carousel.

Playdate

The Tods at their friend Keegan’s house.

The Tods in a tent.

The Tods thank Bibby and Pappaw for a great weekend!

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Inked

June 7th, 2007 Amanda
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These are the only two pictures I took at camp. My child is a hunter and gatherer of pens. He was oblivious to the ink in his mouth. But when I took the pen away, an F5 tantrum blew through the room. At least it helped me get a good shot of his mouth.

Beth and some of our LPM girls are on their way to the Women of Faith pre-conference in Ft. Lauderdale today. She will do five of these before the end of the year. Since our Living Proof Live friends are not involved, I’m not sure what kind of recap we will have for these events. We might have to adjust our expectations. Rich set the bar pretty high with those videos!

*Edited to add: Ironically, it looks like all of our YouTube videos have disappeared. I have no clue what happened but I will try to get it figured out. Pray for me!

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