October 22, 2011

Wonderin' what Garrett's been up to lately?

Well, he's keeping busy!

We made him his first 'tent' in the living room.  He loved crawling in and out of it.  Over and over and over again.


He went to his first wiener roast at Nonnie's & Papa's campsite at Kickapoo State Park in Vermilion County!



Pet Fair Extravaganza at Prairieland Feeds!



Treating Mommy as his own personal jungle gym with his sock stuffed in his mouth for concentration.



Showing Daddy how to play his (Daddy's) new game!



Oh, this kid.

We're having lots of fun!


October 18, 2011

Resilience

My heart.

His cry at midnight gets me on my feet and at the side of his crib in seconds.  A bad dream?  Teething pain?  I pick him up and gently rock as he lays his head on my shoulder and drifts back to sleep.  My heart breaks as I listen to the multiple sobs that follow his alarming cry...

...and my heart is mended the next morning when I walk into his room and hear him say "Hi?".

The man I've committed my life to.  I take him for granted.  I fail to show him just how much I appreciate him.  My heart breaks when I realize I have let him down...

...and my heart is mended when he puts his own hurt feelings aside, kisses me, and thanks me for all that I do.

God, who breathed life into me.  I disappoint Him, too.  I give in to the temptation to gossip, I forget to be grateful, I deny that I need His grace, His forgiveness, His gift of salvation...

...and my heart is mended when I wake up to a new day that He has stamped "Mercy" on before sending.



October 2, 2011

...and just like that...

...a year went by!

We celebrated Garrett's first birthday with a houseful of people we love yesterday.  (46 people we love, to be exact.)






















My friend, Courtney, made Garrett's cake.  Not only did it look fantastic, it tasted fantastic!  Believe it or not, Courtney doesn't make a living baking and decorating cakes, but I think she could!  She enjoys this hobby - even as a mother of three young children - and is a volunteer for Icing Smiles, Inc.  Take a closer look:
 

(I know, right?)

The favors were made using baby food jars and 1" and 1.25" circles punched out of posterboard.  My original intention was to fill the jars with a mixture of Cheerios, raisins, and plain M&Ms, but Nathan thought it'd be best to "make the kids work for their M&Ms", so we put the M&Ms on the bottom, the raisins in the middle, and the Cheerios on the top.  He's full of brilliant ideas!

It took a bit of encouragement, but Garrett tore into his cake like the best of one-year-olds.  (The only time he fussed during the entire 2-hour party was when I took it away from him.)


Cake, decorations, favors, and gifts aside, this has been such a wonderful weekend.  I told Nathan this evening that I can't imagine life being any better than it is now.  Garrett has brought so much more joy into our lives than I ever imagined.

Thanks to all of you who celebrated with us!

My cup runneth over.

(The credit for these wonderful photographs goes to Mom.  You can see more evidence of her passion and talent by visiting her blog, Learning As I Go.)