Happy Birthday, Dad!

Dad,
Happy, happy birthday!!! I can't believe that I haven't seen you in over a year. It's been way too long! I'm so excited to see you in less than two weeks!!!!! I keep thinking about the moment when Jackson and I walk out of baggage claim and see you for the first time. Yeah!! I think I'll video the event.

I hope you had fun drafting for Fantasy Football. I'm sure that was a nice birthday present :) You better do something fun for yourself - work on that tan :), eat some good food, watch a movie, watch college football... Speaking of college football, when I was in our village's restaurant today, the owner was flipping through channels and turned on ESPN college football. Cool, hugh?! But he said that American football wasn't any good. Only real football - AKA soccer! That's pretty much the standard around here. I have to say that it felt so good to see Lee Corso, Chris Fowler, and Kirk Herbstreit on TV. (At least I think that's who it was.) I love football season! And we get to watch a lot of games together this year!!

Dad, I just want you to know how much I love that you are my dad. I can't imagine my call time without you. Seriously, I wonder how many minutes per week we talk on the phone! Thank you for always being there to listen to me. Thank you for not judging me or criticizing me when I am no doubt doing or thinking something that you, in your older and wiser years, know that I should just chill out on. Thank you for praying for me and my family and for loving us so much. Thank you for all of your encouraging words to us and your deep care and concern for our lives. Thank you for being truly interested in what we're doing and how we're doing. And thank you so much for being so patient to talk to Jackson on the phone. You really are the best!!!

I am looking forward to our many talks while I am in Houston. It'll be nice to talk face-to-face and for Jackson to put a 3D face with the name PaPa. I'm really looking forward to swimming, being outside, weeding flowerbeds (if need be), cooking, watching sports, and going on some walks (maybe :)) with you while I'm there for 4 weeks. I'm still not giving up on the chance of you coming to Germany, but if it doesn't work out, at least we can do it Stateside wherever we move to next.

I hope you have a fantastic birthday. I wish we could be there. This turned into more of an email than a blog, but that is a-okay! I love you so much!!!

I love this picture. Ronald was doing something silly to try and make you smile for the camera...Mr. I'm not comfortable smiling for the camera! Sporting your Stros shirt!

"Yay! Dada!"

For the past couple of months, Jackson has been waking up around 0600. (Let me just say how much I love this.) Therefore, Jason is still at home and Jackson gets to be with him in the morning. This week, Jackson woke up at 0730 twice. (A nice change for Mommy.) Jason was already gone and it was a big tear fest with Jackson intensely crying, "Home! Home!" It is so sad. Well, Jack got to bed late last night because we had a coworker over for dinner, so Jackson did not wake until 0730 this morning. The good news....Jason has the day off. Jason and I were sleeping and we woke to a happy voice exclaiming, "Yay! Dada! Yay! Dada! Yay! Dada! Yay! Dada!..." It was absolutely precious!

Class in the Kitchen

So far, today has been one of those days when I feel like my homemaking responsibilities and my mommy responsibilities are meshing nicely. We were out of granola, so I enlisted Jackson's help in the kitchen. His help is no doubt more work for me, but it is worth every bit of extra energy because we're spending time together and he's learning new things.

It's amazing what our children can learn while helping us cook or bake. Jackson practiced scooping and pouring oats with different utensils - measuring cup, scoop, fork, and bowl. He listened to me count the endless cups of oats. He worked on following directions. He used all of his senses. He saw the different colors and shapes of the oats, coconut, cornmeal, nuts, etc. He listened to the sounds made while scooping and pouring, stirring and whisking, and chopping. He tasted the oats (stuffed them in his mouth several times as if he hadn't eaten in days), the cinnamon stuck to the wet fork, the wet mixture, the oven-ready granola, and then the finished product. He also tasted some water, which he used to "clean" his scoop and fork. Gross! He felt the different textures of the oats, cornmeal, flour, nuts, peanut butter, water, coconut, etc. And he smelled the wonderful aroma of baking granola!

He also got lots of practice with cause and effect. For example, flicking the mixture too hard with his fork causes oats to fly out of the bowl and onto the counter and floor. Putting too much weight on one side of the cup causes it to tip over and spill water all over the counter and his clothes. Using a dry sponge will soak up the water, and then squeezing the full sponge will cause the water to drip right back onto he counter...or the bowl that Mommy finally put in front of him. And after a long time of making messes, Mommy will eventually encourage him to take more care or lose his prized possessions!

We had so much fun making two different types of granola - peanut butter granola and coconut macadamia granola. They are both great, but I recommend making the latter. It is very good!

Here's Jackson scooping water from the cup to the bowl and then from the bowl to the cup:

And why not drink the water?! Drink it from the scoop, from the cup or even from the bowl!

That must be tasty water!

Now, I need to stop writing and start cleaning while my little man is napping. I also need to do my Bible study, exercise, return emails, buy his tux for his aunt's wedding and prepare dinner. Oh, so much to do and so little time!

Saturday was the Wittlich Pig Fest. I can't believe that I didn't get one photo of the roasting pig or the pork sandwich that Jason and I shared! The sandwich was pretty good but the German mustard made it great. The center of town was full of food, alcohol and craft booths, bands, orchestras, and a huge area with rides and games for children (and adults that like that kind of thing!). We met our friends Ryan and Kate and their little boy Micah. It was a fun time!

Our first attempt at fun for Jackson was the pony ride. I thought Jackson would love it. He was not thrilled about getting on but Jason persevered, and once the pony started moving, he was fine.

I love this picture of Jace. That is the face that I fell in love with:


Our second attempt at fun was successful. I have no idea what you call this ride, but it had various forms of transportation all attached to a center point and it turned in circles. Some of the "vehicles" moved up and down as they went around. We opted for a stationary one. We just weren't comfortable with Jackson going far above our heads. I put him in a goofy car. I thought he might cry once I backed away from him, but he was thrilled with the two steering wheels. From my observations so far, Jackson isn't one to scream with elation when he's on a fun ride. I think he's just taking it all in. After all, it's probably a lot of stimulation for a one-year-old mind.

I was hoping for a smile each time he rounded the corner and Jackson's ridiculous parents were screaming his name and waving. He didn't care. He was way too interested in the ride.

Ride three was probably his favorite. We at least got a few smiles out of him. The vehicles went around a track, but the cool part was that the track went up a hill.



I'm not sure who had more fun - the parents (specifically the mom) or the toddler!

Jackson's Friends

We had a busy week! When I was looking at photos this morning, I didn't realize how many days Jackson got to play with friends. On Wednesday, my good friend Kate blessed us with a few hours at my house. She and I got to talk about stuff we are interested in - healthy nutrition and exercise - and our boys had some playtime in my kitchen. Jackson is so fascinated with Micah. It was great to see Micah crawling all over my kitchen floor, which had thankfully been recently mopped. I introduced him to the beloved baby cabinets that conceal a vast amount of child-approved treasures for busy hands and curious baby minds. When Jackson was Micah's age, he had the best time in that cabinet - pulling everything out at least 10x per day, stacking, throwing, reorganizing, etc. It brought back a lot of good memories from last fall. It wasn't that long ago but things change so fast as this age. Now, Jackson is more interested in being responsible for putting away or retrieving his bowls, plates and cups.

Jackson, you found Micah!

Drums...fun for beating and rolling:

On Thursday, we went to Tammy's house. Tammy has two boys who are both older than Jackson. He was fascinated with both Daniel and Peter as well as with all of their fun toys. They had a great time on the balcony with trikes and wagons while Tammy and I talked about quality nutrition (can you tell I care about what we eat??), home management, discipline, values, and being frugal with our money. She was also able to make a loaf of muesli bread and a big batch of homemade granola. The kitchen smelled great and the boys had fun. Unfortunately, our time at Tammy's ended with my first MAJOR instance of Jackson's willful disobedience. It was very draining because he refused to obey and persisted in throwing a fit on the floor. He ended up doing what was asked of him, but it certainly didn't happen the way I would have liked. Discipline issues are always more difficult when not in your own home, but I have to consider this a good learning experience so that I have a better handle on things next time.

Daniel, Peter and Jackson:

Yesterday, Jackson and I went to my friend Stevie's home. She has a little girl named Erika who was born 6 days before Jackson. Stevie is due to have another baby girl in September. I went to her house to talk about labor and delivery because she desires to have a VBAC and without medication. I have a huge passion for women who are pregnant and desiring unmedicated births. Jason and I spent a lot of time educating ourselves before Jackson's birth and I have since read more books on labor and delivery in preparation for certification as a childbirth educator, doula and lactation consultant. It was such a joy to talk to Stevie about all of this stuff and to share my birth video with her. (Thank you, Laura, for videoing my labor and delivery. It has been a huge help to me in calming anxiety for many ladies, which was my hope.)

Jackson and Erika had a great time. Stevie's home is a toddler's delight. There are fun toys everywhere. Our munchkins had so much fun playing together. After lunch, they enjoyed the toddler community sippy cup. Erika wanted Jackson's water. She'd pick it up and start drinking. When she was done, she'd hand it off to Jackson. After Jackson was done, he'd hand it back to Erika and then take her toy. It was a nice time of sharing...on so many levels! After their naps, Stevie gave them kid-sized Culligan water bottles with sport tops. We were scanning pages from my Bradley workbook when Erika came in wheeling a cart with two empty water bottles. Stevie asked me, "Did you empty those?" I said, "No." And both of us got that look on our faces. You know the look of, "Oh, no! What did they just do?!" We went out to the family room to find water covering the floor. I could not help but laugh. It was so funny. It wasn't a huge amount of water but stretched over a good portion of their very large family room. Stevie and her husband assumed that Erika was probably the mastermind behind it. I am sure that Jackson had an equal part in helping out, but what was so funny was their reasoning behind blaming Erika - she likes to put water on the floor and then lap it up like her cats do!!!

Speaking of cats, they have three. Jackson LOVES cats! We don't have any animals, so I'm not sure where this fondness for felines comes from. There are cats at the end of our street. They are field cats and he loves to watch them jump through the grassy field that is joined to our backyard. At night, we read from his Bible. Several of the pictures have cats - Rahab has three, there are some on Noah's ark, there's one looking delightfully at the basket of fish and bread that fed the 5000... Every night, when we say it's time to read his Bible, he gets really excited and starts saying, "Neooowww!" We have to find pictures of the cats and then tell him what color they are before Jason reads the story....EVERY night! I love it and know that it is going to be such a cute memory!

Erika and Jackson:

Thank you, friends, for a great week! At the moment, I can't even remember Monday or Tuesday! Today, we'll see Micah and his family again for the Pig Fest in Wittlich! Fun rides, terribly unhealthy food, and good times!

Happy Birthday, Meredith!

Today is my baby sister's birthday. August is like May in the birthday arena...we have lots in our fam this month. I miss this girl like crazy! Not only is she a great sister...she's a great BFF. We can talk about anything and I dearly appreciate her honesty. There have been many times in life where she's had to set me straight - very gently and tenderly b/c she knows big sis is SUPER sensitive! Please say a prayer over her today for a very special birthday. She'll be spending it in Arkansas, her new home as of the end of May. She and Ryan moved there (temporarily thank You, Lord) for an awesome job opportunity. I'm so happy for them, but a little sad that she won't be around every day I'm in Houston.

Just for your wondering mind, here are some very random memories of Meredith (only she will understand some):
- My nicknames: Mer (not Mere, folks!), MerBear, Merriweather, Mer-Mer
- the tragic Jennifer Aniston haircut
- "Cover Girl"
- her splitting our bedroom in half b/c she was clean and I was messy (my high school days)
- and I quote her, "I will not marry a man who is hairy." Oh, reeeaaaallly??!!
- another quote, "I am not going up there [Pikes Peak]. No way! Not me babe!"
- big, beautiful, brown puppy-dog eyes
- living together for a summer in Italy...Mer, did that car door open while in drive???
- speaking of driving, she IS the driver.
- One Fine Day soundtrack for road trips
- how I knew Todd wasn't the one and then knew that Ryan was
- fellow Dave Ramsey-ite
- 37 weeks pregnant at her wedding in a honeydew melon-colored dress - do you think I looked like a watermelon...literally! It was all good b/c I would have DIED if I couldn't have been there.
- happiest child ever - always smiling and excited
- serves her hubs proudly and unselfishly
- great secret keeper
- reckless lover of the Lord
- always replies when I send pics...I love that!

Mer,
I am praying for a restful, peaceful, and splendid birthday for my baby girl sister. You are such an amazing person - an incredible wife, a devoted and loving sister, a dedicated and loyal friend, and a big lover of Jesus. I have been so impressed as I have watched you over the last year-and-a-half turn into an amazing wife! You are quite the homemaker and have grown so much in your role as helpmate. I value your opinion and know that when I need an honest answer or a snap back into reality, you are the one to call. Oh, I can't wait to see you!!! September is going to be the best! It's so fun to share adult life together and I'm so thankful that we are all (all the sibs) such close friends and love being together. Today, you can have your cake and eat it too!! I love you, Mer-Mer!

Happy Birthday, Megan!

Today is Megan's birthday! Megan is Jason's youngest sister. I love her so much and am so thankful that she's my in-law and my baby's aunt! She and I have gotten along really well since the first time we met. She has the sweetest heart, is very fun and lively...yet can be totally down-to-earth, dreams big, has a lot of drive and determination when she wants to, and is such a joy to be around. It's pretty much impossible not to have fun whenever she's present.

Here's Megan with Jackson in front of Trevi Fountain in Rome. I love this picture because it captures her beautiful smile and fun personality.

Megan,
Happy Birthday!! As usual, I wish that I could be with you on your birthday to celebrate your life. You are such a sweetheart and I love that you are my sister-in-law. I can't wait to see you in one month and hope that we are blessed with a lot more time together in the future. I love our talks...always have...and sharing life together. You are such a terrific person and I believe God wants to do big things in your life for His glory. I miss you all the time and wish that we could hang out more often. I hope your birthday is special and that this year is your best yet! (Just think of the great things that have happened in one year!) You are so special and I'm blessed to share my life with you! I love you!

Tagged!

My friend Tammy tagged me a while ago. I've never been tagged before, so thank you, Tammy! I just haven't had the chance to answer everything until now.

What Were You Doing 10 Years Ago?
I was working as a youth intern at Metropolitan Baptist Church in Houston alongside my soon-to-be husband and Beau and Lisa.

Things On My To-Do List Today:
Playgroup at Wendy's, register for new gas card, look for Kombu, Wakame and Agar-Agar flakes at natural foods store, go to the commissary, get gas (it actually makes the To-Do list b/c it isn't that easy over here), buy Jackson a toy lawn mower, work on PrePaid Legal training, update blog, exercise, buy a car seat that stays in Houston for our Houston trip, cook dinner...and RELAX! Whew! (This was on my list when I started this post last Wednesday.)

What Are Some Snacks You Enjoy?
Rice cakes with almond butter and chocolate chips, carrots with hummus, popcorn popped in coconut oil, blackberries, homemade granola, apple or banana with peanut butter

What Would You Do If You Were A Millionaire?
owe nothing, give money to family and close friends so that they owe nothing, support missionaries, ask the Lord to guide me into areas where He wants His money to go...I never really think about having this much money so I'm not sure what I would do with it.

Name Some Of The Places You Have Called Home:
Houston, Texas; Austin, Texas; Clovis, New Mexico; Roveredo, Italy; Maniago, Italy; Norman, Oklahoma; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Germany...and a new place coming in December!

What Are Some Of Your Bad Habits?
being an overachiever, thinking I can do it all, trying to be perfect, staying up too late, leaving clothes in the washer and then having to rewash them, using too much water

What Are Some Jobs You Have Held:
manager at Mr. Gattis Pizza, ice cream scooper at Baskin Robbins, pharmaceutical assistant at Kroger, assistant at the House of Tutors, DQT at Compaq, youth intern at Metropolitan Baptist Church, HR Assistant at Foster Wheeler, sales representative at The Buckle, Nanny (my favorite), loan center coordinator at the Aviano Family Support Center, and finally, a full time mommy!...although I am in the process of starting to work with PrePaid Legal Services, Inc. on the side.

Who Are You Tagging?
anyone who wants to put this on their blog!

B is for Blowing Bubbles Between Boys!

I've had a great time taking photos for Jackson's ABC book. Here are a few outtakes that I thought were really cute:

Ma-mia

That's my new name. I think he's transitioning from Mama to Mommy. I was hoping Mama would stick. I like it. Plus, using Mommy just means he is growing up...way too fast I might add.

Today was a great day. I went to Kate's house, and bless her heart, she let me pour out like a waterfall the things that are constantly on my mind and endangering my brain of exploding. She was so encouraging and gently reminded me (as many others try to do) that I just can't be 150% at everything. Is that ever going to sink in? I think it will. But it is going to be painful!

This afternoon, Jace got some great job prospect news that is really exciting for us. I'm trying to enjoy where I am at right now in life, but I must be honest and say that I'm eager for the day that we get to settle...at least a little bit...and get out of the transition period that we've been lingering in for a long while. I don't want to get too excited about anything until it's a for sure thing, but it's comforting to see all of the opportunities that God is placing before us.

Later, I talked to my dad and found out that he is planning to come stay with us for a month after we return from Houston!!!! YEAH!!!!! I was just telling Kate that I wished my dad could come here and stay for a while. I could really use his company...so could Jace. He and I have brainwaves that run at the same frequency. Can I tell you how much fun Jason will have watching football with him every weekend?! Oh Jesus, can You please make this happen?! If it works out, he'll fly back with us and then be here when we pack out our house. Hooray!!

My sweet toddler is slumbering in his big bed. Isn't it the most precious thing to watch your own baby sleeping so peacefully? I love that little boy so much. I think Jace is reading a book for job stuff and probably falling asleep since it's so late. I am working on an ABC book for Jackson. I'm taking photos (at least 1 for each letter) of stuff in his world and then putting it in a book for him. I think it will make it more personal for him to see his own Balls, Daddy's Keys, Daddy's Wallet, his Stroller, his Train, our Vacuum cleaner, etc. A friend of a friend did this for her little girl and I thought it was a great idea.

A Day in Pictures

We began our day making juice and seeing Jace off to work. Then, Jackson and I headed to playgroup for two hours. We had to do a little shopping for food and then we stopped at a toy store to search for a mower that we apparently missed on our Saturday quest for a push mower for Jackson. After a nice nap, the mower excitement began and we headed outside to test it out.

If I haven't mentioned before, Jackson is completely obsessed with mowers. If anyone in our village is out mowing, he hears it and then says and signs to me, "Mower...On...Gas." Translation: someone turned a mower on, and they had to put gas in it before they turned it on.

Our little lawn mowing man:

Concentrating on pulling the grape off of its stem:

Oops! The stem is still attached:

I'll eat it anyway:

And then just spit the stem back out:

That is quite a mouthful:

Fun times when Daddy gets home:


Watching Cars after his bath:

This is a real treat for him and something we don't let him do every day. He loves to listen to the music and watch the cars race in the very beginning. Here he is imitating Lightning McQueen whenever he sticks out his tongue as he jumps over the wreckage:

Goodnight!

Sunny Days

We've been blessed with warm sunny weather this past week. Jackson and I took advantage of it and went to the playground several days. I'm so amazed at how quickly he's growing and changing. He can do things at the playground that he couldn't do last month. That should be no big surprise. After all, children are in the business of growing and developing new skills. However, he'll do things that he's never even tried before...like climbing those ladder-like things that are made of bars and curve once you reach the top.

Thursday, we went to a big playground that has a three different levels (toddler, young child, older child) and a swing set. Jackson wanted to swing with me in my lap, so we put his ball on the ground by our swing. Nathan, a sweet 7-year-old who we've met there before, asked if he could play with Jackson's ball. Absolutely. As soon as Nathan kicked it, I thought Jackson was going to jump off of my lap. He was so excited. Every muscle in his body tensed and he started signing and saying repeatedly, "Ball! Ball!" Then he pointed to the ball and shouted, "This!" Once I got him on the ground, he started running towards the ball. So did several other boys. Jackson grabbed the ball, ran, and then threw it. The other boys would run after it, kick it really far, and then Jackson would go running after it again. They were so sweet to play with him and he loved it. It's like he didn't even realize that he was only 1 and they were 5, 6, 7, and 8 years old. He loves playing with older children.

Friday, we had a lot of things to do but we went to the playground to meet our playgroup and to give Jackson a chance to do something that was fun for him. We brought the ball and it was pretty popular among the children. I snapped a few photos:

From Gold Bar to Gold Oak Leaf

I want to brag on my husband for just a little bit. He wouldn't like this, but I am very proud of the man I married and want to share it with others.

Nine and half years ago, Jason received his commission into the US Air Force. At that time, he was a Second Lieutenant and wore one gold bar on each shoulder. We were both so young and when I looked at field grade officers (Major through Colonel), I saw them as so much older and experienced. I can't believe that Jason is now one of those older and more experienced men.

Today, Jason pinned on his gold oak leaves and became Major Exum. It sounds so weird because he's been Captain Exum since January 2003. The Lord has blessed every step of his career. I have watched him grow into a wonderful leader. He cares so much about the people he manages. He is a kind and compassionate boss, an orderly and thorough worker, and a genuine lover of people. He has had so many successes, but we both believe that those were from the hand of God.

I'm so proud of him today because he has worked very hard to build a career in order to glorify the Lord and take care of our family. In five months, he'll say goodbye to the Air Force and start a new career. This move could not possibly be an easy one for him. It is most definitely bittersweet, but the peace he feels in doing what he believes is God's will for our family's life makes it all worth it.

I'm so thankful that God chose Jason as my husband. He is merciful, understanding, forgiving, SO patient, loving and tender. Every day he does something that makes me want to fall to my knees in thankfulness and sing praises to the Lord. And the great thing...the more that I'm with him, the more that I love him, admire him and respect him!

I have pictures of Jason on each of the first days of wearing his new rank since he came into the AF. Since he chose not to have a ceremony because he didn't want to draw attention to himself, I asked for a photo this morning. I'm so proud of him!