everything maney

We've Moved...

2011-04-26T21:15:00.000-05:00

Find us at our new site...

www.everythingmaney.com

Introducing Collins Faith Maney!

2011-03-11T23:22:00.006-06:00

On Wednesday the world got to meet Collins Faith Maney! She arrived at 12:42pm, weighed 7lb 3oz, and is 19.5 inches long. Here are a few pictures from the big day!

Merry, Merry Christmas

2010-12-23T13:45:00.003-06:00

We hope that you have a wonderful Christmas. This year looks different for us than we had expected, but we are thankful to be together as a family. Merry Christmas!

giving thanks..

2010-11-25T07:53:00.003-06:00

I'm thankful for a belly that keeps getting bigger which means our baby girl is growing and developing as she should.

I'm thankful for the most delightful blue-eyed boy a mama could ask for who still loves kisses for his boo-boos, cuddling on the couch, and thinks I hung the moon.

I'm thankful for a certain group of friends who pray for me, pursue me, and are passionate about following Jesus.

I'm thankful for a husband who loves generously and graciously, works super hard at all his "jobs", and makes me laugh....hard.

I'm thankful for a job that still allows me to stay at home.

I'm thankful for gap sales, Target, hair cuts and products, and yummy coffee.

I'm thankful for a family that always has fun together, that I actually look forward to seeing, and who loves my boys.

I'm thankful for Jesus who has proven this year that he really loves me.

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-24T21:25:00.003-06:00

only in Houston can you wear shorts and dip your feet in the pool on the day before Thanksgiving

belly shots

2010-11-11T13:15:00.003-06:00

I don't know if this is "normal" for 2nd pregnancies, but I have felt way less urgent about a lot of things...getting the nursery ready, buying baby girl stuff, taking belly pictures, etc. I am sure that my nonchalance will hit me very soon, and I'll be in panic mode. For now, here are some shots of the ever growing belly. Up next: some October fun and a blog post I started for-ev-er ago about this pregnancy/baby girl. Until then...

17 weeks, 3 days

21 weeks, 1 day

even steven

2010-10-10T22:42:00.004-05:00

A picture to share...

Please excuse the "way" we all look. Jonas was actually in the hospital this past weekend because of some bad asthma stuff. We were all very tired but wanted to capture this exciting time in our family. Jonas, by the way, is doing fine now. This house will be "even" once again!

i'm looking foward...

2010-08-29T14:21:00.003-05:00

to August being OVER
to finally feeling good
to Jonas going back to school aka PDO
to cooler weather that is here to stay
to fall
to life getting back to "normal"
to the smell of "fall" candles
to cooking again
to drinking coffee again
to season premier week
to my house being organized
to football season
to seeing some of the new movies that have come out

Jonas' new shirt

2010-08-17T11:08:00.002-05:00

5 years...

2010-07-09T09:05:00.001-05:00

July 9, 2005

this -n- that

2010-06-29T14:02:00.003-05:00

This is the first week since the middle of May that has been "normal". And, if you know me, you know that I thrive on normal...maintaining life outside of that cadence becomes very tough for me. Some people (like my husband) love something new all the time. I like something new but not all the time. I mentioned in the last post that we've had company and birthdays and business trips galore. When Paul walked into the baggage claim area last Friday, I felt great relief. Life was back as it should be - with all of us under one roof for a while and nothing huge planned for a little bit.

Paul and I have started watching LOST. I know, I know, we are just a little bit behind since the series actually ended in May. To be honest, I didn't think I would be that interested in the show based on what I'd heard about it. However, I am totally addicted. We both are. And, we have been watching at least two episodes almost every night. We will put Jonas to bed, look at what we actually need to get done, and plan out how we can incorporate watching LOST into what we need to do in order to remain responsible individuals.

Jonas is changing so much. His vocabulary is growing every day, and he shows understanding of things that I have no idea where he learned them. Like yesterday, he used the word "down" in the proper directional context. Amazing. We are having a hard time with the paci addiction. I didn't want to have to go cold turkey on him, but I think that may be what we have to do. At his 2 year old check up, he weighed a whopping 24 lbs, 14 oz and stood 34 inches tall. He is a tall, skinny little boy. And, he is definitely all boy. This summer, he's had a lot of fun at the pool, going to PDO twice a week, and will enjoy a tumble class and swim lessons in a few weeks.

We have a little vacation planned for the middle of July. We are taking our annual anniversary trip but will be making a stop in Austin and Houston before making our way to Galveston for several days. I'm so excited!

The blog has been a little silent this summer. Partly because there has been so much going on and partly because I have writer's block. I often think "oh, I want to blog about this" and then either can't find the time or the energy to to do it. I am hopeful this will change soon.

30

2010-06-17T13:36:00.005-05:00

There has been so much going on at our house the past month...birthdays, parties, visits from grandparents, business trips and even more birthdays. We've been overwhelmed, rushed, frenzied, and frazzled. But, we've also been celebrating, enjoying family, soaking up the calm moments, and looking forward to July.

Today, Paul is 30. We are so blessed to have him in our lives.

For 30 years, here are 30 things we love and adore about Paul...

1. he works really hard
2. he makes us laugh. a lot.
3. he's pretty smart
4. he is a forward thinker
5. he loves Jesus
6. he loves Jonas
7. he loves me
8. he is a really good gift-giver
9. he takes great care of our yard
10. he's a people person
11. people really like him
12. he respects that i'm not always a people person
13. he continually receives accolades from his bosses
14. he has a super sweet, unique bond with Jonas
15. he wants good things for our family
16. he's pretty darn good looking
17. he loves music
18. he is very talented in many areas
19. he can teach himself almost anything
20. he's strong
21. he's gentle
22. he's slow to speak
23. he's dad
24. he's hubs to me
25. he installed a security system so we would feel more safe
26. he can find great deals on stuff
27. he embraces my newest hobbies
28. he's a good friend
29. he pushes us to live out our values
30. he is respected by many

Happy, Happy Birthday...

2010-05-20T15:44:00.005-05:00

Dear Jonas,

Today you are 2 years old. We can't believe that it's only been 2 years.

The day your were born, you changed everything. And, we could never be more thankful! You are so sweet. You love to help...mowing, sweeping, dusting, doing things yourself. You give lots of hugs and kisses.

You are such a joy and a delight.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JONAS!

We love you to the moon and back,
Mommy and Daddy

the City of Angels

2010-05-11T11:27:00.010-05:00

These are just a few of the hundreds of pictures from the LA leg of our California tour...

Click on the images to see the pictures a little larger.

Taking off! The picture is pretty dark, but you can see that Jonas is already eating his snacks...before we were even in the air.

We went to the beach in Santa Monica, and Jonas LOVED it!

the best part? throwing rocks into the ocean. that ended when he decided to try one.

We went to this cool, interactive Noah's ark exhibit. My child found a mop. You can see that he did everything with that mop in hand.

After we made sure the ark was clean, we saw the rainbow.

Jonas waiting for the train to start at this park we visited.

Then, it was off to Hollywood. Of course we ate at McD's ON Hollywood Blvd.

I am not sure what I expected, but I think my expectations were higher than what we experienced on Hollywood Blvd. It was just a really crowded street with stars on the sidewalks and some famous buildings. These are a few stars that we saw. I'm not sure why I took a picture of Tom Cruise's star - I don't even like him.

I am still not sure what the criteria is for getting a star on the Hollywood walk of fame, but I am drawing a blank on the Hollywood celeb factor on this one. He is an amazing man, though. (click on pic to enlarge)

Rodeo drive. I tried to park and shop, but we couldn't find a parking spot and it was getting late. Maybe that was a good thing.

Jonas had a run-in with some milk and his car seat got the brunt. It was actually pretty traumatic because we were stuck in traffic when he started throwing up. I was finally able to get over and off the freeway to clean him up some. Needless to say, we ended up at the Coin Laundry. BTW, LA traffic is even worse than people say!

Paul was finally on vacation with us, and we headed out to San Francisco!

this and that

2010-05-10T12:41:00.003-05:00

The wind is blowing so fiercely here that I keep getting startled thinking someone is trying to knock the door down. I really hope my flowers survive!

Speaking of flowers, I finally got my pots in good shape and flowers planted in them. They look so great with a fresh coat of black paint and some really bright reds, pinks, and purples in them.

We are currently working on putting in a flower bed the will line the very front of our house. I have all the flowers and plants purchased. Now, I need some Paul-power to help dig the grass out and fill in more dirt. It is hard to imagine what it will look like once everything is mature, but I think it will be beautiful. We've chosen some Red Oleanders, Feather Grass, Cosmos, Lily of the Nile, Hydrangea, and 2 more I can't remember right now.

Jonas will be 2 in 10 days. Tear.

Paul and I attended a marriage conference the other weekend. It was so great. It's called A Weekend to Remember...look it up and go - if you're married :)

I have 3 avocados that need to be used. Even though we had Mexican food last night, I'm seeing guac involved in our dinner tonight.

I am about to plant an herb garden in our backyard. I am going to start with basil, cilantro, and mint....

Mojito mint to be exact. This was part of my Mother's day present. Paul knows me well. I also got a Harry Connick Jr. album. Paul knows me real well!

Life has felt really busy. Wait, strike that. It has been really busy! And, I have been really tired. I am really hoping that this week will lend itself to playing catch-up. Expect more blog posts!

to tide you over

2010-04-26T17:06:00.003-05:00

I have a ton to blog about and even more pictures to share. So, until I get my act together, here are some pics from Easter morning...

By the way, did you know that Jonas will be 2 in a month!!???!!! I still have his 22 month stats to write about. Of course, this is all for me so that I have it recorded somewhere (especially because I have yet to do his baby book...and he's my first.).

resurrection rolls

2010-04-03T11:12:00.004-05:00

My mom sent me this great idea, so we tried it out this morning. I think this is a fun way to talk about Jesus' resurrection from the grave...I'd say it was a hit.

the ingredients...crescent rolls, butter, sugar, cinnamon, and marshmallows. We didn't have any large marshmallows, so we used 4 or 5 small ones in each roll.

separate the rolls and place marshmallows on them

maybe not that many marshmallows

roll them up

melt the butter in a bowl, dip each roll in the butter then roll them in cinnamon and sugar. We combined the cinnamon and sugar in another bowl.

bake as directed on the crescent roll package. when they are finished, cut the rolls open to discover it is empty...just like Jesus' tomb!

the smile and messy face says it all

the Goodness of THIS Friday...

2010-04-02T19:33:00.002-05:00

this is a re-post from last year. I wanted to recognize this Good Friday, but today has been really full. And, I don't think I have the energy to write...

Last night at my small group, we were talking about the Passover meal that Jesus shared with the disciples, his inner circle - the most trusted of friends. We ran through the events of the evening...eating, washing of feet, Jesus making several predictions... Then, we landed on Gethsemane. I think I can say pretty confidently that I have always viewed the time Jesus spent in prayer prior to his arrest as a last ditch effort for God to change his mind. Why? Because he didn't want to face the pain he knew was to come. The Romans had perfected torture. Dying on a cross was saved for the most heinous of criminals. Jesus knew there would be a lot of pain involved during the course of the next many hours. So, he prays an agonizing prayer..."take this cup from me." I had a revelation last night. Jesus' last ditch prayers were not to save him from physical pain but from the emotional agony of being separated from God.

God's plan was for He who was without sin to become sin. Become sin. Jesus became sin. He lived an entire life of perfection just to die with the shame, humiliation, grotesqueness of our sin. That is the reason for Gethsemane. God would forsake his only son. Forsake is such an ominous word. I'm not sure I've ever forsaken someone, and I'm not sure I could. I even hold out hope for those who have made horrible mistakes...I would come to their rescue should it ever be needed. But, God deserted Jesus in his greatest time of need. He watched as innocence was lost. And Jesus faced the intense emotional, physical and spiritual pain alone. Why? Because sin separates us from God.

Scripture says that as Jesus breathed his last breath, he screamed "it is finished". He completed the task. He paid the price for all humanity in order that we may stand in the presence of God. We will know God's presence. The end had come.

But, there is hope because God's plan didn't end there. There is a part 2. Jesus rose from the dead. Sin was forgiven, and Jesus emerged the victor. Sin was conquered. He who was without sin became sin and won. He beat death...

hello, spring

2010-03-20T18:55:00.003-05:00

the last day of winter...

the first day of spring...

where are we going?

2010-03-18T17:10:00.000-05:00

I've had some time on my hands since all I've been doing for the past 4 days is lay around. For those of you who don't know, I had my gallbladder removed on Monday morning. The surgery went well even though we got home from the hospital a little later than expected...my blood pressure was not coming up like they would like, I was fighting some nasea, and just wasn't able to meet the criteria before being discharged. But, I am recovering nicely. I am so thankful that the gallbladder is one of those organs that can be removed to alleviate the pain it is causing. I'm so thankful for my mom and sister, Kelly, who were able to spend their spring break taking care of Jonas and myself. We've had great meals delivered, lots of notes of concern and well wishes, and lots of prayers. I even received a beautiful flower arrangement moments after my mom and sister drove away! I think I will write more about this whole experience a little later. It has held some profound moments for me.

Anyway, I've doing some thinking on my blog (well, OUR blog, but let's be real...Paul doesn't post on it). I am feeling quite bored with it. But, I am not sure how to remedy that. Maybe I'm just a boring person. I've thought about posting some of the ways that I've been "being intentional". Whether it be with a craft project I've accomplished, or pictures I've taken, or new recipes I've tried or things that I'm learning. Heck, I don't even know if anyone even reads this. All that to say, I'm looking for a little direction.

the alphabet according to me

2010-03-11T16:07:00.000-06:00

I saw this on a friend's blog and decided to steal the idea...

A is for my sister, Allison who turned 21 last week. I love you, baby sister!

B is for Blackberry. I'm waiting for my new phone to get here.

C is for cooking. I know I've said this before, but I've grown this love for cooking and really wish someone could tutor me a litte bit. I also wish I had a lot of extra cash 'cause I sure would be buying kitchen stuff. I love trying new recipes as well as putting my own touch on old ones.

D is for date. The other night Paul and I went on a date but ended up coming home really early. See "G"

E is for entertainment. I really want to go to the movies, but already thought of something to put for "M".

F is for friends. I have some really great friends who love and care for our family so well!

G is for gallbladder. I have to have mine removed on Monday. I had a gallbladder attack last week (which by the way is the most painful thing I've ever experienced). My gallbladder is not working good, so the surgeon said it needed to come out.

H is home. I love my home.

I is for it. What would we do without this small little pronoun?

J is for Jonas. I love that boy more than words can say.

K is for kind. Kindness is one thing that I really value in a person. Kindness goes a long way. Kindness is respecting people even if you don't agree with them.

L is for love...it makes the world go 'round.

M is for Monday...the day I go under the knife. Can you tell I'm pretty nervous/scared?

N is for nail polish. I got this great new gray color, and I've had fun sporting nail polish again.

O is for overextend. I sometimes do that to myself.

P is for Pioneer Woman. I get a lot recipes from her. I also wish I could be her. She is just divine, I'm sure.

Q is for quiet. I have been craving a day of quiet. Sometimes an introvert needs that.

R is for rainy. It is rainy and cold today. We got a glimpse of spring earlier this week, but it's gone now.

S is for Saturday and Spring. Saturday is my favorite day of the week, and I am really looking forward to Spring. Spring Saturdays are the best

T is for Tahoe. We are going to Tahoe for vacation next month. We will also be in San Francisco. Can't wait!

U is for underneath. I am finding lots of miscellaneous stuff underneath furniture these days...toys, balls, pacis, teddy grams...

V is for VeggieTales. That is what I am currently watching. We actually see a lot of VeggieTales.

W is for wine. Enough said.

X is for xray. Thank goodness I haven't had to have one of those in a long time!

Y is for yellow. I can see absolutely nothing yellow from where I'm sitting.

Z is for Zarubabel. There's a person by that name in my ancestory. Crazy, huh?

Valentines

2010-02-16T11:47:00.006-06:00

Happy (belated) Valentine's Day! Paul and I were actually engaged on Valentine's Day 5 years ago. Funny thing is that Paul didn't plan to propose on Valentines...just on Monday. Well, that Monday happened to be the 14th of February (which he obviously realized but didn't want to change his plans). So, each year we try to grab coffee at the coffee shop where I said "YES". We did get to do that this year, and we took Jonas along. Check out what else we did...

Jonas with his Valentine present...he wanted to sleep with it.

We fed the ducks and geese, and every time Jonas threw a piece of bread he would say, "mmmm". I guess he wanted the ducks to know it was good bread. He also decided to show them his belly.

Two geese almost making a heart. AWWWW

and then Paul decided to scare them all away

Jonas wanting to go on the slide that didn't have any sides. Now that is scary.

On actual Valentine's Day. Paul was pulling weeds, and Jonas was throwing them away. That boy is good for something :)

I {heart} the Olympics

2010-02-12T19:52:00.003-06:00

1. Speaking of Olympics. Don't you just love watching the athlete "spotlights" that they do? I always find myself wanting to do that sport. If you ever hear of me making my way to the half-pipe...please do an intervention.

2. Today I took Jonas a little date after school. We went to McDonald's for fries. Don't judge me. It was really sweet sitting on the same side of the booth with a little ketchup stained boy.

3. While we were at McD's, there were about 8 older people there having coffee together. Some of them came in with Valentine's treats to share with their group. It was fun to watch and eavesdrop a little. I sure do hope that I am meeting my friends for coffee and treats and talking about insurance when I reach "retirement" age.

4. About Valentine's Day. We are doing a family date this year. Partly because we wanted to and partly because all of our babysitters were out of town for the weekend. I think it will be fun. We'll take pictures to share.

5. Next week my friend who more like a sister to me is getting married. I am so excited to be flying to Houston to celebrate!

6. And, in addition to a wedding celebration, Jonas and I get to see my family. So excited!

7. Today the sun came out for the first time in I don't know how long. Honestly, it had been over 2 weeks I think. We've had a crazy winter with lots of snow and really cold temperatures. I'm usually not ready for warm weather, but I am finding myself longing for spring days.

8. I really like Anderson Cooper - the CNN reporter. You should check out his blog http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com. His report of the happenings in Haiti is exceptional. I also resonate with the way he writes, thinks, and tells the story.

9. I was seriously considering adopting a Hatian baby the other week. Maybe that will be in our future. I decided that I shouldn't do that without first talking to Paul and second waiting until the emergency in their country had settled down a little.

10. Paul is on his way to get ice cream to eat with the heart brownies I made. And, the Opening Ceremonies are on. I've instructed him to come back with vanilla bean AND coffee ice cream. It's all about options, people.

11. Our boy is getting so big. He will be 21 months old next weekend. It is hard to believe that a year ago at this time, he had just been in the hospital and we were uncovering the huge medical mistakes made during his Cystic Fibrosis testing. Thank you, Lord, that Jonas is healthy today!

12. I've grown a new love for cooking. For the first time in my adult life, I would usually much rather eat at home. I still love eating out, but unless it is one of our favorite restaurants, I would rather cook. Anyway, my point is that it has been really fun to learn more and try new things.

13. Paul is walking in the door. I've got to go!

Monday

2010-02-08T12:39:00.002-06:00

Today, I wish I were here...

in Cabo San Lucas

or here...

on the San Antonio Riverwalk

or maybe here...

the mountains of Colorado

snow day!

2010-02-04T14:50:00.005-06:00

:: resolve ::

2010-01-28T13:51:00.004-06:00

A new year brings new hopes that we will achieve that goal we've set out to achieve (usually) before. Like lose weight, get out of debt, work less, spend less money. How many of us have already adjusted our new year's goal? We vow to simply "get in shape" instead of lose weight. My point is that we set new year's resolutions very unrealistically. Then, the 3rd week of January we feel like a failure because we aren't achieving the goal. It is too hard to do what it takes to reach the pie in the sky resolution we set for ourselves. Maybe we just don't know ourselves well enough (maybe we like sweets way too much to give them up). Maybe we think this time will be different. Maybe we are setting the wrong goals.

I think losing weight, getting out of debt, working less, etc are wonderful goals. But, I wonder if goals like this (and you can insert your own...these are just examples) are symptomatic. Do we tend to set goals for the desired result or for the real issue at hand?

My thought is that I should set new year's resolutions that push me toward being who I was designed to be. Some of the goals I've mentioned may be part of that, but the practice needs to start with my own heart.

This year, I've resolved to BE INTENTIONAL. To be honest, I am still figuring out how that plays out. Some ideas...be intentional about my interactions with Paul. Be intentional about learning new things (cooking and photography among other things). Be intentional about diving into relationship with Christ. Etc, etc. This type of "resolution" fits who I am. I think it has taken 30 some odd years to figure it out. But, it is much more freeing than beating myself up because I ate a brownie AND I didn't exercise.

2009 in review

2010-01-26T14:07:00.000-06:00

Better late than never. Our 2009 in review by way of pictures...
You will notice a few things. 1.) Jonas was in the hospital in February and the emergency room in June on Paul's birthday. 2.) I am wearing the same shirt in May and again in June. 3.) the empty office in March is mine that I left behind. 4.) my hair got lighter as the year went on. 5.) we have a cute kid!

and we're back...i think

2010-01-26T13:21:00.006-06:00

Good gracious. I have gotten really lazy about blogging. But, I've renewed my commitment...I think. I wanted to share the best Christmas present that I've ever received (well I'm sure I have other "bests" but this one is pretty darn up there), and it happened to be that I received this gift just this past Christmas.

Paul absolutely surprised me this year. I'm not sure I will ever get anything ever again. I've asked several times for all the various gift-giving events, but it has always been more of a wish than asking with any sort of belief that I might receive it. Here it is...

And, this is the very 1st picture I took. My sweet mom and sister on Christmas day...

Mercy

2010-01-13T21:43:00.002-06:00

I've been really struck by the devastation in Haiti. Please consider not only praying for the Haitian people but also giving to the relief efforts.

Compassion and World Vision in addition to the Red Cross are good places to donate funds specifically for Haiti. You can also text "HAITI" to 90999 to donate $10 to Red Cross relief efforts. It will be charged to your cell phone bill.

Join us in asking for God's mercy on Haiti.

we support the captain

2009-12-30T22:29:00.005-06:00

Today was a sad, sad day for Texas Tech University. Head football coach Mike Leach was fired - the winningest coach in Tech history, not to mention unconventional and entertaining. If only someone would fire the people who really need to be fired (ahemGeraldMyersandthecorruptadministration). Wreck Em'!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-23T11:10:00.005-06:00

We are so excited to be with family over the next several days which means our Christmas will be full of food, laughter, games, togetherness and celebration in honor of Jesus. Our Christmas expectations have changed at the last moment as Paul's Grandma passed away last night. So, there will be a trip to Arizona in the coming days as well. We made the decision that we would look for ways to give presence in addition to presents this year...it looks like God has given us tangible ways to do that!

May your Christmas be full of JOY!

family picture

2009-12-21T11:37:00.003-06:00

So, because Jonas was scared, pictures with Santa turned into a family event.

The Star showed up too - right above Santa's shoulder...

and Jonas is way more interested in the bowl of candy next to us...

Labor of Love

2009-12-20T11:26:00.001-06:00

song by Andrew Peterson

It was not a silent night
There was blood on the ground
You could hear a woman cry
In the alleyways that night
On the streets of David's town

And the stable was not clean
And the cobblestones were cold
And little Mary full of grace
With the tears upon her face
Had no mother's hand to hold

It was a labor of pain
It was a cold sky above
But for the girl on the ground in the dark
With every beat of her beautiful heart
It was a labor of love

Noble Joseph at her side
Callused hands and weary eyes
There were no midwives to be found
In the streets of David's town
In the middle of the night

So he held her and he prayed
Shafts of moonlight on his face
But the baby in her womb
He was the maker of the moon
He was the Author of the faith
That could make the mountains move

It was a labor of pain
It was a cold sky above
But for the girl on the ground in the dark
With every beat of her beautiful heart
It was a labor of love
For little Mary full of grace
With the tears upon her face
It was a labor of love

the Season

2009-12-17T12:49:00.005-06:00

I would like to share my thoughts on Christmas, "the holidays", and anything else that comes to mind. Some are deep, some not so much.

- I think I may addicted to sugar. Like, I am totally fine with eating cookies for lunch or dinner or both. This doesn't normally happen during the other 11 months.

- It bothers me when we (and by "we" I mean people) refer to giving gifts or getting present as "christmas". For example, "our church is helping to provide christmas for those who won't have one." I kinda thought that Christmas had already been provided a long time ago. A news station in our town holds a "Christmas is for Kids" campaign every year. That bothers me. I am all for giving (and getting) gifts. I actually think in some ways it is a way to celebrate and worship Jesus. I am even good with Santa (more on that in a bit). However, something doesn't sit right in me when the act of giving "christmas" is what Christmas is all about.

- I have begun to love cooking. This has been a new thing over the course of about 2 months. In fact, I really really want to get fancy cooking stuff and even take a cooking class.

- Santa. It has been an on-again, off-again discussion between Paul and I regarding what to do about Santa. We are giving Jonas a "Santa" gift this year and will probably continue to do so. But, we are still undecided on how to balance the fun of Santa with the truth of Jesus.

- We hosted a Holiday Open House/Housewarming Party a few weekends ago. It was sooo much fun. It was a blast to have our dear friends in our new home, some for the first time. It was fun partnering with Paul on decorating and cleaning and cooking for the party. It was fun to get out all of our Christmas decorations and find a new place for them in our new home. I love how it turned out.

- We have been conversing about family values for about a year now. The other night we saw The Blind Side. That movie made me think, and I am not quite ready to write my thoughts on it. But, one of the values we have is to be relationally open (see previous thought)...that is why we had so much with the open house.

- Jonas has been so much fun lately.

- We are finished with our Christmas "preparations". Done with shopping. Done with wrapping. Done with shipping. Now, we are just enjoying the season. I've been baking some, which is more fun than a chore. We've played some board games in the last few nights. We've sat and enjoyed hot chocolate and a good TV show. After such a whirlwind August - November, where we had about 2 weekends that didn't have "to-dos" on the calendar, we are enjoying Christmas.

And now for some pictures.

decorating our home...

open house spread

the little lollipop looking things are actually cake pops...so fun and so yummy!

snowing at the Maney's

18 months

2009-11-30T13:37:00.004-06:00

On November 20, Jonas turned 18 months. We are really loving this age. There are some trying moments (like when he throws a huge fit in the middle of a store or restaurant or something), but we love that Jonas interacts with us so much.

At 18 months, Jonas...

-weighs 21 lbs, 13 oz...still a lightweight
- is 32 inches tall
- still wears 12 month pants and some 18 month shirts
- naps for about 3 hours a day...we have a great sleeper!
- communicates with some words as well as pointing while saying uh, uh
- says cat, dog, all gone, outside, more more (it sounds like mo mo, and he does the sign for more), da for daddy, mama for mommy, snack, uh oh, ball, what's that or shhh (and listens for what it might be), buh for bird, bye bye
- loves to play ball
- loves his trucks and usually makes the "truck sound" while playing
- really likes to be outside
- runs and will race us
- has a lot of older friends that he loves to keep up with
- likes to be pushed around on his riding toy
- loves to read books and will even "read" to himself sometimes
- has a fascination with big machines...trucks, semis, trains, cranes, etc
- doesn't like to ride in the little seat of a grocery basket...he would rather ride in the front with all the stuff
- is really social. He likes going to school so much.
- will pick up when we ask him to help us clean up toys or any mess, really
- likes to sleep with his feet propped up against the side of his crib. I'm not sure how his feet don't fall asleep
- laughs and has a completely captivating smile
- loves dogs and will let us know if he sees one
- loves to snuggle in the mornings while he drinks his milk
- gives lots of kisses, hugs and pats
- wants to do things by himself and is really fascinated with the way stuff works
- has already gone on his first camping trip with dad

camping with friends

18 months...

thankful

2009-11-26T16:13:00.002-06:00

we are thankful for family and friends, for new houses in familiar places, for being with sisters and moms and grandparents and cousins, for health, for jobs and the ability to our bills, for love and laughter, and for Jesus.

today...

2009-11-13T13:49:00.002-06:00

is the greatest day I've ever known/can't live for tomorrow/tomorrows much too long (that song popped into my head when I typed the blog title). But seriously, Today...

- I was just reminded of how much I like the Smashing Pumpkins.

- Jonas went to school. YAY for me! He was sick this week and had to miss school on Wednesday.

- I shamelessly bought a Christmas table runner even though we haven't celebrated Thanksgiving yet.

- I also bought a few new things for me. I'm feeling a little guilty about it right now. A few tops, belt (ok 2 belts), and a scarf. Oh and a pair of shoes.

- I am going to make a pot of soup (I think) even though it really isn't cold. Maybe some cornbread too.

- I began gathering a few items for our Christmas Open House in lieu of a housewarming party. I'm excited. And, if you want to come, please do.

- I wanted to take a nap but instead I'm writing this.

- I looked for and was unsuccessful at finding a used children's book that I am going to use to decorate Jonas' bathroom. My good friend, Emily, gave Jonas the book On The Night You Were Born, and it is beautiful. I can't wait to get this little project finished...his bathroom just seems so undone.

- I had a non-fat chai latte from my favorite little coffee shop.

- The dad of a couple of good friends is being released from prison. This is a big day for them, and I'm excited about that.

- I thought about what it would be like to be homeless as I purchased some hats and gloves for homeless children. Please do not read that as me trying to boast. It really humbled me and made me super grateful for what the Lord has blessed me with. Maybe that is why I feel a little guilty about purchasing some items for myself.

- I'm frustrated that Jonas has a milk allergy. His class is having a Thanksgiving feast, and I want him to be able to participate. Maybe I will talk to his teacher about it.

- I've been listening to the Counting Crows. Man, I love them. I might give my right arm to see them in concert.

- I thought about getting my car washed, but then decided I would leave that Paul.

it's a bird, it's a plane...

2009-11-01T20:56:00.004-06:00

it's SUPERMAN!

posing for a picture for my fans

got to go...someone's in need of help

off to save the day

saving pretzels from the stack of hay

these ducks held the clue to the treats

In my line of work you've got to keep your bouncing skills up...you never know when you might need them

finally at home walking my dog

pumpkin spice goodness

2009-10-26T16:31:00.004-05:00

I really love fall...leaves changing, crisp days, long sleeved shirts and sweaters, and warm drinks. Today, after checking out at Target (in which I lost my wallet only to discover it under my arm...I'm a dork), I decided to use the the $2 pumpkin spice latte coupon I had received. You know, I kinda like that about Target - they track where I spend my money while in their store and then give me a coupon to buy even more. The last time I had a pumpkin spice latte (which I normally look forward to each fall) was about 2 years ago when I was in the middle of my first trimester and was very, very, VERY sick. So, I threw up my last pumpkin spice latte. I was really nervous to try it again. I guess time does heal all wounds because the pumpkin spice latte with soy milk I had today was pure goodness.

and we're back!

2009-10-19T20:55:00.008-05:00

I promise to share pics of our new house, but I have to take some "after" photos first. We FINALLY finished the sprinkler system project (in fact, we drove up to our house last night after being gone for the weekend and there was grass!) and have felt the sweet relief of being able to rest and enjoy our house, friends, family, each other.

We had the opportunity to go to Dallas this past weekend (thanks to our friends, Justin & Holly). We had so much fun as a family. We went to the Ft. Worth Zoo, ate at one of our all time favorite restaurants - Chuys, and ended our trip with a visit to the Dallas Arboretum. It was so great!

going into the zoo

Jonas' favorite thing was the birds you could touch and feed

about to ride the train

CHUYs

our car that we named "Bozo"

Dallas Arboretum

in need of a little TLC

2009-09-28T10:46:00.005-05:00

This poor blog has been so neglected by it's owner. Can I just say the last month has been insane, crazy, busier than I could ever imagine? Well, I guess I just did. In the past month, we've packed our house, moved into a new one, unpacked all our earthly belongings, left a job, started a new job, been sick, continued to fulfill our "normal" commitments, put in a sprinkler system (and I do mean it was not hired out), fixed 2 toilets, called a plumber (and need to call one again), dialed 911...on accident, attended a funeral, spent more money than was budgeted, and we are still really tired.

All this to say, we will post pictures of our new home very soon. And, our sweet 16 month old needs some blog attention as well, so updates on J are coming as well.

For now, enjoy this...

J's 2nd, 1st day of school. It was raining on his actual first day, so we didn't get very good pictures.

Going into our home for the first time as the owners.

Moving day...enough said about this particular picture

2009-08-21T14:51:00.004-05:00

Yesterday, I had to pick up a few things at the grocery story. You know things like chips, avocados, yogurt, stuff for a cheesecake, etc., etc. However, this was NOT on my list...

I wasn't even charged for the "Dunk ems", so I am a little suspect on how they made their way into the bag. I have one idea, but isn't he a little young for shoplifting?

20 pieces of info that won't make you a better person

2009-08-14T10:59:00.003-05:00

1. i've always wished i were a jetson. showering and getting ready are so overrated. i want to be clean and make-upped and all that, but i don't want the hassle of it all

2. shopping for homeowners insurance is difficult. i think paul and i used 3000 cell phone minutes yesterday

3. i am moving in a few weeks!

4. i have already started placing furniture in my head in the new house

5. jonas is going to PDO 2 days a week this fall. i am nervous.

6. jonas will have to take a nap on a mat as said PDO. thus, i am even more nervous

7. jonas will have music class as his PDO. that will be fun

8. i am starting school again in a few weeks too. that makes me want to puke

9. my class is called Instructional Supervision. i hope i pass

10. i found my keys. they were at the bottom of the laundry basket. it helps to do laundry sometimes

11. my new cell phone also arrived. praise the sweet Lord that i have phone with qwerty. i'm not so good at texting on the other kind

12. my boy will be 15 months old next week. can you say crazy?

13. i think i might be addicted to ice cream

14. i want to take a family vacation. where should we go?

15. mushrooms are growing in my potted tree. they are yellow and gross, and i don't know what to do about it

16. i am really looking forward to this weekend...garage selling, swimming, date night!

17. although i am looking for to some things about fall, i don't want summer to end

18. i like knowing that i will be living in one place for a bit

19. i really should start packing

20. we need to get pictures taken of j-man and the fam

new mercies

2009-08-05T10:57:00.003-05:00

Monday was a bad, bad, very bad day...which I already told you about (btw my keys are still missing!). Thank goodness that God's mercies are new every morning! Tuesday brought some unexpected blessings... I had an appointment to get my hair cut AND colored. It isn't a cheap thing. But, I was only charged $40 for the entire appointment! I even told the girl that I had my hair colored and cut, and she said it was $40. Paul got a free sandwich at McDonald's for lunch. And we put in an offer on a house here in Lubbock. Paul called me about 10 minutes ago to tell me that our offer was accepted..no counter or anything!

We decided to put our Houston plans on hold for a while. The job market is not a good one right now (as you probably know), and Paul's been looking for a job in Houston for about 9 months now. So, we made the decision to start house hunting here in Lubbock. We called the realtor last Monday, looked at our first houses last Tuesday, and made an offer yesterday which was accepted this morning. New mercies indeed!

And, I have an adorable son who picked up the watering can and decided to water the flowers - we did not stage this!

it's been a terrible, no-good, very bad day

2009-08-03T22:35:00.002-05:00

So, yesterday I lost my keys but didn't know that I had lost them until today. And my phone fell in the pool this afternoon. It is pretty much d-e-a-d, dead. And, we were supposed to meet Paul for an appointment but had no way of communicating with him on those details. And, Jonas is teething and hurts. And,we were late to a lunch meeting...because I had no keys to drive the car to said meeting. And, we are trying to make a BIG decision (more to come on that). And, I get really grumpy when all those things happen in one day.

Us

2009-07-19T11:54:00.017-05:00

On July 9, Paul and I celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary. We did so by taking a trip to San Antonio, and this trip couldn't have come at a better time. Last year, our anniversary was a little overlooked due to all the company coming in and out of our house NOT to see us but to meet our little mister. So, we decided it was good for us to spend the money, send the little mister to grandma and grandpa's, and spend three days just being us. It was fabulous!

our anniversary dinner at the Tower of the Americas

view of the Tower of the Americas from the roof of our hotel

remembering the Alamo and about to take a river boat ride

funny sign on the bus

relaxing by the pool and relaxing some more on the river

i love that ring on Paul's finger!

on Independence Day

2009-07-05T20:03:00.005-05:00

Lubbock has a really fun Fourth celebration. We started out at the parade in the morning and then got to see some of our friends that are in a band perform at the street festival. We had a cookout with friends and ended the day with fireworks. I didn't once bring out the camera for the cookout or fireworks, but Jonas enjoyed the slip-n-slide at the cookout and slept through the fireworks...hallelujah! We actually just watched from our car this year because we were both so exhausted from chasing him around all day long.

the best seat in the house!

Jonas watching the parade and not being remotely interested in it

All-American

my new favorite website

2009-06-30T23:18:00.003-05:00

http://thepioneerwoman.com/

PARTAY

2009-06-23T08:06:00.011-05:00

There are no words adequate enough to describe what Jonas' first year of life has been like...joy, contentment, tough, fun, hard, exciting, excruciating, anxiety, happy, sad, bewildering. Is there a word that sums all that up? One thing's for sure: we love our son more than he will probably ever know. We love being parents. We delight in the sweet moments and want to pull our hair out in the trying ones. We are different people than we were a year ago that's for sure. But, I am convinced this different is good. We have grown as people, we have had to cling to what we know to be true more than one time, we've fought, we've had the time of our lives, we've experienced pure joy. I have struggled for a long time with believing God is who he says he is, and being a parent has pushed me toward filtering through my unbelief. Paul would say the same thing. Sure, at times we would love to have a taste of our "old" life again...sleeping in, eating a leisurely meal, etc, but if I guess that is what babysitters and grandparents are for :) We often find ourselves staring at Jonas and saying "can you believe this is OUR child?" Almost as if shaking our heads that God would let us be in charge of another life. But, that is it...God let us. He gifted us with the most precious gift we've ever received. And that is what we are learning. Everyday we get a little better glimpse of the way God feels about us as we parent our boy. It is a hard thing for me to learn, and I have a LONG way to go on this particular road. This year has been a crazy year with crazy changes, and sometimes I feel like I am going crazy. But, crazy has been a catalyst to experience a fuller joy. And peace.

We have never blogged about where the name JONAS came from. When we first started talking about that name, several asked if we got it from the Jonas Brothers. Fortunately, we didn't. We decided if that was the name our child would have, the Jonas Brothers would be long gone before any schoolyard ridicule could happen. The name JONAS means "the dove" (which is a symbol of peace), and the spiritual connotation is "declarer of peace of good". I have an unexplainable need for peace in my life and at the time we were choosing names felt that need very intensely. We didn't name our son until we met him for the first time. We had two names going into the delivery room, and when our doctor asked what his name was moments after he breathed his first breaths, Paul and I looked at each other and said "JONAS". We just knew that our son was to be a symbol of peace in our lives.

A few statistics on Jonas at one year...
- walks, almost runs, everywhere
- can say "dog", "hello", "this", in addition to "mama" and "dada"
- points and says this or grunts to tell us what he wants
- favorite foods: sweet potatoes, carrots, yogurt, any fruit, meat...not a fan of green veggies
- has a severe allergy to cows milk which was confirmed through a blood test
- loves to ride his tonka truck and race day rider
- dances to music
- has taken up the need for a lovey (which is a tab blanket my friend Charissa made him)...he sleeps with it and generally likes to hold it
- still loves his paci
- climbs on and off the couch/bed
- sleeps about 10 hours a night
- has 6 teeth...still
- weighs 19 pounds, 1 ounce (this was the dr's scale...our scale said more like 18.5)
- 30.4 inches long
- rides in a forward facing car seat (the dr said it was OK even though he isn't 20 pounds) which he LOVES
- loves the park and pretty much anything we do outside. He is also liking the water this summer
- got his first haircut
- squeals and runs when his daddy walks through the door in the evening

Here are some pictures of his party/birthday weekend... (btw: I am having the hardest time with the pics. They are supposed to be side by side but aren't posting that way even though they show that way on the draft screen. Anyone have any advice?)

Jonas' monkey cake and the living room jungle safari...his theme was "Jonas' Safari Fiesta"

singing happy birthday

opening presents...he got so much stuff. We are still trying to figure out where to put it all!

with his #1 pinata and with Grandpa Snow

our little family...there were several cameras and we didn't know where to look :)

with Grandma Snow and Gram Gram at a Japanese Steakhouse...he is watching the fire

I LOVE my new seat!

Happy Day to YOU

2009-06-17T13:45:00.006-05:00

I have been in a blog funk lately. Every time I sit down to write about our big one year old, other tasks and interests call my name. I think perhaps I have not been able to really process what our year has been like. I like to use this blog as a record keeper of sorts. Therefore, I want a milestone such as ONE to be given justice. Maybe my expectations are too high. I feel the need to get something written, archived for remembrance but haven't been able to do it. AND, blogging about this is much easier...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PAUL!
I am so glad that you were born 29 years ago. God sure did know what I would need and want in a husband when he created you. Thank you for who you are and who you strive to be. We would not and could not ask for anyone different. Thank you for your desire to love me and Jonas like God loves, for your commitment to our family, for being dedicated to your work, and for choosing what is right over what is easy. You are remarkable and deeply loved.

Jonas' Birthday

2009-06-02T21:50:00.013-05:00

I feel like there is a lot of reflecting to do on the past year. I am in the middle of that but wanted to share Jonas' big day with you thru some pictures. We will post his party pics in a separate post...I think this is more than enough pics for one post!

birthday boy at breakfast

we went to the park and played on the swings

3:19 pm...the time Jonas was born

riding rides at Chuck E Cheese

having a picnic dinner on the Tech campus

opening a present from mom and dad

getting a first haircut the day after turning 1

showing off the new little boy haircut

33 Fabulous Things I Love About Sarah

2009-05-24T23:48:00.001-05:00

Today was Sarah's 33rd birthday. We had a great time celebrating with family and eating waaay too much good food! In honor of Sarah's birthday, here are 33 spectacular things I love about Sarah:

1) She twirls her hair around her finger when shes tired or bored
2) She closes strands of her hair between her eyelids when shes bored or tired
3) She tries to do #2 (above) to me but i refuse.
4) She values my guy friendships
5) Shes is a great present buyer.
6) She is detail oriented in a a lot of areas i am not
7) She has taught me a lot about love and humility.
8) I love the way she laughs when Jonas is giving her "kissies".
9) She laughs at my dumb, dumb jokes.
10) She gets really funny when she is really tired.
11) She forgives me a lot.
12) She loves just about anything that is turquoise or teal.
13) She values reconciliation.
14) She stays home and sacrifices things to be there to love on our son.
15) I find it an endearing quirk that she often falls asleep during movies at home.
16) She shares our values in terms of the things we want to define our family.
17) She is passionate about doing things right.
18) She plans good parties and thinks of all the minute details that Im sure Id forget about... like food.
19) Whenever we take a road trip from Lubbock, she will fall asleep no sooner than 45 minutes after we leave, but no later than 90 minutes.
20) Keep it simple. No tomatoes, lettuce, onions or pickels. Just the meat and bread at sonic.
21) She enjoys celebrating other people.
22) She still embodies a phrase we began saying while we were dating: I want what is best more than I want what is easy.
23) She hasn't elbowed me in the gut yet for pecking this entire post out on my phone while next to her in bed.
24) She values chivalrous deeds.
25) I enjoy that she likes it when I do traditional man-type chores around the house. (ok, haha, get your wisecracks out now, i know who you are :) )
26) She has a particular soft spot in her heart for supporting breast cancer research.
27) She is a good sport when I tease her about old boyfriends, esp. "Dusty Rose"
28) She cant say " rubber baby buggy bumpers" three times fast. We always end up cracking ouselves up.
29) She is a dog person.
30) Some of you already knows this but she likes watching professional bull riding.
31) She loves God.
32) She loves Jonas.
33) She loves me.

I love you and adore you Sarah.

-Paul

ONE

2009-05-20T21:44:00.003-05:00

Today, May 20, 2009, our little mister is ONE. Happy Birthday, sweet boy. We love you!

...more to come in a few days by way of pics of this day, his party, and our first year as parents...

chomp!

2009-05-05T22:21:00.003-05:00

this is what Jonas has been doing to his crib...

life

2009-04-28T21:54:00.004-05:00

1. Jonas woke up from a nap on Sunday, and when Paul went in to get him there was black stuff on his face. We had NO idea what it could be until we saw the crib. You got it, Jonas has been biting the side of his crib. Nice, son. There are even indentions from his teeth...not just missing paint.

2. Our house has been getting a paint job. It looks nice but has taken FOREVER! Yesterday, the guy was painting our front door which meant he needed it open for a while. How do you keep an 11 month old from getting into paint or touching the wet door? It is very hard, and I took an extra long time at the lone errand I needed to run to the bank.

3. Since our door was painted (I also had him paint the inside of the door), it smelled really bad in our house. So, we needed to get out for a while. We went to Jason's Deli for dinner which was yummy. But, I am a stupid, stupid mommy. I decided to give Jonas a few TINY tastes of my ice cream (or is it yogurt at Jason's). You see, we found out the hard way when Jonas starting taking formula to supplement his bottles that he needed soy-based formula. He threw up about 4 times and his eyes swelled. I would definitely say he has a milk allergy. Anyway, last night we headed over to the mall. It was while I was in the dressing room at the Gap that Paul said we needed to leave NOW. Yup, the little mister had thrown up everywhere. I guess the allergy is still there.

4. There is a little restaurant here that is only open for breakfast and lunch. I have been dying to get lunch there for a while now. Today was the day. Jonas and I met Paul and had one of the most amazing lunches ever. We will be going lots more. If you come visit us, we will take you there.

5. A little patch of skin on my arm has been hurting. It is by my bicep and runs down my arm about 4 inches and is about 2 inches wide. I am wondering if it shingles...anyone ever have it before. I think it is something with the nerves in my arm but don't know what. My skin looks normal just is really sensitive and hurts to touch. Weird, huh?

6. I have been planning a certain little boy's one year old birthday party. It is really fun, but I can't decide what time to have it. We are going to grill out, so it needs to be around a meal time. And, our families are coming so we are super excited!

7. I rearranged our living room the other day. I think I like it but now need to adjust the stuff on the wall.

11 months

2009-04-22T11:50:00.008-05:00

Jonas turned 11 months old on Monday! We are already starting to plan his first birthday. Anyway, this past month has seemed monumental in his development. He is looking more like a little boy than a baby and oh so cute!

This month has brought...
- WALKING of course. Check out the video in the post below
- giving kisses. Very slobbery but kisses none the less. It is good for this mama's heart.
- waiving bye bye
- clapping
- playing with his trucks the "right" way...wheels on the ground
- hiding toys and then finding them
- putting toys in and out of the basket or whatever he deems as a good toy holder
- vibrating his lips together like a truck sound. He will even use his finger against his lips to make the noise as well
-clicking his tongue and copying sounds and expressions
- being VERY aware of where we are and crying when we aren't around
- opinionated...that is all I have to say about that!
- seems to understand so much more of the world around him...like cause and effect, etc.
- loves to go to the park and swing...in fact, we just got a swing for our backyard
- weighs 17.4 pounds and is right at 29 inches long

Paul and I talked the other night about how we think Jonas is going to be the life the class kinda kid. He loves to make us laugh and can be really goofy. We can tell that he is extroverted and is quite vocal. Here are some pictures of the little mister...

standing all by himself...

Jonas loves this little dog. We named him Woof Woof...

swinging at the park...

These Boots Were Made For Walkin' !

2009-04-20T21:44:00.004-05:00

You guessed it, Jonas took his first few steps on April 6th! Teetering, stuttering and wobbly, but they were STEPS! We were so excited! He walks frequently now, although when he needs to get somewhere in a hurry he still goes into four wheel drive mode. Sorry we've been so slow in getting the video posted, here it is!

the goodness of THIS Friday

2009-04-10T16:09:00.004-05:00

Last night at my small group, we were talking about the Passover meal that Jesus shared with the disciples, his inner circle - the most trusted of friends. We ran through the events of the evening...eating, washing of feet, Jesus making several predictions... Then, we landed on Gethsemane. I think I can say pretty confidently that I have always viewed the time Jesus spent in prayer prior to his arrest as a last ditch effort for God to change his mind. Why? Because he didn't want to face the pain he knew was to come. The Romans had perfected torture. Dying on a cross was saved for the most heinous of criminals. Jesus knew there would be a lot of pain involved during the course of the next many hours. So, he prays an agonizing prayer..."take this cup from me." I had a revelation last night. Jesus' last ditch prayers were not to save him from physical pain but from the emotional agony of being separated from God.

God's plan was for He who was without sin to become sin. Become sin. Jesus became sin. He lived an entire life of perfection just to die with the shame, humiliation, grotesqueness of our sin. That is the reason for Gethsemane. God would forsake his only son. Forsake is such an ominous word. I'm not sure I've ever forsaken someone, and I'm not sure I could. I even hold out hope for those who have made horrible mistakes...I would come to their rescue should it ever be needed. But, God deserted Jesus in his greatest time of need. He watched as innocence was lost. And Jesus faced the intense emotional, physical and spiritual pain alone.

Scripture says that as Jesus breathed his last breath, he screamed "it is finished". He completed the task. He paid the price for all humanity in order that we may stand in the presence of God. We will know God's presence. The curtain to the holy of holies was torn in two. The end had come.

But, there is hope because God's plan didn't end there. There is a part 2. Jesus rose from the dead. Sin was forgiven, and Jesus emerged the victor. Sin was conquered. He who was without sin became sin and won. He beat death...

walk on

2009-04-06T22:24:00.001-05:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that our boy is WALKING! Yup, he took his first steps tonight. He would take 3 or 4 at a time and did that several times. More to come by way of video.

the trip

2009-04-02T10:29:00.006-05:00

here are some pics of the trip Jonas and I took to San Marcos. We had so much fun, and Jonas did so well. I was pretty nervous about driving all that way by myself with him, but I didn't need to be. We got see my sisters and mom, errrr.... Aunts and Grandma. We shopped and ate and shopped and ate.

heading out of town

Jonas with my Grandma

Jonas with my Grandpa and Rosie, the dog

climbing the stairs

Jonas and I with my sisters and mom

you know you aren't far from home when you see the windmills

and this, my friends, is lubbock!

2009-03-27T12:10:00.003-05:00

Every year, and I do mean every year, we have a random day in late March or early April where the temperature drops like 50 degrees and it snows. Well, today is that day. We went from this yesterday...

To this today...

10 months

2009-03-24T10:23:00.006-05:00

Last Friday, Jonas turned 10 months old! He is changing really fast these days. It is pretty amazing to watch the skills he has every day - like just last night, we were in the kitchen cooking dinner when Paul turned around to put something in the fridge to see Jonas literally climbing out of his highchair. He had one leg completely over the side, and was pretty much just hanging on with his hands. Also, his 10 month birthday just happened to be our first day at home together since I left my job, and he almost got hurt very badly when he knocked a full-length mirror over and it broke all around him. I left the room thinking he was following me when I heard the crash. I bet you can imagine the rapid thought going through my head as I dropped whatever I was holding as I ran to him. He escaped with a tiny little cut on his arm. Thank you, Lord, that he was not directly under the mirror when it fell (btw...we did buy a new mirror that we attached to the wall so this won't happen again). Here is a list of the little mister's latest accomplishments...

- stands on his own. usually not for very long, but lets go all the time
- loves to eat his "snacks" which are cherrios, star puffs,wagon wheels...
- drinking juice in his sippy cup - well, kinda. it is VERY diluted juice and he is not sure about it yet, but we are trying
- loves to climb anything and everything. this makes me really tired just thinking about the next several years
- says "mamama" and "dadadada" all the time, and is talking to us when he says it
- his dexterity is amazing. he will pick up the smallest thing with his pointer finger and thumb
- is starting to get the hang of playing with trucks
- really likes balls of any kind
- has a pretty tremendous throw. he can launch a ball across the room. we had to put away the golf balls that he was playing with.
- he has started to not want to be left by us. he will cling much tighter if he does not know someone and fusses a little when we leave.
- he has finally cut another tooth. it is the top, left eye tooth. we think his other eye tooth and his front 2 teeth are not far behind.
- he weighed 16 lbs, 13 oz about a week ago. he is 28 inches long. (that is 5% for weight and 50% for height)

Here are some 10 month pictures. But just a warning...he is in a phase right now where he won't smile for the camera or let us get a good picture.

going on a trip

2009-03-15T20:01:00.002-05:00

Jonas and I (sarah) are going on a road trip together...I am a little bit nervous. We are going to meet my mom and sisters in San Marcos this week. Pray for us!

And, Jonas has another tooth! But, the weird thing is that it is his top side tooth.

I am sure I'll have some stories and pictures to share when we get back later this week.

Wish me luck!

who needs The Office?

2009-03-09T10:57:00.004-05:00

In honor of NOT being in the the office today, I thought I would post a picture of our own little Dwight Shrute...

And, look how much these two look alike...

And, slowly but surely we've reached 100 posts. Lots has happened since that time 2 years ago. I know, I know, that is not a good post/year average. But hey, you will be hearing lots more since I am unemployed! At least I have a little helper to keep me company.

here come better days

2009-03-05T15:32:00.002-06:00

So, I am at home. It is 3:30 in the afternoon. It is pretty rare that I am at home at 3:30 in the afternoon. Tomorrow is my last day at work (well, at work as I know it). Today was my "Farewell Reception". I am always a little nervous before stuff like that. Nervous that no one will come. Nervous that I won't know what to say or how to act. Nervous because it is about me and for me. I felt that way with wedding showers and baby showers. Don't get me wrong, I really like it once I am there but gearing up to get there is hard for me. People stopped by today, and I got this really pretty Texas Tech serving dish and a picture frame - also Texas Tech. Jonas came to my party too. I think everyone was more excited about seeing him than bidding me farewell. So, I left after the reception was over. And came home. I didn't know where else to go, and frankly, I was hot and wanted to change my clothes. On the way home, I realized that I am not sure what I feel about this transition. On one hand, I am so so excited. On the other, I am sad. And, if I had a third hand, I am scared. Excited that I will get to experience what it is like to stay at home with my child. Excited that I won't feel guilty for leaving him in the care of others all day. Excited that life will be more calm and that I won't feel frustrated with myself for not doing any of my jobs with complete excellence. I am sad for the relationships I will be leaving. In my time at my office, I have had a unique position. I have been a boss, but I think I've been a friend as well. My staff have dealt with divorce, death, unfaithfulness, alcoholism...you name it. I like that I have been able to be a part of their lives and have them as a part of mine. And, I am scared that I will not be able to "get back in the game". That my experience in managing will be too old, so I will have to start out at entry level positions when I return to work. That my mind will loose some of it's business sharpness. That I will regret by decision to leave. I like being a manager, and I think I am a fairly good one. I like being influential and have had the unique opportunity to know some really influential people. I like fighting for what I believe is right on behalf of other people. So, excitement, sadness and fear all collide inside me.

I made the decision to leave my job for several reasons. Some were because of the job situation itself - which is always hard. I didn't see things changing any time soon (or as fast as I needed them to change), and I had given a lot of warning that things needed to change. The other is so obviously because I will never raise Jonas again.

On my way home this afternoon, the cd just happened to be on this song. And, I could really relate to these lyrics. Here's to better days...

here come better days

here come better days,better days, and a better place I know.

Green grass and I'm laying in the sunlight of you,

the wind is moving through the trees blustering you,

and the better days you bring,the better places found,

feasting at your table I'm overwhelmed,

and I lift my glass drink to those who never gave up,

clouds pass fading into memories gone,

and all I know for life is life and love and peace,what else could there be?

nine months

2009-03-02T22:33:00.004-06:00

Jonas is now 9 months old! I can't believe that he has been a part of our family for the same amount of time that we waited for him to arrive. Our boy is getting so big (not physically...he is still really small in that area). Jonas got to be with his grandma and grandpa when he turned 9 months old which was really fun. In the past month, he has gotten really good at cruising. He is such a fast little crawler as well. It is really funny if both Paul and I walk out of the room to look back and see Jonas coming to find us. He still only has the 2 bottom teeth, but I think he may get 2 top teeth really soon. Jonas says "mamamama" and "dadadada" all the time. We are not sure if he associates those words with us or not. My mom said that he would use the appropriate word when Paul or I left the room at their house. Jonas has also started letting go while standing. It is always pretty brief, but we can tell he is getting more and more comfortable doing that. We really think he will be walking in the next 2 months - so crazy! Jonas has also really started to play by himself. It is really cute to see him try to push his trucks or roll the ball around. He also loves to sit and play with his toys that make noise. He weighs 16 lbs, 6 oz and is 27 inches long...not much change from last month. He is just a small little boy.

It is so fun to watch Jonas interact with people (including Paul and myself). He is really social. In fact, he has been known to only nap for 15 minutes the ENTIRE day at school - there is just way too much to do.

He is such a joy and delight. I know I say that every month, but it is really true. Jonas has such a sweet little personality. He is a charmer and definitely has us hooked! We could not be more thankful and grateful and just overwhelmed by the blessing that he is.

Enjoy these pictures from his 9 month birthday...

trying to get a few "posed" pictures

exploring grandma and grandpa's backyard

my big blues

cousin Elliana helping baby Jonas with his paci

Jonas had cheerios for the 1st time

and he tried a sippy cup...he liked the cheerios much better

huh?

2009-02-17T21:18:00.002-06:00

So, I realize that we have been pretty absent in the blog world. I know this because I've gotten lots of questions about my facebook statuses (or would that be stati?) Lots to tell you, so go get a drink, run to the bathroom, grad a snack... I will break this up into "Parts" - which are kinda like chapters, but this isn't a book and chapters seem to indicate that you may never navigate away from this page. Here goes.

PART 1:
Jonas' final diagnosis in the hospital was bronchiolitis...viral infection in the bronchials. Symptoms were classic of this virus. After we resumed our normal routine last Monday, I was talking to a co-worker who asked how Jonas was doing. At the end of the conversation, she asked me if we had ever had him tested for Cystic Fibrosis. Well, no, we haven't because we don't know ANYONE in either one of our families who have CF. Her husband has CF, and she was just wondering because Jonas had RSV in early December and then this bout with a respiratory issue. I think she meant well, but it put me into freak-out mode. I immediately googled CF and called Paul. We read and re-read the symptoms and saw how Jonas matched some of them...respiratory problems, low weight gain were the main ones. Jonas was to have a follow-up appointment with the Dr. that Wednesday (this is last Wed.). After the dr had listened to his chest and checked him over, she said he sounded great. I asked her about cystic fibrosis at the end of the appointment. She didn't seem too worried at first since Jonas had been sick at all the "right" times - meaning during the respiratory illness season. But, she said he did match the profile and ordered a test. To test for CF, they collect sweat and analyze the salt content. Right after the dr, Paul met us at the hospital where we had the sweat test done. There is a new pediatric pulmonologist in town (she is the only one in Lubbock) who came about a month ago and lowered the standards of the test. Therefore, what used to be normal was now borderline, etc. The new borderline started at 30, and Jonas was at 37. Since he was in the grey area, he had to have another one done. So, I took Jonas last Friday for the second sweat test. This time it came back at 42. I started getting worried. Paul was a little more calm. We finally were able to talk to the dr on Friday night (I need to tell you that this dr is filling in for our regular dr who is on maternity leave). She absolutely scared me. You see, while we were getting the first test done, the lab technician told us that in the last month 85% of the kids tested came back borderline or higher...that is a large number considering that only about 30,000 people in the entire US have CF. So, we were a little suspicious, but the dr pretty much refuted that. The dr told us that we either needed to have one more sweat test conducted or we needed to have a DNA test done. Over the weekend, Paul and I began leaning toward just getting the DNA test so that we would know for sure. We were really scared. On Sunday (after I had vowed not to look at the Internet any more), I found an article that discussed the types of sweat test that are used to detect CF. Wait a minute - types of test? I started putting the pieces of the puzzle together. Our lab report said that Jonas had been given the sweat conductivity test which has a different set of normal values. The more we researched, we realized that what it looked like was that the test given in the lab was being interpreted by the wrong set of of values - the sweat conductivity test was being interpreted by the sweat chloride values. So, Paul went to the hospital yesterday morning to find out some answers. He finally got in touch with the medical director of pathology for the hospital who was VERY concerned to say the least. He really thought that the lab report listed the right values but that maybe the test listed was wrong. The more he looked into it, he found that Jonas had in fact been given the sweat conductivity test NOT the sweat chloride test, and the numbers of 37 and 42 were sweat conductivity results. HUGE MISTAKE!!! So, Jonas is fine...we are so thankful! The medical director was so apologetic and was no doubt contacting the hospitals lawyers. There are many children who this would have affected, and we are the first to have caught the mistake. We think the pediatric pulmonologist lowered the standard based on the sweat chloride test not knowing that the lab couldn't even conduct that kind of test. What a crazy experience! Praise the Lord with us. We were pretty desperate and leaning toward devastation that Jonas may have this disease.

Part 2:
I have a new job! I have decided to leave my job as the Assistant Director of Admissions at Texas Tech to stay home with Jonas. There is a whole lot surrounding this decision. Most of the decision is because I want to be with Jonas, but there is also a certain amount of frustration that has gone unresolved with my job. I am really excited and really nervous. My last day is March 6. I will continue to work for my office as a consultant, so I will have some business contact. We are super excited to see what life looks like.

Well, you made it. Thanks for hanging in there. We are off to Houston this Thursday for some much needed rest and restoration. I am looking forward to having a Valentine's date with Paul! We'll post pictures soon - I promise!

home

2009-02-07T18:08:00.003-06:00

Well, we've been home from the hospital since Thursday afternoon. Jonas showed enough improvement for the Dr. to release him. He is still having a little trouble breathing when he is playing...he breathes harder, more rapidly like he is out of breath, but he definitely feels better.
I have a few thoughts/observations about this whole experience...

1. We have amazing friends and family. Since we are so far away from our biological families, we rely on our friends to be family to us. They brought us meals, came to visit, texted and called, prayed, brought Jonas gifts, etc. We have experienced community at it's best.

2. Hospital "beds" make you VERY thankful for your own bed (that maybe you once complained about). The first night, Jonas wouldn't sleep in the crib, so we took turns holding him all night - that meant sleeping in a rocking chair recliner. The second night, we slept head to toe on the twin couch/bed.

3. If you don't have friends that bring you food, eating while in the hospital can be very expensive. I think it should be "on the house" since you eventually get a humongous bill for your stay.

4. We are so thankful for our health and the fact that Jonas is healthy...that he isn't fighting something more serious. Lots of the rooms in the Children's Hospital kept the doors open. When I would walk around just to get my blood flowing, I would see the little kids in the rooms and wonder why they were there. There was a parent who seemed like she had been there a while that we would see in the hall.

5. Our bodies can surprisingly function are very little sleep. We had hardly slept on Sunday night because Jonas was up a lot of the night. Then, Monday night he was up a lot and we finally left for the ER at about 4 am on Tuesday. We didn't go to "sleep" until probably about midnight that night. You just roll with the punches. We hardly expected to be admitted to the hospital when we walked into the ER.

6. I don't envy pediatric doctors and nurses. When they had to put in an IV into Jonas while in the ER, they tried at least 5 times in his arms but his veins kept collapsing. Even though we were really frustrated (and really sad that Jonas was so frantic), we could tell the nurse was really sad as well. Finally, they were able to put the IV into a vein in his scalp. This was by far the worst part. I don't know if it is as hard to stick an adult 4 or 5 times as it is to stick an 8 month old that many times. Our nurses were great and really cared for Jonas so well.

7. Jonas is so brave and was really good through this whole thing. He was confined to his bed, an exesaucer, and the recliner next to his bed because of the stuff he was hooked up to...IV drip, pulse/ox probe, and oxygen. He is normally crawling all of the place. He did really good to just play in the crib or sit our our lap and play. He fussed a little but not uncontrollably. We have a pretty good kid.

Here are some pictures of "discharge day"

"Welcome to the Hotel Covenant"

2009-02-04T14:42:00.005-06:00

Tuesday morning Jonas woke up crying at 1:30am with a bunch of snot. Normally this wouldn't be a big deal, but he was taking short, shallow, fast breaths. I gave him one of his breathing treatments from when he had RSV this past December, but after an hour we were back in the same place again. The on-call pediatrician recommended that we go ahead and take Jonas in to the hospital. After the ER gave Jonas a couple of different inhalation treatments they admitted him to the hospital. Unfortunately, after 4 failed attempts to start an IV in his arms (torture for him and us!) they finally ended up putting it in his head (sounds worse than it is).

The blood and mucus tests that they ran to identify the typical virus culprits all came back negative. So, they've been giving him breathing treatments every couple of hours and have had him on oxygen to help boost the level of O2 in his blood. The Dr wants to keep him until tomorrow (Thurs) to see if some of the wheezing in his lungs will dissipate before releasing him.

He's in good spirits and we are getting sleep wherever we can, so hopefully we will be able bust out of this joint soon!

25 things

2009-01-31T16:39:00.001-06:00

There is a "tag" going around on Facebook of 25 random things about yourself. I thought I would post mine here as well...

1. This is the first time in my adult years that I have not cut my hair short right after growing it out.

2. I just bought a cool club chair at Target for $57

3. I want to own a business

4. I want to live in Mexico at some point in my life...maybe I'll own a quaint little hotel or coffee shop

5. the only Def Leppard song I know is "Pour Some Sugar on Me", and I turn it up LOUD when it comes on the radio.

6. I can be a bit OCD at times and cannot stand clutter

7. I secretly liked my husband 9 months before we even started "talking", and I have to give credit to my Kate for setting that "talking" in motion

8. I like to write but have not let myself explore that part of me in quite a while

9. I am beginning to be interested in taking good pictures

10. I enjoy decorating but wish I had more money to do it

11. I want to run a half-marathon before I have another baby

12. I really like being a mom. I wasn't sure if I would or not

13. I like going to the rodeo. Bull riding is my favorite rodeo event

14. I was in a pageant in high school - I was first-runner up.

15. I was rear-ended one night because the person behind me was concerned about a blind man walking in the dark (he was walking down the street that we were driving on). My response = blind men are always in the dark

16. I wanted to major in biology in college until I made a D in my freshman biology class

17. I think my husband is way smarter than me. He likes to read brainiac stuff, and I like to read magazines

18. paul told me to write this "I think my wife is way prettier than me"

19. I never eat all of the food on my plate. I always leave at least one bite

20. my favorite food is mexican food. I could eat it every day

21. I am always really cold when I first get into bed, but I get really hot after I fall asleep

22. I am 4 years older than Paul. Sometimes that makes me feel weird. But I wouldn't change the fact that I am married to him

23. I spent 5 years working with college students, and I loved it.

24. I don't particularly like to grocery shop. I would rather get some coffee and walk around the grocery store very slowly

25. my favorite part of the week = saturday mornings cuddling with Jonas

8 month pictures

2009-01-24T10:50:00.006-06:00

8 months

2009-01-20T21:18:00.002-06:00

Today, January 20, our little boy is 8 months old. In the past month, he has mastered pulling up on anything and everything. He has begun doing a little bit of "cruising" around things. He crawls so, so fast...especially if he is on a mission. He really likes to play with balls. He tries to carry them as he crawls. He loves to play on the floor, and loves it even more if we play with him. He has found where we keep the pacis, and always goes straight for them...he'll have one in his mouth, and one in each fist. He laughs so much and gives the sweetest little smiles often. He loves his mama and daddy - that is a pretty great feeling! He still only has two bottom teeth, but we really think the top ones will come any time now. He has become quite the little eater. He eats 2 things of veggies and 1 thing of fruit in addition to some cereal every day. He has decided that he would rather have a bottle. He talks constantly, and we always have great conversations. He has a certain little yell when he is not satisfied with something. He is looking more like a little boy and less like a little baby. It is always a huge mix of emotions...sad that he is growing so fast but loving the stage he is at and just savoring it. Jonas is such a joy and delight. He is so easy going and is rarely fussy or difficult. Our friends have all warned us against having more children! We cannot imagine our lives without him, but at the same time we've only known him for 8 months. We have been so, so blessed.

At 8 months, Jonas weighs 16 lbs, 6 oz. We forgot to measure him today...we'll find out tomorrow how long he is. 8 month pictures to come.

picturepalooza!

2009-01-17T09:33:00.007-06:00

Most of these pictures are from Christmas, and they are all a bit out of order...I didn't want to move them around because I always end up getting mad at the computer when I do that. Enjoy!

Jonas LOVES his Christmas present from Grandma and Grandpa Snow

Christams night with the wire tree at Gram's house

Jonas with his great Grandma and Grandpa Raatz (Paul's grandparents) on Christmas Day

us on Christmas Day

This is our view most of the time...Jonas is always on the go

Jonas and Mama on Christmas Day

trying to get a picture of Jonas in front of the tree on Christmas Day. He was taking all the ornaments off instead.

With Gram Maney opening presents on Christmas Day

Us on Christmas morning. You can tell we were all VERY good this year!

Jonas' stocking. Santa had come!

Christmas Eve

Another one on Christmas Eve. Gram Gram gave him the cute hat.

and another

Jonas and Daddy hanging Jonas' first Christmas ornament on our tree at home

our tree at home

I love my new big boy bath chair

I got a bad cough and had to get breathing treatments so I don't get RSV again

I got to go shopping at Babies R US with my gift card

mom and dad got to go shopping with their Christmas money too...I really like their purchase!

Mama putting me to bed

with Daddy at the Houston Zoo

things I'm enjoying these days...

2009-01-08T21:08:00.002-06:00

- my son's HUGE grin when he sees Paul or I
- my new coat I got for Christmas
- Potluck...that's our small group's name (we eat a lot)
- the Wednesday night girlies
- our new TV...totally superficial, but we were able to upgrade the 27", $200, Daewoo (did you know they made TVs?)
- my husbands ingenuity. He got 50% knocked off the new TV
- "conversations" with Jonas
- my new waistline (can I say that here?) which also means new clothes
- our home
- being together as a family
- figuring life out with Paul
- warm soup
- peppermint mocha cream for my coffee
- Jonas' personality
- getting organized
- Paul making Jonas belly laugh
- taking pictures
- steak salad (thanks to my sister-in-law, Rachel)

seven months

2009-01-02T22:36:00.004-06:00

As always, this is a little late but Jonas is seven months old...can you believe it? He is cuter than ever. We were in Dallas on the day he turned 7 months, so he had his first stay in a swanky hotel (which by the way isn't as fun as it is when it is just Paul and I) and got to see his friends, Jackson and Eli. In the past month Jonas has become so mobile! Here are a few of his latest tricks:

- CRAWLING everywhere
- pulling up on anything he can reach. We've entered the world of "no, no" and not reacting too strongly when he falls
- eating veggies. His favorites are squash, carrots, and peas.
- He weights about 15 pounds and is 27 inches. We are excited that he finally doubled his birth weight!
- he also had his first real illness. Jonas had RSV and felt yucky for about a week. It was fun that he wanted us to hold him a lot since he has become a little more independent lately.

this is one of Paul and his college friends with their son's Jackson and Eli

we often see this when we go in to get Jonas from his bed

photo tag

2008-12-11T23:05:00.004-06:00

My friend, Sara, tagged me quite a while ago. This is a fun one...

The rules:

Go to your picture file on your computer.

Pull up the 4th folder.

Pull up the 4th photo.

Tell us about it.

This was taken about 4 or so hours before we headed to the hospital to have Jonas. I didn't know at the time that I was in labor. It is a bit of an embarrassing photo because I have what we affectionately call "my crazy eyes" in this picture.

Charissa, Kristen, and Holly...tag, you're it!

one half

2008-12-09T21:06:00.006-06:00

of a year...that is how old our sweet boy is. We are a little late in posting, but Jonas turned 6 months old on November 20. He brings us so much joy each and every day. Here are a few things about Jonas in the past month...

- he can now sit very well
- so so close to crawling
- scoots and rolls to get where he wants to go
- so much more vocal. he loves to carry on a conversation
- eats rice cereal better than last month. still no veggies since we are still trying to get the hang of the spoon
- weighs about 15 lbs. 4 oz. and 27 inches long
- bottom two teeth have broken through
- jonas has such a fun personality. he really likes to be around people - he even yell when we leave the room. he is beginning to notice when we aren't around, and often looks for us when we are in a group of people.

here are some pics of our son...

Running to the world

2008-12-09T00:02:00.006-06:00

Posted by Paul -

Sarah and I went to the 50th "Carol of Lights" this year... an annual lighting ceremony on the Texas Tech campus. Every year there is a soloist that sings O Holy Night. I love that song. Not like, LOVE.

O Holy Night is by FAR my favorite Christmas song. It absolutely captures the majesty and reverence of the event. I am absolutely blown away every time I hear it. When it was being sung at the Carol of Lights, one line in particular stuck in my head, and after reading a friend's blog who quoted the song, I got to thinking more about that line. The line is " 'Til he appeared and the soul felt it's worth. " Im not sure if the proper version is "the soul felt it's worth" or the soul felt His worth". Both ways are incredibly profound.

" 'Till he appeared and the soul felt it's worth"...what a deep statement about what that baby, the Christ, brings to us...worth. To try and earn worth any other way or place is "meaningless, a chasing after the sun." In this Christmas act we see and feel how much we are really worth to God!

"But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him." - I never thought of The Prodigal Son as a metaphor for the Christmas story, but it is! That baby is the result of God's compassion, it was God's way of throwing caution to the wind, picking up his cloak and running to us as we lay 'in sin and error pining'.

ded-i-ca-tion

2008-12-06T10:23:00.003-06:00

noun: the act of binding yourself (intellectually or emotionally) to a course of action.

On November 16, Paul and I participated in our church's baby dedication. The definition above accurately describes how we have committed to raise Jonas...we've bound ourselves to raising him to be someone who chooses to follow Jesus with his whole heart. And, man, our prayer everyday is that Jonas would choose that course of action.

Deciding to participate in the dedication was hard for us for a few reasons. One being that our families live so far away and couldn't be with us. They were with us in spirit that day. It was fun for us to have our small group stand with us and agree to come along side of us as we parent Jonas. Another reason it was hard for us was because we were acknowledging Jonas as God's. That is hard for me at times...to know that ultimately Jonas isn't mine.

Anyway, here are some pictures.

where we've been

2008-12-01T19:56:00.002-06:00

I apologize for the blog hiatus...it hasn't been intentional. Because I am so tired and am blogging in the middle of calming an extremely tired and fussy baby as well as doing laundry, list format will have to do...

- Jonas turned 6 months old on November 20. Pictures and stats to come. But, I will say this - we love him more with each passing day. He is our joy and delight,

- We travelled to Houston to be with my family for Thanksgiving. That was a R-E-A-L-L-Y long trip. No one told me to add about 1.5 hours when driving with an infant.

- We had tons of fun being with family, seeing friends, shopping, going to the zoo and just being on vacation...eating way too much food - there goes my diet!

- We are looking forward to Christmas. I am soooo excited to decorate our tree on Thursday night.

Pictures to come. I promise. OK, gotta change the laundry.

pears

2008-11-06T20:09:00.004-06:00

the conversation went like this:

Dad (this is Sarah's dad, not Paul): your pears are really good

Sarah: huh? pears?

Dad: ya, from your tree in the backyard

Sarah: what? those are pears?

Dad: of course. what did you think they were?

Sarah: I dunno. crabapples?

turns out we have a pear tree...

our little tiger...

2008-11-01T16:19:00.002-05:00

5 months

2008-10-27T17:08:00.005-05:00

A week ago, Jonas turned five months old. Our little guy had his first doctor appointment today that wasn't a well-baby check-up...he's got an upper respiratory infection and pink eye. Poor thing can't breathe and his eyes look horrible. We love this stage that Jonas is in. His personality is more and more evident all the time. A few things about him this month:
- he weighs 13.2 lbs.
- about 25 inches long
- he's this close to sitting up unsupported
- rice cereal is now a part of our nightly routine
- loves to "ride the horsey" which is the arm of the chair in our living room
- reaches for specific things like toys or his paci
You may notice that Jonas didn't gain weight between his 4th and 5th month. So, we are now in the process of trying to bulk him up a little more. I think it is working since he weighed a little more at the doctor today. Enjoy these pictures...

the first night, we fed Jonas in his bouncy. We quickly decided that the high chair needed to be put together.

sitting up for like 5 seconds. thus, a blurry picture.

are you kidding me?

2008-10-20T18:26:00.007-05:00

It's been one whole month since this dear blog has been updated! This has been a whirlwind month...let's recap...

1. We visited the South Plains Fair...this is a big deal in Lubbock! I sure did enjoy me some yummy fair food...on a stick.

2. I'm sure I've mentioned before how much I love fall. Well, it has arrived and the other weekend we went to the Pumpkin Festival.

3. Jonas got a visit from his Grandpa and Grandma Snow.

4. Jonas and I survived our very first night completely alone as Paul went out of town for work.

5. I am crazy busy at work which leads to being really tired at home.

6. Did I mention how much I love fall? cinnamon spice candles, cool evenings, long sleeved shirts, warm drinks...

4 months

2008-09-20T22:21:00.003-05:00

**UPDATE**
At 4 months, Jonas weighs 13.1 lbs and is 25 inches tall...he is in the 20th percentile for weight and 90th for height! And, here are some 4 month pics...

We bought a bike trailer...Jonas isn't quite sure what he thinks about it yet. But, it is so fun to be able to go on bike rides!

this is the first outfit we ever bought for our baby boy...we didn't even know his name yet

reading books with daddy...

and magazines with mommy

stomping the grapes at the winery's harvest festival

so big on my 4 month birthday

Yes, it is hard to believe, but Jonas is 4 months old today. I know I say this every month, but I just can't believe we have been blessed to be his parents for 4 months already. We often look at each other and say "he is really ours...can you believe it?". It is crazy how much more I love Jonas today than I did the day he was born, and I loved him more than words could describe on that day. He is such a joy. We are amazed at the developmental changes we see every single day. Just yesterday, Jonas really started grasping his feet.

Here are a few highlights...
- rolls over from back to tummy and vice versa
- arches his back to scoot or show his dislike of something
- has learned to "throw a fit" ( I am not sure where he picked this up, but it is there). He yells at us when he is unhappy about something.
- laughs all the time. He particularly loves when mom and dad do silly, embarrassing things.
- carries on conversations - even though we don't really know what he is saying
- sleeps about 9 hours a night
- drools a lot. we think he may start teething very soon
- really likes to stand. he would rather stand than sit on your lap

3 day weekend

2008-09-12T09:03:00.003-05:00

Jonas and I have a 3 day weekend! We've had so much rain in such a short amount of time that there are flash flood warnings in effect. So, Texas Tech canceled classes, and so did Jonas' school. More rain is expected too. So, we are home enjoying the dreary day, drinking coffee and wishing Paul were off too. I think I am going to make scones. These pictures are from our front yard...

for the grandparents...

2008-09-01T11:02:00.008-05:00

This is a special post dedicated to Jonas' grandparents...Grandpa and Grandma Snow, Gram Gram Maney, and Grandpa John Maney. Below you will find videos and pictures of what our big boy is doing now. Oh, and Jonas wanted me to tell you that he misses you and would like to see you real soon!

maneuvering in my bouncy seat to see the TV (please note: my parents normally strap me in)

going to the drive-in

my first day of school

being so so cute after bath time

sitting like a big boy in my bumbo chair

sporting my Texas Tech ball cap and looking like my uncle Tim

Here are 2 videos. Enjoy!

3 months

2008-08-23T16:49:00.003-05:00

Our boy is 3 months old! He actually turned 3 months on August 20, but this week has been so busy that we are just now getting to post. I went back to work this past Monday, which meant that Jonas also started school. That is a lot to adjust to in one week! Anyway, here are a few 3 month stats:
- 12 lbs, 1 oz
- 23.5 to 24 inches (he was a little squirmy)
- rolled over once on his 3 month birthday. Neither one of us saw it because he was at school when he did it. He had been so close at home, and we still have yet to see it.
- laughs all the time and usually is all smiles
- has found his tongue and likes to lick things
- he is becoming lots more dexterous with his hands
- "talks" to us quite a bit
- moves ALL THE TIME
- usually sleeps at least 8 hours at night
- he is very social and quite the charmer.

Shall We Dance?

2008-08-09T10:50:00.004-05:00

"Dance as if no one is looking"...that is such a cliche saying that finds itself on posters and coffee mugs and little plaques you hang in your house. Those types of modern attempts at being profound and deep usually get a quick eye-roll from me before I dismiss it. But, the other day I realized a profound truth in those 7 words.

There is a little girl that goes to our church who has downs syndrome. She is probably 5 or 6 years old and really cute. Her parents are so patient with her and really very loving. We are often in the same worship service as this sweet family. We sit in the back of the auditorium, and they sit in the front. So, I have the opportunity of watching this family as they arrive and take their seats. As the songs begin, this little girl assumes her place in the very front aisle so that she has plenty of room to dance and twirl and clap her hands. I have found myself annoyed at her behavior and at her parents for not "controlling" her a little better. But, the other week something clicked for me. This little girl was worshiping. She was worshiping with utter abandon...quite literally "dancing as if no one was looking"...except Jesus. If only I approached the Throne like that - with utter abandon...leaving behind my inhibitions that often keep me from going to the Throne. You see, I- we- often feel like we need to have it all together. That we need to only share the "good" parts of us - present God with the presentable me. The me that has showered and gotten ready for the day.

I don't believe that is how God intended us to live. How freeing would it be to worship with abandon? I recall the time Jesus was dining at a Pharisees home when a prostitute crashed the party, wept on Jesus' feet and washed them with really expensive perfume. How embarrassing! But, what did she have to lose? Her dignity, her place in society, her reputation? She actually left her encounter with Jesus having gained the most valuable treasure there is...eternal life with him in heaven. I think that her lack of pride, her absolute abandon for protecting herself is what grabbed Jesus' heart.

Is there anything more precious than presenting ourselves fully and without inhibition to God as a holy sacrifice?

all things NEW

2008-08-05T10:09:00.005-05:00

My little sister got married a week and a half ago! I can't believe it. Jonas and I went down a week before the wedding to help with all the last minute details as well as to have Grandma, Grandpa, and all the aunts and uncles love on us. It was his first time on an airplane, and he did great - which was a huge blessing flying there as I was by myself. The wedding was wonderful, my sister was beautiful, and I'm excited to have a new brother!

Rob & Kelly New

bridesmaids at Rehearsal Dinner

sisters

our family all dressed up

one of just Paul and I

Paul and I got the pork chop at the Rehearsal Dinner. This restaurant is known for it's 7 finger chop! That's A LOT of meat.

My Grandma and Grandpa with Jonas

Grandma (my mom), cousin Elliana and Jonas. Elliana calls him baby Donas

me and Jonas with my dear friend, Katie. She graciously helped us with Jonas at the wedding.

pictures galore

2008-08-01T08:57:00.007-05:00

We've had a whirl-wind of activity over the past month! We had Paul's dad visit, then Paul's mom and sister, brother-in-law, and nieces and nephew came, then we all headed down to Houston for my sister's wedding. Here are some pictures of all the company - pictures from Houston to come...

Jonas and Grandpa John (Paul's dad)

the Maney guys

our nephew playing in the pool in the backyard

our little family at the 4th of July parade

our neice holding Jonas

brother-in-law, Paul, with his glow stick creation at the 4th of July fireworks

the whole family

we went to a winery (little fact: Lubbock has 3 winerys)...I'm eating the grapes

Jonas' first time swimming

all the cousins

Jonas with Gram Gram (Paul's mom)

again with Gram Gram

2 months

2008-08-01T08:45:00.004-05:00

Jonas is now 2 months old! I can hardly believe it...time has gone so fast. Paul and I were eating at the cafe in our grocery store the other night, and this cute couple came by our table to oogle over Jonas. The lady told us that their baby was turning 21 that week, and she said that Jonas would be turning 21 "tomorrow". I can't figure out how to capture this moment in our lives more accurately. Jonas is cooing and smiling and even laughing so much. He interacts with us a lot, and we are getting to know him better...we can pretty much identify what he needs when he cries, etc. At his 2 month doctor appointment, he weighed in at 11 pounds and measures 23.5 inches long! That is 3.5 pounds more than he weighed when he was born and 2.5 inches longer. He actually had his doctor appointment one week after turning 2 months. When we weighed him on his 2 month birthday, he weighed 10 lbs, 6 oz. Jonas is such a delight...we are so blessed!

Playtime @ the Gym

2008-07-19T17:57:00.006-05:00

This is a little video of Jonas getting some playtime in on his "Jungle Gym". He's figured out that his hands exist and we think that he's just now discovering that he has feet. It seems like he's really becoming a lot more aware of his surroundings, trying to figure out how to interact with them. It's really fun to see (for us anyway because he's well, our Jonas).

Also, he has really started smiling, laughing and cooing a lot. We're still trying to capture these moments on film. We'll be sure to post when we get a good clip of him cracking up.

spontaneity at its finest

2008-07-19T16:19:00.007-05:00

Last Saturday, we were enjoying a relaxing morning drinking coffee at our favorite coffee shop when our friends, Adam and Casey, called and said that they had just decided to go to Colorado and wanted to know if we could go with them. Paul called his boss to see if he could take Monday and Tuesday off, and he said yes. So, we all piled into their Expedition and left for the mountains. We had so much fun taking Jonas on his first road trip. Here are some pics from our trip...

i've been tagged

2008-07-10T22:36:00.005-05:00

here goes...

What were you doing 10 years ago?
I had just completed summer school - I had to take two classes to graduate, one of which I didn't know I had to take until the last minute. I graduated from Texas Tech University with a bachelors degree in English and headed to College Station, TX where I went on staff with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. I can't believe all that was 10 years ago.

Things on my to-do list today:
get hair highlighted and trimmed
pick up and clean house (always on my to-do list)
do some work
work on getting birth announcements out
shop for rehearsal dinner outfits and a wedding outfit for Jonas (for my sister's wedding in 2 weeks)

What are some snacks you enjoy?
ice cream
fruit snacks
chips
candy...you get the idea that I like junk food. I also really love fruit - strawberries, pineapple, cantaloupe, and watermelon

What would you do if you were a millionaire?
I would buy my dream home and travel. I would definitely take my entire family on a great vacation. I would invest and give lots away. I think I would also buy a Land Rover.

Name some places you've called home:
Moab, UT
Houston, TX
Lubbock, TX (twice)
College Station, TX
I was born and lived in Utah for a few years, but I grew up in Houston. I went to college in Lubbock and worked with InterVarsity in College Station. I currently live in Lubbock.

What are some of your bad habits?
expecting too much, hitting the snooze too many times, perfectionism

What are some jobs you've held?
grunt worker for a family friend's business, sales person at Gap Kids, babysitter, house sitter, staff worker for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, English teacher, Assistant Director of Admissions (my current position), and most recently...mommy.

Who are you tagging?
Charissa, Kristen, Holly, and Lindsee

3...

2008-07-09T21:43:00.002-05:00

is the number of years we have been married as of today. Happy Anniversary, Paul. I love you more today than I did this day three years ago.

S-L-E-E-P

2008-07-02T08:56:00.002-05:00

It has been a very long time - maybe 6 months or so - since I've slept 6 consecutive hours at night. You know between the big preggo belly and constantly having to go to the bathroom and a newborn baby, I was getting maybe 3 hours of sleep at a time. But, last night it happened! JONAS SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT! He slept from 11:30 pm to 6:30 am, and I got 6 hours of uninterrupted sleep since I went to bed at 12:30. I don't know if it will happen again any time soon, but today I am rejoicing.

wardrobe change

2008-06-28T13:16:00.005-05:00

Yesterday, I did the wardrobe switch-a-roo...I got my regular clothes out from the storage box and put my maternity clothes in. I am actually a little sad about it. As I have said before, I really liked my maternity clothes and don't like my regular clothes nearly as much. I am also a little (maybe just a smidge) sad that my maternity clothes wearing days have come to an end - at least for now.

I've gone from this...

to this...

all for this...

one month

2008-06-20T15:10:00.002-05:00

Dear Baby Boy-
Today you are one month old, and I can't believe it! Each day has been wonderful. It is so strange that just a month ago, you were being born...the anticipation was finally coming to an end. Jonas, you have changed our lives in ways that we could not even really imagine. I was so apprehensive about the changes you would bring, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I am a little sad that your newborn stage is coming to an end - I just keep trying to savor each moment. I love that you fit just perfectly in my arms and that your cry is still a "baby" cry. I love that you look at me with your big blue eyes while I talk to you or while you are eating. I love watching you sleep. You smile in your sleep, and it is so sweet. Sometimes, I just want to wake you up so I can spend more time with you. I love when you are awake and are interacting with your dad and I. You grunt and coo, and I just know you are "talking" to us. You like to kick your legs and swing your arms during your play time.

During your one month as our son, we have celebrated my birthday and dad's birthday as well as Father's day. These special days have been so much more special since you are here. We have even gone on some family outings - just last night we went to the movies and dinner.

Son, I love you more than I ever thought I would or could - and it has only been a month. You have made me want to be the best person I can be. You have made me recognize my need for Jesus even more. Being a parent has been so hard, but you are so worth it. I am thankful that I get to be your mommy, and I am excited about our future together!

twenty-eight

2008-06-17T09:10:00.004-05:00

Today is Paul's birthday! To celebrate his 28 years, here is a list of 28 things I love about Paul...

1. He's tall...way taller than me
2. he likes to fix things on his own
3. he cleans the bathroom soooo well
4. he usually lets me pick what we watch on tv
5. his integrity is honorable
6. he loves the Lord
7. he wants to provide the very best for our family
8. he has career goals and works to accomplish them
9. he makes really good chocolate chip cookies
10. he will go shopping with me
11. he has the ability to make me roll with laughter
12. his "we're in this together" attitude
13. he wakes up in the middle of the night if me and Jonas are having a hard time
14. his love for the outdoors
15. he lets me be myself
16. he is able to make anyone feel welcome
17. he asks good questions of people
18. he serves people well
19. he values community
20. he doesn't seem to get out of shape
21. he's really good looking
22. he's a leader
23. he's a huge risk taker
24. he will fill my car up with gas
25. he is so smart and knows things I can't even comprehend
26. he likes to read Newsweek magazine
27. he can quote so many funny movie lines...and uses them at the right time
28. he loves me so well

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PAUL. I love you!