Christmas Happenings

Whoah! Is Christmas over already?! We tried to get the most out of this wonderful season and I think it was a great 1st Christmas as a family of 3!

My Nonnie was very sick leading up to Christmas and our hearts were heavy with concern for her. It didn't feel right to post silly Christmas stuff while she was struggling so. We prayed and prayed and prayed for her! We got the best early Christmas gift ton Christmas Eve when we found out that she is doing a lot better and gets to go HOME to recover!!! Praise the LORD!!

Over the weekend we tried a new family tradition...Chuy's and the Trail of Lights. It was fun, but oh-so-exhausting!! I don't think it's an annual tradition after all. Maybe every 5 years? :) M loved the Tex-Mex and I think the "shuttles" to Zilker park may have been a highlight for him. It was his 1st time on a School Bus and 1st time ever to be in a moving vehicle unrestrained. Wild! He loved the lights as well and did very well with all the waiting. The Ergo was a LIFE SAVER!! Thanks, Kristen for lending it to us!

On Christmas Eve we got donuts and juice and took them to Daddy's work before heading to brunch at Cousin Sophia's. Makafui always enjoys a visit to Daddy's work...and playing with other kids' toys.

In the evening we went to church (which was pretty much Makafui and I walking the halls....how things have changed!) and then enjoyed our annual get together at Justin and Kim's! I forgot to take pictures. :(

Christmas morning was so fun. I was lame at taking pics, but we had a blast! Uncle Jon came over with Starbuck's and we opened our gifts before heading over to Gigi and Pops for Christmas devotion, breakfast and more gifts!

Uncle Jon's version of the Christmas story involves a giant baby crashy through Bethlehem.

All in all, this was a wonderful Christmas. I wish I would've taken more pictures, but I was busy just enjoying the moments. Hope y'all had a fab Christmas as well!

Heavy Heart, Deep Thoughts

My Dad's younger brother, my Uncle Jimmie passed away 2 weeks ago, he was 53 years old. I haven't blogged about it or really said much about it because I guess I didn't know what to say. It caught us all off guard.

Undoubtedly, I was/am deeply saddened by his loss. I am especially sad for my Dad and my Nonnie. I knew Uncle Jimmie and had spent some time with him, but I was not very close to him. Our main connection was simply that we loved some of the same people.

I think when anyone you are close to passes it gets you to thinking. I have been thinking a lot about life, death, purpose, influence and impact lately.

If I were to die soon, who would be affected by it? Who would mourn and miss me deeply? Who would come to my funeral and say that I had made an impact on their life? What would my legacy be?

Right now, my mission field is my family (and not in the whole 'us four and no more' or just populate the earth with Christian babies sort of way...more about mission/missionaries later). I pour all of myself into my husband and child. I unashamedly give nearly all that I am to them, I hope to the glory of God.

I am not on street corners shouting the gospel, nor do I plan to ever go that particular route. I no longer serve internationally. I don't volunteer at the food bank like I used to or build houses for people in need-in this country or any other. I'm not currently fundraising for any great cause or handing out Bibles. I am not Billy Graham or Mother Theresa.

I am a girl who loves Jesus, loving and supporting my husband. I am raising a man.

Sometimes I feel like that's not enough. Like I should be doing, being more.

But here's the deal, I am walking in the good works God has prepared for me. I am exactly where I am supposed to be, doing exactly what I am supposed to be doing-right here, right now. My impact is not to a large group of people. It's to a small, very important sphere of influence.

I wasn't sure if that was okay. I wasn't sure if I should be doing more. Am I being ALL who God has called me to be?

Some days, I don't know the answer to that question.

And some, I do.

I've been thinking a lot lately...

An Open Letter to my Son

Dear Makafui,

I love you more than you may ever know. Everyday I thank God that He put you in my life. I also beg God to give me the wisdom and strength I need to be a great Mama to you!

You are sweet and snuggly and love for me to hold you. I pray that you will keep that sweet tenderness as you grow-that you'll never be too grown up for hugs and kisses and that you will want to keep being with your Mama. I pray that the tenderness you have will increase and you will have compassion and love not just for your family members, but for others around you.

You are very strong willed and can be extremely stubborn. I pray that the Lord will turn that into righteous tenacity and that you will learn to choose your battles wisely.

You are very wakeful and fight sleep. You might be this way your entire life. I pray that your nights are full of peace, whether sleeping or awake. I pray that as you grow you will find and love rest, that if you stay wakeful you will take that time to pray and reflect on who our great God is...quietly, I hope!

You are very frustrated lately. You bite to communicate that frustration. I pray that God will help me understand what you need and want and that I can ease those frustrations. I pray that your frustration will push you to learn and grow, now and throughout your life. I pray that you will be a good communicator.

You destroy everything!! We call you a tornado or hurricane because you tear through just about everything wanting to discover and learn and climb. I pray that you keep that desire to discover and that I can help you tone it down a little without "breaking" you of that adventurous spirit.

You are strong! Your Daddy and I worry sometimes that you will get dropped or fall because you are so strong and catch us off guard. I pray that you will not just have physical strength, but that you will be spiritually strong as well. I pray that the strength you have in both of those areas will not be used to hurt others, accidentally or otherwise.

You are a sinful tiny human. I see everyday the sin nature we all have coming out in you. I pray you will trust in Jesus at a young age, that you will run to Him for salvation!

You exhaust me. I pray that God multiplies my rest and gives me extra strength each day.

You stump me. Sometimes, I just don't know what to do with you or certain behaviors. I pray that God will give me GREAT wisdom and grace as I parent you. I pray that the Lord will equip me to be patient, to understand what your behaviors are and to teach and discipline in love.

You elate me. You are such a sweet, sweet joy in my life. I pray that I do not let the joy you bring to me, the sense of purpose I have caring for you or the urgency of your needs to become an idol.

I love you so much my exhausting, wakeful, snuggly tornado! Being your Mama is the best!!

XO
Mommy

Crazy Weekend Update

On Saturday, we went up to Dallas with the intent of looking at and purchasing a used Kia Sorento.

You would've though we were going abroad to get it based on everything I packed to keep Makafui occupied, but I wasn't taking any chances!

We had fun on our little road trip. :) We rented a car because according to my dad and husband, if your own car has more than 100,000 miles, you shouldn't take it more than 50 miles from home. Ha! :) I think Killer would've made it! The SUV we rented was a liiiiitle more comfy though. ;)

It was an early start! We picked up Gigi a little before 7.

I tried to get Makafui to sleep in the car by putting a blanket over him. This was his response. Gone are the days...

You CAN'T go to Dallas without stopping in West for Kolaches!!

When we got to Dallas, the car was NOT ready like I told them it should be. We were ushered to back corner of the lot and left to inspect it. Oh. My. Goodness.  It also was NOT what had been represented to us. This car was filthy! Absolutely disgusting. It was only a 2012, but looked like it had 10+ years of wear on it. We figured if the previous owner did that to the inside, they probably didn't take care of the engine either.

So we went back to the car where my mom and M were waiting. The plan to go up to Dallas, check out and test drive the (ready and waiting) car and sign the papers was a no-go. We could turn around and be home before our 3 o'clock target or we could try to make the most of being in a bigger city with lots of cars. We chose the latter. So we hit up Chick-Fil-A and searched for more Kia Sorentos while we ate. G was especially wary and bummed. We stopped at more used car places (which had nothing we wanted or better than Austin) and were ready to go home when G said we HAD to go to a Honda store first. I said OK, but figured it was a wasted trip because he had already tried to (secretly) get me my dream car in Austin and the dealership just couldn't make the car fit our budget.

Well, after lots of waiting and talking and waiting and bargaining and waiting and almost saying yes to a blue car (which was the ONE thing I didn't want) then talking and waiting some more.

I.

GOT.

THIS.

....


....


....

 

 

I still can't believe it! A CR-V has been my dream car for many, many years! I was more than happy with a used Sorento (or even another Saturn Ion!) but my sweet husband really wanted to bless me...he even made sure it was THE color I love, not just a color I wouldn't mind.

The headphones and workout stuff I got him for Christmas hardly seem fair now.

Wait, I bore him a child and wake up with that child all hours of the night...who said anything about fair?!

Anyway, back to the story. All of G's bargaining and getting all the paperwork done for this this amazing gift took some time. We didn't leave Dallas until nearly 6. Aaaaand, G got separated from us and turned around in a serious way! At one point he called my mom and said, "I just saw a sign that said Welcome to Louisiana." Haha! He ended up getting home and hour and a half AFTER us! It was very nerve wracking for me.

We made it 2 years and 11 months sharing a car!! We waited and waited (and aaaaaalmost got a 2nd vehicle several times, but each time something terrible happened right before) and finally found the perfect thing for us!

I am so, so, so glad that my mom came with us! This is NOT the way we thought the day would unfold and I just don't know what we would have done without her. Makafui was a total rockstar as well. He spent more time in his car seat on Saturday than he normally does in a week! He did great!!

If you're ever in the market for a Honda, we highly recommend Lute Riley!

On Sunday, we went over to my sister and brother in-law's house and helped them move back in. Then we went to cousin Sophia's 1st Birthday party. It was a pretty packed day.

Poor M is WORN OUT from this weekend. So even though we have wheels and the freedom to roam now, we're at home, just playing and hoping for some good naps. :)

My husband sure is sweet. I don't think I'll get over this gift anytime soon. Now my car just needs a name...

Photastic Update

Well it took me long enough, but here is a taste of what we've been up to....

 

We went to the square in Gtown last week and it is GORGEOUS! They have everything lit up so beautifully and there was live music and it was the cutest little Christmas town! We can't wait to go see it all again when Pops gets back in town and maybe have an adult night out when Uncle Jon comes in too. :)

 

Gee, thanks Makafui...yank Mommy's tunic open!

 

M loves all things Christmas! This toy shop was fun, but the outside lights really had him going!

Terrible picture in front of the Courthouse

Christmas Donkey with antlers??

And here are the belated 10 month old pics. We had trouble getting M to sit in the chair. Hahahaha!

Muuuuuuch better!

"Mom, I'm over this."

 

We went to H-E-B and I got the car cart for the first time. It was a hit! M owned that place!! He was squealing and waving to his adoring fans pretty much the entire time.

 

We're loving the Christmas tree at home (and the Christmas jammies!)

 

 

Blinking continues to be a favorite trick and form of communication...

 

G has more pics on his phone, I'll have to get them. Hope y'all are enjoying this wonderful season as much as we are!

Because he is a tornado

I have gotten super lame at posting and posting pictures lately. It's becuase Makafui is a tornado. He is everywhere!! When he does sleep, I am cleaning up after him! :) He's all boy and he has two speeds, full blast and off. I really will post pictures soon-promise!!

10 Months!!

We have entered the double digit months...for serious? I feel like I'm doing my best to slow down, breathe in Makafui and enjoy these moments, but it's still passing so quickly!

We are having a blast during this fun discovery stage, but it is not without it's own challenges. :)

Makafui is growing like a weed! At his Dr. appt last week he was 19 1/2lbs!! He is a very strong nearly 20 pounder at that!

His personality is absolutely gigantic!! I love how he blinks at people to quietly (and ridiculously cutely) get their attention. He also throws his hands on top of his head and drags them down his face when he is tired, when I'm not getting his food fast enough, when he's being silly or for any other unknown reason!

He has taken to rubbing his head whenever he gets hurt-whether he actually bumped his head or not.

He bites! This is a recent development. He bites because his teeth are coming in and bothering him. He also bites to discover things, to get my attention and when he is annoyed or mad. Boo. When I catch him right before he bites me, I hold his face and say, "No, no! Don't bite!" then he laughs! Hmmmm, not what I was going for.

Sleeping without a crib is still going great! I don't know what the recipe is, but this week we had a night with a 7 hour stretch, one with a 6 1/2 hour stretch and one with a 5 hour stretch. I'm a little stumped but I'll take what I can get!

He loves music and sounds! No matter what he is playing with, he'll find another toy or something to bang it on and make a new sound. I love watching him discover in that way. He loves his Mega Blocks because of the sounds they make, not for [watching Mom and Dad] building or knocking things down.

He is still very social and quite the charmer! Extreme attachment and social anxiety seem only to come out when he isn't feeling well or needs a nap. I think I'm the same.

He is getting soo many teeth! He has 7 or 8 that I can see and several big molar lumps. Poor baby.

He is crawling pretty fast now and can pull up to standing on pretty much anything. He's taken a few daring lunges from one piece of furniture to another. I'm afraid he'll be "cruising" before we know it!

We are just having a blast with him! I love Makafui so much and I still can't get over how completely adorable he is!!

I've maxed out my pictures and I'm trying to figure out how to buy more memory or something. I'll add pics to this post later.

You know who you are...

This is not a conversation. It is a statement. I will not allow anymore of your nastiness into my life. I know you lurk and read my blog and use it as fodder to judge me. That is fine, spend your time how you'd like.

I know where I stand with God. You do not, because you are not God.

I have the Holy Spirit. You are not Him.

I have trusted friends in my life who are welcome to speak into it. You are not....and now I know, never were.

You can say mean and judgemental things about me and my family-treat me like trash because in your self righteousness you know what's in our hearts and what needs changed. You can even gossip about us to other people. I know you will because you have gossiped about others to me. I will not let that affect me.

I tried once more for peace. You rejected it and came out swinging.

I choose to move on.

I choose to focus on the wonderful things in my life.

This is the end of thinking about you and the destruction you would like to cause.

Back in the Swing of Things

Goodness. Sickness sucks...a lot. We are on the mend now, but the computer is kind of on the fritz, so I'm not sure if I can post pictures. Blah.

Thanksgiving was good despite M being sick and it being the (unknown) beginning of a very rough week and a half!

We put up our Christmas decorations and have been enjoying all things Christmas we can get our hands on!

LaFawnda (our lovely tree angel) has taken one flying leap from the top thanks to Makafui, the expert tree shaker. I wonder how many more times that will happen...

Makafui is coughing during his nap as I write this. That makes me very nervous. Are we in for another round of yucky?

I put together Makafui's Push n Ride for Christmas and put it in the top of our closet. He managed to find it and convince Daddy to bring it down for him to play with!! Really?? Mommy, the Grinch, put it back up.

We are resigning our lease to stay here for another year. I'm already making plans for this next year to be wonderful despite the inability to roam. :)

We are very blessed to have this home.

While Makafui was sick we got sposie diapers. It was very eye opening to me. I was shocked by how expensive they are, how terribly they smell, the amount of trash they produce and weirded out by that gel stuff. I'm very glad we use cloth. What a nice reminder. :)

It looks like M is getting some molars. Poor kid can't catch a break, he's having a hard time with it.

I ate ice cream for breakfast.

We're not quite going all out with Christmas gifts for family members this year. I'm a little nervous that people won't like what we're doing.

I got some disappointing news this week. I've put my big girl panties on about it, but sometimes I'm still a little bummed about it.

We are good at waiting for things. Ha!

On Saturday, G brought me a HUGE Gingerbread latte and a salted caramel cake ball (for breakfast) to say thanks and reward me for being up every hour that night with sick dude. How sweet is he? He knows me well!

My mother-in-law needs high blood pressure meds, but the price of them Ghana is really high. I've been trying to see if I can get her the same drugs online and on the cheap, but we don't have a paper prescription. Let me tell you, suuuuuuper sketchy! Super.

My baby hits the double digit months this week. How did that happen? I'm kind of in a slow-down-this-is-making-mommy-sad mode about it and I'm also planning his 1st Birthday party. Conflicted much?

M slept (or I didn't hear him or something) from 12:15-7:15 last night. This is indeed a miracle.

Laying Low

I have got something like the flu (but it better not be because I got a flu shot) and M is still recovering from a tummy thing that started on Thanksgiving. We've also maxed out our pictures for the month on blogger, so I'll blog again once those things are all rectified. Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

I still have a big list of things I'm thankful for that didn't make it into daily posts. Oh well. :) Today I am really grateful for....

No more immigration!!
G isn't working Black Friday!
We are all healthy!
Kahlua Brownies!
Jobs for people we love!
Grace!
COFFEE!
Community!
New and old friends!
Choosing to live life abundantly!
Salvation through Jesus Christ!

Sibs!

Today I am thankful for all 5 of my siblings and their significant others! I have a different relationship with each of them and I love that. I am so blessed that we're all in Texas! This is one big, loud, wonderful family and I wouldn't trade it for anything!

Makafui's Turn!!

I am thankful for....

Mama!!!

Daddy!!

Gigi!!

Pops!!

Christmas trees in shopping centers (boy is gonna flip when we have one in. our. house.)

My new Mega Blocks from a friend.

FOOOOOOOOOD!

Being able to blink on purpose becuase it's such a fun trick.

Newspapers!

Hangers.

Books.

Exploring.

NOT having a crib anymore!!!!

And all my other wonderful family members that I don't have pictures with!!