Monday, April 8, 2013

if these walls could talk...

...they'd tell of a 21 year old boy man buying his first home to one day raise his family in.  they'd remember a magical proposal, an ecstatic yes, and a smitten pair of young love birds. a sweet, swift engagement with lingering goodbyes and sweet kisses in the kitchen.  they'd see two newlyweds freshly browned by the sun on the beaches of the dominican republic. they would remember dinners on the front porch, loads of laundry in the floor, midnight ice cream runs and hours of laughter from the bedroom. 

if these walls could talk they would remember two short weeks of trying before a positive test and skeptical husband shocked in the front yard.  they would remember talks of pale pink or bold blue and finally compromising on yet another shade of brown.  they'd whisper about picking a strong, modern, but classic, crib, thrift storing for the perfect shelf trinkets and eventually finding the perfect j-a-y blocks forming a strong, sentimental name. 

if these walls could talk they'd find a scared mom-to-be crying into the late hours worrying about a damaged heart.  they'd hear the prayers of two terrified parents hoping for the best, but being devestated by the worst.  yes, if they could talk, they would shout the good news that a heart had been healed, faith restored and a baby born. 

they would remember the colicy first few months, the hard first days back at work, the precious summer days, the crawls on the hard woods and the splashes and giggles echoing from a cast iron tub down a cold hallway.  they would worry about rashes, turned ankles and late first steps, but rejoice in requests for milk, bubbles on the porch, doggies in the yard, balls on the steps, toys in daddy's boots, and a for sale sign in the front yard where it all began.

the time has come.  it's our turn to move from these walls into newer, cleaner, bigger walls.  i'm sad to leave the memories, but know there are so many more to come.  i hope i never forget this old house.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

busy bodies

december meant lots of things at our house....
 
going to the christmas tree farm
 
meeting santa
 
decorating the house...
 
santa coming for the first time (!)
 
first big boy haircut
 
 learning the difference between dogs and all other animals
(... or not)
 
hanging out with miss mali
 
 
daddy's birthday
 
feeding the dogs.... ducks....
 

turning eleven months old
 
and apparently your mother's new found obsession with hats... :)
 
 
tomorrow you turn one... to avoid crying over a blog post, i'm going to bed. see you in the morning baby  big boy jay.  i love you more each day.

Saturday, November 24, 2012

halloween

nanny gave me the clown outfit daddy and uncle will both wore on their first halloweens.  naturally, you wore yours to nana's fall festival at church.  we ran into mali minnie mouse! 
 

 on real halloween, you were a ferocious lion. how scary.





love you sweet boy.
-mom

giving thanks

when i say that i love Joycee, that's a huge understatement.  she is my hero. she's my inspiration. she's my Joycee.  even though she is now 87, she insists on having all of our gatherings at her house.  i can't tell you how happy i am when we pull into her driveway, climb up her steps, and hug her neck.  wow. that woman.
 
we spent thanksgiving morning with joycee and nana's family and then had dinner with nanny and pop in heath.  holidays are so special with you, cutie pie.
 






 





 
baby jay, joycee and pawpaw jay.
 
 
 
i am so thankful God chose joycee to be nana's mom and me to be your mom. life is good.
-mom

ten months

you weigh 25 pounds. WHAT!? you wear 24 month clothes.  DOUBLE WHAT!? Apparently, you're going to be a big boy.  i certainly don't mind.  this month you've decided to stop eating baby food.  i think your new found independence has led you to believe that you don't need mommy's help.  i knew the day would come eventually.  but really jay?  10 months old and feeding yourself?  meal time is quite the adventure and usually pretty messy, but your new diet hasn't stunted your growth. ;)
 



on the day you turned ten months, we went to get a Christmas tree. it's our fourth year in a row to go the day after Thanksgiving to get our Christmas tree.  i like traditions. a lot. it's so fun making new ones with you.  it was fun to see your happiness, but even more fun to see Daddy's excitement about your first Christmas. he pretends that he hates the holidays, but we know better. don't we?
 
 
 
i can't wait to make new memories with you this Christmas.
-mom