walk walk a WALK!

This boy is walk, walk, walk, a walkin away! 

 

He's pretty proud of himself... with good reason!

He fell...

And he stood up all on his own and starting walking!

THEN THE REAL FUN BEGAN.... 

He was goin like CRAZY behind his trike. It was the best.

Who is this full grown child?

Oh my goodness!!!

photo photo

Cell phone pictures in backwards chronological order :)

This was one of my favorite mama moments. :) He would grab my face, squeeze it, and give me a big kiss over and over again. It was perfect!

Matching hats on our Target trip with Grandma :)

We were running late for Jude's pediatrician appointment and Jude couldn't handle Grandma's crazy driving. He threw up all over himself and me. Poor thing.

Jude was such a good boy when the doctor was listening to his heart and lungs :)

He was being my little lover in Old Navy.

Stetson and Jude... best friend's babies = best friends!

Only the best for our boy

He loved walking behind his tricycle, up and down the hill and running behind it. It was some of the most fun we've ever had!

Enjoying the fire in the backyard

More fun in Target! Always trying on hats :)

T H A N K F U L

I have been on the verge of tears for the past day. I have just been feeling so thankful, humbled, and blessed for my family and where we are in our life. I have been enjoying my D&C class to no end. It fills me with so much light and inspiration. I know it was divinely designed that I am taking right now, when it has been such a help to have a little extra spiritual boost on my side.

I am thankful for the Gospel.

I am thankful for my Savior, that through him I can find eternal happiness as I am continually learning to repent and draw closer to him.

I am thankful for my loving Heavenly Father, who always answers my prayers and blesses me way more than I probably deserve.

I am thankful for my dear husband, who has the most beautiful green eyes that I can see his whole soul through. I am thankful for his sweetest heart and that I am the one who gets to know that heart better than anyone else.

I am thankful for our creation, my little boy. He is my world. I am thankful to be his mother and all that that word entails.

I am thankful for our families and their love, support, and deep care for us. 

I am thankful that we are taking a new path in life. Although it may feel like we are jumping over rivers with crocodiles and snakes below and crossing rickety old bridges fifty feet above the water with no idea what's on the other side, we are fearless because we are holding on to each other soo tight.

our pursuit of HAPPYNESS...

It's funny how we think we have life all figured out...

and then things change.

And all the sudden all our plans are gone,

and we realize the only plan we have is that everything will work out because Heavenly Father is in charge of our plan.

His plan is our plan and we're okay with that.

Our plans to go to medical school and live here in our pretty little house for four years?

Nope.

Dan resigned from medical school on Friday...

and we're moving.

on our way out from VCOM... for the last time!

He realized it wasn't for him or for us as a family. He realized that it wasn't best for our eternal family and that money and position really don't matter. The sacrifice of being $200,000 in debt and being "indentured servants" for the rest of our lives is not worth it. And for what? For Dan to work long hours in a job where he is controlled by the government and not enjoying what he does? It all culminated last Wednesday with Obama's victory. Dan told me he had not really been enjoying school at all and just hadn't said anything to me about it.

stopped by the park afterwards... what!? time?! what do we do with it?!

eyes closed in pictures... so in right now. 

It was stressfulcrazyscary few days but we are feeling better, really good even. We know, without the slightest doubt, that we doing what is best for our family. We are thankful for this lesson we are learning, even if it took our life savings to learn it. It was worth it. Because now we'll never look back. Dan has (re)realized Optometry really is what he wants to do with his life day in and day out. It just suits him. Remember that talk in conference two times ago? I forget who it was by but he shared a story about a father and son driving home late one night. They came to a crossroads and didn't know which way to. They both felt like they needed to go right. So they went right. Before long, they came to a dead end and realized right was wrong. The son asked his father why they both had a feeling that they should go right when it was the wrong way? His father told him that now they can confidently go the other way and know it is right. Heavenly Father doesn't always answer their prayers in the way we think. This is us. We were supposed to move to Boiling Springs for a few months and do medical school for a few months and if we could take it back and go straight to Optometry school we wouldn't. We know we have learned lessons through all this that we have needed to learn. We can move forward confidently (humbly confident) in this direction and we know it is right for us.

so excited, jude's legs started kicking and he "ooo oooo!!"'ed when he noticed them :)

QUACK QUACK

We are excited for what the future brings. We have been humbled and are thankful for it!