What's ahead in 2011...?

.... to be honest, I'm not exactly sure what's ahead in the coming year. 2010 proved to be a year of big changes - some that we had anticipated and some that we had not. It's been a wonderful year, a hard year at times, a growing year (and hopefully a year of growing closer to Jesus Christ)...and there is so much more that I could say about the last 12 months if I had the time.

We don't know what to expect as we look toward 2011. We may try to plan or anticipate what's to come in the next 12 months, but I hope that at the end of this next year we can say that no matter what happened it was a year of knowing Jesus Christ more and making Him known.

I don't want to sound super spiritual or act like I have it all together - believe me, I'm not and I don't. That is the very reason that I recognize my need for Jesus more than ever. Becoming a mother this year has changed me in many ways and I praise God that one of those changes has been me recognizing how much I need Jesus. How I'm dependent on Him to mother James the way that I need to or to be the wife that Stephen needs. Since James was born, I recognize now more than ever how much more I need to know God's Word and live His word and how weak my attempts at reading and studying His Word have been. I recognize the time that I've wasted and the opportunities that I've missed. I recognize the ways that I have not lived with the freedom in Christ that is intended for His children. I recognize how I've believed lies over truth and how I've cared about the opinion of others more than that of God's. I pray that God would help me to have a deeper relationship with Him in 2011.

I have been reading SO MANY books lately. I don't usually read more than one book at a time but I am in the middle of maybe half a dozen books at the moment from books about motherhood, to parenting, to family, to spiritual warfare, and even some fiction added into the mix. One of the books that I am currently reading and that has had a profound impact on me is The Mission of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson. I highly recommend it. I am reading it and plan to reread it. I also would love to do it as a study with other moms out there at some point. One of the sections that I highlighted from a chapter called The Teaching Mother says this:

"My children long to give their hearts not to a list of rules but to a living, loving, vibrant Person - a God who is truly worthy of praise and their life's devotion. They will encounter that God in the pages of Scripture, but they will come to know him even more intimately in the lives of those who love him. In a sense, I give my children their best theological education by seeking to really know and love God in my own life and living my life out before my children. Children will read our lives as the most important book they will ever know. How important it is that we allow our hearts to be confronted by his reality daily so that they may see his reality in our lives."

How convicting! I don't just want James to know my love for him but to know Jesus love for him as I let Scripture change me from the inside out and then live it out before him. 

This year, in 2011, I am committing to spending time daily in God's Word. I am also committing to memorize Scripture in 2011 (something that I have not done a good job of in the past). Beth Moore gave a challenge (I believe on her blog) and I've had some friends repost that same challenge, but the basic idea is to memorize two verses a month and 24 verses in 2011. Maybe that doesn't seem like a lot but it will be 24 verses more than I knew the year before and I think it a very doable commitment. I will try and remember (and as time allows) to post my memory verses on the 1st and 15th of each month here on my blog. I will choose verses based on my Bible reading and what is going on in my own life. Feel free to make this commitment in 2011 along with me. You can memorize the verses that I post or just let my blog be a reminder to choose your own verses to memorize for the month. I pray and ask you to pray with me that we would be a family/parents as described in Deuteronomy 6: "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates."

Praying that whatever is ahead in 2011 we will seek Jesus Christ!

Baby Steps

James has been taking some steps for a few weeks now but has started to do it more often and more confidently the last few days. We decided to capture him taking a few steps on video this morning before he gets so confident that he just starts running everywhere. :) I can't believe we have an almost one year old little boy. This has been an amazing almost 11 months with him and I'm so grateful that God has blessed me with his sweet, little life. :) We love you, James!

We weren't dreaming about our WHITE CHRISTMAS!

James' first Christmas turned out to be a white Christmas! The snow started about 7:00 PM Christmas night and snowed until early afternoon the next day. We measured the accumulation with a tape measure (so official, I'm sure) and we got at least 8 inches.  This is the first white Christmas in Raleigh since records began in the 1800's! It is a special memory that we will never forget. We didn't go out in it much because Stephen and James are both not feeling well but we did go out long enough to get a few pictures to remember out little boy's special, first Christmas. It is still freezing today (Monday) and looks like the snow will be with us for a while. We are all cuddled up inside and don't plan to go anywhere soon (except Daddy to work). Luckily Target opened long enough yesterday that we could go and grab milk and a few other things (like a huge container of cheese balls - a snow day necessity).

James' First Christmas

Stephen and I decided last year when were pregnant with James that we would like to begin our own Christmas traditions as a family after he was born. So, after visiting family the week before Christmas we returned home on Christmas Eve so that James could wake up in his own bed on Christmas Morning. Even though it was different to start a new tradition after 26 years, it was a lot of fun and I'm so glad that we did it. Here are a few pictures of out little guy enjoying Christmas Eve and Christmas morning at our house in NC:

Christmas Morning (6:30 AM) - James is an early riser like his Mama!

Merry (1st) Christmas James! What a special Christmas we had with you! We are grateful for the gift of your life and most of all we are thankful for the gift of Jesus, the giver of all good things!

Christmas Traveling

We had a great time visiting family the week before Christmas. James did better than even in the car and adjusted very well to all the changes. After visiting two different states, stopping at 3 different houses, and spending close to 24 hours in the car (by Stephen's calculations) he did sleep at somewhat unusual times and only let us bathe him one time while we were gone, but I felt a lot more laid back about him being a little "off" than I probably would have a few months earlier. Even though it was so great to see everyone (and meet baby Samuel for the first time!) and sad to say goodbye (sorry Dad for all the tears at the end), it was also nice to get back home at the end of the week. When we walked through the door James immediately crawled over to his favorite toys that we had left behind and squealed as he played - we knew he was glad to be home too! Here are just a few of the pictures from Christmas with our families:

Christmas at Grandma and Aunt Megan's:

Christmas at Nana and Grandpa's:

Christmas at Granddaddy and Nana's:

Meeting Santa for the First Time

Here is our sweet James getting ready to meet Santa for the first time. :)

James was very happy to sit on Mama's lap....

But not so happy to sit on Santa's lap. My poor baby!

There's always next year...

A Terrific Ten Months!

What a terrific ten months it has been with out sweet little James! I know that sounds so cheesy but I do love alliterations. I can't help myself -  I'm a mom and a former elementary school teacher. But honestly, it really has been the most wonderful, challenging, growing, emotional, beautiful (and so many other adjectives) 10 months with our little boy!

Here is a little update on what James is doing at 10 months! He has continued to build on the skills from previous months so I will try not to restate them all but here are some of the new things that stand out from this month:

- Wearing mostly 12 month clothes and some 9 month clothes, size 3 and 4 shoes, size 3 diapers, and weighing in at around 20 pounds on our scale at home.

- His "look" is changing this month! He is starting to look less like a baby and more like a little boy. He still has very blue eyes (with two very brown eyed parents) and blonde hair that is getting so long. He still has those two little bottom teeth and some on top that are going to break through the surface any day now!

- Taking two naps a day still, usually for around 2 to 3 hours of daytime sleep and 13 to 14 hours of sleep total a day. I definitely think he requires less sleep than other babies his age. I think he doesn't want to stop moving and is afraid to miss anything. Also, the doctor and nurse confirmed for me at his 9 month checkup that sleep can often be a challenge for a reflux baby which was comforting to hear what I already felt in my heart.

- He continues to stay on the move all day long. He is now taking a few independent steps but I wouldn't say he is a "walker" just yet. He still prefers to crawl, cruise, and push his play table around (who needs a push toy?! :) )

- His love for all things Mickey Mouse continues to grow but loves Mickey Mouse DVDs best of all (that is a Stephen gene there). The word "mickey" is literally music to his ears. His love for peek-a-boo in all forms also continues to grow. His favorite peek-a-boo game is me running with him from one side of the house to the other where Daddy sits hiding his face. :) Who needs exercise when we have James? :)

- We are working very hard on waving bye-bye and blowing kisses. He did blow kisses to Daddy one day when leaving for work but hasn't since then. I am also trying to play patty cake with him. He laughs on the "roll it up, roll it up" part but keeps his hands and arms so stiff that they are hard to maneuver. He hasn't completely caught on yet to Patty Cake! :)

- I've been trying to teach him a few signs lately. Mostly "eat" and "more." I think he understands "eat" especially but does not sign anything back yet. And speaking of eating, sometimes he is a bottomless pit and sometimes he doesn't want to touch food at all. He is doing so good self-feeding now and has the pincher grasp down. Some of his favorites include: all the gerber toddler snacks, cheerios, pieces of waffle, carrots, avocado, yogurt, peaches, and scrambled egg yolk. I am trying to not get in a rut of feeding him the same things all the time and I'm trying hard to mix it up for him.

- He does not sign "Mama" but he says Mama quite a bit now. I love hearing him say my name. He isn't really saying anything else at this point although he is very verbal. He holds books in his lap and "talks and talks" while he flips the pages (usually backwards and upside down). So cute! Also, he responds to the questions that Mickey Mouse asks on the DVD in his own little language. We don't understand what he's saying but it shows that he is starting to understand language and conversation and how it works. :)

- He continues to love books and especially loves turning the pages. He turns them with amazing force and speed! It is a race to see how many words we can read on each page before he turns another one. :)

- Everyone comments on how sweet he looks when we are in public. He really is a sweet boy. The last week or so he will crawls over to us, wraps his arms around us, and puts his head against our chest or in our lap. It is so sweet! It makes all of the challenging moments seem so insignificant in moments like these.

- He is a curious and sometimes mischievous little boy. He daily explores every inch of the house and has a way of getting into things (trashcans, toilets, Daddy's school notebooks) that he shouldn't. We are saying "no" to him on certain things but are trying also to redirect him and not wear the word "no" out either. We're trying to pick our battles and find a healthy balance which I'm sure we'll be working on from here on out. :)

- He had his second snow last week, stayed in a church nursery for part of a service with no tears, is going to see Santa for the first time in a few days, doing some traveling to see all of his grandparents starting next week (praying it goes well in the car), and about to enjoy his first Christmas! Life is fun with a little boy!

I'm sure there is so much more that I could say! It's hard to sum up life with our precious boy in a simple list but I know one day I'll be glad to have these updates to look back on and cherish the milestones and memories of his first year. I don't want to pretend that there aren't challenging moments or there haven't been days that I have been tired or frustrated (that's just part of being a parent) but it's the good, the bad, and everything in between that makes this gift of parenthood so wonderful and at the end of the day (no matter how challenging that day may have been) James is still the sweetest, most precious gift. He is not a burden to us but a joy and we cherish our time with him. I ran across this familiar verse last night and it is so very true and just resonates with me deeply:

Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from Him. Psalm 127:3

Thank you, Lord, for this undeserved gift. And to know that we are Your children makes me understand even greater the depth of your love for us! I am so grateful.

Our ten month old!

"Where's James?"

"There he is!"

Snow Day

On Saturday afternoon while we were finally getting around to hanging ornaments on our Christmas Tree that had been up and bare for quite a few days (eek!), we looked outside to see huge, beautiful snowflakes falling from the sky. The weatherman had forecasted snow flurries but we were really not expecting much if anything so it still was a welcome surprise. James was resisting naps that day (he doesn't like to sleep on days that Daddy is home) and so he was awake and got to go outside to experience it for the first time. Believe it or not, he actually had his first snow when he was only a week old in South Georgia (where they hadn't had snow in years) but we did not take him out in it. So this felt like his first snow to us and the first snow that we all got to enjoy together. :)

On Saturday we probably didn't have more than an inch of accumulation although some of it is still lingering and has turned to ice on the sidewalk outside our apartment, but it was a beautiful and just a little gift that this season brings. We had planned to give James a big winter jacket for Christmas but decided to go ahead and let him have his jacket early and took his hat and mittens out of his stocking too! Here are a few pictures of us outside as the snow was coming down.

And here is a picture of James in his new jacket. Stephen said he looked like the little boy from A Christmas Story. The jacket is a little bulky and big because we wanted him to have room to grow. It was so cute to watch him try to crawl like he normally does and just fall over because of his bulky winter jacket! I wish we had it on video to share with all of you!

The Johnson's love the snow! We are hoping for a white Christmas this year or at least another snow before winter is over. :)

Our Thanksgiving Day Recap (in pictures)

Those are a few of the pictures from Thanksgiving at our house this year! We decided not to travel anywhere for Thanksgiving this year since we will be doing some extended traveling at Christmas. It was the first time that Stephen and I have ever not been with either his family or my family on Thanksgiving since we've been married, but it ended up being a really special day and a memory that I will always cherish of our first Thanksgiving as a family of three. We made some of our favorite dishes and enjoyed them for several days. Actually, there is still some pumpkin pie, sweet potato casserole, and maybe a deviled egg or two lingering in the refrigerator as I type this 3 days later. James even got to enjoy some of the food too! It was a wonderful day to reflect on all of the ways that God has blessed us!

A Month of Thanksgiving

This little man has been wearing this Thanksgiving outfit made by his Nana and passed down by his big cousin Jonathan quite often during the month of November! But I guess it's appropriate because giving thanks really shouldn't be reserved for one day out of the year anyway, right?

As Thanksgiving Day approaches we have been reflecting on the many things we have to be thankful for! This (almost) 20 pound little Turkey pictured below is one of our biggest blessings!!

Psalm 100:4
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.

Psalm 7:17

I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.

Psalm 118:21
I will give you thanks, for you answered me; you have become my salvation.

For family, for friends, for our precious son,  for a job that provides for our needs, for the country that we live in, for our good health, for Salvation through Jesus Christ, and so much more...we have SO much to be thankful for!! What about you? What are the things you are most thankful for this year?

Life is not Fair...

I am about to get real vulnerable today. I am hurting and not sure exactly what to do with that hurt but I am doing my best to give it to God. My heart is still breaking over the past and over loss...over some years and moments that I can never get back. Have any of you ever been there? I'm praying for comfort and healing that comes from Christ. My heart also hurts when I think about my son ever having to hurt. I know it's inevitable in this fallen world that he will experience pain but even in those moments of pain I pray that he will know peace and restoration that come through Jesus. My heart is burdened to pray for my son's life and his future today.

James, I want you to know that life is not fair and things will not always go the way we hope. People may even say things or do things that hurt you along the way and it will break my heart to see that happen. When I look in your face, sweet baby, I can not thank the Lord enough for entrusting you to me. I can't promise you all the world offers (and I wouldn't want to anyway) but I can promise you that I will wake up every day offering myself to the Father and praying that I can love you in a way that gives you even a glimpse of how much God loves you. I pray for today and for your future. I pray that regardless of the circumstances or whatever each day may hold, that you can rest in knowing that God loves you and has great plans for your life. I pray that you will know Him, love Him, and praise Him in the good and the bad all the days of your life because He is truly good! Love, Mama

James at 9 months!

I can't believe our little boy is now 9 months old. Every day we recognize the subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) transition that he is making toward toddlerhood, one milestone at a time. It does make me a little sad just because I recognize how fast these baby days are flying by but it is also amazing to watch him change and develop right before our eyes. And every day and change is another day to truly thank the Lord for another day of life! Life really is so precious and is an absolute miracle. I always believed that but have never understood that more than I do now through my experience as a mother.

Here are some of the things going on with James at 9 months:


- He is 28.5 inches long (55th percentile) and 19 pounds 14.5 ounces (40th percentile). People always comment about what a big boy he is, so I was actually surprised to learn he is really falling right in the middle of other children his age. 


- He is wearing 9 month clothes if they are separate pieces and 12 month one-piece outfits. We have learned that he isn't necessarily tall but very long waisted. 


- He is sleeping better than ever. He naps about 3 hours total during the day - napping at around 10:00 and 3:00 before the time change a few days ago. He is also able to now sleep flat in his crib which is a great indicator that his reflux is improving although after talking to the doctor about his reflux yesterday feels it would be best to continue the medicine a while longer (which is what we were thinking too!). He has become a tummy sleeper and seems to do much better that way. He goes to bed around 8PM and wakes up around 7 am with minimal resettling at night. 


- He continues to love Mickey Mouse and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. We no longer have cable but bought a Mickey Mouse DVD and now when he wants to watch it goes over to the DVD player and tries to press the buttons to turn it on. When I turn the video on for him, he squeals with delight and hits his hand on the ottoman in front of the TV. He responds more quickly to "Mickey Mouse" than he does his own name. :)


- He has two teeth on the bottom and we are expecting to see more on top very soon.


- He is eating more finger foods now. We are doing a mixture of purees and finger foods but he is starting to reject the purees more and more. He has eaten gerber puffs and melts, cheerios, whole wheat toast and crackers, plain waffles, cheese, cooked cubes of vegetables and fruits, and even some cubes of chicken and egg yolk. Some meals he loves to eat and some meals he is not interested in at all but we continue to offer them three times a day. He is doing very well drinking water from his sippy cup. He also loves feeling the different textures of food by squeezing them in his hands. :)


- He is just all boy. He truly does not slow down all day - from crawling, to pulling up, to cruising on the furniture, to exploring the house. I am on my toes all the time. He has even started standing on his own for about 30 seconds at a time. He loves his bath. He splashes around and even tries to put his whole face in the water. He is just so active and inquisitive. 


- His personality is really blossoming. He laughs more and more, is "talking" lots, and even says "mama" quite a bit. It is the only real word he has said so far. 


- He laughs when we make animal sounds and tries to imitate them. I do the "sheep says baaaaa" a lot and he tries to say "baaaa"...so cute! He love all his animal toys that you can squeeze and they make a noise.


- His stranger anxiety seems to be easing up some. He still looks around for Mommy and Daddy but is more willing to let others hold him and play with him. I've been visiting the church nursery with him for a few weeks and am hoping soon that he will feel comfortable enough to stay on his own for the service.


- He loves peek-a-boo in any form....if we hide our faces in our hands, under a blanket, or even pop out from behind a door. He just laughs and laughs!


- He enjoys reading especially when he is getting sleepy. He loves for us to hold him and read some books and looks intently at the pages. :)


- He lets us know when he doesn't like something...anything that makes him slow down (diaper changes,  sitting in the car seat, sitting in the high chair) or taking something away that he wants (laptop or cell phone) results in a very upset little boy. 

We did have a little scare at the doctor yesterday that I wanted to share briefly. Even though the doctor explained that it was not "serious" he was concerned about James' left hip and that it may be coming in and out of the socket and that it would be better to find out sooner rather than later. He said that if this was the case he would have to basically have his legs stabilized with some foam between his legs for a few week to correct the problem. I immediately started to blame myself asking how we could have caused this (letting him put too much pressure on his legs too soon, etc.)  and he reassured us that it was nothing that we would have done. He explained the condition in more detail but honestly I was hardly able to fully listen and comprehend at this point. I just started to worry and then knew I need to stop and pray. We left the office to go have an x-ray done. Even though this news was far less serious than so many of the things parents have to hear about their children, there was still fear and uncertainty involved and it was hard to watch him scream and cry being held down on a table for multiple x-rays. After the x-rays were the done the technician told us that she wanted us to wait because one x-ray did not look "right." I looked at her I'm sure with fear in my eyes and asked "what's wrong?" and she said, "I don't do that part..." and her look was sympathetic but not very reassuring. We sat in the room holding a very upset little boy and continued to pray over him. A few minutes later that same lady came back and said "good news, everything is actually normal and we are going to report back to your doctor that everything is fine." We both let out a huge sigh of relief... It was a very emotional experience. I was filled with such thanks to God for the continued health of our little boy! I know there will likely be more moments of fear or uncertainty ahead of us throughout the years, but I am thankful for peace and comfort that comes in knowing Jesus!



James, it has been 9 wonderful months! You have filled our lives with even more joy. I have enjoyed learning all about you (and even from you) and pray that God would continue to bless mine and Daddy's relationship with you throughout your life. I pray also that you will know the amazing love God has for you and cling to Jesus all of your days! I love you forever! Love, Mama

How He Loves Us!

James and I went to visit Stephen at work today for a few minutes to bring him some lunch and some cold medicine, and when we got in the car the David Crowder song "How He Loves Us" happened to be playing. The lyrics of that song are so powerful and the imagery of the words in the song really hit home with me today. We listened to it over and over and over on the way there and on the way back. I'm pretty sure James would have sang along with me if he could have. :)

Two of the lines that paint such a picture for me are "Love's like a hurricane, I am a tree, bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy" and "if His grace is an ocean, we're all sinking." Wow! What an amazing picture of the great love God has for us! I was thinking about how many times we tell James we love him daily and how we just shower him with our love and affection. And as much as we could ever love him, nothing compares to the love that God has for him and for us.

This song reminded me of a passage of scripture that I love and so after I got James down for a nap I decided to spend some time rereading it.

Ephesians 2:1-10:

¹ As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, ² in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.³ All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. ⁴ But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, ⁵ made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. ⁶ And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, ⁷ in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰ For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

I am so thankful for His great love for us! I'm so grateful that He is rich in mercy and that through grace I have been saved! What a needed reminder today of His love for us and His grace through Jesus Christ alone. Praying today for all those that have not yet received that grace.

I thought I'd share the video of that song for you to enjoy:

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

"Baby Giraffe asks Mama, 'Do you love me a lot?' And his mama answers, 'I love your every last spot!" 

(All the Ways I love You By Julie Downing)

Baby Giraffe!

We are not a big halloween loving family by any means but we still wanted the opportunity to dress up our little guy for his first halloween experience. We went to a fall festival at a local church and had our family picture made, enjoyed a hayride, and ate dinner while we listened to some live music! We also scoped out all the things that James will be able to do next year too! Nana and Grandpa were in town for the weekend and I know they enjoyed loving our our sweet baby giraffe too! Here are just a few pictures from the weekend!

Our Little Pumpkin

We took James to Hill Ridge Farms today to pick out his first ever pumpkin! He loved all the pumpkins and crawled from pumpkin to pumpkin chewing on the the stems. I think he would have put a whole pumpkin in his mouth if he could have. (I do promise that I fed him before we went!) :)

 He loved it so much he didn't really want to leave. He pitched his first little fit, at least his first public fit when we tried to pry him off the pumpkins to head home. :) Oh boy! He's not even 9 months old yet... I'm not sure what we are in for in the months and years ahead, but it is funny to see his little personality develop. I have a feeling he may be strong-willed or persistent, at least. :)

It was really a fun day as a family. As he's getting older we are able to do more things that we all 3 can enjoy. I loved watching his little face so content on the hayride over to get the pumpkin. Seeing him enjoy it and take it all in, was a reminder for me just to slow down and breathe it all in. :) Fall really is beautiful!

We took so many pictures but here is my favorite one of the day!