Good Morning Sonshine!

It's a beautiful thing to dream about the people we love but even a greater thing to be awaken by one of those angels.

A couple of mornings ago, I opened my eyes to see Noah standing at the edge of my bed, with his little hand gently patting the top of my head. I eased out of bed (2:30am) for an after-midnight snack.

He said, "dad i'm hungry", so I scooped him up and we headed to the kitchen and he ate a peanut butter sandwich, a cup of apple sauce, and drank a glass of milk. It was certainly a series of magical moments as I turned off the lights and tucked him back into bed. So now you see just how beautiful my dreams are every morning ;-)

God's Has Great Plans!

I can feel God preparing something great for me and the ones I care about. God will never let us out-give Him. His plans for us are always greater than we can imagine. Terrie and I read the Bible every night before going to sleep and I read the story about a man who almost thought his way out of a miracle. Naaman was a man that needed a miracle and was sent to see the man of God. He was told by a servant of the man of God to go wash in the river Jordan. Naaman said, "I THOUGHT" the man of God would have come to the door and stretched out his hands over me for me to instantly receive my miracle but instead he sends a servant. Then he said, "I THOUGHT" he would have told me to go wash in a river with cleaner water instead of the muddy Jordan. So he had decided to go back home without his miracle until some of his servants talked him into doing what the prophet said. So he went down to Jordan and dipped seven times and when he came up out of the water on the seventh time, he received his miracle.

God's plan to bless us may not come in the way we think but it WILL come to those who will serve and wait on God. I am happy with my life and excited to know that God is with me!

It's Been a Wonderful Year!

God has truly blessed me over the past year. Looking back over my life, I can see the presence of God's miracles all over it. I love keeping a journal and do pretty good for a while but it's been a year since i've posted in this one.

My life has turned several pages since the last time I made a post. Noah got to come stay with me full-time over the summer and we swam almost everyday in the pool. It was amazing to spend the summer with him, watching him as he learned how to swim. (no more floaties).

Then Terrie and I had a beautiful wedding on the beach in August. We spent our honeymoon on a 7-day cruise to Jamaica, Cayman Islands, and Cozumel. It was my first cruise and I can't wait to take another one! It feels so good to have Terrie and Noah with me all the time!

I started a new position at the University as an Instructional Designer and it has truly moved my work skills to a new level. My job allows me to create and design the online courses at the University. I'm working with some great people and learning a ton of new things in Dreamweaver and Camtasia.

I just finished up my capstone project for my master's degree in Human Environmental Sciences with a specialization in Interactive Technology. My project was focused in designing accessible web elements that are ADA compliant. My graduation date is this December 2012! YES!!

A little gravel goes a long way...

This was a weekend where all i wanted to do was play with my little "tough guy" with his trucks in the gravel. It's the most relaxing thing in the world! When I'm in his world, time just stops still and that's the way i like it...

He loves the rocks.. sometimes we pick em up and take turns throwing in the water by the creek and sometimes in a puddle at the end of the dirt road.

Rocks make a perfect truck even better... for that matter, rocks even make my old truck better. It's a beautiful thing to open up the lid to put some fuel in my truck and find a little handful of rocks where my big guy decided to leave me a little some'in some'in to surprise me.

We like surprising each other. My weekend usually winds down with him snuggled up on my shoulder reading a book or two, then hearing him wind down talking in the dark. He'll say mama, you alright? after she says, yeah i'm alright, then he'll say, daddy.. you alright?.. i'll say yep, i'm alright little buddy. then i'll ask him, are you alright? and he'll softly say, i'm alright.. then as he starts to drift off, sometimes he'll sing twinkle twinkle little star, how i wonder what you are.. it's the most beautiful sound in the world!

i let him know before bedtime that i'll be going to tuscaloosa in the morning. and after he goes to sleep, i'll get up and make the drive back to t-town. before i leave, i make sure i leave him a little surprise to find later, usually hidden in his microwave.

A little pickmeup in my pickup

I can't get enough of looking at this picture! it's bursting with sweetness and takes my breath away everytime I see it...

i can ask him, are you a tough guy... and he'll say, (in a deep voice), "yeah, i'm a tough guy"

he was playing in the back of the truck, checking everything out and when i got the camera ready, i said, hey buddy, give me a sweet face and this is what i got!

pretty good, huh...

God has truly blessed me with the cutest little boy in the world!!!

It's SO good...

Fall is my favorite time of the year.. i love how the air feels especially when me and noah are in the back of my old truck.

We like riding down this dirt road and parking beside a big puddle so we can throw rocks in the water. yeah... it's an art ;-)

I love hearing him talk, his little voice is so powerful. it has a magical way of making me feel taller.. his new phrase is "that's SO good". and just before we go to sleep, he'll whisper "are you alright.." after i reply and ask him, he'll say.. "i'm alright".. yeah, it's priceless.

during the week, i'm all business, work, and schoolwork. just finished another paper last night and started on another one today. i have a ton of stuff that has to be finished within the next few weeks but i really like my classes. but on the weekends, i'm all about seeing just how much fun we can have together.

i'm planning to go see my mom and my sister for thanksgiving in a few weeks. i'll get to see all three of my boys at one time... though i'm not with my boys, i get to talk to all three of them everyday. i am so blessed!

Busy, busy, busy... did i mention that i was busy?

I'm doing pretty good balancing my schoolwork, work work, and weekend family time. I get to go see the "big guy" almost every weekend. It's so funny to hear Noah say things to other people that we don't know. On my last visit, we went to the Explorium in Mobile and saw the kangaroo exibit and IMAX movie. it was so much fun! later, we went to eat seafood at one of our favorite restaurants called Felix's. before going inside, we walked over to see the water and there were two big guys fishing. when we walked by, Noah proudly said, "hey big guy", yeah it was one of many funny moments that i'll always cherish.

I'm taking 3 graduate classes and so far, my head is still above water. doing good on my grades and learning new technologies. staying up late most nights doing homework and an occasional netflix movie. btw, i started watching a new series called Survivors.

Chris and I talk almost everyday and we both stay in touch with Enoch too. Both of them are doing good and I love them so much!

Noah is so precious and whenever we are in public his personality starts to glow. He loves pushing around his big dump truck and tells me, "i'm goin' to tuscaloosa!" "goin' to work", then he'll say to me in a soft higher pitched voice, "it'll be ok big fella"... yeah that's priceless!!

He can run so fast now and loves to play... we can be riding in the car and i'll turn around to see him drifting off to sleep with his eyes barely open, and i'll whisper to him, "are you tired", and he'll whisper back to me, "no, i'm not tired"...

Terrie and I both have quite a bit on our plates, but we are both so thankful to have our life in tune with the Lord.

We both are waiting patiently for the day when we can be together as husband and wife in the sight of God. Until then, all we can do is be the best parents we can be while we patiently wait for our time. Our day will come, and when it does, my heart will dance again like never before.

i love you mamabear and boybear...

-daddybear