More than a Mommy Diary: Ah-MAY-zing!

Yes, I stole that from Ellen Degeneres. But, she's right. This month is going to be amazing! I feel like life is getting back to normal as we've adjusted (well, almost) to being parents of two and therefore things are starting to pick up and get busy for the Parsons household again. There are just so many reasons to be excited about May!

1. This month is going to bring a better night's sleep for our whole family because Ruth IS going to start sleeping better at night. Do actually know this? No. But I am believing and trusting in the Lord for it! Jackson started sleeping through the night here and there at 6 weeks and never looked back by 8 weeks. Ruth isn't quite on the same track but I am believing that it WILL happen by the end of this month. My God is the God of things both big and small. This may seem small but fellow parents know that when you are in it, sleep deprivation becomes a sleep mountain! I also know that the word says that faith the size of a mustard seed can move a mountain (Matthew 17:20). So, sleep mountain, BE MOVED!

2. We have a meeting this Friday with Jackson's intervention case worker and a daycare about what will happen once he turns 3. If he still tests at a delay (which I think he barely will), he is qualified for FREE daycare. I have a lot of questions about the program and am very interested to see how things will work. I'll do a completely separate post about all of his improvements and what all we find out after Friday. For now I'll just say that for all of you that have kept this situation in your prayers - we are seeing them be answered before our eyes. I am so proud of the strides Jackson's made so far and how this next step will help him even more. Glory be to God in the highest!

3. Our 7 year anniversary - WHAT?! How have we been married 7 years already?! It's craziness I tell you. I still feel like we are those 19 year old kids who were so madly in love that we didn't want to spend one moment away from each other. But then again, our love has grown into so much more. Seeing how Bryan has morphed from the young man I fell in love with into this dedicated, loving, incredible husband and father makes my love for him so much deeper than it was back then. We probably won't be able to do much to celebrate this year, but just having him is gift enough. And there's no itch in sight! ;-)

4. Bryan's birthday is just a few days before our anniversary and I'm super pumped about it. I just might have some tricks up my sleeve this year that he's gonna love...if they pan out. I can't spill the beans but I can say that I am SO EXCITED about doing something BIG for him this year. So many times, Bryan's birthday gets overshadowed by our anniversary or the end of the school year but this year IT WILL NOT BE OVERSHADOWED. He deserves to feel special this year (well, he actually deserves it all the time)! :-)

5. That brings me to the end of the school year - This semester has been especially stressful for Bryan...ya know with a new baby and all...and he is ready for a break. Technically he is teaching a Maymester class and an online class in June, but both will be a lot easier on him. Plus, by teaching those classes he will make some extra cash which we just might use to purchase a new vehicle by the end of the summer. We aren't positive about it quite yet, but we are seriously considering a mini-van. I never thought I'd be so excited about the possibility of purchasing a mini-van. But the extra room and features makes me positively giddy. Funny how things change once you have children!

6. Fun with friends and family - I just love how Spring and good weather brings us together with the people we love. We have so much fun stuff planned already - a day trip to Memphis to go to the zoo, yard sale-ing, shopping trips with my girlfriends and a caravan of kids, our annual church picnic, the start of our Young Adult ministry...and that's just what I can think of off the top of my head. I'm sure there will be so much more fun stuff that we do this month and the rest of the summer!

7. PHOTOGRAPHY!! As you may have seen and I've talked about before, I've started doing some photography. I took a digital photography class this past fall and have fallen in love with taking pictures. I've done a few shoots here and there and have a lot more on the books this Spring/Summer. Right now I'm just trying to practice as much as possible with different types of shoots - I've got an engagement shoot, a few Senior shoots, and some family shoots all on the books in the next couple months. I'm SUPER nervous to see how I'm going to do them and how the pics will come out but I'm also SUPER excited to do them. Ultimately, I'd love to start making some money and actually have this become a small business but I know that is going to take a little time and I'm not rushing it. I have so much to learn and I am loving the learning aspect. Capturing these moments is just such a blessing to me and hopefully to the families that are allowing me to capture them.

Here's some of my favorite shots so far...