Hay ya'll...it's Fall!

(yes I know that's the wrong "hay"...but it makes sense...keep reading.)

I love the tiny things that make it fall....

Like pumpkin spice muffins and warm chocolate chip cookies on a Sunday afternoon...

(thank you Miss Jane for my adorable owl mug!)

Pumpkins and festive decorations throughout the house...

And chilly Monday mornings that bring snugly babies out of their beds....

...still a little sleepy... dressed in their comfy jammies and cozy socks...

...for some oatmeal and toast and morning cartoons....

I love the "did you see me playing with my toast?" look he gives me.

And if you think that little boy is looking a little different...

that's probably because he had his 2nd big-boy haircut over the weekend (cue collective gasp!).

Yes - we did it again.

(Hey -see the hay!? Get it? Oh so funny, right? lol.)

Yep -we traded in those curly locks for an all-american boy cleaned-up look.

I believe the word you're looking for is handsome. :)

Or maybe it's more like "ahhh! He looks so grown up!!!"

Yes - but he's still our little boo.

Silly little boo.

And while I love his little curls -

they're not completely gone...

And while I look forward to seeing them again in all their glory in a few months...(yes they came back before...I'm thinkin' they'll come back again)... I love his new look.

And though it makes him look a little different...

familiar looks like the happy "all-teeth grin"...

and the "bunny face"...

...haven't gone away...

So another season begins...my favorite season...

And again everything feels new with him...

Everything is new with him...

And we are "falling in love with fall"...

All over again.

A is for...

Awareness.

October is Spina Bifida Awareness Month. I can remember when I had never heard of Spina Bifida - right up until my doctor called me to tell me that my blood work showed a possibility of our baby having "neuro-tube defect" or Spina Bifida. I admit for a good 3 weeks I though the term was "spinal bifida" that's how unfamiliar I was with it.

This is until the day we learned our sweet baby did indeed have SB, and Jet's Story began.

Since that day we Spina Bifida has transformed from an alien term, to a devastating diagnosis, to an unwanted hardship, to an undeniable blessing. Though we'd never heard of it - it is now a permanent part of our vocabulary. Though we didn't ask for it, it is here to stay. Though we didn't think we would ever be okay again - we are happier now than we ever imagined we could be...even before SB entered our lives.

Having a child with SB is so multi-faceted. There is no "oh it's easy" or "oh it's horrible."

It just is.

It is not without hardship. It is not without fear.

But it is full of love and inexplicable happiness.

I never knew strength until I met the parents of children with SB.

I never knew faith until I had to give my unborn son's healing over to God.

I never knew unconditional love until I kissed his tiny cheek the day he was born.

And I never knew all the tiny miracles of human life...until I saw him wiggle his toes.

I am blessed with a network of friends who take nothing for granted.

I am blessed with family who came together even stronger - all for the love of this little boy.

I am blessed with a perspective that brings me daily joy and counsels me in times of sadness.

I am blessed with the whole-hearted conviction that God is all-loving, all-powerful, all-knowing and has a plan greater than mine ever was.

A is for Awareness.

A is for the Amazing grace of God.

A is for the Absolute love I have for my little boy.

And A is for how completely Awesome he really is. ;)

To see more of the beautiful faces of SB, check out Other Little Miracles: Our SB Buddies which is also found on the main page of our blog.

For more information on what Spina Bifida is or what you can do to support your local SBA chapter please visit http://www.spinabifidaassociation.org.

Thank you.

Jet vs The Swim Class

Jet and I signed up for a 3 week Mommy/Baby swim class....

...and let me tell you it is fantastic!

He loves it! He loves the water and the other babies and splashing around and the echo his voice makes when he yells "DADADA!" at the top of his lungs. I love seeing him kick his legs (when he wants to...not when I ask him to) and pull himself out of the pool and "jump in" with a big smile on his face. It's perfect. I didn't know how he would like it but he LOVES it!

He has a good friend in the class too...

Miss Ansley

Aren't they so cute!?

Ansley's daddy came and took some pictures at our class on Thursday and then her mommy wrote an adorable blog post on their family blog that just explains all the fun perfectly. :) You can see it (and more pictures of these cute babies) here. Please check it out to see Jet in action! :) It is truly one of the best things we have ever done! I can't wait till next week!

"Fall" Festival

A couple of weeks ago, Jet put on his shades...

...grabbed 2 of his favorite aunties...

... and headed to the little "Fall Festival" in the front of our community.

I use the term "fall" reluctantly because it was probably 90 degrees outside in the blazing sun. Not exactly the "fall" weather we wanted...but we decided to check it out anyway. We're all about small town festivals. :)

We stopped at the booth set up by a local Pre-K and mommy tried not to think about the germs as Jet handled the toys.

It's a good Pre-K so I'm sure they're sanitary...and in all honesty Jet was the only one playing with them...he was actually the only little guy close to that age group there...it was a sparsely attended festival. lol.

Look Aunt Kelly...I know you want me to smile and all...

but this heat is making me very sleepy...

There wasn't much to distract Jet from the hot sun...so we moved on...

To the good stuff...

The sweet, creamy, cool-you-off, good stuff...

Here Jet - give the nice man his money...

Oops...Aunt Kelly forgot how much Jet likes to drop things from high places...

Jet's face clearly says "this is the life..."

...having ice cream fed to you by two pretty ladies while relaxing on a shady front porch...

What a messy face....

What a silly boy...

This ice cream is good enough to earn the "mmmm" fist!

Aunt Kayleigh...that was aweseome.

Now how about a little something to wash it down with?

Okay ladies...

...what exactly is this giant blue thing and why are we on it?

I'm not too sure what just happened...but okay.

Man...I gotta get my "land legs" back after that.

You girls are alot of fun...but I'm exhausted...can we go home now?

And we did.

And he napped.

And it was good.

Thanks Aunt Kelly and Aunt Kayleigh...your boo loves you so much.