My little Nater Tot was seven months old yesterday!

And y’all know me – I almost started crying about it the other day because he’s now closer to being a year old than he is to being a newborn. The days just FLY past. He’s such a happy, sweet little guy!

This month has been a BIG month for Nathan because he got to try so many new, fun foods! And we saw some definite likes and dislikes come out – he loves, loves veggies and he only tolerates some fruits. We also recently discovered that he had an allergic reaction to corn. 🙁 Hopefully he will outgrow this!! He’s down to nursing four times a day and I’m still having to avoid dairy products – really praying that he doesn’t have milk and corn allergies for his whole life!!

I’ve thought he was going to have teeth every day for this whole last month, but they still haven’t popped through the surface yet – which is fine by me!! Nathan gums EVERYTHING though. Nothing is safe!!

He’s also become a master roller and I spend most of my day trying to keep him from rolling into the corners of our entertainment center, the fireplace or the walls. He sits by himself for hours now and does not play well by himself. 🙂 Someone always needs to be there to play with him! Ha! This could be interesting in a few years…

Nathan definitely knows what he wants and when he wants it. And he’s very loud about those preferences. 🙂 Again, this could be very interesting in a few years! He’s happy 85% of the time, but that 15% when he doesn’t like what’s going on is NOT fun for any of us. 🙂

He’s become a very good sleeper. He’ll sleep 10-12 hours at night and take two 1.5-2-hour long naps during the day. SO wonderful!! It does make my days a little constricted just because I hate for him to miss a nap, so we don’t go too many places during naptime. I’ve had to cut back a lot on my activities because he isn’t so good at napping out anymore. Which is hard but I’d rather have a happy boy. 🙂

He is just the biggest blessing in our lives!! I thank God continuously for my precious son! 🙂

~~

Pardon our jammies! 🙂 We’ve had a really low-key day. We played at the house this morning then ran to Walmart for a quick trip after his nap. Thankfully, no crazy adventures happened there this time – unless you count losing and then finding his shoe twice to be an adventure. 🙂

I’ve been working on a post with your questions about mine and Jon’s dating story, so if you’ve got any more, send them my way! Hope to have the next installment up this weekend!

Y’all have a great Friday!! 🙂

~~

So, I would like to mention that when I first wrote the title, I typed: “Super Bowel Weekend!” Thankfully I proofread my writing occasionally. Goodness knows what kind of a post that would have been. Probably a crappy one. 😉 Oh my – I have been hanging out with Jon for too long!

Last week, we had between 2-5 inches of snow and so our city shut down for about four days. New Mexicans are not equipped to deal with snow days or below freezing temperatures! People’s pipes burst, school was canceled Tuesday through Friday and no one ventured out. And we had HUGE icicles all over our house! Don’t you love how Jon is in a T-shirt for this picture? 🙂

It was actually very nice, because Jon was off all week then and we just played. 🙂

Saturday, we had a busy day – we went to Clint and Leigh Ann’s house in the morning and the boys took off to take some winter coats that Clint and Leigh Ann had gathered over to a local homeless shelter while us girls and Nathan ooed and aahed over the fun new things they have for their little one who will be here in about seven weeks. We can’t wait!

Then we headed over to Nathan’s friend’s birthday party and OH MY, you guys. It was a themed birthday. Top Gun themed. And everything was just adorable and perfect and it made me almost decide that Nathan was not going to get to invite any friends to his first birthday party because there was no way I was going to be able to compete with that.

I have a many months to forget about all the cuteness though. We spiked his hair up with hairspray for church this weekend and it just made him look so OLD. I can’t believe how big he’s getting! There was a tiny newborn in church on Sunday and it just made me realize how quickly the months have flown by. I’m sure this is just a new trend in life – I wish the days would just slow down!

We headed over to my parents for the Super Bowl and had a great afternoon! Nathan was being extra cheesy (his shout-out to the Packers, I think) for the camera, so we had to take some fun pictures.

Can I just say how happy I was that my Green Bay Packers were not only in it, but that they won? If y’all missed the day that I decided I have an undying love and affection for the Cheese Heads, it’s here. So, naturally, Nathan was cheering for them too.

We tried to make a cheese head for him…

It didn’t last long.

And did anyone else wonder which was worse – Fergie’s shoulder pads, will.i.am’s plastic hair thing or the halftime show as a whole? I’ve decided that there needs to be some sort of a public vote for who gets to do the halftime show. I thought that Lea from Glee did a great job with her song, though!

We tried giving the Nater Tot carrots for the first time and this was his reaction:

Ha! My boy is a veggie lover! I love this picture – lunch time with Pops!

Ha!

He’s getting so big so quickly! He loved watching the game with his daddy!

What did you guys end up doing? Any awesome Super Bowl traditions?

~~

So, by this point, Jon and I had been dating for about six or seven months. And I have NO idea how he made it through those months! He had to wake up at 4AM for football practice before heading to do his student teaching in a 2nd grade special education classroom from 8-4, then went back to the football stadium for meetings before coming over to my parents’ house for dinner. And sometimes, he didn’t leave before 10 or 11 at night.

We had a new habit forming, though. He would come over, hang out with me for a couple of hours, and then start the process of heading home. I would always walk him outside and we would end up sitting on the porch steps, watching the stars and talking for sometimes another hour or two.

Talking has never been a problem of ours.

So, it was on one of these warm nights that Jon first told me he loved me.

And I was NOT expecting that at all. I think we will notice a trend in our relationship – Jon did something and it totally shocked me, because I am apparently the Queen of All Things Clueless.

He was so sweet about it. We were standing there, just talking as he was leaving and he gave me a hug and then pulled back and said, “So, I don’t want to scare you or anything and you don’t have to say anything back, but I just want you to know that I love you.” Then he hugged me really tight and I just stood there like what just happened.

Because Cluelessness apparently is a good friend and neighbor of Slow To Process Love Declarations.

Poor Jon. I think a good five or ten minutes went by of complete silence. He kept hugging me and probably had a few dozen brain cells implode while I thought this over.

Jon. Loved. Me. And no daisies needed to die for me to figure it out.

And then I started smiling and just being all fuzzy and sticky deep in my chest because, goodness, who wouldn’t have gotten a little on the sappy side after a gorgeous, sweet, Godly man told them they loved them? Especially if you loved them back and it was just all so wonderful.

Except for the small fact that I was still just standing there in total silence. So, I jumped and was like, “Oh! I love you too, Jon.” And – poor guy – he let out the HUGEST exhale ever.

Then he was like, “Oh good! I’m really glad.”

And it was nice and awkward because typically after a love confession like that, I think it’s tradition to kiss or something. And I’ve already told y’all about the No Smooching preference and we were definitely not ready for a proposal or anything.

So, Jon just kind of kissed my cheek and left and I just was sort of like, um, okay, and turned to go back in the house, still all fuzzy inside.

“Hey Erynn?” Jon was back at the front gate, smiling.

“Yeah?”

“Just wanted to let you know that I didn’t just say that lightly. I really mean it.” Then he smiled again and left.

And this is where it got really fun!!

I’ve got a couple of questions from you guys that I’m hoping I’ll be able to answer soon! 🙂 We’ve had WAY below freezing temperatures and snow here this last week and Jon has been off since Tuesday. SO nice!! We’ve been getting stuff done, watching Boy Meets World marathons (love it!) and playing with family and friends. 🙂

Guess who will be baby-proofing soon??

~~

Oh my. Now that song is stuck in my head.

Apologies, everyone.

So, last but definitely not least, I’d like to introduce you to my beautiful and talented sister, Cayce.

Also known as Kiki around here, thanks to a movie called America’s Sweethearts. Cayce is almost six years younger than me and when my parents told me, Bryant and Caleb that they were pregnant, I started praying that very night for a sister and prayed every night afterward until she was born. And God was kind enough to grant those prayers!!

Cayce is hilarious – she’s got a very dry sense of humor and it just makes me laugh. She’s my fellow movie buff. We LOVE watching movies together and once a year, we have our Annual Worst Movie Ever day, where we watch the dumbest movies we’ve ever seen. We make popcorn and get Starbucks and chocolate and just laugh and make fun of the movies the whole day.

It’s awesome. So, there have been years where we’ve just needed some cheering up so we’ve had more than one Worst Movie Ever days. 🙂

The real love of Cayce’s life is Christ and she is definitely an unashamed follower! I love that she is always being asked questions by her coworkers (or dragging them to church 😉 ). She has a huge heart for anyone hurting which is something I just love about her.

Cayce loves politics and will never shy away from a good political debate! She’s also a music lover and plays the guitar, sings and occasionally will write her own music. (Are you noticing a trend here in my family? Then there’s me – zero musical talent at all.)

She is such a wonderful auntie! Nathan is a huge fan of his Aunt Cayce’s and anytime she comes over, he feels the need to show off all of his new tricks. It’s SO adorable!

She’s the best sister and friend I could have ever asked for!!

You’ve now met all of my siblings! I’ll introduce you to my wonderful parental units this week and then you’ve met the family! 🙂

Hope y’all had a great weekend!

~~

It occurred to me that I’ve never really introduced you guys to my siblings, other than Bryant who y’all met the other day. 🙂

So, that being said, I’m going to take a couple of days and tell you all about my other brother and sister, both who deserve their own blog post!

This is my 22 year-old brother, Caleb. 🙂 (And his then-puppy-now-dog, Joey!)

Caleb is AMAZING. He is so funny, so personable and so just genuinely likable! I have never met anyone who didn’t get along with him!

He loves God and you can totally tell by the fruit in his life. While Caleb is very outgoing in some areas of his life, he’s very private and personal in other areas – but when we have talks about faith, Caleb is dead-set in his convictions.

I love how fun he is with Nathan – he’s always making faces at him (or me. Either one of us). Cracks me up! And Nathan loves, loves, LOVES his uncle!

Caleb works at a dental office and is hoping to become a dentist someday – we’ll see what God has planned. Because of that, I think Caleb’s theme song needs to be the Misfit song from Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, so I sing it to him frequently (you know, since that guy was a dentist). 🙂 He also loves sports – he plays basketball and football on a weekly basis and he’s usually studying while watching some game on TV.

Caleb is classic with compliments. Whenever there is even the slightest possibility of an opening for a ridiculous compliment, he manages to fit one in there. It’s hilarious (and wonderful when you’re just feeling disgusting that day and he says something just so sweet)!

And ladies, Caleb is SINGLE. 🙂 Not quite sure how he still is, New Mexico must be filled with blind, dumb women. 😉

Love you so much, Caleb!!

~~

I had such a FUN weekend! On Saturday, I helped throw a baby shower for my sweet friend Leigh Ann – she’s due March 26 and it will be here so soon! Nathan can’t wait for a new friend to play with! I think the shower was a smashing success!

Nathan has become a rolling MACHINE. I am fondly remembering those days of being able to set him down somewhere and him staying in the same place – and I know it’s only going to get worse from here! He rolls back and forth across the whole floor most of the day. Time to baby proof!!

(Pardon the phone pic – it’s super blurry, but I just LOVE this picture! This is the face I see 90% of the day! I just love our happy, happy boy!) He’s learned to sit up by himself now. 🙂 🙁

He’s also learned how to shake his head “no” and does that for minutes on end until MY head is pounding with the headache he must have. Ha! What cracks me up about it though, is he laughs the entire time he’s doing it. 🙂 Silly boy!

We are having a MAJOR chill day today – Nathan and I are not in our pajamas, but we might as well be with what we’re wearing!! 🙂 So, I thought it would be a great day to keep talking about mine and Jon’s story!

Instead of continuing though, I did want to stop and answer a few questions y’all have asked me over the past few times I’ve told these stories:

How did you know Jon was the right one?

There were SO many little things that led up to Jon being the right one. He was a Christian – and not just in word, but in actions too. We shared the same theology (sounds weird, but it DOES make a difference!). We had the same hopes and dreams for our lives. Jon loves, loves, loves kids and I knew he would make an amazing daddy (which he now is!). He treated my parents with respect. He treated ME with respect – everyone likes to talk about how the guy loves them, takes them out, brings them flowers etc (which is HUGE, don’t get me wrong), but it is very important that he treats you like a treasure as well!

He was very protective of me and it was so sweet. 🙂 He took the time to learn about me – he remembered things about me or things I’d said that I didn’t even remember saying. I’ve already mentioned how he respected my boundaries (I don’t think I can say this enough – if he doesn’t respect your boundaries, leave him NOW).

In the end, though, I just knew. And yes, it drove me nuts when people told me that when you know, you know. But really. You just know. I loved him, he loved me, we both loved Christ and I knew our marriage would be a triangle, not a line (lines end. Triangles don’t). 🙂

Dating, engagement – it’s all steps toward getting to know each other so very, very well that you just know. Don’t rush it – you don’t need to find out everything about him on the first date (and he definitely should not find out everything about you!!). Take your time. The fun is in the journey!

What about guys who say they are Christians and then – surprise! – they aren’t?

Oh friend – my heart just breaks for you after reading this question!! I want to encourage you that not all guys who say they are Christians are just defrauding you – there are wonderful, sweet, Godly men out there!

But I also want to encourage you to really include the men that God has placed in your life – your dad, your grandfather, your brothers, your friends – in any relationship that you are thinking of starting. Guys tend to have a sixth sense about other guys – and most of the time can tell whether or not they are who they say they are.

Above all else, stay close to Christ. The closer you are walking with Him, the more evident it will be when someone is just pretending to have a relationship with Him. And know that I am praying for you!

How about you guys? Those of you who are married, how did you know that your husband was the right one?

~~

No idea why I just titled this post with that. I think was thinking about writing about the past which then led to thinking about someday in the future this will be the past and then I’ll be writing about how I used to have time to blog when Nathan took naps and then I started thinking about the future and back to the past which is how we arrived at the title.

So, I guess now we all know why I titled this post with that.

Oh my. This was a long day.

Thank you for the birthday sentiments! Even if you were a little guilted and begged into it, I still thank you. 🙂

A very long time ago, as in pre-Nater Tot (only six months, but gosh, for as fast as they’ve gone by, it feels like he’s been a part of our family for forever!), I started telling y’all about how Jon and I met and started dating. And if you missed the beginning of the story, you can catch up here, here, here and here. 🙂

I think I saw Jon every day or every other day for almost the entirety of our dating relationship, except for about a month or two when he went back to his home in California for the summer. And during that month, we talked on the phone for like an hour everyday. (Seriously. My parents had to sit us down afterward and show us the phone bill for that month. Oy.) So, needless to say, we really got to know each other. And my family really got to know him too since he was over so much.

One of the coolest times when we first started dating was when my dad had a friend of his come into town and he came over for dinner. Jon was going to be a little late, but he was coming over too. And I could hear my dad talking to his friend in the other room while I helped my mom get dinner ready in the kitchen and Dad was bragging on Jon. 🙂

Which just made me smile because that was a definite sign that Dad liked him.

So, we’d been dating for probably about three or four months and I was working at the time as an intern for my church’s youth group. Basically, I got paid to take girls out to coffee and lead Bible studies.

No better job EVER if you ask me.

Once we started dating, Jon got very involved in helping out with the youth group too. At that church, we did a huge outreach for middle schoolers every summer – and it was a TON of prep work. We filmed movies for it, we made up games for it. It was huge.

Jon was part of the movie filming and we were coming back to the church after filming all day. It was starting to get dark and we were unloading some of our equipment from the back of Jon’s 4Runner. Jon took a load in and I was gathering up more when he got back. He came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist and, unknowing to me, leaned over to kiss my cheek.

Right as I turned my head and was like, “Hey, Jon, could you—?”

And to this day, I swear that our lips brushed.

Which is when I freaked out. “OH MY GOSH!” I yelled. “We just kissed!”

“We did not! We did not!” Jon said. Which he repeated the rest of the night. “I promise, we didn’t. We didn’t kiss, Erynn.”

Meanwhile, I was completely bummed out the whole rest of the night because here I’d just had my first kiss and I’d missed the whole thing.

Completely. Bummed. Out.

Which I kept saying over and over. “I cannot BELIEVE I missed it!!”

Jon took me home and pulled me aside before we walked in the house. “Erynn. Seriously. Someday, I hope I do get to kiss you and when that day comes, you will know that you just got kissed. Got it?”

Um. Yes, sir.

That someday DID come, but I’m going to save that story for later!

Ha! I love sharing these memories!! 🙂

~~

Well guys.

Y’all know I’m a bit of a matchmaker. Maybe more than just a bit. 😉 So, when I saw that Kelly’s Korner was doing a matchmaking type of a thing for singles, I just couldn’t resist.

So in the spirit of all things good and marriageable…

This is my brother Bryant!

He is 24, currently getting his Masters in Electrical Engineering at the University of Texas in Austin.

Bryant is such a GREAT brother! 🙂 First and foremost, he LOVES God and follows Him completely with his whole heart! He loves music and he plays the guitar extremely well – he’s now leading the music at his Navigator’s group in Austin. He is a big sports fan – loves to watch football and baseball and he plays pickup football and basketball. He’s also a huge fan of skiing – both snow and water.

Bryant is a family guy – here he is with our grandmother who lives in Missouri. 🙂

He is something of a homebody but he still enjoys hanging out with friends and family. His new favorite person is this little guy:

my son, Nathan (who was drooling horribly in this picture)! Bryant is such a good uncle and SPOILS him to death!

When Bryant finishes his degree, he’s coming back to New Mexico to continue his engineering career for a company out here. Which is great news for us because we LOVE having him around!

Feel free to contact him at bdmangum8@gmail.com. 😀

I love that Kelly is doing this!! 🙂 And I’m posting my “real” blog for today in just a couple of minutes… ha! 🙂

Love you, brother! Sorry!! Hopefully one day, you’ll thank me! 🙂 🙂

~~

Yesterday was my 26th birthday.

That sounds like a shameless plug to get a few “Happy Birthdays” in the comments section. Ha! 🙂 I had the best day! Jon had the day off because of MLK Jr. Day, so we woke up late, he cooked me a huge breakfast of French toast, eggs and bacon and then we stayed in our pajamas and watched movies until it was time to get all dressed up for our dinner date. 🙂

And my little Nater Tot behaved so well! My parents kept him last night for us so we could have a quiet dinner and it was just wonderful.

Such a great day!

Y’all know I love hanging out with Nathan during the day – but I absolutely LOVE my dates with Jon! Sometimes it’s hard now to ever have a moment just the two of us where there isn’t a baby between us or a monitor buzzing in the background. It’s hard to get used to – especially since it was just us all the time before Nathan.

So, last night was VERY nice – we sat and talked at California Pizza Kitchen and just kept ordering food so we could stay longer without making our waitress mad. Ha! I left there so full! I got these Baja Fish Tacos and they were just as good as they look!

I started the story of how Jon and I met before Nathan was born and I’m thinking I might need to finish that story. Maybe this week? Would y’all mind if we took a blast to the past again? 🙂

Have a great Tuesday!

~~