Praise God from Whom all Blessings Flow!

Jackson Daniel Jaye
I am blogging on behalf of my little sister Mandy, her husband Joseph and the new little prince in their life--Jackson Daniel Jaye! (So if I am given to bragging a bit you'll know it is not coming from humble Mandy.)

On November 17, 2008 at 5:25 pm, Joseph and Mandy welcomed little Jackson into this big world! He weighed in at 7 lbs, 15 oz and is 19 inches long.

He has blue eyes, floppy ears, Joseph's eyebrows, Mandy's beautiful lips, and golden fuzz for hair! We think he is absolutely handsome! God is good and we are thrilled to be a part of this blessing of new life!

Birthing is hard work! He was ready for a rest right away--as I am sure they all were!Wide eyed and taking it all in.Proud Mama and Daddy with their little man. I am hoping to get a good family photo when I go visit in a couple of weeks--will post then!Any one of you who have been through labor know this feeling all too well--utter exhaustion and utter joy all rolled in one! When I asked Mandy if there was anything she wanted me to post specifically she said, just tell them how blessed we are and ask for prayers! We are there for ya Mandy!How dare they take all his clothes off to weigh him! Chillaxin with Daddy!One Day Old!
This livin' is hard work--Mandy said she can hardly keep him awake!Boby holding her newest grandbaby--her will of iron made an apearance to get her there in time for the birth--I don't think an army of ten thousand men could have held her back! What joy!OK, so Papa Paul tells me Boby is not too good at sharing, surprise anyone? Papa managed to wrangle him away for a few moments!

Giving Thanks...

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
-I Thessalonians 5:16-18
I'm declaring today a Day of Thanks for myself. My February Thanksgiving! And why is that? I've somehow gotten extremely negative lately. I want, want, want, need, need, need, and I forget how much I have, have, have! Today, I'm re-focusing and thanking God for Joseph, my family, his family, our church family, our home, our Lucy, our jobs, our vehicles, for having enough to pay our bills, for our many, many material comforts, and much more. The list could go on for miles. I'm especially thanking God for his faithfulness in spite of my lack of faith. I guess I'm writing this as my accountability! So Mom, you better check up on me! (just kidding :) God is so good, faithful, and merciful and for that I am most thankful ( and humbled) of all.

Our Christmas in the Heartland

Joseph and I got to go to Iowa for a week for Christmas! It was wonderful to have a break for that long and see all my family. I had not seen my brother since our wedding so I was long overdue for a visit with him. Joseph and I felt very blessed to get to be there and enjoyed every minute. We spent the whole time visiting, and of course eating! We took family pictures too but I don't have them on my camera :(. Anyway, here are a few pictures of our good time!

John Hurston and Katie Grace put on a guitar/singing show for us. They are thinking of going on tour soon :).


Before Presents

After Presents


Katie Grace and Micah painted these paintings all by themselves (from looking at a picture)! We each got one from them. Notice one is not like the others. That one was for Amy, and we are pretty sure they made it unique to suit her personality :)!

Joseph spent hours shoveling snow and ice. THEN we had a winter storm and it snowed several inches! He finally gave up after awhile.


And finally, Lucy thought we were absolutely crazy for taking her somewhere so cold. This is how she looked almost the entire time we were there! (In case you can't tell, she's trying to sit down)