The Ramblings of Momma and the Jackmobile

God's HUGE Blessing!

2010-07-02T14:28:00.000-07:00

I have been contemplating going back to work for awhile now. I had sent out a few resumes and really hadn't received any bites. I was offered one job working in a dental office but had to turn it down, as it just wasn't feasible with the distance to the office, etc. So I decided I'd just keep applying and see what happened. This past Thursday, I had two interviews. One was Franklin Woods Community Hospital (a brand new hospital in Johnson City). The other was an impromptu interview with a local pharmacy. I felt pretty good about both interviews, but less confident about the hospital interview. I just wanted to be where God wanted me. This afternoon, right after noon, I received a phone call from the hospital offering me a job!!!! I was completely shocked. I told her, yes, I am interested, but please give me some time to think it over. She let me know that with the opening of the new hospital, they needed to have an answer by today at 3:30. So I started praying, called a few trusted people - my Momma, my Papa and one of my closest girl friends. I started crunching numbers and started to get stressed out. I realized mid-stress that I needed to stop and just spend time with the Lord. I played some praise hymns by the Getty's and had some quiet time. I weighed the pros and cons of any job offer. My biggest hesitation was what was I going to do with Jackson and how much would child care cost. I spoke with my Papa, who's guidance and wisdom I greatly respect. He and Momma both felt that out of all of the jobs I've interviewed for, the hospital would be the best opportunity - both now and in the future. Papa said that it would be better for me to work longer shifts and get all of my work done in a shorter amount of time, so I'd have more time to be with Jackson. All of that to say, I accepted the job today! I will be working 20 hrs a week, in two 10 hr shifts. I'm not sure what exactly my shift will be, but it will not be 3rd shift. I am really excited about having a part time job. I'm excited for the opportunity to work and grow with this company!

Sweet Sunday

2010-06-27T13:43:00.000-07:00

I feel like this is the first time I have sat down for longer than 10 min in the last 3 days. Sheeze!! We have been up at Buladean since Thursday and while I haven't been chasing Jackson around, I helped Momma do somethings outside...as they had a planting extravaganza and I worked on a beautiful birthday cake as a surprise for a friend's 30th bday!

Over the last week, I have noticed that Jackson's vocabulary is a lot more defined and he is speaking more clearly. It is so much fun hearing him learn how to say new words and just grow up. My favorite is that when he points for things, he wiggles his finger at me or the object in which he is pointing to. Its really funny and cute. He is very sensitive when it comes to boo-boos and people being in pain. He is quick to point out when he has a boo-boo and asks for a kiss from me. He's learning how to share. This morning in nursery, he took a toy away from another kid and Mr. Keith told him, "Jackson, you don't take toys away from other kids...you need to share." Jackson smiled really big and said, " Noooo..." But when he's eating, he will typically offer a bite to anyone in the room..including his stuffed toys.
His newest words are:
Bunny
Camera
Popsicle (sicle)
Stinky (he LOVES the Hefty Trash Bag commercials...and will dance around saying STINKY STINKY!)
Mommy...I am now no longer Momma...but Mommy. I'm not sure I like it very much.

His favorite things:
Cheerios
Yogurt
Cows - he will yell COW COW MOOOO anytime he sees a cow!
Trucks
Cars
Ice Cream (he asks at least once a day for ice cream...and I don't even feed it to him that often!!)
Puppys and Kitties
Kicking and Knocking things over
Balls

There are definietly more trying days, as his personality is more apparent and along with that, his little sinful heart. But I wouldn't trade my sweet son for anything in the world. He is such an incredible blessing from the Lord!!

Have a wonderful week friends!

Heat, Vacation and a Virus

2010-06-17T20:33:00.002-07:00

Wow, it has been a really long time since I have updated. I feel like we have been going nonstop for the past few months! So here is a update on the last 2 months!

At the end of May, we had the wonderful opportunity to go to Alabama and visit my Grammy and Grampy. They live in northern Alabama and we haven't seen them since Jackson's 1st birthday. We had a great trip - no meltdowns from Jackson! We were able to spend a week and had a blast. I think Grampy fell in love with his Great Grandson. He has asked me a few times when we are coming back and said that when Jackson left, it left a little hole in their house. He also asked a few times, "Does Jackson have an off switch?" :-) I said nope!

After we left Alabama, we drove to Mooresville, NC to visit my wonderful in-laws! They were so happy to have Jackson and I visit for a few days. Other than spending time with them, the best part for me was an "amy night". I was able to get away for an evening alone. I spent the night at a wonderful hotel in Charlotte and enjoyed some down time. My sweet friend, Joletta, came to have dinner with me. We went to church together in Raleigh and I hadn't seen her in over a year! It was sooo great to see her and catch up. I had an incredible time with the Lord and returned completely refreshed! During our visit, we were also able to spend some time with BJ. He drove down from Raleigh and spent the night. Jackson was so happy to have his Daddy around. He didn't leave his side or his sight the whole time he was there - unless he was asleep. It was wonderful to be together as a family for a little bit.

Then we got home and dove right in to VBS. I helped out in the nursery with all of the staff kids. It was a crazy week, but a lot of fun. Jackson loved being around his friends and listening to the stories about Joseph!

VBS ended up on Thursday night. Friday morning, my plan was to take Jackson to my Aunt Holly's, come home and work all day on a wedding cake that was to be delivered on Saturday afternoon. Around 10:00 a.m., my cousin Zach calls and says that Jackson has been throwing up! So I raced to get Jackson and took him straight to the dr. and found out that Jackson had a pretty good fever and was fighting with a stomach virus. We picked up some meds and headed back to my Aunts. She was my hero! Due to the amount of work I had to do, she said she would keep Jackson so I could finish the wedding cake and help out with a retreat at the cabin. Shew! It was an exhausting weekend, but the bride loved the cake and it was a great first wedding cake experience! Jackson has had a pretty lazy week - still recovering from his virus. But today he has seemed to be back to his normal, silly dancing self! We have found out that since VBS wrapped up, at least 6 out of the 12 kids we had came down with some virus or sickness!

Jackson is almost 22 months old! I can't believe that I am already thinking about his 2nd birthday. I scheduled his 24 month check up appointment today and wanted to cry. I am just not ready for a toddler. I love Jackson at this stage. He is becoming independent but he still loves being snuggly and cuddling with Momma! I haven't updated his word list in awhile because it is so hard to keep up. His vocabulary has expanded a lot and he is speaking a lot more clearly right now. I still have to interpret some words though! He has started telling me when he pees or poops in his diaper. And he likes to sit on his little potty. No activity in the potty yet, but he knows that he pees in there and knows to sit on it. He is still an amazing sleeper and loves to eat. He's been on a bit of a yogurt and Cheerio's kick lately, but I think that might have to do with him being sick. He still loves to dance and he's starting to sing along with some songs. Most of the time it is just humming or mumbling words, but its soo cute!

I am in the process of applying for jobs! So please pray for that! Jackson will start preschool 3 mornings a week in August and I'd like to find a job that will allow me to be home with him some or pay well enough that I can find someone to take care of him while I am at work. I am not ready for him to be in full time daycare! I am also starting to look for an apartment/house for us! Time to move out of the parents house!

Here is a slide show of our summer adventures thus far! Enjoy!!

My Montage 6/17/10 at OneTrueMedia.com

2010-06-17T20:33:00.001-07:00

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

19th Month = Insanity

2010-04-18T14:06:00.000-07:00

Wow. No one told me that at some point, the Jackmobile would just go nuts. Well...its happened. He is one busy busy crazy baby lately. As I write, he's playing in his crib, where he's been for an hour post-nap. He's yelling and singing and just being generally silly. Over the past few weeks, his vocabulary has exploded. He is saying words more clearly and attempting to form sentences, tho it still sounds like gibberish to me. I have noticed that when he gets caught doing something he ought not be doing, he is quick to attempt to "explain" himself. This usually includes about a 2-3 minute explanation in Jackson speech of what he did and why he did it. It is really hard for me to not laugh at him when he's doing this. With the warmer weather, he is in love with playing outside. As soon as he is done with breakfast, he begs, "Ouside, ouside.." I think he would play outside 8 hrs a day if he was able to. He loves to run up and down the porch and ride his train and Clifford. Most days, we have a totally delightful day together. He loves to read and I've slowly started letting him watch some cartoons. He loves watching Thomas the Train, Curious George, and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Thankfully all of those are 30 minute or less. I say most days because I am having to discipline a lot more lately. I've talked to many of my friends who have been through this age period and they all agree that it is tough, but necessary. I just have to be consistent with it now and he'll be a better behaved child in the long run. There are just some days...shew...its like he has switched off the ability to listen to me and nothing I say registers. But I wouldn't trade him for the universe. He loves to give hugs and kisses and I lovveee to receive them!

New Words for the month:

Mouse

Soothie (but it sounds like sue sue)

Outside

Yogurt (but he says gogurt)

Grapes

Help

Bebo (belly button...he LOVES bebo's..so watch out!)

People

Hat

Beppy (for my friend Stephanie)

New Signs:

Help

and we're working on milk, stop, and go.

He is doing a great job of identifying objects. His MeMe gave him some Baby Einstein flash cards for Christmas and he loves playing with them. He can identify most basic things - ball, banana, grapes, baby, etc. I am so proud of him for learning and doing such a good job! One funny new thing he's doing...he LOVES to dance. LOVES IT! So when he wants to listen to music, he will start dancing and points to the cd player. Its so cute. And he'll also let me know when he is done listening.

I think that's all for now! Time to get him dressed and head over to Jelly's (my sister) because my Molly Cate is in town!!!

Jackson is 18 months old!!!

2010-02-26T14:54:00.000-08:00

It is hard to fathom that my little boy is 18 months old! The past month has been filled with lots of sickness for us so it has seemed to fly by. Jackson had a pretty bad sinus infection and I am still recovering from the flu and a double ear infection. Needless to say, we've done a lot of resting, snuggling and watching cartoons over the past few weeks. God has provided so many people to help take care of us, bring us food and even take care of Jackson so he wouldn't get my germs.

I've said it before, but I feel like Jackson is a little sponge. He just soaks in everything. He is constantly watching the world around him and I can see the little wheels turning in his head. So here's some updates on the Jackmobile!

New words:

Baby

Thank you

Cheese

Cracker

Choo-Choo

Bob (for Bob the Tomato)

Please

Teeth

Cheers!

Signs:

All Done

Thank You

Please

Eat

He can identify his nose, ears, teeth, hair and mouth. He knows where his tummy is and loves to walk around with just a diaper on so he can smack his tummy. He is learning that his socks go on his feet, he just hasn't quite figured out how to get them there.

He is still obsessed with bananas and grapes! My mom introduced him to Craisins this week and I don't think a day has gone by that he hasn't eaten a huge handful of them. He is still a very good eater and will eat mostly anything I set in front of him. He has gotten pretty vocal in telling me "no" when he doesn't to eat something. We have officially dropped his morning nap. He still sleeps 12-14 hrs at night and then normally 2-2.5 hrs in the afternoon. He is still in love with bath time! I think I could bathe him 2-3 times a day and he's love it. He gets in the tub as soon as the water is on and stays in until the last tiny bit is drained out. I normally have to pull him out of the tub because he is starting to get goosebumps! I am excited to see how he'll do swimming this summer!

He loves to play and he is doing a great job of learning how to share with others. His favorite toys are Thomas the Train anything! He loves playing with his "choo choos". He loves books. It is not uncommon for him to sit and read for 20-30 mins at a time by himself. He has recently become obsessed with Bob the Tomato. He doesn't watch a lot of tv or dvds, so I'm not sure really how he has started this obsession. But he always asks for "bob bob". He's sitting beside me right now asking for "choo choo". He loves babies. He loves to see pictures of them or looking at them when we are in public. I have started letting him play with Molly's old play baby stroller, so he can push around his Ernie or monkeys.

My mom taught him now to say "cheers!" and bump cups when we are drinking at dinner or anytime really. So as soon as he gets his cup, he will pick it up and say "Cheers!!" and expect someone to bump his glass. We've even started doing it with food. It is really funny especially when he does it when we're over at other people's houses and they have no idea what he is doing.

I could go on for hours about him..I'm pretty much in love and think he's kinda the greatest kid ever!! It's so much fun to see his little personality develop and watch him grow up!

A Surprise Blessing

2010-01-31T13:32:00.000-08:00

This happened a few months ago, but I forgot to mention it! A few of you know that in 2003, I was in a pretty severe car accident. I was driving back to Gardner-Webb from home after Christmas vacation. I-26 was closed due to a chemical spill, so I decided to take the back road over to Asheville. I should mention that before I left, my car battery died and both my Aunt and my Momma's dear friend, Marlene, had a bad feeling about me driving back to GWU that night. It had started snowing and the roads were getting pretty slick. I was driving down the mountain going about 20 miles an hour. I remember turning off my cd player and praying, "God, please save me." About 20 mins later, I slid on ice and head on into the oncoming lane of traffic into a Pet Dairy truck. It happened so suddenly that I was certain that I had died. My first reaction was the jerk all of my limbs really hard to make sure I was still alive. As soon as I realized I wasn't dead, I heard voices yelling outside the car. The first was a male's voice asking me if I was okay and telling me to cover my face. He smashed in the passenger side window and got the door open. He climbed in the backseat and held my neck in his hands until the ambulance arrived. Then another woman, named Candy, crawled in the front seat and held my hand and prayed over me as the paramedics cut me out of the car. Once I was out, they took me to the hospital in Bakersville where I had xrays and found out that I hadn't broken any bones and had nothing but bruises and muscle damage. I also found out that the man that had held my neck still was named Kansas. He was a volunteer firefighter from Johnson City. He also followed the ambulance to the hospital so he could give the police a report of the accident. I was so very grateful for him and for Candy. After the accident, I tried to find both of them so I could thank them for their assistance and wonderful care. I couldn't find either of them. Candy was supposedly a volunteer EMS in Bakersville, but when I called no one had heard of her. So fast forward to October 2009. We are at church during the LifeAction services. After the end of one of the services, our Pastor, Reggie, called a man up to the front to commend him for his service in the military and some other things. His name was Kansas. Pastor Reggie made a comment about him being a volunteer firefighter as well. After the service, I stopped him and said, "You probably have no idea who I am..but do you remember a car accident up in Bakersville, NC about 6 years ago?" He smiled and said, "Yes, and I followed you to the hospital to give a police report." I said, "Yes, and that person in the accident was me! And I've wanted to thank you for 6 years and let you know that I so appreciate how you helped me." It was something very small, but I was so very thankful for God allowing me the opportunity to thank him in person...and for keeping me alive!

Jackson at 16 months

2010-01-16T13:47:00.000-08:00

It is hard to believe that Jackson is 16 1/2 months old!!! How in the world did that happen? People warned me that time would fly once he was born. But I never realized it would go sooo fast! I feel like he has just become this big huge sponge, soaking up everything around him. So here are some updated facts about my sweet boy.

Words:

Momma

Dadda

Nana (for Granna)

MeMe

Poppa

Bmmbear (for Granbear)

nana (banana)

egg

chee (cheese)

juice (almost sounds like jews)

book

uh-oh

night night

He can point to his nose and is slowly understanding teeth. If I ask him to wash his hair, he'll rub his hands all over his head. He loves to run around the house with just a diaper on smacking his tummy!

Favorite Foods

Bananas (he could eat 5 a day!)

Grapes

Yogurt - any flavor - even veggie flavored

Toast

Cheerios/Puffs - any cereal the can feed himself

Kefir (its basically liquid yogurt. It's what he drinks instead of milk!)

Cereal bars

Snapea Crisps

Eggs

Cheese

Anything crunchy - pretzels, chips, Gerber cheese puffs, etc.

He likes sweets - cookies, ice cream, etc. but not in over abundance. He'll have a few bites occasionally.

Activities

Reading books! He LOVES reading books!

His favorites are: 9 Fruits Alive (about the Fruit of the Spirit)

Moo, Baa, La La La

7 Days of Creation

Building blocks

Tennis balls - he LOVES putting them back into the canister and throwing them

Playing with his play kitchen

Thomas the Train ride on toy

Jackson loves playing, singing, dancing, and making tons of noise! He is such an active baby. Anytime music starts playing, he stops and starts dancing.

He still loves to sleep! TONS! He averages 12-14 hrs a night and typically takes 2 naps a day still. But he has to have his blue lovie and soothie for every nap. Lately, if I tell him it is time for night night, he will walk towards his room and point to his crib. Then he'll snuggle up onto my shoulder before I put him in his crib.

He is such a blessing of a baby. I never knew that I could love a little person so much. There are days I am just overwhelmed with how much I love him and how natural this whole Mommy thing has become. God has truly blessed my life with him and I am eternally thankful for the blessing of my child!!

Savings and Provisions

2010-01-09T18:15:00.000-08:00

Lately I have struggled a LOT with saving money and budgeting. I am TERRIBLE at it and I just did not know where to begin with creating a budget that I could realistically follow. As many of you know, having a baby has lots of other expenses... especially little boys ...and one who LOVES bananas like mine. I've been thinking about investing in a banana grove or tree. Since I think those are rather expensive, I just get to buy bananas a ton! Today I realized that I needed to buy milk, bananas, some veggies, and kefir for Jackson. So we went to Old Navy (so I could use some Christmas money - and found some really nice shirts for a good deal!!). Then we went to Kroger in hopes of finding kefir (and for a change of scenery). We went in and found bananas, avocados (ON SALE FOR $1 each!), kefir, as well as a few other things. When the cashier rang up our total, it was over $34, which was a little expensive, but I knew God would provide. Then the cashier asked for my Kroger value card. I handed it to her and she said the new total was $24.00!!! I saved $10 on my groceries tonight!! I was soooo excited!!!

Also, for Christmas, we were given some Wal-Mart gift cards. I was very thankful for them..but then I realized that I could use them for groceries, diapers, AND gas!!!! You have never seen any one more excited about Wal-Mart!

So yeah...that's my story for today! Thank You Lord for your provision and blessings!!

Safe

2009-12-09T19:41:00.000-08:00

A lot of times, music speaks to my heart and soul so much more than any spoken word...especially if it is about the love of my Jesus or His Word! This song is my Phil Wickham..who is one of my favorite artists and songwriters. We in concert last Christmas with Shane & Shane. When they introduced him, Shane Barnard said, "If you aren't saved, you will be after you hear Phil sing..." It is true! There is something about how he leads worship and writes about the love and amazing-ness of God! So this is one of his new songs and I could listen to it like 100 times a day. It is so encouraging to know that the One who created the world, the heavens, and the oceans, cares so much about me that He holds me in His arms. In this season of my life, I am learning that all I need to do is lean into God's arms and He will keep me safe, uphold me, and give me strength, when as the song says, "when everything is falling apart..." Click on this link and it will bring up a page with the words and the song should play! http://www.onlylyrics.com/hits.php?grid=11&id=1037480

Love,

Amy

To the one who's dreams are falling all apart
And all you're left with is a tired and broken heart
I can tell by your eyes you think your on your own
but you're not all alone

Have you heard of the One who can calm the raging seas
Give sight to the blind, pull the lame up to their feet
With a love so strong He'll never let you go
oh you're not alone

You will be safe in His arms
You will be safe in His arms
'Cause the hands that hold the world are holding your heart
This is the promise He made
He will be with You always
When everything is falling apart
You will be safe in His arms

Did you know that the voice that brings the dead to life
Is the very same voice that calls you to rise
So hear Him now He's calling you home
You will never be alone

These are the hands that built the mountains
the hands that calm the seas
These are the arms that hold the heavens
they are holding you and me

These are hands that healed the leper
Pulled the lame up to their feet
These are the arms that were nailed to a cross
to break our chains and set us free

Hallelujah! Glory be to our Great God!

2009-12-06T20:49:00.001-08:00

I love this song and wanted to share it with you! My favorite version is sung by Fernando Ortega and Mac Powell. It talks about how unfailing His love is and how unending is His strength. I love the second verse the most...that if only God will rise, the Devil will flee! What a great great God we serve and love!!

Eternal God, unchanging
Mysterious and unknown
Your boundless love unfailing
In grace and mercy shown
Bright seraphim in ceaseless flight
Around your glorious throne
Their voices raised both day and night
In praise to you alone

Hallelujah!
Glory be to our great God
Hallelujah!
Glory be to our great God!

Lord, we are weak and frail,
Helpless in the storm
Surround us with your angels
Hold us in your arms
Our cold and ruthless enemy
His pleasure is our harm
Rise up, oh Lord, and he will flee
Before our Sovereign God

Hallelujah!
Glory be to our great God!
Hallelujah!
Glory be to our great God!

Let every creature in the sea
And every flying bird
Let all the mountains, all the fields
And valleys of the earth
Let all the moons and all the stars
Throughout the universe
Sing praises to the Living God
Who rules them by His word

Hallelujah!
Glory be to our great God
Hallelujah!
Glory be to our great God!

Thanksgiving and a Visit to MeMe & Poppa's!

2009-12-03T18:13:00.001-08:00

We have had a very busy few weeks! I thought while I sit here and await the arrival of the Grubb's family I would update our blog!

Thanksgiving was very small and low key this year. We didn't even get out of our pj's! It was wonderful! I was so excited to see Jackson eat his first Thanksgiving dinner, but he decided to nap through dinner! So we'll take pictures next year and see how he enjoys it. Then we were incredibly surprised with about 2 inches of SNOW! We were sitting eating dinner and I saw a few snowflakes starting to fall and then it kept falling and falling! It looked like cotton balls falling out of the sky!

The next day, we travelled to Charlotte for a weekend of fun! We took Jackson to MeMe & Poppa Walker's house in Mooresville and visited with them for awhile. Then Momma, my cousin Nick, and Papa went to see the Charlotte Bobcats play the Cleveland Cavaliers! It was sooo much fun! We got to see Shaq, LeBron James AND Michael Jordan!! Nick was just overwhelmed with how big Shaq's feet are!! Then Momma and I spent the night at the Walker's. I just need to state that I have been incredibly blessed with wonderful in-laws!!! I love being around them and spending time with them. We spent Saturday with my sweet mother in law, Nora and went shopping. Jackson stayed at their house until Wednesday to have some time with his MeMe and Poppa. Apparently he is infatuated with his Poppa. He can say his name and would yell it anytime Bryon wasn't paying attention to him! They had a great time spending time together!

Yesterday, I picked Jackson up in Gaffney, SC where we were able to meet up with my best friend Ali and Logan!!! It was SO good to see them and let the boys play together. They are getting so big and growing up way too fast.

Tonight, my dear friends from Wake Forest, Stephen and Amanda Grubbs with their little boy Nathan, are driving to spend the evening with us! They are moving near Nashville to fill a youth ministry position. So I get the wonderful joy of spending tomorrow with them before they head across the state!

I will post pictures of our adventures soon - as soon as I find the cord to my camera!

Christmas Giveaway!

2009-12-01T19:46:00.000-08:00

So I saw this on my friend Beth's facebook page and wanted to share it with everyone! This is a great website with great tips about saving moolah and being frugal..two things I looove! So enter the giveaway and see what happens!! Giveaways are great during Christmas!!

http://www.fantabulouslyfrugal.com/2009/11/you-deserve-best-giveaway.html

Love,

Amy

Holiday Desserts

2009-11-20T13:49:00.000-08:00

I love to cook! I love making Christmas and other festive treats, so I thought I would offer my services to you! If you have a party or a family gathering and you need some tasty treats, I would love to help you out with that! Below you will find a listing of what I am offering as well as prices. Please let me know if there is something you would like that I haven't listed!

Cookies
Chocolate Chip
Chocolate M&M Chip
Oatmeal Raisin
Oatmeal Fantastic (craisins, chocolate chips, coconut, pecans)
Oatmeal Craisin
Peanut Butter
Peanut Butter Kisses
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip
Snickerdoodle
Sugar
White Chocolate Macadamia Nut
Per Dozen: $7.00
Hand Decorated Sugar Cookies (Cut Out) Per Dozen: $11.00

Dipped Pretzels (Rods or Minis)
White Chocolate
Dark Chocolate
Milk Chocolate
Peanut Butter
Per Dozen: $8.00

Brownies
Milk Chocolate
Dark Chocolate
Milk Chocolate Mint
Milk Chocolate Raspberry
Chocolate and Reeses Pieces
Blondies
7 Layer Brownies
Per Dozen: $7.00

Pies
Apple
Apple Caramel
Pumpkin
Double Layer Pumpkin
Peanut Butter
Chocolate Silk
Banana Cream
Pecan
Chocolate Pecan
Each: $10.00

Cupcakes
Chocolate
Vanilla
Strawberry
Orange
Lemon
Marbled
Red Velvet
Per Dozen: $11.00

Cakes
Chocolate
Vanilla
Strawberry
Orange
Lemon
Marbled
Red Velvet
Per 8 inch double layer cake: $15.00
**Cakes can be plain iced or I can decorate them for the occassion. Please contact me for prices if you would like the cake decorated.**

Icing Flavors
Chocolate
Buttercream (can be flavored with almost any other extract you can think of! Rum, Peppermint, Vanilla, Orange, Almond, etc.)
Cream Cheese

Also, if you would like them boxed for sending to family and friends, contact me for prices. I will offer a 10% discount for every 3 dozen ordered. If I have not included something you would like, please let me know!

Contact Information
Phone Number: (423) 426-3510
Email Address: amyleahwalker@gmail.com (or Facebook!)

Jackson is 1!!

2009-08-31T07:49:00.000-07:00

So its been a bit since I have posted anything. With the arrival of Jackson's 1st birthday, I thought, hmm..maybe I should take a few mins every other day and blog a bit about Jackson. So here goes!

Today is his 1st birthday and he never ceases to amaze me. I love watching him grow, change and figure out new things. He is such a sponge and is always learning and absorbing new information. He is truly a miracle of the Lord.

Some of Jackson's Favorite things:

1. Books - he LOVES to be read to...especially "Where is Baby's Belly Button". He likes to lift the flaps! And any books that have bright colors.

2. His lovie and soothie - He never takes a nap with out them. I am thankful that he isn't addicted to his soothie (pacifier for those who don't know that we call it a soothie) all day long. But I think its adorable to see him snuggling with his lovie when he's sleeping.

3. ANYTHING with music. He gets his love of music from Daddy and his love of dancing from Momma. Anytime music is played, he'll stop what he's doing and start to wiggle! He'll even dance when there isn't music playing!

4. Stacking rings and picking up toys. Yes, he likes to pick up his toys. He loves to restack rings and put toys back in his bin. But then he gets them right back out.

5. Running down stairs. He LOVES it when I walk down stairs carrying him and I start to run. He just giggles.

6. Climbing up stairs. He has learned to climb and LOVES to do so. Once he gets to the top of the stairs, he claps and dances!

7. Blowing kisses.

8. Saying Mama and Dadda. He loves being able to say those words and hearing BJ and I answer him. I think we might love hearing it more.

Favorite Foods:

1. Yogurt! HE LOVES this stuff!

2. Avocados

3. Bananas

4. Cheerios (or any cereal he can feed himself)

5. Chicken

6. Sweet Potatoes

7. Butternut Squash

I have to say that we are very blessed in that Jackson loves to eat. There is basically nothing that he won't eat. I gave him a black olive and he loved it! He isn't the biggest fan of carrots still, but that is all I can think of that he doesn't really like.

Jackson is still sleeping 12-15 hrs at night. Yes, I said 15! That boy LOVES to sleep. He normally takes 2 naps during the day as well.

Here is a slideshow I made for Jackson's birthday party...enjoy with a box of Kleenex. We were blessed to have all of our closest friends and family present for Jackson's 1st birthday!

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Early Thanksgiving

2008-11-10T19:18:00.000-08:00

We Walker's have a yearly tradition that we started our first year here...Thanksgiving Dinner before Thanksgiving! We have it a few weeks before Thanksgiving with all of our wonderful family here. This was our third year and we had about 13 people over in our little apartment. We had a delicious turkey that was prepared by my wonderful husband and tons of incredible side dishes our friends prepared. We spent the evening in fellowship, eating and playing Wii. And of course, us girls sat and watched the Jackson show.

He has started smiling and "talking" a TON! He has also figured out how to roll to his right side and then onto his tummy. But then he gets stuck on his tummy. He hasn't figured out how to roll back. He has also discovered his hands and loves to suck on them a LOT. He is so animated, I feel like he does something new every day. On Saturday before our dinner party, I had the unfortunate accident of hurting him for the first time. I was changing his clothes for the party and decided to clip his finger nails. I clipped a little too close on one finger and cut him! He shrieked at me and his little finger started to bleed. I felt like the WORST Mom. I know it's not the last time I'll hurt him, but oh I hated hurting him. He has survived and so have I.

Here are some pictures that his Aunt Lindsey took of him during the party. He was held and loved on by some his favorites - Uncle JR and Aunt Lindsey, Aunt Laurie and Uncle Wes and Aunt Autie fed him. He is soo loved by everyone here.

Big smiles for Aunt Laurie and Aunt Lindsey!

He looks so big in this photo...

2 Months Old

2008-11-03T19:39:00.000-08:00

Today we went for Jackson's 2 month well child check up. He is doing great!! He weighs 13 lbs and is 24.5 inches long. They said he is at the top of the charts for his height and weight. Overall, Dr. Konopka said he is a very healthy baby. He asked us, "Does he cry frequently, minimially, or other?" I said, "Is none an option?" The last visit we had at the pediatrician, Jackson wasn't too happy to be poked and prodded, but today, he did GREAT! He smiled and made noises the whole time. This was our first visit w/ Jackson to see Dr. Konopka and we are very pleased. Now our whole family is at the same practice, being cared for by the same doctor. Jackson had 3 shots day...not really sure what all he had (it's on a sheet in the living room). So he has three little Taz band-aids on his little legs. He didn't like the shots too much, but I think he would have done better had he not been mad in the first place. Apparently, my son does not like being naked, so he got mad about that. Oh well.. :-) He has done well the rest of the day. A little fussy and wants to be held if he's not sleeping, but nothing like I imagined.

The only issue we are having is the left side of his head is fairly flat and is causing the left side of his forehead to protrude a little bit more. Dr. K said it is something we can watch for 2 more months and just see what happens, but he would prefer to send Jackson to see a physical therapist before his neck muscles get set even more. He prefers the left side of his head when sleeping and laying down, so BJ and I have to be meanies and push his head to the right to try to even it out. So we'll meet with a physical therapist and see what they have to say. Hopefully this will be a preventative measure that will help us do things with him at home.

Time to feed my little boy! Thank you to everyone for your prayers and support over the past two months. We have been blessed so much with this child and he is a total delight!

Love,
Us

Pictures of Jackson

2008-11-02T18:09:00.000-08:00

Jackson playing with Daddy (while Mommy napped!)

Bundled up and ready for the day!

Here's our little monkey!

Nap time on a Sunday afternoon

Cool guitar onesie that my Granbear & Granna bought for me at the Wooly Worm Festival!

A Challenge...

2008-10-27T18:38:00.001-07:00

This week I asked BJ why he never wrote on his blog and he said because you never do. So he said if I blogged 1-2 a week, he'd stop by every so often and write as well. Challenge accepted. Here goes.

The past few weeks have been full and busy. Jackson is now 8 weeks old!! Friday we will celebrate his two month birthday! I am blown away that he is already two months old. He is such a precious baby. Last weekend he started sleeping through the night and has done so 3 or 4 nights now. The first few times were shocking, but it is nice to get some more sleep. He is smiling a lot now and does it at the worst times. For example, he will have his mouth full of formula and smile, therefore dumping milk all down his chin. Or he'll smile at me when he is supposed to be going to sleep. I melt every time he smiles. BJ is teaching Jackson to suck his thumb, much to my dismay. But he really hasn't caught on yet.

Last weekend BJ and I had the pleasure of going to stay at my parents cabin for a few days. It was great to be up in the mountains and enjoy the fresh air. Then I stayed with my parents for until this past Thursday. Momma had a LOT of Jackson and Granna time, which I know she loved a lot. We were able to spend time with my niece, Molly, as well. She is still pretty confused with who Jackson is in relation to her. At one point, he was her brother, her sister and even her boyfriend. She finally settled on brother-sister-cousin. She'll get it one day... :-)

This past weekend BJ and I went to "A Weekend to Remember" conference in Durham. Momma brought Jackson and I home on Thursday and we spent the night in Durahm Saturday evening...alone. It was wonderful to have some time together, uninterrupted. The conference was fantastic. I would encourage anyone who is married or even engaged to attend. We heard some wonderful speakers which sparked a lot of good conversation between BJ and I. Saturday evening, they schedule a date night for everyone to partake of. For our date night, we got into our pj's, ordered room service and a movie and laid in bed. It was WONDERFUL!!! We had a wonderful time just spending time together. It was a blessing. Thank you Papa and Momma for sending us on this wonderful weekend.

I think that's all for tonight. I will post some new photos of Jackson this week! Sweet dreams to you al!

5 weeks old and New Couches

2008-10-03T16:37:00.000-07:00

As I write you, I am multi-tasking...eating dinner, watching our new couches being unloaded and staring at my beautiful son. He's playing on his overly colorful play mat that Mimi and Poppa Walker bought him! Jackson is almost 5 weeks old and a very healthy happy baby! We went to the doctor this week for his 1 month check up and he weighed in at 10 lbs 14 oz. Our doctor said he is extremely healthy and growing great. He eats great and is eating about 5oz of formula each feeding. We have been blessed by God with a very content and calm baby. He doesn't fuss a lot unless he is wet or hungry. He is on a great sleeping schedule and he normally goes right back to sleep after each feeding at night. We just praise Jesus for him! It has been a challenging month, but we have been ministered to by wonderful friends and our church family. We have grown as a couple in ways we never thought...and are surviving on less sleep than we ever imagined.

Last night our dear friends JR and Lindsey blessed us with watching Jackson so BJ and I could go on a date. We went to Crabtree Valley Mall and ate dinner at The Cheesecake Factory. It was such a wonderful evening. Those of you that are parents can understand...we love Jackson to pieces, but it was soooo nice to have alone time and not have to do anything but concentrate on each other. We have some sweet sweet friends here that love us and love Jackson, so we are not at a shortage for babysitters!

BJ and I bought new couches two weeks ago. At first this was not a funny story, but now it is really funny. We decided that we needed new couches that were more supportive and less "cushy". So we went to Rooms To Go and found new couches. Then he listed our couches on CraigsList. Two weeks ago, a couple came by to "look" at the couches. When they pulled up, they had a trailer on the back of their truck. They came in and handed us cash for them and took them away. Then BJ sped down to Rooms To Go and ordered our new couches. When he came home, he informed me that the new couches would be delivered on October 3. Needless to say, I wasn't too thrilled with not having seating in our living room. But we took each day and made do with our rocking chair and a lawn chair. But in the past 10 min, our living room has been overflowed with a new couch, recliner and loveseat...ALL of which RECLINE!!! Hooray!!

I'll post new photos once I get them uploaded. I'm off to enjoy my new couches and I might not move for the next two days!

11 Days Old!

2008-09-11T18:03:00.000-07:00

We're almost at two whole weeks! Jackson is doing so great and growing daily. We went to the pediatrician on Monday and he weighs 9 lbs 9 oz. He has gained all plus more of his birth weight. We have him on a great schedule - feeding every 3 hours and sleeping in between each feeding at night. Last night was his most fussy, but we discovered he had some gas and it was Mylicon to the rescue!

BJ is back to work and we LOVE having family time when he gets home in the evening. Jackson loves laying on BJ and just spending time with Daddy. I'm not sure when I will be going back to work...it depends on when my incision heals and when my doctors say I'm okay to resume regular activity.

We have been abundantly blessed by our friends here. They have gotten together and are bringing us meals every other night, which has helped so much. I think we wouldn't eat anything but ham sandwiches and cereal if they weren't bringing us food. And it's SUCH good food!! :-) God is so good to us.

Thank you for your prayers and support over the past two weeks. We are making it - some days are harder than others, especially when I'm not feeling the best. God has also given me some wonderful girlfriends who are new Moms as well to support me and be real with me about what having a new baby is like - and who will let me cry and not call me crazy.

Here are some photos of our little guy. We take tons, so we'll post lots!

Love,
BJ, Amy, & Jackson

The Arrival of Benjamin Jackson Walker

2008-09-04T14:02:00.000-07:00

After keeping everyone in suspense, I thought I'd take a few minuets to let you all know what we've been up to the past few days! Let's go back to Friday afternoon.

Friday: My parents arrived in anticipation for Jackson's pending arrival! Around 11:00 a.m., Dr. Scott called and informed us that we had a spot open for us on Monday to be induced. He said we would check in around 6:30 a.m. and get things rolling. So I took the rest of the day off and just let all of that information process. We enjoyed a great evening with my parents. They took us to Olive Garden for dinner, which I had been craving for months! It was great and everything I'd dreamed it could be!

Saturday: We got up and took Daylight Donuts to my parents hotel and went swimming! My friend Lindsey joined us and I had a good workout. Then BJ and I, and my parents tackled some serious shopping. We ate California Pizza Kitchen for lunch and ran tons of "last minuet" errands we needed to get done by Monday. Then we met the rest of my family at Twisted Fork for dinner.

About half way through dinner, my stomach started cramping up. I went to the bathroom three times in the span of about 30 minuets. I thought I had a little gas and that Jackson was pushing really hard inside, which he had the tendency to do. After my third trip to the bathroom, my Mom put her hand on my stomach and said, "How long has this been going on?" I told her for about 30 min or so...apparently I was having contractions. Around this time, the skies opened up and we had a HUGE thunderstorm, complete with hail. So we all sat around and enjoyed the rest of our dinner and waited out the rain. About 45 min later, I was still having pretty hard contractions so we headed home and called Dr. Scott.

After talking to Dr. Scott, we decided with the nasty weather, we should head on to the hospital and he'd meet us to see what was going on. While we were packing, he called back and told BJ that no matter how far along I was, we were going to stay and be get the induction process going either Saturday night or Sunday morning.

We arrived at the hospital and they checked me...I was not dilated at all. I was a bit more thinned out, but nothing else. So we started talking options - he could start my pitocin, epidural, and get my water broken to start my labor OR just start the pitocin, give me an epidural, and let me sleep through the night and see what happens by morning. At this point, it was after 11:30 p.m., I was exhausted, extremely overwhelmed, and ready to go home. I begged BJ to let me go home and we'd just come back on Monday and do this. I was basically freaked out. But God knew that I would need a doctor who was caring, wanted me to know the facts, and wanted to do what was best for everyone involved. So he kicked my parents out of the room and told BJ and I to have a heart-to-heart about the whole situation. After talking to BJ and Dr. Scott, we decided to stay in the hospital, get my epidural and see what happens. **T0 complicate matters, the nurse gave me penicillin as I needed antibiotics and we discovered very quickly that I am very allergic to it! That was not a fun moment, but I adjusted and felt better once it was out of my iv.**

Sunday: We woke up Sunday morning and felt rested. I had slept as much as possible and had slept through a lot of contractions. Marsha, our most wonderful nurse, checked me and said I had progressed to 2 cm. She said everything was looking great and I was progressing very well. Dr. Scott came in a little bit later and I was progressed to 4 cm and if I kept it up, we'd have a baby by lunch time! My contractions started progressing at a really good pace and by about 3:00 p.m, I was steady at 9 cm. The only issue we were having was that my cervix had not totally thinned out and moved out of the way. So we started pushing. I pushed for about 45 min as Dr. Scott tried to move my cervix. Let me tell you, it was not the most comfortable thing I have ever experienced. After 5 good contractions and about 20 pushes, Dr. Scott told me to stop and that "we need to have a conversation". Apparently, my cervix was not moving and Jackson's head was not coming out properly. He was trying to squeeze into the birth canal, but my cervix and pelvis was not allowing him to come out. So our options were either push for 3 more hours and see what happens OR have a c-section and meet our son in about 45 minuets. Due to the fact that it had been a few hours and we had not made any progress, no matter what we tried, we decided to do the c-section. You have never seen nurses move around so quickly. They got me down to the delivery room and prepped in record time - although it felt like an eternity due to my ongoing contractions. BJ was allowed to come back with me and I was so thankful he was there with me. It made such a huge difference! At 5:28 p.m., our beautiful Benjamin Jackson Walker was born! Hearing his little cry was the most beautiful sound in the universe. BJ got to hold in him very shortly after he was born and it was absolutely amazing to see them together. We shortly found out why I was unable to deliver him normally. My son weighed 9 lbs 6 oz!!!!! Everyone in the delivery room was amazed that he was that big. Our anesthesiologist smiled really big and said, "Amy, there was no way that kid was coming out any other way." About 20 minutes later, I was stapled up and on my way back to our room. Once I was comfortable, on pain meds and had rested a bit, they brought Jackson in to meet me!! I could not believe he was here and so beautiful.

There are so many other details I could say about this whole experience. God was with us the entire way. We saw His hand in so many of the details and felt His presence and love throughout it all. From the incredible doctor we were blessed with (if you need a good OB - GO TO BRANNON, ROGERS & SCOTT IN CARY!!! THEY ARE AMAZZZING!!!), to the wonderful nurses and just everyone we came in contact with. My husband was so strong and amazing throughout it all as well. He never left my side, was constantly strong and kept telling me how proud he was of me and how good of a job I was doing. I am very very thankful for my family and how we were supported throughout the past few days.

We will post videos as well as some more photos this week.

Thank you for your prayers and love!

Love,
BJ, Amy & Jackson

Haveababyitsaboy!

2008-09-02T15:05:00.000-07:00

Words can't explain...

Another Update On the Little One...

2008-08-27T17:41:00.000-07:00

We had the joy of another drs appt today! We met with our dear Dr. Scott today - we were nervous to meet him, as he was a new doctor to the practice, but he has been such a blessing. Because I am at 40 weeks as of this Saturday, they hooked me up to the fetal monitor for about 30 min to monitor Jackson and my uterus activity. Dr. Scott said Jackson looks fantastic. He said, "You have one very healthy boy!". Then I had a pelvic exam and we have small progress. My cervix has begun to thin out, but no dilation yet. Then Dr. Scott did an ultrasound to make sure Jackson was still head down and all looked good. He's still head down, thankfully!

We will not be induced this weekend however. The hospital does not do "elective" inductions on the weekend. So here is our plan - unless Jackson decides to come out on his own:
We have to call Dr. Scott on Sunday evening and let him know how I am feeling and if he has the ability to, we'll be induced on Monday morning. Currently, he has 5 other patients scheduled to be induced Monday as well. So we are praying that either I or one of the other 5 patients go into labor.
If Monday does not work out and Jackson still has not come on his own, we are scheduled for an induction on Thursday. We're scheduled to check in at 6:30 a.m. and start the whole process.
So here is what we need prayers for:
~Jackson's health and that he will come out on his own.

~My comfort and pain management. I am in a lot of pain - back, abdomen and other areas. Thankfully, I am home from work from now on, so I do not have to worry about being up doing a lot. AND my Mom is coming this weekend, so she will be a big help as well.

~Patience while we are waiting. BJ and I are both so excited about this new little guy coming to our family. But each day it gets a little harder to wait. We know that God has a perfect time planned for Jackson to be born and we want to cling to that.

~Wisdom to know if we should go through with the induction on Monday (if possible) or wait until Thursday.

~That BJ and I would enjoy each other and this time we have together.

Thank you all so much for your prayers! We are so very grateful!! We will let you know any updates as we get them!

Benjamin Jackson Update

2008-08-23T06:47:00.000-07:00

Well, today is officially 39 weeks!!! Next Friday is our due date! :-) I cannot believe we are here already! We went to see Dr. Scott this past Thursday and I had an exam to see if there was any labor activity yet. Nothing, nada, zip. (He did let us know that Jackson is about 6 1/2 - 7 lbs!!!) So Dr. Scott told us that if we wanted to, at any time, can schedule our induction. We will go back on Wednesday to see either Dr. Brannon or Dr. Scott and depending on what is going on by Wednesday, we will most likely schedule our induction for Saturday, August 30. I want to give Jackson and my body as much time as I can to do this whole thing naturally, but as my very wise Momma said, "You are about to run a marathon and you need to take into consideration how much rest you will need before the marathon and how much more your body can take." I'm going to be honest, I'm not sure I can wait 2 full more weeks. I know I can do anything with God's strength, but I want to be as strong as I can be to deliver my son.

So if he doesn't decide to make his entrance sometime this week, he should be here sometime next Sunday. :-) PRAISE THE LORD!!! I am extremely nervous, but so very excited to meet my son. BJ and I can't wait to see this little guy and welcome him into our family.

We'll keep you posted! We appreciate your prayers so much.

Jesus, our Warrior King

2008-08-11T17:20:00.000-07:00

We covet your prayers during this time. This past Sunday, we finally decided on where we would like to call our church home and we found a great bible study and small group. It was such a wonderful blessing of a day. During the teaching time, we talked about Genesis 49 and the blessing of Jacob on his sons. One of the points of the lesson was that our God is warrior King. It was an incredible point to take in. The imagery in my mind came up of a warrior - tough, strong, and ready to take on the enemy, but someone who loves, nurtures, and is protective over the ones he loves.

During our small group time (which we call care groups - and I am so excited to get to know the people in this care group!!), we discussed this in more depth. It was so amazing how God led our discussion. We were taking prayer requests before our prayer time. We lifted up one couple - the Chappell's. They are loved and known by Open Door, their home church Treasuring Christ, as well as Southeastern. They are currently facing one of the biggest struggles and battles in their lives. They had a c-section on this past weekend to deliver their first son, Asher. Asher had some developmental difficulties and they were not sure what to expect. Once Asher was out of Casey's uterus, he as able to breathe on his own for about 30 seconds and then the Lord took him home. Being a woman first of all, I could not imagine dealing with that pain. Secondly, I could not imagine, as a mother, letting my son go only after 30 seconds. We prayed that God would give them only the strength and comfort He can give. Before we prayed, I also mentioned prayers for myself, as well as the other three women (Jessica, Marsha, and Beth) in our care group that are pregnant. One of the other ladies is due 3 days before me. So it really hit home praying for the Chappell's. It just made me realize how much I needed Jesus, as my Warrior King , when I am in the delivery room. I will need His strength, His might, and His readiness to fight for me. But I am also going to need His grace, His mercy, and His comfort as my King. I asked (and covet your prayers the same) that we pray this for myself, Jessica, Marsha, and Beth. I cannot imagine feeling my son in my body growing, stretching (even when it hurts), and living for this long only to not be able to watch him grow up. I pray for God's protection over my labor and delivery and for Jackson's overall health. I don't know what to expect, but I know that God does. He has every moment...including WHEN it is going to happen...planned out. What a wonderful, strong, magnificent God we serve!!!

A Few Weeks In Review

2008-08-02T18:15:00.001-07:00

We have been pretty busy over the past 2-3 weeks, so I am failing behind in my blogging. Let's see here...two weeks ago, we spent 5 wonderful days at my parents house in TN and at their cabin in the mountains. We celebrated my Momma's 50th birthday while we were there. It was such a wonderful party. For her birthday party, my Papa surprised her with a private concert by her favorite music artist - Margaret Becker! Momma was able to spend the whole day with her, as she put on a women's mini-conference before her concert. It was so wonderful to meet Margaret and learn about her heart for the Lord. I grew up listening to her music and wow, it was an amazing birthday party. Momma just sat there praising the Lord with Margaret and being in awe that Margaret Becker was singing on her porch. There were tons of people there to celebrate with us! My Grammy and Grampy as well as my Uncle Chris were there as well. It was so great to be able to spend time with them!

Also that weekend, Momma surprised me with a pregnancy massage. It was 2 hours of pure relaxation. The massage part was a bit tricky, as I can't lay on my stomach. But the time started off with a sugar scrub, followed by rinsing off in the most amazing shower EVER!! Then I was slathered in body butter and wrapped up like a burrito. I don't remember the last time I have ever felt that relaxed and out of it. It made me feel like a princess. That evening, Momma and Grammy threw BJ and I a lovely baby shower. It was a small group of women that I have had the pleasure knowing for quite sometime. We had a really good time and we were blessed with more things for Jackson.

We really enjoyed being with my parents. We always have such a good time with them. Our relationship has not always been the best, but we have seen God move in some amazing ways over the past 2 years. God has been so good to us all and has brought so much restoration and healing to all of our hearts. It was bittersweet leaving, as I realized the next time I would see my Momma, I would be in labor. And we realized the next time we would be at their house, we'd have a tiny human with us. VERY VERY exciting, but oh my!!

Here are some photos from the most wonderful weekend!

A threefold cord...

2008-07-13T12:05:00.000-07:00

Over the past few weeks, our faith and patience as a family has been tested. Not only am I 8 months pregnant and learning that I can't do everything I used to do, but BJ has been feeling pretty down over the last 3 weeks. His back has been bothering him immensely, and it is affecting everything from his appetite, to giving him chest pains and headaches. (Pray that as we go to the chiropractor this week, we can reach a resolution as to what is bothering him.)

We are learning how God made our bodies so intricately and wonderfully, so that if one part of our body is off, another part is normally affected. Kinda like the body of Christ..(but that is a completely different post!). Last weekend, BJ and I went to my parents cabin in the mountains for some relaxation. We argued over who would drive - I wanted to drive so he could relax and he wanted to drive because he knows I don't like driving in the mountains and because I'm pregnant. I was expressing this to my Mom and she encouraged us to read Ecclesiastes 4:9-12. As a married couple, God has given us the responsibility to serve each other. Let me remind you as to what this passage says:

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

I learned the full point of this message last night. I got frustrated with the mess in our house and the fact that BJ wasn't his normal OCD self and constantly cleaning the house. So I let my frustration get the best of me and decided to clean the heck out of the house. I sorted laundry, rearranged Jackson's clothes, and even changed the sheets on our KING sized bed. About an hour later, my legs hurt more than they have in months. I felt like I had just completed a set of 1000 squats. Needless to say, I was in bed early and in pain.

Before bed, BJ and I talked about what had taken place and that even though he doesn't feel 100% all of the time, I can't do everything by myself. I was being too stubborn and should have asked his help for things like changing the sheets on the bed. I am learning that I am not superwoman and that God has given me a husband to compliment me and fill in when I am weak. I am the same for him. When he feels bad, I can pick up and do the things that need to get done. But we we both are down, that is when we need to first of all lean on the Lord for strength, but secondly lean on each other. Instead of clinging to what Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, I decided to do things alone and as the verse says, "woe to him who is alone...".

I have been encouraged today by the words in Ecclesiastes as well as Paul's words in 2 Corinthians 9:12 - "But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
God has provided so many things for us and given us His words to increase our strength when we are weak. He has also given us many practical things.... like husbands to give us strength when we are weak.
Thank you Lord for this powerful lesson this morning...You are so good!!!

33 Weeks!

2008-07-11T18:07:00.000-07:00

We had our 33 week check up today! All is looking great! Dr. Brannon measured Jackson and he weighs about 4.5 lbs! We are 7 weeks away from meeting our wonderful son! I can't wait!!! We go back in 2 weeks for our 35 week check up with Dr. Rogers, then it starts to get scary....we have to go weekly!!
Praise Jesus for such a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby so far. He has been so faithful to us throughout this whole growing period. We are excited, yet nervous to meet our son. It is our prayer that we would be faithful to the Lord as we learn about this whole parenting adventure and that we would raise our son to love Jesus.

48 days to go!!!

4th of July Vacation

2008-07-09T17:47:00.000-07:00

This past weekend BJ and I were blessed with a trip to my parents cabin in Buladean, NC. They have an amazing house tucked in the gorgeous NC mountains. When we were deciding on where to vacation this summer, they offered us a weekend at the cabin. It could not have been better!

We drove up Thursday evening and stayed until Sunday afternoon. BJ had been not feeling well for the week prior to us going and we weren't sure if we were going to be able to go. But thankfully, he felt well enough to make the trip. Friday morning, Momma surprised him by taking him to have a massage! He was so relaxed afterwards. It helped him feel a LOT better. That evening we helped Momma and my Papa with hotdogs at Heritage (their church/my old church). They have a huge 4th of July festival and Papa makes 3,000 hotdogs for everyone that is there. If you have not had my Papa's hotdogs, man, you need to! They are honey hotdogs and goshhhh...they are soo good. We ended up going back to the cabin, raiding the kitchen and watching fireworks live from NYC. I missed actually seeing fireworks live, but it was so nice to relax.

Then Saturday morning, we did NOTHING! BJ, Momma, and I laid around the cabin the whole day in our pj's just watching tv and eating junk food. Then the three of us made dinner for Papa, as he wasn't feeling well. It was such a great day!

Sunday, we went to church at Heritage and were blessed with Reggie's sermon. It was so great to be at a church where he is so faithful to the Word of God and communicates it in such a great way and with a great passion. Then we were treated to Outback w/ Momma, Papa, my sister and of course, Molly Cate. We were joined by Reggie's wife, daughters and their husbands. This made for a funny lunch. You see, his daughters - Stephanie and Angela are both pregnant! Angela is due in 4 weeks and Stephanie is due in 9 weeks. Our waitress asked us if we planned it to all be pregnant at the same time. It was quite fun to be around other pregnant ladies like myself!

Sunday afternoon my Papa took BJ early birthday shopping. His birthday is July 15 and we have been looking at cameras for BJ over the past 6 months or so. He loves photography and really wants to have a great camera to take good photos (especially of his new son!!). So OJ blessed him with a new camera. He was so overwhelmed and we are still in a bit of shock.

The weekend went by too quickly and we were about to get quite a bit of rest, which we both needed a lot. Sadly, we did not take any photos..but we were bums the whole weekend, so its okay. We are headed back to Johnson City/Buladean next weekend for our baby shower and Momma's 50th birthday party. So trust me, there will be TONS of photos from that weekend. Thank you to my parents and how they constantly bless us! They are just amazing!

Saturday Visit to the ER..

2008-06-21T15:30:00.000-07:00

Today we had the privilege of finding out what patient care is like at WakeMed ER.

This Saturday started out as any other Saturday. BJ and I were planning on cleaning the house and running errands...just like every other Saturday. Around 11:00 a.m., I noticed that my heart was beating a bit faster than normal. I got up and decided to help BJ clean the house and hopefully it would go away. Around 12:00 p.m, after I had washed some dishes and wiped down the kitchen, I started to feel a bit nauseated and lightheaded. I laid on the couch and took my anti-nausea meds. I had just told BJ I was going to sit down for a bit and then take a shower. as I was sitting, I noticed my heart beating fast again. It didn't go away so BJ suggested that I should call Dr. Brannon to find out what he had to say. When he called back, all I could get out was, "Dr. Brannon, this is Amy Walker, my heart is beating rather fast..." He immediately told me, "GO TO THE ER and get checked out." This is why I love him. He doesn't mess around with stuff, especially being 30 wks pregnant.

So BJ and I headed to the ER. We spent most of the afternoon at the ER, thankfully in a bed and not in the waiting room. We were blessed to have a very nice nurse and ER doctor. They hooked me up to a heart monitor, IV, and blood pressure cuff. As per usual, they took blood (which I am very used to by now). They found out that I am anemic (which 80% of pregnant women become anemic), dehydrated and under-nourished. I need to be drinking around 1 gallon of water a day (which means going to the bathroom every other second) and increasing my calories as much as I can. I have not been eating as much as I should because I get full rather quickly. So we are going to get creative with how I get my calories. (as I write this, BJ is out to the grocery store getting some good food for me to eat...AND a pizza is on the way for me!)

I am home and just have to rest for the rest of the weekend. We'll go see Dr. Brannon on Monday just to follow up. Jackson is great..they measured his heartbeat while they measured mine and his was 134, which is great. So we don't have to worry about him at all. We just have to get Momma back up to par. I'm going to take it easy and drink a LOT of water this weekend. I am just so thankful that they did not find anything seriously wrong with me and it is something we can treat at home. I am also thankful for a doctor that doesn't mess around with anything and wants the best for me and the tiny life inside of me. Also....I am insanely thankful for my husband. He stayed by my side the entire time we were at the ER - even though he was starving (poor guy hadn't eaten since breakfast). He did everything that he could to make me feel comfortable...even holding my hand while they put in my IV (which he hates needles). I am so blessed to have him as my husband...i love hims!

So that was our Saturday! Enjoy the photos BJ took...

First Baby Shower

2008-06-16T17:46:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was crazy busy, but oh so wonderful! My two dearest friends at SEBTS - Lindsey and Autumn - threw BJ and I a wonderful baby shower. They were so thoughtful and every little detail was amazing. Over 20 of my friends were there, including my best friend from high school, Nikki, as well as BJ's Mom, my Mom, sister and cousin. We had an amazing time. God blessed BJ and I with a LOT of things we will need for Jackson. Needless to say, he is going to be one well dressed baby. Autie and Linds thought of everything. The plates and table cloth matched Jackson's nursery colors. The menu was wonderful...all the way down to chocolate milkshakes!! They know me too well! They even made prayer cards for the ladies to take home and put on their refrigerator to remind them to pray for us! They also made up a quiz about Jackson and different things that we've experienced so far. It was funny to hear some answers, but also really neat to hear that mostly everyone knew so much about us! All in all, it was an incredible day.
Here are some photos from the weekend. Lindsey made a photo montage and I'm going to include that instead of putting in random photos. Enjoy!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

God's Blessings

2008-06-12T17:50:00.000-07:00

This week has been filled with blessings and I am just overwhelmed. So I thought I would share. These are in no specific order or rank.

First thing....You all know I am pregnant (28 1/2 weeks to be exact!). During the last 28 weeks, we have been praying and trying to figure out our job situation. We had decided that BJ would work on the weekends at Wal-Mart and keep Jackson during the week while I worked my current job at GFD. As the weeks progressed and we kept praying, we encountered some possibilities that would allow me to stay home. Until about a week ago, all of the doors seemed to be nailed shut. On top of that, we both felt uneasy with BJ working on the weekends. We wanted to have more than just one day a week as a family. Spending time together with Jackson is much more important to us than having a ton of money. We wanted from the beginning of Jackson's life for him to know that we valued our family and loved him dearly. To make a long story short, I found out about a job opportunity from my dear friend Autumn. It was one that would allow me to stay at home while working 30-40 hrs a week. It seemed so perfect, I was convinced it was not going to work out. I interviewed for the job this past Friday and they offered the job to me on Tuesday!!!! I start my new job July 7. I will be working for AMS Software. They offer software and support for doctor's offices. I will be answering their phones as a receptionist and forwarding the support requests to the support staff....ALL FROM HOME!!! I gave my letter of resignation to my current job and it was received well. They are sad to see me go, but my bosses understand how important family is to us. I have been overly blessed to work at GFD for the past year.

Second thing...prior to my job offer, I received an email from my best friend Nikki. She and I have been friends since we were 16 years old. However, since we were in college, we have not lived closer than 3.5 hrs from each other. At times we have lived across the world from each other. She has lived in Spain and Hawaii, just to name a few places. God has blessed her with a job relocation in Wilmington, NC!! We are so excited to be living within 2 hrs from each other. Well, she moved to Wilmington last weekend. I hoped that she would be able to make it to Wake Forest for our baby shower this weekend. But I did not want to get my hopes up. So Tuesday morning, I received an email from Nikki letting me know that she will be here Saturday morning!!!!! I sat at my desk and cried. We cannot remember the last time we saw each other...it has been THAT long. Needless to say, I am so excited.

Third thing...my husband. My husband has been so incredible and understanding over the past 7 months. I am convinced that the more pregnant I get, the less I think straight and therefore forget to tell him things. Even though I have probably driven him up the wall, he has been just incredible with me. God is so good.

Fourth thing...At work today, I was emptying the trash in our waiting room. One of our kids had tossed some Lego's on the floor. One found its way under my foot and I found myself firmly planted on the floor. It was quite a scare, as I always heard falling was not a good thing when you are pregnant. After gathering myself and calming down, Jackson proceeded to get the hiccups followed by a great acrobatic show. Needless to say, he is perfectly fine and I just have a few bruises. I am so thankful for God's protection and how he created my womb to protect Jackson until he is ready to come out!

Fifth and final (for now)...this weekend is our first baby shower!! My dear friends Autumn and Lindsey are throwing it for me. I am so excited to have all of my friends in one room and to be able to celebrate this great time in BJ and I's lives! Also, my Momma, Megan and Mother-in-Law, Nora will be here. I am so glad that both of Jackson's Grandmas will be here for his first shower! We are going to have a lot of fun this weekend!

Those are my happy thoughts and ramblings for now! I will post more this weekend and photos of the fabulous weekend to follow!

Thursday Night Thoughts..

2008-05-29T17:08:00.000-07:00

Three months from today will be August 29. What is so special about August 29? It is our estimated due date!!!!!! I cannot believe we are only three months away! I can't wait. Today at work, one of our patients brought in her 3 month old son. He was sooo adorable and snuggly. It overwhelmed me that in 12 short weeks, we will have a small baby much like the baby I was holding. I cannot wait to meet our son!

BJ has finished up his fourth semester of seminary! He did so well this semester. He is taking a course this semester on C.S. Lewis. I can't wait to see and hear what he will learn. If all goes well, he will finish Summer 2010. We've officially been here two full years and are signing another two year lease tomorrow! Hopefully, within the next month, we will be moving into a new apartment - on the bottom floor with wood floors (well, semi-wood..). Our new address will be 1089 Thornrose Way. But we will let everyone know when we are officially receiving visitors and mail at the new address.

Well, its time for the LOST season premiere and Papa John's! What a great Thursday night!

"You are holy, great and mighty..."

2008-05-19T18:06:00.000-07:00

"You are holy, great and mighty
The moon and the stars declare who You are
I'm so unworthy, but still You love me
Forever my heart will sing of how great You are..."
~Phil Wickham

It's been over a month since I've posted anything. Goodness! It has been a busy month.

I am currently 24 weeks pregnant and getting bigger daily, it feels like. Jackson is moving and growing right on schedule. We had a check up this past Friday morning. We met with our other doctor, Dr. Rogers. He is quite opposite from Dr. Brannon in that he is a lot more soft spoken and laid back, but still very kind and easy to talk to. I feel fully comfortable with either one. They are just huge blessings to BJ and I. We go back for our next appointment on June 6 for another ultrasound! It is hard to believe it is almost Memorial Day and I'm over halfway to our due date. Jackson moves a lot now and his movements are more pronounced and harder. But every time he kicks, I just smile. About two weeks ago, BJ and I were laying on the couch and Jackson started kicking. When BJ put his hand on my stomach, Jackson stopped kicking. So we waited a few minuets to see if he'd start moving and nothing. So BJ put his mouth really close to my stomach and said, "Jackson, this is Daddy...if you kick, I'll give you a Butterfinger." Jackson replied with a HUGE kick. It was really funny!

This past week was a huge huge wonderful blessing. I was off work due to my office being closed for vacation. We spent last weekend at GWU and Forest City, which was wonderful to see old friends and our youth group. Then my Papa came to pick me up and took me to our cabin to spend the week with him and Momma. THEN..on Thursday, Momma brought me home and stayed until Sunday. We had such a great time together. I don't remember the last time I was able to spend a whole week with my Mom. When we were on their side of NC, she blessed me with a spa pedicure. If you know me, you know I love having my toes painted, especially when it is summer. Well, being 24 weeks pregnant poses a problem to that specific activity. I was so excited and overwhelmed! It was also wonderful to spend a whole weekend with BJ AND Momma. Momma was able to go with us for our doctors appointment and hear Jackson's heartbeat. I am so glad she was able to do that.

The reason I began this post with the song was it is an incredible song that has been on my heart and in my head all weekend. It is just a reminder of how great and mighty God is...He is so great the the moon and the stars declare His greatness and power. I often try to take things into my own hands and think I can handle it all alone. When in reality, I make a huge mess of all of it. It is a lot to digest when we are looking at less than 3 months until this tiny baby will come home to stay. I am overwhelmed with the responsibility that God has given us with our child. BJ and I are planners. We like things to be planned and organized before it happens. It is hard for us to know that our lives are about to be disrupted and not planned out and organized. But we know that it is good and it will be incredible. I just have to remember that God is overall - all the big and seemingly tiny details of our lives and we just have to trust Him for every step of the way.

Love to all!!

It's A Boy!!!

2008-04-19T07:50:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, April 18, 2008 BJ and I went in for our 20 week check up. We were both really excited, yet I was very nervous. I had heard stories about bad ultrasounds and babies not cooperating. So I had been praying my heart out that the ultrasound would go wonderfully and that we'd be able to see all that the Lord would want us to see.

One quick note...Dr. Brannon is our wonderful doctor. About 2 min before he came into perform the ultrasound, we heard him scream down the hallway outside our door, "I LOVE BABIES!!!" That man is crazy about babies and the Lord. It is so comforting to have such a loving doctor who loves the Lord.

Okay..so we saw the heart first and Dr. B said the heart looked great. Then he slid the monitor around a minuet and said, "Well, I see three legs." BJ and I looked at each other and then looked at the screen again. Dr. B smiled and said, "That's a healthy baby BOY!!" I just cried and smiled a ton. Our son was laying there with legs spread wide, ready for all to see! It was pretty amazing!! I remember hearing a lot of other things, but my mind kept replaying, "boy..boy..boy." BJ and I were both smiling a LOT. Dr. Brannon said that everything looked just perfect. He said his heart, lungs, brain, tummy were all perfect. Our Benjamin Jackson weighs about 1 lb right now and is happily growing and kicking!

I am feeling great - gaining weight right on schedule. The nurse said I haven't gained too much, which made me really happy. She said I looked great. The only concern that Dr. Brannon has is that my placenta is a bit low. Dr. Brannon said there is no real concern or cause for worry. He will check it again at 28 weeks to see if my placenta has raised to where it needs to be. he said that with the growth of the baby and my uterus, it should raise to where it needs to be for a normal delivery. If it does not raise, then I will most likely have to have a c-section to deliver the baby. But we are not concerned! God has protected us thus far and He is so faithful and good to us. As BJ said to my Mom yesterday...."Even if there was a defect, he would still be perfect."

Our parents are overly joyful. This is the first boy born into either of our families in over 50 years. My Dad's sisters were adopted, but they each have boys. On my Mom's side, my Uncle Chris was the last male born. As my Uncle Mike put it, "We don't have boys in this family.." So we were just shocked when when Dr. Brannon told us the baby was a boy! They are so excited, that my Mother in Law, Nora, has already been shopping. I think she went shopping within an hour of us giving her the news.

Even as I've been typing, Jackson has been kicking and punching. It is such an amazing feeling!!!

Enjoy these photos...my dear friend Lindsey threw us a party last night..."Guess The Baby's Gender" Party. We invited all of our friends over for dinner and dessert, so we could announce the ultrasound results. It was so much fun.....even making everyone wait in anticipation. They all tried to get it out of us, but we kept it quiet until the right time.

March Maddness Ensues!

2008-03-30T16:11:00.000-07:00

It is crazy what goes on in the name of basketball. I don't care about basketball normally, unless it involves the Gardner-Webb University Runnin' Bulldogs. But for some reason, I care about March Maddness this year! I even filled out two brackets! Currently, with my ignorance, I am in second place in our building pool. I think it is really funny. I have compassion on the underdogs and so I decided to select Davidson to go to the Final Four. I'm 16.8 seconds away from being very right or very wrong! UGH! The intensity!! :-) OH I was wrong. Dang it!!! Davidson just lost by two points.

We're at 18 weeks. I am feeling great and ready to feel the baby move any day now. April 18th needs to get here SOON!! I am anxious to find out what gender is swimming around in my tummy. I haven't gained much weight yet..I'm only at about 7 lbs thus far. So I'm either doing great and won't gain too much or the pounds are going add a LOT in the following weeks. We'll see what they tell us at our 20 week check up in a few weeks! I'm not craving a whole lot yet. My two loves right now are chocolate milkshakes and lemonade...not together though!

Speaking of gender, my dear friend Lindsey is throwing us a "It's a Boy/It's a Girl??" Party the evening after our next drs appointment. It was her idea and I've let her run with it! We are having all of our friends over for dinner and will announce the gender of Baby Bo at dessert. It will be a lot of fun to be able to announce it to everyone at once!!

I think that's about all for now! Here are some new photos...a few are ones I forgot to post from my weekend at Mags. Then BJ took some updated photos of me..finally! So now you all can see how big I'm getting so far! Oh, also some photos of BJ and I's new bedroom. We moved to our old guest room yesterday. We had cleaned it out in preparation for the baby, so it was all ready to go. But lately, I haven't been sleeping well due to coughing and congestion. Part of it pregnancy related but we figured out part of it was because our bed was under the window and a/c vent. I had been taking Robitussin nightly and sleeping with a warm mist humidifier in our room. It was wonderful last night...I didn't take any meds or turn on the humidifier and I slept sooo amazing! Praise the Lord!!

Enjoy your week!!

We're at 16 weeks

2008-03-17T16:55:00.000-07:00

BJ and I just got back from our lovely evening walk and he said, "UPDATE THE BLOG!!"...I'm really bad about it, so I apologize. I keep meaning to update my photos and such....so, ladies and gentlemen, here it is!

We had our 16 week check up today! We met with another doctor today, Dr. Zilavey. He's no Dr. Brannon - but he was super nice and very encouraging. They took my blood pressure and weight (and no, I will not tell you what it is). I've gained 4 lbs since my last appointment on February 14...which is an improvement, since I had lost weight at my last visit. We then met with Dr. Zilavey and he listened to the baby's heartbeat!! Baby Bo's heartbeat was around 140 bpm. Dr. Z said my tummy was feeling good and the heartbeat was strong. I cried when I heard the heartbeat. I think I had been a bit nervous in the past weeks about how the baby is doing and just generally worrying. So I was very very relieved when we heard the heartbeat. Then I had the great privilege of having an AIDS blood test. Apparently, it is a state required test now for all pregnant ladies to have this test once during their pregnancy. I am getting very used to having blood drawn, much to the shock of everyone that knows me. It doesn't bother me at all anymore. I suppose that is a good thing, considering all I have left to do in my pregnancy. We go back for our 20 week check up on April 18....then we will know what we are having!!!! How exciting!

This weekend I spent Saturday-Sunday in Darlington, SC with Mags and Julz! Margaret and Julie Jo are my closest friends from college. They were both in our wedding and have been such incredible friends for me. Mags and I became friends our freshman year of college and then we met Julie Jo at the beginning of our sophomore year, her freshman year. We all became instant friends. Mags is having her first baby, a boy, due May 12. We drove to Mags house to be with her during her church baby shower. Another friend and roommate from college, Katrina, joined us on Sunday. It was wonderful to spend time with these friends...it had been entirely too long.

Below are some photos from my weekend at Momma's and my weekend with Mags!

I hope you are havin g an incredible day!!!

14 Weeks!!

2008-03-03T18:12:00.000-08:00

It is hard to believe that I am out of my first trimester! Goooosh! I know the next 6 months are going to fly by. Although, when I am spending more time in front of the toilet than I am on my couch, it doesn't seem like its flying by. BJ and I go next Friday, March 14 for our 16 week checkup. THEN....4 weeks from then, so probably on April 11-ish...we will have big news for everyone! :-)

I am feeling mostly all better. My nausea is going away slowly. It will be better once I shake this stinky cold/cough I've had. Also, my energy is returning. I'm usually in bed no later than 10:00 p.m...so if you call me between 9:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m., chances are I'm already half asleep, so don't be offended if I don't answer.

Two weeks ago, I had the extreme pleasure of going to Johnson City for a long weekend. My Momma wanted me to come home for a girls weekend, which was MUCH needed. We had our nails done, went shopping for entirely too long and ate some amazing food! We also spent some much needed time together. My sister and niece were also able to spend lots of time with us...it's hard being 5 hrs away from them! My niece, Molly Cate, is 3 years old and totally fascinated with my pregnancy. She calls the baby "Baby Jack", as my whole family is banking on us having a boy and his name will be Benjamin Jackson. So she knows that Aunt Manna has Baby Jack in her tummy and that soon (but not too soon), Aunt Manna will have to "puuussssshhhhh" so Baby Jack can come play. :-) It is really cute and I am so excited that she is so excited about the baby! On Sunday at lunch, we were eating at Outback with some friends and our Pastor, Reggie was there. Molly was so excited about the baby, that she wanted to show him to Reggie and almost pulled my skirt up in front of the whole restaurant. hahahaa...that was a bit much!

During my visit, my Papa and Momma gave me a huge present - new maternity clothes! Momma, Megan, and I went shopping on Saturday and spend 5 hrs in the Johnson City Mall. If you know Johnson City at all, you will be in shock. Most people never spend more than an hour there! Two of those hours were spent playing dress up in Motherhood. Needless to say, we were all exhausted at the end of the day. But I thankfully now have clothes that fit me and keep my ever expanding tummy comfy.

I stayed at Momma's until Monday afternoon. Monday morning, Momma took me to the pregnancy center in Elizabethon, where she used to be the director. They do free ultrasounds!! So we were able to sit and stare at Baby Bo for quite awhile. It was incredible to see the baby moving, kicking and even jumping a bit. The tech said his heartbeat was 158 - which was very good and that everything looked fantastic. I saw toes and fingers, legs, tummy, nose...it was very overwhelming to know that my child is fully formed in my womb - fully formed by God and doing all of these movements..and I can't feel any of it!

BJ is going to scan some photos this week, so I'll have actual ultrasound photos to share soon. I will post photos later...the site isn't letting me right now!

Much Love!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2008-02-14T14:46:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!!!

This Valentine's Day has been incredible so far! Our festivities actually started on Monday evening, when Lindsey and made and hand decorated over 60...yes SIXTY...heart-shaped sugar cookies. We made these because:
A. We're crazy
B. I love doing anything that involves icing and decorating
C. We love Valentines Day
D. All of the above

The correct answer is D! :-)
We made all of these cookies for my work as well as Linds/BJ's work, or better known as The Ledford Center. We had a little too much fun, as you will see in the photos that follow. But it was incredibly therapeutic for me and apparently I taught Lindsey a thing or two.
Here are some photos to capture the fun moments of the evening.

So we surprised everyone in Ledford with goodie bags, complete with personalized cookies. I don't have photos yet...but some of them said such things as "Wessie Poo", "Parry Cakes", and "Sweetie Pie". :-)

The biggest part of the day came around 3:00 p.m. when BJ and I had our 12 week check up!! This time we were able to hear the baby's heartbeat. And let me tell you...it was the most incredible thing. Seeing it is one thing, but then to actually HEAR our baby's heartbeat. Dr. Brannon said that everything sounded and looked great. We go back for our next check up on March 13! :-)

Tonight being Valentine's Day, BJ and I are watching some movies and making fettucine alfredo. Tomorrow night is the BIG night...I'm making BJ a special dinner and just enjoying an evening together. I love Valentine's Day, not for all the glitz and sparkles, just because it is a great day to say how much you love someone or how you feel about someone, more than any other day. But I just love it!

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY TO EVERYONE!!!!!

A Great Weekend...and then some...

2008-02-11T20:19:00.000-08:00

Wow, after thinking about this past weekend, I just have to say it was incredible and so full of blessing after blessing.

On Friday, I had the huge honor of having lunch and a shopping trip with my bestest friend Autumn. It's so weird not being in school this semester, as she and I have had almost every class together since we began. So Fridays are precious time that we get to spend together. We enjoyed a yummy lunch at Hibachi Xpress (if you haven't been...you MUST go..its super cheap Japanese food that is soooo good!). Then went to look at maternity clothes. It was all fun and games until Autumn realized a few things about pregnancy. First of all, she saw in the dressing room a "belly" belt...its one of those padded belts that you can try on to see if something will fit once your tummy gets a bit bigger. Needless to say, she tried it on and then made me put it on under my maternity clothes. This led to the realization that other parts of the body also grow during this time of transition. She then busied herself in the lingerie section of Motherhood trying to locate what size of underthings I might eventually grow into. This might be great for all people, until she picked up a bra that could only be describled as, well, an extra large hat with really large ear warmers. :-) And once she picked it up, she yelled across the store, "AMY IS THIS GOING TO BE YOUR SIZE!?!?!? HAHAHAHAHA". This was done in front of two VERY pregnant women and another woman, who isn't pregnant, but well..I'll leave it at that. We had a good laugh, I told her I wasn't her best friend anymore and we went to get a cookie. :-)

On Saturday, oh Saturday..what an amazing day. I had the privilege of spending the entire day with my BJ. We laid around the house and relaxed for most of the morning. Then we went to the Apple store at Crabtree Valley Mall and bought ourselves Valentines Day presents. We are blessed each semester to get a refund back from the scholarship BJ is granted. So we thought it would be a good time to get something for ourselves (since we have to start saving for Baby Bo!). Here is what I was so happy to get:

And BJ got....

Happy Valentines Day to us!!! Needless to say, we Walkers love Apple! :-)
Then on Saturday evening, we dined at Twisted Fork. We LOVE eating there and went there for our anniversary dinner in December. To make a long story short, we had horrible service and were very disappointed with our experience there. I emailed the manager and he offered us a complimentary dinner to make it up to us. Let me just tell you: THEY DID AMAZING! We were treated like royalty and just had an incredible experience. Our waiter, Jacob, was the best I have ever experienced. It was so nice to be out with BJ and have a leisurely dinner and just enjoy each other.

Sunday was Leigh's surprise birthday party at Michael Deans! She had no idea that we were all there! We were able to get a private room and it was a great party. It was a wonderful time out with friends.....broken plates and all!! :-) Leigh is such an amazing woman and I am so blessed to know her!

OH WAIT!! Speaking of Leigh....I totally forgot to mention Thursday night. SPRING CHICKENS!!! Here at SEBTS, we have coffeehouses a few times a semester! The first one of the semester was headlined by the new hit band...THE SPRING CHICKENS!! I happen to be in love with one of the band members. hahahaa. No, BJ, Ben and Leigh with some help from an incredible drummer, Jason, played at the coffeehouse. They did AMAZING. I was soo proud of my hubby and the rest of them. I told one of my friends, "If I wasn't married to BJ right now, I'd be drooling over him...." A bunch of us sat to the up front screaming and being really overly loud. The best part was when JR took a chair and sat right in front of BJ. Then BJ started to sing "Undeniable" by Mat Kearney. If any of you know this song, you know it has a "rap" or spoken verse...well at this point, JR stands up and says, "GO BJ! GO BJ! GO!" We all about died laughing!! Needless to say, they were a hit! Here are a few photos that I took...(and I stole some from Linds)

This last photo could have been a TON better...but at the exact moment we were about to be captured in photo memories, Dr. Moseley, our Dean of Students came over and did something so silly to make us laugh. :-)

Well, that's the weekend in the world of Walker! This week is super exciting...as we have our 12 week check up with Dr. Brannon on Thursday!!! 12 WEEKS! Can you believe it?? I can hardly believe that 4 weeks have passed since our last visit!!

Have a great week!!

Baby Bo!!

2008-01-18T15:54:00.000-08:00

Well today finally came....

We met Dr. Brannon today! He is incredible! We feel so very blessed to have him taking care of us during this process. During our appointment today, we received the best gift ever.... seeing our 1.61 cm big baby! Our child is beautiful. It was truly incredible to see this miracle of God moving around in my tummy. I am approximately 8 weeks pregnant and we are due August 29, 2008!!! Here are some pictures of our exciting day....
Here we are...just before leaving for the doctor!
Me, in all my pregnant glory, just moments before the following photo was revealed... There is the most wonderful picture in the world. If you look closely, the head is closer to the bottom and the bottom is towards the top...where the baby's legs will form!

Enjoy!!!

Tomorrow Needs To Hurry!

2008-01-17T17:29:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow at 9:30 am, it all becomes real. BJ and I have our first dr appt with Drs. Brannon and Rogers. My dear friend Kelli went to them during her pregnancy with Micah Faith..so I trust them completely. They are both believers and I know will do an amazing job!

We have our first ultrasound tomorrow as well as the zillion tests they will do to make sure Baby Bo is growing in a healthy environment and that I am doing okay as well. I think it will make things so much more real when I get to see my little chocolate chip (that's what size he/she is!) and see his heartbeat. That is going to be an amazing feeling.

Don't worry, we will take pictures every step of the way, you no one will miss out! Thank you for your prayers and keep praying for us! My morning/all day sickness is becoming more manageable. If I eat about every two hours, I'm usually just fine. But today, I felt like I could have had a meal every hour. Man, pregnancy changes your body and quick.

More after tomorrow sets in!!

Love!

August 30, 2008

2008-01-07T17:27:00.000-08:00

Well, there is no point beating around the bush.....

.....you all know its coming.....

WE ARE PREGNANT!!!!!!!!

We were blessed with the news on Christmas Day. I had thought maybe, but wasn't sure until a test confirmed it that night. It was so wonderful to find out when we were at my parent's cabin and be able to share the news with everyone. It really hasn't sunk in yet and I'm not sure when it is going to. We are due August 30, 2008!! Which would put me about 6 weeks along....I think. We'll find out for sure on January 18 when we have our first dr's appt.

Keep posted for photos, as per popular request, I am going to post photos as I grow and change.

Pray for us as BJ and I make a lot of decisions over the next 9 months. We are praying for:
*A very healthy baby (no gender preference, just a healthy baby!).
*Job situation - what we are to do when it comes to our employment situation.
*Housing options - whether we need to stay in campus housing or if we can afford to buy a house off campus.
*Traveling mercies for our parents, as they are going to be burning up I-40 between now and August 30!

Love,
BJ and Amy

Santa Claus and a Gingerbread House

2007-12-06T16:40:00.000-08:00

BJ and I try to make a Gingerbread House each Christmas. However, it has been a few years since we have done one. So this year, as we began Christmas shopping, we made the decision to make our annual Walker Gingerbread House. Wednesday nights are traditionally our date nights, so this Wednesday we treated ourselves to soup and sammies at Quizno's, a viewing of The Santa Claus 3 and Gingerbread House making. Below are some of the photos that we took...I think we had a bit too much fun!! The icing was super sticky and as per usual, I made a HUGE mess and BJ was way organized! But I think our house turned out great!

Thank the Lord..

2007-11-26T20:12:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving is a time of year that one should reflect back over the past year and thank God for the blessings - obvious and those not so obvious. Right now, I am just thankful that I only have 4 more papers and 4 more tests before I am finished with my 3rd semester of seminary. I wrote what can only be described as a BEAST this weekend...and I really am glad its done. I had to come up with what my personal theory of counseling is. It is a intimidating thing to think that you have a theory of anything that is worth reading. But I did it, it's done and now I just have to see what Dr. Wade thinks of it.

But seriously, I am super thankful for my hubby - almost two years now!

All of the amazing friends we have made and grown so close to during our time at SEBTS and for all of my friends who have stuck through me throughout my life. My three best friends - Nikki, Ali, and Mags are all beginning new chapters in their lives. Nikki is moving to Hawaii for work, Ali is getting married on December 29 and Mags is having her first baby in May! It is just crazy to me to see how God is

working in each of their lives and that He has allowed us all to stay friends though the years.

BJ and I went to San Antonio, TX for Thanksgiving. It was sublime! We stayed with my Dad and Mum for a week and just had a blast. We didn't really do anything tourist-ish. BJ and I both have been to SA before and have done the Alamo, the Mexican market, etc. (But if anyone has NOT been to SA before - GO! It is a wonderful place to visit!!!) Anyhoo...we relaxed a lot and went shopping quite a bit. Did you know that Neiman-Marcus has a cafe and a coffee bar? Apparently they serve quite amazing lunch!

It was just a good trip...I don't have a lot to say about it...just that it was great to spend that much time with my Dadda, eat lots of good food (including lobster tail, Whataburger, and even a kosher turkey!), as well as spend time with my Grandpa.
I love him a lot and I've done a crappy job of showing him that
lately. So I was glad I got to love on him.

The worst part of the trip was driving to the airport.
From the time we left Dadda's drive way until I walked up to the ticket counter, I was crying. I hate hate hate leaving my Dadda. I know that it won't be another 2 years..but gooooodness it was hard.

Well that's it for now...its time for bed...I'm a tired little girl! G'night!

Love and Volleyball

2007-11-08T19:34:00.001-08:00

This is my favorite time of year! The cool weather, frost accumulating on our windshield, the smell of hopes of snow lingering in the air...and TURKEY! I love Thanksgiving.

BJ and I are going to San Antonio, TX next Saturday to spend Thanksgiving with my Dad and Mum. We haven't seen them since our wedding - nearly 2 years ago. I am so excited to be able to spend a WHOLE week at my Daddy's!

Tonight we had a victory party for Zeus' Beard - my hubby's volleyball team. They won the intramural tournament on Tuesday night!It was lots of fun. I love being at SEBTS for many reason...but I love making new friends. BJ and I have been blessed with some wonderful godly people in our lives. Since BJ has been working at the Ledford Center, I have been able to meet a lot of great girls and build some great friendships.

This weekend is going to be full of fellowship and food and I'm so excited!! I'll write more later...but for now here are some photos from my birthday bash! (Oh and a little photo of my girls from GWU....who by the way kicked some tail at Kentucky last night...ooooh you got them Dawgs fired up!!! GO G-DUBB!! hahahaa)

Love to all!!

Blessings Abounding...

2007-10-14T20:19:00.000-07:00

Most of you know this past Thursday was my 27th Birthday. I think it very well might go down in history as the best birthday ever. My sweet husband worked his rear end off trying to make it the most special day/weekend ever. A LOT happened...so I am going to bullet point the highlights of the weekend. My birthday lasted Thursday through Saturday. Yup...that's how it's done in the Walker household.

Thursday (my actual birthday day!)

I went to work like normal....but dressed up complete with pink shoes! My boss' took me out to lunch and bought me flowers and bought me a small cake! It was lovely. I am so blessed at my job.
When I got home, BJ rushed me to dress up, slightly so we could leave to go out. I had no idea where we were going.
We arrived at Maggiano's at Southpoint. About a month ago, I asked BJ if we could eat there for my birthday..
Upon entering the restaurant, the pianist in the bar began singing "Happy Birthday to Amy"...I thought to myself, "oh, there must be another Amy named birthday girl here tonight." Then dismissed it and busied myself in finding where the hostess stand was.
Immediately after this thought, I noticed a man sitting next to the piano who looked strangely like my OJ. For those of you who don't know...that's my Step-Papa. I about screamed. He informed me that there was someone else in the dining room waiting....it was my Momma. They had conspired with BJ earlier that day and drove from Tennessee to surprise me. My Aunt Susan (who lives in Cary) was also there). I cried my eyes out when I saw my Momma. I love my Momma.
We had a lovely dinner (I ate lobster ravioli and tiramisu!). The food was divine. The company was superb.
I was then informed that OJ and Momma were staying in Durham and we would play the next day!!!!

Friday

Momma and OJ came to our house and we split up for the day. The hubby's went to look for a bus for OJ to buy, and us girls went shopping for bedding. (BJ had bought a bed for our guest bed on Thursday)
Momma bought me bedding for our new guest bed (photos to follow!)
OJ gave BJ money to buy a GPS for his birthday present. (you see, I lost my job the day after BJ's birthday this summer. So all of his saved up birthday money went to pay for our bills. He didn't buy anything for himself, which broke my heart because he never buys anything for himself. I told my Mom this on Friday...she called OJ and told him the same story. Upon calling OJ, my Mom was told that it was already taken care of. It appears that BJ and OJ had encountered the same conversation earlier that afternoon. Mom and I proceed to cry like babies in the middle of New York & Co. because of the goodness of the Lord!!!!)
They left around 2:00 p.m. It was an incredible day with them!
I made Funfetti cupcakes and went to Autie's to get ready for her birthday party!
Played at Autie's house for the evening - celebrating her most special day!
BJ was about 45 min late to the party, as he had dropped me off a few hours earlier.
When BJ walked into Autie's house, there was a person behind him....IT WAS MY SISTER!!!
They had been conspiring against me for about two weeks. She came to spend the weekend with us.

Saturday

BJ, Megan, and I went to Old Navy and other places of interest. Old Navy had a fantastic sale!!
That evening, we had my birthday party! BJ, Megan, Ben & Sarah Niemann, and Corey & Autumn Leggett and I went to the Cheesecake Factory at Crabtree for dinner and dessert!! I received some lovely presents from my friends....complete with seasonal Jack 'o Lantern towels for my kitchen!!
Autie made me a brownie cake for my special day....she decorated it with sugar candies from the Little Mermaid!!! :-)

That was my most wonderful weekend. This was the first visit to Wake Forest for my sister, Megan. It was amazing to have her here. Even though I had just seen my OJ and Momma about two months ago, it was so good to see them! Watching my husband pull all of this together was just phenomenal. I cannot begin to describe how I feel about him or explain how much I love him right now. I am speechless. He did all of this, not because I asked him to, but because he loves me and wanted me to feel like a queen. He succeeded 1000000%. This weekend was overwhelming and so very special to me. Thank you to EVERYONE who was with me this weekend.....you have no idea how happy you have made my heart.

I will post photos from this weekend soon. My Autie took most of the photos on her new fancy camera...so they are darn good, but still on her camera!!

Love to all!

BJ's First Post

2007-10-07T18:08:00.000-07:00

Ok, so you've all met Amy, my wife, but apparently I'm supposed to write here too, so I thought I'de share a couple of pictures and a quick story. So there once was this guy who was terrified of this girl and ran away from her, well he ended up marrying her and going to SEBTS. The End. No applause please, enjoy the pictures though!
This is the first picture we ever had together, the night we first began...

This is a picture of us the weekend we got engaged...

Next is a couple of pictures from when we were just dating...fun times...

And one last picture of us at the beach...

Thanks for viewing! Stay tuned for more pictures of Amy's new hairstyle and some pictures of our hoose.

Season's First Cup of Cocoa

2007-10-01T19:05:00.000-07:00

Well, its October 1. The beginning of my most favorite season. There are many reasons....

1. My birthday is in 11 days. Growing up, birthdays were a huge deal. We did birthdays BIG BIG in the Callahan household. We had a countdown beginning a month before and the week of our birthday was dedicated to well, the birthday girl. I was constantly surrounded by my friends and family all week long. In a word, it was sublime. Now that I am a big girl and as my Momma says, "I wear big girl panties now", I try to be more adult about my birthday. But it usually doesn't work out too well. :-) BJ is wonderful at making a big deal out of my day (even though he doesn't like it being done to him). I've just always loved birthdays!
This is a photo with two of my most favorite people - Autie and Kellie. Autie and I have birthdays two days apart, so last year we celebrated together! It was probably the best birthday I can remember having!

2. Fall. Autumn. Falling Leaves. This is my most favorite season. I love the splendor of colors that appear when fall comes. It is an odd thing tho. The leaves turn color because they are dying, but in the process of their death, the become the most beautiful. I also love the cool weather that this brings. Chilly autumn evenings spent outside or cool afternoons spent outside doing anything...just being outside.

3. BONFIRES. No one wants a bonfire when you're sweating. There's just something magical about a bonfire with friends (and of course some s'mores).

4. Snuggling...lots of snuggling. In the summer, you don't want to snuggle that much because its hot. Well, give me cooler temps any day so I can snuggle under a big blanket with Beej.

5. And finally..because fall is a precursor to my other favorite season (yeah, they're both favorites...): WINTER. When I see the leaves changing, smell logs burning in fireplaces and catch that first sniff of cold on the air...ooohhh its exciting.

So I'm sitting here, cozy with a cup of cinnamon cocoa and over sized sweatpants (that rightfully belong to BJ) so excited about what this season will bring!!

Love,
Amy

Feeling All Grown Up.

2007-09-27T05:32:00.000-07:00

It is funny what small things in life makes you feel all grown up. Things like getting married, buying your first house, having your first baby - all of those things are milestones in life that tend to make a person feel more grown up.

Well, BJ and I have almost been married for 2 years now - TWO YEARS!?!?!? My goodness how the time has flown. Me, being the sappy person I am, was listening to K-Love last night on the way home from work. I should mention that Wednesday evenings are date nights in the Walker home. We have carved out a night each week to just turn off the phones, tv, and computer and spend time together - even if that means playing UNO or Scrabble. Anyways..so I was driving home and listening to the radio and a song by Mark Schultz came on. Normally, I would change the station instantly. However, I listened to the song. It talked about how a couple fell in love and that they were married for 60 years and how in love they still were. I started crying! Marriage has turned me into a sap!! hahaahaha....being in love is amazing and I am so excited to fall deeper in love with my BJ as the years go on.

Back to feeling grown up...we are married, we still live in an apartment..so that leaves only one more thing to do to feel all grown up....

NO! We're NOT pregnant!!!! :-) hahaha. We got a house phone yesterday! Yup! That is what has happened in our house to make us feel all adult-ish. Neither BJ nor I have had a house phone since we lived in the apartments at GWU. We have Vonage now and that means unlimited calling - whenever to whomever. We have condensed our cell phones and will not be using them as much. SO, please call us on our house phone and leave a message if we're not home. However, if it is an emergency, call us on the cell phone first.

Our new number is 919.341.8649 - USE IT! We can talk for hours!!!

Classes are going well - one more week until Fall Break!!!! (and fourteen days until my 27th birthday...but I'm not counting! heehee.)

Love to all!

It's a new blog!

2007-09-21T08:29:00.000-07:00

Hi Friends!

Here is the new Walker Blog! We thought this would be a very easy way to keep everyone updated on what is going on!

Nothing really to write now...just saying hi! We'll write more soon!!

Love,
BJ and Amy