No Fear...

Some friends threw a pool party for their daughter's 5th birthday yesterday. It was Judah's first time swimming. Steve got in with him and let him kick and splash, threw Judah up in the air and caught him, etc. They were having a great time together. Judah just didn't want to get out of the water. After a while, the cupcakes were served so Judah took a break from swimming for a snack (one of his fave things in life!). Shortly after cupcakes, Judah decided he was ready to swim again so he jumped right in--without mommy or daddy!!! Since I was fully clothed, I called Steve, who jumped right in to save Judah. It was a scary moment for us and we are so thankful that Judah was alright. In fact, he didn't even seem to be phased by the whole thing. He still showed no signs of fear of the water after he was under and couldn't get back up for several seconds. We already had Judah signed up for swim lessons, which start next week, but we're extra glad now to be able to start teaching him some basic swimming skills. Thank you, God, for keeping my baby safe in your arms and thank you, Steve, for moving so fast on the pool deck!

The Chip

Steve took Judah for a bike ride the other day so I could get some things done at home. While out, they stopped at Subway for some dinner and Carvel for some ice cream. They brought what was left of the subs home so I could have some dinner too. As I was getting the subs out of the bag, Steve said, "There's a chip in there somewhere." I said, "A chip?" "Yah, Judah saved you a chip. Judah wouldn't let me eat the last Sun Chip because he said it was mommy's chip." So, my sweet and thoughtful little son saved the very last Sun Chip because he wanted me to have it. Is that cute or what?!

Odds and Ends

Here are a few pictures of things we've done recently.

1. Steve rode his bike up to the summit of Mt. Rose. It was warm enough for shorts and short sleeves but, as you can see, there is still a lot of snow up there.

2. Judah and I met Grant and Annalita and their mommies at the Sparks Marina.

3. Judah contemplating life (or whether he's going to go down the slide or not).

4. Judah cooling off in his turtle pool.

5. Judah and I in Nevada City, CA on a very hot day. Judah, however, is looking very cool in his cowboy hat.

Steve's 40th Birthday

We celebrated Steve's 40th Birthday on May 20th. It was nothing fancy, just a low-key day of driving in beautiful countryside around Reno, running some errands, opening his gifts and having a nice dinner at home. Judah isn't much of a singer yet but here is his first try at singing Happy Birthday to his Daddy. Enjoy!

Outfoxing the Fox

This morning Judah and I had plans to meet two other moms from church and their toddlers at the Sparks Marina to play at the playground and splash around in the lagoon a bit. As usual, we were running a bit behind schedule and Judah wasn't helping things any. I needed to do a last minute diaper change and he wasn't cooperating in the least bit. I finally said, "If you don't let me change you, we won't go swimming with Grant. Do you want to go swimming?" Judah then replied, "No." Figuring I'd challenge him enough to get him to cooperate, I said, "Well alright then, I'll go call Grant's mommy to tell her we're not going swimming with them." I then went to fetch my phone thinking that he would change his mind and say he did want to go. I brought the phone back to him and he wasn't budging on his decision about not wanting to go. The little stinker had called my bluff!! Plan B kicked in and I decided to distract him with the picture I have of him on my phone so I could change his diaper. It worked! Until...as I was changing him, I realized he had pushed some buttons on the phone and was talking into it saying, "Heyo (hello), no going." He said it a couple of times before I realized that he was pretending to call Grant's mommy to say that we weren't going. Judah definitely outfoxed the fox this time! We did go play with Grant and Annalita and their mommies today and had a great time, however.

Mother's Day

Today is Mother's Day. As I sit here enjoying a few quiet moments to myself to catch up on things while Judah naps, I am overwhelmed by the incredible blessings that I have. My own mother is one of my best friends and is one of the most loving, compassionate, non-judgmental and sacrificial godly women I've ever known. Steve's mom is a genuinely loving, caring and selfless person as well. I look at the amazing women around me at church (and my own sisters, aunts, etc.) who juggle the many special people, roles and responsibilities in their own lives and am humbled that God would grant me such a wonderful gift and blessing of being Judah's mother. I'd heard it said many times before I became a mother--"Being a mother is the toughest job you'll ever love."--but never truly comprehended the depth of that statement until becoming a mother myself. Motherhood can be thankless and frustrating, heart-wrenching and perplexing (and so much more!) but to have the opportunity, responsibility and privilege of nurturing, teaching, guiding, directing, loving, serving, disciplining and shaping the life and character of a little person whom you pray will grow to be a godly man or woman is the greatest gift that God can ever give us outside of the gift of His Son, Jesus. Thank you, Lord, for entrusting this precious little guy to me. I ask for your wisdom, courage and strength to raise Judah in a way that is pleasing and glorifying to You. I LOVE YOU, MOM! Happy Mother's Day!

Let me brag a bit...

...not about myself but about my wonderful (and humble) husband. Not only did he help ME prepare for the 1/2 marathon but he was also training for it himself. The Rock N River Half was Steve's 3rd 1/2 marathon. Each one he has bettered his own finishing time. His goal for the Rock N River was 1 hour 23 minutes. He didn't quite make that time (his actual finishing time was 1 hour 25 minutes) but it was STILL a PR for him. Not only that but he placed 13th OVERALL out of approximately 700 participants. Am I married to an amazing athlete or what?! Of course he downplayed all of his own accomplishments so that I would be able to fully savor my own accomplishment. I'm the luckiest (read: blessed) girl in the world!