Marriage

Each year, our church (Watermark) does a "journey" through the Bible. Each year, the "journey" has had a different focus. The first year our church did the Journey, its focus was reading the entire Bible in one year. I couldn't quite keep up! This year's focus is reading through Paul's letters. For each day's passage of Scripture, a church member writes a devotional that corresponds with that scripture. This year, I had the privilege of being assigned Ephesians 5:22-33 which states:

Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord, because the husband is the head of the wife as also Christ is the head of the church – he himself being the savior of the body. But as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her to sanctify her by cleansing her with the washing of the water by the word, so that he may present the church to himself as glorious – not having a stain or wrinkle, or any such blemish, but holy and blameless. In the same way husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one has ever hated his own body but he feeds it and takes care of it, just as Christ also does the church, for we are members of his body. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and will be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. This mystery is great – but I am actually speaking with reference to Christ and the church. Nevertheless, each one of you must also love his own wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

For just a short insight on how I view this passage, you can read today's Journey Devo. I could have written so much more, but they have a word count limit. I welcome any comments or questions!

Since we're on the topic of marriage, I just want to tell my husband how wonderful you are. You are a complete blessing from the Lord, and I'm so thankful you chose me to be your wife and spend the rest of my life with you. The good times are ridiculously more enjoyable with you in my life, and the hard times are so much easier to endure with you by my side. You encourage me, teach me, and comfort me. I'm eternally grateful for the way you pour out your love for me and seek to put me above yourself. I love you more than words could say!

- Your Adoring Wife

5 Months!

I turned 5 months last Thursday. I smile for Mommy & Daddy all the time, and I giggle when they tickle my side or play airplane with me. But Daddy says I'm like a cat...I don't just turn on the charm for anybody; you have to work for my affection! And Mommy says she gets frustrated because as soon as she pulls out a camera, I stop whatever cute thing I'm doing and just stare blankly at the camera. Grrr, she says!

Let's see, I'm also consistently sleeping through the night now, rolling from my back to my tummy (still can't figure out how to get off my tummy though), and making motorboat sounds. It's so fun to make sounds and I love to spit while I'm doing it...mommy posted a video of it. I've had my first mini-sickness and my first Halloween. It's been an adventurous couple of weeks around here!

Love to all my fans,
Julia

I absolutely love being Julia's mom. Love it. Before and during pregnancy, I thought I'd simply "make it through" the baby phase in order to get to the more fun stages when they're older. God has taught me how clueless I was! I've now had time to adjust to mommyhood and it's become so much easier, and at the same time, Julia has become more endearing and fun. Each day she brings me more joy than the previous day, and I thank God every day for blessing us so richly. Being a parent has had a profound impact on how I see God's love for me. I love Julia to such depths and want nothing but the best for her, yet I'm imperfect and selfish. How much more does my Heavenly Father - whose ways are perfectly kind and good - love me as His child!

- Mommy


Random photos from the last month, in no particular order:

I think she's so cute when she grabs her feet.

Daddy playing airplane. She now giggles doing this!

With Jill, when Aaron and she babysat for us so we could get a
date night.It was Julia's bedtime, as you can probably tell!

With "Aunt" Katie & Lily at PK Lake. So that nobody's confused,
Julia's in my arms but her burp cloth is over Katie's shoulder.

She always covers her face when she eats. Random and so cute!

Julia getting loved on by Poppy.

Julia sucking her thumb while being cuddled by Poppy.

How we now do lake time. Just take her car seat along for the ride!

Grammy getting some sweet snuggle time. Julia didn't feel great Monday afternoon and all day Tuesday, and for once,
she actually wanted to be cradled.

Generic Caucasian Family Thing to Do...

Yep, we went to the pumpkin patch!

And here is out first family pumpkin carving! Not too bad eh? Yes, it took a long time!



-JKE

Tagging?

Never heard of this game, but now I've been tagged and I guess I'd better play along. Thinking of 7 random things to tell about myself?? Hmm, that's a challenge. Thanks Karla!

THE RULES::* Link your tagger and list these rules on your blog.* Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog.* Tag 5 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.* Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog....Ok...7 random facts about me in no particular order:

1. I'm not athletic whatsoever. I learned how to wakeboard so that Jarret wouldn't be thoroughly embarrassed of me (not totally true...I do actually enjoy it, too!). Growing up, I was THAT child on the soccer field who did cartwheels and picked flowers. Dancing was my only athletic ability and luckily it was my passion as well!

2. When I was little, I wanted to be an astronaut. Then an aerospace engineer. Then a NASA Control Room tech of some sort. I'd still kill to witness a shuttle liftoff, and I think one of the coolest sights is watching a shuttle fly over the Texas night sky as it heads back toward a Florida landing (like a shooting star, but brighter and slower moving).

3. I was on TV! On my first trip to NYC, I stood outside the Today show. I swore I wouldn't be one of those idiots who smiles like a fool and waves like crazy. I was sadly mistaken.

4. I love traveling. My first trip out of the country was to Turkey on a missionary trip. Europe twice, Hawaii twice, Colorado more times than I can remember, and countless other trips around the country. I really think I'm a free spirit who is restless in Dallas, but my love of family, friends and church keeps me rooted here.

5. My parents still live in the same house where I was born. So many memories are tied up in that house, I'll now be crushed if they ever move.

6. Until I got married, every Thanksgiving was spent on my family's farm in Tennessee where my grandfather and his other brothers and sisters grew up. The farmhouse was built in 1901, and it survived up until just a few years ago when it was so fragile they had to tear it down and rebuild a newer, but similar one. Each year, we took a hayride around the hills of the farm and got to hear all the old-timers' stories. Those are childhood memories I'll always cherish.

7. In my early 20s, I set out three life goals: skydiving, scuba diving, and flying an airplane. I accomplished all 3 in just a couple of years. I learned that I need to dream bigger next time!

I tag Hillary, Courtney, Tara, Katie B. (who won't have time because she's selling her house, moving, and buying a new house right now in the midst of caring for 2 kids), and Melissa (who also won't have time because she has a 2.5 week old!)

I'm 4 Months Old!

People - My birthday was Tuesday, and now I am officialy 1/3 of
1 year old! Yep, it goes fast for me too everybody. Today, I got to celebrate my recent birthday by getting 4 needles stuck in my leg! Let me tell you something about needles...not that great Buddy. I did get to be naked though while they measured my height and weight which was cool. I weighed in at 12 lbs. 11 ounces (25th percentile) and stretched out to 24.5 inches long (75th percentile). My mommy and daddy think I'm fat (at least in my cheeks), but the statistics say otherwise folks!

Tonight we got to hang out in the backyard for a bit. Mommy and Daddy bought new swings not long ago so now there is a special swing just for me! They swing with me too sometimes. Man, I just LOVE being outside! It is my favorite thing to do next to chewing my hands, grabbing my feet, watching tv (even though mommy and daddy don't let me), chewing my hands, wakeboarding (in 3 years), taking a bath, and chewing my hands.

Ok, time for bed. Check out my pictures from tonight. And the answer is no...I never get tired of hearing how cute I am. Seriously, don't stop telling me.

Love you all,
Jewels