Friday Favorites

These past two weeks have been CRAZY. Like something every single night of both weeks CRAZY. As much as we love people, sometimes we just need some good time on our own couch watching our DVR that has been slowly building up. #onedaysoon

I’m linking up today to share some of my Friday Favorites because what better way to give an update of our lives lately!


So BIG NEWS. I got a job!!! When Nick and I met, we were both on staff at different churches so when we got married, I came off staff to join him at his church. It’s always been our prayer that I would be able to one day go back to doing children’s ministry because that’s totally my heart. Well God is FAITHFUL, friends! The ministry assistant for children’s ministry at our church went part-time because of her school schedule so I am now joining her in doing the other half of her job. So not only am I back in children ministry world, but it’s only part time so I am still home with Caleb the other half of the week. Win win! Big favorite around here.

And this cute guy gets to visit me.  So that’s definitely a favorite.

Valentine’s Day was this past weekend which I always LOVE. It’s a holiday that screams pink, chocolate, and flowers which is pretty much the list of all my favorite things. And of course an excuse to have a date with my favorite guy.

 And for us to do that, we are so blessed that Caleb has an amazing grandma that was all for having a Valentine’s date with him. They are pretty much smitten with each other another so that of course helps.


I’m so glad that I now have TWO boys that have my heart.

When we were in Texas, we did a little photo shoot with Caleb and Maddie in their Valentine’s outfits. We did this last year when they were babies and pretty sure they didn’t even really know they were next to each other.

 Well except maybe for this moment…

Well this year was definitely way different because they couldn’t stop hugging each other.


  
These cousins really are the best of friends and that is a huge favorite of all of ours.

Caleb received a Mickey Mouse and a monkey for Valentine’s Day from two of his grandmas and they are pretty much his favorite friends now.


The other morning when he woke up, he threw them both on the ground and tackled them for a huge good morning hug.  

And that’s all the time I have for now for favorites… Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!!

I Big Time Heart Peyton Manning

So I get this question a lot, especially since we moved to Colorado. ‘So have you always been a Broncos fan?’ And the answer is NO. In fact I would take it further and say I haven’t even been a football fan in general. 

But then Nick came along. And let me just tell you that yes, I knew he was a sports fan when we were dating. I knew that he LOVED baseball. But the football thing totally caught me off guard once we got married. Because yes, the kid hid his love for the Broncos while we were dating. I didn’t have a CLUE how extreme he was (and maybe that’s why he hid it). I still say today that the season of us dating had to be the only time he’s ever missed a Broncos game. (Which apparently he never did thanks to DVR.) He likes to try to help me understand that the first year we were married was also the first year Peyton Manning was a Bronco and that’s the difference. But I also now know how he seems to know every stat in the history of ever of the Broncos so I’m not buying it. The kid bleeds blue and orange. It is to the point that people text me to check how he’s doing when they don’t play so hot. The Super Bowl game against the Seahawks (AKA the game we don’t speak of in our home)? People were blowing me up to say they were praying for the poor guy. The year before that when they lost to the Ravens? Let’s just say that created an awkward time where he didn’t even want to say my name. 

The good thing was that I was so indifferent when it came to football and he was just so passionate that it just became easy to root for his team. Not to mention the fact that it was because that’s what was played on our tv every single week and I was constantly being told all of the things that should be known about the Broncos. AND it may have had something to do with the fact that while we lived in Texas, Nick REFUSED to watch a Broncos game with anyone else. You know, just in case someone chose to speak words during the game. So guess who got the privilege to watch all of those games with him? This girl. So by heavy influence, I became a Broncos fan. 

AND PEYTON MANNING. He made it so easy to cheer for his team. I watched The Book of Manning about his family and I was sold. I so want him to win every week because he’s just so dang nice. When they lose big games, Nick is so annoyed because I’ve asked more than once if he thought we should pray for Peyton. Because it makes me so sad to think of him being so bummed and discouraged. (Nick seems to think he can be consoled just fine rolling around in his mounds of money.) So when he got hurt and that maybe meant his career was going to end that way, I was SO SAD for him. So when he came back and there was a chance for him to end his career with a Super Bowl win, I was DEFINITELY cheering on the Broncos. (I think Nick may be nervous that I’m not going to love the Broncos as much without Peyton. We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.) 

Our little guy has also been born into the love for the Broncos. The kid had an authentic NFL Broncos Peyton Manning jersey the moment he was born.  Here’s his first game.. He was obviously thrilled. 

 
He cares a bit more now. He throws his hands in the air for ‘Touchdown!’ and will fist pump in the air when you shout ‘Go Broncos!’ and is constantly practicing his throw to be the next Peyton. So we are in fact a Broncos family.  

 

So it was a must to celebrate the Super Bowl!

   

    
      

AND THEN THE WIN HAPPENED!!!

  
Y’all. That is sheer happiness on my husband’s face. Believe me, I know he looks oh so calm right there but that’s just oh so deceiving because there was LOTS OF YELLING. This picture does a much better job at showing the emotion that was occurring in our living room. 

 

YAY FOR BEING SUPER BOWL 50 CHAMPS!!!!! Seriously so excited for Peyton and all the Broncos fans and of course NICK. And for all the superstitious people out there like Nick (who’s made our family wear the same exact outfit for the past 3 games), we did move here the season that they won the Super Bowl. Not saying we are the cause but I’m sure we were somewhat helpful in the whole thing. 😉 

GO BRONCOS!!!!

Sunburns and Snowstorms

Let me just start this off with saying that the only time we have gotten ‘snow storms’ since we’ve lived in Colorado is if we are going to literally have any interaction with the airport. If you would like a snow storm to come, just book the Jones a flight somewhere. (But make it somewhere tropical, please.) 

So this past weekend was my mom’s birthday and she decided that what she wanted for her big day was to fly us to Texas to spend it with her. Can’t argue with that! We left on Thursday and little man is becoming a champ at this whole flying thing. It was his first time to be able to walk in the airport and pretty much opened a whole new world for him. (Nick is AMAZING at letting him walk even though it may take us an extra 5 hours to get anywhere. I am apparently not as good at being that amazingly patient.)  

   

The moment he was reunited with his Aunt LeyLey was so very sweet. He reached out for her (which I was glad for since I had just lugged his 27 lb sleeping self thru the airport) and gave her a big ol’ hug. He then got so excited to point out all of the cars to her, because well, cars are his favorite.  

 

On Friday he was reunited with his Nanan and his Maddie Moo! Hugs all around! That afternoon we got to do what that Texas girl Maddie gets to do everyday.. Go to the park!  

   

Shorts in January?! This kid was basking it in.  

 

That evening Nick and I and the kiddos went out for a birthday dinner with Mom and Steve. They let us choose and DUH, we chose Mexican. If anyone ever asks me what I miss most about Texas, the answer is always Mexican food. (Family and friends are a given of course.)  

    
 

Saturday our plan for the day was the Mardi Grad parade! Now growing up close to Galveston island, Mardi Gras was always just a part of life every year. And what’s even more fun now is that my dad and Mary are super involved in Mardi Gras and participate in building and riding in a float in the parade. An automatic guarantee for awesome beads!  

 

Ashley made the kids some super cute shirts for the festivities! (She got all the crafty genes. I literally just watched her make them. I’m a great supporter.)

 

Caleb’s seriously makes me laugh (the one on the left). And he definitely enjoyed the King Cake. 🙂

 

The parade was a blast! Maddie loved dancing all around and gathering all of the tons and tons of beads.  

  

Caleb had a different idea of fun…  

 

My mom quickly pointed out after the 5th band marched by that I probably don’t need to tiptoe during nap time at home now. 😉

   
  

The kids loved it and have played with their beads non-stop! They love taking them off and putting them back on.. over and over and over again. On the way home, we realized that Caleb, Nick, and I all had a slight sunburn. Guess we aren’t used to the heat anymore! 

They played HARD and were exhausted at the end of the day. Which gave us pretty much the BEST picture ever of Maddie Moo.  I can’t not crack up when I look at it. #theafterparty

 

On Sunday, Steve cooked the whole family a birthday dinner to celebrate Mom. It was such a great day eating BBQ and southern comfort food. And my mom is the queen of sweet tea. Pretty sure you won’t catch her without one!  

   

These two loved playing outside together. And since this Colorado boy doesn’t have the appropriate Texas clothing, this happened…   

Maddie and Caleb were definitely best friends and LOVED to give each other hugs. However, this usually ended up with them collapsing on the ground because they don’t know their own strength. Still sweet. 🙂 

  

It was such a fun day with the whole fam. 

 

So our flight was Monday evening which was of course the same time a snow storm was supposed to be hitting pretty much all of Colorado. We tried to switch our flight but that would have cost only about an extra $600.. No big deal. 


So obviously we just took our chances and our flight ended up being the last one that left Houston to go to Denver that night! Whew. And the flight was pretty empty because apparently everyone else had $600. But Caleb (& his parents) loved that he got his own seat.  

 

And then he even curled right up and went to sleep on his Daddy. And then only wanted Daddy the rest of the evening. Even after we landed and got in the airport and Nick REALLY needed to go to the restroom. He chose the clingy kid instead. What a great dad. (He did eventually let him go, don’t worry.)  

 

The drive home was a bit sketch because that’s when the storm really started to get bad but we are fortunate to have Nick who is apparently a rockstar at driving in the snow. And not actually telling me it was horrible until we got home. (Ignorance is bliss, am I right?) Going from 70 degree weather (and a bit of a sunburn) to a 20 degree snowstorm was a bit of a shock to the system, but it was good to be home. 

Thanks so much for the fun weekend, Texas! 

(And happy birthday mom.. You rock for bringing us out!!)

A Week In The Life

This past week has been CRAZY. Between a full day student ministry event, the Broncos game, the boys feeling under the weather, this little fam is absolutely EXHAUSTED. So this post will be an update of pictures. 🙂 

FRIDAY 

    
 It was finally warm enough to go to the park! We laughed really hard because it was the same temp back home in Houston which meant it was too cold for them to go to the park. Oh, how I live in such a different world now! 

SATURDAY 

 

This little guy got taken all around on Saturday. He got to help register students for the event that morning (AKA play with the pretty girls in The Shed) and then spend the afternoon/evening at his JoJo’s while I cooked dinner for the students. We are so thankful to have one of his grandmas live close and love him so well! And fun to see him get to the age where he gets excited about seeing her. (Amidst the craziness, we had time for a fish face.) 

SUNDAY 

Have you guys heard of a little team called the Broncos? Well if you haven’t realized yet, this fam are BIG FANS. We watched the big game on Sunday with family friends and in the end of the game, there was a lot of this.. 

 ..but when they won, there was a lot of THIS… 

   (Doesn’t this pic just CRACK you up?! Nick and Phil look pretty much the manliest I’ve ever seen them.. Hahaha!)

 Caleb was soaking it all in. #broncointraining

  He got to see JoJo two days in a row. Jackpot for this little kiddo!  

   WE ARE GOING TO THE SUPER BOWL!!!! 

MONDAY 

  Is this just not the best depiction of feelings of Monday everywhere?! Well, the tears weren’t actually due to the Monday blues.. He was DISTRAUGHT that his baseball lamp would not high five him back. True story. Sometimes lamps are rude like that, little buddy. #thestruggleisreal

TUESDAY

This was full of play time at home. Daddy was already sick at this point and little man was starting to catch the bug too. Boo on sickness.

  No, he did not just use the big potty. Yes, he’s become obsessed with the toilet paper roll. One guess on why it’s empty. 

   
    
 This little guy kept running back and forth down the hallway, absolutely cracking himself up. He also had to stop every time he got to me to take a look at any pictures I may have taken. (Vain much? Nah.) Can we just take a moment to grieve the fact that he’s starting to lose some baby fat? I know you may see some yummy chunky thighs there, but I promise they used to be chunkier. My baby’s growing up on me. 😦

WEDNESDAY 

This little guy got his own trip to the doctor’s office. But you can’t hold him down. He may not have felt well, but he still had plenty of energy to jam out to ‘If you’re happy and you know it.’  

   
  

TODAY 

We are headed to Texas for my mom’s birthday!!! My boys still don’t feel 100% so prayers are always appreciated. The doctor told me yesterday that the humidity would be good for Caleb.. And I told him that’s the first time anyone has ever said anything positive about humidity! And he also somehow knew I was from the south.. Apparently I have an accent after all. 🙂 

Happy Weekend Everyone!!! 

Friday Favorites

Yay for Friday!!!

Our little fam has a busy weekend ahead of us with a big student ministry event all day tomorrow. Our little man got to spend his morning at The Shed (the student ministry building) while we did some last minute preparations and that would definitely go on his list as a FAVORITE. We are talking a gym, stairs, Daddy’s office.. it’s pretty much his heaven. The only time he loves The Shed more is when it’s full of students that want to play with him. #spoiled


So since today is Friday and it’s a favorite in itself, I thought I would share some favorites of the week!

It’s no secret that we are big Broncos fans in this fam (some of us naturally, some of us forced) and this past Sunday was a big game! Little man got to wear his Broncos best to church Sunday morning and he definitely was not the only one.. Our whole church is full of Broncos lovers! #movedtotherightplace

 If you watched that game, you can see we felt a LOT of emotions. And in the end, we were all just kind of done. But YAY for winning and getting to do it all over again this Sunday!

Since Monday was MLK day, we got to spend our afternoon with JoJo! We went to a late lunch and walked all around the shops of downtown Littleton. A certain little guy LOVED her being here and walking with him on the sidewalk. He is so big and loving it.


If Caleb had a list of favorites, his daddy would be so high on that list. He cries everyday Nick leaves for work.
 And LOVES greeting him when he gets home. I love that my boys are the best of friends.

Since we live in cold Colorado, going to the park everyday is not really a thing. At least not for this Texas girl. (Give me a heater and a blanket, please.) So we CONSTANTLY frequent the library. We went twice this week and he loves it so much every time.

   There’s a play kitchen there for the month of January and he’s a BIG FAN. Especially when big kids are there and cook him pretend food.

 Yesterday Nick got to go with us which meant I was actually in a picture with Caleb! I read an article the other day about moms rarely being in the picture because they are always busy taking them. As I thought back, I can definitely remember my mom hardly ever in our pictures. So hopefully I can be better about that. Caleb may want proof I was there, right? #iwasthere #justmaybeinyogapants #mycoffeeistheretoo

And my last favorite of the week is the stay-at-home date night Nick and I had last night! Since Caleb goes to sleep so early, we still pretty much have a whole evening so last night we board gamed it up. The game of Life, anyone?

 It may look like Nick is praying right there, but he’s actually counting ALL of the money he had. Because he won. And he was the banker. (Not saying there’s a connection, just stating facts.)

Hope everyone has such a fantastic weekend!!!  Don’t forget to cheer on the Broncos Sunday (or just pray they win or pray for Nick.. ha!) Go Broncos!

It’s Momfessional Time

So let’s have a little confession time as mamas. If we are being real, there are some things we may do to just straight survive the day with our littles. Like shoving your mouth full of candy before the toddler rounds the corner and busts you… and then wants some but you tell him we don’t eat candy right now. (Completely hypothetical.) Or move up bedtime because they can’t tell time and well, you’re exhausted and need to be able to watch Netflix on the couch. (I’ve just heard people do this.) But seriously though, we all have our ‘Momfessionals.’ And a little confession time is always good for the soul. So today I’m linking up with the queen of Momfessionals for Show & Tell Tuesday’s to get my own Momfessional on.


1. I tiptoe around the house when Caleb is sleeping. And I very well may ask you to too. When we moved to Colorado, we moved into a rent house that’s definitely an older home complete with floors that squeak like no other. They are LOUD. I’ve tried to instill in my brain where the different squeaks occur in the hallway so I can attempt to walk a different path (especially in the mornings when I wake up earlier than little man). I know this sounds ridiculous and people are always all about just living their lives normally and the babies just have to deal. While I completely applaud you, I will just be over here tiptoeing around my squeaky house so I can enjoy those extra few minutes of him sleeping. #neverwakeasleepingbaby

2. I also completely avoid the bedroom side of the house during his naps. As you can see, I am a bit crazy when it comes to him sleeping. The squeaks are LOUD and the bedrooms (and main bathroom) are all very close to one another. Has there been an hour when I needed to go to the restroom but held it because he was napping? Absolutely. Does Nick now ask me permission about going to that side of the house while Caleb is sleeping? Yup, he knows I’m crazy. And I may or may not have told him that now is NOT the best time to go. He knew I was a little quirky when we got married, right?

3. I pretty much eat all of his animal crackers and graham crackers. I really don’t know who I buy those for anymore. I’ve thought about no longer buying them so I’ll quit eating them.. and then remember they are actually for the child. So the cycle continues. :/

4. He has eaten snacks in his car seat.. that are probably from yesterday. If the boy spots a goldfish, it immediately goes in his mouth. He doesn’t care about that fish’s past. And in the moment of buckling him into his seat, I don’t either.

5. We may have accidentally taught him that clapping means please. So when Caleb was old enough to eat solid food, we tried to incorporate sign language into his life so he could tell us ‘more’ and ‘all done.’ WELL. Sometime in the learning process, we kept (unintentionally) switching the words ‘more’ and ‘please’. I came home one day and Nick was SO excited that Caleb had finally done it! But when he showed me, he actually clapped instead of doing the ‘more’ sign. So somehow clapping kept turning into ‘please’ and I just finally gave up. It was just not a battle worth fighting and I knew what he was saying so it worked for us. Communication is communication, right? And now you’ll be happy to know, he actually says the word please so it looks like we didn’t screw him up after all. 🙂


So there you have it.. Some confessions of mine that will hopefully not land the little man in therapy one day! Do you have any ‘Momfessionals’?! Let’s hear them so I know I’m not doing this crazy thing called mommyhood alone. 🙂

 

 

The First Haircut

Today was a BIG DAY, people. Little man got his VERY FIRST HAIRCUT. (This requires so many capital letters because this is HUGE to this mama.) 

So I have gone back and forth on whether we should get his hair cut. I was fully convinced to do it while we were in Texas for Thanksgiving but yet the humidity curled it all up and made it look oh so adorable.. So my sister pretty much told me no. But here’s the thing. We don’t have humidity in Colorado. Like at all. (I know the thought of no humidity is shocking to my Texas people.) So no humidity equals no cute curling up of the hair which equals long whispy nobody cares about me hair. And so the decision was made. 

   
 
So I braced myself for the big event (and possible tears from me AND him) and made an appointment at a kids’ haircut salon. Now this place has got this whole thing down to a science. He got to choose which car he wanted to sit in, there were cartoons on, stuffed animals hanging from the ceiling, toys to play with, and then you get a balloon and sucker at the end. PURE GENIUS. They even have regular barber chairs set up in front of video games so I wouldn’t be shocked if that’s where Nick started getting his hair cut. (Which they definitely let him know they cut dads’ hair too. I bet they do.)

 
He picked Lightning McQueen (or rather Nick chose for him since the other option was a pink Barbie jeep) and loved getting to ‘vroom vroom’ on the steering wheel. The hair stylist attempted using clippers but Caleb quickly nipped that idea in the bud. He didn’t care that she kept showing him how it just ‘tickles’ Mommy.  
 
So scissors it was! After that, he had a blast. He kept going back and forth between pointing to the sharks hanging from the ceiling, watching Thomas the Train, and pointing to the balloons. And of course he took some moments to wave to the ladies next to us. Because priorities. 

   
   
 
This hairstylist was a pro. It didn’t matter that he whipped his head back and forth a million times, she didn’t skip a beat. #gifted

And then she finished, gave him a balloon, snapped a picture of him, gave me a lock of hair to baby book it, and then gave him a first hair cut certificate. BIG DAY. 

   
 
Check out that handsome stud!!!! He looks like such a BIG BOY. We went to Sam’s afterwards and two different people commented on his hair. I told him that’s when you know you have a good haircut is when you immediately receive compliments. Gotta school him early. 

And I did not even cry! But I would definitely say my love for him grew even more if that’s at all possible. I could just eat him up with how stinkin cute he is. 

  
BIG DAY FOR A BIG BOY. 

All About Caleb

So I started blogging again with the whole purpose of it being a way to document my little man’s life. And since I’m not anywhere near creative enough (or have an ounce of desire) to create some type of scrapbook, a blog it is! But I’ve yet to actually do a whole post about him to share what he’s up to (which is really the only reason half the people read this.. looking at you, grandparents) so today’s the day.


Caleb is ONE! Fifteen months really, but if you ask him, he will proudly throw up that index finger to tell you. He’s quite the bigger boy (always has been) so he’s in 24 mth clothes, sometimes he can even bust out a 2T which kind of breaks this mama’s heart. I packed up a bunch of his old clothing this week and definitely makes me a little sad to see what he’s outgrown. Stay little forever, little man.

He is also starting to walk like crazy!!! I think for a little bit there Nick had lost all hope that Caleb would ever walk. I never pushed it because I knew once he did, life was over as we knew it. But he has figured it out and LOVING being able to do it. He now doesn’t like to be held in public places because he is just wayyy too big for that and thinks that he should be walking instead. (He hasn’t quite mastered it yet so sorry buddy, you will be held thru IKEA.) He also gets a huge kick out of walking back and forth in his crib. It’s the small things, y’all. Let’s just say the kid is a HUGE fan of his new skill.

It’s like he’s starting to grow up all at once because he just now has the peaked interest in learning words and actually SAYING them. After 15 months of saying ‘say this, Caleb’ or ‘this is a blahblahblah’, he has finally decided that yes, that is a good idea Mom! So things he consistently says now are Mama, Dada, car, please and J (the letter).. But he is also starting to make sounds like vroom, meow, moo, and roar. It is all very very cute and I’m pretty in love with his sweet little voice (but I’m sure it’s not because I’m biased at all).

Another thing he LOVES to do is show you his belly. Because no shame. And the good thing about it is he doesn’t require you to show him yours. He’s classy that way.

Ever since he was born, the kid has LOVED to eat. When we started real table food, he was all about anything that we put before him. But now, he has decided to go and get an opinion on us. So basically his tastes are VERY much like his daddy’s. He likes his leftovers cold (yuck) and will gladly say no thank you if you think to warm it up for him. He’s not a huge fan of pasta but will down mac & cheese like its his job. The only thing he gets from me is that he’s a complete pansy when it comes to anything that remotely has any kind of spice. Imagine lots of dramatic gagging that goes on long enough to make sure we get the picture to never ever try that ever again.

He is a HAM. The kid became an extrovert right around his one year birthday and he loves to ham it up. And he also hasn’t met a pretty girl that he doesn’t love or feel the need to flirt with. Youth group is heaven for him because so many cute teenage girls want to hold him. And he’s also an avid waver. He doesn’t care if you’re even looking. Or if you’ve been in the same room as him for 30 minutes and he’s already waved at you 12 times. He is determined to make you feel welcome.

His favorite toys are balls and cars. Hands down. You have to stay on guard around him because his goal in life seems to be to play catch so at any point there may be a ball headed your way. He does LOVE music so he will either turn on one of his music toys so he can jam out while he plays with other toys or just take matters in his own hands and play music on his instrument toys. The kid loves to shake his booty. We joke that sometimes when a song comes on and he’s busy, it’s like he can’t help it but the beat just takes over his body. He’s a little dancing machine.

Every night at dinner, we hold hands while we pray and he has now joined in! It pretty much makes my life. Can’t wait until he starts saying amen. My heart may explode.

His new hang out spot is underneath the coffee table. He’s always thought it was cool to crawl through it, but now he thinks it’s fun to just go under there and chill. Sometimes he takes toys to play with or sometimes he just lays. Who needs to get the kid a fort when he has a coffee table?

 

Here are some other favorite recent pictures of the little man:
 Sometimes you just need to throw your Mickey Mouse robe on and call it a night.


 We have an awesome library near us with the coolest kid section. There are a TON of different things to play with and they switch them out too! He is a BIG FAN. (Which duh I LOVE that he loves the library.)

 This is him CRACKING UP at JoJo’s birthday dinner. It was in between waving at all of the surrounding tables and dancing like crazy. Just hamming it up like usual.
 The poor kid got a cold a couple of weeks ago and has had a cough that has lingered during the nights ever since. This was after a particularly rough night and his hair was all about letting the world know about it. (Definitely think we are in need of the first haircut. Very. Soon.)


He is pretty much SO FUN right now. We love watching him learn and discover how the world around him works.

Thank you Jesus for choosing us to be this precious little boy’s parents. 

 

2016: Resolutions of Sorts

A new year. A fresh start. A blank slate.

It’s funny how some people get so jazzed about making resolutions and then there are people that think it’s the most ridiculous thing in the world (aka my husband, who refused to say ‘happy new year’ and instead said ‘happy Friday’). But I however think it’s fun to look on the new year with excitement and new goals (or resolutions if you want to be traditional). Especially if we are believers in Jesus Christ then we are made new everyday! So today I’ll link up for Show & Tell Tuesday to share my thoughts and hopes for 2016.

 So this is totally cheating but I read an article right before the new year about resolutions to consider and found myself nodding at every single one so I will just share that now. And you can read that and now I’m done. Kiddinggggggg.

The first one I plan on cracking down on is getting off technology more. I have a little person around me 24/7 and the last thing I want is for him to think my phone is more important than him and also connected to my hand. So I am unplugging for chunks of the day. I will set my phone in the kitchen (while we are in the living room) so I can still hear it ring just in case but also can’t reach it to check all of the oh so important things on social media. Because let’s get real, Facebook will still be there when little man takes a nap.


Second on my list is cutting myself some slack. I am a {recovering} perfectionist which just basically means that I definitely still have my moments where I have to remember that life will go on if I have not done everything absolutely perfect or if the house is not perfect or if my kid is not perfect.. You get the picture. So obviously with this, cutting myself some slack is CRUCIAL. Because hello. It’s unattainable on this side of Heaven. My prayer is that I would continue to let those things go this year and give myself more grace. The PRAY MORE definitely fits nicely with this too. Because I can’t let those things go if my sole focus isn’t on Christ and my identity is not found in HIM always. Because that is enough.


My next one that I loved from that article is read more good books and listen to more music. If you know me at all, you know I love to read. I’ve fallen out of that habit lately so I need my people to tell me what books I should be reading!!! (Seriously, let’s hear your faves.) The music thing is MUCH needed in my life today. I need less tv in our home and more really good music. So why don’t you good music people go ahead and suggest all of the great things I should be listening to? Educate me, people. Come on you twenty-somethings and students, help a girl out. (Which when did I get old and become a non-twenty-something. Ugh. Shoot me now.)


So that’s basically it for resolutions, because let’s start small people. And let’s be realistic.

I am so pumped for 2016 though! I am excited for Littleton to continue to become our home, for friendships to continue to form and deepen, and for the student ministry to continue to grow and thrive!

A HUGE thing I’m looking forward to is if:gathering this year!!!

 I’ve done the if:equip study for almost two years now but this will be my first year to actually GO to the gathering. (Insert party emojis here!!!) I am beyond excited!! If you haven’t signed up for an if:local, you totally should.. They meet all over the country (so there’s definitely one somewhere in your backyard) on February 5-6 and it’s not too late to sign up. You can also sign up to receive their daily study which is so fantastic and easy to keep up with. So come on with it.. You could be as excited as me right now!!!

So here’s to 2016 everyone!!! Let’s make it super fantastic!

2015: The Recap

Happy New Year’s Eve y’all! How is 2015 already ending?! Gosh this year FLEW BY. What’s the quote parents always say… The days are long but the years are short? A-MEN to that. 

Last year we brought in the new year as a family of 3… And not a single one of us were awake at midnight. Cheers to being parents! 

This year has brought a lot of change for the Jones fam. Today I am linking up with Andrea, Erika and Narci for 15 of my favorite things that happened in 2015!

 I am going to go thru the list chronologically because that’s just easiest. 🙂 Grab some coffee and a blanket and get ready for this long haul of a post (or just skim because duh, you have a life). 

  In March, Caleb got dedicated at our last church. It was such a special time because so many family members and friends came to show support for our little man. I love knowing that we have so many people in our lives that will always point Caleb to Jesus.  
    
   
And of course his best friend Maddie was there. #bestfriendsforever 

  This year was my very first Mother’s Day and it was such a SWEET day. Nick went above and beyond to make sure I felt so loved and valued and I most definitely did!  
 Here are all my goodies and notes from Caleb (Nick may or may not have had something to do with writing the notes). 

  Nick also took me on a date that weekend so I could have a ‘mommy break.’ I love him so. 
  That Sunday my mom’s boyfriend cooked for all of the ladies in our family. The food was good.. but apparently our picture taking skills were not. 
  So after a TON of prayer and consideration, Nick and I made a decision in May for him to resign from his position. He did not have another job waiting but we were confident in the Lord and His plan for us. This resulted in a summer of unemployment for him which meant months of our family all getting to be together. This was a season full of us being stretched and growing in our faith and although there were difficult moments, I wouldn’t trade it for the world. We made the most of our family time and had so much fun together whether we were all just going to the grocery store, going on trips, or living at the neighborhood pool everyday!  
    
    
    
     


If we would have gotten a dollar for every time we were asked if we had twins, we’d be sitting on an island drinking fruity drinks right now. Our summer of us 3 plus Maddie Moo is a BIG favorite in my book. (And please Lord don’t give us twins. Those twin mamas are forever heroes of mine.)

  We were brave enough to take Caleb on his first plane ride in June to come visit Colorado for the first time!!!! And I was a HOT MESS about it. But all of the research and planning paid off.. Little man slept the entire plane ride!  
  Colorado was SUCH a great time! Caleb got to spend so much time with his JoJo and meet so many of our Colorado people that hadn’t been able to meet him yet. Who knew we were visiting our future home?! 

    
    
 And when you live somewhere where the humidity is usually fierce and the temps stay in the 100’s, Colorado is a glorious place to visit during the summer. Just saying. 😉

  So this next one is my favorite and non-favorite all in one. What I don’t love is that I turned 30 this year. BOOOO. #29forever

BUT I love that I share my birthday week with one of my very best friends. My sister knew we were not having the easiest time with the whole ‘getting old’ thing so she threw us the best birthday party EVER. (I could write a blog post just about this but it being 6 months later, I think I’ll move on.)  

    
    
    
 

Such a picture fail that I don’t have one with the most amazing sister and my super hot husband that made this whole night such a blast! Lots of selfie stick fun, lip sync battles, and photo booth craziness with some of my most favorite people EVER. 

 A trip to the country to stay at a family friend’s ranch spontaneously happened during the summer. It was a night of so much fun with some super fun fam.      

Babies in the country in their diapers is the best. SO. MUCH. CUTENESS. 

  Apparently it was the summer of travel because over the 4th of July, Nick and I left Caleb for a weekend for the very first time. (Lots of anxiety for this mama.) We went to Austin and Fredericksburg for the weekend with my sister and bro-in-law. Definitely much needed to get away with the hubs and luckily Caleb has an amazing Nanan that he had a blast with that weekend. We even came home to a crawler!       A kid free weekend can definitely be refreshing at times! Absence makes the heart grow fonder, right? 😉

  This one is HUGE. We moved to Colorado in September! It was a whirlwind between finding out we were moving, packing with a baby in the house, telling people and a state we love so dearly goodbye, and preparing for a brand new chapter in our lives. WHEW! But such a favorite because remember when I mentioned we knew God was faithful and would provide?! And boy did he show up! Our new church is AMAZING and we love getting to call this place home. Thanks God.. All props go to you.  
 Goodbye to our first home we owned and where we brought this baby boy home from the hospital. (TEAR.)  #texasforever

 Hello to our new (rent) home in Colorado! Nothing like showing up to a house that you found online and didn’t get to actually see in person and find out you really do love it. Craigslist for the win! 

  Somehow amidst all the craziness, our baby turned ONE! What the what?! My family was so sad to think they would miss his first birthday so he received a party in Texas before he left. And then also got to celebrate two weeks later on his actual birthday. (I’m starting him early on the whole birthday month thing. We LOVE to celebrate in our house. Ok, I do.)  
    
 It was a Broncos football themed party. Let’s just all take a moment and pray that this kid grows up to like sports because, well, Nick.  

    
 Donut for breakfast, streamers everywhere, and balloons in the crib. He liked one out of three. Not too shabby.  

 I’ve decided he can stop getting older now. He’s JUST right the age he is. 🙂

  So our prayer ever since we got married was to find true Biblical community wherever God has us. Moving to a new place made that on the top of our list. It was so evident this is where God was calling us. We also knew that we were going to need people to walk thru this life daily with. And AGAIN, God showed up. He has given us an INCREDIBLE growth group for our family to be apart of. Also I have been able to join MOPS and a bible study that are full of fantastic ladies that love Jesus and have welcomed me with open arms. The icing on top is the awesome volunteers in the student ministry are ridiculously amazing and welcoming and such a GREAT group. (Have I mentioned I love our church?) 

So Foothills Bible Church, you are a BIG favorite of 2015. You make me cry tears of joy for giving us the blessing of allowing us to serve here.  
  Just a month ago, I got to be apart of one of my best friend Hannah’s wedding. Wedding days are seriously SO special, especially when it is someone you love so dearly. This is a girl that helped me fall in love with Jesus in college and now her job is to be able to do that for all college girls at Sam Houston State University. Pretty awesome.  
   Matt is SUPER tall. Pretty stinkin’ perfect for our beautiful tall Hannah. 🙂 

  So this favorite kind of doesn’t have to do with me but I just loved it so much that I’m letting it count. Nick’s sister Juliana went on The World Race which is an eleven month mission trip to eleven different countries. A huge step of faith for her to leave a stable job and a life she loved to go serve the Lord overseas. We are seriously so proud of her and loved that Caleb has an aunt that isn’t afraid to live out how Jesus calls us to live. So to you Aunt JJ, we are so thankful that Caleb has you in his life (and ours too of course).

 She got home on Thanksgiving and we were reunited when we returned from Texas. It did not take long for her and Caleb to become good buddies!

  Our people. They are my FAVORITES. God has given us so many incredible people in our lives that mean the world to us. They have shown up in so many ways in this crazy past year of all of our transition. There has been encouragement, prayers, generosity, and amazing support. We seriously are SO thankful. Thank you for loving us well, whether that was taking us to coffee, letting us cry or laugh with you, texting words of encouragement, making sure we were okay financially, or just praying fervently with us. I wish I could give you each a huge hug and have you over for dinner and dessert. Definitely dessert. Be here tomorrow? Seriously love you all. 

  So before we moved, I had the absolute honor of getting to watch my niece everyday. Maddie and Caleb are only 5 weeks apart in age so they have been besties since the start. Getting to spend that first year of life with both of them seriously gives me so much joy. (Was it hard, you ask? Again with the mad respect of mamas of twins.) Even now that we have moved, it is such a blast to see the two of them play together when they’re able to, talk on FaceTime together, or even Caleb just waving and smiling at Maddie Moo’s picture. I love that they are the best of cousins.  
    
    
    
    
 They’re going to kill us one day about the bath and washtub pictures. Whoops. 

  MY LAST FAVORITE OF 2015. (Can you even believe you’re still reading this?!) Well this certainly isn’t my least favorite by far. It would have to be my two boys, especially when they are being so super adorable together. I love to watch them play. Nick is the absolute cutest at making sure Caleb is having a blast. They are constantly laughing and doing the silliest things. Nick is always singing him made-up songs and teaching him fun ways to play with his toys. Nick is also amazing at being so thoughtful and caring of Caleb. He is pretty much the best dad ever. They are two peas in a pod.  
    
    
    
 I’m so glad to call them mine. (Insert heart emoji here.)

  
AND THAT MY FRIENDS are my 15 favorites of 2015!! Is anyone still reading? Have you fallen asleep? Sworn off my blog forever? Or jumped off a cliff? 

If you made it through then you deserve another cup of coffee.. And if you just skimmed to the bottom then you do too (because let’s be honest, you just saved yourself three hours of your life). Either way, thanks for enduring the longest blog ever known to mankind. 

There are many words that can be used to describe our 2015 but I think God’s faithfulness is what speaks the loudest. SO excited to see what He is up to for 2016!

Happy New Year everyone!!! Much love!