Trying to Keep Up With My Jones'

‘Tis the season to be thankful, right? Thanksgiving can so easily be a road bump we barely notice as we speed on to Christmas. And that’s pretty much exactly what it used to be for me until I met Nick Jones. He LOVES Thanksgiving. He loves the food, the football, and I think he may even love the family time. 😉  When we had probably only even been dating a month and Thanksgiving was still months away, he invited me to to go home to Colorado with him (because that’s just how he rolled). I’m sure I made him wait a week or two (because that’s how I rolled) before I said yes. So five years ago, I went to Colorado for the very first time with my super cute boyfriend.

We were obviously super smitten because I even made us a road trip survival kit. 

It was my first time to really hang with the Jones fam. A sister and mom I had to win over! 

We explored the mountains and I joke now that we must have been pointing out our future home in this picture. 

Just a few weeks later, that super cute boyfriend asked me to be his wife and the rest is history. I’m so thankful for this man I get to call mine forever. And thankful that he knew so quickly that he wanted to be mine forever. 🙂

Three Thanksgivings later, we had a new guest. 

Being able to be this little guy’s mom is something I am beyond thankful for. Knowing that God has entrusted us with him is such a huge calling and we pray daily that we would be faithful in raising him to love the Lord and others deeply. And that we also have a TON of fun while doing just that. 

God has been so direct with me lately to really reflect on all of the things that I should be thankful for. It’s easy to spout off the really obvious things that I love about my life, but He is gently reminding me of the not so fun things in my life that I can also be grateful for… 

I am thankful for our move to Colorado. Even in the times when it’s incredibly hard to be away from my family and best friends, God has shown me new ways to rely on Him. 

I am thankful for difficult days. When I love to err on the side of life that says everything is fantastic all of the time, I am grateful for the days that I am brought to my knees in prayer because there just doesn’t seem to be any other option.

I am thankful for our ministry here. It’s not always easy because ministry never is, but God is constantly faithful in reaffirming our calling here.

I am thankful that God sent His Son to this world to die on the cross for me. That my sins would be reconciled and I would be able to forever live in relationship with Jesus Christ, both on this Earth and one day in Heaven. This decision doesn’t make life instantly rosy and perfect, but I am thankful for a God that loves me and walks through the yuck with me. That I don’t have to get it all together before I come to Him, but instead He meets me right in the mess. 

For all of these things, I am so beyond thankful. 

So obviously I’ve been a little MIA around here. Life has been B-U-S-Y. 

October went like this…

My sis and bro in law came in town for the Texans game. 

I went on a girls trip with some of my best girls. 

And even got to see my mom. 

Halloween happened. And we pretty much CONQUERED it. 

Attended a fabulous women’s retreat. (And had my first red cup of the season. YAY!)

So this past Friday, my fantastic boss insisted that she watch the little man all day while Nick and I spent the day together so that way we could actually SEE each other, you know. I’m pretty much winning when it comes to bosses. 

It started with waking up to this from snowing the day before…

We headed off to a new coffee shop first that is ADORABLE. 

Then we drove to a town I’ve never been to before to walk around the outlet mall. Christmas is coming friends so it’s good to get prepared. 😉 After that, we headed to lunch in their cute downtown area. 

It was a COLD day so we went back to our favorite place. To hang out with our beloved friend. 

It was such a great day to just be together and do whatever we felt like. 🙂 

That evening, we took the little man to see the big man. 

It was beyond freezing. 

But watching Caleb get excited to see Santa light up all the trees was for sure worth it. (And I may have been pretty into it too…)

And we even got to meet Santa’s friends.

 

The Jones fam were big fans of the whole deal and sure makes me REAL excited for all of the Christmas things. 

Safe to say it was a pretty fantastic Friday indeed. 🙂

Happy hump day, y’all!!! It’s kind of like a Friday for me because I’m headed out of town tomorrow which feels a little weird but I’m certainly not complaining! Today I’m linking up with Shay, Sheaffer, and Mel for…

..where we answer all of these questions to share what’s been up in our lives! 

WHAT WE’RE EATING THIS WEEK…

Well considering family just left town yesterday, we have youth group tonight, and I leave town tomorrow, there’s not a whole lot of cooking going on around here. The kitchen will reopen next week! 

WHAT I’M REMINISCING ABOUT…

This always seems to be the case when it comes to reminiscing but my sister sent me this picture yesterday and it pretty much just makes me wanna yell ‘WHERE HAS THE TIME GONE?!’ 

WHAT I’M LOVING…

This guy. I’m pretty sure I don’t know what I would do without him. 

WHAT WE’VE BEEN UP TO…

This past weekend my sis and bro-in-law and some of their friends came in town for the Texans game. So we rode the Georgetown train thru the mountains…

We had a fun night out in downtown Denver..

We spent game day downtown with all the crazy Texans fans while they prepped for the game..

And although they lost, I’m pretty sure they are still glad they came. 🙂 
WHAT I’M DREADING…

The huge mound of laundry I’m about to put away. Boo on laundry. 

WHAT I’M WORKING ON…

Currently trying to decide between two costumes for tonight’s youth group fall night! Big problems over here, people. Nick refuses to dress up with me anymore after the Red Riding Hood/Wolf in Grandma Robe Debacle of 2012. His loss. 

WHAT I’M EXCITED ABOUT…

A girls trip with these girls!!!!

WHAT I’M WATCHING/READING…

Pretty sure me and all of America are obsessed with this show. It’s my new Parenthood because I am already crying in every episode. 

And I’m actually not reading anything right now BUT I need suggestions because I will be getting on a plane BY MYSELF, people. Reading can actually happen. PTL. So let’s hear your recommendations!

WHAT I’M LISTENING TO…

Ever since we went to the Needtobreathe concert last month, I’ve apparently rediscovered Mat Kearney so I’ve been listening to his Pandora station. Which means I’ve also gone back to Pandora from Spotify. Because I really can’t make up my mind. 

WHAT I’M WEARING…

Y’all, I finally got my first piece of Colorado gear. I figured it was time after living here a year. But just so everyone is on the same page.. Texas Forever. 

WHAT I’M DOING THIS WEEKEND…

It is a girls weekend with some of my very favorite girls!! I’m pretty sure lots of chatting and laughing and eating are in our future. 

WHAT I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO NEXT MONTH..

I can not believe it’s about to be NOVEMBER. How did that even happen?! I’m probably most excited about Thanksgiving! I LOVE that the holidays are coming!!! 

WHAT ELSE IS NEW…

My favorite guy has been preaching once a month lately and I LOVE getting him to share his passion of teaching the Word of God. Here is this past week’s message and although I’m a bit biased, I loved it and encourage everyone to listen. 😉 

FAVORITE HALLOWEEN TRADITION…

Last year for our first Halloween here, we took our little Mickey Mouse to a nearby shopping center for trick or treating..

.. and dinner at Noodles & Co. 

So this past weekend we did the same thing with our little Chase from PawPatrol..

I’m pretty sure that’s a new tradition for us. Because who doesn’t love getting free candy and eating macaroni?! 
And that’s what’s up with us. Happy Wednesday, everybody!!!

So let’s just start with saying that fall in Colorado is dramatically different than fall in Texas. The colors make it beyond gorgeous and can pretty much make a simple street look like a postcard. Let’s just be real with the fact that I am for sure in love. The weather has been ‘unseasonably warm’ as all the Coloradans keep saying, but it’s still cooler than Texas so I’ll take it. This past weekend we went up to the mountains so it actually was cooler weather for boots and sweaters and all the wonderful fall clothes. (Although you will still spot my husband in shorts and flip flops because that’s my husband for yah.) 

We started off the trip on Friday morning with story time at the library because Nick and Caleb go every Friday morning while I’m at work. It was pretty stinkin cute to see them do their thing because I so often hear those songs at home. (And can we just say what a fantastic dad that will endure a circle full of moms with littles being the only guy just because he knows our little man loves it?)

After that, we headed for the mountains! 

We stopped for lunch in Buena Vista which was adorable. I am so glad that I finally saw it in person because I always hear people talk about it! We ate at a cute restaurant where they had a fun outside patio with areas to play. Great for little man on a long road trip! 

Back on the road with some absolutely incredible views! We took the way a local suggested which started off on paved roads and then for sure included a long dirt road up a mountain. #notforthefaintofheart

We finally made it to Crested Butte! Caleb  needed to relax for a bit in the hotel before we did anything. And by relax, I mean take off his pants and shoes and run around like a crazy person in his diaper. 😉

After that shenanigans, we headed for the town!  Which of course was precious. These kind of benches were all around the town and this guy was a big fan. 

They also had signs EVERYWHERE that you just never really see in Texas. Like ever. 

We had dinner at a fun local spot that was absolutely delicious so no documentation happened. Pretty much everyone in there knew each other (both employees & customers) so obviously this is not a big town, people. 

It was then back to the hotel for an early bedtime to get ready for our hike in the morning! Sleeping in the same hotel room with a 2 year old puts you to bed early but we weren’t complaining. The next morning, we got up and out quick. We had been amping up Caleb all week for hiking and that he was going to get to ride in Daddy’s ‘backpack’. Well it definitely worked because he thought it was absolutely HILARIOUS and cracked up for like the first 10 minutes of the hike. 

These two were champs hiking ‘together’. It’s a good thing they are already best friends. 

We reached the top which was an overlook of a gorgeous waterfall. Caleb was convinced Daddy should drink it, but since that would include jumping down the thousand foot drop to reach it, he kindly passed. (And no it wasn’t a thousand feet, but I’m bad at math but good at the dramatics.)

See? I told you. Nobody wants to be that guy in the sign. 

So it was definitely a successful first hike for Caleb!!! He had a blast and was very proud. 

On the way back to our hotel, it was necessary to stop to take in the views. Because this. 

Can we just say how incredible of a creator God is?! This is evidence of His existence at its finest. And our view from our balcony at our hotel wasn’t too shabby either. 

After showering up, we headed back to the cute town for lunch! 

And someone got distracted by wanting to be a future ski bum..

We ate at another local restaurant where the food was also delicious. (Let’s be honest.. it was all local places. Not a chain restaurant in sight.) Breakfast served all day made this fam real happy. 

We walked around and went into all the little shops. Caleb loves being just like Daddy and felt the need to put his hands in his pockets (with mommy’s help). 

We then headed to the playground to get out some energy before our drive back. 

Coffee is necessary for every long drive. 

Then it was time to head back to reality. And it was pretty obvious that a certain little guy had a blast. 

On Sunday, we kept up doing all of the fall things by going to a little ‘punkin’ patch (in Caleb’s language).

We saw horses and goats and puppies. And shocking no one at all, Caleb preferred to only look at them from a distance.  He did however like attempting to pick up pumpkins to see if he could hold them or if they were ‘TOO BIG!’ He also rode all the little tractors and cars they had sitting out.

 

Obviously it was a super fantastic weekend and we loved every bit of it! It’s always so fun exploring my new state (since it’s not actually new to Nick) with my awesome little family. Can’t wait for more adventures! 

Happy Friday, y’all!! So much has happened in the past couple weeks which is a huge reason I’ve been too exhausted to blog about it all. So here we are catching up with another edition of.. 

I’m linking up with Erika and Andrea to share all of my favorite things lately.. And that’s been quite a lot of things! 

1. CALEB TURNED 2!!!

Yes, this is how he holds up ‘two’ with his fingers. 😉

So we celebrated the day of his birthday starting off with a yummy breakfast of ‘cake’ and ‘ice cream’ (pancakes with whip cream)..

And then we did lots of playing outside with some of our new toys..

That afternoon was Katie and Ian’s wedding so we decided that could be Caleb’s first wedding since it was his birthday and all..

He actually was more excited about being there than taking this picture. And to my own surprise, he actually did fantastic listening during the ceremony! 

Such a beautiful wedding of a fantastic couple! And my stud of a husband officiating is always a fun bonus. 🙂

And the birthday boy found a balloon there as his own personal party favor so we ended the night with lots of snuggles and balloons. 

The next day we had his Broncos themed birthday party!! 

The kids had a blast playing in the back yard while the boys watched the Broncos game inside. Win win for everybody! 

At halftime, it was present and cake time! He absolutely loved all of his new fun presents but didn’t really understand why we couldn’t play with them all instantly. Oh, the struggles of a 2 year old. 

Blowing out his candle on his birthday cupcake was quite the feat. Even for me..

Needless to say, this little two year old had a fabulous birthday!!!! 

2. WE WENT ON A WEEKEND AWAY!

Well that made it sound like a romantic weekend away just the 2 of us. Not quite. Every year, our student ministry volunteers go on a retreat in the mountains at a wonderful couple’s mountain cabin. It’s a wonderful time of prayer for us, our students, and just a time of refreshment. And everything is better in this gorgeous setting. 

The boys even still got to watch their football..

The views out of their windows and balconies were pretty much amazing..

On Saturday evening, our hosts put together a “s’more tailgate” with more options than I’ve ever seen. 

Some of us girls took a picture and we decided it pretty much looks like a creepy family picture that may appear in a church directory. Thanks for that, campfire glow. 

Caleb stayed home for the weekend and got to spend time with two of his favorite ladies and I’m pretty sure had an absolute blast! We sure do appreciate our people that love our boy so well. 🙂

3. I WAS CRAFTY!

Anyone that knows me very well knows that I’m the least craftiest person in the world. But this past week, I went to a party at a friend’s house where we were able to choose a template of a door hanger and then we had to make it happen with a little guidance.

I’m not going to lie.. It was a bit of a stressful 3.5 hours for me since I’m NOT crafty but I managed to end up with a sign that I will actually hang up on my door. Victory! 

4. ALL OF THE BIKE RIDES!

The little man got a bike for his birthday so it’s definitely become a part of daily life. I think he would sleep on it if we would let him. And it sure does help that fall in Colorado is pretty much gorgeous so being outside is a must. 

5. WE ARE GOING TO THE MOUNTAINS!

Our little family is going on a getaway this weekend to the mountains. I’m pretty sure it’s much needed for some quality time together since life has been so busy. And I’m pretty okay with that happening here..

So happy weekend, everybody!!! Hope you get lots of good time with your people too!

Y’ALL.

Was everyone starting to think that I had completely fallen off the face off the blogging world?  September has come and gone and now we are facing the weekend of my child turning TWO. Where has the time gone?!

So today is Friday so I’m coming back at you linking up with Andrea and Erika for a dose of…

So first things first, let’s just address the life transition things right off the bat. The one I’ve already mentioned is the fact that Caleb will be two on Saturday. This birthday is harder for me than his first birthday for some reason. I think it’s because at that point, he still wasn’t walking or talking much and still felt very babyish to me. Now the kid is nonstop running and chatting my ear off at all times and looks VERY much like a big kid with how tall he has gotten. Where did the squishy chubby babyness go?!

We have a wedding this weekend so we will be celebrating Saturday morning with the three of us and then having some people over to celebrate him on Sunday for yet again, another Broncos football party. It just kind of landed that way and let’s be honest, the kid loves football anyways so it works. (And thinks all football equals Broncos so apparently Nick’s brainwashing is working.)

Our second life transition that is a huge favorite is the fact that WE HAVE LIVED IN COLORADO FOR A YEAR. What in the world?! This one still blows my mind a bit, because while it does feel like we have been here a while, some days it still feels so new. We do absolutely love our new home state and church and still get so overwhelmed at times about God’s faithfulness to bring us here. I have completed the process of becoming a Coloradan with my driver’s license (that happened 9 months ago) and now my car’s license plate as well so looks like we are staying. 😉

I will say that fall in Colorado is a HUGE favorite, because as shocking as it is to people here, you do NOT see colors change in Texas. It’s just not a thing that happens. So we have been all about the fall things as we’ve driven up to the mountains to check out this changing of the colors situation that everyone talks about here. And let’s just say, it did not disappoint. We went a couple of weeks ago so it wasn’t quite peak time yet, but still so pretty. I’m a fan.

And while we are on the topic of Colorado favorites, I finally went to a concert at Red Rocks and let’s just go ahead and make the bold statement that this is the best concert venue ever. I don’t think I would care who I was seeing perform there, because it’s just so stinkin’ beautiful. (But I’m sure it helped that I did actually like the bands as well.)

Fall in Colorado also means that Broncos season is in full force and that is definitely a huge FAVE for these boys. Well, one more than the other but it still counts.

While they have been doing all of the watching of all of the games, I’ve been busy organizing the little man’s toys which I am PUMPED about. Everything in me needed all of his toys to be sorted in clearly labeled toys and put away so that way I could continue to live my clutter-free life. I totally geeked out over my OCD-ness on this and made both boys come look at the finishing product with “COME SEE HOW EXCITING!”

I’m pretty sure they weren’t quite as convinced on how awesome this was and Caleb actually prefers to play with the tubs this way…

Either way, my heart is still happy.

So we have been busy busy and this weekend is no exception. Nick is officiating a wedding and of course we will be celebrating the little man’s birthday all weekend. So here’s to a fun-filled weekend of celebrations (and yummy cake)! Happy Friday everybody! 

Labor Day Weekend has come and gone and what better way to spend the last weekend of summer than at the beach! My awesome mom rented a beach house for our family so we all came together for our last shindig of the summer. And since the summer was such a blur with all of the things, it was actually the first vacay Nick, Caleb, and I went on. So MUCH NEEDED is what it was. 

On Thursday, we headed to the airport where Caleb is pretty much a pro now. Him and Nick helped me through the process of checking in my luggage without an anxiety attack of the possibility of never seeing it again. (I did demand the lady show me it was marked for Texas and not for another state like last time, because well PTSD.) We were ready to head to the beach! 

As soon as we got to the beach house, Caleb immediately joined Maddie in playing in the back yard and eventually even in the pool. (We are still not a fan of water.. This theme will continue throughout the weekend.)

The evening ended with the trauma of Maddie finding a cactus with her hands. (Dear people that rent out family-friendly homes, please rid yourselves of plants that cause harm to toddlers. Not cool.) Thankfully, she is just fine and we now know how to get out cactus needles from a 2 year old’s hands. Which now that I think about it, we apparently should have left that knowledge listed at the house for the next family. 

The next morning we immediately headed to the beach!

Day one was filled with Maddie pretty much signing up to be a mermaid and Caleb wishing the ocean did not have water or sand. By the end, he had finally come around to playing in the sand but still reminded us it was yucky every once in a while. We headed back to the house for naps (for all of us because vacay) and then headed into town for dinner. Maddie was my backseat partner and she is the queen of the mean mug. 

Everyone should always drink out of a coconut at the beach. 

After dinner, we had lots of fun playing and taking touristy pics. 

My phone got hacked by these two (or should I say these three.)

The next morning it was time for family pictures on the beach! One thing we did not think about was the wind. And boy was it fierce. Also, Caleb continued his stance on not wanting his body to touch the water so that was helpful. 



And Maddie of course was just glad to be near the water again. Bathing suit not necessary for this girl. 

We headed to brunch at one of our favorite spots with Maddie looking very frat-tastic in Caleb’s extra change of clothes. 

The rest of the day was full of more relaxing and hanging out. 

And of course bath time with the cousins because what’s cuter than 2 toddlers in a tub??

The next morning we were headed back to the beach! 

The day started off like this..

But ended like this…

So I think if we would have had one more day, we might have convinced him the beach was fun after all. #nextyear

And we knew it was time to go when this happened..

While the kiddos were napping, this cute guy and I snuck away to town to get coffee (because we are who we are). 

And then spent the rest of the day with more of the relaxing and hanging out..

Bedtime stories together were definitely a fav. 

With waking up together to being a close second. (Can you spot which one ISN’T the morning person?)

On Monday morning, we said our tearful goodbyes. Christmas won’t come soon enough for all of us to be reunited again. Our family of 3 headed back to the airport to head home to the land of the mountains. 

You know you’ve had a successful trip when you pass out watching Mickey Mouse in this awkward position..

GOODBYE SUMMER AND HELLO FALL!!

I am LOVING all the back to school pictures. It blows my mind to see how so many of these kids that I have seen grow up are entering elementary school or middle school or HIGH SCHOOL. How are they getting older when I am completely the same age as I’ve always been? So weird. So many people I love are entering new chapters and a reason I love the cliche first day pictures is because it reminds me to pray for these kiddos (& mamas!). I can’t even imagine Caleb entering kindergarten, much less high school. But as a wife to a student ministries director, I would love to encourage those high schoolers (specifically girls because hello, I’m a girl) as they start off a new year. And what better way than to link up with Andrea for Show & Tell: Advice to our High School Selves. Because BELIEVE ME, hindsight is 20/20. 😉

1. BE OKAY WITH FIGURING OUT YOU. 

I feel like one of the cliche things we like to tell people is ‘Be Yourself.’ Which is all fine and dandy until you are a high school girl and don’t have a clue who yourself is. Thinking back to high school, I was trying SO HARD to fit in with all the people around me and didn’t know at all who Raven actually was. All my life I had loved to read and really had no desire to do sports. Once I reached high school, this left me floundering to still want to fit in but not knowing my ‘place.’ High school version of me would never have been able to joke about not being the least bit athletic and just owning that. Today’s me is all about saying no to playing some sand volleyball, because well I don’t want to. So give yourself some grace while you figure out what you like and don’t like.. And don’t ever alter those things just because it’s what everyone else is doing. 

2. QUIT COMPARING. 

This one is pretty much hand in hand with the first one, but a little different. I was the absolute queen of comparison. I desperately wanted to be just like my sister.. gorgeous and fun and again with the athleticism. She wasn’t the only one I compared myself to though. Anyone I thought was better at whatever it was that seemed ‘right’. As girls, isn’t this so often our natural go-to? Even when we are adults. Just STOP IT. Comparison is never helpful and most often it is just lies in your mind. So just tell satan NOT TODAY and move on. 

3. HIGH SCHOOL ISN’T FOREVER. 

I know this is shocking. Everything seems SO IMPORTANT right now. Like it is going to make or break the rest of your life. But guess what? It’s just four short years. That high school boyfriend? Not forever (at least most the time). Even your best friends? Chances are they are not going to be your forever besties, even as many times as you write BFFL. Life will keep moving forward and you will have the opportunity to meet so many more people in different seasons of life that just GET YOU. So if high school is not your jam, hold on to hope that it will in fact end. And if high school is your jam, chances are you will love college just as much. 

4. LISTEN TO WISDOM. ESPECIALLY GODLY WISDOM.

If I could shout anything to the high school Raven, it would be this. Your parents actually DO know things. But hey, maybe you don’t feel like discussing certain things with your parents because it is just plain awkward. I get that. But I STRONGLY encourage you to find a lady at your church that maybe you think is super awesome and fun and grab a hold of her. Ask her the hard questions. Tell her the hard things. Have her pray with you (or for you if you’re unsure of this Jesus thing). I guarantee you that your mom will probably understand and even welcome this. She would rather have you asking a Godly woman all of the things than the girl that sits next to you in Calculus (and definitely more than asking your high school boyfriend). 

5. SAY NO TO PEER PRESSURE. 

Like I said, high school will end and it won’t matter whether you drank that wine cooler at that party. Or went too far with your boyfriend at prom. Except to you. Because those will be things you carry for the rest of your life. I know it’s hard and not fun and totally against culture, but find the other girls that are saying no too. You are NOT alone. Don’t let the world make you feel like you are. 

6. BE KIND. TO EVERYONE. 

There are mean people in high school. And if you’re not careful, you will become one of them. You don’t have to be best friends with everyone, but you are called to be kind. 

7. YOU DON’T NEED A BOYFRIEND. 

I know that I’ve already mentioned this, but I know that it’s just so ingrained in high school girls that they should have a boyfriend. Guess what? You don’t. Because just like I already said, chances are he’s not your future husband. I would like to be dramatic and say don’t date at all because it will save you from a world of unnecessary hurt, but I’m also realistic that high school dating is gonna happen. 

8. LIVE FOR JESUS BOLDLY. RIGHT NOW.

I remember college students coming to visit my youth group and they were completely sold out for Christ. I would think to myself that it must be easier to love Jesus in college. Newsflash. Living for Jesus is NEVER easy. He doesn’t call us to easy. Love him now. Live for him now. Ask Him for courage and boldness.  Coming from someone that claimed to be a Christian in high school and lived a completely different way, I’ve had to deal with regret on confusing non-believers about what it means to live for Jesus. High school is a mission field that He has given you for this time in your life so don’t waste it.

So I’m pretty sure I could go on forever, but I will leave you with that for now. Girls, have fun! This is a time of your life that is care-free and rent-free! Hang out with your parents occasionally.. You’ll come to learn they’re actually fun people! Enjoy life! And know that you’ve got people in your life that love you and are praying fiercely for you!! 
(And adult women, pray for high school girls!!!! You remember what it’s like. And maybe even pray about whether you need to be one of those women mentoring them because you just never know.)

Can you even believe it’s August and summer is already ending?! Pretty much all the things I listed on why I was excited for summer have already come and gone. It’s seriously so crazy! I really feel like I blinked and July was just plain over and done. I think most of that was because our family spent about zero time at home in July. Nick led the student missions trip to Poland which took him away from us for sixteen days. (Yes, I counted. And yes, that’s half a month. And yes, I’ve been this dramatic about it pretty much the whole time.) So Caleb and I did the only logical thing and went to Texas. (For only part of it.. I wasn’t THAT dramatic.) 

*So just be prepared for picture OVERLOAD on this post of all of the things and all of the people.*

Thanks to coffee and Mickey Mouse, we were ready to fly to Houston! 

We were greeted by Nanan and got to have dinner with her & Stevey, Aunt Ley Ley, Uncle Chris & Mamoo! (This is of course what Caleb calls these people and not their real names.) We stayed with Nanan and discovered all of the toys! Thanks to Maddie, we had our first introduction to babies and strollers. 

The next day we spent the day with Katie and Jen and her girls at the pool and Jen’s house! (And we sure did eat this cake that endured a fall at the grocery store and looks like something that would haunt a child’s nightmares. Because cake.)

That night we made sure to get more snuggles with Nanan! And little man made it his mission to make her read at least 20 million books to her. Like she argued. 

Friday we had more fun meeting up with people, all which I failed to document. Just imagine pictures of a breakfast at Chick-Fil-A where Sarah, Emily, and I caught up in the play area while Caleb (somewhat) played. And then imagine pictures of lunch at our favorite Mexican restaurant with Nana and Bunkie. (It’s fun to now take Caleb somewhere that I used to always meet Nana for lunch during college!) That night we went with Nanan & Stevey to dinner and then the splash pad! 

So it’s no secret that Caleb has NOT loved the water this summer which has blown our minds. A friend mentioned it may be different in Texas because it’s obviously hotter there and the water isn’t as freezing. Well she was right! He absolutely loved the splash pad in Texas, but still not the pool. Guess you win some, you lose some. 

On Saturday, we participated in my mom’s favorite hobby.. Shopping! To say my mom spoils her kids and grandkids would be an absolute understatement. She’s the BEST. And we did stop a moment to send Daddy a selfie to remind him what we looked like while he was having an awesome time in Poland. 😉

That night my mom was even more awesome and watched little man so I could have a girls night with some of my very best friends. Jen, Katie, and I had already planned it before I came in town and then Jess ended up being in town for the night too! SO FUN!! Jess is a fantastic photographer and I always love looking at her photos so it was super fun (and hilarious!) to do our own little mini photo shoot.  I’m pretty sure everyone around us thought we were crazy, but obviously we really cared a ton about what they thought. Laughing with these girls is the best.

On Sunday, we had a family lunch so Caleb got to spend more time with Nana. He sat right up there and told her about all of the things.

After lunch, Nanan took the kiddos to the children’s museum. Pretty sure they could have stayed there all day long! 

It was then time to tell Nanan bye. 😦 Lots of tears from everyone. 

We then stopped by Amy’s to see her new house and let Caleb embrace his country side. 

The next morning it was time to start part 2 of the trip! DFW!!!! 

Once we told these two trouble makers that they weren’t driving, we headed north and stopped by our alma mater for the necessary picture with the infamous statue. (The pictures of them looking up at the statue are my fave. They’re thinking WHOA!!)

Since it was about a million degrees outside, we hopped back in the car to finish our road trip. It started off like this..

And ended with us all feeling like this…

Ash dropped us off at the Gonzalez’ house where Caleb was able to re-enter boy land! 

The next morning began with all of the kisses for baby Sophie. 

These boys could have doted on her all day. And who could blame them?! Look at the sweetness of this cutie! 

Our days plan consisted of our girls coming over with kids in tow for fun and a picnic on the lawn. Crazy to see how big all of our kids are all getting! 

And even though it was definitely still Tiff’s birthday month, she planned a birthday surprise for me. Talk about a fantastic best friend! 

I love these girls so incredibly much and miss them immensely! (We hated not having our Amanda with us too.)

That night it was time for Joe T’s! (Maddie Moo was more concerned about baby than taking any kind of pictures.) 

On Wednesday, we were back with Ley Ley, Chris, & Mamoo and it was time for them to show us their new house! Someone had his own personal tour guide. 

That night I got to catch up with a friend that Nick likes to take credit for. Natalie, how did we not even take a picture?! Maybe because the coffee shop was so cute and I wanted to fit into their hipster ways without showing my age (even though I’m obviously only 29). 😉

The next morning, Ash and I along with the kiddos made the trek to Aledo. And ANOTHER picture fail!! This one makes me real sad because we got to see so many people that we haven’t seen in forever (and kiddos we had not even met yet!). That will all change at Christmas and there will be SO MANY pictures taken! 

That evening we finally got our picture act together at dinner with the fam. Such a blast to have so many of us together!! 

On Friday morning, we headed to Dallas to see Aunt JJ!!! Her church has an incredible kids area so Caleb and Maddie were all about it. 

Spending the day with Aunt JJ was definitely a highlight for this kiddo! (Although he was still very confused why JoJo was not there with her.) 

While he got cuddles from her, Aunt Rae got cuddles too! (She’s a quick one though.) 

That night Ash and I got a little crazy and decided to go to a movie at 9:50 PM!!!! Don’t worry, coffee happened beforehand. Nothing like a bunch of moms out way past their bedtimes living it up! 

The next day we spent time at our Aunt Janie’s so she could see the kiddos play. Last time we saw her they were crawling around her house. ​

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We were all pretty exhausted by this point. Even the kids were starting to do strange things…

It was then time to go home the next day. We were sad to leave and even more sad that Daddy was still not going to be home when we got home. Caleb did feel like a rockstar getting to ride an ‘AIRPLANE!’ after seeing them fly by all week. 

Our flight kept getting delayed, little man didn’t feel great, and to top it off our luggage was lost.

But we are happy to report it was finally found YESTERDAY.. Over a week later and just when I had given up hope!!!! (Thank you EVERYONE that helped out in any way possible with borrowing things or buying us new things.. You don’t realize how much you pack until it’s gone! Y’all are incredible!) 

And guess who else is home?! This guy! 

We are SO HAPPY to all be reunited! They had an absolutely incredible trip and so excited about everything the Lord is doing in Poland! 

Little man and I also had a fantastic trip in Texas! And although it seems like we saw so many of the people, there was still so many people we DIDN’T get to see. 😦 I hate that there’s never enough time. So if we didn’t see you, make plans to see us at Christmas because the Jones crew is coming back!! 

Hey there Friday! You know what that means… Time to link up with Erika, Andrea, and Narci to share all my favorites from the week! 

*ONE*

Did everybody take advantage of 7/11 Free Slurpee Day?! This fam sure did and the little man got to experience a Slurpee for the first time. It should be noted that I had never had one of these either until after Nick and I had been married and we went on 7/11 to get a free one. So apparently the family tradition continues that we only get slurpees if they are giving them to us for free. Either way, Caleb was a fan.. but mostly of the straw. 

*TWO*

One of my very best friends Lindsee came to visit and that was definitely a huge favorite! Not only that but she’s now selling jewelry so we got to throw ourselves a little girls night and look at all of the sparkly things. If you want to look at the sparkly things too, I’m pretty sure my trunk show doesn’t close until August 1st. (Here’s the link if you are interested.) We stayed up until 2 am and my goodness, I still don’t think I’ve recovered. We certainly aren’t in college anymore, folks. 

Caleb convinced her to read him some books early that next morning so she quickly became a favorite of his when she obliged. It makes my heart so happy to see two of my very favorite people become besties. 😉

It was a must that we take a bazillion pictures before she left but unfortunately we waited until the moment she was walking out the door.  The only other person there to actually take our picture was my 1 year old that was only in the mood to physically cling to my body. So here’s what we got.. I’m pretty confident Caleb was confused by our ridiculousness. 

This next one is my attempt to make fun of his judgey face. 

So yup. It’s always a grand time with Linds. If she would move here already, that’d be great. 

*THREE*

So apparently it was the week of free things galore and the Jones fam was all in. You better believe we were at the closest Chick-Fil-A dressed like cows to get our free chicken. And yes, Nick and I participated even long before we had a child. #giveusallthefreethings

And the good thing about being the picture taker is not having photo documentation of me as a cow. 😉

*FOUR*

So last week I shared that my favorite fella was preaching on Sunday and that he sure did. Now I know that I’m a bit biased, but I mean it when I say the Lord spoke through him in a mighty way. It gives me great joy to see Nick use the giftings that God has given him for His glory. Everyone has been so incredibly sweet and encouraging to him about his message and I absolutely love to see him be affirmed by other people of what I already know. I’m quite the proud wife. (And side note: My hat and t-shirt wearing hubby wore a coat and tie and sure did look mighty fine rockin’ it.) 

*FIVE*

THIS. 

Coffee will always be my favorite. Especially when my body can’t seem to get caught up from just one night’s lack of sleep. (Apparently this is what it’s like to be IN your thirties.)

*SIX*

Fresh flowers from Whole Foods for the win!!! 

And I will just leave you right there on that random note because flowers are just happy. 🙂 Hope everyone has such a fabulous weekend!! Hug your people tight and smile to strangers. You could even say hello if you are feeling a little bold! 😉