Farmlinks {Sylacauga, Alabama}

Why on earth did you go to Sylacauga, Alabama?

{farmlinks.org}

The funny thing is I have been asking Chase to have a little getaway weekend road trip for the past couple months and we've kept putting it off. Last week a buddy of his at work said he had a hook up to a great golf course/retreat center in Alabama. Chase can't say no to golf, so we packed up the Q and headed to the absolute middle of nowhere. On the way in, we stopped at a Piggly Wiggly to get some groceries-A PIGGLY WIGGLY PEOPLE! I honestly didn't know those things existed! When we walked in, it seemed like every person in the store stopped what they were doing to look our way. It's like we were aliens or something! I have never felt so out of place and I lived in Hong Kong for 7 months, so that should give you a little idea:)

When we arrived, I was completely surprised at how beautiful it was. Lush green trees, rolling hills, 3,500 acres of farmland with an 18-hole golf course, and incredible lodging {4 bedroom individual cottages}. The place is family owned by the Purcell's, who we got to meet. Their house was probably on 50+ acres and exactly what you'd think a southern farmhouse would be like--big, cozy, and lots of sweet tea on the counter for their guests:). They have 6 kids, horses, dogs, a pond, long horned cattle, and were some of the most hospitable people I've ever met. It was my first taste of real southern hospitality and I loved it!

Unfortunately, we didn't take that many pictures since there was no one around to take any:) Here are a few {mostly of Cruz, obviously:)}"

Loving This Stuff-8 Months

Cruz has changed a ton this past month and is into everything under the sun. He beelines to electrical sockets, cords, the oven, the floor vents, and pretty much everything else he isn't supposed to touch for safety reasons. Chase and I have decided to somewhat baby-proof the house for safety, but more importantly we are trying to "house-proof "Cruz so when he goes out into the world (non-baby-proofed places) he isn't destroying other people's stuff:). Here are some things that I am LOVING for this stage--the stage of constant curiosity and movement!

Electrical Outlet Covers (obvious, but essential!)

Baby Gates- We have a playroom that we have blocked off with baby gates. We also have 2 flights of stairs in our house so this is pretty important, especially since he has a walker.

Padded Mat-We have had this for a while but it has just started to become important. We have wood floors throughout the entire main level and the kid bonks his head at least 10 times a day. When he is playing on his mat it doesn't seem to hurt his as bad:).

Push Toy- I think this is going to really help him with walking. He can't quite do it on his own yet but he's getting there. He can pull himself up and I just have to hold the toy to make sure he doesn't face plant if it slides forward too quickly. I think it has helped him develop more coordination, stability, and confidence (he LOVES when he is getting praise for taking steps!).

Blocks- He likes to bang these together, throw them across the room, bite them, and he likes when I stack them up and he gets to knock them over. Typical boy!

Tom's Toothpaste with Gum Brush- Ok, I know a lot of people don't brush their babies teeth with toothpaste but I have to. He has 5 (almost 6) teeth and is eating a lot of solids and I think it's important to get him used to the idea of brushing twice a day. I don't put a ton of toothpaste on but this particular one is safe for babies as young as 6 months old so I'm going for it! He loves the gum brush that comes with it better than his baby toothbrush so we've been using that. I got mine at Whole Foods.

Finger Foods- He is getting so good at eating finger foods and I LOVE it. I am almost done with feeding him purees because it's just too messy and he likes to feed himself anyway. I am lucky because he is a great eater, so I don't have to worry about him not eating enough if I give him food to eat on his own. Here are some of the finger foods he's been eating (all in very small pieces of course): watermelon, honeydew melon, banana, mango, ground turkey, ground chicken, apple, pears, puffs, sweet potato, broccoli, and cauliflower. He has tried pretty much everything in puree form but these are the finger foods we've introduced him to recently.

Zeke- Cruz absolutely loves his "doggy". He climbs all over him, pulls his hair, gives him kisses, and laughs hysterically at Zeke when he's in the back of our car panting right over Cruz's carseat. The feeling is definitely mutual despite Zeke getting attacked with Cruz's death grip and drool:).

Curiosity-Everyone said once they go mobile your life gets a lot harder. For some reason, I like this stage. I like seeing the curiosity and I'm just really glad he isn't frustrated that he can't move anymore (he was REALLY fussy for a while right before he started crawling). He loves to discover new things, figure out how things work, and he still likes to look at things from ALL angles before deciding if he likes it or not. Cruz is very very inquisitive and is getting more so the older he gets. He is also loving to climb and stand every chance he gets. If we are on the floor with him we are human jungle gyms. If we are standing up he is pulling himself up to stand on our legs. He is moving a ton and loving this new freedom!

Talking/Understanding- Unfortunately, I haven't really taught him signs. I wanted to in the beginning but I just wasn't consistent enough. Although, he can't sign or talk, he is much more vocal at this stage than any other. He understands a lot of what we say to him {i.e. "are you hungry?", "would you like some juice?", "would you like some more?", "could you hold this for me, please?" "are you ready for night nights?"}. He still says da-da and mama and plays peek-a-boo. He likes to hide under a blanket or shirt and then we say, "where's Cruz?". When he lifts the blanket off we yell, "peek-a-boo", and he goes crazy for it! The game would last all day if we let it:)

Dear Cruz,

Who me???

So, I have to admit being a stay-at-home mom is really hard work. I'm now calling it work because I find it more fitting than calling it a job. At a job, you get rated on your performance, you get quarterly reviews, there are set standards and processes in place that you must follow, and the obvious one... you get paid. At a job, you may or may not be excited and passionate about what you're doing but there's no choice because you have to pay the bills. At a job, you're constantly worried about how others perceive you. Are you smart enough? Do you work hard enough? Are you really going to make the cut? There's an immense amount of pressure and most of the time other people can dictate how you feel, act, and think about yourself on a day to day basis.

Lately, I have been attributing most of these things to being a stay-at-home mom. Am I doing enough during the day? Do I have enough activities planned during the week? Is the house spotless? Are the meals I cook good enough? What are other people going to think of me if these things don't line up with their expectations? Am I lazy if I don't have things on my schedule every hour of every day? Etc, etc. It gets pretty overwhelming when you put other people's imaginary expectations on your performance as a mom and wife. It's almost unmanageable and there's so much of me that's not present with you when I'm thinking about all the things I might not be doing well enough. It's not fair to you or to me to be continually looking to other people for acceptance and validation.

Why is it that we look for validation from anyone other than God? I think it's hard not to get caught up in a competitive mindset, constantly comparing ourselves to others, but it's crucial that we start looking up and hearing what God has to say about us. How much better can we do our work, our jobs, our hobbies, our passions... how much better can we live our lives in general if we're living from the place that God has intended us to live... living from the place of our affirmed identity in Christ?? I find it extremely important to remind myself each day of who I am in Christ. I also find it extremely important to start asking questions like, who does God say I am? Rather than asking questions like, am I good enough? I know I'm good enough to God. He has justified me and redeemed me in Christ and I am loved beyond comprehension. We all are.

Cruz, I pray that you can remind yourself each day to live from your affirmed identity in Christ, looking UP for validation and no where else. I pray that you will know with all of your being that there's nothing you can do to earn God's acceptance, his love, or his grace because you were already redeemed and justified when Jesus died on the cross for you. He thinks you're good enough. He thinks you're smart enough. He knows you're going to make the cut. How amazing it is to know that our God thinks more highly of us than we {or anyone else} could ever think of ourselves...

-I am a child of God (John 1:12)

-I am a branch of the True Vine (John 15:1)

-I am a friend of Jesus (John 15:15)

-I have been justified freely and redeemed in Christ (Romans 3:24)

-I have been crucified with Christ and am no longer a slave to sin (Romans 6:6)

-I will not be condemned by God because of what Christ has done for me (Romans 8:1)

-I have been set free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2)

-As a child of God, I am a fellow heir with Christ (Romans 8:17)

-I am accepted by Christ (Romans 15:7)

-In Christ Jesus, I have wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption (1 Cor 1:30)

-The Holy Spirit dwells in me (1 Cor 6:19)

-I have boldness and confident access to God through faith in Christ (Eph 3:12)

-Because of God's mercy and love, I am made alive with Christ (Eph 2:4-5)

-I am a citizen of Heaven (Phil 3:20)

-The peace of God guards my heart and mind (Phil 4:7)

-God supplies all my needs (Phil 4:19)

-God loves me and has chosen me (1 Thess 1:4)

(affirmation source here)

8 Months!

Cruzer is 8 months old! He has changed SO much in the past month, I can't even begin to describe. Once he started crawling (March 31st) it seems like everything started coming together. He says "ma ma" and "da da" when you ask him to, he claps his hands when you say "Yay, big boy!", when you ask for kisses he slaps both of his hands on each of your cheeks and opens his mouth really wide and then, just as you think you'll get a mouth full of drool, he puts his head down and rams his forehead into your mouth (SO weird!). He tries to pull himself up to stand (can't quite get it yet but he's close), he gets on his hands and knees and then up on his toes with his butt in the air and walks his little feet around, he runs in his walker, and he is extremely curious about everything. In a matter of minutes, he had discovered electrical outlets (which were covered, of course), Zeke's food/water dish, the trash can, the blinds AND the oven (a BIG no no), all while confined to his walker. Although, it's harder because he has more freedom, I'm having a blast. It's fun for me to see him grow more independent and more curious about all the things around him. Yes, it's harder, but I try to look at the positive side and realize THIS is what it's all about--watching our babies grow into independent people who love God!

His personality is pretty low keyed. He doesn't get upset very often, but he'll definitely let you know when he is. He's quiet when he's tired and talkative when he wakes up. He loves feeding Zeke from his high chair and also likes to blow raspberries with food in his mouth (a BIG no no... we're working on it!). I think his favorite part of the day is when I come in to get him up in the morning and say "Good Morning. Did you do SO good like a big boy??" He starts cracking up and can't stop. He also thinks it's hilarious when he sneezes and you say, "God bless you.". He is a mama's boy through and through but is absolutely crazy about his daddy too. I can see his eyes light up when dada gets home from work and lays down on the ground to play with him. He could be fussy the moment before but as soon as he lays eyes on him, it's all smiles and laughs from there. He still loves reading books. His 2 favorites are, Tails (his all time favorite) and 10 Little Monkeys (he loves the part when I shake my finger and say, "No more monkeys jumping on the bed!"). His favorite "toys" right now are an empty baby tylenol bottle & dropper, his baby hair brush, an aveeno lotion bottle, and anything electronic. He is just having so much exploring the world from this new and exciting place of freedom. Here are some pictures of Cruzer at 8 months.... how much does he look like dada?!?!:

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