so special

i love the above photo for many reasons...the smile on garrett's face being one of them! the other is that garrett's being held by his great-grandmother. one of two great-grandmothers he will have seen and hopefully know in his life. this is brian's maternal grandmother, margaret snodgrass (that's right, people. snodgrass!).

nanny barkie, as we all call her (the "barkie" name goes way back), is one of the strongest women you'll ever meet. life did not deal her the easiest hand...helping support her mother & younger siblings after her father walked away from their family...losing her husband when brian's mom was only 4...raising martha alone while working in another town every day...she is a woman of incredible faith & fortitude. a testament to the fact that grace - if we allow it - is so very amazing in our circumstances.

we love you, nanny barkie! thank you for coming to visit & we'll see you soon!

this photo of barkie & garrett was taken on her recent trip here (with brian's parents). they came & watched our little guy while i finished out my last week of work (that info for another post).

happy 6 month birthday, baby garrett!

 

it's hard to believe that 6 months ago today our little man came into this world. revealing a love so amazing in our hearts that words really can't describe. my mother-in-law used to say, "you won't understand the love until you have a child yourself"...she was right. even when i was pregnant, i didn't. you don't. you can't. it's simply not possible. my heart now lives outside my body - garrett carries it with him wherever he goes.

visit from grammy & pop pop

brian's parents came for a visit last week. garrett had so much fun with them...of course, he had their full attention during every one of his waking hours! they kept him while i was at work each day & played, sang songs, read books, etc...all the great things that grandparents do - with none of the worries a mom & dad have! :-)

i love the pics i've posted here. brian's dad made up a song for garrett (using his name), so the smiles you see here are a result of the song being sung to him over dinner that night - probably for the 436th time that week! even brian & i managed to learn the words & when we sing it to garrett now, he immediately starts to smile - so sweet that he'll have this special little "diddy" with his grandfather!

happy mother's day

 
today was such a special day for me. i'm in a new club (aka, mommyhood) & today was the highlight of our season. ;-) brian made me breakfast, had flowers waiting on the dining room table. for those of you who know my dear husband, this is a special treat...the man rarely to never (more of the never side of things) cooks. but our breakfast was absolutely delicious.

after church, we fed little G and then headed to moe's for lunch. is it sad, when your husband lets you pick ANYWHERE and you want Moe's? but we sat on the patio with garrett...and brian surprised me with a very sweet card & a gift card for some new clothes! this afternoon i was surprised with yet another precious gift...photos of me, brian & garrett that brian had printed & framed for me. i love them!

but in reflecting on today, i am so thankful to be garrett's mother. i am thankful for his health, his promise & his precious life. i am thankful for a husband who will set a wonderful example for how garrett should treat me...because of the way brian treats his own mother, as well as me. i am blessed beyond measure.

and to our moms, becky & martha...thank you for all that you both gave up to be home with us as children. thank you for the millions of prayers you prayed (& still do!) over us & now garrett. thank you for all the nights you waited up for us to make sure we came in safely (even if our fathers were already zonked out & snoring in the other room!). thank you for making prom dresses & renting tuxes & being homeroom moms & celebrating our successes (even when they were small ones) & for taking us to church & teaching us what's right. we love you both more than we could ever say! happy mother's day!

don't mess with texas

last summer we bought our little one a onesie...not knowing if it was a boy or girl...on a trip to texas with our friends dustin & kelly jo. we'd gone out to see their families & needed a little something for our baby to "remember" the trip by!

i love that in the picture above, garrett looks very serious about not messing with texas.

then in the picture below, it's like he's saying "oh, i'm just kidding with ya!"

note above that garrett's holding his toes...grabbing his feet & toes is so fun for him...and loves patting his chubby little thighs & knees!