Making Memories

Yesterday was such a blessing. one of my top 5 favorite days of all time. it was just one of those good mom/wife days. i wanted to write it all down while its still fresh in my mind.

it was a fun day of firsts for us with Jack, topped off by a fun date night with my hubby. i brought my camera so i could take pictures of everything. but, of course, the batteries were dead. i was actually really sad b/c i wanted to have visual photos to remember everything, but i guess this will have to do.

we started the day off by spending the morning at home as a family. i cooked breakfast, we played with Jack & when he got up from his nap we got ready & headed out for the day.

first, we drove out to Cordova & stopped at Fun Cuts. it was Jack's first official big boy hair cut. i've trimmed it twice since he was born but he's just gotten so squirmy that i'm scared i'll hurt him or botch his hair!! since there is no kids hair salon in Olive Branch or Southaven, we decided to try Fun Cuts. it was such a cute little place, perfect for little kids. Jack sat in my lap while his hair was being trimmed. he did so well & it only took about 10 minutes. his hair looked so much better by the time she was done. it did cost us $18, but i thought it was worth it b/c she was quick, he was able to play & it was built just for kids. so $18 every now & then won't break our bank.

next, we drove down the street to Wolfchase Mall. we were able to walk right up to Santa to get a picture. i placed Jack on his lap & he just looked up at him & stared. at first, he wouldn't let go of my shirt but once i broke free, i stepped back & the elf was able to snap a few pictures. we didn't quite get a smile out of Jack, but he didn't scream, so i can consider that a small victory. i have the picture that we paid for but i'll have to place it on a disc before i can upload it. i'll always treasure it b/c it was Jack's first official visit to Santa. a special memory for me & ben!

on our way out of the mall, Jack got so excited when he saw the carousel. he just squealed & squealed; he was so excited by all the lights and colors. so, we paid the $1 for our ticket & ben rode it with him. it was his first carousel ride & he was so excited to be sitting on that horse, but he wouldn't let ben let go of him. the whole carousel ride, he just smiled & giggled with a death grip on that horse! i sat & watched as the boys rode. it was such a blessing for me to see Jack having such a good time, it made me so excited & a little sad to realize how much he is growing up. part of me wants him to stay little forever, but i'm also so excited to think about all the fun times we'll share with him through the years.

after the carousel, we drove to ben's parents house. we unloaded Jack & all his stuff, said night night to our sweet boy & headed out for our date. our wedding anniversary is December 30, but since thats still a crazy time after christmas, we usually try to celebrate 2 weeks early. we ate a yummy dinner at J. Alexander's then we went to The Singing Christmas Tree at Bellevue. we were pretty tired after The Singing Christmas Tree, but we since we don't get date nights all the time & Jack was spending the night out, we decided to be crazy & go to a 9:55 showing of the movie, Invitctus. it was a great movie, but i was soo tired. it was hard for me to stay awake & comfortable. i've decided Invictus is the last movie i'll see in a theatre before i have Jovie. i just can't sit that long in those seats without my back aching so bad that i have to get up & walk around!

we got home around 12:45 a.m.! let me just say, now that i am married & have a baby, i just can't hang past 11 p.m.! in fact, we usually go to bed before 10 p.m. so crawling into bed at 1 a.m. was a rare & exhausting occasion! i did get to sleep in until 9 this morning, which is also a rare & exhausting occasion!!

overall, it was such a beautiful day. i crawled into bed with tears in my eyes. i was just so thankful & humbled by the blessing of being a parent & getting to watch my little boy have fun. that may sound so cheesy but i don't care. i received so much joy just experiencing those first memories with Jack. i am so grateful to be his mom & i want to cherish every single day with him. i want to look back on these times of him being so little & remember as much as i can. i'm telling you, being a mom is THE most wonderful job EVER. Ben & I are so very blessed & we love making memories with our Jack. thank you Lord for blessing us with our sweet boy.