Crawling and Teething

Jadyn has been crawling now for about 2 weeks. She's been perfecting the skill and is becoming quite quick in her movements! We are amazed every day at how much she is changing and growing up! Now that I am back to work from summer break, every moment I have with her in the evenings is cherished. I can't get enough of her.

Below is a picture of her doing her very best to cram as much of that blue ring in her mouth as she can! As of today, she is officially cutting her first tooth! We can see it popping out of her bottom gums! She even let me rub my finger on her gums, and I could feel it! It is so exciting! Just think of all the things she can 'chomp' on once she gets those teeth in! Soon, she'll be leaving her little signature of teeth indentions all over the place! :) I welcome it... as it is a reminder of the precious gift the Lord has given Jay and I. I often tell Jay that giving me a child is the best gift he has ever given me. How blessed Jay and I are to be entrusted with her, this gift from the Lord, to raise her up and teach her the ways of the Lord. Only through God and His infinite grace can we even accomplish such a task! God is so good....we are deeply blessed.

Back to work...

I returned to work a week ago. It's been a very busy week full of staff developments, meetings, and classroom preparation. Jadyn got to visit several buddies last week as she was with someone different every day! We went through babysitter changeouts and are now settling in with our buddies, Mandy and Drew! We are sooooo thankful to everyone who stepped up to help us out last week as Mandy was out of town til Friday. What a blessing to have someone we know and trust to watch our little Pigtail Pie. Since Jadyn's birth, we have been blessed to have her in good hands while I am at work. We are praying that the Lord will continue to let it be that way until I can stay home.

Speaking of our little treasure, she is now 9 months old and on the crawl all throughout the house! Beware! Nothing is safe! :) Just kidding! She loves being mobile and exploring. She enjoys pulling herself up to a standing position and is so proud of herself when she does! She has such an infectious smile! Now that she's mobile, it's now due time to install safety locks in the kitchen cabinets! Jadyn's also 'talking' up a storm these days too! Boy, can that girl chatter! I guess she takes after her momma in that area. :-D We are amazed at all the new things she can do now...like wave bye-bye, clap her hands when she hears "Yeah!", walk behind her little pusher-walker (very shaky, though), throw her pacies out of her crib, along with the blankie, the snugglie, and the mobile sometimes! Her top gums are swollen these days. Looks like she'll be cutting teeth before too long. Ahhhh, I love my baby girl. This has been a great summer with her, and I have truly enjoyed being home with her. I am really going to miss those summer days of sleeping in and being with her all day. It makes the weekends all the more sweeter!

Well, it's late, and I must rise very early. Students start back tomorrow, so I plan to arrive earlier so I can do final preparations. Goodnight and may the Lord bless you.

Shannon

p.s. I have some pics to post, but will have to wait til I get a chance to download them off the camara.

Zoo Trip!

On Wednesday, Mandy and I took Andrew and Jadyn on their first trip to the Fort Worth Zoo! We've been wanting to do it since I've been out of school for the summer, and now that it's almost time to go back, we figured we better go, heat or no heat!
We had a really good time. Jadyn and Andrew were very excited to be there, as you can see by the big smiles in their strollers!








We saw lots of monkeys. This orangutan was silly playing with the sack cloth.


This white tiger was crazy! Good thing there was glass between us and it! I think it was trying to get a little 'snack'...














Alas, all the fun proved to be too much for the young 'uns about half way through the zoo. So, Mandy and I enjoyed the rest of the zoo while the kids napped in their strollers.








All in all, it was a great day! :)







































On another note, tomorrow, I return to work. :( I have such mixed emotion about it. I know that it's where the Lord wants me to be, and yet, at the same time, it's so hard to leave Jadyn. I have thoroughly enjoyed every moment of this summer with her. One of my favorite parts was both of us sleeping in late. :) We'd wake up on our own (no alarm clock), I'd feed her breakfast and eat some cereal for myself, then we'd sit down and I'd read to her a little bit out of her Children's Bible, then let her play on the floor while I read my Bible. I love putting her down for her naps, and tiptoing in there to check on her once she's asleep. Even in the 'frustrating' moments when she was a grump and/or so was I, I didn't want to trade the moment to be at work. Please pray for me as I begin this new school year. I really like teaching and I love the people I work with along with the kids. Ever since I had Jadyn though, my heart has been at home with her... My prayer is that the Lord strengthens me and refreshes my heart and mind....that He will help me to give 110% into my work and into the kids I will teach this year, that I'll be excited about a new year and new memories to make. I pray that the Lord uses me to love on these students and the people I teach with....and that through it all...To God Be the Glory!

Goodnight

Traveling fun

This past Tuesday, Sara and I 'traveled' to Alvarado to see our very dear friends, the Wilson's! Marq and Diane were our youth pastors while growing up, and their whole family is very special to us. They have 8 kids! Yes, 8! :) 6 still live at home and each one of them are such good kids. Josh and Bekah had a great time playing with Rain and Noah, the two youngest of the family. Bliss was very sweet to watch the small ones as they played in the kiddie pool while the adults visited. We had a great time and look forward to hangin' with them again. Here's a group pic of all of us! (L-R) Marquis, Rain, Marq, Noah, Bliss, Diane, Jadyn, Sara, Bekah, Josh, Baylee, and the goofy one in front is me. Thank you, Wilson's, for a great lunch and great fellowship! We love you!






On Thursday, Jay, Jadyn, and I headed to Kerrville, TX where Jay had a Professional Engineer conference. Jadyn and I had fun tagging along and 'chillin' in the hotel room. Jadyn was of great help, and even let mommy sit back and relax while she packed up the suitcases. I have proof! :)
Here, Jadyn loads the suitcase with her beachbag. She checks to make sure that is her name on it and not someone else's as she gives it one final mash down into the suitcase.

Here, she puts all her weight on the suitcase so she can zip it close!










Now that her work is done, she is free to crawl (yes, crawl!) around the hotel room. She is happy her work is done! :)

Good times good times

Jay and I kept our neice and nephew this past weekend. Josh just turned 6 yrs old on Aug. 5th, and Rebekah will turn 4 on Aug. 23rd. Keeping them is always an adventure and they can usually get a laugh or two out us at their antics. :) There's never a dull moment when they are here. We had fun going to Incredible Pizza in the HEB area on Saturday evening with a bunch of friends.

What kid doesn't like a bath? :) Here, Rebekah shows off her 'floating' skills.













Here, Josh shows off his 'loungin' skills in the tub.

















On Sunday, we got to celebrate Josh's and Bekah's birthdays at a public pool in Arlington. Jadyn LOVES loves loves the water! If we are near water, whether it's a pool, a lake, or a bathtub...that's what she hones in on! She had fun at her cousins' party.




On Monday...nearly 24 hours after Josh and Bekah left, my friend, Lu, pointed out the new candle decor on the fireplace. Thanks, Josh.... Haha!















And, here's my dear friend, Lu, with her son, Caleb. In the background is my other buddy, Allyson. I teach with them, along with Pam (not shown). We make a great team teaching 4th grade. Each of them bless me. Caleb and Jadyn had their first play date today. At one point, I saw Caleb putting the moves on Jadyn and going for her, ahem, rearend. Tsk Tsk...what would his daddy say? Heck...what would Jadyn's daddy say?! haha

I love these guys! :)

The 5 Stooges

There's a group of us who've been hanging out for a few years now, and it's been really neat to see the Lord work in each of our lives. For many of us, we've watched each other grow up, find the love of their lives, get married, and now have babies. Here are our firstborns, who are quite the characters! This photo session was taken at Noah's first birthday party tonight.
It was a rather comical time trying to get all 5 to not only sit still, but to smile too. I am sure any onlookers were much entertained by the silly and crazy antics of some of the parents to get the kids to smile while cameras flashed! Below are just a few of some of the humerous pictures that were taken...Enjoy!

L-R Noah, Kenya, Elisabeth, Jadyn, and Andrew.

And, here they are... the same 5 stooges just 6 months ago on Super Bowl Sunday. My, my, how they've grown...

Living with a cold...continued.

Sad again... All day long was a rollercoaster of emotions. Towards the end of the day, her sad moments increased. To get her to fall asleep, I had to carry her around in the sling so she'd get some rest. We kept a regimen going of liquids, Tyenol, nose aspirating, and LOTS of nose-wiping. What was precious about it all were the moments of cuddling I got out of her. Nothing like some TLC... makes it worth being snotted on and slimed all day long with baby cold germs.... :)







So, then bedtime came. After bathing, diapering, dressing my child, and prayers, I lay her down for the final time today...or so I hoped. With the sound of the musical mobile playing and lulling her to sleep, I tiptoed out of her room to have some 'me' time. First things first...changing out of these now very messy clothes, and doing something to make me feel more like a woman rather than the used-up, grimy tissue I'd turned into through out the day. So, I head off to my bathroom and begin my transformation! Only problem was, the mobile finished playing, and laying in her crib was NOT how Jadyn wanted to go to sleep! So, barely into my 'me' time, I head back to Jadyn's room to console her. THIS is the look that greeted me as I entered her room...part cry, part amusement that mommy came, and part 'ewww, what's wrong with your face?!'......and here's what she saw.......


















Daddy soon came to the rescue to hold and comfort Jadyn while Mommy washed off the cucumber/avocado mask (which was quite refreshing, by the way...). Jadyn finally went to sleep in the sling again and I was able to peacefully transfer he to the crib, where she rolled right onto her tummy and kept on sleeping. Whew! What a day! We're praying that tomorrow finds Jadyn feeling MUCH better and minus the cold!


On another note...Jay and I have started to FINALLY plant the flower bed in the front yard. Here are a couple of pics.

These pretty flowers are from a rosebush that is called Knockout Rose. I like the color of it.























Goodnight!

Living with a cold...

So, today's plans were changed with Jadyn woke up with a nasty cold. Instead of going to a playdate with our buddies, we ended up staying home while I nursed little Miss Pigtail Pie. Here are a few pics that display the roller coaster of emotions she felt today...





Happy girl...













Curious...













Frustrated and determined...


















Sad...

Pondering God's Grace

So, in creating this blog, I've decided to be transparent - to open up- and share what I am learning in all walks of my life. Today, I'd like to share some about my walk with God.

Yesterday at church and this morning, I read about God's grace. I've heard it before...God's grace is sufficient for me, God's grace is His unmerited favor toward us, grace that abounds, the grace of God... and so on. I've known it in my head and can recite it with no problem. But, when I stopped and really THOUGHT about it...pondered on it, I am awestruck.

The topic of yesterday's sermon at church (www.calvarychapelftw.org) was from Ephesians 2:1-10, talking about grace through faith. As I reread the passage this morning, I was and am still amazed at the grace of God. Even when I didn't love Him, before I ever became saved and gave my life to Him, He loved me so much and in His great grace that knows no bounds, He showed kindness to me by giving my a precious gift...salvation. Salvation is a GIFT He freely gives to us. No strings attached. Salvation from what? From the hopelessness of this life and hope for eternal life to come.

"For God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ...that in the ages to come He mght show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2:4-5, 7-10

There's nothing I can do to EARN His grace or salvation...not by living a 'good' life, being a good person, doing good things...NOTHING I can do can earn His salvation. He gives it to me freely so that to Him is the glory, not me. I am nothing without Him. Yet, with Christ living in me, I am created to do good works for Him. I am His workmanship...a work in progress. :) Thank the LORD! He's not finished with me yet. In my prayer time this morning, saying thank you to Him seemed so inadequate....not enough. How do you thank the One who gave you salvation??? By living for Him...

Thank you, Lord, for saving me. I love you.

Garage Sales

So, a couple of my buddies and I spent the last two mornings hitting the garage sales. Our mission: to find kids' toys at great buys! As Jadyn's getting older, she's getting tired of the small basket of toys I have for her. So, I bring home my great buys to show my little angel, and turns out, all she wanted was a FREE piece of paper to play with! haha Oh well, it was a fun time with my buddies. Once I sanitize these toys and the others, I know Jadyn will like them. Her favorite kind of toys at the moment are balls. My good buddy, Vanessa, found the gumball machine that has balls you drop through it. Now, the Sit N' Spin might have to wait til she's older, but I couldn't pass it up! Do you remember playing on these as a kid??? My twin sister and I used to love to sit on one together and spin around on it at the same time. Good times, Good times! Of course, they used to be MUCH bigger than they make 'em now and they were made of that hard plastic, but that's all good. Now they are fancy with lights and music! I got this one for $1.50. Can't beat that! Of course...I haven't checked to see if the lights and music still work on this one.....maybe I should have only paid $1.00..... :)

Joining the Blogging Ranks!

As my friends who have broken ground before me and made way the path of blogger-hood, I know join ranks with them. So, you can now share in the ups and downs, the laughs and not so funny times, the aha-s, and the duhs of the Sappington's!

Our sweet little Pigtail Pie herself, Jadyn.



I look forward to learning how to be creative in these posts and give my page some 'Shannon'-style creativity...or lack thereof...
What do you think of the name, Pigtail Pie? Do you have name suggestions? Heck, I don't know if it's even possible to change the name once you make one! I guess I will soon learn!



So, to all my friends and family, let me begin my BLOGS with HELLO! :)

To be continued...