Halloween+Thanksgiving=Lots of orange things

     I never realized how orange life becomes during the months of October and November.  I mean seriously.  People wear orange, people eat orange, all you see is orange.  From the leaves changing colors, to "Welcome Fall" signs with pumpkins on porches, to the desserts and casseroles covered in cheese (definitely not complaining about that)...it's just a lot of orange.  Throw in the all of the construction I drive through each week on 114, and I swear, it's the only color my brain recognizes these days.  It's a good thing I LOVE fall and everything it brings! 
     We had a pretty great October! Jonah didn't go trick-or-treating, but he did have his picture taken looking adorable in his penguin costume. I am so thankful that I have such a great friend, Jessica, who takes Jonah's pictures and edits them for us!! Here is just a small sample of some of the amazing pictures she took.

     Are those not the cutest pictures you have ever seen in your whole entire life?!?!?!?  UGH!!!! 

For Thanksgiving, we were blessed to have a pretty low-key holiday. That is exactly what we needed. My sister got married the weekend before Thanksgiving, so we spent that weekend in Lubbock. For Thanksgiving David's mom and dad came to Dallas, which means we ddin't have to make back-to-back road trips to Lubbock--HOORAY!! We had the most delicious meal at David's Aunt's house in Dallas. Oh man, it was great-the best pork tenderloin ever!! We have so much to be thankful for. It has been a tremendously difficult past few months, with trials and tribulations that I still haven't come to see the "good" in, but I'm choosing to believe that God is good (this will probably be a blog title in the near future). And I am thankful. I am thankful for my husband and my sweet baby boy. I'm thankful for my mom, my brother and his family, my sister and his family and the family I married into. I am thankful for 28 years with greatest daddy in the world. I am thankful for OCH and the co-workers I have been blessed with. I am thankful for our small group--I don't know what we would have done with them. I am thankful for Jessica and Clay Hooten. I am thankful for The Village Church. And I am thankful for each and every friend God has blessed me with. Being thankful is something I strive to be better at--so many beautiful things flow out of a grateful heart. I'll stop rambling now and post some pictures.

  

The many faces of Jonah eating...

I had to take a second to post a few pictures of Jonah eating...especially some of the early pictures from before he figured it all out. He has LOVED everything from the first bite, except green beans. I had to mix those with a few different things before he started taking them down regularly. And now that he is more active and wanting to "help", he is really good at smacking the spoon just in time to send it flying all over his face. Here's a sample of some of the "funnier" moments...

This was his very first time to try solids...YIKES!!

But it got better...

 Now Jonah LOVES solids...

Whoopsie, Mom...

 Sweet potato boogies...yum.

 Are you seriously trying to hide green beans in my sweet potatoes???

I'm not dumb, mom.  I KNOW what you're doing, and I want no part of it.

6 months and counting...

6 months? 6 MONTHS?!?!?!  Seriously, Jonah, how in the world are you 6 months old already?  I love that almost everytime we run errands, someone stops to look at you and tell me how cute you are or how sweet you are.  Inevitably, the conversation turns to how I should treasure each day because "time goes so quickly".  Obviously, time going quickly is a common problem amongst parents everywhere.  I use the term "problem" loosely.  You see, I LOVE watching you grow up.  I love watching you learn new things, explore your world a little bit more, and change a little each day.  But at the same time, I can't help but be a little sad each time we leave one phase behind for the next.  I just love each second with you, and hate to think that you are no longer the 8 pound little boy who is sleeps in the bassinet next to our bed.  You no longer need to be swaddled up all nice and tight to sleep.  You are growing up so quickly it seems crazy. 
    Now, you can sit up all by yourself to play.  You see a toy (ie. remote control, iPhone, spoon), and will lunge out of my lap to get it.  You see yourself in the mirror and will smile and talk to that handsome baby you see.  You light up when you see me or your daddy.  You make a crazy range of noises from the deepest growl to the highest-pitched squeal (I mean, seriously, you can growl SOO deeply). You are trying SO hard to move forward on your belly, but you're still in backward mode.  You love watching your friends play, especially Matea. You still go to anywhere momma takes you and go to anyone momma hands you to without being phased a bit.  You eat a TON!!  So far, you love oatmeal, sweet potatoes, apples, bananas and acorn squash.  You aren't crazy about green beans, but you'll eat them (especially if I mix it with a little apple).  You are the sweetest little boy in the world.  You aren't a big fan of sleeping right now.  Momma's hoping it's just a phase and soon you'll be sleeping a little better!  But no matter how little you sleep, you still make me the happiest mommy in the world! 
     At your 6 month well-check, you were a champ as usual.  Dr. Benzick said you're still trying to be one of the tallest kiddos in his practice right now, even though you've slowed down a little bit.  After Dr. B checked you out, the sweet nurse came in to give you your shots.  She asked you not to get mad because she already felt like C-R-A-P (yes, she spelled it out), and she was sorry she had to give them to you.  I told her not to worry, you forgave easily.  You proved your mommy right.  You cried for just 3-4 seconds and then cuddled up next to me and gave the nurse a little smile.  You seriously are just precious! Here are your stats at 6 months:
Age: 15 days
Age: 9 weeks
Age: 4.5 months
Age: 6 months

Weight: 8.9 pounds 87th Percentile
Weight: 12.9 pounds 87th Percentile
Weight: 14.8 pounds 46th Percentile
Weight: 16.8 pounds 49th Percentile

Height: 21.7 in 98th Percentile
Height: 25 in 99th Percentile
Height: 27 in 97th Percentile
Height: 27.3 in 87th Percentile

Head Circ: 14.5 in 73rd Percentile
Head Circ: 15.3 in 30th Percentile
Head Circ: 16.5 in 39th Percentile
Head Circ: 17 in   43rd Percentile

I feel like a bad mom for what I'm about to admit, but we somehow forgot to take your 6 month picture.  HOW IN THE WORLD DO YOU FORGET TO TAKE A PICTURE AT 6 MONTHS!!  Ugh--I can't believe it. I'm sorry, sweet boy. I'm considering taking a picture now (the day of your 7 month pictures) and just pretending.  I don't know.  We'll see.  But one thing is for sure.  I have loved every second of the past 6 months with you.  I feel like the luckiest girl in the world.  I cannot imagine a world without you in it.  You are a gift, Jonah.  A gift that has changed my world.  I love you so much!!  I'll go ahead a post a picture that was taken just a couple of days before you turned 6 months!  You were getting ready to eat dinner!!