A few of my favorite things

• Jacob's cheeks - I just can't get enough of them lately... It's occurred to me that they probably will not be around in their filled-out fashion forever so I'm kissing the mess out of them while they're here!
  
• Jonathan's cologne - I'm loving that he has added this step to his daily hygiene ritual. And, wow, does he smell good?!
  
• Snuggles - Jakey has started becoming more lavish with his love. Previously upon hurting himself, trying to soothe or console him in my arms was like trying to contain a tornado. But lately he wants to rest his head on my shoulder when he's hurt or upset... and while I don't like that he's upset, I love his snuggles.
  
• Smoothies - an afternoon must. Loving the Ninja I got for Christmas - thanks Mom & Dad! Crammed full of whatever fruit I can throw in them (strawberries, bananas, spinach, milk, peaches, pears, the kitchen sink)
  
• Belly-laughs and silly faces
  
• Non-stop gibberish from my little man. I am quite curious what it will be like when these non-sense syllables begin making sense.
  

Naked drumming and other antics

Naked Drumming...so little Jakey has become quite the drummer. Last night I was changing his poopy diaper before putting him in the tub, much to his disapproval. I realized that if I layed the drum on its side and gave him his sticks while he was getting cleaned up, he would be much more cooperative. Thus, the task was quickly and cooperatively tackled. Afterward we journeyed into his bathroom to get the water going in the tub (which takes a little bit) and I look back and he was gone. I go to look for him and, low and behold, he was laying on the floor drumming in all his glory. Was quite a silly site!

Other antics... I'm very proud that my kiddo has now conquered the slide at Chick-fil-a and the one at McDonald's, too. He can now climb up the playground on his own and find his way through the maze of tunnels to the slides. It feels silly to be so proud of these little things... but I think that's a Mom's job.

What's going on

Wow, so almost a whole year has gone by since I've blogged. That's terrible. I love to write and really don't know why it isn't one of my priorities. So one of my goals is to carve out more time to express myself linguistically.

What's going on right now? This should bring us to current state of House of Sprang. So here's the backstory:

• THE BABY Jacob, Jacob, Jacob - he is so sweet, incredibly fun and everyday is truly an adventure with this boy! Some of the milestones we've enjoyed this year include: 1st tooth @ 4 months (Jan) & cutting approx. 1 tooth/month since, crawling proficiently @ 6 months (March), walking @ 11 months (August). Last year this time he was such a teeny tiny baby! Sleep was coveted and the days and nights were all blurring together. Once we figured out the boy was just hungry (who knew babies needed to eat?? umm, totally kidding), his sleep patterns fell into place and mommy became, well, sane again. And now... he's enormous and quite strong, weighing in at 31 pounds at the age of 16 months. He has been in the 97% for height and weight since 6 months so we all believe he will be of grand stature like his daddy. This boy loves to eat breakfast more than anyone I know, so we keep the eggs coming! He is such a ham and loves to make us laugh with his silliness. His current #1 hobby is drumming, drumming, drumming! And on EVERYTHING! From what we hear from our drummer friends, he just may have a natural knack for whacking! *cue ushy-gushy mommy pride* Other hobbies of Jacob's include playing outside for long stretches of time, pushing buttons on remotes, phones, PS3s, and various other no-no items (this must be a boy thing), turning toys and lights on and off, playing, talking, reading and sleeping. On the cloudier side, we have struggled with ear infections a lot this year. Hoping we are currently well and that we've kicked this last round of them... He sure is a tough booger! And even though he's been sick a good deal, you really can't tell.
  
• THE HUBBY This past September we celebrated 9 years of wedded bliss. He truly is my better half and I admire him more than words can say. And he's not just good to look at, ladies and gents. His creativity is a-mazing. Musically through his lyrics, melodies and arrangements... Artistically through his graphic design... Spiritually, I love watching his wealth of knowledge unite with his life. This year he has grown as a designer, youth minister, leader, father and husband. Though these weeks and months have been busy ones, he makes time for the important things. The lasting things. The things that truly matter. And I love him for that.
  
• FAMILY - IMMEDIATE Lots of change here! My sister and her family found out in mid-2011 that they were approaching a move to San Antonio. Waiting for their house here to sell, my BIL worked in SA while she and the kids stayed behind. Very tough! So, just a few weeks ago a contract on their house came through! While one half of me is ecstatic they will be reunited, the other half of me is heartbroken that they are moving in just a matter of days. While topic of moving, my parents just sold their house and have a contract on a beautiful home a little further out in the country with some land and more room to breathe (cause you can take the boy outta the farm but you can't take the farm outta the boy). Will be a super-fun place! We have had lots of fun times all being in the same general vicinity. We will miss the geographic closeness we've had these past few years; it has been such a fun blessing that we thought we'd never really have the luxury to experience being in ministry. While we haven't succeeded in talking Jim and Martha into moving to Texas, we have thoroughly enjoyed many visits from Grammie & DiDaddy (Jonathan's parents)! Words can't express how grateful we are that they have been able to be here with us so much this past year! And we're still working on getting them to make the move... hehe
  
• FAMILY - EXTENDED In June we got to go to Jonathan's cousin's graduation in Kentucky and catch up with a good deal of his family on Martha's side. In August we returned to Iowa for my Grandpa Frank's funeral. While it was a difficult time to say goodbye, I'm so glad we were able to go to be with my Grandma and we had a great time reconnecting with my aunts, uncles and cousins. I heard so many neat stories about my Grandpa that I never knew. A wonderful man.
  
• FRIENDS Lots of friends having babies! So fun to go through parenthood together and great to have others to go to with questions and for advice. I've so enjoyed our Cgroup (Catalyst Small Group), my LTG (Life-Transformation Group), jumping back into the Celebrate Recovery material with some close friends and getting to know local moms in the Rowlett MOMS group. Very blessed to have so many wonderful folks to share life with.
  
• SYNTHESIS This year I've enjoyed becoming more involved in youth pastor wifely things & getting to know our teens better. I love getting to see and connect with them weekly at Synthesis Live on Sunday nights. And the Winter Retreat was just amazing.
  
• WORK I love, love, love being able to teach my wonderful piano and voice students. They are a joy and keep me on my toes! The music nerd within stays satisfied.
  

If you made it to the end, congratulations! That was a hefty blog. I look forward to keeping them shorter and aim to write much more often about day-to-day moments.