Six Months Old!!

Jareth has been here half a year. Man, does time fly by! "It seems like yesterday" that we were bringing him home and all he could do was poop, pee, cry, and eat. But not anymore! He is doing so much now. On the day of his half birthday he decided it was time to sit-up. But that wasn't good enough. He reached several milestones that week. He learned how to stand while holding on to something and he can now clap! He LOVES to play Pat-a-Cake. And apparently he also enjoys hitting the keyboard as you can see below. Well, I would write more but Jareth isn't having it.
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Where do we belong?

Jon and I have been struggling for several months over where we want to plant our roots. We have loved Knoxville and it has been our home for seven years. It is hard to imagine living elsewhere. But because we have started a family we are worried about not being closer to our relatives. Jon was born in and grew up in Athens. I also lived there for several years. Both of our parents are there along with my siblings. We visit Athens often but we miss out on a lot that goes on. Jareth doesn't get to see his grandparents as often as we would like and since my sister also has kids we would like him to be close with his cousins. Now on the flip side, as I said, we love Knoxville. The city feels like our home. We love that there is so much to do here and it has a lot of the perks of a big city yet it's not a big city and there is a real sense of community here. Also, Jon's job is here and he would have a 45 minute commute if we moved to Athens. If we moved to Athens it wouldn't be for the town. It would be for the people living there. And if we stay in Knoxville it would be more for the city. We have some amazing friends here but we don't see them as often as we would like due to conflicting schedules and since we don't have babysitters ($$$) we don't do as much as we would like. However, in Athens we would have babysitters so we would be able to come to Knoxville to visit with friends. Then there is the issue of church. We have been going to a new church for several months now and we really enjoy it. It has a great children's program, great missions, and we have made friends there. I would hate to leave it. I don't know if we could find the same thing in Athens. But I haven't really done my research.
So what do we do? There are many other things to consider but the main things are Family, Church, and Work. Possibly in that order.
We have decided however that regardless of where we are we want out of our mortgage. We have enjoyed our first home but we have found that owning is highly overrated. At least for now. We do well. We pay all of our bills on time and have minimal debt. Each paycheck puts a little money into savings and we always have a little extra spending money left over. But since I am staying home for the next few years we know it will be increasingly harder for us to go on the vacations we want, enjoy nice cars, and buy the things we want. So we have decided the best thing for us is to rent until I am working again and we can buy/build the house we want. Athens would be more affordable to do this. There are more affordable options there. But I think as long as we can forego some luxuries we can make it work in Knoxville too.
Sooooo much to think about! It really should be easier than this. Lord, tell us what to do! I think I need to put it in His hands or we will never make a decision. I can't think anymore. : )

My Big Boy!

Jareth is almost 6 months old and it shows! He is getting so big. And he is doing so much now. He rolls back and forth, reaches and grasps his toys, "talks" all the time, is trying to sit up, can put his weight on his legs, holds his own bottle, and oh so much more. He loves eating his baby food and loves trying to drink from a cup. Best of all, he has such a good temperment. He is always happy and wears the biggest gummy grin. Everyone just adores him. We are so blessed!!

An Awesome Thursday

Yesterday was beautiful. The sun was out and shining brilliantly, there was no laundry or dishes to do, Jareth was in a fantastic mood, and I had a Thirty-One party that night at a friend's house. After piddling around the house for a while Jareth and I met daddy for lunch. We went to one of my favorite places in Knoxville, Nama!!! They have the best sushi I have ever had. After lunch I took Jareth to the park where we took a walk and then spread out a blanket in the shade. Jareth ran his fingers across the grass and took a little nap. Afterward I took him on another stroller ride and then we went home. Once home Jareth decided to take an extra long nap so mommy took an extra long bath. He slept until daddy got home and woke him up by peeking at him on the bed. Once he was up it was daddy's turn to take care of him while I went and did a Thirty-One party. It was an awesome party! The ladies were so much fun and my friend Heather was a great hostess. I made well over $100 in just a few hours. It's going to be a great month for my thirty-one business. I have seven parties booked! I could make our mortgage payment!
It was a very nice and successful day for being a Thursday. Life is golden!