3 months!

Jackson is a little over 3 months now and is quite the chunk! Everyone keeps asking "what are you feeding him?" We had him weighed and measured and he is over 19 lbs now! He is off the growth charts in weight and well above average in head size and body length. He is a growing boy that is for sure! His 6 month old clothes are getting pretty snug and mommy is looking forward to shopping for the big stuff for him when we get back to America. Here are some pictures that show his size. Mind the nudity!

Godzilla baby!

Big ol' hiney-ho! You can see my mullet-in-progress too!

AGM

We just got back from spending two and half weeks in Southern Thailand for our annual meeting. It was a lot different than last year since we had Jackson with us. Mom and Jackson had to fly down by ourselves which was a little difficult without dad. We survived though. Jackson didn't really like the change of day to day activity and really didn't like being in childcare. He refused to nap on days we put him in childcare so that made for some restless nights too. He got a lot better when mom just kept him out of childcare and kept him with her all day.

He got to see the beach for the first time, but no swimming just yet. He'll have to wait until this summer when we go to Mexico for his grandma's wedding. We enjoyed getting to see lots of friends that we have made while living overseas and it was sad to say goodbye to some we may never see again.

While we were down there, Jackson accomplished his first "roll". He went from tummy to back all by himself. I was able to capture his progress in some photos since it took him a while to actually do it. We also had a small dedication service at this meeting for all the new babies. We promised to raise him according to God's word and to teach him about Christ. He got a little certificate of dedication and his first New Testament. "Dedication" is the right word because that is what it is going to take for us to raise him "in the way of the Lord." But we are serious about doing so and take great joy in our responsibility to care for this sweet gift from God.

We leave in just a few days for America! While we have loved living in Thailand, we are overjoyed to get to see our family and friends and live close to most of them for a while. We're not sure what God has in store for our future yet, but we feel a peace about going home for a while and enjoying our family (and them enjoying Jackson). We are also really excited about the many "little conveniences" at home. Like Drive through food, big parking spaces, traffic that obeys the laws (for the most part), Walmart, frozen veggies, vacuum cleaner, washing machine/dryer, dish washer (oh yeah!), everyone speaks English, Sonic happy hour, Allsups burritos (that one is for Kit only!), being able to drink the tap water, hot water that doesn't run out, 4 seasons, and NO humidity!!! (no more afro for Stacy!). We hope to see you all soon!

Here are some pictures from our time at annual meeting.

Getting started
Here I go!
I made it over!

Getting ready and awake for my dedication

Merry Christmas

We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. Ours was good and the best part about it, is that it is our last one away from home! (That knowledge kept us from getting too home sick.) Only 1 1/2 months until we're back! We can't wait to see everyone! Our Christmas was pretty laid back. We just hung out at home for the morning, eating breakfast, opening our gift, skyping with family, and then went to some friend's house for the afternoon to eat and play scrabble. We have really loved our time here in Thailand, but the holidays are always the hardest things to miss out on. Our hearts are at home with our family and we wish we could have been there in person to celebrate with you all. But the reason for the season is Christ and to honor Him. And we know that our obedience in being here for as long as He's asked us to, is honoring to Him. So that gives us some comfort. But next year we're planning to celebrate like crazy and make up for the 2 Christmas' Days we've missed! Here are some pictures from our holiday.

Looking "our best" on Christmas morning!

Jackson, always looking cute and ready for a photo.

Trying to High-Five his friend Brody.

This must have been the tenth or so photo. I think Jackson was getting a little tired of modeling.

Two Months & Quite the Chunk

Jackson was two months old on Christmas Day. He had his 2 month check up this week and weighs a whopping 15 lbs and over 24 inches long already! We're hoping he's going to be really tall like his Grandpa Joe and Uncle Kale. He's grinning and making little giggle noises on cue now. It is so fun to listen to the little noises that burst out of him occasionally. Sometimes he looks as shocked as us at what he can do now! A couple weeks ago we had some family portraits done. Here are a few of the best.

Our little angel

He didn't like wearing the hat!