Flashback Friday

October 1998, North Arkansas

We'd been married over a year, but we look like kids!!

Toothless Grin

Jackson was pretty excited to try his first bites of baby food. I've been trying to give him rice cereal over the last few weeks, but he hasn't really cared much about it. Sweet potatoes, on the other hand, were scarfed down when I offered them to him yesterday!

As Good As it Gets

My friend Rhonda was doing pictures last weekend, so I took the boys out to get a few shots. I should have known that with it being in the afternoon, Jackson wouldn't cooperate. But I tried anyway . . .


It didn't matter what Rhonda did behind me, Jackson WAS NOT going to smile. And of course, we had to take time out for every car that came by--Clayton (and Jackson, it seems) isn't going to miss seeing a car drive by:



I do have to say that Clayton was more than cooperative. He was all smiles because he loves his Rhonda.

But after several shots, the meltdown began--I decided to give up for this go around!

Mystery Solved

After reading yesterday's blog, my mom promptly emailed me to jog my memory. SHE is the one who gave Clayton the pumpkin outfit!! How in the world did I forget that his dear Granny had gotten it for him????? Shame on me!

Jackson looks pretty cute in it too, don't you think????

Flashback Friday

With this weekend being all about Halloween, I knew exactly what we'd flashback to this week. Clayton was so tiny, he was able to wear the same outfit for his first two Halloweens! These first pics are in the NICU (notice you can't even see the little peanut in the pic with my mom and me!). ~Oct. 2003

And these next two are the following year (2004), when he had definitely learned to bat those long lashes for the camera. =)

Still so tiny! He was over a year old and only weighed a little over 12 pounds!

We're definitely getting our use out of this outfit since Jackson will wear it as well--the crazy thing is, someone gave it to us after they had used it and I can't even remember who that person was!

On That Same Note . . .

Kristina commented on Monday's blog and left a link to a post on the same subject by Shannon, who had in turn shared a devotional from another friend. It's so on target, I had to share. (If you know the original author, let me know so credit can be given).

Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. Luke 18:1


The failure to persevere is the most common problem in prayer and intercession. We begin to pray for something, raising our petitions for a day, a week, or even a month, but then if we have not received a definite answer, we quickly give up and stop praying for it altogether.


This is a mistake with deadly consequences and is simply a trap where we begin many things but never see them completed. It leads to ruin in every area of life. People who get into the habit of starting without ever finishing form the habit of failure. And those who begin praying about something without ever praying it through to a successful conclusion form the same habit in prayer. Giving up is admitting failure and defeat. Defeat then leads to discouragement and doubt in the power of prayer, and that is fatal to the success of a person's prayer life.

People often ask, "How long should I pray? Shouldn't I come to the place where I stop praying and leave the matter in God's hands?"


The only answer is this:
Pray until what you pray for has been accomplished or until you have complete assurance in your heart that it will be (accomplished).


Only when one of these two conditions has been met is it safe to stop persisting in prayer, for prayer not only is calling upon God but it is also a battle with Satan. And because God uses our intercession as a mighty weapon of victory in the conflict, He alone must decide when it is safe to cease from petitioning. Therefore we dare not stop praying until either the answer itself has come or we receive assurance it will come.


In the first instance, we stop because we actually see the answer. In the second, we stop because we believe, and faith in our hearts is as trustworthy as the sight of our eyes, for it is "faith from God" and the "faith of God" that we have within us.


As we live a life of prayer, we will more and more come to experience and recognize this God-given assurance. We will know when to quietly rest in it or when to continue praying until we receive His answer.

And with that, let us PRAY WITHOUT CEASING!

Good Morning, Glory!

Jackson greets every morning with a smile--he is just the sweetest thing [in the mornings!] I'm definitely not a morning person, but seeing his little grin helps get me going each day. He was especially happy this morning since he got to take a snooze in Momma and Daddy's bed. =)