Gifts that Bless: Time, Fellowship, & Thoughtful Generosity

What a great weekend it has been already! It started with a BUSY Friday, where Jacob and I had a great brunch with a dear friend from junior high/high school that I reconnected with almost a year ago. She recently adopted her beautiful baby boy and I've enjoyed getting to know her again and her precious newborn little man! We got to sit and visit for 3 hours and I got to have some baby Jake snuggle time (her son's name is Jake!). Jacob loved playing at her house - they have some cool, vintage cars that he loved, plus there were fans to turn on and watch go "round round!" - and some yummy "cake" (banana bread made with rice flour - YUM)! Thanks to Kara for a great time!

Of course, it means we missed nap time, so Jacob got a less-than-ideal car nap for about an hour, then some play time at home before we headed to dinner with friends from church! It has been such a blessing to meet other Christian families with children close to Jacob's age and share some of life together. Three families gathered for dinner at a home and our children got to play! It was a delicious meal and time of discussion, getting to know each other, and relaxing. I only wish Josh could have been there :-( The other 2 couples all have Bible college and seminary training, so at one point talked about Revelation and end time theology - Josh would have LOVED it! I plan to have these couples over to our house one Sunday for dinner and just know Josh will enjoy it. One of the neat parts of the evening was me seeing just how grown our little toddler man really is! The hostess had a great kid's table and the 3 toddlers (2 boys, 1 girl) sat at this table. I realized Jacob was the only one with a bib! Wondering if I should relax some on worrying about messes, haha! But they all sat, with "big kid" plates, and ate like little adults - it was awesome! The hostess and I had talked and wondered if they would all tend to get up and wander around during meal time - since they might not be used to just sitting with other kids - we decided we'd be ok if that happened and just roll with it... but, they didn't! They ate and socialized and it was awesome to see! We also had a moment where the lack of sleep and late hour revealed a less-than-good moment in Jacob's response to another child touching him and a chance for me to really consider how to parent - we all have moments when our day and circumstances mean we aren't in the happiest of places, but our choices still need to be kind and loving even when we don't like what someone else does - that's what I want to teach my children - and remember myself! I did a lot of contemplating on this today and last night! Lord, help me guide these little hearts and minds and draw them to you so they may love others as you do and walk in your ways!

Here's a precious picture of the 3 toddlers having their dinner:

Jacob of course called the little girl "Emma" as he does all girls - because he adores his cousin, Emma - so any girl he plays with and has a blast with (which he did at this dinner party), he calls "Emma"!

I took dessert to the dinner party and was so excited to use this antique baked goods carrier my sister gave me a few years ago - it has 3 places to hold things - the very top is good for a pie (or cookie dough brownies, which is what I made), the middle can hold a pretty tall cake (or cupcakes :-) ), and the bottom is great for cookies (or more cupcakes). Loved getting to use it again - I used to use it more often when we lived in KY and had church socials where Josh pastored. 

Then, today (Saturday), I had an interpreting workshop - a real blessing since I need the CEUs and the professional socializing and learning was so refreshing - just in time before baby Ruth makes her appearance!  The agency hosting the event is one I really enjoy being a part of - they had a thank you gift from over a year ago that I had never picked up - they were kind enough to hold it and brought it today! Two parts of it have been a blessing as we prepare for a 2nd baby to join our family - one will allow me to buy a baby carrier I've wanted (a Baby K'Tan wrap) and the other is a great journal I've put in the nursery to use for charting those early days/diapers/nursing sessions!

All ready beside the glider!

While I was at the workshop, Jacob and his Daddy had a great morning together!

I LOVE the look on his face! Josh sent me this picture and said, "Daddy of the year. T-shirt, diaper, sandals, and the all important tube socks!" LOL! Jacob is looking at his Dad like "REALLLLY Dad?!? This is NOT gonna win me any friends!" 

My boys hanging on the porch! Josh and his mini-Me!

A FAVORITE pastime of Jacob - he adores footballs (or "kick balls" as he calls them)! He'll ask Daddy or Mama to sit next to him and hold the brown one and he'll hold the blue one. If I throw it, he is not thrilled. We have pictures of Josh doing the same thing - just carrying a football around - when he was just about this age. He saw football for the first time a week or so ago with Josh and was in awe watching the players kick off the ball, hence the reason he calls these "kick" balls! 

As a side note, I love the time Josh and Jacob have together. Here are a few update pics from my phone:

9.3.12

Wanted to wear his hat and put it on backwards himself! Then, grabbed a book he loves and had some cool dude reading time!

9.5.12 (22 month birthday)

Cool sunshade boy playing with this train!

Speaking of Jacob updates:

Here's a lesson Mama learned about playdough and a toddler. Jacob and I have played with playdough several times and I've modeled playing with it ON his table and ON his playdough mats. So, he brought me his mats and playdough bag and asked if he could play, so I set it up on his kid table and worked on dinner. Just as dinner was ready, not that long later, I see a clump of green playdough at the kitchen entryway that our dog, Kylee, is licking and about to bite. I tell her "no!" and step around the corner into the dining/living area where Jacob is - and find Jacob-sized handfulls of green playdough ALL OVER THE LIVING ROOM! He had been grabbing handfuls and throwing them around. Lesson learned for this Mama! I explained why this was unacceptable and he had to pick each clump up and put it back in the ziplock bag (glad it is homemade playdough - so hopefully less damage to our carpet, haha)! One thing that was NOT a fun clean up was the playdough he had run through and ground deep into the grooves on the bottom of his shoes... good times for Mama!

Green Playdough Shoes

Jacob's grandparents, Grandmother and Granddaddy, recently took a roadtrip to see Aunt Rup in Michigan, then headed to North Carolina to see my great Aunt Elizabeth and do some sight seeing in one of their favorite vacation states. They brought some great gifts back for Jacob (and Ruth). One is a t-shirt and it just reminds me of growing up, traveling with family and t-shirts from trips my parents took or we took as a family. 

Sweet boy ready for bed! Signing "Granddaddy"!

Signing "Grandmother"! 

Thanks for the shirt, Grandmother and Granddaddy!

Then, in the mail today we received an unexpected gift for Ruth from Uncle Chip, Aunt Angela, and Cousin Elijah: a beautiful blanket with Ruth's name made by a company called "Simply Adorable Blankets" where the blankets are made by persons with developmental disabilities. It is a beautiful blanket - and came with a card written by the makers who tell you their names and a brochure with the pictures of the people who made the blanket for your baby - so great! Someone had given one to my nephew, Elijah, so his Mama thought to get one for her niece! Thanks to the Parish family! We've added it to Ruth's nursery with her blankets from Aunt Rup and Granny :-)

Beautiful Blanket!

I was having a "down" moment after my workshop, sad that Josh had to work yet another Saturday - and this came in the mail! So wonderful!

This is the company's brochure.

And the pictures of the makers of Ruth's blanket along with a card where they wrote their names.

Ruth's blanket with the card from its makers.

The blanket laid in her crib - so soft and pretty!

It is reversible - solid, soft pink on one side and pink with white polka dots on the other.

Ready for baby Ruth!

Counting blessings for the past 2 days - time with friends, fellowship, Jacob playing with new friends, time invested professionally, and generous gifts that touch my heart and meet needs in our family! Thank you Lord for the people you send our way - may I be used to bless others when they least expect it!

~ Mama Bruffey

Wife of One, Mother of Two