I luvs you..........

Ok so Carter completely melted my heart this weekend because we both have unfortunately had a nasty cold.........hence the not updating all weekend. So we have spent a lot of time in bed and on the couch together. So many times this weekend Carter has wrapped his arms around my neck and said, "Momma I luvs you". Ok so I am so smitten right now because he is not a big snuggler or love bug and it has been one of those moments I have played over and over in my memory because it is so sweet!

So things on the Jackson front are going well all except for the nasty cold that has made it's rounds to everyone except Jeremy. We are praying that Jeremy will not get struck by it considering his plate is already quite full. Jeremy is feeling really good this weekend. He stayed home and rested on Thursday and Friday. Saturday he was back at work and on Sunday his mom and step dad came for a visit. We had a very nice visit and went to have lunch at Golden Corral and then to the outdoor mall as we call it a.k.a. Promenade. We walked around and I got a few birthday goodies from kiddos and Jeremy because we haven't had time to do any shopping. I got some tennis shoes I had my eyes on for weeks, couple t-shirts(I LOVE my jeans and t-shirts!), some really cute necklaces, earrings, and bracelets. The boys played on the play set and also rode the carousel. Last time we went Ian wouldn't ride, but this time he noticed their was a Razorback, so he rode the Razorback and Carter and I rode the bench! Instead of choosing a horse he chose a sleigh bench and not just once but twice! I paid 4 dollars so we could ride in circles on a bench.......oh well he loved it!

Ian has spent 2 nights with his friend across the street, so he has been on cloud nine! He was really smart because he was on the lookout for someone that was buying the Razorback game and he scored just a few steps away from the house! We might have gotten it, but Jeremy had to work so seemed kind of silly to get a pay per view football game for me and Carter! So Ian had football, chicken wings, and a good time with Tyler! He did finally return home today, but is now off to swim with his Papaw one of the last times before the pool is closed(not one of Ian's favorite times of the year, he loves that pool!)

Last week was a great week at work. I finally feel like I have a routine with my new kiddos. We are getting into a schedule and they realize that Mrs. Jackson has some high expectations and expects them to be on their best behavior everyday:). Yes my expectations are high, but it definitely pays off. I do have a sweet group of kids, as I have said challenging but very sweet.

Well I am sure that our house is like many other this time of year. I love summer because it means being home with my kiddos, pool time, iced tea, salads, sandwiches, and my alltime favorite flip flops. However there are so many things I love about fall as well! I still love iced tea for those of you that see me on a regular basis I am rarely without it :), soups, stews, chilis, football games on tv, leaves falling, curling up with a good book, and lots and lots of reality tv comes on!

We are so happy that this is an off week and Jeremy does not have one doctor appt! I don't know who is happier......me or him........ok probably him! The hardest thing Jeremy is dealing with right now is the neuropathy has set in. He has had the cold sensation tingling in his mouth ever since he began chemo, but it has now moved to his fingertips. He first noticed it when he was at work and grabbed a car door on one of the cooler days and he said he could feel the instant tingling in his fingers. He knew then that it had settled into his fingers. He has been dreading this day, but we both knew it was coming. He said he just didn't realize how bad it would feel. I watched him yesterday pulling something out of the freezer yesterday and it went flying across the counter because it was so cold. He is going to have to be careful and conscious of this now that the weather is beginning to change.

One thing I have to share is that when we went to church Sunday morning our preacher began a new study on Practical Christian Living beginning with a study in James chapter 1. The scripture he kept referring to really hit my heart and I continued to read it over and over as he was preaching. Today when the house was nice and quiet I sat down with the scripture and a few notes that I had taken and really got a chance to think about it and digest it. The scripture he referred to was James 1:3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. As I continued to think on this our preacher, Daniel also said that "you need the wisdom to know you can face this now". Over the past few months my faith has become so much stronger and even though I still feel very dumb and inadequate with my knowledge of the bible, I feel like through our journey my faith has become so much stronger. I have become more comfortable with my faith, prayer, and my study of the bible. I was raised in church and growing up with bible stories, Sunday school, etc. but as an adult your faith becomes more. You take on a new perspective of your faith, your life, your values for yourself and your family. The last thing that just kept ringing in my head after church on Sunday was that God said believe in me and I will mature you and better you. How true is that? I mean Jeremy and I have always had a happy marriage, but our appreciation of one another is SO much more now than it has ever been. We always knew we loved one another, but now know how much we mean to one another, depend on one another, and need one another. We love our children and enjoy everyday with them, but it also makes me want to be a better parent to them and for them. God is good and as we believe in him and put our faith and trust in him we are in turn better people, a better family, and most importantly better Christians.

A few thank yous:
*Thank you to Mary for the wonderful spaghetti dinner you fixed for our family to have over the Labor day weekend. Once again your sauce was SO yummy! The kids also enjoyed the cake with sprinkles!
*Thank you to Linda for the yummy chocolate cake last week. I have to admit Ian has had some for breakfast twice, if that tells you how yummy it was!
*Thank you to once again our WONDERFUL neighbors. Carter and I both being sick all weekend of course kept me from going to the grocery store, so I thought what in the world will I feed everyone Monday and God always provides Jim and Lisa sent over a huge dish of roast and veggies that are delicious. Jeremy just got home from work(early :)!!!!) and you can smell roast and veggies because that is the first thing he went to!
*Thank you again to Murphy and Angie for having Ian over this weekend to play with Tyler and have a sleepover. He had a great time!