Excitement!

It looks like we are finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. We are finally going to close on our house! I cannot begin to express my excitement. It has taken way more time then was necessary due to the HOA being a pain in the rear end. With the close date getting closer I can't help but think of decorating possibilities! I LOVE decorating and have been looking forward to the day that I can decorate my own home for so long. I recently stumbled upon some pictures of different ways to dress up your windows. I want to try all of these ideas!! Here is what I found from Better Homes and Garden:

{I can't wait to start!}

I Love My Jude Boy.

I have the best job in the world! There is nothing that brings me more joy then spending time with my sweet little Jude boy. He brightens my day and makes me laugh. I never understood how strong a mother's love is for her child until I had my own baby.

It's Nice To Get Out.

Since we are still not in our home, we are currently staying with Eb's parents. We have been staying here for about 2 months and I am so grateful for their generosity! It has been great having so many helpers when it comes to entertaining and watching Jude boy. However, sometimes I feel like I need a break from a full house. Last weekend I had one of those days when I just wanted some alone time with Eb & Jude. Restaurants can be crowded and loud so that didn't seem appealing either. Instead we picked up some Subway sandwiches, a frozen pie, and drinks and then headed over to the church. Eb's mom had given me this idea. She said that sometimes when her & Kent want some alone time they will get food and eat at the church. This was perfect! We set up a little picnic inside the Relief Society room and spent the evening eating, talking, and playing with our little Jude boy. It was really nice to have a night with just the three of us where we didn't have to wrestle Jude down at a restaurant and didn't have the noise of others. This is definitely a date idea that we will try again!

While He Was Sleeping...

Poor Eb. He wakes up at 4:00 am and has to be to work at 5:00am. That, plus a little boy that chooses not to go to bed until 10:30 or 11:00 at night = little sleep for Eb. However, he does an awesome job playing with Jude and letting me have a break when he gets home from work. Sometimes though, he just needs to get some sleep and will pass out wherever he is sitting. This is where I step in. For whatever reason I can't just let this poor guy get a good nap! These are a few examples of things that Eb has to endure while he is trying to get a little extra sleep.

{I know...I'm a horrible person.}

All You Need is... People?

{Mae, Benton, & Emmie...A couple of Jude's favorite playmates!}

All that Jude needs is a couple of people watching him to be happy. He just loooves crowds. Give Jude a few dozen people and that kid is in heaven. He loves to crawl on people, "kiss" their faces (or feet, arms, legs..pretty much wherever), use them to stand up, and just sit and observe them. When it comes to Jude and people, the more the better! He especially loves little kids & babies. He'll sit and watch them run around & then get so excited and want to join in. He can't always keep up since he is only crawling still, but when that day comes that he can walk... that kid will be all over the place. When it comes to little babies he loves to try and grab their faces, sit on their heads, suck on their toes (or face), and sometimes they just act as speed bumps that he has to crawl over. It is so fun to see him interact with people! It will be interesting to see if he keeps this trait as he grows and becomes one of those super outgoing loves to be in front of a crowd kind of person. He definitely didn't get that from me!

13...14...15 seconds!

Jude is growing way too fast. He has recently started to pull himself up on things & then let go & stand there for a couple of seconds. Today seems to be his best day at standing on his own so far. He did it at least 5 times, each time getting a little longer. The longest (& cutest) time was before bedtime in the tub. He pulled his little naked bum out of the water and held on the the side of the tub. He then let go and stood there like a pro for at least 15 seconds! I fear that this only means one thing... We are quickly approaching the day when he will start walking. There will be no rest when this day comes (like we get any in the first place, right?).