Six Years Later

     Six years ago, I was one stressed out woman, focusing on having the "perfect" wedding.  Although beautiful, it was far from perfect, but one amazing thing came out of it: a life-long covenant between my best friend and myself.  Mark and I are celebrating our six year anniversary today and it's just amazing to see how far God has brought us in our short time together.  When we first got married, Mark worked for a landscaper while his paperwork went through and I was in my first year of teaching.  He then bought a Pepperidge Farm bread route and began working that and before I knew it, he had TWO!  This man was/is like a freight train! 
     For a while we just, "went to church," but now we are PART OF the church, serving every Sunday, finding joy in telling others about Jesus.  Mark is our church's Sunday School director and I coordinate the nursery.  On top of that, we lead an adult Sunday School class which Mark teaches, and let me say, he's REALLY GOOD at it.  We sometimes joke that we'll have 4 or 5 children before he'll decide he wants to go to seminary.  Time will tell, but until then, we consider it a blessing to see how God is opening our eyes to the truth in His Word.
     Finally, last year in September, God blessed us with a perfect baby boy named Marcus Paul.  He was only 6 weeks old last year when we went out on our anniversary date and this year he's over 13 months!  We considered getting a babysitter, but decided to celebrate as a FAMILY this year.  Marcus is definitely a light in our lives and we're so THANKFUL to have a child like him.  It was just the other night that he was doing something naughty at the supper table and neither Mark nor I could discipline him because it was so funny.  We both just had to turn away.  Hopefully none of those naughty moments happen tonight as we go out, but either way, we'll make some memories.
     Six years ago, if you had told me this is where I'd be, I might not would've believed you.  We are in a place in life that I never DREAMED I'd be fortunate enough to experience and I am LOVING it.  We took Marcus on a walk yesterday evening, just letting him get some fresh air and both Mark and I talked about how happy we are RIGHT NOW. 
     Do we want more children?  Of course?  Will we one day need a bigger house?  Probably.  But there's no point in worrying about that if we're going to miss today's blessings. 

Happy Anniversary, Mark Peter.  There is not another person on earth I love and respect more than you!

When Mark gets home, Marcus wants hardly anything to do with his mama.

He's content with his daddy (but so am I).

It was time for pjs & bed but he wanted one more ride.

Praise the Lord!

Joy During the Storm

     This past week wasn't the easiest for us all as my sweet Papa passed away early Monday morning.  Marcus and I drove to Mt. Airy to be with my family and Mark joined us Wednesday, before the viewing.  Papa's funeral was on Thursday, and we got home late that evening.
     I was amazed at the respect and honor Papa held, not only due to his service for our country, but in our community as well.  Two servicemen stood guard beside his casket during the viewing all evening Wednesday, rotating every 15 minutes.  At his funeral on Thursday, once his body was brought out to the burial site, again 2 servicemen guarded it.  After it was over, they formally folded the flag that topped his casket and gave it to Faye.  They had a 21 gun salute when it was all said and done.
     It was good to see family, considering the circumstances, but I did enjoy my time with all my cousins and the rest of the family.  In the midst of a somewhat difficult time, Marcus was such a joy to have around.  He obviously didn't know what was going on, and was happily playing most of the time.  He especially loved playing outside with his Grandma and letting his Aunt Liv chase him around the kitchen.  Marcus also really enjoyed seeing the petting zoo, (aka-Granddad's hunting trophies) upstairs.  He got to pet a black bear, deer, elk and a real live puppy and kitty!
     Finally, we're home now and had a great time this morning at a place called Eliada Home.  They take care of children who are in foster care or other similar situations and it's a WONDERFUL organization.  Every year they have a corn maze and other festive activities to raise money.  Marcus and I went out this morning and played in the corn box, rode tractors, slid down slides, shot corn cannons, and made our way through the hay bale maze.  We only stayed a little over an hour, but we both really enjoyed our time there.  It was a great time for a wonderful cause.

Marcus and his Aunt Liv

Mid-spin as she caught him after running around the kitchen island.

Petting the bear at Granddad's house

Checking out the wall of horns.

He picks others noses, too.

Eliada Home pumpkin pirate ship

He liked having his own small pumpkin.

Oh the places I squish into for our child. :)

He "oohed" and "ahhed" the whole ride.

Sitting in it like a big boy.

Marcus didn't follow the path in the maze.  He cut through where he could fit.

This one was more his size.

Pointing at the tractor passing by.

Slide & tractor ride on the left, corn box up front, pumpkin pirate ship to the right rear.

Walking in the corn box - very cool idea fyi.

Putting corn in a boat.

We took one more tractor ride before heading home.

Sweet blue eyed baby!

13 months old

     This past Saturday Mark and I took Marcus with us to the Hospice Center in Dobson, NC to visit my 90 year old Papa.  He's been dealing with Alzheimer's for a while now, but after visiting and seeing his condition, we knew there wasn't much time left.  It was back in April that the three of us made the journey to Virginia to see my dying Grandmother.  She died four days later and after this visit, it only took Papa two days.  He passed away yesterday, October 17th, 2011 and is no longer suffering here on Earth.  He lived quite the adventurous life and it was documented in this article a few years ago:

http://www.mtairynews.com/view/full_story/3657934/article-Webb-has-lived-adventurous-life

     I am so thankful that we had the chance to go visit, but also say goodbye to both my Grandmother and Papa.  Even though they were on separate sides of the family, they were my last two living grandparents.  I realize death is a part of life, but it's a part I (fortunately) haven't had to deal with too much thus far in my life, so it's not the easiest thing.  Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 says, "To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under Heaven:  A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which has been planted." 
     On that same day, after we left Papa's, we went to see the newest member of the Hauser family: Madison Elizabeth Hauser.  She was born this past Thursday and is just the most beautiful baby girl.  She was teeny tiny, snuggly soft, and has the most perfect skin tone and complexion.  Matt and Mary Clark are our dearest friends, so when they had Madison, it felt like FAMILY!  Marcus was curious about her, but was more interested in their two dogs and a "singing taco" birthday card.  It was wonderful to hold her and remember when Marcus was tiny again.  He looked like a mammoth beside her, but he's still our sweet little baby.
     Speaking of Marcus, he's 13 months old today!  It's unreal how much he's changed since turning one, but he's TAKING OFF in all areas.  He walks everywhere now, sometimes runs, and is just the funniest little critter.  He understands a LOT of what we say, mimics words and sounds, and eats most everything in sight.  He has eight teeth (four on top, four on the bottom), hates his nails being clipped, and is almost in need of another hair cut.  His precious blonde locks are a real babe-magnet and people get lost in his blazing blue eyes.  He uses his cute little mouth to make the funniest sounds and words.  He says different words, but his favorite is still, "ball," which sounds like, "BAW!" 
     He's been a great traveler thus far, but he's leaving with me today to head to Mt. Airy to be with my family.  Just like in every situation, he's a joy to have around, so hopefully he'll bring some light to a dark time.  Mark will come join us tomorrow as we go through Papa's viewing and funeral. 
     Please pray for the Webb family (my mom's side) this week and the weeks to come.  Pray for the Lord's comfort, but also for peace in a time of turmoil.  Thank you for your love and support. :)

Marcus climbed into his toy crate by himself the other night & thought it was great.

Mark & Matt swapped children for a moment.

Curious about this new little critter.

Foreshadowing?  We hope so one day!

The singing taco card that he loved - AND ROXY!

Annual pictures at UNCA on the Quad.

My boys!

Another family pic.

This is my absolute favorite of them all.  These are the two that I love most in the world!

Reaching up to get a leaf.

Mama and Marcus

He's always going to be our baby

Daddy had to go catch him when he was running away.

"Ok, one more time..."

Pictures of our time in the leaves

This was the first time I've made a leaf pile for him to play in.

"Hmmm...I wonder if I can eat these things."

Spitting is always a crowd favorite & makes him laugh.

Sweet little grin

I love those baby blues!

He saw a dog in this picture.

He didn't mind sitting in them, but wasn't fond of laying.

"Mama, the dog is over THERE!"

This pose always cracks me up.

And one without the hood for good measure.

"I'm about done in here."

"No seriously. I wanna get up."

"Now, I'll cry so you can pick me up. "

The Art of Discipline

"My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline,
   and do not resent His rebuke,
 because the LORD disciplines those He loves,
   as a father the son He delights in.

 Blessed are those who find wisdom,
   those who gain understanding." 

~Proverbs 3:11-13~

      This week, we really turned a corner on learning the art of disciplining Marcus.  As a teacher, it never really had a hard time with it, and in fact, I was known as one of the teachers with the best behaved classes.  It just came natural to me.  I thought I knew how to parent other people's children when I'd think, "they only need to spank that child and he'll straighten up."  Well, there's MUCH more to it than that!
     Marcus is a loud child by nature (imagine that, LEAH has a loud child!), and he's quite energetic and inquisitive for his age.  Those are all "nice" terms until he throws a fit.  Recently, he's started screaming when he doesn't get his way.  In Ingles the other night, we were helping Mark fix up his bread, when Marcus was losing his mind to get to the balloons.  We visited them and went back to the bread, but that wasn't good enough.  He screamed until I put him down, then he walked himself back there.  Upon picking him up again, the fit grew louder and more intense.  That's when it hit me... we need HELP!
     So the next morning, I called and spoke with 2 of the most experienced women I know: Lauri Bolen and Mary Dorris.  Lauri has 8 children and Mary has 5.  Both these women are held in high esteem in our home, knowing their Christian faith and also how well behaved their children are.  After a long conversation with both about their own experiences and advice, we implemented a new plan.
     Now, I share this, knowing that some of you are going to cringe and think I'm being too tough, but know that our parenting decisions are bathed in prayer and we don't do anything rash or during anger.  On Monday, Marcus' fits got worse and worse, and we hadn't even left the house yet.  He screamed when I wasn't holding him, playing with him, giving him attention, if I left the room, if he wanted something different to eat, ANY REASON, he'd throw a fit.  Well, I got out our trusty wooden spoon and verbally warned him as I let him view it.  "If you keep screaming, I'm going to spank you with this."  He immediately became defiant and angry again and started his riot once more.  I slowly pulled his pants down and swatted his leg, under his bottom, twice with the spoon.  His eyes became enlarged and filled with tears as he looked at me like, "WHAT WAS THAT!"  As he erupted in tears, I picked him up and told him how much I loved him and the importance of obedience.
     We did this twice that morning, and then his day got progressively better.  On Tuesday, he started to get ugly when I pulled out the spoon and gave him a warning.  He did NOT like seeing that spoon and his behavior changed immediately.  Thus far, he's getting better and we're trying to be consistent.  Let me just say, IT'S DIFFICULT to spank your child, knowing the physical pain it causes.  But let's get real for a minute, I had rather him feel a little physical pain now and learn to fear/respect rules, boundaries, and authority than let him go hog wild, do what he wants, and when he's older he has a MUCH LARGER consequence for his disobedience.  I'm doing this to protect him, essentially, just like the Lord disciplines us for OUR protection.
     So with all that being said, please continue to pray for us that we'll have discernment in how to raise Marcus, including how to discipline him consistently and lovingly.  We also need prayer that we are positive examples for him to follow.  Thanks for your prayers and thanks for taking the time to keep up with us on this blog.  Until next time, enjoy the pictures below.  I hope to have pictures of Marcus' new "cousin" Madison on the next blog.

Contrary to popular belief, this was ONE SMALL cookie.

Marcus wore this shirt on Monday in honor of Uncle Greg's birthday and Canadian Thanksgiving.

Yesterday for lunch, all Marcus ate was carrots, potatoes, & bananas (all self fed).  He's amazing.

 We took Marcus to the park Tuesday evening and needless to say, he had a BLAST.

 Overalls are my new favorite outfit for Marcus.  And with bare feet...what's cuter?