So Much Has Changed!

You know, people have been telling us for weeks that once Malachi started crawling, things would start going so quickly! I think we had been waiting for so long for him to actually start crawling, that we didn't believe he actually was, even when we saw it with our own two eyes! But, the official date for Malachi to start crawling was last Sunday, April 5, 2009!! We were at Lolli and Pops' house, surprise surprise, for lunch and he SO DID crawl on hands and knees to get to my shoe! (We didn't even have to bribe him with food...haha!) Then, Monday morning, Thomas was standing at the front door telling him bye-bye before work and Malachi stopped what he was doing, crawled over to Thomas, grabbed his shoe and started crying! (It was heartbreaking for daddy to have to leave his little boy!) And now for the fast part, he has started pulling up, finally!! Only to his knees so far, but if you're sitting on the floor, he'll crawl over to you, crawl over your legs and then push his legs straight out and pull up on your leg or whatever else he can glom on to! This morning he actually crawled over to the laundry basket (of clean laundry waiting to be folded, please confirm that I'm not the only one to do this...I beg you...I need that confirmation so I don't feel like a bad housekeeper...haha!) and pulled up to his knees to grab something out of it! Man, he really is taking off!!!

I also left him this morning laying in the floor drinking his bottle after a breakfast of oatmeal with blueberries - I walked into the bedroom and grabbed my clothes and by the time I got back to check on him (a whole minute later) the bottle was halfway across the room and he was sitting up playing with his clothes that I was getting ready to put on him! This weekend, we'll be babyproofing it looks like!!!

He has also started saying bye-bye, and Uh-Oh (with lots of intonation)! We've been working on Uh-Oh for a while and it's been either one "UH" or "Uh-Uh" but he finally made the "OH" sound Monday or Tuesday evening while we were playing with him! Now every 3rd of 4th time he says it, it comes out right! (It's like he's gotta practice or warm up to get there!) He's clapping now and he has started doing the cheesiest smile! It's SO CUTE! He wrinkles his entire face and his eyes completely disappear! He's laughing SO MUCH at EVERYTHING and is SO easily amused! We sit for hours on end (okay, maybe just 30 minutes or so, but we COULD sit for hours on end) and do EVERYTHING we can to get him to belly laugh! It's GREAT! It's so nice to have such a happy, interactive baby!

Tomorrow, Good Friday, EVERYONE has off of work EXCEPT mommy and from what I hear it's going to be a fun day! A couple of weeks ago, Aunt Kelly and I went shopping at Children's Place for Easter Outfits for our children and tomorrow, Lolli, Pops, Aunt Kelly and her two, Kadi and Karter and Malachi and Daddy and even Aunt Janalyn are taking the three kids to get their Resurrection pictures made! They're wearing semi-matching outfits in VERY springy colors and I can't WAIT to see how cute they look!!

This year, we will be starting a new tradition in that we're not going to celebrate "Easter." What? Shock...I know. We're actually going to be calling it Resurrection Sunday. Because, that's what IT IS! It's Resurrection Sunday! Yes, we will still be hunting "Easter" eggs with the older kids (or Malachi can crawl to a few) and we will still have the "Easter" bunny but we are also going to REALLY spend time remembering what we are actually celebrating! We've also bought resurrection eggs and will be beginning another new tradition (just like the Happy B-Day Jesus Cake at Christmas) with Malachi! It's SO important that we understand what this day really represents! This is the day that our savior, Jesus Christ defeated death and Hell and rose from the dead! Without this day our faith would be empty. Without this day, we would be worshipping a dead God. When, in fact, our God is ALIVE AND WELL and continues to reign on high! Without this day, our salvation would be impossible for the Bible says that we are ALL sinners and fall short of the Glory of God. Without this day, we would NEVER be able to get to Heaven. Ephesians 2: 8-9 says "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the GIFT OF GOD. Not of works lest ANY MAN should boast." We're not worthy of reaching Heaven and we deserve to be eternally separated from the God that created us. However, Jesus Christ died for our sins and ROSE AGAIN so that we might have life more abundantly. The only thing WE have to do is to ask God for forgiveness of our sins and accept Jesus Christ as the gift that Ephesians talks about. We ask Jesus to save us from our sins and the Bible says that "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness." If not for Jesus' death, burial and resurrection, He wouldn't be ABLE to save us! Praise the Lord that He is!!

Please see this webpage for more answers to any questions you have! There is NO GREATER JOY than having fellowship with Jesus Christ and there is NO WORSE CONDEMNATION than eternal separation from our Heavenly Father! DON'T WASTE THIS TIME!

Stay tuned for pictures of the EXCITING WEEKEND ahead!!!