Jalen just turned 11 months last week. So, I finally sat down to edit some photos of Jalen tonight from when he was 8 months old. Yes, I am totally behind on my personal photos of him. These photos were taken at the Leander library and playground that is nearby our house.

As a kid, Jason spent a lot of time at the library reading. I have no doubt we will be spending a lot of time here with Jalen as soon as he can start reading.

For now, he’ll play with puzzles. You can see how his wheels are always turning here.

I miss those chubby legs… sniff sniff. He has lost a lot of weight since then, but according to his pediatrician, he is doing just fine. We just miss chubby Jalen. That’s all.

First time drawing with daddy using crayons.

 I LOVE this image of my boys! I definitely have to order this print for our wall.

Jalen sandwich!!!!! Those cheeks are getting many kisses day and night by mommy, daddy and grandma.

Jalen absolutely LOVES to swing, swing, swing like a monkey. I guess all kids do at this age, right? He can never get enough of it.

Aww… this photo melts my heart. The joy I see on Jalen and Jason’s faces are priceless.

When I see photos like these of my boys, I keep wondering why I didn’t have a child sooner. I always knew how great it would be to start a family… It’s so much MORE than I expected.

The joy our family feel and experience every day from Jalen is something we NEVER take for granted.

There is something to be said about falling in love with your first grandchild. Seeing my mom smile, laugh and cry all for the love of Jalen… I can only guess how she feels, but the matter of fact is, she told me that she’s beaming with love, overflowing with happiness more now than the day I was born, 36 years ago. That’s how much she loves her first grandchild. Loving him that much means, loving me in her own way. I know she longed to have more kids, but due to complications, she was only able to have me. She had 8 miscarriages before I was born. You can only imagine what she went through…

Jalen – YOU ARE LOVED.
You will ALWAYS have our hearts forever as long as you want it.
It is yours to keep.
Mommy, daddy and grandma love you so much.
We hope you can share this love with the rest of the world as you get older and older because as The Beatles once sang long ago…

LOVE IS ALL WE NEED.

“To speak truly, few adult persons can see nature.  Most persons do not see the sun.  At least they have a very superficial seeing.  The sun illuminates only the eye of the man, but shines into the eye and heart of the child.  The lover of nature is he whose inward and outward senses are still truly adjusted to each other; who has retained the spirit of infancy even into the era of manhood.”  ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson