bittersweet.

yesterday at work i was suddenly filled with this overwhelming sense of panic at the thought of how quickly time passes.  bennett is already almost eight months old.  he's getting bigger and more independent by the day.  i love seeing him grow and change and develop his own little personality.  each stage we have experienced has brought it's own set of challenges, sure; but, overall, each stage has been so much fun and has brought the greatest sense of joy to our lives.

still, it makes me so sad to think about how quickly it's all going.  i know that might sound crazy to anyone who's not a mama yet.  he's still a baby, afterall.  EVERYONE has said how fast it goes, but i just don't think you can be prepared for that until you're experiencing it first hand.

i want him to stay my little baby forever.  i don't want him to lose his chubby baby legs or his gummy smile.  i want him to continue cooing and chatting to himself in the backseat while we're driving.  i want to see that huge grin each morning when i go into his room to get him from his crib.

it's bittersweet.  there's that tension between wanting everything to stay the same but being excited for the future.

i want to hear bennett say "mama" for the first time.  i want to watch his first steps.  i want to go to his first t-ball game and cheer as loud as i can while runs the bases.  i want to see him develop a relationship with the Lord.

how do you *truly* savor the moments?  how do you avoid the painful sense of "i missed it" or "it passed me by"?  i suppose no one really has the answer to that.  i guess pictures can help, right?

loves chewing on his foam letters (and pretty much anything else he can get his little hands on!)

used to HATE bathtime when he was littler, but now he loves to splash and kick his legs in the water

yep, that happened- they love each other, what can i say?

love that scrunched nose smile.

gotta show some love for george, too :)

 bennett is getting dedicated at church this weekend.  joe flies home from the national sales meeting on a redeye, getting in around 6am and the dedication is at 9am.  if you think of it, please say a few prayers that he gets home in time!

we chose Psalm 25:5 as bennett's life verse:

"guide me in your ways and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long."