The Little Booger

Thought I'd post a quick pic of the little guy. He's starting to grow out of the baby phase and is beginning to look more like a little boy. Crazy.

This is a little something I taught him. Mom thinks its pretty funny.

A Dancin' Family

The other day Owen goes up his music cube and starts dancing to it. Melissa posted it on her blog and later received a comment from my brother Kyle about my dance moves. So, to show you just how the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, I have posted 2 videos here. Enjoy.

We're Baaack

Pulled into Salina yesterday around 4:30pm from a long week of work in Cedar Rapids and was I ever glad to be home. I greatly missed my family while I was gone even though the week was full of good work, interesting conversations, and fun times. I didn't realize how much I missed them until I walked up our front sidewalk and saw my little booger peering through the screen door. How long had I been gone? I'd almost forgotten what he looked like. As I walked in the door I put my guitar down and found my arms magnetically attracted to the blonde bombshell awaiting me in the living room. I planted a big smooch on her and for the rest of the evening I couldn't resist being next to her.
I think sometimes its good to get away to remember what it is we have and take for granted. In my everyday life it's easy for me to overlook the little moments that mean so much to me as a dad and a husband. I missed seeing Owen poke his head around the corner with that crazy grin he gets when he's playing peek-a-boo. I missed having my wife next to me while I slept at night. I missed getting up in the morning and turning the corner to Owen's room to hear him talking nonsense in his crib. I missed being able to look at Melissa while she told of the day she had...talking on the phone just doesn't cut it for me.
All the little things matter and sometimes it just takes a little distance to make me realize how truly blessed I am.

The Big 1

Owen managed to survive his first birthday this past Monday. We had a great time the Saturday before with family celebrating this momentous event. A few pics for your viewing pleasure...

Prioritizing

Ever since my divorce over 2 years ago, I've made it a point to make sure that my priorities are straight. I learned that I can't just say I place God first, family second, and job third. I have to act on it. I was given the chance to prove it this week.
I attended a conference at Southwestern College that began Tuesday. I knew that I would have to leave a little early on Wednesday to get back for church activities, but was excited to be a part of a Q&A with Tony Jones, listen in on a chapel sermon by Mr. Jones, and then participate in a workshop given by Professor Rankin (that's what I call him when he's doing smart guy stuff).
I woke up on Wednesday morning to a call from Melissa telling me that she had a monstrous headache. On top of that, Owen had been exposed to strep throat a few days prior and woke up with a cough.
So there I was faced with a big decision - Do I stay for the conference that I was greatly looking forward to hoping my family gets to feeling better as the day goes on? Or do I drive back home to spend the day being a good husband and dad?
I jumped in my car and headed back to S-town.

Being a Dad

I meant to post this earlier this week, but my week became consumed with writing a sermon. Enough excuses, thanks to my mom, brother, wife, and good friend, I'll be posting about being a dad. So here are my paternal reflections...

• Having a son is awesome! I'll admit it, I was hoping for a boy when we got pregnant. I would have loved my daughter just as much, but it totally rocks having a little boy around. I'm a big time rough houser with him and can't wait for the days of playing catch, going fishing, and doing all the cool things that dads and sons get to do. I enjoyed those things with my dad and I'm looking forward to sharing the same things with Owen.
• Being a parent is tiring. Now let me first give major props to my wife. She is an amazing woman and I can't imagine doing what she does day in and down out. I spend most of Friday with Owen on my day off and by the time Melissa comes home from cleaning houses, I'm pretty well shot. It's hard work!
• I am a selfish human being. I never realized how much I valued my time and being able to do what I wanted when I wanted. A dad truly has to put his wife and child(ren) first. There's just no way around it. I do miss the days that I could take a nap when I wanted and do home improvement projects on Fridays. Gone are those days...for now.
• As much as I love Owen, Melissa comes before him. I'm saying this because I have to continually remind myself about the priority of my marital relationship. Owen takes a lot of time and energy and if Melissa and I don't intentionally take time to work on our relationship, something's going to eventually hit the fan. (I'm not just saying this because Valentine's Day is Saturday and the wifey's birthday is next Sunday)
• God's provision is sufficient. I wasn't really sure what I was getting myself into when we got pregnant. I had no idea how to be a dad. I didn't know how to change a diaper. I didn't have a clue. God gives us the ability to adjust to many different situations in life and He will never give us something we can't handle, although I think He pushes us to the limit so we have to depend on Him. That's ok with me.
  

Pics and Videos

I thought it would be good to post a few pics and videos.






















Owen's first words?


See what happens when you listen to Dad?

Randomness

Just wanted to post a few random thoughts and experiences I've had lately. Enjoy!

• Thanksgiving is great, but makes me tired. We did four Thanksgiving meals this year. One with the high school small groups, one with Melissa's mom's side, one with my dad's side, and one with my mom's side. I love seeing everyone, but it sure does make for a long couple of days, plus our son was a bit of a booger on Friday. I guess we'll have days like that.
• There are a lot of kids out there who need adopted. Now that I have a child of my own I finally realize how fortunate we all are to have a family who loves and cares for us. Maybe none of us need to have any of our own kids....wierd...I just saw a commercial on TV advertising about adopting kids. It said there are over 700 kids who need a home in Kansas. That was a little crazy!
• Black Friday is RIDICULOUS!!! In case you missed it, a woman was killed when she was trampled after opening up the doors at a walmart in New York. See article HERE. Others were seriously injured in other parts of the country. Our greed and need to buy has taken us to places we should never be. Makes me want to vomit!
• Melissa loves to sleep on the couch. I would say that on an average she falls asleep on the couch about 2-3 times per week. Then she wants me to carry her to bed, but I usually don't because in the past when I did she would get to the bed then just get right back up and go to the restroom. Silly girl.
• I found a new gadget to use on my computer to help me stay on top of tasks. It's called Jott. Andrew pointed it out in one of his blog posts so I thought I'd give it a try. I'll have to let you know what I think.
• Christmas decorating, I loathe those two words together in the same sentence. I guess I don't hate the entire idea, just the thought of putting up our fake tree. It's a real pain in my backside. Lights outside don't kill me and I guess I can handle the little knick-knack exchange that takes place. But seriously, it's all going to go back to the way it was in a little over a month. I will say this much, and I realize that I may be contradicting myself here, I enjoy going to my parents when Mom has the house decorated. Something about it just makes me feel good. So what it comes down to is that I don't mind the decor, but I could do without the work that goes into it.
  

That's all for now. I hope you all have a great Advent season and please, please, please remember the reason we celebrate. God became man that we might have life abundantly and I'm pretty sure that didn't mean so we could get more stuff.

Last Month of Life With the Just's

Roll Over, Boy

Owen's big roll over in Colorado. Must be the thin air.

Owen's First Movie

New Pics...mostly of Owen

Say Hi

Watch Owen's response when I tell him to "Say hi."

New Pics

The latest pictures from the Justs.

Owen Photo Album

Like Father or Mother

Cast your vote...who does Owen look most like? Dad or mom?

Meet Owen Patrick

Owen Patrick Just

Born May 11, 2008

7lbs 120z

20 inches