Catching, throwing, surgery, serving...and oh yes, a first birthday!

Well, we can't brag about our 'post something every 4-6 months' blog, so instead, we'll brag about Joel showing off his catching and throwing skills in the video below.


And don't mind that big-nasty boot Dustin is wearing. His anti-arthritic ankle surgery on May 21st went well, and he's thrilled to be done with the hard part of the recovery. And despite all the pain and nausea, he wouldn't have traded places with Melissa for a second, who faithfully took care of a very needy baby and an even needier husband. Praise Jesus for her!

And oh yes, on May 13th, Joel turned one!

Yes, it was over a year ago (on Mother's Day) that God gave us little Joel. It's been such a joy to watch and grow, and of course, be stretched and grown alongside him.

We had some friends and family over, and Joel participated in what seems to be an unofficial American tradition. That is, mom throws down a piece of cake on the tray of the high chair, and 1-year old dives head first into a sugary bliss. How much of the cake ends up in their stomachs? Not much, at least compared to the amount on their face. Fun for all involved, and what a photo-op.

Dreaming of a green Christmas...

...that is, green because we're doing a Christmas blog as opposed to sending out Christmas cards. You paper-wasting mongrels...Merry Christmas to you all!

Here are some pictures for you to enjoy. The first of Joel in his Christmas sweater (that's a little too big, but we only get a couple more weeks out of it), and the other a shot of us at the Mars Hill Staff Christmas Party at Hotel 1000 downtown.


Hope all is well everyone. Love you all.

Dustin, Melissa, and Joel

Señor Joel's First Halloween

The day came and passed, and Joel never left the house. He did, however, get to sport his authentic poncho from Grandpa Don. But, as the video below shows, he was more interested in this new toy than he was any costume.

Roll on over, roll on over baby

As mentioned in the previous blog, Joel has been rolling over...a lot. It's pretty much all he likes to do now. And here is some documented proof, though it took some convincing on mom's part.

4 months later, we're still alive and kickin...

If there is ever a span of time when it's OK not update your blog for 4 months, it's the first 4 months of your first child's life. Agreed? Well regardless, that’s our reasoning.

To recap, here’s a list of 10 important things that have happened between then and now:

1. Joel’s first poop
2. Joel’s first smile
   
3. Joel’s first roll over
4. Joel’s first teething experience
5. Joel’s first sleep through the night
6. A Mars Hill road trip to Lake Tahoe with 50 high schoolers
7. Joel’s first trip to Lake Tahoe (via plane), and more importantly, his first meeting of Grandpa Dave (right, getting some chores done)
   
8. The Husky football team beat Syracuse and Boise State
9. Miss Teen South Carolina
10. Our three year wedding anniversary
    

Links, pictures, and videos; they're the new writing.

Joel Taylor Nickerson

On Mother's Day, May 13th, at 1:10 PM, Joel Taylor Nickerson was born to us. He was born a healthy 8 pounds, 10 ounces, and 20 1/2 inches long. Mel and Joel are both doing great, and we were all sent home by the nurses the next day.

We praise the Lord for His exceeding goodness in blessing us with this child!

Pregnant wife, cupcakes, and a Neon Bible

Last Sunday we had a bunch of folks over to warm our new (town) house. An awesome time it proved to be. Mel slaved away to make plenty of cupcakes for the guests, and I had to drive all the way to Starbucks to get some coffee. Whew. As you can imagine, by the end of it, we were both exhausted.

And I think the whole ordeal left us a bit emotionally vulnerable—or perhaps it was the televised Forest Gump we watched on TNT—but it was enjoyable to reflect on this next stage of life the Lord has graciously led us into. Taking a picture in front of our first (town) home, with our first baby on the way, both working our first jobs that had perks like insurance and retirement plans instead of free coffee and bloomin’ onions—it was all a bit surreal.


Thinking of 1 Peter 1:8, “Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible…” This becomes more and more true in our lives, as we struggle even to aritculiuate how good Jesus has been to us. We are living blessed lives, and rejoice in the Lord’s exceeding graciousness to us.

Now, how does a Neon Bible fit into this? Well, the new Arcade Fire album is awesome.



That’s it.

-Dustin and Mel